How do I stop mashing???

[Ana]

I read the threads about learning how to spin (and not mash) and the exercise where one leg practices the spinning motion is not going well....at all.

I can barely get my legs to spin equally throughout the stroke! I can only do it with an extremely low cadence..and it's impossible in low gears. I can spin with both legs in higher gears on the trainer but not in low gears--I just keep mashing.

The other leg rides along during the one-legged exercise, correct?

On what part of the pedal stroke should I be focusing?

Any pointers that can help me with my frustration would be very much appreciated!

[smilingcat]

concentrate on sweeping your feet backward at the bottom of the stroke. Sort of like shuffling your feet backward on the floor.

on the upstroke, think of trying to pull your feet out of the pedal by pulling up.

At the top of the stroke, think of pushing your feet forward.

and where you normally mash. concentrate on just relaxing.

If you have a trainer, fluid or mag doesn't really matter, do the one legged exercise with the resting feet not clipped in. try to get your pedals to spin evenly. On a trainer you really don't have to think about where you are going or stopping so you can just concentrate on the spin.

Out on the road, ride on a lower gear and spin more instead of mashing.

And there is always a true fixie. Make sure you get a bike with a front brake. Now that will teach you to spin whether you like it or not. There is no coasting.

[Becky]

For me, switching to computer with cadence helped overcome some of my mashing tendencies. I aim a gear that I can comfortably spin at 90-100 rpms.

When I do one-legged drills, I unclip and rest my non-performing leg on the top of the trainer. It helps me rest that leg while keeping it out of the rear wheel I also find that a slightly harder gear provides a little more resistance and actually makes it easier to do one-legged drills than an easier gear.

[Kalidurga]

A computer with cadence helped me to get used to spinning, also. I've also tried the visualization of wiping mud off my shoe at the bottom of the pedal stroke. A better image for me, though, is to think of the pedal cranks and my feet as the hands of a clock-- I picture both of my feet going around in a circle just the way a second hand sweeps evenly around a clock face, and that helps to smooth my pedaling at any cadence.

[Ana]

And there is always a true fixie. Make sure you get a bike with a front brake. Now that will teach you to spin whether you like it or not. There is no coasting.

...but I like coasting...

Thank you for all the pointers. I will try them next time I hop on the trainer

Mashing must be natural since so many of us have to unlearn it

[andtckrtoo]

I've found the one legged drills to help - and with those, practice does make perfect. You'll have your "AH-HA!" moment, I promise. Do prop your other foot on the trainer or part of your bike so that you have some counterbalance, though. And, this will sound weird, but make sure to engage your core, especially on the upstroke.

I've always been a masher, and have ridden many miles in higher gears, etc. I'm highly competitive (no, not fast, just competitive - I'm in sales - it goes with the territory!) so I had this strange illusion that if I could ride up hills in a higher gear I'd be "better". Better than what, I have no clue! But, when I got my CAAD9, I had them install a cadence meter and I've been riding with Evil Coach Troy. I do cadence work once a week, and believe me, that helps so much. I remember riding up a local mountain where my average speed used to me 6 MPH. With a faster spin in a lighter gear I actually found I could ride faster (7-8 mph - still not a speed demon, but it's improvement!) and feel much, much better when I reached the top. That was another "Ah-Ha!" moment for me. Now I'm a huge fan of cadence drills.

[sundial]

Maybe you're meant to be a masher.

[tctrek]

I've been doing one legged drills with the other foot unclipped. It really helps you to focus on the dead spots in your "circle". They are like bad habits and hard to fix, but I think I'm getting better. I really hate to spin and love to ride a big gear, but I also burn up my legs well before I should, so mashing a big gear is a no-no for me !!

[Ana]

I've found the one legged drills to help - and with those, practice does make perfect. You'll have your "AH-HA!" moment, I promise. Do prop your other foot on the trainer or part of your bike so that you have some counterbalance, though. And, this will sound weird, but make sure to engage your core, especially on the upstroke.

I do not have a cadence on my bike computer (but have been considering it). Now I remember why my other leg was clipped in during the drills: because when I was on the trainer, my dangling leg put a LOT of pressure on my sit bones! That lasted like 2 seconds....

Maybe you're meant to be a masher.

Maybe I can be a reformed masher

I will keep doing cadence drills until my "AHA" moment I always try to engage my core but it is so weird because there's nothing else like it

[crazybikinchic]

The coach that I train with has us do one-legged drills. He emphasizes starting with slow cadence. He says that if you can do them slow, the faster cadence is easier. He prefers a moderate gear. He also states not to concentrate on the downstroke (it takes care of itself), but to really concentrate on the upstroke. Yes, most of us are mashers in our early cycling days.

[TrekTheKaty]

Yep. I'm a masher. Just yesterday, I was trying to keep up with DH on a 30 mile ride. Sometimes, when my quads got tired, I would downshift and spin faster to rest. My speed would go up! Sometimes, just relaxing, makes me faster. I also recommend a cadence "thingy." I use a Garmin 305 that gives HR, speed, time and with the optional cadence.

[SpeedyChix]

Another thought on the pedal stroke is once you come through the bottom, think about driving your knee toward the handlebars (on the upstroke). It'll help you lift with your hip flexor and not mash down with your quad.

[aicabsolut]

Yep. I'm a masher. Just yesterday, I was trying to keep up with DH on a 30 mile ride. Sometimes, when my quads got tired, I would downshift and spin faster to rest. My speed would go up! Sometimes, just relaxing, makes me faster. I also recommend a cadence "thingy." I use a Garmin 305 that gives HR, speed, time and with the optional cadence.

This is why spinning is good. For many people, it's not only easier on the muscles to sustain for long periods, but it's also faster.

[OakLeaf]

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, we used to do downhill intervals.

Climb the hill, turn around, stay in your low gear, and pedal as fast as you can on the descent. Don't coast if you can help it, but stay in the low gear so you're just keeping tension on the chain.

The benefit of descending is that you have more gyroscopic force from the wheels than you would if you were pedaling on the flats and traveling so slowly that resistance is minimal. So it's easy to stay upright as you learn to smooth out your stroke.

Safer than motorpacing, cheaper and better scenery than rollers.

[chutch]

I've had this problem and just had a professional fitting on my bike. We figured out that lowering the seat and moving it forward just a small bit made working on the proper pedal stroke easier. I'm trying it like this for a few rides and we may tweak the adjustments a little more after we see how it goes.

The first ride after making those tiny adjustments, meaning a centimeter or less, was amazing. I still have to concentrate on breaking my toe-down habit, but it's easier and feels more natural to do heels down with the adjustments we made.

If you have access to a professional fitting, I highly recommend it.