Upper Body and Power

RapDaddyo

What is the optimal role of the upper body in pedaling, particularly the arms? Do they contribute to power and, if so, how? I sometimes find myself wanting to pull with my arms, especially when climbing on the saddle. Apart from getting a sore back, can I apply more power by actively using my arms? Are there any scientific studies of the forces applied to the handlebars by the top cyclists (e.g., force-instrumented bars or bars with strain gauges)?

tfstrum

I think a stronger core is the key. You'd probably use less arms in a climb if you were stronger in the core. Less rocking, tied to your legs more, stronger core means stronger back, etc. Strong arms probably help you stay in the dropped position longer though. And you probably look better if your arms are proportional to the rest of your body. 8-)

Hooben

In an interview with Tony Cruz of team Discovery...(Road Magazine, February 2005) They go through a typical offseason regiment.
Typical gym workout includes leg press,calf raises,leg extensions,leg curls,dips,bench press and abdominals. He does three sets 15 times and the whole workout lasts no more than 50 minutes. "After that the team doctor says your tearing yourself up too much," said Tony.The point of these exercises is to build up core power, not bulk.

Dips work on your triceps, bench press on your chest... I like to do a few curls for the biceps also. A little muscle looks great, just don't overdo it.
Good luck.

ric_stern/RST

given that the forces at the pedal are pretty low to moderate even when cycling uphill, the forces in the arm and core are going to be even lower.

ric

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ServiceDano

well, the ladies often like well built arms (though not as much as the butt and legs, I love being a cyclist....) so you will have a couple more cheering you on in your race, with the ladies cheering you on you are likely to want to impress them so you ride harder, increasing your power and speed. So I say it helps!

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Don Shipp

Professional cyclists used to have big arms and shoulders. Now they have skinny arms. This is since the invention of tri-bars that allow the cyclist to rest the weight of their upper body on their elbows instead of carrying it with their arms whilest riding on the drops.
Upper body muscle is not necessary if you use tri-bars. Since muscle is both heavy and metabolically active you are better off without it if you are serious about competing. But if you want to look good, then a few upper body excercises such as press-ups and pull-ups work wonders.

acoggan

You're kidding, right? Professional road cyclists have always had skinny arms, at least relative to their legs - just look at any of the pics from first half of the last century. Morever, "tri-bars" are only used in/when training for TTs, which comprise only a small percentage of a pro roadie's total time in the saddle.

Back to the OP's question: during seated pedaling, your upper body musculature functions almost exclusively to simply stablize and support your upper body - it can't, and doesn't, contribute significantly to seated pedaling power because the hip joints are essentially fixed in space. Only when the hip joints are moving with respect to b.b. (e.g., as can occur when standing) can any power generated by the (smaller compared to the legs, although not necessarily small in an absolute sense, e.g., in a track sprinter) upper body muscles be transferred to the pedals.

n crowley

You are the physiologist, but would you care to bet on that ?
It has a simple yes/no answer.

Don Shipp

These days competitive cyclists have arms that look anorexic. I blamed tri-bars but there could well be other reasons.
Upper body muscle is not needed much for cycling. It is heavy and competes with the leg muscles for oxygen and fuel so perhaps racing cyclists deliberately avoid any excercise that will build it up. Training is more scientific than it used to be so the effect is more noticable. In the old photos the top racers do not look like body-builders; but they don't look anorexic either.
Bulging legs and skinny arms may be a race-winning combination but does not look very attractive. Add a few press-ups to your cycling program for the perfectly balanced body. (like mine.)

RapDaddyo

I sort of thought that might be the case because I couldn't logically figure out how my upper body strength could translate to force on the cranks. I wonder why my instinct is to pull with my arms when climbing? It just feels like I can add power but I know it's illogical. I think I'm just making my back sore when I pull.

ric_stern/RST

i think that this would be in the eye of the beholder, but nonetheless, are people that shallow that they wouldn't find someone attractive due to the diameter of their arms...?

ric

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ric_stern/RST

no it wouldn't, both are likely detrimental to endurance cycling performance, as has been discussed ad infiinitum on the forum.

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Don Shipp

I would guess that more people take up cycling in order to develop a more attractive body than take it up in order to win races. What is attractive is a matter of opinion of course; now you know mine.
Yes, people are vain and shallow, although most would take many factors into account when deciding who they find attractive, not just skinny or muscular arms.