I have been training with the All-purpose plan and when I finally purchased the new bike, I might have over trained. It have patella tendonitis on both knees. I rested for about a couple of weeks and started to train with lower intensity workout using base training block. After 2 weeks of training however, it is still bugging me quite a bit and I finally decided i need to rest and stay off the bike
While I rest, I am hoping to work on my core as well as upper body. Would anyone have Sufferfest Strength Training and Yoga that would help me with this without putting any strain on me knees?
First off - I hope you get your tendinitis sorted and get back on your bike
One of things about tendinitis in my experience is that something has to change before resuming or thereās every chance it will recur (possibly not if itās as simple as overuse, but overuse often happens quicker imo if thereās something out of kilter in the first place)
So it is important to try and work out the source of the issue and mitigate that before you get back in a bike (I think)
For your knees ā¦ be worth getting some (once you happy things are healed) light stretching in of the hip flexors and quads as a minimum. Get them loosened up.
Strength wise most of the SUF STR videos will help strengthen the supporting muscles to take load of the āknee areaā. Again, start small and stop at signs of the same problem.
If stretching and some light body strength stuff goes ok for a few weeks then Iād think about your bike position (can you get a bike fit?).
Not sure how long patella tendinitis takes to heal, so be worth checking with a physio if you can.
All of that is just my personal take on my own past Achilles and patella tendinitis issues, Iām not qualified etc etc etc
I second this. My long lost knee pain that I used to suffer with (before I was a cyclist so not cycling induced) was basically down to muscle imbalance. Sorted that, sorted the knees. This was long before SUF strength was a glint in anybodyās eyes, probably when Sir Mac was wearing different kind of bibs, but the kind of leg exercises in that are the kind of things I did and it worked for me.
Thank you so much for your advice, Sir Martin and Sir James!! It is possible it might have something to do with having a new bike. When I got it, I had bike fit done. Prior to getting this bike, I have had a same bike for over 10 years. I have used that bike on the indoor trainer to ride the Sufferfest. Perhaps, the fit for the new bike and my old bike I ride indoor might be off and contributed to this injury, in addition to the overuse. I will definitely look into it to see if I could make some adjustment.
I have been including Yoga and strength training for my Sufferfest training plan and it has been quite helpfulā¦, well until this injury. I have really never had any issue with my knees before this.
In a meantime, are there any Sufferfest yoga and strength training videos you recommend that doesnāt put any strain on my knees? I was hoping to work on my core and upper body while I recover.
This might be a bit too obvious, but have you compared saddle heights? Thereās no way the new bikeās seat post has slipped and is a bit low causing your knee issues?
Iād definitely compare the set up of the two bikes, but record all the measurements before making any adjustments.
Thanks Alistair! I donāt Know if the saddle
Height has changed but I will take all the necessary measurements as you recommend. I started looking at the both bikes and it might be the shoes and how the cleats are set up. I use two different pair for indoor and outdoor.
Hi @DDgon,
So sorry to hear about your tendonitis, being forced to take time off is very frustrating. As others have said, I definitely recommend checking your bike fit measurements between the two bikes and your cleat setup. I donāt know how long itās been since you got the new bike and the fit, but it doesnāt hurt to get a second opinion and an updated bike fit as well. If your flexibility or mobility or anything else has changed, your best position will also change. Just because you had a fit once doesnāt mean you canāt or shouldnāt get another one!
As for yoga, there are a few yoga videos that target core strength specifically: Core strengthener series (3 videos), Back strengtheners, the balance & agility series (2 videos), One Hour lower back routine, and pre-ride activation. All of the strength training workouts include core training, so just stay with the progression as youāre able.
Also, visiting a physio to check for imbalances is a good idea, as well as massage to work out muscle tightness that could be causing imbalances.
Best of luck and keep us posted on your progress and return to the bike!
Thank you Suzie! I will consider getting another bike fit as soon as Iām able. Your input makes a lot of sense. Thank you so much for the great advice and for the list of workouts!!
I will keep all the recommendations you and others have given me in mind moving forward.
I stayed off bike for about 2 weeks after the last post and actually had to stop any yoga and strength training except for some push ups and pull ups.
So I started physical therapy and found out a few things:
as some of you suggested, my patella tendinitis are caused by imbalance
seems I do not incorporate my gluteus when Iām pedaling and quads are doing most of work.
my IT bands are so tight!!!
my saddle height for indoor training bike is lower than outdoor bike.
I have been working on correcting these and now I started biking outdoor and about to start training indoor soon. I have been doing Open videos and short tempo workouts.
Right before I got hurt, I did half monty and full frontal about a month prior to that. So, without my knee being 100% and not being train fully , i notice it is hard to do my training with the previous 4DP scores.
As my knees are still not 100%, I was thinking of tempo or base training block plan. But should I do the full frontal or half Monty at one point to make sure it is more catered to my current fitness? Iām just afraid to do any test with my knees now.
I could do 30-40 mile outdoor ride now. So it is getting better.
Great to hear things are getting better. Lower intensity, base/tempo, sounds like a sensible way back (Iād mix in the beginner SUF strength sessions and some yoga). Personally I find RPE and heart rate as useful, possibly even more useful, than power for those kind of workouts so I wouldnāt say you need to do a test, just focus on the feel more than purely on power. Also I found that foam rolling helped when I was dealing with knee issues but donāt ATTACK the IT band, thatās simply connective tissue, go after the muscles that are causing the ātightnessā. Just laypersons advice.
