Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s a perplexing question, isn’t it? Less than a year ago, I had a similar thought… do I hate swimming because I’m bad at it or am I bad at swimming because I hate it??? It’s cyclical and it’s actually a simple solve… swim more and you’ll [...]
Can You Let Me in on a Secret?
Q: What’s that funny looking tubey thing swimmers wear that makes them look like Jacques Cousteau? A: It’s called a snorkel. Nowadays, if you see someone using one in a pool, they are usually face down with a center-mount snorkel protruding straight up. Q: How will this help me improve my swimming? A: With a snorkel, you can focus on your freestyle stroke [...]
How in the World Did I Ever Get into Open Water Swimming? aka How Can I Improve My Own Swimming?
Come on… There are thousands of other activities a single gal in her earlier twenties living in Manhattan could be doing. What possessed me to “take the plunge” into those cool, dark waters, free of lane lines, without visible bottoms, inhabited with living things that had teeth? I guess I can blame some of it [...]
One Leg at a Time
Volume and intensity tend to be the two performance components in which endurance athletes focus most of their efforts. These areas tend to yield the quickest and most recognizable gains. However, if athletes fail to address movement efficiency, they are missing a vital piece of the puzzle and are ultimately getting less speed from more [...]
Know Your Limits
It is critical that cyclists and all athletes in general know their limits. By this I mean that you must know when you are helping yourself and know when you are damaging your body. This is true in micro and macro cycles. Let’s say that you are in a race that is quite long and [...]
Rationale for Increasing Pedaling Cadence
One of the central components of off-season training is improving your technical skills. On the bike, this includes looking at pedaling economy and potentially increasing cadence. A common mistake among new cyclists, and some more experienced riders as well, is a pedaling cadence that is too low. This article will offer insight regarding why an [...]
Keeping Winter Training Interesting
The leaves have fallen, the days have shortened and the holidays are behind us. It’s time to face facts: we’re in the throes of winter. Cyclists especially may experience a bit of dread at the thought of climbing back onto the CompuTrainers. Triathletes could be a little better off since runs and swims are less [...]
Avoid Fatigue and Increase Performance
As your workouts get longer, your chances of experiencing fatigue increase. In this article, Dr. Cal Brown, Jr., MD, will tell you how you can increase your performance while decreasing your training volume!
The Fuel Tank
Eating to maintain your energy levels A new calendar can be a great motivator to do things differently, including eating more nutritiously. As with all resolutions, give yourself a fair chance of keeping those resolutions by making them realistic. For example, aim to have one more serving of fruits or vegetables a day–perhaps as a [...]
Grocery Shopping Strategies
A sneak peak in VQ Coach Dr. Max Testa’s book, “Faster, Better, Stronger” Smart grocery shopping can help you save calories and money, and you will eat better too. Here are some guidelines for grocery shopping: Choose smaller, single-serving sized apples, bananas and other fruits rather than the super-sized ones often available. This will help [...]
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