I've heard riders say that your abs are important because they help hold you up in the road bike position. Now, is that really an accurate statement?? Correct me if I am wrong, but muscles cannot push; they can only pull. Seems to me, the muscles in the lower BACK contribute to holding you up. Just like the triceps PULL to straighten the arm (the biceps do not PUSH to straighten the arm). Are people confusing what they have heard/read?

Abs make a huge difference. When I started working on abs I noticed my balance, bike handling, and comfort on the bike all improved. It was more noticable off road than on, but I could still tell. When you work the abs you work your back too. They'll build up together.

If im doing squats, or climbing stairs, or standing on the pedals, are my quads not pushing.

No, they are pulling. Your quads are on top of your leg, right? They PULL your lower leg with respect to your upper leg to straighten your leg. That is exactly like triceps pulling to straighten your arm.

Your legs as a whole may be supporting or "pushing" your body upward, but that is quite different from saying that your quads are pushing -- muscles can't push, they can just pull. Think about a rope -- a rope can't push a car; it can only pull a car when in tension.

Rodger on the back thing. I started an abs/core workout routine, and now my back feels much better after I ride, evne on long rides.

Steve
-crunches everybody! 1 2 3 4 5, come on just 45 more, let's go!

Core muscles are vital to strength, balance, comfort and endurance. Back, obliques and abs - work them and you will be a better cyclist.

55/Rad

No doubt -- but I think people are blurring that statement when they interpret it to mean that abs hold you up. They can't -- it's physically impossible, unless there is something unusual to their structure that I am not considering. They are positioned in front of the upper body.

I'm sure your abs are useful in many ways -- e.g. when sprinting or climbing, you pull back on your bars, and abs balance that out. Abs also balance the back muscles (that I assert are really holding you up), and balanced muscles are good too. I just think people misinterpret general statements like yours about core muscles, to incorrectly conclude that abs hold you up.

Am I wrong? Physicians on board?

I've noticed that as my position has lengthened, on long rides I can definitely feel it in my abs later.

If you think of your hips and shoulders as the points from which your trunk is hung, you can see how contracting the underside muscles (abs) will help keep the body straight. I suspect that people with weak abs end up hunching their back and using lateral musculature to accomplish this, resulting in some strain.

The correct terms are "flex" and "extend". Sorry... med school beat this into me.

Quads extend the lower leg. Tricepts extend the forearm. Conversely, hamstrings flex the lower leg and bicepts flex the forearm. Technically, none of these actions are "pushing" or "pulling". Muscles only create a force by contracting. Note that you're explaination isn't wrong... you have it all right, I'm just a nerd for needing the terms to be correct.

Cool Towlie, thanks! how about when I stick out my tongue? or push it agains the roof of my mouth

I'm a doc...

You could still stand if you lost your abs. You might be quite shaky, but you would be able to walk. Muscles used for balance and to hold you up are primarily in the legs and gluteals. Of course, abdominal and back muscles provide a lot of support, just ask anyone how painful it is to walk with a pulled back muscle. In addition to support, abs are also used as accessory breathing muscles (along with the intercostals, which line the spaces between the ribs)

To answer the oringinal thread question, abs are VERY important to cycling and any sports in general... core muscles support you in many ways, posture, breating, etc. And no, the abs, don't "push" your body up when you lean over a bike... muscles only contract, they don't actively get longer.

All clear?

your absolutely right (but not totally)

muscles cannot push.
muscle fiber can contract only, but...
they can pull in opposition to other muscles that in tention, enlongate (i.e. the tounge.)
And... yes, abs are in front and underneath when on a bike but they do still preform balance, stabilization and help with support.
The back muscles do take a higher load, but they are smaller muscles that depend on (here we are) the ABS.

So no, there is no santa claus, muscles only pull, and working your abs does make ayou a better cyclist.

Strong abs counteract the spine's tendency to sag when in the bent-over cycling position. This prevents fatigue and discomfort in the lower back.

Skeletal muscle is made of fibers that can contract and relax. Most all of your voluntary muscle is this way. Your tounge is special because unlike most muscle groups in your body, it is only anchored on one end. There are many groups of muscle in your tounge. But still, the fibers can only contract and relax. Its just the way it works.