In this episode of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I interview Andy Clower, an athletic trainer and strength coach based out of Berkley CA. Andy is a true expert on the mechanics of the foot and made some interesting points in a recent article he wrote concerning the difference between true barefoot training and minimalist shoe training so I knew I had to get him on the podcast to share his insights into what really happens when you restrict natural foot movement.

In this interview we discuss the impact the natural foot movement has on balance, reaction time and the efficiency of muscular contractions in the legs, something that most mountain bikers have never thought about as part of their training. He also makes a great case for spending some training time off the bike completely barefoot as well as giving us some ideas on how he integrates barefoot training into new clients programs so they don’t get hurt by getting into it too fast.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this interview, please post a comment below if you have any…

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Remember that you can subscribe to the MTB Strength Coach Podcast with ITunes….

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals, Podcasts

In this episode of the MTB Strength Coach Podcast I talk to Greg Choat who is one of the top bike fit professionals in the world – yes, I said a bike fit guy! I ran into Greg at a Functional Movement Screen Lv. 2 seminar a few weeks after running my blog post on the real value of bike fits and found out that he actually shares my feelings on the subject. After hearing more about how he uses the FMS to enhance his bike fits I knew that I had to get him on the podcast to talk more about it.

In this interview we talk about how the FMS has changed how he views and uses bike fits, how our everyday lives affect the dysfunctions we bring to bike, how those dysfunctions affect how we perform on the bike and why the bike industry in general has missed the boat on applying functional movement to the bike in favor of marketing hype.

We also talk about pedaling technique and why strength training, especially the deadlift and swing, are essential to building a strong, efficient pedal stroke. Grip strength and neck pain come up as well – in short, we cover a lot of ground and this is a “must hear” podcast from one of the top cycling coaches in the industry.

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-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals, Podcasts

One of the biggest obstacles I face when trying to discuss clipless vs. flat pedals with riders is that there are a lot of pseudo-technique that has been developed by the clipless pedal industry and sold to the cycling world. For example, one of the common things I hear as an argument against flats is that they don’t allow for “float” since the rubber of the shoe sticks to the pins of the pedal and does not allow for lateral rotation of the shoe. This is said as if that is a bad thing since the shoe and pedal makers all promote “float” as an essential element of a pedal.

However, what gets lost is that float is not a natural thing – the two dimensional activity allowed by float in no way resembles the three dimensional action the foot takes when walking or running. Float was created because it was better than the simply locking the foot into place and allowing for no movement at the foot, which wreaks havoc on the knees.

If you look at how your foot works off the bike then you see that the contact patch with the ground at the point of pushing off does not move laterally and instead stays planted. Your foot, on the other hand, went through a whole series of movements in all three dimensions as it struck the ground mid-foot, bent and rolled through the arch to the forefoot and then pushed off from there. Your foot needs this specific movement sequence, not some manmade mish-mash of crap created by “optimal float”.

You can not just look at the end of a movement and disregard how your body got to that point in the first place. The clipless pedal and shoe does just that – the attachment point is placed based on maximizing the push off point of the foot and severely restricts the action the foot normally takes to get there. Float is simply an attempt to minimize the damage from such a disregard for natural foot movement.

So yes, flat pedals don’t have float which is actually another reason that I ride them. Float is a sad trade off for the natural foot movement my body needs to stay healthy as I rack up the miles/ hours on the trail. Again, use clipless pedals for what they were intended to be – a performance enhancer on race day, not as a fall back crutch for a lazy pedal stroke and riding technique. And don’t let industry created hype terms scare you from trying flat pedals and seeing how much better your joints feel and your riding improves.

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals, Mountain Bike Skills Training

So my blog post on bike fits certainly caused some controversy, which is exactly what I wanted it to do. Being forced to critically think about your position on something instead of just going with it because it is how it has always been done is vital to the growth of a sport.

However, as always the internet is a double edged sword. While it allows me to get thought provoking views on mountain bike training into the conversation, it is very easy to misinterpret what I write. In this case, I think that I need to clarify what I mean by a “bike fit”.

When I hear the term “bike fit” I think of a situation where someone has you sit on your bike (key word being sit) and then proceeds to use everything from their eyeballs to lasers to determine your optimal seated pedaling position. Your seat height, stem length/ rise, handlebars and, in some cases, frame size are all manipulated to get you into the best position possible when sitting down and pedaling.

This same process is used to alleviate pain in the knees, hips, low back, shoulders and neck. I think that this is a pretty well understood definition for the term “bike fit” within the bike industry. While I can respect your personal definition of a “bike fit” for the sake of the discussion we need to establish exactly what we mean.

What a lot of people were referring to in the comments to the post is not a bike fit but simply getting a bike that fits. There is a huge difference between the two – getting a bike that fits simply means getting the right frame size and general stem length so that you are comfortable on the bike. This could also mean optimizing the bike’s set up – like putting a shorter stem on to optimize steering and descending position.

We all need a bike that fits but not everyone needs a “bike fit”. However, I know that a lot of riders are being sold on the value of one, both as a performance enhancer and way to address pain from riding.

I have had countless riders who possessed glaring movement dysfunctions ask me if I thought a bike fit – as defined above – would help them out and this tells me that there is a disconnect in the perceived and actual value of a bike fit. The elephant in the corner of the room for most riders is that they simply can’t move well from poor mobility and strength.

So, if you think that a longer stem feels better then fine, however if you are being told that you need one to optimize your pedaling position based on some sort of bike fit then perhaps you need to think about a few things before you blindly follow that advice. Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion as I think that some people thought I meant that you don’t need any thought put into your position in the bike when that is not the case.

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals

Better is a relative term, especially when talking about artificial means of performance enhancement. The mistake people make is assuming that because something improves performance it must be better and therefore you want to use it all of the time. The fact is that equipment can either enhance good technique and fitness or cover up technique and fitness gaps and there is a huge difference between the two. The first will let you tap into your own abilities even more and the second will lead to plateaus and overuse injuries.

In mountain biking this is seen in the rampant use of clipless pedals but ours is not the only sport that has this problem and we can learn something by looking at the parallels between our situations. In fact, the best analogy to explain this concept is the use of a weight belt when squatting or deadlifting.

Using a weight belt will help you lift more weight, which technically makes it “better” from a performance point of view. However, anyone who knows anything about strength training knows that you don’t use a weight belt all of the time. You save it for when you need it but, on average, 80-90% of your lifts should be without it.

Why is this? If a weight belt is “better” then why do the strongest guys in the world not use it all of the time? The answer is because they know that you must build your technique without it so that you keep yourself honest and do not start to use the belt to cover up technique flaws. Watch someone who really knows how to squat and his technique will look the same with or without the belt and his best raw squat (using no belt) won’t be too far behind his squat while using a belt.

Compare this with the average gym rat who uses a weight belt for everything. It doesn’t take a highly trained strength coach to see that they their technique sucks and if you took the belt away and exposed their pathetic core strength they wouldn’t be able to squat nearly as much. Most of us would agree that in this case you are better off building your technique and fitness “raw” and using the equipment to enhance that base.

In fact, most sports have specialized equipment that is “better” than normal training equipment but they only use it to get used to it and for competitions. Track has racing shoes, swimming has special suits and I believe that clipless pedals belong in the same category – equipment that does enhance your performance but not something you should be using all of the time since they can be used to cover up technique flaws.

The truth is that you should be able to ride a bike relatively well with some good flat pedals and shoes. If you can’t then it is a sure sign that you would benefit greatly from some time spent riding “raw”, so to speak, and building your technique and fitness base without the aid of being attached to your bike. Once you can ride almost as well on flats as you did on clipess go back and try clipless pedals again and I’ll bet you see a big difference in how effectively you can use them.

It is always a good idea to go back from time to time and spend some time on flats, just to keep you honest. During the off season make sure you do your indoor intervals with them since you can’t really practice clipping in and out anyways. During the riding season at least spend a couple rides each month on flats as a way to check your technique and make sure that you aren’t developing any bad habits along the way.

The dirty little secret is that the best riders are already in this category – take away their clipless pedals and they would still be the best in the world. They are using clipless pedals to enhance their already great technique, not make up for the fact that if their feet weren’t attached to the pedals they would fly off on every climb or rock garden. Training “raw” is a lesson that every sport has learned and we would benefit from not trying be at “100%” all the time and developing our technique and fitness base without the help of artificial enhancements. Clipless pedals are “better” but with that knowledge needs to come the perspective on how to best use them.

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals

Pulling up on the pedals through the top of the pedal stroke is a very common technique taught to mountain bikers. They are told that by pulling up with the trail leg they can generate equal tension on the pedals through the entire pedal stroke. Driving down hard with the leg, a.k.a “mashing”, is discouraged and is said to decrease power and efficiency.

However, some recent studies have called that advice into question (Mornieux et al. Int J Sports Med 2008; 29:817-822 & Korff et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39:991-995). Two studies in particular have shown that top level cyclists are not actually applying force to the pedal when pulling the trail leg up and, in fact, the power is coming almost exclusively from the lead leg. However, this does not mean that you do not want to “pull up” with the trail leg.

When looking at a good pedal stroke I keep going back to what a good running stride looks like since both are just ways to power lower body locomotion. I call it Barefoot Pedaling, which is an attempt to restore and apply natural movement to the bike, not actually pedaling without shoes.

When running, you need to flex the thigh with the hip flexors to return the trail leg to the start position so it can drive down hard into the ground to propel you forward. This means that you are pulling up with the trail leg but you are not trying to apply force into the running stride. If you are lazy with this return portion of the running stride you will have a weak overall stride and you will have to work on it, however you never try to add to your forward momentum with the trail leg.

That’s where the difference lies on the bike as well and where the confusion over good advice stems from. There is a HUGE difference between pulling up with the hip flexors to get the trail leg back into position and purposefully applying force into the pedals in an attempt to “add to” to the pedal stroke’s power. Top cyclists are pulling through the top and spinning circles, they are just doing it through a much different mechanism than most riders arrive at when given the same advice.

You don’t want to relax the trail leg and let it create drag on the pedals, which interfere with power being generated by the lead leg. However, when you tell a rider that they want to apply force through the top of the pedal stroke they can accomplish it in a variety of ways that have nothing to do with maintaining a solid core and proper use of the hip flexors. The most common way is to pull up on the pedals by bringing the knees towards the chest using the abs, which will usually place a lot of strain on the lower back.

This is also why riders have trouble switching from clipless pedals to flat pedals, which is indicator of a bad pedal stroke. In fact, one of the studies mentioned earlier showed that top riders apply the same pedal stroke technique regardless of the type of pedal they were on (Mornieux et al. Int J Sports Med 2008; 29:817-822). You can still pull up with the hip flexor to get the trail leg over the top and in position with flat pedals but you can’t apply force into the pedals any more – flat pedals simply highlight which technique you are using.

If you find that your feet fly off the pedals when you try flats then you have developed some bad habits that are being exposed – concentrate on the lead leg drive and focus on pulling the top of your thigh up towards your belly button, not on pulling the pedals up with your feet.

I think that this explains why there is so much confusion when it comes to proper pedaling technique – top riders explain what they “feel”, but what they feel and what drives that feeling are two different things. By focusing on the symptoms of a good pedal stroke we’ve missed the boat on the true cause, which is a focus on the hips and not the feet/ pedals. This will help you restore natural movement to the bike and help you develop a pedal stroke that you can apply to any type of pedals and see better power and efficiency.

The #1 lie is that you want to pull the foot and pedal up – you instead need to focus on pulling the thigh up at the hip. This technique will help you develop a smooth, consistent pedal stroke to flats or clipless pedals.

-James Wilson-

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Barefoot Pedaling & Flat Pedals