Many of you will have been influenced to get out on the road by the rise of British cycling over the past few years. Dave Brailsford, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy are all very much household names following recent Tour de France and London Olympics successes – and all have been knighted for their efforts. The costs of success for amateur cyclists aiming to improve their times can be sizeable. We all want a top-of-the-range bike with a lighter frame, better brakes, electronic gears, more streamlined clothing, and an aerodynamic helmet. This list goes on and could set you back well over £1,500. So what if we suggested doing something that costs much less but will still improve your performance and give you those marginal gains that all amateur cyclists crave? FUNCTION JIGSAW AND TEAM BOTTRILL Function Jigsaw has teamed up with newly-formed Leicester-based professional cycling team Team Bottrill. Together, we aim to show cyclists a dynamic which proves that you don’t have to just train harder on the bike to improve your performance. We have developed a comprehensive movement screening programme which outlines any individual cyclists’ movement flaws. From this screening, we can devise individual corrective exercise as well as a strength and conditioning programme to enhance performance and reduce the risk of any further injury. Done well, this can give cyclists those marginal gains that everyone is looking for. Bottrill said: “You can get whatever equipment you like but lots of riders have imbalances in their legs and body which mean they are never reaching their full potential. “This screening movement programme enables you to find out where any imbalances may be and work on improving them. “The riders from my team that have taken part so far are really pleased with the outcome.” HOW TO GET THOSE MARGINAL GAINS – ASSESS YOUR MOVEMENT The following are three tests of the programme that we have completed with Team Bottrill and are three ways of improving your performance. I wanted to outline a few simple cycling-specific assessments that you can all do and score yourself from 0 to 3 on the levels of success you reach. 1. STRAIGHT LEG RAISE Lying on your back, raise one leg at a time
and measure the range of movement at your hip. This is a great test for hamstring flexibility and you will ideally achieve a range of 90 degrees. 0 would be 90+ degrees. 1 would be 60+ degrees. 2 would be 45 degrees o 3 would be less than 45 degrees. Improvement: Hamstring stretch. Feeling a pull through the back of your thigh and hamstring. Improves lower back pain. 2. SINGLE LEG SQUAT Sat on a chair, stand up and down tapping your bum on the chair and standing up again. Repeat five times. Isolated assessment of the lower limb mechanics and control, through a repetitive pushing action. 0 full control 1 some instability at the knee 2 poor knee control knee points over second toe 3 no control at the knee and a true valgus, knee points inside big toe Improvement: Swiss ball squat. Double leg squat. Improves quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal strength. 3. WALKING LUNGE A dynamic single leg exercise incorporating a cycling action from one leg to another. Assessing the movement control at the hip, knee and ankle. 0 full control and stability 1 some instability at the knee 2 poor knee control knee points over second toe 3 no control at the knee and a true valgus, knee points inside big toe Improvement: Clam. Increases gluteal strength and reduces knee pain. A more comprehensive batch of tests is completed with each Team Bottrill athlete and a more structured exercise plan can be advised from the results. You can find these exercises online. If you would like any more information on the prices of a movement screen and how you can make the marginal gains discussed in this article, please contact: tom@functionjigsaw.co.uk or call 0116 340 0255.
@FunctionJigsaw info@functionjigsaw.co.uk www.functionjigsaw.co.uk
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