Cycling Posture: Myths vs. Reality

Taylor Aglio — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 03:23:32 +0000

Cycling Posture: Myths vs. Reality

“If healthy breathing patterns are not in place, then no other movement pattern can be.”
— Karel Lewit

In the cycling world, dogmatic thinking dies hard. While nearly every cyclist eventually deals with neck tightness, shoulder tension, or hand numbness, the go-to solutions often feel stuck in the past. Stretch more. Try a new saddle. Get another bike fit. Upgrade your carbon bars.

But there’s one critical, often-missed factor contributing to upper body discomfort on the bike:

Poor breathing patterns.

Yes, how you breathe plays a massive role in how you feel and perform on the bike. And most riders aren’t even aware that it’s holding them back.

The Link Between Breath and Body

Comfort and performance improve dramatically when you learn to breathe with intent and awareness. Poor breathing mechanics can create excess tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back – impacting posture, comfort, and power output.

At Physio Room, we incorporate breathing pattern assessment and postural awareness into every bike fit. Here’s why and how you can start improving yours:

4 Tips to Improve Your Breathing on the Bike

1. Scapular Depression

Keep your upper body relaxed by gently pulling your shoulder blades down and back. This simple cue reduces tension in the neck and allows your ribcage and diaphragm to move more freely.

2. Breathe Deeply

Diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing) offloads tension from your chest and shoulders. Shallow, chest-dominant breathing contributes to fatigue and stiffness, especially over long rides.

3. Find a Breathing Rhythm

Try syncing your breath with your pedal stroke. For example, inhale for two strokes, exhale for two to three. This helps regulate oxygen intake and can create a calming rhythm that steadies both heart rate and mental focus.

4. Breathe Through Your Nose

Nasal breathing filters the air and reduces dehydration. In fact, it can cut water loss by up to 40% compared to mouth breathing, which is a huge benefit during long rides or hot conditions.

Why It Matters for Every Cyclist

When you bring consciousness and intent to what is typically a subconscious act—breathing—you unlock new levels of function, performance, and comfort.

Cycling isn’t just about your legs and lungs. It’s about how your entire body moves, responds, and adapts. Breathing with awareness supports better posture, smoother pedal strokes, and a more sustainable riding position.

Before Physio Room Bike Fit

After Physio Room Bike Fit

Ready to experience the difference?
Every bike fit at Physio Room includes targeted breathing and postural assessments. Because when breathing patterns improve, so does everything else.

Written by Tim Tracy – PT, DPT, OCS | Physio Room

The post Cycling Posture: Myths vs. Reality appeared first on Physio Room.

79. Choosing Growth Over Fear | Sarah Martin

Andrew Fix — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 22:33:46 +0000

Key Takeaways

• Mindset is key! When you change your mindset to be more open to growth and focused on the present, you become more resilient and can overcome more challenges and fears.

• Diaphragmatic breathing can be used as a mindfulness practice to help you slow down, recover, and focus on the present.

• Consistency is everything. Even if you feel like you are losing motivation, keep going anyway.

No matter what your fitness goals are, success starts with mindset. When fitness and health coach Sarah Martin first began training, she became obsessive over seeing results. Regardless of how much she pushed her limits, she still found herself unhappy with her body. She began to shift her mindset, focusing more on rest, recovery, nutrition, and breath work. When she started to spend more time being present in the moment, she began to enjoy her life much more. Now, Sarah has a podcast called Choosing Growth Over Fear where she helps people overcome their fears and live balanced, healthy lifestyles. Today, she speaks with host Dr. Andrew Fix about the importance of mindset for overall success.

So many people focus on the future or comparing themselves to others instead of focusing on themselves and the present moment. This can be detrimental to success in the long run. It is easy to get caught up in comparing your successes with others, but remember that your journey is yours alone. It will not be the same as others and that’s okay! By adopting a growth mindset, you will be able to overcome fears and challenges that come your way with more resilience.

You are in control of your own journey to success. Instead of trying to speed run to the finish line, take time to be fully present for each step. You will enjoy life much more if you allow yourself to be present, and may find that more opportunities come your way as a result.

Quotes

• “My whole mindset has shifted, because I understand that’s when the muscle building process begins… I learned a lot about how important breath work is, and recovery.” (10:33 | Sarah)

• “You enjoy life more when you focus on just what’s happening in the moment.” (13:57 | Sarah)

• “When you are more open to growth, you’re able to have more opportunities presented before you and you accept the fear, challenges, things that come your way more resiliently.” (30:42 | Sarah)

• “You’re in control of not only your actions, your attitude, but also your journey.” (33:55 | Sarah)

• “Set small goals and celebrate those, because that’s going to lead you to the big, significant results when you look back on your journey.” (45:53 | Sarah)

• “What you do every single day is going to account for the quality of your life and the degree of your success. So, whether you feel like putting in the work, do it regardless.” (46:02 | Sarah)

Links

Flux Footwear

Coupon Code: drandrewfix

10% off

Xero Shoes: 10% off https://xeroshoes.com/go/drandrewfix

drinklmnt.com/physioroom – free variety pack with purchase.

RAD Roller – $5 off

http://radroller.refr.cc/drandrewfix

Revogreen

https://revogreen.co/drandrewfix

Connect with Sarah Martin:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sarahtmwellness/