1) Posture – if you look at a lot of pro cyclists they don’t have the best posture but can make up for it with talent and fitness. If you can’t get to that level of fitness you need to get your posture in order. Keeping a flat back, bent elbows, and wrists high helped me a lot. It was not particularly comfortable at the start but once I got used to it my back felt better. It is funny to watch other cyclists now who are putting a lot of pressure on their necks, arms, and back.

2) Seat position – I started out with it pointed forward a little. I now have it tilted back slightly. That’s very uncomfortable for a guy is it not? Well it might be if I didn’t follow point 1 above. With the seat tilted back I’m taking the pressure off my arms/neck/back and it is more comfortable to assume the posture from point 1.

When the seat is tilted forward you are sort of creating a wedge for yourself and not making best use of your arms. Again this requires some getting used to as you may not be used to pulling as much when you cycle.

Overall these things have helped me but people should experiment.

There’s no rule about getting out of saddle , but every 10 or 15 minutes or something that feels right should be OK

Re. remembering to get out of the saddle from time-to-time on a long ride –
In some conditions I fail to do this. How long and for how often would you recommend, e.g. 10 seconds every few minutes?