Garth Libre wrote:
> bringing your elbows closer together can negatively effect your breathing.
Yes, but the width of the bars bears no particular relationship to the width of the elbows, you can always bend your elbows farther outward.
Good form precludes riding with the elbows locked straight.
>Now, here is the bigger issue to consider in relation to breathing
>and body posture. The biggest influence on how deeply the rib cage
>can expand and how deeply the diaphragm can descend is if the back
>is rounded and not flat. If the sternum drops down, the diaphragm
>can not descend straight down and the front of the rib cage is not
>free to expand. This is why so many authorities including Mr
>Carmichael stress flattening the back so strongly. Lengthening the
>spine and reaching forward with your entire chest cavity gives all
>the ribs the maximum room for expansion. A strong lower back and
>good core strength help to support the ribs so that they can expand
>in a relaxed manner.
Being a singer, I've been taught to breathe with my diaphragm, not with my rib cage, so this doesn't particularly apply to riders like me.
Sheldon "38 cm" Brown
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