Fast>Strong

Here's a link to a great article by Coach Jason Ferruggia, about some simple ways to improve athleticism. I recently heard that on average people above 30 years of age lose 1.7% of their power (speed) for every 1% of strength. This is probably why a 135 pound 14 year old kicks your butt down the first straight. You may want to start incorporating more of these into your training program.

http://jasonferruggia.com/5-ways-to-improve-or-maintain-your-athleticism/

New training plan teaser

My computer took a crap today. The dang thing won't even turn on. Thank god for the iPad. I had an idea for my next blog post talking about my current training program, how it's working and why I like it.

The gym program is quite different from a normal program, and different from anything I've ever done. I've also started working with a heart rate monitor to get a baseline for my general fitness and state of recovery. I want to get more data, but the real reason for teasing the new post is I hate typing on the iPad so I'm going to try and write a post at the end of the week. I'm hoping my program might inspire a few of the people who read my blog to give the program a try and report back with the results. Have a good week, enjoy the early spring and train hard!

Speed and Quickness Drills

Just a couple videos I found on the internets that you may want to consider adding to your programs. This would be a great drill to work on your reaction time, balance, and quickness. If you're having trouble with your random gate starts, this might be a way to help you react when that light comes on.




Below is another good article on improving foot speed. This is a very important quality to develop, to maxamize the power in your sprints. These exercises would fit in well at the gym, after your warm up and before your plyos and lifts. Also a good drill to do when your outdoor sprint sessions get rained or snowed out.

http://blog.stack.com/2011/05/11/improve-foot-speed-even-when-fatigued/

Great blog post from Nate Green

I ran across Nate Green's blog at the beginning of the year. He has tons of great posts on everything from health and exercise to food. This post isn't bmx specific but If you read it with bmx in mind you will probably find some good things to help you in life and racing. Take some time to read this one, and check out some of his older posts.

http://www.thenategreenexperience.com/blog/the-hero-blueprint-11-tenets-of-an-awesomely-rich-life

Smoothie Recipie

I had a great workout this morning! It was even warm enough to ride my bike to the gym. I thought when I got home I would make a post workout smoothie. Experts say for optimal recovery you should shoot for a 4:1 carb/protein ratio. For my smoothie I threw in a can of pumpkin, 1/2 scoop of natural vanilla protein powder, scoop of BCAA, Creatine, some honey, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and Ice. What came out was probably the worst tasting smoothie ever created. I added more honey, cinnamon and drank it like a man. Point is, when life gives you a shitty tasting smoothie, find a way to make it taste good enough to drink it.

"Paleo diet" review

As of today I've stuck to the "paleo diet" for one month. For those of you who have no clue what a paleo diet is, it's basically everything you eat now except breads (wheat), dairy, and beans. Nothing weird about this diet, no coffee enemas (although they don't tell you not too), no pills that cause your heart to race, just really tasty food.

I've never tried a diet before for a few reasons. First, I love to eat. No really, I love to eat! I probably eat more than 99.9% of the world population. Ask my wife or my friends if you don't believe me. If I wasn't eating I was thinking about what I was going to eat. I could get hungry for my next meal while I was eating. It would be hard for me to go more than 3 hours without food. The second reason I've never dieted before was I wasn't conscience of what the food actually did to my body. Food was food, and I just believed to be healthy, stay away from fatty foods, eat a few salads, and get 6-8 servings of whole grains.

The more I have learned about nutrition the more I see that the typical "American" diet is making us all fat. There are many virtues of good fats and cholesterol that our modern diet isn't providing. What it does provide is too many carbs and Omega 6 fatty acids that are making us fat and sick. Carbs are a fuel source for our body but so is fat, and when we have an overload of carbs our body’s wont burn fat for fuel. When we eat those 6-8 servings of whole grains that the food pyramid suggests we never let our bodies use our fat storage, and it starts causing problems; Fat-assitis and that wiggly-underarm syndrome. The "Paleo" way of eating has you getting more fats and proteins from meats, fish, avocados and nuts and less carbs from breads, and pastas.

On the "paleo diet" you try to eat as if you only had the food that a caveman would have eaten. I don't go as far as hunting and trapping wild animals in my subdivision, but I do order a southwest chicken salad instead of a Big Mac. When you say the word "diet", your mind automatically thinks hunger pains and crappy bland food. That's the best thing about this diet so far. The food is really tasty! I also go much longer between feedings, and my cravings for breads and sweets are much more controllable. I don't feel like a strung out junkie looking for a hit of snickers or a shake. When I'm done eating I feel really satisfied, not like I'm on a diet. My normal foods consist of Sweet Potatoes (for carbs), sausage, meat, avocados, coconut, almond butter & delicious bacon.

So far this diet is working really well for me. I kicked my carb addiction and eliminated most of the processed foods. I didn't take any measurements or weigh myself before starting the diet, but I can visually see I'm much leaner and more muscular. Energy levels are up and no weird stomach aches and pains. I highly recommend anyone that’s looking to drop some fat and/or improve health give this diet a try for a month. Below are some of my favorite paleo foods and a good article on why we're getting so fat.

Spicy stuffed poblano peppers

Sweet potato & apple pancakes

lettuce wrapped burger

Garlic mashed cauliflower - add a couple pieces of bacon and chives, and try this it's way better than you think.

Good article on how food effects the bodys metabolism

Quickie with THoff

Really good interview with Tony Hoffman. Tony caught my attention last year when he began posting up videos and articles about training for bmx. I really liked what he had to say and how he was always thinking about how to get better. I asked him a few questions and this is what he had to say.

Since this is a training blog, What do you feel is the most beneficial type of training?(Thoff) I believe that all aspects of the race should be trained. It's how you cycle those demands through a season that determine how well rounded you are in competition. Power, Speed, Muscular Endurance, & Strength all need to be addressed. IMO you can't have one without the other.


What exercise do you feel developes a powerful gate start?
(Thoff) I think fundamental methods like a squat, deadlift in the gym but most importantly a strong flat ground sprint that is short in distance (4-6 revolutions) and downhill sprints to improve the speed of your legs. The gym is great but if you don't do sprints the gym is a waste of time.


What other sports/hobbies you do for either cross training or just for fun?
(Thoff) I don't really do much outside of training for my personal objectives on the BMX circuit. During the summer when I have time to recharge my endurance I will ride with the local road race group. We do 27-33mph on flat and it's pretty intense, I love it though!

What was your first race bike and what year did you start racing?
(Thoff) I had a chrome Robison SST. I started racing in 1996 and stopped in 2002. I returned and started racing pro in May of 2009

Do you have any ritiuals before getting in the gate?

(Thoff) I always pray before I load into the gate... Not to win the race or for safety but I quickly make an acknowledgment to God that I am thankful for the opportunity having been through my past struggles to compete with the top athletes in the world.

How do you get over a fear of a trying something on a track like a jump you know you have to do?
(Thoff) This is a good question... I find myself not trying to think about it much. Another thing I like to do is follow a rider who's abilities I trust to give me a speed check through the section.

Any plans after your Elite career is over? Vet, amature, Road bikes, MTB, or something else?(Thoff) My plans will be to further the Freewheel Project my non-profit organization http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthoffonline.com%2Ffreewheel-project%2F&h=VAQGY4GHJ, possibly get into some coaching with a few athletes and definitely race road bikes on the crit circuit


Anything else, Shout outs, props?
(Thoff) There are many ways to reach peak performance, i've found a lot of people try to over complicate the process and or make it seem that you are not smart enough to do it on your own. If you train create a way to measure your progress or regression. If you can see your results objectively you can make the changes or tweaks necessary to enhance your performance. Your body is the best coach in the world. Learn what it's telling you.

I'd like to thank God first and all of my sponsors. Haro Bicycles, GU Energy, SRM power meters, Freelap Timing, Gaerne Shoes, DT Swiss and of course RaceFIT for the opportunity to share.