Dr. Yessis Sports Training Blog

Runners often substitute cycling to maintain leg strength and sometimes to help improve running speed. Cycling is a good substitute when you are not able to run as it does involve the same muscles but not to the same degree.

For example, cycling relies mainly on the quadriceps in leg extension. It is a dynamic move that powers the cyclists forward. Read more… »

Runners often substitute cycling to maintain leg strength and sometimes to help improve running speed. Cycling is a good substitute when you are not able to run as it does involve the same muscles but not to the same degree.

For example, cycling relies mainly on the quadriceps in leg extension. It is a dynamic move that powers the cyclists forward. For runners, the quadriceps are used mainly for preventing excessive lowering of the body after touchdown and to create the vertical forces when pushing off in runners with poor technique who push off with a body above the foot. Read more… »

There are many articles that are touted as being specific to a particular sport. For example in a recent issue of Triathlete magazine it was stated that, “the following 11 exercises represent a full-body, triathlon specific strength session…” However, there was only one exercise that duplicated the technique involved in a particular event.

For an exercise to be truly specific, it must not only duplicate the same motor pathway as seen in execution of the motor skill but it must also develop strength in the same range of motion and have the same type of muscular contraction. The exercises described, even though most of them involved the same muscles, did not fulfill the criteria.

For example, the bend-knee dead lift is executed with a slightly rounded back for backache. The back is kept in a static position which does not strengthen muscles through the full range. This would be a good general exercise for the hip extensors and holding the back in position. Read more… »