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SaenzBradford200

2013-01-19T00:14:29Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Garmin fenix - The Bomber Tool For Outdoor Athletes, Adventure and Navigation Garmin fenix is a wrist top GPS watch that acts like a handheld with endurance sports capability..."

Garmin fenix - The Bomber Tool For Outdoor Athletes, Adventure and Navigation

Garmin fenix is a wrist top GPS watch that acts like a handheld with endurance sports capability.

Garmin fenix is Garmin's answer to the Suunto Ambit adventure watch that released in May 2012 and took the world by storm as it sold out entirely. Our tester John Yarington has put the Suunto Ambit through the paces for 5 months and we know he is chomping at the bit to get a Garmin fenix to go play in the mountains with it.
garmin fenix

The Garmin fenix is the first GPS navigator and wristwatch to include Garmin GPS navigation technology. Serious adventurers including mountain climbers, mountain bikers, kayaks, runners and more will find this watch delivers the goods off the beaten path with precision.

Serious Hands-Free Adventure - Lose Your Hand Held

It is super easy to use and is loaded with features used on many of Garmin's most popular handheld units. It�s very easy to use and packed with many of the same features found on our popular outdoor handheld GPS products. This navigation device can guide you off trail and get you back to your car with ease all while conveniently strapped to your wrist.

Create your own routes and mark up to 1,000 way points and store 10,000 track points, plus find them with ease. This watch also has a barometric altimeter, a 3-axis electronic compass and a temperature sensor. It's a very rugged watch and is furthermore waterproof to 50 meters (164 feet). Don't let it's rugged good looks fool you, it is also a great day-to-day watch.

Find Your Way

Without question Garmin is the most trusted name in GPS watch units today and these trusted capabilities are the hallmark of the fenix. This watch is also over $100 below the price of a Suunto Ambit, which should make it very popular as a Christmas gift.
goal zero guide 10 plus battery packgoal zero guide 10 plus mobile kit

Best Back Country and Off The Grid Recharging Solutions

Without a doubt the finest remote charging solutions for your Garmin fenix are the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack and the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit. The Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack will recharge your Garmin fenix twice remotely giving you 3 to 5 days of power with GPS on, while the Guide 10 kit uses a back pack draped solar panel to re-charge the battery pack over and over to provide power for smart phones, watches and any portable electronics, like flashlights.

Think Outside The Box

This watch could be easily used for back-country snowmobiles, ATV and so many other applications that to simply think of it as a mountaineering or fitness instrument is too narrow of a scope in our estimation. There is literally nothing you can do outdoors that this watch could not be used for - downhill skiing and many, many more applications exist.

With fenix by Garmin you can create routes in Basecamp, a free trip planning software, and then upload the routes to your watch - pretty cool stuff. Then just follow the navigation arrows to get where you are going and then use the Trackback to get back again. It's that easy.

Power That Lasts

fenix uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that can last from 16 to 50 hours depending upon your recording intervals. One second recording intervals will use it up in about 16 hours whereas 1 minute recording intervals will take it over 45 hours plus. The battery can last 3 weeks in sensor mode and up to 6 weeks in just watch mode before needing a charge. Having time that is GPS accurate is a plus because it is always synched up to GMT for accuracy.

A Great Fitness Device With Heart Rate Monitor

Fitness functions include user profiles for running and cycling, Auto Pause, Auto Lap, alerts, customizable data fields such as heart rate, distance, pace, calories, laps and more. It certainly has all the capabilities necessary to be your fitness device as well.

Of course it is a wrist watch too, with chimes, alarms, time, date and more.

Altimeter, Barometer and Compass (ABC)

fenix has a built-in barometric altimeter that provides accurate elevation information so you can keep track of your ascent and descent. A built-in barometer will help you track weather changes and changing climactic conditions with precision. Sometimes knowing when to turn back can be the best piece of information you will ever possess because it could save your life.

fenix includes a 3-axis electronic compass that keeps your bearing whether you�re moving or not. Sight a bearing and be confident fenix will keep you headed toward your goal.

Temperature Sensor - Get clues into temperature trends from the built-in temperature sensor. Knowing how rapidly the temperature is rising or falling can help you determine clothing and shelter needs or whether it�s time to turn back.

Wireless Unit-to-unit Communication - easily share tracks, way points, routes and paperless geocaches wirelessly with other compatible Garmin GPS units and smartphones. fenix is equipped with both ANT capabilities and Bluetooth technology. That means you can also pair fenix with several external devices, such as the tempe external temperature sensor, Garmin heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor.

Talk to the pros here at Heart Rate Watch Company at 866-586-7129. We climb, play ski, ride and run here in the beautiful mountains of Montana and there are few better testing grounds for these products and because we test them we know them cold.

copyright 2012, Rusty Squire, author, support@heartratewatchcompany.com

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GonsalvesLeclerc600

2013-01-11T17:17:35Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Efficiency of Pedal Stroking - Ankling For those of you who are wondering we had a spectacular roadtrip weekend at the Tour of Canberra. All of us who all went along togethe..."

Efficiency of Pedal Stroking - Ankling

For those of you who are wondering we had a spectacular roadtrip weekend at the Tour of Canberra. All of us who all went along together had a great time and some excellent personal results were achieved. The weather was magnificent, no crashes, no mechanicals and some very difficult racing over lots of hills. My pasta dish was a hit and I trust I�ll be receiving rave reviews from the food critics.

As always, I�m keeping a close eye out for CYCLING TIPS at these events. If you look for them they�re everywhere. A good buddy of mine brings out the best of the TIPs (you know who you are). He�s only been bike racing for about 3 years now but has so much determination and such a hard work ethic that he�s shot up to being a top A-Grade rider in relatively no time. That�s no easy task and I commend him for it, however it�s nearly impossible to absorb the hundreds of nuances and subtleties of cycling and bike racing in this short amount of time. He�s learning quickly though and is always closely watching the good riders for anything he can learn from them. Last night on our way home from Canberra he started talking about this new pedal stroke he discovered that engages more muscles and he found to be much more efficient. What he was talking about is an old pedal stroke technique called �ankling�.

Just like swimming or cross country skiing, an efficient stroke in cycling can be quite technical. Sure you can ride a bike without knowing this, but you can ride a bike with less difficulty and more power if you employ an efficient pedal stroke. When you think about it, a pedal stroke consists of about 25% of downward motion on the pedals. But remember, 25% of the time you�re in a forward motion, 25% of the time you�re in a backwards motion, and 25% of the time you�re in an upwards motion. Ankling can help hit all of those areas and make your pedal stroke more efficient.

Ankling

The main application of force to the pedals is in the downward thrust which comes naturally to almost everyone. The technique of drawing force across the bottom of the revolution arc and upwards to the start of the downward thrust is called ankling. The action involves a lowering of the heel as the downward force of the pedals takes place and a lifting of the heel as the pedal begins the upward movement of its revolution. Think of scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Ankling enables the application of constant pressure upon the pedals throughout the revolution eliminating the dead spots at the upper and lower points. This pedal stroke requires less peak muscle contraction which spreads the load over the muscles (engaging more calf muscles) and promote a smooth efficient style that you�ll be able to produce more power with less difficulty.

Different cyclists will vary in the position of their heel whilst pedaling. Depending on your flexibility and basic biomechanics, some of you will use a high heel action and some of you may use a low heel action. Heel height also depends on your cadence (see illustration at bottom of page). You may end up injuring yourself if you attempt to change the basic heel height of your pedal stroke if it doesn�t feel natural. You should try to develop ankling within the constraints of your basic pedaling movement. A proper bike fit along with cleat positioning goes hand in hand with this and is well worth the money to optimize your pedal stroke.

The faster your cadence, the more difficult and unnecessary it will be to use the ankling technique. The downwards force on the pedals and the muscle contraction will be so quick in a sprint at 150 RPM that you won�t be able to do this effectively. You�ll notice that track sprinters will often use a high heel action when in a full sprint.

Roadies often use a low heel action resulting from their cleat being positioned past the ball of the foot (towards the toe). The low heel technique is important in hill climbing while sitting back on the saddle and you�ll notice an improvement in your climbing abilities once you master this technique.

See illustration below for example on heel action at different cadences (pay more attention to the pedal angle than the heal angle in these pictures. The heal appears to be higher than I would suggest. This will depend on the flexibility of the rider).

For more information on this topic please visit the following: [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10305415.htm Garmin Edge 510], [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10305415.htm GArmin Edge 810] and [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10305415.htm Edge 500]

SalomonHanna441

2013-01-10T17:33:28Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Working Your Heart The secret of training smart Updated Summer 2009 During my 15 years of racing in the sport of triathlons I searched for those few golden tools that would a..."

Working Your Heart
The secret of training smart
Updated Summer 2009
During my 15 years of racing in the sport of triathlons I searched for those few golden tools that would allow me to maximize my training time and come up with the race results I envisioned. At the top of that list was heart rate training. It was and still is the single most potent tool an endurance athlete can use to set the intensity levels of workouts in a way that will allow for long-term athletic performance. Yes, there are other options like lactate testing, power output and pace, but all of these have certain shortcomings that make them less universally applicable than heart rate.

In our sport there are three key areas of fitness that you will be developing. These are speed, strength and endurance. Strength is fairly straightforward to do. Two days per week in the gym focusing on an overall body- strengthening program is what will do the trick. More time for a triathlete usually ends up giving diminished returns on any additional strength workout. These two key days are the ones that will give you the strength in your races to push a high power output on the bike, to accelerate when needed on the run and to sustain a high speed in the water.

Next are the focused workouts that will give you raw speed. This is perhaps the most well known part to anyone�s training. These are your interval or speed sessions where you focus on a approaching a maximal output or your top speed at some point in each of these key sessions. But again, developing speed in and of itself is a fairly simple process. It just requires putting the pain sensors in neutral and going for it for short periods of time. A total of 15-20 minutes each week in each sport of high intensity work is all it takes.

Now for the tougher part�the endurance. This is where heart rate training becomes king. Endurance is THE most important piece of a triathlete�s fitness. Why is it tough to develop? Simply put, it is challenging because it usually means an athlete will have to slow things down from their normal group training pace to effectively develop their aerobic engine and being guided by what is going on with your heart rate rather than your will to the champion of the daily training sessions with your training partners! It means swimming, cycling and running with the ego checked at the door. But for those patient enough to do just that, once the aerobic engine is built the speedwork will have a profound positive effect their fitness and allow for a longer-lasting improvement in performance than for those who blast away from the first day of training each year.

What is the solution to maximizing your endurance engine? It�s called a heart rate monitor.

Whether your goal is to win a race or just live a long healthy life, using a heart rate monitor is the single most valuable tool you can have in your training equipment arsenal. And using one in the way I am going to describe will not only help you shed those last few pounds, but will enable you to do it without either killing yourself in training or starving yourself at the dinner table.

I came from a swimming background, which in the 70�s and 80�s when I competed was a sport that lived by the �No Pain, No Gain� motto. My coach would give us workouts that were designed to push us to our limit every single day. I would go home dead, sleep as much as I could, then come back the next day for another round of punishing interval sets.

It was all I knew. So, when I entered the sport of triathlon in the early 1980�s, my mentality was to go as hard as I could at some point in every single workout I did. And to gauge how fast that might have to be, I looked at how fast the best triathletes were running at the end of the short distance races. Guys like Dave Scott, Scott Tinley and Scott Molina were able to hold close to 5 minute miles for their 10ks after swimming and biking!

So that�s what I did. Every run, even the slow ones, for at least one mile, I would try to get close to 5 minute pace. And it worked�sort of. I had some good races the first year or two, but I also suffered from minor injuries and was always feeling one run away from being too burned out to want to continue with my training.

Then came the heart rate monitor. A man named Phil Maffetone, who had done a lot of research with the monitors, contacted me. He had me try one out according to a very specific protocol. Phil said that I was doing too much anaerobic training, too much speed work, too many high end/high heart rate sessions. I was forcing my body into a chemistry that only burns carbohydrates for fuel by elevating my heart rate so high each time I went out and ran.

So he told me to go to the track, strap on the heart rate monitor, and keep my heart rate below 155 beats per minute. Maffetone told me that below this number that my body would be able to take in enough oxygen to burn fat as the main source of fuel for my muscle to move. I was going to develop my aerobic/fat burning system. What I discovered was a shock.

To keep my heart rate below 155 beats/minute, I had to slow my pace down to an 8:15 mile. That�s three minutes/mile SLOWER than I had been trying to hit in every single workout I did! My body just couldn�t utilize fat for fuel.

So, for the next four months, I did exclusively aerobic training keeping my heart rate at or below my maximum aerobic heart rate, using the monitor every single workout. And at the end of that period, my pace at the same heart rate of 155 beats/minute had improved by over a minute. And after nearly a year of doing mostly aerobic training, which by the way was much more comfortable and less taxing than the anaerobic style that I was used to, my pace at 155 beats/minute had improved to a blistering 5:20 mile.

That means that I was now able to burn fat for fuel efficiently enough to hold a pace that a year before was redlining my effort at a maximum heart rate of about 190. I had become an aerobic machine! On top of the speed benefit at lower heart rates, I was no longer feeling like I was ready for an injury the next run I went on, and I was feeling fresh after my workouts instead of being totally wasted from them.

So let�s figure out what heart rate will give you this kind of benefit and improvement. There is a formula that will determine your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate, which is the maximum heart rate you can go and still burn fat as the main source of energy in your muscles. It is the heart rate that will enable you to recover day to day from your training. It�s the maximum heart rate that will help you burn those last few pounds of fat. It is the heart that will build the size of your internal engine so that you have more power to give when you do want to maximize your heart rate in a race situation.

Here is the formula:

1. Take 180

2. Subtract your age

3. Take this number and correct it by the following:

-If you do not workout, subtract another 5 beats.

-If you workout only 1-2 days a week, only subtract 2 or 3 beats.

-If you workout 3-4 times a week keep the number where it is.

-If you workout 5-6 times a week keep the number where it is.

-If you workout 7 or more times a week and have done so for over a year, add 5 beats to the number.

-If you are over about 55 years old or younger than about 25 years old, add another 5 beats to whatever number you now have.

-If you are about 20 years old or younger, add an additional 5 beats to the corrected number you now have.

You now have your maximum aerobic heart rate, which again is the maximum heart rate that you can workout at and still burn mostly fat for fuel. Now go out and do ALL of your cardiovascular training at or below this heart rate and see how your pace improves. After just a few weeks you should start to see a dramatic improvement in the speed you can go at these lower heart rates.

Over time, however, you will get the maximum benefit possible from doing just aerobic training. At that point, after several months of seeing your pace get faster at your maximum aerobic heart rate, you will begin to slow down. This is the sign that if you want to continue to improve on your speed, it is time to go back to the high end interval anaerobic training one or two days/week. So, you will have to go back to the �NO Pain, NO Gain� credo once again. But this time your body will be able to handle it. Keep at the intervals and you will see your pace improve once again for a period. But just like the aerobic training, there is a limit to the benefit you will receive from anaerobic/carbohydrate training. At that point, you will see your speed start to slow down again. And that is the signal that it is time to switch back to a strict diet of aerobic/fat burning training.

At the point of the year you are in right now, probably most of you are ready for this phase of speed work. Keep your interval sessions to around 15-30 minutes of hard high heart rate effort total. This means that if you are going to the track to do intervals do about 5k worth of speed during the entire workout. Less than that and the physiological effect is not as great. More than that and you just can�t maintain a high enough effort during the workout to maximize our benefit. You want to push your intervals, making each one a higher level of intensity and effort than the previous one. If you reach a point where you cannot maintain your form any longer, back off the effort or even call it a day. That is all your body has to give.

This is what I did to keep improving for nearly 15 years as a triathlete and it is the basis for the coaching methodology at my coaching web site markallenonline.com where since 2001 Luis Vargas and I have coached hundred of triathletes to great results. It is certainly a challenging methodology for many but the rewards are huge. I invite you to become one of our athletes. Luis and I will personally answer any questions you may have about this methodology and how to overcome many of its challenges. See you at the races.

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HilemanHanna909

2013-01-09T15:35:08Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Why You Need a Power Meter Should you buy a power meter? After all, they aren�t cheap and sport is already expensive. You�ve spent a small fortune on bicycles and all of ..."

Why You Need a Power Meter

Should you buy a power meter? After all, they aren�t cheap and sport is already expensive. You�ve spent a small fortune on bicycles and all of their assorted and costly components. And don�t forget the entry fees, travel to races, special foods and supplements, and on, and on, and on.

And why get a power meter since you already have a perfectly good heart rate monitor? It�s just one more gizmo to have to figure out.

So why should you get a power meter? The short answer is that you simply are more likely to achieve your race goals by training�and racing�with a power meter than without. It is the most affective tool you can get to go faster on a bike.

Here�s Why

Don�t get me wrong, heart rate monitors are great intensity-measuring devices, also. But heart rate by itself actually doesn�t tell you much. It�s like the tachometer on a car�it tells you how hard the engine is working. Nothing more.

For example, what if your heart rate is 10 beats higher than usual? What does that mean? Is it good or bad? The only way to answer that question is to know if you were putting out more power or less than usual.

Input data such as heart rate isn�t meaningful until it is compared with some measure of output. Output is critical to success; input isn�t. After all, they don�t give awards at races to those who worked the hardest or had the highest heart rates (input), but rather to those who had the fastest time which results from high power (output).

Let�s get back to why you should get a power meter.

No More Guessing

Should you buy a power meter or fast wheels? Given the choice I�d recommend a power meter every time. When it comes to speed the engine is always the most important part. A power meter will help you develop a bigger one. With sleek wheels you still have a small engine.

How do they make your engine bigger? Power meters remove most of the guesswork that goes into training and racing. For example, I�ve known athletes who when doing intervals with heart rate monitors don�t call the work interval �started� until their heart rates reach the targeted level which could take several minutes. During that time they are guessing how hard to work. With a power meter you soon learn that the interval starts as soon as the power hits the targeted zone�which means right away. You get the intensity correct immediately with no guesswork. The intervals don�t taper off near the ends any more either. This means no wasted training time and precise intensity.

Also, realize that you�re not trying to train the heart solely when doing intervals or any workout, for that matter. In fact, what happens in the muscles during workouts, not the heart, is really the key to your success. Heart rate monitors, while quite valuable to training, have many believing that training is just about the heart. It isn�t. Power meters allow you to focus more on muscle.

Cheating With Power

Using a power meter in a long steady-state race such as a triathlon or long time trial is almost like cheating. When everyone else is fighting a head wind, excitedly going too fast down wind or guessing how hard to push when going up hill, the athlete with a power meter is just rolling along at the prescribed power. He or she will produce the fastest possible ride given the conditions so long as the optimal target power has been determined through training and observed closely during the race. While something similar can be done with heart rate there are some confounding factors such as the excitement of a race, cardiac drift, the acute effect of diet and the slow response of pulse on hills, accelerating out of corners or when passing others.

Power meters also provide highly accurate details about how your fitness is changing throughout the season. I test the athletes I coach regularly using a combination of heart rate and power. Without this information I really wouldn�t know for sure if they are making progress. I�d just be guessing. Now I can precisely compare output with input by dividing the average (or, preferably, �normalized�) power for a workout by the average heart rate. An increasing value for similar workouts tells me fitness is improving.

Moving On Up

There are many benefits of training with power. But perhaps the best indicator of their value for performance is the elite athletes who use them. Power meters are common with pro road cyclists and they are becoming increasingly popular with pro triathletes. Cyclists are increasingly using them. Age group triathletes have been slow to adopt this technology, which is unusual. Over the past twenty years triathletes were the first to adopt such innovations as aero bars, beam bikes, deep-dish rims, clipless pedals and gels.

The trend is definitely toward the adoption of power meters in road racing, triathlon and mountain biking. Many are leaning that a power meter will help them race faster. Start setting aside a few bucks aweek so that some day you can get one. It will definitely change how well you train and race.

For more information on this topic visit the following:[http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10303402.htm Garmin Edge 810], [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10303402.htm Edge 810] and [http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10303402.htm Garmin 810]

KileyHamrick211

2013-01-08T19:53:24Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with " Garmin Edge 810 and 510 GPS cycle computers launched Garmin have launched not one but two new GPS cycle computers, the Edge 810 and Edge 510, coinciding with the start of th..."

Garmin Edge 810 and 510 GPS cycle computers launched

Garmin have launched not one but two new GPS cycle computers, the Edge 810 and Edge 510, coinciding with the start of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, today.

The full bells and whistles Edge 810 is the successor to the popular Edge 800, which has served as Garmin's flagship device in the GPS cycle computer world for the past two years (looks as though we'll have to wait a while longer for the Edge 900). The Edge 510 is the 810 without maps and navigation, so as much an '810 lite' as it is a successor to the Edge 500.

The two products don't feature big hardware upgrades compared to the existing units. Rather, as BikeRadar speculated recently, Garmin have incorporated changes they've made to their n�vi car satnav systems, building in bluetooth connectivity along with ANT+ which means you can link the devices with your smartphone and unlock some nice new features via an app.

These include automatic uploading of your data to Garmin Connect and sharing to social media, easy downloading of routes and courses from Garmin Connect to your device, live tracking � for races or just so your loved ones know where you are � and weather alerts on the go.

While the 810 and 510 are certainly sophisticated gadgets, Garmin want them to enhance your riding experience rather than distract from it. Hence the emphasis on usability and connectivity rather than improved hardware. After using them for several weeks, we think that the company have achieved this.

If you want our full assessments, plus a more detailed description of what each unit does, read our Garmin Edge 810 review and Garmin Edge 510 review.

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MoorNegrete150

2013-01-07T19:50:30Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "How To Improve Your Pedaling Action For Cycling Pedaling in a simple circle is a complex thing, but mastering it can save energy, says Todd Carver, biomechanist at Colorado's..."

How To Improve Your Pedaling Action For Cycling

Pedaling in a simple circle is a complex thing, but mastering it can save energy, says Todd Carver, biomechanist at Colorado's Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. He says that with proper ankling (shown here; not the injury-causing technique of the past), riders can churn out the same amount of power at a heart rate as many as five beats per minute lower. This stroke is for flat terrain at threshold, or time trial, intensity.

Hip-Knee-Ankle Alignment Viewed from the front, your hip, knee and ankle should line up throughout the pedal stroke. "You don't want knee wobble," says Carver. "Just think pistons, straight up and down." If you can't correct this, or if you experience knee pain when you try to restrict lateral movement, you may need orthotics or another type of biomechanical adjustment.

Zone 1 Known as the power phase, the portion of the pedal stroke from 12 o'clock to about 5 o'clock is the period of greatest muscle activity. "A lot of people think hamstrings are used only on the upstroke," says Carver, "but a good cyclist uses a lot of hamstring in the downstroke, because it extends the hip." The key to accessing the large muscles in the back of your leg is dropping your heel as you come over the top of the stroke, says Carver. "At 12 o'clock, your toes should be pointed down about 20 degrees, but as you come over the top, start dropping that heel so that it's parallel to the ground or even 10 degrees past parallel by the time you get to 3 o'clock." The biggest mistake Carver sees in novice riders: not dropping the heel enough in Zone 1.

Zone 2 Using the same muscles as in the power phase, but to a lesser degree, this phase acts as a transition to the backstroke. "As you enter Zone 2, think about firing the calf muscles to point your toe," Carver says. As you come through the bottom of the stroke, the toe should be pointed down 20 degrees. "This ankling technique transfers some of the energy developed in Zone 1 by the bigger muscles to the crank," Carver says. He uses the advice popularized by Greg LeMond: "Act like you're scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe."

Zone 3 Even though you feel like you're pulling your foot through the back of the stroke, you're not. "When you look at even the best cyclists, they're losing power on the upstroke," says Carver. "The pedal is actually pushing your leg up, so the goal is to lose as little power as possible and get that foot out of the way." One fun way to improve the efficiency of your upstroke: mountain biking. "The terrain keeps you honest," Carver says. "If you're focusing only on the downstroke, you'll lose traction and fall off your bike in steep sections." As for other exercises, Carver advises against single-leg pedal drills--"for recreation-level riders, they injure more people than they help"--but recommends hamstring and glute-strengthening lifts, as well as squats, "done correctly, in a squat rack with someone showing you how."

Saddle Position Proper bike fit, especially saddle height and fore-aft adjustment, is a prerequisite for a smooth pedal stroke. Without it, says Carver, you won't be even remotely as efficient as you could be. "If your saddle is too high, you're not going to be able to drive your heel effectively," he says. "If it's too low, you'll have knee pain." In the right position (knee over the ball of your foot with the pedal at 3 o'clock; knee slightly bent with the pedal at 6 o'clock), you'll maximize your energy output and also be able to adapt your ankling technique to different terrain, cadence and effort levels.

Zone 4 As you enter the second half of the upstroke phase, think about initiating your downstroke. "Many riders don't initiate early enough," says Carver, who often sees riders wait until 3 o'clock--but they should be starting before 12 o'clock. A tip: As you begin to come across the top of the stroke, think about pushing your knee forward, toward the bar. But only your knee, says Carver: "Your pelvis should remain a stable platform, not sinking down and not moving forward."

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HillForbes380

2013-01-07T16:42:39Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Improving Your Running Cadence Range Frequently when working with athletes to improve running efficiency, one of the main considerations is to reduce impact and braking force..."

Improving Your Running Cadence Range

Frequently when working with athletes to improve running efficiency, one of the main considerations is to reduce impact and braking forces on foot strike, by reducing the tendency to over stride (land the foot ahead of the centre of mass).

One of the most simple and highly effective ways to achieve this is to increase running cadence at a given pace.
Running Cadence Range

We often refer to an athlete�s cadence range. This refers to the natural differences shown in running cadence of an individual�s gait at an easy pace compared to a hard pace.

As discussed in a previous blog post, the �magic number� approach of striving to hit 90-92 strides per minute, regardless of running pace is fundamentally flawed when applied to endurance running: A runner will naturally run with a slightly slower rate of cadence when running �easy� compared to when running at a hard pace.

Overstriding Scale

The key to improving efficiency through manipulating cadence is to shift the cadence range to the right by initially increasing it by 5%.

The �Easy Pace� cadence, previously 82spm will become 86spm, while the �Hard Pace� changes from 88spm to 92spm.

All of which will result in less over striding at a given pace, compared to the lower cadence version of the same pace.

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CrippenPohl848

2013-01-03T19:02:34Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "How To Run Better: Tips For Beginners and Pavement Pounders The hot acronym in running circles right now is NYCM. This week kicked off marathon training for runners training ..."

How To Run Better: Tips For Beginners and Pavement Pounders

The hot acronym in running circles right now is NYCM. This week kicked off marathon training for runners training for the ING New York City Marathon in November. Countdown: 18 weeks.

While most of us won't be running 26.2 miles in the fall (myself included), there are a few tips we can learn from the pavement pounders to make our jogs around the block a lot more enjoyable.

Running Coach Jonathan Cane has helped thousands of beginners and even a running world record holder, and he's also training the group of six runners in a charity-based competition called Run for the Rabbit. He shares four tips for a better run:

1. Progress conservatively: Beginning runners get excited by their early progress, and often want to do more, more, more! But it's important to progress gradually in order to avoid injuries. Ambition is great, but not if it gets the best of you. I usually have my runners add about 10% to their weekly volume each week for three weeks, and then back off by 20-25% for a week.

2. Don't run in the wrong shoes: Just because Brand X's new shoe works great for your friend the runner doesn't mean they're right for you. And just because you're new and not running that much yet, or unsure that you're going to stick with the sport, doesn't mean you can run in the shoes you use for the gym or classes or basketball. You need shoes that are appropriate to your foot, your body, your running. Running specialty stores can help you find the right shoe for you.

3. Don't ignore form: Sure - running is just left foot, right foot, repeat, but you do have to have some awareness of what you're doing. I like to have my runners shoot for a stride rate of 170-180 per minute and focus on having their foot land gently under their center of gravity, rather than out in front of them. When you're new is the time to develop good running form habits--don't shrug your shoulders, keep your elbows bent to 90 degrees, keep your hands and jaw relaxed and don't let your hands cross your midline.

4. Pace smart: I try to stress awareness to my runners. Listen to your body and the cues it's sending you, don't tune it out. This way you learn from every workout. Many runners, old and new, tend to start too aggressively in races and training runs, and then they slow down. That's because it feels easy at first. No matter how hard the first mile felt, if you had to slow down on the second mile, you'd be better served to start slower next time. Listen and learn.

And if you are about to embark on your first full marathon, check out the recent release, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marathon Training to learn tricks including when to eat, what to refuel with and how to train.

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CissieeKirkland535

2012-12-29T17:34:57Z

72.174.26.207: Created page with "Improving Your Cross-Country Skiing If you have already been classic cross country skiing for a few years with enthusiasm as your main instructor but you'd like to spruce up ..."

Improving Your Cross-Country Skiing

If you have already been classic cross country skiing for a few years with enthusiasm as your main instructor but you'd like to spruce up your technique, here are some suggestions to help you.

Relax. This is the most important technique. If you feel tense and worried about falling over, this will influence your skiing technique and hamper your ability to ski smoothly.

Get into a rhythm. Classic cross country skiing is not about racing; it is about enjoying the great outdoors at a pace that allows you to enjoy the scenery around you and to appreciate the feel of skiing. Follow the technique of kick, stride, glide:

1. Kick: ensure that the centre of the ski connects well with the snow; keep your hip and weight forward over the ski;
Stride: take the stride with the ski opposite the one making the kick and shift the opposite hip;
Glide: launch into the glide as you take the stride.
2 Allow yourself to slide after each glide. Allow at least one second of sliding at the end of each glide forward before kicking into your next ski stroke.
3 Keep your poles near you. Do not try to reach right out in front of you every time you glide or you will tire quickly and waste energy needlessly.
4 Improve your balance. Getting a good sense for balancing and using different parts of your body strength to achieve this balance will improve your skiing. To practice this, try:

1 Skiing without your ski poles. This will improve your strength as well as your balance. Choose a flat and well-groomed part of the trail to practice this. And be careful not to lose your resting poles in the snow - ensure they are well secured.
Try going down a very small hill on only one ski. It might sound silly but it will give you a very good sense of trying to balance yourself well.
2 Keep your knees slightly flexed. This helps to diminish the risk of injuries. As a bonus, this also allows you to react more quickly to obstacles when they come across your path.
3 Crouch a little for descent. Try not to lean forwards too much. The slightly crouched position helps you to balance better for descending and will help to minimize damage if you do fall.

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