Lower back pain and pelvic rotation/mobility

[RecoveryRide]

For a while I have struggled with lower back pain on the bike. It kicks in after between 45 and 90 minutes, and usually becomes a genuine issue after about 2.5 hours.

An observation during a recent bike fit suggested that I had a relatively upright pelvis and was thus ‘making up the reach’ with my lower back curvature.

This seems to fit with the following:

So over the course of the last week I have worked on modifying my position and it has made a definite difference, which reinforces the ‘diagnosis’.

But the thing is, I actually find it quite hard to do! I find it hard to engage the glutes too, and I’m aware that unless I really concentrate, I revert to a more slumped position, especially while climbing or in a prolonged period in the drops.

I suspect I need to get some exercises to help me rotate the pelvis/increase my mobility in this area. The bike fitter hasn’t been terribly helpful, not offering much beyond the suggestion of ‘improve mobility’.

So that is what I’m looking to do. Has anyone had this problem/can anyone recommend any specific exercises to help address pelvic rotation?

Thanks in advance

[MyMainManSteve]

I guard to have this problem,.
1st thing i did was making sure my bike was setup right. Took Some time and another Saddle.
2nd thing, once a week i do a workout with a few repeats of a minute long, low Cadence/ high torque, standing up. This wil strengthen your Core.
3rd. I do push ups. planks and Spidermans. Not a lot but a few sets of 10 every morning.

Hope this helps, i certainly did for me.

[jmzb]

Thanks for posting this - I’m going through the exact same thing. I just got a great bike fit last week, which immediately helped me with some knee pain. The fitter helped me identify problems in my posture as well and recommended core exercises- specifically exercises that strengthen the muscles between my shoulder blades, as well as exercises to strengthen my pelvic floor. Apparently you get lower back strength for free if you do the work on the other two areas. I’m also working on hip mobility stretching.

I’ll be watching for replies from people who hopefully have more experience with this topic though.