The Power is also in the Feet

[drserena]

Have you ever thought about your feet? If your arch and ankle have improper pronation/supination sequence through the downstroke, it alters alignment to affect your hip flexor, as well as low back nerve firing to the all lower body muscles. One of my colleques in my office conducted a study last year using a particular custom orthotic which improved output 3-8%.

 

[Smartt/RST]

Have you ever thought about your feet? If your arch and ankle have improper pronation/supination sequence through the downstroke, it alters alignment to affect your hip flexor, as well as low back nerve firing to the all lower body muscles. One of my colleques in my office conducted a study last year using a particular custom orthotic which improved output 3-8%.

Is this a published document?

 

[mises]

I didn't attempt to measure the change but recently got some custom shoes with custom orthotics after years of making do with Adidas. They certainly made a noticeable difference in ability to push high gears but whether the higher peak muscular force translated into sustainable power wasn't clear at all.

 

[drserena]

Is this a published document?

When I last asked her about it about a month ago she said that it hadn't been published yet. The company is Sole Supports. New technology and different in that they are full contact during toe off yet flexible in the arch so as to allow the arch to drop to absorb shock. You won't find these two features in any other support together.

 

[Orange Fish]

When I last asked her about it about a month ago she said that it hadn't been published yet. The company is Sole Supports. New technology and different in that they are full contact during toe off yet flexible in the arch so as to allow the arch to drop to absorb shock. You won't find these two features in any other support together.

That sounds promising. While I'm not sure of any published articles specifically on that topic, I can see how it may improve performance by that amount. It seems similar to getting a good bike fit. If you have the proper fit, your performance can be much better than if you rode with a poor fit. And if those orthotics do what you say they do, they sound pretty promising.