March 20, 2013

breathing

I did a threshold test.  What limited me, wasn’t my legs, nor my heart-rate, but my breathing.  I was gasping.  Desperately gasping.  Fighting off panic, trying with groundless faith to take the odd belly breath, and force clearance of the spent breath.  I had no concrete proof this would work, just hope and faith.

Was there a better way to manage my breath?  I don’t know.  I can only build on the experiences I have had.

People have their own theories as to the best breathing pattern.  Graham Obree describes his in ‘The Obree Way: A Training Manual for Cyclists’, Graeme Street describes his in his Cyclo-secrets’ series.

What works?  What have other people tried?  I wish I knew.  In the absence of further information, I;ll try the ‘Street’ method.

 

 

 

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acknowledgements to Hope Technology Ltd February 5, 2013

I know this to be true
but, still not cycling.

what’s in the mix November 17, 2012

currently reading:

sample from Graeme Obree’s training book.

so far…. “explaining the bleedin’ obvious”.

In the past I have read:

• Chris Charmichael’s the time crunched cyclist
• Arnie Baker’s smart cycling
• Chris Sidwells’ cyclosportive+

I have applied ideas from all of these to my attempts to get fit in the past.

I also own:

• Joe Friel’s The Cyclist’s Training Bible
• David Swenson’s Ashtanga yoga, the practice DVD
• Bushy Mountain publishing’s yoga for cyclists DVDs
• various Stott pilates DVDs
• Bob Glover et al, The Runner’s Handbook

For the next year I have access to:

• Graeme Street’s Cyclo-core club resources (workout videos)
• Cycling Weekly magazine

Also I have books that suggest combinations of exercises specifically for knee and lower back problems.  I have not tested the effectiveness of these previously.

I am intrigued by the idea of ‘barefoot running’.  This reduces knee strike.  The crossfit course contained skipping, and explosive leaping exercises.  These strengthen instep, ankle and calf, so moving the impact from the knees; and presumably providing a combination of muscles that can improve pedalling power, especially on hills and sprints.  The assistant at my local running shop suggested high rep (endurance) calf raises.

The knee and lower back problems originate in non-cycling injuries.

The weak core is a result of repeated lower back problems that necessitated me resting and protecting my lower back, so progressively weakening my core, as that area ended up being ‘protected’/underused in tandem with the lower back.

I need to improve my core to reduce the likelihood of lower back problems in my everyday and work life, never mind how it might improve my cycling ( especially my attempts at BMX and mountain biking).

Beware Yorkshire, the white haired middle aged amateur BMXer will soon be frequenting your Skate-parks.

I thought I’d start on the small skate park at my village, very early in the morning, before any teenager even thinks of getting up.

 

 

My two major problems beyond these are;

• breathing
• the ‘point of it all’

lets deal with these later.

 

 

niggles & bumps

I am trying to create a plan, a sound strategy for dealing with all the niggles that have got in the way in the past.

• knees
• lower back
• core
• breathing
• flexibility
• seeing ‘the point of it all’

I think, priority No.1 is just do something, anything, towards any of these.  I haven’t been on my bike for months now.  Which is just not normal.

the state of things October 20, 2012

I did, many moons ago, do the Carmichael 1st century program, with good results,

then I lapsed.

Most recently I did a mixture of bits of both Graham Street’s cyclo-90 base, and the Carmichael 1st century, and an introductory crossfit course.

I felt like every muscle, every tissue in my body, was progressively contracting, to a point where…eventually…  or in fact….quite soon.  Each single individual fibre in my body would seize, and I would be frozen, incapable of even the slightest twitch.

I would lie in bed, cat-like, arching, tensing, to an insane degree.  Hoping for relief on release.

Avoid stairs.  On walking up a couple of flights, my quads were burning, and I was puffing and panting as if I’d run up 9 flights.

I have now re-lapsed.

When I start a new program, I MUST STRETCH REGULARLY WITHOUT FAIL.