Outdoor Biking vs Spinning

As the winter approaches it is harder and harder to get motivated to ride outside - it's cold, windy, and not as enjoyable as the summer. An excellent alternative is taking a spinning class. Spinning classes are offered at most gyms and will help improve your aerobic base, improve strength, hill climbing, and overall bike strength. Typically classes are offered in 45-60 minute sessions.

I do want to point out that spinning should not replace biking when the season nears for a few reasons.
1) Spinning is in a controlled environment - it's important to get outside to learn to adjust to the natural elements (heat, wind, rain, etc)
2) Riding a normal/tri bike will work more of your quads and hip flexors then spinning. Spin class will work slightly different muscles, including the hamstrings. Spinning will tax your cardiovascular system more and you will feel like you're working a lot harder than you normally would on a typical bike. Some spinning classes promote standing while riding, while racing triathlons you want to stay seated as much as possible and keep your heart rate in check.
3) It is important to include outdoor rides so you can work on steering, braking, and gear shifting. Outdoor riding will also encourage you to learn how to change a flat tire or fix common mechanical issues on the fly.
4) Triathlon training is based on periodization and many spinning instructors won't take that into account while conducting a class. Make sure you find an instructor that specifies in triathlon training and fits into your training heart rate zones.

Speaking of which, I will be conducting triathlon classes at 7 Flags beginning January 5th. Contact me for more information. More detailed information will be coming in the near future

I really like running at night during the fall - I enjoy the cool weather and dark streets that allows the worries and complexities of the day to fall by the wayside and I can just run, allowing myself to be free, hear myself breathing, and relish in the ambiance of the night.

Occasionally over the course of my blog I will post my workouts just to give you an idea of what I'm doing for training.
I had a lifting session over the lunch hour focusing on chest, back, triceps, and back.
Tonight's run:
1.15 mile warm-up (distance to a steep a$$ hill)
6 X 150 yard hill runs *45 second walking recovery, 30 second jog to start
1.15 mile jog back home
Total distance: 3.41 miles, total time 35 minutes

Stress

Stress impacts everyone in one way or another, often times in more ways than one. There are many ways to deal with stress, some good, and some that aren't good (eating, not getting enough sleep). For a lot of people exercise can be a great outlet for stress, whether hitting the weights as a release, or doing cardiovascular activities At the same time, stress can also hinder an athletes performance in training and racing. I read a study once about stress and cardiovascular activities - when using both the right side of your body and the left it helps create a calming equilibrium in the brain and makes thinking more clear and creates a calming effect. (The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body). For me personally, running, biking, and swimming helps me alleviate stress by helping me think more clearly, "escape" for a while, and re-energize my mind and body. Do you use exercise to deal with stress? What kind of impact does stress have on your workouts?

Strength to Weight Ratio

I read a great article by a friend who owns ZoomPerformance, a coaching firm in Des Moines and I wanted to share this information with you. Your strength to weight ratio is the measure of a person’s strength divided by their body weight. Now, why is this so important? Generally speaking, athletes with a lower strength to weight ratio will be able to perform better with increased efficiency during a race. According to Running Times, "some sources estimate a gain of one per cent in running speed for every one per cent reduction in body fat." To put this in perspective, great gains can be made by simply managing your nutrition plan with your training plan to optimize your results. According to the author, Jenny Weber, improving your strength to weight ratio can improve:
- your overall efficiency- improve metabolic function (body utilizes oxygen more efficiently)- decrease risk of injury- speeds recovery- improve mechanical efficiency
In order to improve your strength to weight ratio you need a strong, periodized training resistance program, nutrition plan, and goals for each of the above mentioned steps. For more information, follow this link

Traits of a Coach

What makes a good coach? Is it their dependability, knowledge, leadership, trust, or personable? I want to know what you think makes a great coach - if you had to list the top 3 traits of a coach, what would they be? I'd also like to hear your experiences of a good or bad coach.

Children and Obesity

One of the biggest epidemics in America that continues to get worse is our youth and obesity. Studies are showing that the number of children overweight and obese is growing at an alarming rate and continues to get worse. Some of the causes include schools cutting back on physical education due to budget constraints, increasing popularity of video and computer games, and the foods kids are eating these days. I think the responsibility lies with the parents. Kids will emulate what kids do - if you eat well, they will eat well. Keep the fridge stocked with fruits, veggies and whole foods and stop buying processed foods, high calorie juices, and pop. Be a role model by being active - go for walks, go to the park, or join recreational clubs. If your children see you being active, and enjoy being active, they will want to join in the fun. Limit video game time and get creative with activities to keep your children active and healthy. what are your thoughts? how do you keep your kids active?

refresh motivation

About once a quarter I feel like I'm losing my focus and losing control of where I'm at in relation to my goals -- at least the things that I can control. I feel like I am drifting off the path that I intended to go and am losing my grasp. When I sense this feeling approaching I take a day off from work and have a Matt day. these days are usually used for catching up on things that are overdue (i.e. blog, budgets), and a time to reflect on what I'm doing right, what things I can improve on - whether it be in my marriage, family, raising my daughter, training, work, personal goals, etc. More than anything, these days help me refresh and refocus my motivation and drive and help me get out of a funk. It is amazing that one day can turn things around and get pointed in the right direction. It is almost like a timeout from life for 8 hours to zero in on what I need to do to reach my goals - I may not have the exact answer, but I put myself on the path to find the answer, or get the tools to find the answer.