Hello FORC...
I am just now getting back into Mountain Biking. I just joined FORC. Took a few years off because of being in the Army. I plan on doing some street riding to strengthen my knee, just had three surgeries on it, then hoping to hit some trails. Any advice that anyone has about strengthening my knee to get it ready for trails would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
FORC'n Newbie
My way was about what your doing, riding on pavement but I use my mountain bike so I got something heavier with more rolling resistance to train my legs. Then started on easy trails first and worked my way up. Now Im on getting my body in shape so i can ride longer/faster between breaks. Just take your time and slowly build up. And LISTEN to any pain. A bit of soreness is to be expected, but dont over do it. Any actual pain: either ease up on the intensity of the ride or take a break. Worst thing you can do is push it too hard and too fast.
I would say if you have a bike thats more for road use, light weight, narrow tires, start with that first to get you knee used to the constant motion first but minimal strain. Find places that have mild hills only. Then start taking on bigger/longer hills paying close attention to lvl of soreness during/afterwards.
Then Rinse/repeat (on pavement) on your MTB for a bit so your knee and legs get accustomed to the extra weight and resistance.
If you only have your MTB, max out safe lvl tire pressure (yes sounds odd, but this is for pavement), to minimize rolling resistance and stay in lower gears and do the whole process that way, thats how I did/am doing it.
I would spend the winter going through that, wait till spring at least to attempt trails, of course weather pending. All about taking the time to build up, worst thing to do is end up messing your knee up again and being outta riding completely again for a while.
Oh and WELCOME TO FORC!!!
Last edited by Tigris99; 11-15-2012 at 06:27 PM.
My bike is a 2012 cannondale trail SL 4 29'er. Basically stock but upgraded the derailer and more aggressive pedals to start with. Front forks are lockable for smooth riding. Hydraulic disc breaks, and I think some kind of hydra coil shock if that makes sense.....LOL, kinda got lost when he explained it to me. I DO know its the stock shock that comes with that model. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR IMPUT. I was in a bad car wreck a year ago. Several shattered bones, other than that, my cardio is ok, I was a Green Beret in the Army till I got injured but continued to work out. Knee is just my weak spot, three attempts to totally reconstruct it. Although I'm sure by now my cardio is somewhat lacking LOL
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
Poser
pretty bang on advice by Tigris99.
if there's anything I have to add...riding is very low impact so anytime spent spinning on the bike will be beneficial to you. there's a few peeps in the club that have cranky knees, hopefully they'll chime in.
I had a case of "runner's knee" when I was in the Army. fortunately, it kind of stopped there and I recovered ok, I guess. every now and then on the bike it will be sore but it's never kept me from riding.
"ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."
They say I'll have Arthritis in it, and that's fine, but when they rebuilt it, they had to use donor tissue so for the past year the strength had to start from scratch. But I'm ready to ride, strengthen it on road then get on trails. I appreciate all the advice. I'm looking forward to riding with some of you. What unit were you with? I was at 1ST GRP at Lewis, I was at Campbell, Bragg, and benning but mostly for schools
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
Poser
I was in the Army Natl Guard, discharged in '08 after 8 years of service. ADA Unit in Galva, IL. Trained at Benning and Gordon. 31C.
Looking forward to riding with ya!
"ya, well...that's like...your...opinion. man."
That's cool. I never did anything with ADA but always thought it was interesting. Didn't Patriots fall under ADA ?
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
FORC'n Newbie
Definitely do some spinning on the road to strengthen your knees. Fortunately, there aren't serious hills here so you won't have to worry about strain too much. I'd recommend getting a set of road tires. 700mm tires = 29er. I have a set of 35x700 mm tires on a spare set of wheels, they definitely roll a lot better. When I got back into mt biking this year after some health issues, I did a ton of road biking to get my conditioning back. I probably rode about 800 miles in 2 months before I ventured onto a trail. I think If I'd gone directly to the trail, I probably would have quit that day, and just used the bike to run to the bar or the local grocery store...
Lance Lau
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That's great advice. I appreciate your help
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
Supporting Member
Welcome back and welcome to FORC! Many of us have dealt with aches and pains as well as the realization that we are not 18 years old anymore. It sounds like you and your knee have been through a lot, but cycling can be an excellent sport for people with knee issues to take up. As an orthopeadic physical therapist , here are a few suggestions I can offer:
1. On and off the bike you should maintain a lower extremity strengthening program with impeccable form. This may include functional exercise such as squats, step ups, straight leg raises, bridging etc but form has to be perfect.
2. Starting out spinning or on bike path for conditioning and some regaining of functional cycling strength is a good idea. Whether on a spin bike or path keep your cadence high (low torque) which keeps it easy on your knee. High cadence is difficult or uncomfortable at first but the reduced torque on your knee will be well worth it. Current suggestions for cadence is between 90-110 rpm for optimum balance of oxygen consumption and torque on the lower extremities. If you aren't riding on a trainer over the winter, the downtown Dport YMCA has a good spin class.
3. Make sure your bike is set up properly. Seat hight and fore/aft position most directly affect your knee position. I started out with my seat pretty low for "ease of bail" when learning to MTB. However this less to knee pain as it biases your quads and doesn't allow your body to take advantage of your hamstring muscles. It also leads to a higher compressive force on the joint between your knee cap and femur. Cleat position on your shoe and how it sits on your pedal also affect knee position. There are many schools of thought on bike fit. If you want my thoughts let me know.
4. Listen to your body. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
Happy riding!
Thanks for your help. Last year I rolled an SUV seven times, got thrown out, then it landed on me. Shattered my ankle, collar bone, shoulder blade, ribs, knee, and elbow. It took three surgeries, a blood transfusion, and donor tissue just to repair the knee. I'm looking forward to being active again. I went from being in Army Special Forces, to an amatuer bodybuilder as a civilian to be stuck in bed for a year and a half. I can't wait to get back to it.
Four wheels are fun, two wheels are freedom
FORC'n Newbie
Sweet someone that could put better knowledge/detail behind what I was trying to explain.
Thnx AC cause couple things there I didnt know much about where bike set up was concerned. Learn something new from you guys every day hehe.
Supporting Member
That's right, expert advance for free. How many clubs can offer that!?Originally Posted by acw4red
Probably know this already, but you can easily count cadence by counting the number of times your right knee is at the highest position for 15 seconds and then times that by 4. There are bike computers that can do cadence too.
Good starting point: http://www.qcforc.org/showthread.php...light=bike+fit
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Supporting Member
Look no further than acw4red's advice. Girl knows her stuff. When I blew out my knee, I recall my rehab being heavy doses of stair stepper and stationery bike (is it stationary or stationery - one of 'em is fancy paper. Clearly that's not the one I mean). Anyway, I digress...
The bike is a great workout for your knee. I also remember it being of CRITICAL importance that I strengthen the muscles surrounding my knee: Calf, Quad & Hamstring. You really should include some gym work in your recovery. Good ol' fashion leg curls, leg extensions and calf raises...Can't beat 'em. As acw4red said ~ perfect form is paramount. If you're not sure, don't be too proud: Hire a trainer or look up a place like Rock Valley Physical Therapy. A knee is nothing to screw around with.
After your strength is back, squats, step ups, etc etc. I blew my knee out in 1995 - completely severed PCL, partially torn ACL, torn MCL and torn meniscus. I never had it operated on. I followed the direction above and for almost 20 years now I've been pain free without incident.
Good luck and thanks (to you and to Mielke) for your service to our country! Welcome back to MTB'ing!
Dirt Don't Hurt
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