TRIATHLON TIPS: Power Cranks. More power for less effort.

When I heard the doctor at the emergency room tell me that my shattered elbow would be the end of my season, I was devastated. Missing a season of racing would make it very difficult to return to the level of fitness that I was in. Little did I know that the terrible accident would cause me to focus on a new product that would actually improve my fitness and radically change my triathlon career. The amazing product that I refer to is Power Cranks. Being forced to ride indoors with my arm in a brace, I ended up putting in 100% of my time on a trainer with the power cranks. Over the next six months as my arm healed and I used the cranks, I was very excited to see a dramatic improvement in my cycling efficiency and power. I was even more surprised to see improvement in my running and my swimming as I worked my way back into a normal training schedule. How do they work you may ask. Allow me to explain.

We are all used to our cranks being set at 180 degrees to each other, and if we push down on one pedal it automatically forces the other pedal to swing up and be ready to be pushed down and so on. In this case it is very easy for us to get in the habit of not pulling up on the pedal at the bottom of every stroke. We allow our other leg that is pushing down to do all of the work of bringing the pedal back around to the top.

Power Cranks break this habit by making each pedal completely independent of the other. Their secret is a ratchet system attaching the crank to the gears. Now if we don’t pull up at the bottom of the stroke, the pedal will just sit there because the other crank will not bring it around for us. But wait, there is more! Now that each crank has a mind of its own, it is our job to keep them at 180 degrees to each other. This forces us to put the same amount of force into each pedal. To put it simply, these cranks teach our bodies to pedal with better coordination and efficiency. This equals more power for less effort.

Still, being a man of science, I wanted proof that I was really improving. I gained this proof with the help of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. The following graph shows a before and after look at my heart rate for increasing levels of watts (power).

Very simply, this graph shows that after using the cranks, my effort at each level of power decreased tremendously. For example, the effort I used to put out in order to hold 175 watts is now the same effort I put out to hold 225 watts. I’m a believer!

Now you may be wondering how Power Cranks can help running and swimming. To help you understand this, let me describe my first experience on the cranks. I hopped on my trainer ready to put in a good 30 miles or so. I was so naïve! It took me at least 15 minutes before I cold even keep the pedals moving together at the same time. I felt like a fool. Once I finally managed the coordination to pedal with both legs, I lasted about 3 miles and I had to stop because my hip flexor muscles were on fire with exhaustion. This Ironman was officially humbled.

Looking back now I realize it is those same hip flexor muscles that we use to pull our legs through as we run, and also the same muscles we use in a flutter kick during swimming. After only a week on the cranks these muscles were so much stronger and had so much more endurance, I couldn’t help but run and swim better.

Power Cranks will give you more power for less energy. I truly believe they are the way of the future in endurance athletics. If you are still a little skeptical, consider some of the athletes who use them. Conrad Stolz, Barb Lindquist, Lisa Bentley, and Chris McCormack are only a few of the top professionals riding the cranks. My personal favorite addition to the number of pro’s who use Power Cranks is George Hincappie. He started using the cranks last year after the 2004 Tour De France. He looks pretty good this year, don’t you think?

To learn more about Power Cranks, visit their website at www.powercranks.com

Coach Howie’s Tip of the Month
Recovering properly from workouts is as important if not more important than the actual workouts themselves. One of the best things you can do to speed up recovery after a workout is to take in the right nutrition at the right time. The second you finish your workout, you have a 15 minute window of time in which it is best to take in simple carbohydrates. Yes, I really said simple carbohydrates. Finally, we have an excuse to scarf down some cookies! Various fruits, energy bars, and energy drinks are other good examples of things to take in during this window. Once you have taken in these carbohydrates you can then begin to take in more complex carbohydrates, proteins and fat. As you get ready to head out the door for your next workout, take the time to set out some simple carbs for when you return. The sooner you get them in, the better.