Long story short I’ve been in training and felt it was going well however keep getting a sore lower back on the right hand side

I’ve been using a single sided power meter and had seen some steady improvements in power, all was good. Then I got my hands on a dual sided meter, and the results are frankly depressing. Basically I’m putting out nearly 20% less power on the right side (my dominant leg) at ftp.

Interestingly, the power imbalance disappears when I’m at low cadance (less than 60), and grows wider the faster I pedal.

I appear to have a tight hip flexor on the right hand side, and best way I can describe it is it feels ‘harder over the top of the pedal stroke’ on the right side

Does the fact that when I am grinding indicate the leg strength is roughly the same and it’s more down to restrictive movement? Will a Physio be able to tell me that?

And how long do these things take to resolve. I’ve busted my balls for months on the turbo, and it transpires I’m way off where I need to be 😫

Tick

Can’t offer any answers but I have a muscle imbalance as well so I’m interested, though mine is only in the order of ~4%.

I’ve a long history of lower back pain brought on by tight glutes but I’ve been working on core strength, stretching and mobility and things seem to have improved (though I’ve haven’t rode up any of the local big mountains for six months or so, which is usually what triggers my back pain and consequent imbalance.)

Yep, no power meter but almost exactly the same issue. I’m also ‘squint’ in the saddle (to varying degrees) as the right hip wants to slide backwards relative to the left.

The lower-right abdomen pain (for me) is the QL tightening up/being overactive as a lifetime of sitting and pedalling has left my glutes a bit disfunctional and the QL tries to pick up the slack. I think the squintness is also due to a tight inner thigh muscle which is trying to compensate for weak/inactive hamstring.

Physio has me working on glutes through stability (single leg dips) and abduction (standing clam). Also strengthening hip flexors with standing marches (the ‘tightness’ and ‘shortness’ apparently can’t really be stretched out, they need strengthening) and working hamstrings through a sort of supine plank type move.

Has only been three weeks and I don’t think the exercises are quite dialled yet, can still feel QL trying to take over, so I’m doing wee sets of reverse lunges throughout the day to try and keep the glutes active, can certainly feel it this morning!

I’ve had some discomfort that sounds similar so fwiw –
No idea of power balance but I ride right foot fwd and have had back pain brought on by hard pedalling and climbing that’s focussed on the right side. Also some hip area pain, a mild dull ache, on the right side. Posture and desk job related I suspect. All in all it meant I would finish some rides soft-pedalling due to the discomfort on that side.
Oddly fwiw none of this stopped me doing a block of 1x a week turbo training, 5MP effort intervals, in the run up to xmas so I think the issue is torque + cadence related in a similar was as you’re describing.

I’ve seen a couple of physios who gave me twisting exercises and stretches to do or recommended basic core exercises. They were some help but generally resolved the symptoms not the cause. And tbh the bodyweight core exercises were too many, too time consuming (20 mins, ha..), I’m just not a gym reps exercise sort of person so I slacked and go nowhere with them.

Hamstring and quad stretches every day are helping – I just stretch while waiting for my coffee to brew, 2-3 mins 2x a day, every day. I also do a glutes stretch sat on / supported by a stool in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, 1 min 2x a day. The real change for me was creating a daily habit I’d stick to rather than saying I’ll do X 3x a week then putting it off or things getting in the way. Similar stretches post-ride or before sleep after a big ride.

A kettlebell seems to be a real benefit also. Bought for core strength work. Recently made it a daily habit to just pick it up the same time each day and some days I get more done than others. Just a couple of reps of 1 min swings helps, it’s really hard work for a very short period and it seems to use muscles in the rear upper leg and the glutes well, or at least that’s where I felt the soreness to start with. After a good round of simple swings I can go for a ride and feel I’m using muscles that have been woken up – maybe I’m conscious of them as they’re used and more tired or sore but I am pedalling up hill from the glutes more than I was before. It’s a simple + effective thing that’s good for other strength exercises as well, bar pulls etc.

All in all I’m having days when I feel normal again in my back or hip and ride discomfort is hugely reduced, with luck it’ll all resolve in time.

And tbh the bodyweight core exercises were too many, too time consuming (20 mins, ha..)

5:30am mornings are your friend! My usual morning routine (bathroom, coffee, stretches, bathroom again, feed cat, exercises) is about 1hr30. A pain to fit in every day (physio recommended two days off a week, usually Wednesday/Sunday) but my goal this year is to ‘bulletproof’ my back as much as is possible. Am motivated by some amazing looking gravel routes I have planned later in year.

I need to try harder to intersperse exercises throughout the working day. A set of glute or core work every hour etc. is a good way to break up all the sitting!

Can’t offer any answers but I have a muscle imbalance as well so I’m interested, though mine is only in the order of ~4%.

Anything under 10% is generally considered normal.

We’re all muscle imbalanced left to right.

Does the fact that when I am grinding indicate the leg strength is roughly the same and it’s more down to restrictive movement? Will a Physio be able to tell me that?

A good physio, sports therapist, S&C coach would be able to look at your range of movement / individual muscle strengths etc and figure out where the root of the imbalance lies, then give you a program to try and even things up a bit – could be mobility work, could be strength work, might be activation work etc – really depends what the root cause is.

I’m also ‘squint’ in the saddle (to varying degrees) as the right hip wants to slide backwards relative to the left.

Having spent 1000s of hours riding in peletons, staring at people’s arses, no one is dead square in the saddle – everyone sits either slightly to one side and / or has an asymmetric stroke etc. Humans beings are not symmetric.

Anything under 10% is generally considered normal.

+1
A lot of the top pros fit within the 55/45 camp, and a few outside it as well.
You’ll probably also find a difference in leg length and differences in upper/lower leg proportions and biomechanics. (I have a shorter leg, a smaller foot and more pronation on one foot)

and best way I can describe it is it feels ‘harder over the top of the pedal stroke’ on the right side

Once you’ve got muscle tightness/flexibility addressed and exercises/treatment in progress, might be time to look at crank lengths, saddle height and set back. The “harder over the top” is a sensation i’ve had on and off since my mid 20’s, usually on a cycle after long breaks between massage. Since i’ve switched to 165mm, added some wedges to my cleats and adjusted set back to account for the changes, it’s completely gone.

A lot of the top pros fit within the 55/45 camp, and a few outside it as well.
You’ll probably also find a difference in leg length and differences in upper/lower leg proportions and biomechanics. (I have a shorter leg, a smaller foot and more pronation on one foot

interesting as that’s pretty much my ratio

However that’s still a 20% leg difference by my calculations which seems huge

Ie at 260 watts

Left- 143 watts (55%)
Right- 117 watts (45%)

Difference is 26 watts, which is 18% lower than the stronger leg. Obviously you’ll lose even more in absolute watts the higher you go

A lot of the top pros fit within the 55/45 camp, and a few outside it as well.

When I’m REALLY trying hard, my power (im)balance is 56/54 L/R… but only when i’m giving 110%

DrP

That harder over the top sensation …..

Some useful info on this thread, including a useful graphic for which muscles at which point in the pedal stroke. I have been using some DIY weighted shoe exercises and single leg drills to target my specific weakness in getting over the top. Also just bought an absoluteblack inner ring for the road bike to help with climbing – yet to see if that helps

Getting My Leg Over….

5:30am mornings are your friend!

I’m usually around early enough, tbh it’s more about my almost non-existent motivation to do reps of any sort at any time of day, turbo-training is the only thing I ever stick at. Daily habits and non-rep type work seems a more effective thing because I don’t say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ or feel like it’s a set thing to do.

What crank length tp? Shortening up to 165 or 160 can give good results on the pedal stroke, but it’s not a sure thing for everyone. Can also be an outlay if you’re using power cranks.

165 on the tt bike, 172.5 on the others

Got a few crank based meters but also some pedals so changing would be an option. But 165 is already pretty short so we’ll see what the Physio says but it’s something to consider for sure