tips

[architec]

TIP 1: Pull Your Belly Button Back and In Towards Your Spine

The most important of the core muscles we want to engage
while we ride is the TRANSVERSE ABDOMINAL PLANE.  This
muscle acts like a 'girdle' that creates pressure into the spine
and the hips so we can create leverage into the bike.

As you're riding, try using the VISUALIZATION that your belly
button is being pulled back, WAY BACK into your spine as
you're forcefully breathing your air out.  This will engage the
TRANSVERSE PLANE and put all your working muscles into
a state of greater power potential.

As you breathe out, leave your belly button pulled back and
allow air to dive deep into your diaphragm to create more
pressure for your next exhalation.  Don't 'slack' your core!


TIP 2: PUll Your Head Away From Your Butt & Lengthen the Spine

As you're pulling your belly button back from tip one, it's
important for you to ALIGN YOUR SPINE for maximal power
output.  Most cyclists scrunch down and compress, leaving
little room for the power of the hip flexors and glutes to do
their job and collapsing the ribcage that will decrease the
flow of air to your lungs needed for greater power.

While you're riding and using tip 1, I want you to also
VISUALIZE pulling your head away from your butt as far as
you can without straining.  VISUALIZE your spine lengthening
as you breathe out.  I want you to lengthen the spine from
the head all the way to your pelvis, so think 'LONG'!

PRACTICE EXERCISES: 30 Minute Power Yoga or 45 minute Yoga-Spin Workouts just
once a week you will be utilizing specific poses that will help you
strengthen and lengthen your spine to use this technique.



TIP 3: Push Through the Hoods to Create Back-pressure

One of the most common things cyclists will do to try to
create more power is pull on the bars and hoods of the
bike.  This will perpetuate the scrunching I mentioned in
tip 2.  We want to create some back pressure into the saddle
so we can continue to engage the core for more power!
 
To put the final touches on core engagement, you need to
begin practicing PUSHING into the hoods slightly.  You still
need to keep a slight bend in the elbow, but now you're going
to use your upper body strength to push your center of gravity
back, deep into the saddle.

PRACTICE EXERCISES: Although we as cyclists
don't need to burgeoning upper bodies and rippling pecks, we still
need some good upper body strength, especially if we want to use
this last tip. 

I*****************************************************

GET STARTED:  I recommend that you begin by practicing the
visualization tips FIRST out on the road one at a time.  Start
from TIP 1 and then 2 and then 3.  Once you get a 'FEEL' for
the position, then come back from your rides and begin to
insert the CORE, ZEN, and SPEED workouts to help you begin
to solidify your strength.

You will get better at this over time.  Many cyclists have little
core strength, so it's slow going at first.  Hang in there and
practice.  Before your know it you'll be flying up the road
and leaving your old average speeds behind!

[cyclingmo]

Damn, I tried doing the first one while I was reading your long ass post and I got light headed. Maybe it's cuz I just woke up, or maybe because I have mild Asthma. 

[FitAlex]

Have you used the cyclocore program Jeff? Do you like it?

[architec]

Have you used the cyclocore program Jeff? Do you like it?

I am working on getting the tapes from my friend in Austin.....We can prolly all view them.  I contacted
Graeme Street a while back and he, or someone there, started sending me these tips.  Pretty good information. Seems like a good program.

[FitAlex]

I was thinking of buying Core and Zen to see what all the hype was about. I'm always interested in trying new training methods. I did a myoglobin-loading interval run today which apparently allows you to reach VO2max while keeping your blood lactate level near 2 mmol/L. Pure aerobic training.

[architec]

3 CYCLING NUTRITION MISTAKES MANY CYCLISTS MAKE:

MISTAKE 1: Over-consumption of Carbohydrates & Sugar!

There is no faster way to kill your metabolism and shut
down the use of body-fat for energy then over-consuming
carbs! YES, we need carbs to perform, but many of us are
eating enough carbs to fuel a Tour de France effort and only
riding 50-100 miles a week at best!

You must begin to pay more attention to how many carbs
and how much sugar you are consuming!  Read the labels
and try trimming your carbs in the late afternoon, and
especially right before you ride and before sleep!

Carbs should be highest at breakfast and post-ride!  Use
quality, high nutrient density carbs only!  Not sugars!

Only increase carbs as training volume and intensity goes
up!  Balance your meals with more protein and healthy
fats like olive oil or flax. 



MISTAKE 2: Under-consumption of Healthy Protein & Fats

This is in direct relation to mistake 1.  If you are overeating
carbs, that usually means your under-eating protein and
healthy fat. Endless amounts of pasta, rice and cereals
without balanced protein and fat will leave you weak, slow
and packing on the saddlebags!

NO, you don't have to eat meat or slug down the 'Rocky
6-egg breakfast', BUT you do need to work on adding in
more protein to fuel your metabolism, stimulate muscle
recovery and perpetuate fat-loss.

Try adding in more legumes, eggs, cottage cheese, and
other low sugar protein sources and get the sugar and
junk out!  Try adding in a serving of flax oil to your
breakfast and using more olive oil with meals.

Adding in more protein to your day is not as hard as you think,
you just have to have the right plan and ideas of how and what
to add.

MISTAKE 3: Eating Right Before a Ride or Sleep!

This one is a HUGE mistake that I see most cyclists making
and one that I use to make myself.  If you want to burn
body-fat and ride at your best you're going to have to learn
how to maximize your carb stores for riding without getting
in the way of performance!

Eating right before you ride or sleep is like throwing a bucket
of water onto a burning fire.  We want your body in a state of
calorie and fat-burning, not depositing.  Keep carbs low right
before you ride and you will be in an optimal position for
improved performance and fat-burning as long as you're
fueling properly while you ride!

Yes, you want to fuel your workouts, but that should be
taken care of at least 2-3 hours before and actually it
starts the moment you finished your last workout or
ride with a post-workout recovery meal or drink.


Eat dinner no later than about 2-3 hours before you go
to sleep so your body can effectively burn body-fat as it's
supposed to while you snooze.

Added together these simple mistakes can kill your cycling
performance and progress.  I use to make these simple
mistakes too, but not anymore and I've never had more
energy, fitness and performance on the bike!

[hotnanas]

no wonder why i suck

[cyclingmo]

I've learned to take care of the first 2, but the last one still gets me. 

[FitAlex]

I have not seen any evidence that would make believe number 3. A late dinner may cause you to catabolize less fat initially when you sleep, but I would expect this would be offset by the extra fat you use while you fast between lunch and dinner, which are now further apart. In my personal experience, the only downside to eating before bed is digestion might disturb your sleep pattern. The other issue is many people I know who eat before bed have already had dinner and they're just overeating. This behavior will, of course, make you gain weight whatever time it takes place. If you think you can get away with overeating if you do it earlier in the day, you're quite mistaken.

[ThePrez]

Whatever, Taco Bell says its ok to have a 4th meal...and they have been around for a while

[cyclingmo]

                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  

[mjriebsc]

did you have fun copying and pasting Mo

[cyclingmo]

Well I did three lines, the copy and pasted only ONCE. 

[mjriebsc]

wow that could be even more sad than doing one line and pasting 5 times lol jk

[cyclingmo]

Well i'd rather push bottons than move the cursor. 
Man, talk about irrelevant posts. ...