Rolfing Improves Cycling Performance

April 16th, 2015 by Joachim Creten

I was invited by a long time client, Corey Evans (owner of Dr. J’s, Bike Shop in Solvang, CA), to do a presentation on Rolfing® Structural Integration and the relationship between posture and cycling performance to his Bike Club. In preparing for this, I recalled Mary Bond’s video on YouTube about the benefits of modifying the cyclist’s body posture to improve his performance. The model reported pedaling with greater ease. It inspired me to work up a 3 Rolfing Session program w/a local Cyclist wherein we would document improvement w/data. In searching for a participant, I contacted Carmichael Training System (CTS) in Santa Ynez , CA. They specialize in coaching and training both professional & amateur cyclists and triathletes. I have been providing bodywork for their athletes during training camps for a few years now and was quite certain they would provide me w/a serious candidate for the experiment. They did: Julia Gieschen. Julia Gieschen is one of their Expert level Coaches at CTS and a Professional Cyclist Cat 1 http://trainright.com/coaches/julia-gieschen/ She was quite interested in Rolfing and happily accepted this experience.

Julia working on her bike posture during Power Watt Test

We had very limited time to coordinate 3 Rolf Sessions between our busy schedules, within the 10 days before my presentation. I had to reduce the time between sessions so as to not alter Julia’s daily training schedule and physical performance. Goal: To demonstrate if after 3 Rolf sessions, if the athlete can show some Power Watt (measurement of force applied to pedal from legs ) improvement on her bike as a result of improved body posture. We set Julia’s Bike on a fixed trainer with a Garmin device that monitors Cadence per Minute, Power Watt, and Time. The Garmin device was connected to a CTS computer program that monitors the consistency of cadence during the tests. We decided to do two tests: Cruising Mode and Intense Effort.

Julia’s knee tracking

1) “Cruising Mode” The Chain is set up on a mid great on the cassette and the bigger plateau on the front. After a warm up, the effort is to maintain a cadence of 95 rotations/min for 5 mins. will in her normal cycling position, rest for 3 min. , and 5 min. cycling at a cadence of 95 rotations/min with an ideal cycling position (achieved by my checking and resetting Julia’s body position, to avoid her collapsing into her usual position)

2)”Intense Effort” As above with the gear on the cassette set to a smaller bracket.

Observations Before Rolf Sessions: In her usual cycling position, Julia’s knees were tracking in: close to the middle frame bar with left knee hitting the middle bar at each pedal rotation. Her head was tilted to the left with left shoulder raised and pained. In the “Ideal Cycling Position” her left knee was not hitting the bar but left hip started to hurt. Her efforts were concentrated on her body posture making it very difficult to maintain her cadence. The shift in pelvis angle on the saddle created a discomfort on the pubis bone.

Results Before Rolf Sessions: in Cruising Mode, we found an improvement of +5 in Power Watt by just modifying the body posture , and +1 PW for the Intense Effort. She was mentally challenged to keep her posture on the bike and physically uncomfortable to maintain the cadence especially during the “Intense Effort Test”. (Hip pain, shoulder restriction) I performed 3 Rolfing Sessions (the 3 first session of the 10 series) in less than 10 days and we tested again.

Observations After Rolf Sessions: In Cruising mode and in Ideal Position, she felt so different that she had to control her cadence to avoid to go over the 95 Cad/min, knees were still tracking in, but she experienced no hip pain and left knee was no longer hitting the frame. In Intense Effort, she still had to concentrate on her posture to hold her “Ideal Posture” however it was w/less discomfort.

Results After Rolf Sessions: We found an improvement of +12 in Power Watt on Cruising Mode and +2 in Intense Effort. Meaning that for the same climb and distance, she will finish with more than two minutes less compared to her normal time. Julia reported a benefit when climbing as the aerodynamic position is not so important. Joachim Creten , Certified Rolfer™

Testimonials

I have recently completed Joaquin‘s 10 Session Posture Rolfing Series. I’m a 70 year old man and was aware that my posture was in decline. I could see I was stuck in a neck forward position that was getting worse. I was aware of Rolfing from a previous experience years ago in the Bay Area. It was a good experience at the time. However, Joaquin far exceeded my expectation. He has a plan for each session but yet his work is very intuitive. He works incredibly hard during each session and no time is wasted. Each session ended with an improvement over the last. Happy to report that I’m standing straight and tall. Feels like my weight has shifted to it’s more natural position. I have maintained this for weeks since my last session. I highly recommend this business not only for its effectiveness , but for the efficiency with which it’s run. There is easy parking.
I did 10weeks with Joachim and found him to be an expert, and a big help managing muscle tightness and pain. I have been a chronic pain patient my entire adult life, and have sought out many, many therapies to manage an old, compound football injury and other autoimmune conditions. Joachim draws from years of hands-on experience. Like a Radiologist, he has an impeccable 3D understanding of human anatomy and how things work together. If you have musculoskeletal and alignment problems, he is your guy! His knowledge of human body dynamics and structural integration is leaps and bounds ahead of my pain doctor, who basically just advocates I do a multi-spinal fusion,-- which, having had the football injury at 14, spinal surgery is something I have tried to avoid at all costs ever since. So I am grateful to Joachim that he offers a non-invasive alternative. I am always looking for a non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical pain management solution-- I am happy I found Joachim, ROLFing can be that tool for you, too. Give it a try!
I signed up for Joachim’s 10 series to treat my lower back pain from too much sitting. Every session reduced my pain and increased my range of motion. But what I value the most is all that I learned from him about posture and breathing. I now have the ability to breathe deeper and easier.
Joachim did an amazing job at helping me feel better. I had a fall and had been in a lot of pain.....Joachim was so great with his technique knowing exactly what to do to release all the muscle strain and pain. I left the office feeling so much better and walking so much better. Thank you so much....
I would highly recommend Joachim. It was my first experience with Rolfing (structural integration therapy) and he was informative, respectful, and produced great results. I went to him to improve my posture and back/shoulder pains, which was consistent and I would foam roll 2-3 times a day. After my 1st session my shoulder pain was relieved, and through the next 10 sessions I would see positive changes in how I walked, sat, and even breathed. There were significant improvements to aspects of my day-to-day that I didn't realize were a struggle and that I just learned to live with. I now have a better mind/body connection, my posture is proper (without strain), and my breath is no longer labored. The people around me have noticed a difference in the way I present myself, too. Overall, my experience was positive. Thank you Joachim!
I'm an avid golfer and years of hitting golf balls has taken its toll on my body. I was suffering from very specific pain and had tried everything, Chiropractor, Acupuncture, Cupping, PT and deep tissue massage. All to no avail. I saw Joachim for an initial session where he immediately diagnosed the misalignment in my body from repeatedly hitting golf balls. That session he gave me some instant relief that I hadn't gotten from other specialists. But it was the subsequent series of 10 sessions that have had a greater effect in helping me on the road to recovery. I highly recommend Joachim to anyone dealing with pain or loss of mobility. Life is too short to put up with it.

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Rolfing Improves Cycling Performance