I first became aware of Powercranks when introduced to them by a good friend of mine who had been having success with them in his training. He was very happy with the impact they had been having on his performances and recommended that I utilise them as a training aid myself.

It was at this point that I decided to do some research on the Powercranks concept and see what all the fuss was about.

To reach your potential as a cyclist, the ability to apply torque around the whole pedal stroke is arguably essential. To develop this ability, one legged pedalling and high cadence drills are often prescribed. The goal of this training is to develop the upstroke/recovery musculature to such a degree that it becomes a contributing player in the power output stakes.

Unfortunately, the specificity of training principle demands that for motor patterns to be developed correctly, the desired muscular actions must be imitated exactly. For this to be achieved, one legged pedalling drills must be performed on both legs simultaneously - a challenging task indeed!

Evidence of the difficulty to develop the whole pedal stroke can be seen in some biomechanical studies of elite cyclists which have determined that, while time trialling, the contribution to pedal torque from the upstroke muscular is, in fact, negative. The recovery limb is actually applying a net downward force on the crankarm which must been overcome by the downstroke musculature, decreasing the positive torque applied to the crankarm and reducing potential power output.

Powercranks are a fantastic training aid as they enable to cyclist to, essentially, do one legged pedalling drills on both legs simultaneously, developing the correct motor patterns for positive torque application around the whole pedal stroke, or at the very least, reducing the negative torque applied by the recovering leg to zero.

Powercranks employ a clutch system that only engages the crank axle when positive torque is being applied. If positive torque is not applied to both cranks simultaneously, the cranks will rotate relative to one another and cease to be in alignment. Feedback is immediate, leading to quick adaptation of the neural system to the training stimulus.

Based on this analysis, I decided that I would buy a set of Powercranks myself and put them to the test.

I must admit that after the first ride with the Powercranks, I was wondering whether I was ever going to be able to cycle normally with them. It was a 50 minute toddle on the stationary trainer, and was more stop than start. The cranks kept getting out of alignment and I had to stop and adjust them constantly. My hip flexors were pretty tired at the end of it too.

What I did learn immediately was how much muscle mass is under-utilised while we cycle and that was enough of an incentive to persevere. More muscle mass utilised means more potential power output - as simple as that - it just needs to be trained.

My concerns were unfounded as after two weeks of five weekly rides on the Powercranks, I was up to a 2hr ride without too much trouble, and in 12 weeks had built up to 4hrs +.

Additionally, as an added bonus, your running performances are likely to receive a significant boost through Powercranks training. Judging by the feedback from current Powercrankers, the benefits to running alone, justifies their use.

The recovery action of the running gait is similar to that of the cycling upstroke and training this action leads to a faster , more efficient running cadence. Elite runners utilise a cadence in the vicinity of 180 steps per minute, spending less time on the ground in the process. Regular brick sessions with Powercranks will help develop a similar fast and efficient gait cycle.

 

In summary, if you are serious about your cycling and/or triathlon performances, I would highly recommend the utilisation of a set of Powercranks. The potential benefits are too great to be ignored.

 

Subsequent articles will focus more on the specifics of my Powercranks training, and my recommendations for achieving the best results with them.

 

Take care all.