Trainer Road chosen hand/foot Challenge

O.K. Trainer Road Staff, the “which hand/how do you reach for your water bottle” podcast bit was hilarious, but then someone had to ask about which foot forward for coasting and that pushed me to this. I would love to write this in jest, but I have a saying, “there is no such thing as just joking.” It is fairly common knowledge that injuries can be caused by asymmetries, and chronic use injuries are caused by repetitive movement patterns especially when the bodies movement in space is dictated by a machine(a.k.a bike).

So what do we have here? A body hunched over the bars, spine likely flexed, and we are twisting and bending further down(especially Nate) to the same side over and over again for weeks, months, years. It is hard to argue that this does not have a long term impact. Challenge #1: Start using both hands, and preferably the unused one more often to grab your water bottle. TR progression: on trainer > grass field > parking lot > on road > on trail :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

The 2nd aspect is leading foot when coasting. This one is trickier because there is a direct performance impact, especially when cornering. But same scenario, 1,000’s of reps in the same position, same split stance loading. Granted there is weight on both feet, but it is definitely not the same and does feel different up the and down the chain(low back, hips, hamstrings etc.) if you switch it out.

On top of this, there could be performance gained switching lead leg when cornering as discussed in Lee McCormack’s book with Brian Lopes. Which foot to lead with is up for debate, but worth looking into.

Challenge #2: Figure out which foot to lead with for a left turn, and then switch for a right turn, and try on descents as well. This will take a lot of practice and experimentation, and for sure one will feel super awkward at first.

In these times of no, well, anything, what else have you got besides training? These two “technique” flips make some nice process goals, and they are fun to explore. Who will accept the challenge?

Trainer Road, keep the laughs coming!