Influence of saddle height and exercise intensity on pedalling asymmetries in cyclists

Diefenthaeler, Fernando; Berneira, Joscelito de Oliveira; Moro, Vanderson Luis; Carpes, Felipe P.

doi:10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n4p411

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Although changes in saddle height have previously been shown to influence the relationship between muscle force and length (Bini et al., 2011; De Vey Metsdagh, 1997; Sanderson & Amoroso, 2009), we found no significant effects on body torque from different saddle heights (Figure 2(a)). Our results are consistent with those of Diefenthaeler et al. (2016) who also observed no effects from saddle height on torque generated or the asymmetry between the lower limbs during cycling.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…The choice of this height was based on an ideal pedal performance (Peveler, 2008) and as the safest position to prevent injuries (Wanich et al., 2007). The conditions were then set for the “upward position” (saddle at the reference position + 2.5%) and “downward position” (saddle at the reference position − 2.5%; Diefenthaeler et al., 2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in bicycle configurations trigger human body adaptations (Diefenthaeler, Berneira, Moro, & Carpes, 2016; Diefenthaeler, Coyle, Bini, Carpes, & Vaz, 2012; Quesada et al., 2016); these include biomechanical and physiological parameters such as muscular activation (Diefenthaeler, Bini, Karolczak, & Carpes, 2008; Moura, Moro, Rossato, de Lucas, & Diefenthaeler, 2017; Peveler, Shew, Johnson, & Palmer, 2012), forces applied to pedals (Bini, Hume, & Croft, 2011; Verma, Hansen, Zee, & Madeleine, 2016), lower limb kinematics (Nordden-Snyder, 1977), and oxygen consumption (Nordden-Snyder, 1977; Peveler, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Saddle Height and Cadence Effects on the Physiological, Perceptual, and Affective Responses of Recreational Cyclists

et al. 2018

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Saddle height influences cycling performance and would be expected to influence cyclists physically, perceptually, and emotionally. We investigated how different saddle positions and cadences might affect cyclists' torque, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and affective responses (Feeling scale). Nine male recreational cyclists underwent cycling sessions on different days under different conditions with a constant load. On Day 1, the saddle was at the reference position (109% of the distance from the pubic symphysis to the ground), and on Days 2 and 3, the saddle was in the "upward position" (reference + 2.5%) and "downward position" (reference - 2.5%) in random order. Each session lasted 30 minutes and was divided into three cadence-varied 10-minute stages without interruption: (a) freely chosen cadence (FCC), (b) FCC - 20%, and (c) FCC + 20%. We assessed all dependent measures at the end of each 10 minute stage. While there was no significant interaction (Saddle × Cadence) for any of the analyzed variables, torque values were higher at lower cadences in all saddle configurations, and the FCC + 20% cadence was associated with faster heart rate, higher RPE, and lower affect compared with FCC and FCC - 20% in all saddle positions. At all cadences, the saddle at "downward position" generated a higher RPE compared with "reference position" and "upward position." The affective response was lower in the "downward position" compared with the "reference position." Thus, while cyclists perceived the downward (versus reference) saddle position as greater exercise effort, they also associated it with unpleasant affect.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Saddle Height and Cadence Effects on the Physiological, Perceptual, and Affective Responses of Recreational Cyclists

et al. 2018

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“…The main alterations in geometry which appear to affect physiological and biomechanical parameters are related to changes in seat tube angle 6,7 , crank length 8 , and saddle height [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . Studies have reported divergent results regarding changes in saddle height.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Saddle Height on Performance and Muscular Activity During the Wingate Test

et al. 2017

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RESUMOO presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar o desempenho anaeróbio e a ativação muscular durante um teste de ciclismo supramáximo em três diferentes alturas do selim. Doze ciclistas competitivos completaram um teste incremental em cicloergômetro e três testes de Wingate de 30 s em diferentes alturas do selim (referência, baixa e alta), de forma randomizada, em diferentes dias. A altura do selim foi alterada para baixo e para cima a partir da posição de referência usando como parâmetro o valor referente a (± 2,5%) da distância da sínfise púbica até o solo. O sinal eletromiográfico (EMG) foi obtido dos músculos reto femoral, vasto lateral, bíceps femoral (cabeça longa) e gastrocnêmio lateral. As variáveis anaeróbias e os dados de EMG foram divididos em seis janelas consecutivas de 5 s. Os sinals EMG foram normalizados pela primeira janela da posição de referência para estipular as mudanças percentuais ao longo do teste. Os resultados sugerem que durante o teste de Wingate de 30 s pequenas alterações na altura do selim resultam em aumento da potência pico (referência=1380±241 W; baixa=1497±175 W, p=0,036; alta=1491±225 W, p=0,049) e maior período de ativação percentual para o vasto lateral (referência=33,6%, baixa=33,2%, alta=35,0%; p=0,001) em relação ao reto femoral (referência=24,5%, baixa=25,2%, alta=23.7%), bíceps femoral (referência=20,7%, baixa=20,8%, alta=19,9%) e gastrocnêmio lateral (referência=21,2%, baixa=20,8%, alta=19,9%). Os resultados sugerem que pequenos ajustes na altura do selim podem afetar a relação força-comprimento e, consequentemente, a capacidade de gerar força e o padrão de recrutamento muscular dos membros inferiores. Palavras-chave: Ciclismo. Fadiga. Potência anaeróbia. ABSTRACTThis study aimed to analyze the anaerobic performance and muscle activation during a supramaximal cycling test at three different saddle positions. Twelve competitive cyclists completed an incremental cycling test and three 30-s Wingate tests in three different saddle heights (reference, downward, and upward), in a random order, on different days. The saddle height was individually shifted downward and upward (seeing 2.5% of the distance from the pubic symphysis to ground) from the reference position. The electromyographic signal (EMG) data was obtained from the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris (long head), and gastrocnemius lateralis in order to assess muscle activation during the entire test. The anaerobic variables and the EMG data were divided into six consecutive windows of 5-s. The EMG signals were normalized by the first 5-s window of the reference position to provide the percentage changes throughout the test. The results suggest that during a 30-s Wingate test small changes in saddle height result in greater peak power output (reference=1380±241 W; downward=1497±175 W, p=0.036; upward=1491±225 W, p=0.049) and greater activation period for vastus lateralis (reference=33.6%, downward=33.2%, upward=35.0%; p=0.001) in comparision to rectus femoris (reference=24.5%, downward=25.2%, upwa...

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“…It was concluded that pedaling asymmetry changes systematically with crank torque output and exercise intensity [6]. The results demonstrate that pedaling asymmetry in trained road cyclists can be consistent across different saddle heights and even at different cycling intensities [7]. Smak et al conclude that pedaling asymmetry is highly variable ORIGINAL ARTICLE among subjects and that individual subjects may exhibit different systematic changes in asymmetry with pedaling rate depending on the quantity of interest [8].…”

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confidence: 93%

Bilateral asymmetry of pedaling force at different levels of exercise intensity in cycle ergometer

Stefanov¹,

Иванов²,

Aleksieva³

2020

ppcs

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Background and Study Aim. To investigate how bilateral pedaling asymmetries change at exercises with different levels of intensity. Material and Methods. Eight students of cycling, average age 25.4 years, were investigated. In the experiment, we recorded the pedal force of the right and left legs during three consecutive exercises of different intensity 35%, 55% and 85% respectively. To quantify the difference in physical parameters of pedaling between the left and right legs, we used two approaches that complement each other in the analysis of bilateral asymmetry. One approach involved determining an asymmetry index, and other was statistical analysis. Results. The Student's t-test indicated that the difference between the power samples for the left and right pedals decreased at 85% exercise intensity vs. 55% with a statistical significance of α = 0.05. The bilateral asymmetry in most cases decreased or in two cases remained unchanged. The cases where there was no statistically significant difference between the power samples for both legs at 85% and 55% intensity levels had the lowest asymmetry index. Conclusions. The bilateral pedaling asymmetry is reduced at 85% exercise intensity compared to the 55% one. The reduction in asymmetry index ranges from 1% to 14.1%, Combining the asymmetry index and the Student's t-test can increase the informativeness of pedaling power data when analyzing bilateral asymmetry.

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Influence of saddle height and exercise intensity on pedalling asymmetries in cyclists

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Saddle Height and Cadence Effects on the Physiological, Perceptual, and Affective Responses of Recreational Cyclists

Saddle Height and Cadence Effects on the Physiological, Perceptual, and Affective Responses of Recreational Cyclists

Effects of Saddle Height on Performance and Muscular Activity During the Wingate Test

Bilateral asymmetry of pedaling force at different levels of exercise intensity in cycle ergometer

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