Neuromuscular training – do you need it?

Tom Scotto has done it again, with an informative article on neuromuscular training and why it is important. Find out why employing neuromuscular training in your profiles will help you improve endurance, strength, speed, and power, all important aspects of cycling AND indoor cycling. Use it for base building and beyond!

The great thing about training science is that the more you study it, the more methodologies and facets emerge. Sometimes it is something new and other times (in the case of neuromuscular training) it is something we have been doing for years but either didn’t know what it was called or the specific benefits. Considering its impact on base training, I thought it would be a great topic to cover during this time of the year (Jan-Feb). However, as you will see, neuromuscular training takes on a different form later in the season.

In its simplest form, neuromuscular training is a method of teaching the body to move efficiently. The training emphasizes the use of the nervous system to improve biomechanics (in cycling, this is the study of body mechanics related to locomotion) to encourage the right use of muscles and develop speed and proper sequencing of muscle activation.

In addition to athletic training, neuromuscular training techniques are used as interventions for various musculoskeletal issues and can include balance training, stretching, and plyometrics (rapid stretching and contracting to produce muscular power).

Neuromuscular Training and Base Training

In cycling, neuromuscular training takes four common forms: muscle engagement, muscle mechanics (proprioception), leg speed, and explosive power. We will focus on the first three forms since they are emphasized during base training. We’ll discuss explosive power (sometimes referred to as Reactive Neuromuscular Training) in a future article.

A Familiar Goal – Endurance, Strength, Speed and Power

Neuromuscular training is almost considered voodoo by some because it is often misunderstood.  We perform these “special” drills, and magically something happens to our bodies, and we can ride faster and stronger. It is actually very logical. I’ll break it down as we discuss muscle (1) engagement, (2) mechanics, and (3) leg speed. Although this is my preferred progression, I’ve seen coaches approach neuromuscular development in numerous ways with equal success.

Muscle Engagement

The goal with this form of neuromuscular training is to simply “activate” the muscle. One of the unique challenges of pedaling mechanics as it relates to muscle engagement is that, due to the independence of both legs and predefined movement (circular), muscles are not always required to engage to keep the pedals turning. On a road bike with a freewheel hub (the ability to coast), one can apply force at any single point along the pedal stroke (most commonly the down-stroke) to keep the “bike” moving. If the rider stops pedaling or doesn’t continue to apply force to the pedals, the bike will coast. The weighted flywheels on many indoor bikes are “fixed” (you cannot coast). Against popular belief, this does not ensure good pedaling mechanics, because your legs will continue to stay in motion regardless of whether all the muscles are activated or not. Furthermore, when insufficient resistance is used, the momentum of these heavy flywheels will keep the pedals and legs moving with no muscle activation. So to sum it up, regardless of whether you are riding a road bike or an indoor bike, turning the pedals does not guarantee muscle engagement. Hence, neuromuscular training.

One of the reasons I like to introduce neuromuscular training with muscle engagement is that we first need to create a neurologic pathway from the brain to the muscle so it can send the signal. It is much like creating a new road or highway to a destination. Fast leg speed drills sometimes miss the mark when trying to activate muscle because the movement can be too fast for the “untrained” nervous system to respond. Here is a sample muscle engagement drill:

Target a cadence of 45 to 60 RPM with moderate to heavy resistance. The rider should have enough resistance on the bike to feel the need to apply force all the way around the pedal stroke without feeling like they are straining. The drill is broken down into 4 phases:

(1) Phase 1 – Relaxation: Have them relax their feet, ankles, and toes. This will remove a good amount of tension from the lower leg and often correct those who are either forcing their heels down or pointing their toes down.

(2) Phase 2 – Pulling Up: Encourage them to pull up on the back of the pedal stroke starting around 10 o’clock (close to the top) and have them focus on the muscles at the hip (hip flexors: psoas major/minor, iliacus, and rectus femoris). Have them imagine they are lifting a heavy weight off the ground that is attached to their knee. They may also feel their foot pressing against the top of their shoes.

(3) Phase 3 – Down-stroke: The down-stroke begins with the glutes (butt muscles) and then engages the quadricep muscles. The key is bringing the leg up (hip flexion) far enough to pre-load or stretch the gluteals so they can fire at the 12 o’clock position at the top of the pedal stroke. As the foot gets to the 2 o’clock position, the quads can fire and continue powering the down-stroke. I often imagine that I’m stepping up onto a 50-gallon drum that is lying on its side next to my bike.  I am forced to step up high to get on top of it. However, since it is “round,” my foot continues forward and down as it rolls.

(4) Phase 4 – Bottom of the Stroke: It is important to have riders focus on the balls of their feet and not their heels when training the bottom of the stroke. Remember, the pedal is connected at the ball of the foot. Dropping the heel will incorrectly activate the calf muscles and hinder the movement and speed at your knee joint. A common visualization is imagining that one is wiping mud off the bottom of our shoes (under the balls of our feet), which activates the hamstrings.

I will usually spend 2 minutes on each phase with 30 seconds in between to allow them to regroup. That turns this easily into a 10-minute drill.

Muscle Mechanics

Muscle mechanics focus on proper alignment of the hips, knees, ankles, and feet, which in turn produces more efficient movement. Even though we may not be aware of how our legs are moving or tracking, our body knows (proprioception). If our body senses that our joints are not aligned properly, it will limit our power as a safety mechanism to prevent injury. In addition, if joints are not aligned properly, certain muscles may be inhibited from working effectively because the angle of the joint they are acting across is not correct. Although I might not create specific drills that focus on muscle mechanics, I will often emphasize the importance of alignment and proper movement during both muscle engagement and leg speed drills.

Leg Speed

Leg speed drills have been around since the prehistoric age of indoor cycling. What has not always been in existence is the focus on muscle usage AND speed. This is one of the reasons I prefer to teach muscle engagement before leg speed. If the muscles are not firing, the speed is limited in its effectiveness. The goal of leg speed drills is to increase the speed of the signal from the brain to the muscle so the muscle contracts faster. Another way to look at this is a goal of shortening the amount of time it takes to send the signal to the working muscles. So to restate what I said a few sentences ago, spinning the legs fast without a “signal” is fruitless, because the muscles are not actively involved and being trained.

Leg speed drills are usually presented as intervals and are common in indoor cycling classes, so instead of spelling them out, I’ll provide some guidelines:

1. Remember the beginners. Leg speed is a developed skill, and not everyone has worked on it. Be sensitive to your class with the speeds you choose. Let people know they can work at their own pace and speed. The goal is to get the body to adapt. Any challenging speed (even if it is much slower than what you have asked for) will provide stress for adaptation.

2. I recommend a range from 80 to 110 RPM. I’ve encouraged cadences as high as 120 RPM at times, depending on the demographics on my class. Higher cadences are more appropriate for advanced riders with good form. NOTE: Due to the limited movement of most indoor bikes, biomechanics can be hindered greatly at cadences above 120 RPM.

3. It can be challenging to focus on all phases of the pedal stroke simultaneously at higher cadences. I recommend having riders focus on one phase at a time or per leg speed interval.

4. Encourage form and technique over speed. Riders can get so focused on hitting the target cadence that they contort themselves to do it. If they find their form deteriorating, instruct them to slow down and refocus.

5. Keep higher cadence intervals shorter. Although a cadence of 80-90 RPM can often be maintained for 4+ minutes, cadences of 100+ can present a considerable difficulty for some and should be limited to 1 to 2 minutes.

Back to Base Training

Considering the focus and benefit of neuromuscular training, it is a perfect and appropriate fit during base training. In addition to a lower more appropriate intensity (usually), muscle engagement, muscle mechanics and leg speed work provides the solid foundation that the rest of our training year should be based on. Not to mention, you will make some great friends with the outdoor cyclist in your community.

 

 

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