The flat back position is perhaps the greatest lie ever told in sport, provided you ignore any of the racing we’ve seen in the last decade or two.
It is possible, I suppose, that when we talk about a flat back, what we really mean is that on an elementary level, all curves are really just a series of straight segments connected at an angle; while a rider’s back may look arched, it really is flat in an existential sense.
Because no one really rides with a flat back. Even riders who famously rode with a flat back, like Greg LeMond, actually rode with only the upper portion of their backs flat. In fact, the only rider I can think of who was as happy as a Texan in an Amgen factory while riding with a truly flat back was The Gypsy himself. It bears mentioning, however, that a search through the Velominati Archives shows only intermittent evidence of him riding with a truly flat back.
If you’ve ever tried to get your back completely flat, you’ll have noticed that it feels awful. Your shoulders tense up, your hips roll forward. It certainly doesn’t do your bits any favors. As you try to accelerate, your shoulders and hips tense up even more in an effort to keep the back as flat as possible.
There is a very simple explanation for this: The V abhors a straight line; it requires smooth curves in order to flow freely from the various V-Receptacles spread throughout your body and into the guns where it is processed and converted into Monumental Devastation.
As you pursue the V-Locus, keep the following points in mind:
And yes, Cycling is hell for your posture. If that’s what you’re after, take up yoga.
[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Flat Backs/”/]
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@pistard
No, do not stop doing that. It is one of life's little pleasures to catch a glimpse of how badass you look as you whip by a window. Subsequent crash and all.
@frank
Chicks dig scars...
@brett
Rad. But that's not a flat back. That's a perfect V-Arch, in fact.
@James
Its not much, but it helps a lot. I'm naturally pretty flexible (oddly enough) in just the right ways for cycling; I'm completely inflexible in other ways.
All I do is lay on my back while watching TV and do three sets of 50 leg lifts; I lift my legs from just above the ground all the way up to 90 degrees. To start with, I'd keep my legs together, but after a month of that I started to hold my feet about shoulder-width apart when I lift them up - its much harder that way. I finish each set by holding my legs a little bit above the ground for a count of 15 seconds.
This has two benefits: it seems to work the lower back and the abdomen, and it doesn't require me to take out time for an indoor workout, which is something I detest. Basically, I do these without noticing that I'm doing it that much.
@SimonH
Being 6'3" and slouchy, this is what I'm hoping more core work does for me (minus the dragging knuckles and car wrecks)
@VeloVita I'm of similar build and try to do this routine periodically if I get lazy before very long my back will let me know it's time for some more reps: http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/core?page=0,1
Although the idea of proper pilates is intriguing.
@minion
Photographic proof that you also swing for cows.
@Deakus
My dad suffers from something similar and cycling fixes it as well; his theory is that cycling builds up the muscles along your spine and keeps your vertebrae from squishing the discs.
@alexei
That photo does a great job to perpetuate the Myth of the Flat Back. Have a good look and you'll see the upper portion of their back may be fairly flat, but their lower backs are carved sharply to get there. Especially Ballan; it takes him until about mid-back to get flattish.
That's a beautiful position he's got, though.
@Marko
Let me convert this into command-line syntax for you for any event or photo taken during Keepers Tour:
That was * during *. Good shot though and fun times. V minutes later we *.
@frank
I'm not fucking Welsh you sick fucker. That's just disgusting.