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Lower back ache during rides...


Lamber

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This question regularly pops up every few months or so- and I have figured it out, all be myself... :clap:

 

The only reason for a lower back ache during long rides are the following:

YOU ARE NOT FIT/STRONG ENOUGH.

 

As simple as that. Of course that is assuming that you bike set-up is correct. Ever asked yourself why your back only starts aching after a while out on the ride? Well this is split into two sections:

 

1. CORE. You have to excercise your core every single day (if you're not a pro rider who's cores are always :thumbup: ) Once your abs and core muscles get tired- you lower back muscles start to compensate for them and that's whats causes the pain in your back.

 

2. Leg power. Your legs aren't strong enough to get power into the pedal and again you start getting into a rhythm using your lower back- much like doing standing bicep curls with a EZ bar when your ceps are tired- you start "swinging".

 

I would not believe that my core OR my legs weren't strong enough- but after some time in the gym focussing on my core, things got a lot better, and I mean A LOT.

 

This post is not for the pro's or the race snakes- as most of you are moerse fit and know how to train. It's more for the weekend warriors like me, to whom cycling is a very chilled out excercise but who likes to push themselves (too far) every now and then :D

 

Peace, dL

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Depending one how strong your core is- the pics shows the simplest excercises. First lean on two elbows for a minute, then immediatly switch to left elbow for a minute- and then right elbow for a minute. as you get stronger- increase the times.

 

Another great excercise is the ab-wheel, i think it's around R100 at any MR Price sport or Sportsmans', where you kneel on or knees outstretched with the wheel- and then pull yourself back up again. See this for better explanations...

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post-10940-0-34726100-1318250353.gif

post-10940-0-50731300-1318250488.gif

Edited by Lamber
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Depending one how strong your core is- the pics shows the simplest excercises. First lean on two elbows for a minute, then immediatly switch to left elbow for a minute- and then right elbow for a minute. as you get stronger- increase the times.

 

Another great excercise is the ab-wheel, i think it's around R100 at any MR Price sport or Sportsmans', where you kneel on or knees outstretched with the wheel- and then pull yourself back up again. See this for better explanations...

 

kewl...thumbup1.gifthumbup1.gif

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Depending one how strong your core is- the pics shows the simplest excercises. First lean on two elbows for a minute, then immediatly switch to left elbow for a minute- and then right elbow for a minute. as you get stronger- increase the times.

 

Another great excercise is the ab-wheel, i think it's around R100 at any MR Price sport or Sportsmans', where you kneel on or knees outstretched with the wheel- and then pull yourself back up again. See this for better explanations...

 

ek kan daai middelste een doen vir 2 minute..dit ok?

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A lot of what the OP says is true, I have had back issues since a Judo injury sustained like 16 years ago, And although i will never get rid of it completly, I use to develop pain at early intervals on my rides between 5-15k, did Pilates for a while and wow what a diff that made, could push through to 40km before it got unbearable. Now with more riding and some core excersizes i now only get backpain at 60.

 

Ill never be totally rid of it but core muscle strength makes one huge diff.

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More urban legend. As one poster asked - where/what is "the core"?

 

Lower back pain is invariably a bike fit issue and it takes a good fitter to be able to fix it. Trust me it isn't a question of saddle height or stem/bar positioning either. Working up the "core" or whatever, just gives some intermediate stabilizer relief but the fundamental problem, unless fixed, will remain and WILL come back to revisit.

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I have severe lower back pain, caused by degenerative disc disease, other than an op the only way to fix (slow down) the problem is through strengthening the core, I don't see that changing my set up will help at all unfortunately.

Edited by GT1
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More urban legend. As one poster asked - where/what is "the core"?

 

Lower back pain is invariably a bike fit issue and it takes a good fitter to be able to fix it. Trust me it isn't a question of saddle height or stem/bar positioning either. Working up the "core" or whatever, just gives some intermediate stabilizer relief but the fundamental problem, unless fixed, will remain and WILL come back to revisit.

 

So what about people who dont ride bikes and have had back pain "fixed" by improving core strength?

 

IMO back pain can be helped by adjusting bike fit for your particular physical ability AND ensuring your core and stabilizing muscles are capable of providing the required support (strong enough).

 

Often back pain arises as result of people trying to do to much i.e. high intensity, to many hills, to low a handle bar position.

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3. Bike set-up, of course, can also play a part.

 

Other than 1 and 2.

 

As I mentioned- 1 and 2 should only only be looked "assuming the setup is correct'. Many first time mtbers underestimate the importance, so i am 100% with you on this. It shoulda been 1.A. :D

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More urban legend. As one poster asked - where/what is "the core"?

 

Lower back pain is invariably a bike fit issue and it takes a good fitter to be able to fix it. Trust me it isn't a question of saddle height or stem/bar positioning either. Working up the "core" or whatever, just gives some intermediate stabilizer relief but the fundamental problem, unless fixed, will remain and WILL come back to revisit.

 

Urban legend? I would love to agree with you- but what's the use in both of us being wrong?! As mentioned in my original post- steps 1 and 2 are remedial steps if the setup is ALREADY correct...

 

I also exclude any back ache's caused by other injuries such as accidents and strains- so to sum it up, this is advice for "if your back doesn't hurt before a ride, but after say 20km it becomes worse and worse".

 

BOOM!

post-10940-0-51944200-1318417504.jpg

Edited by Lamber
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Urban legend? I would love to agree with you- but what's the use in both of us being wrong?! As mentioned in my original post- steps 1 and 2 are remedial steps if the setup is ALREADY correct...

 

My 3 year old nephew can already google- i suggest you google "core muscles" and then write up a report on this urban legend that is "the core muscles".

 

I also exclude any back ache's caused by other injuries such as accidents and strains- so to sum it up, this is advice for "if your back doesn't hurt before a ride, but after say 20km it becomes worse and worse".

 

BOOM!

 

Trust me, boomster, I dont need your advice on anything, least of all some arb universal truth you derive from the interweb.

 

Broadly speaking, there are two external muscle funtionings involved in this sport: postural musculature functioning - those muscles that centre around the skeleton and which are prioritized by the brain to position our bodies relative to gravity and the world around us, to breathe etc; then there are phasic muscle functionings - muscles that you consciously recruit to perform phasic activities - like cycling. But postural muscles can act phasically and vice-versa. With me so far?

 

We can also consider it moot that NO-ONE has anything approaching symmetry in their physical/physiological or neural make-up. Nor has anyone the perfect spinal posture required on a bike to limit the excessive recruitment of stabilizer musculature to achieve required phasic activity. So we ALL adapt asymmetrically on a bicycle. And asymmetrical adaptation in an endurance phasic activity like cycling has one outcome: overuse or repetitive stress injury.

 

So be my guest and apply this tautological crap about "once bike setup is sorted" to your argument and go work your core up into a frenzy.

 

BUT

 

If bike setup is sorted, as per the cyclist concerned, then there is no need for remedy, is there, boomster? But no doubt you think setup is some destination you can achieve after a visit to someone posing as a fitter. Then work up the core and go race Suzi! Not!

 

Fit is a process that cannot be instantly gratified with core work I'm afraid. I'd suggest you spend a few more years on the bike, then we can have a chat.

 

(I know family of yours has the capacity to google - maybe get them to help you with this bit of reductionist logic, but please, no need to write a report).

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I always thought it was because I had too much to drink (not energy drink!) the night before a race!

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