pain pain pain pain is something we cyclists can embrace some even enjoy it
some maybe more than others though but sometimes we get paid in places that we
shouldn't pain in our legs is something we can expect but pain in our shoulders
and neck is something we can avoid so coming up there are tips and tricks to
hopefully be able to help you extinguish that pain in that area all right let's
get started
a lot of niggles and pain can be resolved through a bike fit so I'll
suggest is get yourself a proper bike fit before you even buy a bike if you've
got two white handlebars or you've got a too big frame this can all lead to
strain on your shoulders and your neck so first off get a proper fit but what
if you can't get a bike fit there are plenty of other ways to make sure your
bike is set up correctly if you have a turbo trainer this is a great way to
check and why not place a big mirror in front of you so you can check the
changes you're making or you could use your phone or a camera to record
yourself whilst riding then look back at the video and see if anything that needs
changing first up you're going to want to set
your saddle height in the right position now if you are struggling with listen we
have done a video on how to set up your saddle height next up you want to look
at your shoulder and neck position now you don't want to be compressed like
this as it will put a lot of strain in that area you want to lengthen your neck
like a tor toys out the shelf
so when it comes to our magician what you want to try and do is keep a nice
bent relaxed position if you've got a to straight and rigid position what will
happen is all the bumps from the road will transition through the bike into
your arms and causing stress in your shoulders and neck so be relaxed
nice bent arms and that will hopefully alleviate some of the pressure and
stress coming from the road now if you're struggling to get a nice
comfortable position it might be because your reach is too long because if you've
got a too long reach that all closed up your neck got too short you'll feel a
bit cramped another thing worth check-in is your saddle to bar drop it is too
vigorous too much weight will be forwards on the bike so worth checking
those two points another thing worth thinking about is
your sad Langille if your nose is pointed too far down your body will
slide forward onto the front of the saddle creating more weight onto your
arms which will then create stress and strain on your shoulders so find an
angle that works for comfort for your bum but also that takes off some of the
weight on your arms and then your neck and shoulders
so I quite like mine basically level but find out what works for you it's
personal this one
now that you've worked on your bike and position we need to look at flexibility
because this is really gonna help you on the bike a lot of pros will include yoga
to their training now I'm not saying you need to be a yogi and do wild poses but
they definitely will help you that's that's definitely not gonna help you
Hank but yeah some exercises that will work on a range of movement this can be
done in a few simple exercises turn your head and hold for 3 seconds chin tucked
in keeping a spine in a neutral position 3 times to the left and 3 times to the
right rolling shoulders increasing range of
motion in shoulders and neck stretching neck head to 45 degrees chin down and
push head straight down through the chin hold 8 to 10 seconds
now they've worked on your position and your flexibility we need to look at your
riding this all comes under the header of being relaxed relax Hank try man ah
try harder from your hands to your arms neck and shoulders just relax
this will also make your ride a lot more comfortable also the grip on your
handlebars try and have a nice light grip and move hand positions don't be
lazy and slump this all it takes practice so take your time with it so
that's it for how to avoid sore shoulders when you're riding if you have
any tips for us please leave them in the comment section below