ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Stay in Shape - Cycling Workouts For the Winter Months
It's that time of year. The time when you decide it's fine to ride in 12 degree weather. The time when your food and water freezes, your hands and feet go numb, and your bike gets covered in water and road salt... It's the time of year when you decide that you were a freakin idiot for going outside! That "time of year" for me was yesterday. My first ride outside in sub 25 degree weather. It's the same every year. Through spring, summer, and fall you tend to forget just how bad it is... and you think you're tough enough to handle it. Well... you're not! Just one ride brings back the painful experiences of just one year ago. The warming of frostbitten hands and feet - what a way to end a ride! It's enough to make me want to stay out in the cold! I even bought a trainer this year. And I wore it out after a month. So, inevitably, I rode outside in frigid temperatures. Now I'm getting ready to buy some rollers. Then I'll stay inside like a sane person! Perhaps I'll even pick up some workout videos. I have a CTS mountain biking video, the Spinervals might be ok, but I'm more interested in the Cyclo-core workouts. [See resource box below.] There's a little bit of everything - riding, light lifting, etc. - and best of all: just 30-60 minutes each! You get to stay inside, avoid trainer boredom, and you don't even have to go to the gym! Definitely too good to pass up! Even if you don't want to buy anything, check out the site for a free special report: "Five Secrets to Double Your Off-Season Fitness" Moral of the story: This is the off-season. Don't ride outside if it's below 25 degrees. And feel free to use this as an excuse to spend the winter in California! Levi Bloom is the owner of Bloom Bike Shop and the webmaster of http://bloombikeshop.com Check out his site for more useful articles on cycling and bike repair. And if you're interested in CycloCore workouts, check out http://bloombikeshop.com/cyclocore
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Tips for Starting Runners So you've decided to take up running? Maybe you are starting back up after putting it off for years. Here is a list of tips that I have found beneficial to the starting runner or even the seasoned pro. How To Start a Running Program Running or jogging is one of the best ways there is to lose weight fast. It burns tons of calories and gets your body burning fat. Running strengthens the heart, lungs and can be done just about anywhere at anytime. Too Much Water Can Kill Long distance runners and other endurance athletes have long been educated to believe that drinking lots of fluids during a long distance or endurance event was critical. And if you didn't drink enough water, you ran the risk of dehydration. What Should Runners Think About? What do you think about when you are running? Does it make a difference? Research suggests it definitely can.A survey into what runners think about when competing identified four categories. These are relevant to participating in many sporting activities: - Cardio-Boxing for Super Fitness The major benefits of cardio-boxing include: Aerobic Activity Burns Fat Aerobic activity is any exercise that helps you use oxygen more efficiently. It gets your heart pumping faster, makes you sweat and quickens your breath. When you raise your heart rate your body begins to burn stored carbohydrates and fatty acids for energy. Cardio Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health! It is common to hear fitness professionals and medical doctors prescribe low to moderate intensity aerobic training (cardio) to people who are trying to prevent heart disease or lose weight. Most often, the recommendations constitute something along the lines of "perform 30-60 minutes of steady pace cardio 3-5 times per week maintaining your heart rate at a moderate level". Before you just give in to this popular belief and become the "hamster on the wheel" doing endless hours of boring cardio, I'd like you to consider some recent scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio work may not be all it's cracked up to be. How To Jump Rope For Health and Fitness Rope skipping is an excellent cardiovascular exercise according to the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Council. It is far less hard on the muscles and bones than jogging. Using Nutrition to Boost Your Cardio So, you're doing cardio religiously and you're not getting any results?What's the deal?! Good news. You're probably just making some minor mistakes that need to be corrected. If you want to make changes to your body, it's probably pretty important for you to understand how your body works. After all, I doubt you're running on the treadmill because your cable got shut off and the cardio-theater at your gym is the only place you can watch "The OC." I'm almost certain you want to burn fat. So, let's learn how that works. Maximum Cardio Depending on your goals and body type, different amounts of cardio may be required. A lean "hard-gainer" trying to add mass may benefit from only one or two cardiovascular sessions per week. On the other hand, someone like myself who is extremely prone to storing fat and sensitive to carbohydrates may require 3 or more sessions in order to maintain peak physique. Since you can only get better at a particular exercise by performing it, those interested in running marathons or participating in endurance events such as a triathlon must increase their frequency of cardio in order to prepare for the event. Heart Matters Your heart is between one to two times the size of your clenched fist. Contrary to popular belief, it is not located to one side of the body - it is located almost in the exact center of your chest. Due to the shape of the heart and chest cavity, the heart pounds against the chest wall on your left side, so the heart rate is stronger when felt there. Your heart is responsible for pumping about six quarts of blood throughout your body, with about the same amount of force that the average person applies when squeezing a tennis ball. The heart is not under voluntary control. A system known as the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for regulating your heart rate. Winter Running: Survival Tips For Your Feet The days are shorter, the air is colder and the streets are slicker. Yet, many will still brave the cold, damp and dark streets and trails as winter sets in. For those who don't mind a little rain, snow, sleet or below freezing temperatures and run to survive the winter, it is important to know how to protect the feet so they too, can survive the winter months. Benefits of Aerobic Exercise The real benefits of aerobic exercise are achieved by increasing your heart rate and breathing hard for an extended period of time. During this aerobic activity your body produces more energy and delivers more oxygen to your muscles. Your heart beats faster and increases the blood flow to your muscles and then back to your lungs. Playing Your Cardio Right To many, that half-hour a day is the most enjoyable, most therapeutic part of your agenda. To others, it's as dreadful as taking out the trash and doing the dishes. Yet, like your household chores, you know it's something you simply must do. Better Cardio Workouts The Cardio King An Alternate Fitness Tool Any competitive or recreational athlete will use a variety of cross-training methods or tools to complement their particular sport or to meet their fitness needs. One such tool that is becoming increasing popular is the Kickbike. The Kickbike is a high end adult version of a scooter. Although new to North America, the Kickbike has been around for about 20 years in Europe and the Netherlands where national and international Eurocups are held yearly establishing national and world records for distances ranging from 200m to 30km. Spinning Exercise Spinning exercise or studio cycling is not only popular these days it's an excellent form of fitness. It helps strengthen your heart, tone your glutes, calves, thighs in addition to being a great exercise to slim legs. Why Your Cardiovascular Workouts Might Be A Big Waste Of Your Time What if I were to tell you that most if not all of the cardiovascular exercise you do was worthless? Well, guess what? over 50% of the people who perform cardio in an attempt to burn fat are wasting their time? hours and hours of it! Are you one of them? Running for Success Though it may not seem like it when we're drenched in sweat and our legs feel like lead, marathon running is as mental as physical. When we're exhausted, continuing consists of mind over matter. This takes enormous mental power. Once developed, this skill can be transferred from the racetrack to the boardroom. Fat Burning Exercises Fat burning exercises are the slow, aerobic, long duration types of exercise that involve most of the major muscle groups. Your body will burn a higher percentage of calories from fat with lower intensity cardio exercises.
|
|
|
|
|
