# Sore shoulders



## comanche1680 (Aug 1, 2008)

I took the first long ride of the season; it was over 60 miles, which is long for me. I did fine as far as still having plenty of strength left in my legs. And I was not just gassed.\

However, I had a lot of pain or fatigue in my shoulders, upper body and arms during the last two miles or so. I am wondering if I doing something wrong? Or is this common? Do I need to hit the weights? I have never had a lot of upper body strength.

Thanks!


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

2 things.. You likely need to strengthen your core to take some pressure off your upper body. You also need to strengthen your upper body via pushups. Even doing 10 minutes of abs and 20 pushups a night will help you in very little time. 

Plus as you ride more you'll get more comfortable riding. As with anything new this just takes time.

Good luck!


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

I would think deficiencies in core strength would more likely result in back pain, but it can affect posture, so maybe. Could also be that you did a little too much a little too soon. As the duration of your rides increases, there are some things you can do to lessen the discomfort:

- keep a _slightly_ loose grip on the bars. A 'death grip' sends road vibration up your arms to your neck/ shoulders.
- change hand positions frequently (also serves to slightly change your angle of view ahead).
- wear padded gloves. Quells road vibrations and protects. 
- change bar tape frequently. Gel (or similar) help to quell road vibrations.
- keep the upper torso relaxed, arms slightly bent. The latter is your 'suspension system'. 
- when safe to do so, sit back and 'roll' your shoulders, then neck. 
- one at a time, stretch your arms out/ behind you.
- take a short break at a convenient point and do the last two (above) off the bike. 
- experiment with tire size/ pressures. Max pressures increase the likelihood of road vibrations/ impacts reaching the rider.


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2011)

Great recommendations by PJ352 above. A loose grip on the bars (resting your hands, versus grabbing) and relaxing your arms will help. Also keep your arms loose, versus straight and stiff. Rolling your shoulders and stretching your neck will too.


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## minutemaidman (Jun 14, 2010)

You might try bringing your bars up a little and back toward you a little if you can. This helped me with the same problem.


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## Aggieman501 (Mar 17, 2007)

What type of bars do you have? Same as previous years or are they new? Also, dont push through any pain if its new. A day or two of rest with stretching may be all you need until you build up some endurance.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*'nother tip*

Change position often. Drops, hoods, tops. One hand, no hands if you're comfortable with that. Take a hand off the bar and massage your neck; shrug your shoulders and move them around, twist your head side to side. Stand up at frequent intervals. Staying in one position too long leads to stiffness and soreness, IME.


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## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

JCavilia said:


> Change position often. Drops, hoods, tops. One hand, no hands if you're comfortable with that. Take a hand off the bar and massage your neck; shrug your shoulders and move them around, twist your head side to side. Stand up at frequent intervals. Staying in one position too long leads to stiffness and soreness, IME.


This.

And - pay attention to NOT shrugging your shoulders as you ride. It's very common and you just have to concentrate on keeping your shoulders in a natural position until it becomes a habit. Your shoulders should never be touching your ears!

Experiment with this to see if it reduces hand/arm/shoulder pressure: tilt the saddle back a tiny bit, using a carpenter's level so you can monitor changes. SOmetimes even a tiny bit nose up works best. This might help get your weight back balanced more on your butt and legs/pedals rather than on the bars.

Also experiment with moving the saddle back on the rails a 1/4 inch at a time. Again, this might help the balance and reduce that pressure and fatigue.

But hours in the saddle will always help. I keep my upper body in pretty good condition by XC skiing 5-10 hours a week in the winter. Still have soreness and adaptation issues in arms and shoulders when I switch to riding. (along with butt and legs). All resolves after a couple hundred miles (that would be a few hundred KM to the rest of the world  )


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