Thank you so much to everyone who stayed the other week to listen to the talk by Steve Hooper, a physiotherapist from Body Genius. As it was a rainy Saturday morning, not many people were around, so I thought it would be beneficial to do a follow up blog of Steve’s knowledge and advice.
I have personally been going to see Steve now for 4 years now and can highly recommend him. He has helped me with nutrition, training, massage, and rehabilitation across cycling, swimming and running. But more than that, he is a friendly and approachable person.
Steve brings 20 years of experience in the health and wellness industry and has excelled in providing sports specific physiotherapy treatment, exercise rehabilitation and nutritional advice to successful Olympic, International, National and State level athletes from a wide range of sports.
http://www.bodygenius.com.au/
Steve and his highly experienced team at Body Genius offer:
- Sports Physiotherapy
- Dry Needling
- Sports Massage
- Sports Nutrition (including weight loss)
- Exercise Rehabilitation
- Strength & Sports Conditioning
IT’S ALL ABOUT RIDING FASTER!
Summary:
This is for those with short attention spans.
- Power – Improve strength through resistance training. Best exercises are squats and deadlifts. Example would be 3 days a week, 8 sets of 2 reps, rest 120 secs.
- Reduce body weight – Excess weight reduces power to weight ratio and slows you down. Choose a time when you can back off your training to lose weight.
- Recovery – Replace fluids, electrolytes, protein and cards. Nourish with alkalizing foods (spinach, kale) Recovery meals should be ration of 1 part protein to 4 parts carbohydrate, 30 – 40mins post exercise
- Members Benefits – $70 for 30 minute physiotherapy consult (Save $25 when you present your membership card) Private health care holders will receive rebates as well.
Full version:
Outside of skill, determination and a great bike, improving your power to weight ratio is the most important variable.
STEP 1: POWER
P = F x D
T
P = Power
F = Force
D = Distance
T = Time
In a nutshell, to improve your power you must improve your strength (force) and reduce the time over which this force is applied (time).
The best way to improve your force (strength) is through resistance training. And from a cycling point of view the Kings of the gym exercises are clearly Squats and Dead Lifts.
The structure of the program is critical as the GOAL is to build your strength as much as possible while adding minimal muscle mass. As such you need to have a keen understanding of sets, reps and rest periods, and manipulate these variables carefully.
One example of a great strength training program would be:
Dead Lifting
3 days per week
8 sets of 2 reps
Rest 120 seconds between sets
The best part about this type of training is that once you are experienced you will no longer develop DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). As such you could strength train in the morning and be on your bike riding later that evening without your cycling performance being affected.
The ultimate goal is for you to be able to Dead Lift double your body weight.
From a time (T) point of view, plyometrics and more complex Olympic lifts can be applied.
STEP 2: REDUCE YOUR BODY WEIGHT
If you’re a male that is 15% or greater body fat percentage, or a female greater than 29%, then your simply carrying too much body fat. And of course excess weight will reduce your power to weight ratio and slow you down.
Imagine going for ride right now with a 5kg weight in your backpack!
The 6 week period leading up to race is NOT conducive to weight loss. You should choose a time when you can back off your training schedule slightly and focus fully on perfect eating and dropping unwanted kilos of fat.
The 6 week lead up to a race should be reserved for high performance training and high performance eating.
Is Strength Training Really Going To Help?
Yes! The evidence is clear. A well-structured strength plan that builds strength through functional movement patterns (squat, dead lifts, lunges) with minimal muscle gain will improve performance.
Training correctly under the guidance of a qualified strength coach is a HUGE advantage over your competitors.
STEP 3: RECOVERY – Pasta is god!
Kidding, pasta is crap. So too is bread and cereal and other processed carbohydrates. Yes they supply carbohydrate but these foods are devoid of quality nutrients and the grains used to produce them often cause unwanted gastrointestinal inflammation in the majority of people. The following books are fantastic:
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
Wheat Belly by Dr. Davies
In cycling terms, processed carbohydrates can be likened to a 1960s push-bike, very little to offer regardless of how skilled you are.
Your recovery meals should be in a ratio of 1 to 4 (1 part protein to 4 parts carbohydrate).
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Best Source of Protein
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Best sources of carbohydrate
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Eggs
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Berries
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Seafood/fish
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Fruits
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Meats
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White and sweet potato
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Vegetarian Protein Powders
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Pumpkin
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RAW whole fat dairy
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Dates and figs
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Key Recovery Points
- Replace fluids lost (water)
- Replace electrolytes lost (sodium, potassium, magnesium)
- Nourish your body with Alkalizing foods (spinach, kale, dark greens)
- Replace protein and carbs in a 1 to 4 ratio
- Achieve this in the first 30-45 minutes post exercise
Recovery Smoothie
3 cups water
3 whole eggs or 30g protein from vegetarian protein powder
500g of frozen berries or fresh fruit (banana, mango)
2 cups of baby spinach
Cycle Instead Bikeweek is an annual celebration of cycling that occurs every year across Western Australia in March.
