Well, I didn't use rollers this winter; I used a trainer and it seems like I might have gotten lazy with my form.

With the first nice weekend in almost 2.5 months, I hit the roads long and hard this weekend, and I noticed that my right leg is doing more work then my left b/c at the end of the ride the right is sore and the left is fine!

My question is, besides mentally thinking on every stoke "pull and push harder with the left leg" or besides buying one of those crazy, independent crank arms, what techniques can I do while riding to make sure my stroke is balanced?

(My rollers are temporarly out of town, so I can't do any spinning right now) :aureola:

I noticed that my right leg is doing more work then my left b/c at the end of the ride the right is sore and the left is fine!

My question is, besides mentally thinking on every stoke "pull and push harder with the left leg" or besides buying one of those crazy, independent crank arms, what techniques can I do while riding to make sure my stroke is balanced?

First, you should realize that it may just be because your right leg is sore and your left leg is not. That said, nearly everyone is asymmetric, even the pros. But if you feel that you are way out of whack, then it is about smoothing things out. If you relax and "pedal circles" you will help this a lot. It is sort of a mental exercise, but it is really concentrating on a smooth stroke. Do this every few minutes and you will move toward that smooth nirvana you seek.

Maybe you can do one-legged pedaling drills? I think those are primarily used for smoothing out your pedal stroke, but if you do a bunch with your left leg and none with your right... wouldn't your left leg get a better workout? Or maybe a push a harder gear with your left than with your right...

BTW, my right leg is also stronger/used more than my left. I do the "think circles" thing and do the one-legged pedaling drills and I still find myself mashing more with my right leg when I get tired.

First, you should realize that it may just be because your right leg is sore and your left leg is not. That said, nearly everyone is asymmetric, even the pros. But if you feel that you are way out of whack, then it is about smoothing things out. If you relax and "pedal circles" you will help this a lot. It is sort of a mental exercise, but it is really concentrating on a smooth stroke. Do this every few minutes and you will move toward that smooth nirvana you seek.


thanks, Kerry. And actually, my first thought was "Oh, my right leg is out of shape!" but then I quickly realized I was counting on it for much more of the pulling.

I will be using circular logic on my ride tonight. This is normally discouraged, but in this specific case should do the trick!

Maybe I will cool down with some one legged motions, but I do have a reputation to protect, so I will have to do this while hidden in our alley. :thumbsup:

They work best on the trainer, so you can focus on the drill and not on keeping your bike upright. Only recommended for roller workouts when you really want to impress a chick (or dude, whichever way you fall). :wink:

I've been using a 13-week interval program this winter from one of Arnie Baker's books. It includes lots of spin-ups (high cadence/low resistance) and ILT (individual leg training) work (low cadence/high resistance and tempo cadence/low resistance).

I'm totally sold. My pedal stroke is noticably improved. Some of my friends ride PowerCranks but I just don't see the logic, nor do I want something that ugly on my bike.

One of the interesting things about Baker's approach to the ILTs is that, at least for the low cadence (50rpm) intervals, he doesn't want you to focus on being "smooth" but wants you to focus on max power and torque, which leads to kind of a lumpy stroke. But then when you get out on the road everything just seems to come together. His argument is that these two types of drills are the basis for neuromuscluar training, which gives you a smooth, powerful and efficient stroke. Definitely best done inside, in private, on your trainer!

Find someone with a fixed gear bike. They aren't just for hipster kids in tight jeans you know. The fixed gear will help you work on your cadence and smoothing out your pedal stroke (especially at higher RPMs)....you don't even need to think about it, because you have no choice on a fixie. Start off by concentrating on feeling the stroke on both legs. Rev the RPMS up some and do the same thing. The fixie will help your body "do it" as your mind things through it.

some good advice above

Physical:
- 'spin up' drills
- one leg drills (i like them on a slight decline)
- make sure you have proper saddle height and proper legnth cranks
- early season hop up 2 easer cogs then normal... force a faster spin

Mental:
- think circles
- think you are cleaning off dog poo from the bottom of your shoe... a scraping action
- think about hight stepping knees to get the pull action (or buy power cranks)$$$$

Jumping on to this thread with a similar problem. I've realized that my stroke is not smooth. Way to much thigh pumping not enough calf use. Any other exercises that could help me use my calfs more effectively.