Dry Land Swimming - Bands or machine - Dara Torres

Dara Torres is back in the pool after giving birth about a year ago and setting records. Well if you are not sure who she is, then here is the surprise she is 40 years old and breaking records and shamefully putting it to kids half her age. How is she doing it, by spending less time in the water and hitting the gym for dry land training. The NY Times has a great article about her.

Anyway the most interesting part was that "her day had begun just after dawn in the weight room, where she worked her legs until they quivered and her arms until they ached — without pressing a weight or lifting a dumbbell. The 90-minute workout was the first leg of her training triathlon. It was followed by 90 minutes of swimming and 60 minutes of stretching." So does a swiss ball and bands or weights help or a dry swim trainer help you stay fit. From the looks of Dara I would say whatever she is doing it is working.

The results are in the time that you put into any sport. As we get older it is much more difficult to recover and with science and technology helping us understand our bodies better, doing exercises different from the sport in which you compete might help jump start and heal you for taking it to the next level.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving

Cold, Rain, and Snow

image from Luminous Landscapes
So if you are from the northeast it has gotten cold, rainy and some have gotten snow. What are you to do, well you can be like our United States Postal Service, "Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".
The best thing to do in beating the elements is make sure you have good protective gear, and layers of it, 2XU compression and cold weather gear is a great place to start. A good shell and pants will also keep rain, slush and snow from getting to your skin. A good pair of Gators are one of the best investments and will last 10+ years. So whatever your plans are for the winter, try not to get to attached to the gym and get outside, winter training is something that can't be overlooked.
Cheers