Hey all! Hope you're enjoying your rides, if you're still at it. I have no doubt that most of us have one leg that is stronger than the other. Recently while riding I began feeling a noticeable difference, like my right leg was doing most of the work and my left was was just kind of coasting. In an effort to correct this, I have been consciously working harder with the weaker leg. It has only been a few days, but it already seems like relative balance has been restored.
Have any of you experienced such a thing? It's a first for me.
Yer Pal,
R A N T W I C K 
7 comments:
I'm considerably weaker with my right leg because I'm missing much of the femur head. I don't notice it with cycling unless I'm in pain, then I'l 'limp' and favor one leg.
For sure - I feel that the pull on my left leg is weaker. I think it started with an injury and I adapted to favouring it. I'm trying to bring it back to an even pull. I'm not quite at the point of getting a power meter (both sides) to prove it, but I may!
Were you wearing the bright green with the front light during the day earlier this week? I was getting a ride and snapped a blurry photo. :)
I've experienced it. If there's a significant difference in strength or function between R and L, and this is a change, it can be serious. Walk on your heels, walk on your toes, balance on one leg. If these aren't similar R to L, at least talk to a doctor about it.
RR - Missing femur head! Ooch.
RS - Power meter! You are certainly more into the training aspects than I am. Now one for each side would be nuts, but pretty interesting, really. If I had one power meter (let alone two) I would be so OCD that I would drive myself insane. I even pitched my simple cyclo-comp because I found myself fixating instead of enjoying the ride as much. As to your picture: YEP, THAT'S ME!
JRA - I hear you, but I'm pretty confident it isn't serious, the strange difference was fleeting and both legs work comparably using your heel-tow tests. I now suspect a muscle pull in my butt/thigh caused me to favour it for a while, like Richard described.
Whew!
It seemed unlikely you were just very suggestible due to pharmachemical cerebral enhancement. But it reminded me of a time in college when we convinced one of my roommates that her thighs were rotating rapidly in opposite directions inside her jeans. We had all experienced the same phenomenon that evening. Another time we almost convinced her she was getting a goiter.
I know from my own and other riders' bouts of Riding Position Anxiety that you can make yourself feel some crazy stuff out there. And sometimes you feel actual crazy stuff.
Unfortunately, both my legs are weak...
Hi Patrick,
I think that seat height can influence power output.
Please note that this is based on my non-scientific experimentation.
Now, that added to the fact that many of us have legs of slightly differing lengths -- can that possibly explain some of what you are experiencing? I am not sure, but I am shooting from the hips here. So, kindly ignore, if this does not make any sense.
Peace :)
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