I have in last couple of months gotten into morning routine of getting up a little earlier to do 30-50 mins on Zwift/ smart trainer riding before work. Have surprised myself how much I "enjoy" it and sets me up for the day, also gives big boost for weekend riding. Now it could be co-incidental with a ski prnag i had about the same time, but I have found that my (outside) hips, lower back are getting really achy to point of being sore on walks. Seem to remember reading that fixed position turbo trainers can cause issues with hips/ groin etc due to the very fixed nature of the excercises. Fwiw I am on the heavy/ "large side" so not the most flexible anyway.
Any thoughts?
S
Thinking back to when I started turbo trainer in 2021 I had some hip stiffness / ache for a period of time. When I got up from seated to walk it would be a bit annoying. Eventually it just stopped doing it - I got more into stretching before and after turbo and bike sessions in general which might have helped with that.
Stretch wise I do Childs Pose just straight forward, then stretch to the left and the right whilst in the same positions. I then do the cobra pose, and cat / cow.
After that I tend do a forward lunge with each leg held for 10 seconds or so with my arms stretched above my head. If you want to get more of a groin stretch once you’ve done that you can drop your back knee to the floor and push your hips forward slightly and hold.
Finally I do a lunge 45 degrees to the side and then pivot left and right from the waist a number of times whilst down on the lunge. Do both sides lunged.
Firstly huge congratulation for forming a new pattern in your routine that will benefit your health big time.
Obviously, there's bike fit to consider. Thing is with Zwift, is that aero isn't important but comfort is. So don't feel you have to read across saddle tip-hoods reach, or saddle to bar drop from your road set up.
Also stiffness and aches, yes they could be injury related but they could also be due to stiffness, lack of range of motion, imballances, weaknesses elsewhere. I am not an expert here, but what works for me is specific cycling based yoga stretches plus core work. Why not add another 10-15 mins a day for some TLC? I would recommend something like this
(22 min - Yoga Stretch for Cyclists)
Thanks Both thats very helpful - interestingly I went for a swim last night first time in a while and that eased off the stiffness and pain.
I was struggling to get to an hour on Zwift due to soreness (mainly backside/saddle interface, but also hips and back), then read about rocker plates. Did my own version to see if I'd like it by cutting up a (£7) camping mat and putting a few layers under the trainer and each of its legs... I've never taken them out, never bought a rocker plate, and can happily do 2 hours plus. It just puts enough wobble into the system to keep everything moving a bit.