I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Strength Training for Triathletes
I saw a great book on strength training for triathletes that I thought I would pass on to you.
It is a sport specific training for swim, bike, run, but it is a great book for sensible strength exercises that can benefit any body that has a desire to get fit.
Not for tour de France but damn fast
This is the third in the series of interviews I did with Graeme Pearson about his Go fast carbon composite frames
I will post later more details about information on where to get the new frame.
if you leave a comment i can send you more info about the Bike and contacts.
Cyclist Anna Meares fractures neck in Velodrome race crash
I like to sit down in front of the idiot box to watch a bit of news and sport and I watched a nasty prang that Anna Meares had, I guess giving her a hard task to get to to the Olympics.
In an interview She said
“I realise that I’m pretty lucky with the injuries I’ve come away with,” admitted Anna “The C2 vertebra, so I’ve been told, is the one that controls your breathing and if that goes so too does your life.
…Wow….. she is a professional sport star, it is good to read that she understands that life is more important than results on a sporting arena.
Folks take a cue, engage in your sport for the right reasons. The tragic death of
Amy Gillett rocked the Australian cycling fraternity, hey shit like that happens. Life can be like that, you can not see what is coming around the corner.
If you survive, the lesson is in how you deal with it, if you don’t, the lesson is for those who are left behind.
The act of participating, is the reason to be at a place different from where you are, whereby gaining a foothold on a life that may have been,that would have never could be.
That’s why, by you stepping up to the start line, you engage with life, and dream to arrive at a place that you have elected to strive for.
In addition to the heavy skin grazing, torn tendons and muscle tissue. Anna dislocated the AC joint in her right shoulder and sustained the hairline fracture to her C2 vertebra.
The Los Angeles accident was the first serious crash Anna has been involved in since 1999, while her last track crash of any form was during her first year as a senior in 2002.
The accident in Los Angeles has a very real impact on her Beijing Olympic Games bid. she is currently ranked fourth in the qualification standings for August’s games, the four to six weeks she’s expected to spend off the bike will mean she will miss the final two qualification events – the Copenhagen Track World Cup round and the Manchester World Track Championships.
Anna Meares’ determination is to be ready for the Olympic challenge, from the day after the accident it was evident she has already began preparing for the road ahead.
When asked how the accident has affected her emotionally with regards to returning to the bike she responded with saying
“Right from when I was conscious after the accident I could feel both of my legs and I had no trouble with that,” she explained. “The time that I really started to worry was when the doctors came in and said there was a hairline fracture and that they needed to go back and look through the x-rays, I was pretty heavily sedated by that stage so it didn’t really sink in until a few days later. “I don’t really think at this stage I’m too scared of getting back on the bike, I’m quiet eager to get back on the bike. I guess the main thing there will be when I get back on the velodrome and see how that goes.”
GO girl go thank you for your courage, dare to to dream your own dreams folks step up to the start line
Bike riding core muscle strength
Your bulging quads and razor-cut calves are the envy of your pack, and you start every ride strong. As the ride progresses, though, your hips seesaw in the saddle, your lower back aches, and you slow in corners. The problem? Your core cries uncle long before your legs wear out. Although a cyclist’s legs provide the most tangible source of power, the abs and lower back are the vital foundation from which all movement, including the pedal stroke, stems. “You can have all the leg strength in the world, but without a stable core you won’t be able to use it efficiently,” says Graeme Street, founder of Cyclo-CORE, a DVD-based training program, and a personal trainer in Essex, Connecticut. “It’s like having the body of a Ferrari with a Fiat chassis underneath.” What’s more, a solid core will help eliminate unnecessary upper-body movement, so that all the energy you produce is delivered into a smooth pedal stroke. Sadly, cycling’s tripod position, in which the saddle, pedals and handlebar support your weight, relies on core strength but doesn’t build it. To develop your high-performance chassis, try this intense routine, designed by Street. It takes only about 10 minutes to complete and focuses on the transverse abdominus, the innermost abdominal muscle, which acts as a stabilizing girdle around your torso, and also on your lower back, obliques, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors, so your entire core–and then some–becomes strong and works as a unit. You’ll notice that it skips the rectus abdominus, or six-pack muscle, because, says Street, “it’s the least-functional muscle for cycling.” Do this intense routine, in this order, three times a week to create a core that lets you ride faster, longer, more powerfully–and finish stronger than ever.
CORE EXERCISES
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1. Boxer Ball Crunch
What It Works: Transverse abdominus, obliques, lower back
A. Lie with the middle of your back on a stability ball, your knees bent 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head, but don’t pull on your neck.
B. Squeezing your belly button toward your spine, lift your upper back off the ball. Keeping your shoulders off the ball, trace a clockwise oval with your torso. Apply pressure with your lower back to keep the ball still through the entire motion. After 15 clockwise ovals, trace 15 counterclockwise.
Why It Works: Despite the straightforward motion of the bike, your body moves in three directions: forward as you head down the road, vertically as your legs pedal up and down, and laterally as your hips and upper body rock side to side. “This fluid, circular exercise builds control,” says Street, and that helps you minimize lateral torsion and wasted motion.
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2. Power Bridge
What It Works: Hip flexors, glutes, lower back
A. Lying on your back, bend your knees and place your heels near your glutes. Arms are at your sides, palms down.
B. In one smooth motion, squeeze your glutes, raise your hips off the floor and push up from your heels to form a straight line from shoulders to knees; toes come off the floor slightly. Hold for two seconds. Keeping your toes raised, lower yourself three-quarters of the way to complete one rep. Do 20 repetitions.
Why It Works: In addition to stretching the hip flexors, often extremely stiff in cyclists, the bridge strengthens the link between your lower back and glutes.
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3. Hip Extension
What It Works: Lower back, hamstrings, glutes
A. Lying with your hips and stomach on the stability ball, put your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders, and extend your legs with toes resting on the floor.
B. With a straight spine and shoulder blades back, as if you’re trying to make them touch, lift both legs off the floor, keeping them straight. If possible, raise them slightly higher than parallel to the floor. Hold for two seconds and lower. Do 20 reps.
Why It Works: This movement builds backside strength, for added efficiency on the second half of the pedal stroke.
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What It Works: Transverse abdominus, upper and lower back
A. Lying on your stomach, place your elbows under your shoulders with forearms and hands on the floor.
B. Lift your hips off the floor, keeping your back straight and abs tight, and rest on your toes. Aim for 60 seconds.
Why It Works: The plank builds the strength and muscular endurance you need to ride powerfully in the drops or in an aero position long after others have surrendered to the top of the handlebar.
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5. Transverse Plank
What It Works: Transverse abdominus and obliques
A. Lie on your right side, with your right elbow under your shoulder, forearm in front for stability, and stack your left foot on your right. Raise your left arm over your head.
B. In one motion, lift your hips to create a straight line down your left side. Lower your hips a few inches off the floor; do 10 to 15 reps, then switch sides.
Why It Works: Strong obliques improve your stability in the saddle, letting you take on hairpin corners with more control and speed.
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6. Scissors Kick
What It Works: Transverse abdominus, hip flexors, inner and outer thighs
A. Lying on your back with legs straight, place both hands palms down under your lower back.
B. Pushing your elbows down into the floor and pulling your belly button toward your spine, raise your shoulders off the floor and look toward the ceiling. Raise your legs 4 inches off the ground and scissor them: left leg over right, then right over left. That’s one rep. Work up to 100.
Why It Works: A comprehensive movement that connects key cycling muscles, the kick also builds inner-thigh muscles, which help you achieve hip, knee and forefoot alignment for a proper and efficient pedal stroke.
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7. Catapult
What It Works: Entire core
A. Sitting with a slight bend in your knees, press your heels against the floor. Extend arms to the front at shoulder height, palms facing each other.
B. With a straight spine and upward gaze, inhale deeply, then exhale and slowly lower your torso to the floor over five counts as you inhale. Arms are overhead.
C. In one smooth movement, leading with the arms, exhale and explode back to the starting position. Do 20 reps.
Why It Works: Contrary to its name, the catapult encourages supreme body control.
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8. Boat Pose
What It Works: Transverse abdominus, lower back
A. Sit, resting both hands lightly behind you, and lean back until your torso is at a 45-degree angle.
B. Keeping your legs together, lift them off the floor as you extend arms forward at shoulder height. Abs are tight, as thighs and torso form a 90-degree angle. If your hamstrings are tight, you’ll need to bend your knees a little. Work up to holding for 60 seconds.
Why It Works: As with the plank, this pose builds the lower-back stability and core strength needed to remain bent over the handlebar for hours, or to blast up hills without compromising power or speed.
Burning Questions
Why does my back hurt?
Lower-back pain is related to core strength, or lack thereof. “In a leg press at the gym, you can press into the back pad to stabilize yourself,” says Andy Pruitt, Ed.D., director of Colorado’s Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, “but when you push on the pedal, there’s nothing to stabilize you except your core.” If it’s weak, your back fatigues quickly. The pain could also stem from other sources, Pruitt notes, from your cycling shoes to bike fit. A good rule of thumb: Your handlebar shouldn’t be more than one fist-width lower than your saddle, says Pruitt, who suggests a bike fitting for those with chronic back pain. “If a fitter can’t solve your problem in two tries, see a doctor or physical therapist,” he says.
Why do I STILL have a gut?
You log thousands of miles a year, but your jersey fits like a sausage casing. The problem isn’t a lack of fitness; it’s consuming too many calories. Slouching could be exacerbating it. Good posture builds a strong core, but these days we hunch over a steering wheel to get to work, where we hunch over a computer. For a break, we hunch over a handlebar. To shrink your gut, add interval training to your rides to boost calorie burn, lay off the Dunkin’ Donuts at rest stops and start training your core.
Can I strengthen my core while on the bike?
These geeky yet effective exercises by Marc Evans,in Menlo Park, California, work your core on the roll. The key is the Draw In position: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Squeeze your belly button toward your spine; your pelvis should tilt slightly upward, causing your lower back to be flush with the floor. Try to replicate this on the bike. Evans recommends mastering these moves on a trainer first. For each, do three sets of three 15-second holds; rest 15 seconds between reps.
AERO POSITION: Rest on your aerobar, if you have one, or place your forearms on the top of the handlebar. As you draw in, your back flattens and your pelvis rotates.
SINGLE LEG: Seated with your hands on the hoods, unclip your left foot. As your right foot pedals, extend your left leg back and draw in. Continue to draw in as you clip back into the pedal. Repeat with right leg.
OVERHEAD: Raise your arms overhead and draw in; squeeze the top tube with your knees. (Don’t attempt on the road unless you have the handling skills of Tom Boonen.)
STANDING DRAW IN: With hands on the hoods, stand and bend at the hips. Draw in until your back is flat and pelvis tilts.
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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