QUESTION: I’ve been cycling for more than twenty years. I’m now in my 70s, and my wife recently mentioned that I’m becoming slump-shouldered, and she thinks it’s from the position I’m in when I ride. My bike has drop handlebars. Could she be right? I thought all this cycling was good for me. —Alan S.
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: You’re both right. Cycling is good for you overall, especially for your cardio-vascular health, your muscle strength, weight control and your mental well-being. But for posture, not so much. Riding for hours day after day in the aerodynamic position that road bikes with drop bars put you in tells your body that this posture is normal for you, and thus, some drooping of your shoulders even when off the bike is likely to occur.
Your wife’s only inaccuracy is to blame your rounded shoulders only on your on-the-bike position. For most of us, whether cyclists or not, there are other factors that negatively affect our posture. One big one is sitting hunched over a computer or laptop for hours on end. (I’m both a rider and writer, so I get shoulder droop from at least those two activities.) Other posture killers include looking down while reading from or texting on a phone, hours slumped on a sofa, frequent carrying of heavy objects, as well as a sedentary lifestyle. (At least, as a cyclist, you’re not guilty of that one.)
But the good news is that this slumping is reversible, mainly through just a few weeks of stretching exercises, like these. Thereafter, some less intensive maintenance exercise can help keep the slump away.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
I see many riders whose setup forces the hunching; bars too far forward or stem riser too short. Particularly as we age (I’m 73), catering our bike to our body is more important than the “right” position. Also, visualization and proprioception can help maintain the upper spine/head relationship. It’s not about the shoulders, which are designed to hang loosely off the thorax. Strong spinal muscles are the key.
Mark is correct, but taking this one step further, Alan is using his chest and front deltoids to support his weight when riding. Bodybuilders get this same ‘slumped shoulders’ syndrome when all they do is bench press and do no upper back work. A strong muscle is a functionally shorter muscle so this will pull the shoulders forward. Add some upper back workouts with weights to even you out.
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