Cycling – Your Ultimate Guide

Cycling is one of the best alternative sports hobbies to maintain one’s health and fitness. While there are lots of activities to choose from such as combat sports, group exercises such as yoga, Pilates or dance, cycling seems to stand out because ultimate workout of all muscles is achieved with the aid of an equipment, which for many, is also a prized possession owners love to display around. For this reason, most people who have decided to get serious on the sport, do not easily quit because of their “bond and commitment” to their partner bikes. This is of course not the case in other exercises.

Cycling likewise can be very entertaining because it is not confined within the four corners of a dance room or boxing ring. Cycling takes place outdoors so one should definitely find pleasure from exploring nature and various places, while achieving the benefits of a full body workout.

Cycling is not all about flashing gear or making the wheels run though. It requires commitment and discipline as serious riders always try to conquer different and more challenging terrains each time.

The first aspect to consider of course is choosing the right bike, ensuring it is fitted with the parts of the right quality or size. Brands to consider are Raleigh, Shimano, Haro, Specialized, Federal, Rock Schox and Speedplay. Of course for you to match the performance level of your bike, you ought to be geared up as well with the right cycling clothes, most especially cycling shoes which helps pass on your energy to the pedals which act as your push force.

From Sedentary to Spectacular – How to get Your Health on Track

Many of us have tried to stick to a workout schedule and stay on track, but things come up and you get busy. Six months pass, and you find you haven’t been to the gym. It’s okay and there are ways to get back on track and stick with your workout plan.

If you have not exercised for a while, don’t expect to be right where you left off. You will need to build up your muscles and endurance again. Start off slow and then build each time you workout. Start off with a walk for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, you can push the walk to 30 minutes and add some hills. Before you know it, you will be able to jog for 30 minutes.

When getting back into the routine of working out, you don’t want to push yourself too hard and hurt yourself. Be sure to warm up and cool down. Stretching well will also help prevent injuries.

Make a schedule and stick to it in order to stay on track with your new workout plan. Schedule three or four times each week for exercising. Try scheduling specific workouts for each day. One day can be cardio, another can be strength training and another day can focus on abdominal workouts.

Be sure to make your workouts convenient for you. If they do not fit into your day or the gym is too far, make adjustments. Try waking up earlier. It might give you the extra time you need in your day. Find a gym closer or workout at home or in your neighborhood so you are not spending extra time in your car. Working out should not be an added stress; it should be a stress reliever.

You want to be realistic in your fitness goals. It is not healthy to say you will lose 30 pounds in a week. The healthy way to lose weight and keep the weight off is if you lose two to five pounds a week. Also, unrealistic goals may get you down and you need a positive attitude to keep with your plan. You want to recognize your accomplishments and be proud of reaching your goals. By focusing on your successes, you’ll be more likely to stay on track.

Another way to stick with your healthy lifestyle is challenge yourself and mix it up a bit. Keep your workouts fun and interesting. You don’t want exercising to become monotonous. Have daily goals such as working out on the elliptical longer or running farther. If you are running on a track, try lapping some of the walkers. It will help keep your pace up and give you a challenge. Challenging yourself will help you improve and keep you motivated. Each day you will want to do better than the day before.

Building The You Base Fitness – For Triathletes And Triathlons

Depending on your goal and training history, the length of your endurance sessions can vary. A runner turned triathlete can do a long run that a novice to endurance sports could not safely complete without fear of injury. Personalizing your sessions to your circumstances is vital to progress and injury prevention.
Specific stamina
Your bread and butter is endurance training – not weight training, back-to-back interval sessions or core stability sessions. You need to swim, bike and then run for around one hour minimum – up to 12 or more hours if you get the bug and enter an Ironman event. Your muscles need to learn to be efficient and cope with extended periods of effort. The so-called sprint distance triathlon (7,5K, 20k, 5k) is wrongly named as even the best athletes take 50-60 minutes. Know your goal distance, and over several months you can build up slowly to be able to do 100-150 per cent of race distance. This prevents a need for sudden jumps in training, and you feel in control of what you’re doing. If you have never done endurance training, even 10 minutes’ running is a strain on your body, while a 30-minute bike ride feels like a lifetime. So, despite the long sessions talked about by other athletes, start small.
Increments
Build up slowly rather than assuming that in every session or every week you must make progress. Any running mileage increases – both the longest and the total per week – should be very cautious. Swimming can place strains on the shoulders, especially if poor technique is combined with big hikes in swim volume. Cycling is easier on the body and coasting allows respites that swim and run do not possess. You can ‘float’ your legs around without actively pressing the pedals. Getting used to pressure and comfort in the feet, backside and hands is the most important feedback as to how far you can ride. Once this is mastered, one hour can become two with a small amount of extra drinking or eating.
Less is more
Not only beginners but also experienced athletes, rarely do swim, bike and run sessions each day. If extending your endurance one day in, say, running, the next day recover by focusing on technique at the pool. Don’t get hung up on hitting a set number of hours per week. If you’re tired, take an easy or rest day; if you feel good, you can train productively.
Did you know
The location or terrain of an endurance session can vary the training effect – from pool to lake, flat run to cross- country, indoor ride to hilly windswept cycle. They may be similar durations but the skill level and variety of muscle usage means the devil is in the detail. A training diary is very important to track these important factors.

Exercise To Improve Cholesterol And Enhance Quality Of Health

Many people do not realize the significant health benefits that are obtained by including physical activity and exercise into their daily routine. In fact, physical activity and planned exercise should be part of every person’s lifestyle. Just a little physical activity and exercise will result in some health-related benefits, while more physical activity and exercise can result in even greater health benefits. So if you are physically inactive, becoming active will cause some blood lipid and lipoprotein change, but if you are already physically active or follow a planned exercise program and have elevated HDL-C levels, you will need to incorporate more physical activity and planned exercise in order to give additional lipid and lipoprotein changes, you need to include planned exercise in your daily routine. You must understand that the more you exercise, the greater the lipid and lipoprotein changes you are likely to achieve and when you incorporate more physical activity or planned exercise in your lifestyle and then maintain this activity level throughout your life, the health-related benefits continue to develop and thus achieving a lifelong fitness regime.

Through proper exercise and nutritional counseling and adherence to a healthy lifestyle, most people can control their blood cholesterol, but due to genetic conditions some individuals require medications to lower their blood cholesterol. Even responses to dietary changes are influenced by genetic factors. For example, some people have low cholesterol despite consuming a diet high in saturated fat, being obese, and getting little exercise. At the same time, some people have an unacceptable blood cholesterol and lipoprotein profile despite careful attention to health-related factors. Likewise, the effect of exercise on blood cholesterol and lipoproteins can be influenced by genetics (J. Larry Durstine. Phd, 2006).

Many people are not sure whether walking or jogging is the best type, or mode of exercise to get the greatest lipid and lipoprotein change. The answer is easy: you can get the same lipid and lipoprotein change regardless of the mode of exercise you choose, and there are many exercises, such as Tai Chi, Wushu, cycling, rowing and hiking to choose from. Your ultimate goal is to expend energy equal to 1,200 to 1,500 kcal per week. This can also be achieved with different mode of exercise which can deliver this required amount of energy expenditure.

As mentioned above, the intensity of the exercise session, or simply put how hard you work, is important. However, although exercise intensity has some role in optimizing lipid and lipoprotein changes, the most important consideration is the volume of exercise completed. You may argue that the faster and harder you work, the greater the volume of exercise you complete in a set time period. Unfortunately, this argument is not always true. If the exercise intensity is too high, you may not be able to exercise long enough to reach the required volume of exercise necessary to optimize your blood lipid and lipoprotein profile. The appropriate exercise intensity changes from 40% to 60% of your maximal exercise level; it is the work rate achieved by brisk walking or slow jogging for at least 30 minutes. This can also be achieved by continuous practice of Tai Chi routine with wrist weights for at least 45min.

Finally, some people’s bodies will respond to increased physical activity and planned exercise programming by improving the blood lipid and lipoprotein profile, but some will not. Many other factors contribute to your lipid and lipoprotein profile, and one of these factors is genetics. There is evidence that most people respond to exercise, or are known as responders, while there are also few individuals who do not respond to exercise or respond with less than optimal lipid and lipoprotein changes are referred to as nonresponders. The lipoprotein Lp(a) is a good example. Exercise does not affect a change in this lipoprotein because it is genetically determined.

References

BAECHLE, T. R. & W.EARLE, R. (2000) Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning/National Strength and Conditioning, Human Kinetics.

BROWN. S. P (2001) Introduction to Exercise Science, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

GERSHON TENENBAUM. MARCY P. DRISCOLL (2005) Method of Research in Sport Science: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, UK, Meyer & Meyer Sport.

HEISERMAN, D. L. (2006) Introduction to Human Physiology, SweetHaven Publishing Services

J. LARRY DURSTINE. PHD (2006) Action Plan For High Cholesterol – Your guide to preventing plaque and maintaining a healthier heart, USA, Human Kinetics.

JAY HOFFMAN (2006) Norms for Fitness, Performance, and Health, United States, Human Kinetics.

MARIEB, N. E. (2006) Essential of Human Anatomy & Physiology, San Francisco, Pearson Benkamin Cummings.

MCARDLE, W. D., KATCH, F. I. & KATCH, V. L. (2007) Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance, Baltimore, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

MCGINNIS & PETER MERTON (2005) Biomechanics of Sport and Exercise, United States, Human Kinetics.

MITCHELL H. WHALEY, P. D., FACSM (2006) ACSM’s Resources Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, USA, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

TAKESHIMA, N, R., N. L., R., M. E., I., M. , M., K., D & LEE, S. (2006) Functional fitness gain varies in older adults depending on exercise mode. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39, 2036-2043.

THORNTON, E. W., SYKES, K. S., & TANG, W. K (2004) Health benefits of Tai Chi exercise: improved balance and blood pressure in middle-aged women. Health Promotion International, 19, 33-38.

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