Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Getting to the Gym.


So the season is in full swing you are swimming, biking, and running 12-18 hours a week more or less. Now you find yourself lacking strength, but another couple hours at the gym a week, who has time. Well make time take a little of the workouts and put the time in, it will make you stronger and less prone to injury. TriFuel has a great post about this.
Summary:
The crème of the crop for a weekly gym workout during triathlon, using the following two criteria for choosing exercises:
1) the exercise must strengthen the external rotation muscles of the shoulders, hips, and core, which are the most neglected muscles of triathlon training and the most prone to imbalance and injury from swimming, cycling and running.
2) the exercise must not create excessive soreness, which will detract from important swim, bike and run workouts during race season.
Using those two criteria, here are the instructions for "The Exact Gym Workout to Do During Race Season."
-Warm-up 5 minutes. Go through each station 3x, performing the indicated number of reps for each exercises and resting only long enough to be able to do the exercises with good form. Once you finish all three exercises in a station 3x through, move on to the next station.
(here's the good news for you visual learners: each link will take you straight to a video for that particular exercise)
  • "The Exact Gym Workout to Do During Race Season."
  • Station 1: Hip External Rotators
  • Exercise 1: Band Side Walks - 20 steps in each direction http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/SideWalksBand.mov
  • Exercise 2: Hip Hikes - 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/HipHikes.mov
  • Exercise 3: Ice Skaters- 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/Iceskaters.mov
  • Station 2: Shoulder External Rotators
  • Exercise 1: Bow Row - 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/BowRow.mov
  • Exercise 2: Lateral Step with Reverse Fly - 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/LateralStepReverseFly.mov
  • Exercise 3: Pull-ups or Pull-downs - 10 (no video, you know how to do these)
  • Station 3: Core External Rotators
  • Exercise 1: Side Plank Rotations - 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/SidePlankRotations.mov
  • Exercise 2: Cable Torso Twists - 15 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/CableTorsoTwists.mov
  • Exercise 3: Woodchoppers - 10 per side http://www.pacificfit.net/trivideos/Woodchopper.mov
By incorporating this routine at least once per week during race season, you will be working the exact muscles necessary to keep you injury free AND make you faster. Although this workout is not in my book "Top 12 Resistance Training Routines for Triathletes" at http://www.thestrongtriathlete.com, it would be a good workout to incorporate along with the routines in the book.more..

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Messenger Mirror


Easy post here these are simple, light and one of the best designs to use on a bike.

MessengerMirror allows you to view things approaching from behind and increases your safety on a bicycle when cars are present. Cooked up by a cyclist who was looking for a cycling mirror and found the available products (T-a-L, 3rdi) were too expensive, had their design flaws, and all were too bulky to have in his face.
  • Compact, light, affordable
  • Fits thick and thin frames
  • 1/2" diameter Glass mirror
  • Approx length is 6.5" overall
The MessengerMirror is very compact so adjust your expectations of field-of-view accordingly. New riders, plus those familiar with other cycling mirrors, will quickly adjust and develop a method to best utilize it. It is designed to be fit on the left side of glasses but could be easily modified for right side use.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Rudy Project Sterling Road Helmet


Rudy Project is having a great deal and with some athletes from the Tour wearing Rudy's you can't lose.

Rudy Project is proud to unveil our newest addition to the road and mountain bike helmet line. Our new Sterling helmet will be our lightest, best-fitting and most ventilated helmet ever!

- 18 large vents
- Incorporated "Eyewear Dock" that securely fits your favorite pair of Rudys during those long climbs
- weight: ~270 grams
- CPSC Certified
- $225 MSRP / VIP Price $135
- Available in White/Silver/Blue Matte, White/Silver/Red Matte, Titanium/Black/Red Matte and Black/Silver/Red Matte

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Armstrong's Custom Bikes


Every major events brings out the best in people and products, so this should not be a surprise that Lance would be an exception. The time trial showed us a new bike, the opening of the Tour gave us another, but what is to happen when he gets the yellow. We have seen many bike changes and color schemes from Lance, from glasses to gear, the major release it yet to come. Just go to trek Bikes to see some of the latest. Already released is the Cancellara’s Specialized Tarmac SL3 yellow bike, you know that Lance will not be outdone. So in short Lance get the jersey already the suspense is killing us.

Monday, July 13, 2009

4 Ways to Avoid the Bike-Run Bonk


All your preparation is done, you have put the miles in, hair smells like chlorine, bike tires worn, shoes been replace, in all you are ready, or so you think. What about the fourth sport, Nutrition. You feel OK on the bike, only to suffer a gastrointestinal meltdown in the run. Stomach feels sloshy, can't shake it, Active.com nailed the reasons why. Now every one is different and take with a grain of salt, but the main gysgt is EXPERIMENT, don't let a simple avoidable mistake ruin a great day.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Under Amour HeatGear ® Recharge Compression


So Under Armour has been in the Compression business for a while now, mostly in the high impact arena like football, lacrosse and soccer. With the HeatGear® Triathletes can start to rejoice. Training in the winter months is much better outside, everyone would agree, but freezing temperatures keep many on treadmills. Now their site recommends this for football, but if you are whiling to experiment Under Armour can't be beat on durability and price.

ArmourGrip™ technology locks gear in place using a tactified compound that prevents slippage. Strategic vent zones built into key points where the body dumps heat, keeping you cool, dry, and comfortable. Built with Flatlock Seams that feel smooth against the skin and prevent chafing. Armour&Stretch improves mobility and accelerates dry time with lightweight fabrics built in a 4-way stretch.