The Functional Trainer

This is why diet and nutrition plays a vital and pivotal role in performance, eating the right food at the correct times will help achieve your targets throughout the season. Practicing with different foods to optimize your performance will help you feel more ready for “race day” events. Depending on what type of training and cycling you do will dictate your diet, finding the right balance will play a key role in your performance.

A Training Diet

Frequent meals and snacks can help meet energy and carbohydrate needs when requirements are high.

Hydration needs for road cycling

Road cyclists should aim to drink enough fluids each day to replace fluid losses, adapting their fluid intake to factors which impact fluid losses such as temperature, wind, sweat rate, training intensity.

What to eat before cycling

Choosing the right foods beore events is vital to good performance

What to eat and drink while cycling

The all important choice of what and when to eat while cycling

Post-race recovery

The final part of the jigsaw, how best to recover after cycling.

Need help planning your cycling season, races, training or diet then contact us at www.apachebrave.co.uk

Should you? Shouldn’t you? There's much debating about the effectiveness and necessity of strength training for cyclist.

 It is vital that strength training be added regardless of age, the benefits will enhance your cycling ability and your overall enjoyment of the sport

• Resistance Training and Weight Training Enhance Coordination

Whether you are doing body-weight resistance exercises, lifting free weights, or using rubber tubing, there are balance and coordination components to your movements. This develops and maintains neural pathways for proprioception and balance, and it develops small muscles that help your stability. 

•  Strength training increases your options

This is crucially important for lifelong cyclists. Cyclists have extremely well developed aerobic engines, yet very underdeveloped musculoskeletal systems for any sport other than cycling. 

• Strength training keeps you in the game

 In my experience, well-rounded athletes are able to be more consistent in their sport-specific cycling training because they spend less time sidelined by soreness and injury caused by being unprepared for activities of daily living. The position of a cyclist is an unnatural position for the human body to stay in for a period of time; hyper-extended neck, rounded back, and shortened hip flexors all add up to a poorly developed posture for every day life. This is another reason cyclists should program strength training in to their training schedule. All professional athletes from all sports will spend time in the gym, correcting muscular issues and building strength training as part of their daily routine.

• But, does Strength Training make you Faster?

So, does strength training make you faster on the bike? Probably not in a direct sense. Even though squats, for instance, use the same muscles you use to push on the pedals, the rate of force production is far slower during a squat than it is during a pedal stroke. You don’t squat at the leg speed of a 90rpm cadence. However, in an indirect sense, the fact that strength training makes you a better-rounded athlete, increases the range of activities you can participate in, and increases your chances of exercising on a more consistent basis, means you can apply a greater training stimulus more frequently than you could otherwise. And that can definitely make you a faster cyclist.

• Strength Training for cyclists

In conclusion should cyclist incorporate strength training in to their workout schedule? In my opinion there is no doubt that strength training should be a regular training regime, especially during the off season, Re-addressing postural and muscular issues during the off season and then focusing on building strength is vital if you want to have a good cycling season ahead of you. It really doesn’t matter what type of cyclist you are, whether that be a road racer to sportive rider it really doesn’t matter, what matters is that you are in the best shape at the start of the cycling season. To be the best cyclist you can you need to train wise and train complete.

Descending is an inevitable part of riding your road bike, it's a necessary skill to develop. Many riders are fearful when descending, while others lack the skills to fully take advantage of a good dip in the road. Some riders may just want to further their skills so that during a ride they can take full advantage of any decline.

So as well as developing your skills with my handy tips, I'll aim to build your confidence and turn you into an accomplished descender.

Relaxing Tension in the shoulders and braking into the corners" are the two biggest mistakes in amateurs when descending, and my number one tip to a new road rider is to relax

Get Low Getting low on your bike while descending serves two functions. Firstly, it will reduce your frontal profile which will improve your aerodynamics enabling you to hold speed throughout the descent.

Look ahead How far ahead should you be looking? "You should always be looking at where you want to go, where you want to exit the corner or in a straight line 30 metres up the road.

Push on your outside leg This is a specific skill that you need to practice to the point when it becomes automatic.

On or off the seat? Referring back to the aim of getting your centre of gravity as low as possible, it's best to stay in the seat.

The shortest line The safest and fastest way through a corner is also the shortest.

Descending isn't a time for rest Well, it's a great time to recover but it's not a time to completely stop pedaling and rest. If you were to stop pedaling on a long descent, your legs will fill will lactic acid and end up feeling like cement blocks.

You have two brakes, use them There are two brakes on your bike so use both when descending. This will spread the load through the bike evenly, helping you maintain balance and preventing your weight and centre of gravity from changing too drastically.

Ride on the drops In addition to lowering your centre of gravity, riding on the drops will give you much greater control over the bikes handling thanks to better grip and less chance of your hands slipping if you hit a pothole or bump in the road. Riding on the drops will also give you greater efficiency when using the brakes as you'll have greater leverage than if you stayed on the hoods.

Things to be aware of

• Having your brakes on too long: Constantly having pressure on your brakes will result in the braking surface overheating causing brake fatigue and eventually failure. This is especially the case for carbon braking surfaces. To avoid excessive heat build up, try pulsing the brakes to wash off speed or alternating between the front and rear. 
• Take care in the wet: Braking becomes significantly compromised in the wet. The quality of contact between the braking surfaces is diminished, as a result, it will take you longer to slow you down. On top of that, traction to the road won't be as good, you won't be able to see as far ahead, you may have water sprayed in your face by another rider and it will be harder to grip the bars. As a consequence, take care in the wet, leave yourself enough time to brake appropriately and be extra cautious.
• Descending shouldn't feel like work: It should feel fluid and easy. If you are working too hard or concentrating too much, there's a high likelihood you're not descending as well as you could. Try to let the descent flow and again, practice makes this possible. Pick a descent you know well and practice it over and over to build your confidence to the point where you can get to the bottom safely, at good speed and with minimal effort.

For more top tips on cycling or if you want to improve your fitness and skills head to our website www.apachebrave.co.uk

Why we should be exercising and staying fit during Covid-19 isolation period. There are many benefits to exercise not just physical ones but mental reasons too. In this podcast I examine and list many reasons why exercising is so important to our body and mind.

Covid-19 has closed many countries down including the UK, the Government has indicated that people should continue to exercise, in this podcast I give you the reasons why staying healthy and keeping fit is so important.

Want a FREE Home workout plan, visit my website www.apachebrave.co.uk and download one now

Hamstring injuries are prevalent in many sporting and training environments. They are the curse of many top athletes and urban warriors alike and have a horrible tendency to recur with monotonous regularity.

In the past, rehab specialists and trainers may have fallen prey to the hypothesis that "if it keeps tearing, it must be tight and therefore needs a stretch."

In this podcast I would like to pose a different hypothesis. One that looks at the length-tension relationships between the hamstrings at the back of the pelvis and quads and hip flexors at the front of the pelvis.

We’ll look at how this relationship can contribute to these types of injuries. Focus on different tests to discover what is happening at the pelvis, which exercises can aid our recovery and prevention of reocurring hamstring injuries.

References

(1) Kendall, McCreary,Provance, Muscles Testing and Function, Williams and Wilkins.

(2) Paul Chek Seminars - C.H.E.K.Institute: Scientific Core Conditioning Seminar

(3) Swiss Ball Training Seminar

(4) Frank Netter, Human Atlas of Anatomy - CD Rom

Having a shaped, toned body is the primary goal for many gym-goers. However, many are fed countless ‘guaranteed-not-to-fail’ strategies on how to quickly shed fat and attain the perfect look.

Such mixed advice often leads to confusion, frustration, and a general feeling of ‘back to the drawing board.’ we understand that every one of us is different, and a ‘one size fits all’ approach just won’t do. So, we’ve designed a healthy, sustainable and evidence-based guide filled with tips to help you efficiently and safely get the look you want.

Regardless of age, genetics and ability, we’ll help you educate yourself, providing expert dietary, training and lifestyle tips for starting to achieve your tone-up targets.

FOLLOW MY 10 RULES TO SUCCESSFULL TONE BODY

No matter what level you’re at, these 10 ‘Tone-Up’ rules are easy to understand and just perfect for keeping your training on track

1. RESISTANCE TRAINING Incorporate resistance training into your lifestyle to achieve the desired aesthetics
2. PROTEIN EVERY 3-4 HOURS Protein contains amino acids which are the building blocks for lean muscle growth and repair
3. PORTION SIZES It’s time to start getting more precise with portion sizes at every meal
4. SWITCH UP THOSE CARB TYPES Make the transfer high sugary simple carbohydrates to slow-digesting ones
5. MONITOR PROGRESS Ensure you’re achieving results, but remember, patience is the key to success
6. EDUCATION IS THE KEY Each macro-nutrient is metabolized differently even though they all provide calories. Proteins and carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, whereas 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories. Constantly eating fatty foods will make those calories rise through the roof, so keep your fat intake below 30% of total calories consumed, with 90% of this coming from healthy fats.
7. CALORIE TRACKING Calculate your calorie intake so you know you’re reaching your daily targets
8. FASTED WORKOUTS Nutrition and getting lean work hand in hand with regular exercise
9. POST-WORKOUT MEALS Feed your muscles what they need instantly for maximum gains
10. PLAN AHEAD Stay organized by treating your meal prep like your workouts!

Visit my website to check out ready made fitness plans to help you on your fitness journey

www.apachebrave.co.uk

Improve your power, speed, strength with plyometric training, listen to our final part pf power to Plyometric training and discover how to plan your fitness training for year round succes.

Learn about Complex Training; how complex training works and integfrating into your yearly plan.

Individualize your training to your goals and targets.

In part 1 we addressed the concepts and qualities that factor into powerful performance. The biological and biomechanical aspects now become working parts of the process for activitaing athletic power.

In part 2 we look deeper in to how and why we should include power training, as in other forms of stretch-shortening cycle or athletic training, it is important tofollow guidelines to ensure safety as well as proper and effective performance.

We focus on basic aspects of training that are the key to good technique. We look at the SMARTER strength training process to gain maximum benefit from your workouts.

Part 1 of Plyometric exercises can be crucial for people who want to improve their strength and explosive power, as well as athletes who play sports that require quick bursts of pace, for instance.If you want bigger and stronger muscles then most of your training time should be dedicated to lifting weights. But you can reach your size and strength goals faster by also including some weekly plyometric work, which means doing more explosive bodyweight moves such as box jumps or clap press-ups

What are they?

While plyometric exercises can be done by beginners at a lower intensity, it is important to note that when doing more advanced variations you should have some degree of strength and fitness that has come from doing sports or working out due to the nature of these movements.

In short, a plyometric contraction involves three consecutive phases:

Eccentric Phase – a rapid muscle lengthening movement

Amortization Phase – a short resting phase

Concentric Phase – an explosive muscle shortening movement

Why do them?

The goal of plyometric exercises is to maximize muscle contraction, quickly, which increases the output of muscle power. In doing so, the strength of your fast-twitch muscle fibers increases along with their ability to exert a high amount of force in a short space of time.

people who enjoy doing sports will see the most benefit from doing plyometric exercises as it is a power exercise that elevates the body’s ability to perform quick movements. Whether it’s a sprinter running flat out over a short distance or a footballer kicking a ball with as much power as possible, plyometric exercises will serve to enable them to do this to their maximal capability.

Plyometric exercises are also beneficial to people undergoing rehabilitation or for limiting injury risk. This is because your muscles will become more flexible and accustomed to forceful movements. In short, the benefits of plyometrics can be summed up as:

• Improved storage and utilisation of elastic strain energy
• Increased active muscle working range
• Enhanced involuntary nervous reflexes
• Enhanced length-tension characteristics
• Increased muscular pre-activity
• Enhanced motor coordination

How do you perform them?

Plyometric exercises can be performed in a number of ways that vary in intensity. You can start at the very beginning and as you build up your strength and flexibility you’ll be able to see a steady progression in performance. Some examples of plometric exercises:

• Jumping Jack
• Squat Jumps
• Burpees
• Mountain Climbers

Conculsion

Plyometric training has been shown to increase muscular power, speed, agility and strength. It is also an important component of rehabilitation and conditioning programs becausestretch-shorten cycleexercise actions that constitute plyometric exercises are a natural characteristic of human movements from activities of daily living to elite level sporting actions.Once you have mastered these, you can move on to combining and varying up your exercises. What plyometric exercises also offer is another way for you to train. All too often we see that people get bored of their routine in the gym, and this can occasionally lead to people stopping their training altogether. By adding difference to your workout you’ll not only target different groups of muscles at different times, but present yourself with new challenges to overcome to keep your body guessing and ensuring that you don’t plateau.

visit our web page for your free plyometric workouts and read other blogs at www.apachebrave.co.uk

Fitness Training Slower for Maximum Benefit

Using MAF training, your heart rate will dictate your training and how fast you should go and not the other way round. The higher your heart rate, the more stress your body is under so by training with a lower heart rate, you are aiming to reduce stress.  

Let me talk you through how MAF can benefit you and your fitness training.

Benefits to MAF are:

• Your heart muscle gets stronger.
• Your mitochondria (the parts of cells that turn the sugars, fats and proteins that we eat, into forms of usable chemical energy) increases, which means more energy for your muscles.
• Your physical stress levels decrease.
• Since there is less stress on your body, you can train for longer. This is great if you are training for a longer endurance event.