The Power of Strength Training

The two single most reasons people don't strength train -- time and not knowing what to do.  I get it...you get off your bike and rush to work or to your family.  The days blur together and your main focus is when you are going to get your next ride (enter YOUR sport here) in.  Time is valuable with the holidays and all the obligations that come with this time of the year.

The benefits of strength training are numerous -ranging from strengthening your bones and to helping you lose body fat. For those who take their sport seriously/competitively, it will make you stronger and faster.  It increases your body's ability to buffer lactic acid, helps with balance, increases power output, trims you down, and improves muscular strength and endurance.  Whether you are running, surfing, playing tennis, volleyball, or mountain biking :) you will get faster, stronger, and also prevent overuse injuries.  not bad..eh?

you in?

This is what you need:

1. Timer (interval timer app works well)

2. Clear out some space

3. Good music 

4. List of exercises below

Here's a quick workout you can do at home without any equipment. 

20- min Quick Home Workout

30 seconds hard / 10 sec recovery - repeat 3-5 times

(How hard - on a scale from 1-10 where 10 is "all out" be at a level 8)

1.  Push-ups 

2. Side plank

3. Crunches with legs up

4. Bicycle crunches 

5. Supermans

6. Alternating forward lunge and reach down on the lunge part

I attempted to make a little video of the above mentioned exercises -  I labeled it Level 1 because there will be more workouts to come. http://youtu.be/EPm04x1JRuw. 

Happy Holidays!

Chi

i'm back!!!! get on your bike and jam!!!

been a rough summer with whitney and personal shit going on..so sorry for lack of attention little blog... you hold my biggest dreams so plan to work in time and effort into you...

random writing ideas...female body weight concern, how to get faster on your bike...or just get faster..., importance of strength training, mental training, eating smarter..

so i'll go with one of my favorite subjects..how to get faster on your bike...

Snow Summit Bike Park..Summer 2015

10. lose 5 pounds

9. be hydrated and have the right nutrition with you..at least a bottle with electrolytes

8. add strength training to your weekly routine..period!!!   favorite leg exercises - walking lunges, 1-legged squats, jumping squats, box jumps, squat your own weight.. 3-4 sets..8-15 reps

7. ride with people faster than you

6. go to a pump track

5. take a mtn bike road trip...local mountains, next city up, across state, different state..different country!!  get out of your comfort zone and seek new adventures...

4. take appropirate rest days or rest week...  your body needs to recharge from all the stress...more stress isn't always better

5. keep your body working 100% with massage, trigger point, or foam rolling...

4. hill repeats!!! do them..don't whine..

3. eat smart ...eat before your ride to prepare..eat after to recover...

2. work on 1-2 new techniques this month..turn smoother, jump cleaner, shift better

1. make sure your bike is working at 100%...brakes, gears, shifters, bracket, tires..etc

ride hard.

train hard, train smart

chi

It's go time!  After 3 months of training, we are ready to summit Whitney. This will be my last training group for awhile as I plan to take trips with my family and take my own Mtn bike adventures.  My first summit was over 20 years ago and each time I come see Whitney I'm a little different and a little wiser. Same mountain, different experience. Though Whitney can be cruel, she is surrounded my beauty....

Not only do I aspire to get each person physically ready for the one day summit, I hope each learns about their own resilience and see the beauty around us each day. It's not just the summit but the moments that being you to the summit that truly matter.

You got the Mt. Whitney permit...now what? Critical Planning Steps

On March 24th, hundreds of soon to be hikers, got the good or bad news of getting a Mt. Whitney permit.

If you got one, Congratulations for securing a permit for Whitney!!!  There are thousands, tens of thousands, of applications that go into the lottery each year and only 100 permits are given for each day.  You are a lucky winner!!!  

If this is your first (or second) attempt for Whitney, there is some initial and critical first steps before you get started on your training.  Get your calendar out and you wallet and do this right away!!!  If you are doing this summit with a friend or friends, be sure they are also ready with their calendars and wallets.  You may have some friends change their mind.  Don't worry, you are going to have a great time.

Figure out if you are camping the night before or staying at the local motels down in Lone Pine.   There are benefits to both but any advantage of getting at altitude is more valuable then clean sheets.  just saying...
Campsites are going fast and may all be gone.  To get a campsite at the Whitney Portal visit the website for federal parks and search "Whitney Portal".  The portal also has a dozen or so, 'first come first serve' campsites.  Cross your fingers.  There always seems to be campsites available but maybe i've been lucky.

The next thing to secure is where you are sleeping the night after your hike.  Clean sheets wins here!!  I always go to the Dow Villa Motel in Lone Pine.  They are near many restaurants, have a pool & jacuzzi, and rooms are always clean. They also have AAA discount.  

The final prep work you need to line up is your training schedule.  2-3 months is a great way to prepare for Whitney.  Give yourself a month of medium hikes about 5-12 miles in length with ample elevation.  Spend the final 1-2 months, with 12-20 miles hikes at altitude.  Mark your calendar and follow your plan.  Depending on your location and which hikes you are doing, you will need to secure a permit prior.  Gorgonio requires a permit and they do check!!  San Jacinto needs a permit and you will need to request one if you are climbing via Humber Park.  

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. This planning will save you many headaches.

Shoes are next...
Chi

Whitney 2016...training for Whitney starts soon (10 spots available)

It's that time again and a Whitney permit has been confirmed.

Training will start end of April with 6 training hikes.  The one day summit date is Thursday, September 8th  with 10 spots available.

Here are the details
MT. WHITNEY TRAINING - PERMIT CONFIRMED

Date: September 8, 2016
Number of spots: 10
Cost per person: $450
Includes; 3 months of training for the event and guide for the Whitney hike. plus..

• 2-night camping at the portal, overnight stay at Dow Villas, and enjoy a warm meal after the summit.
• One day summit permit!
• Lots of good memories, new friends, and a sense of true accomplishment

$100 deposit to hold your spot.  The balance is due by May 30th.

If you are interested in training but not wanting to do the Whitney summit, please email at mtnbikechi@gmail.com and you will added to the training hike invite list.

It's going to be a great summer with fun surprises!!!
chi

knowing when to rest...and how to rest

sometimes it feels like my head just spins..so much in life that is totally out of my control and then so many things that i want to do and i get excited for.  between the two i get squashed into an ADD firework show.

the few times that i actually stop thinking is when i'm riding.  everything is totally quiet.  sometimes i hear my own thoughts but they are not screaming out at me or coming 2-3 at a time.  they are like soft whispers of happy thoughts.

but what happens when the body is tired and you can't ride (run, swim)?  take a rest day..rest week.

over the last six months i've been sick twice...and each time i was sick were chest/lung related where the thought of doing a ride was out of the question.  (and i'm still sick as i'm writing this with a gurgle cough, swollen lymph nodes, and general malaise).  i think back at what lead to each of those illnesses and noticed that i was putting in serious time and energy without adequate rest.  not just a day rest, but a mental and physical rest week.  a week to pull back and let my body properly recover.   just have fun and do whatever i wanted and play.   what a concept.  i know this basic principal as a trainer, but as an athlete i'm a stubborn bull unable to give up my training, my riding.  my riding gives my brain a chance to breath and let the stress go.  unfortunately, by letting one stress go, i take on another that is wearing my body down.

the body is an amazing work of art.  it works constantly to find equilibrium - you train hard and the body adapts to the stress, you stop exercising and the body adapts.  my body isn't just dealing with my stress of my 9-5 job and mountain biking but the stress of raising 3 girls, taking care of finances and a home, and not to mention the challenges of a teenager.  oh yes, and having a relationship.  my body is under so much stress that i don't know how to relax if i'm not riding.  a friend mentioned to me today (impeccable timing), he said 'resting isn't just sitting and relaxing, it's relaxing in here' and he points to his head.

i took a day off today.  i was suppose to be on my weekly wednesday night ride with class A riders but instead i listened to my body and rested.  i'm still working on resting...in my mind.

peace out..
chi