Can the Catalyst Pedals Instantly Increase Your Power?
No matter what kind of riding you do the ability to produce power is important. Whether you need to sprint, climb, bunny hop or even just handle a stiff headwind on the commute to work, how well you can produce power plays a big role.
This is why power training programs and tools are so popular right now. Riders invest a lot of time and money in trying to increase their power because it is one of the few things that can directly impact their performance (even increases in VO2Max don’t correlate as strongly to increases in performance as increases in power do).
And while you can do a lot of things to improve your power, one of the best, easiest and cheapest ways is to change your pedals. That's right, switching from your small pedals to the science based design of the Catalyst Pedals can instantly increase your power.
Sound too good to be true? Perhaps, but it’s not a claim I make lightly, especially when we get feedback like this on a consistent basis...
“The power difference was amazing. Really amazing. I think in the first week I got eight different Strava PB times, I found myself climbing hills up one or two gears, and on one hill climb even broke a chain.” - Jeff, Australia
Based on the science and feedback from our riders here are the 3 ways that the Catalyst Pedals impacts your ability to produce power.
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1 - Better Hip Recruitment.
Lower body power comes down to the ability to recruit the hips. Made up of the big glute and hamstring muscles acting to extend the hips, the hips are the strongest movement muscles in the human body.
Off of the bike the hips are responsible for things like running, jumping and Kettlebell Swings and on the bike they are important for pedaling power, jumping and bunny hopping.
But as important as they are, most pedals don’t support the feet in a way that allows you to optimally use your hips. A key factor to hip recruitment is to be able to apply pressure through the heels, which is why a good trainer tells you to keep your heels down when doing squats or deadlifts.
By supporting both ends of the arch the Catalyst Pedals allow you to get pressure through the whole foot, improving hip recruitment better than any other pedal on the market. This improved hip recruitment leads to more power to the pedals.
2 - Makes Standing Pedaling Easier.
When you stand up on clipless or regular flat pedals your weight starts to tip the pedals forward and down. This leads to your toes pointing down, which is also a sign of your feet wanting to slip forward and off your pedals.
In addition, your heel has nothing to support it. Even stiff soled shoes don’t hold the foot up and require your calves and plantar fascia to tighten up in order to support the back of the foot.
This combination makes standing pedaling a position most riders avoid, which is too bad since it is also your strongest pedaling position. The combination of more hip extension and being able to get on top of your feet gives your body a much better position to produce power from, which is why riders stand up to sprint for the finish line.
By providing your feet with better support you change the standing pedaling experience, allowing you to more easily tap into this powerful position. Standing up more also takes stress off the knees and low back, which leads us to the last benefit...
3 - Decreases Pain During Your Rides.
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is comfort and the factor it plays in creating power, especially later in your rides. If your feet, knees or low back are killing you your legs simply can’t push as hard.
This means that pain will decrease your power, plain and simple. A pair of shoes and pedals may be amazing during the first part of a ride but if they leave you limping back to the car then they really aren’t helping.
By working with your body’s natural ways of moving and allowing you to stand up more to pedal, the Catalyst Pedals take a lot of stress off the lower body. This leads to less pain during your rides, letting you continue to push hard longer into your rides.
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Together these 3 things will allow you to produce more power in a more efficient way and be able to do it more consistently. This will add up to more average power over the course of your rides and increases in your performance.
Riding is tough enough already so there is no reason to have your pedals making things harder. Get some Catalyst Pedals and stop letting small pedals based on outdated views of the pedal stroke and foot position hold you back in your quest for more power on the bike.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
Pedaling Innovations & MTB Strength Training Systems
This is why power training programs and tools are so popular right now. Riders invest a lot of time and money in trying to increase their power because it is one of the few things that can directly impact their performance (even increases in VO2Max don’t correlate as strongly to increases in performance as increases in power do).
And while you can do a lot of things to improve your power, one of the best, easiest and cheapest ways is to change your pedals. That's right, switching from your small pedals to the science based design of the Catalyst Pedals can instantly increase your power.
Sound too good to be true? Perhaps, but it’s not a claim I make lightly, especially when we get feedback like this on a consistent basis...
“The power difference was amazing. Really amazing. I think in the first week I got eight different Strava PB times, I found myself climbing hills up one or two gears, and on one hill climb even broke a chain.” - Jeff, Australia
Based on the science and feedback from our riders here are the 3 ways that the Catalyst Pedals impacts your ability to produce power.
-----------------------------------
1 - Better Hip Recruitment.
Lower body power comes down to the ability to recruit the hips. Made up of the big glute and hamstring muscles acting to extend the hips, the hips are the strongest movement muscles in the human body.
Off of the bike the hips are responsible for things like running, jumping and Kettlebell Swings and on the bike they are important for pedaling power, jumping and bunny hopping.
But as important as they are, most pedals don’t support the feet in a way that allows you to optimally use your hips. A key factor to hip recruitment is to be able to apply pressure through the heels, which is why a good trainer tells you to keep your heels down when doing squats or deadlifts.
By supporting both ends of the arch the Catalyst Pedals allow you to get pressure through the whole foot, improving hip recruitment better than any other pedal on the market. This improved hip recruitment leads to more power to the pedals.
2 - Makes Standing Pedaling Easier.
When you stand up on clipless or regular flat pedals your weight starts to tip the pedals forward and down. This leads to your toes pointing down, which is also a sign of your feet wanting to slip forward and off your pedals.
In addition, your heel has nothing to support it. Even stiff soled shoes don’t hold the foot up and require your calves and plantar fascia to tighten up in order to support the back of the foot.
This combination makes standing pedaling a position most riders avoid, which is too bad since it is also your strongest pedaling position. The combination of more hip extension and being able to get on top of your feet gives your body a much better position to produce power from, which is why riders stand up to sprint for the finish line.
By providing your feet with better support you change the standing pedaling experience, allowing you to more easily tap into this powerful position. Standing up more also takes stress off the knees and low back, which leads us to the last benefit...
3 - Decreases Pain During Your Rides.
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough is comfort and the factor it plays in creating power, especially later in your rides. If your feet, knees or low back are killing you your legs simply can’t push as hard.
This means that pain will decrease your power, plain and simple. A pair of shoes and pedals may be amazing during the first part of a ride but if they leave you limping back to the car then they really aren’t helping.
By working with your body’s natural ways of moving and allowing you to stand up more to pedal, the Catalyst Pedals take a lot of stress off the lower body. This leads to less pain during your rides, letting you continue to push hard longer into your rides.
-----------------------------------
Together these 3 things will allow you to produce more power in a more efficient way and be able to do it more consistently. This will add up to more average power over the course of your rides and increases in your performance.
Riding is tough enough already so there is no reason to have your pedals making things harder. Get some Catalyst Pedals and stop letting small pedals based on outdated views of the pedal stroke and foot position hold you back in your quest for more power on the bike.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
Pedaling Innovations & MTB Strength Training Systems