Originally Posted by
Latif
As another one year anniversary new to the sport guy, what can be done to specifically engage the glutes and hams more while riding? I almost always feel my quads after I've pushed hard and recently lowered my bars for the first time which so far has increased my perception of my performance and hopefully working my glutes/hams more. I mostly ride alone or with one other much stronger buddy.
You need to experiment with body position on the bike. Most notably your saddle setback and handlebar reach and height. Hams and glutes are better enlisted with more saddle setback and a more forward angled torso. A more rotated hip angle should come along for the ride. A good comparison of riding position is riding bolt upright where you can't get any power to the pedals. An analogy is often brought up comparing riding a bike to sitting in a chair. It is almost impossible to get up from a chair without leaning your torso forward. Occasionally I get a wild hair and experiment with my position.
If I push my saddle forward it is pretty astounding how much more my quads are stressed in the pedal stroke.
Some of the best cyclists in the world...not all, ride with a lot of saddle setback. I don't have nearly the power with a forward saddle position...in part because I don't ride with a low handlebar. So your handlebar position needs to match your saddle setback for proper glute and ham enlistment.
A TT rider for example will be much more forward on the saddle but his whole body will be rotated forward for aerodynamics which will create almost the same hip angle as a good road cyclist.