3 Reasons why I am thrilled to do my triathlon, cycling, and run training on Powercranks!

Powercranks!

For the off season, I got myself a pair of basic adjustable powercranks. What is a powercrank, you ask? Watch this video from the powercrank people for a good demonstration:



I am thrilled to train with powercranks for many reasons. Here's the top three:

1) Experiment with longer crank lengths

The word adjustable means I can change the length of the crankarm from 85mm to 220mm. Being 6'7", I have always wanted to try a loooong crank. Some manufacturers, such as ZinnCycles, recommend cranks around 200mm for guys my height, and I have been riding 185mm cranks. The powercranks not only let me try crankarms in the 200mm range, but they let me experiment with 200mm vs. 205mm, etc.


2) Learn to pedal the full circle

I am a pedal masher, meaning I am a quad-dominant cyclist who applies the majority of my force in the 2 o'clock to 5 o'clock range. Being a pedal masher has hindered my cycling because I am not using all the the muscular potential of my legs (hamstrings, glutes, etc.). It was also held me back because I tend to overuse my quads, which leads to muscular imbalances, overused quads, and sore knees. The powercranks force me to pedal the full circle, thus balancing out all the muscles of the leg. Here's what the powercranks website says about pedaling in circles.

3) Improve my running performance

According to the Powercranks people, the product benefits runners as much as it benefits cyclists. Here's what they say about the benefit to runners. For me, this is particularly exciting. My run form has always sucked, so I anticipate that the cranks will help correct some of my bad form habits. Here's a video demonstation of how the product can help with run form. Also, whenever I increase my run mileage, I tend to start to pick up miscellaneous overuse injuries. The powercranks promise a low-impact method for improving performance. Hopefully, I will improve the run without having to beat up my body on a high mileage running program.

Stay tuned as I update the blog with a report from my first ride on the cranks.