INDOOR CYCLING NEWSLETTER #77.

 

MY FEW WORDS ON LANCE ARMSTRONG: Some of my readers have asked my opinion on Lance Armstrong's doping and cover up.  I seldom express opinion in this newsletter but the subject has touched me as someone who loves cycling and I think it deserves some comment.

At the same time, I know that some readers are just weary of the subject.   My apologies to them.

I believe the subject is important because Armstrong was involved in both the giving and stealing of the precious commodity of hope.

I’ve never been a personal fan of Lance’s but I have in the past admired his talent on the bike and his work for cancer.  I rooted for his Tour de France victories and marveled at his determination.  But I also believed that he was terribly self-absorbed.  I never drank the cool-aid.

At the same time, the Livestrong organization was helpful to Annie and me in facing her breast cancer.  And we cheered his Tour de France victories together.  Life is complicated.

Lance is complicated too.  He was the son of a dad who deserted him.  He was a child of poverty.  And he was the son of a mom with a tenacious will to fight back against adverse circumstance.  Somewhere along the path to fame and fortune, the very determination that helped lift him up from poverty to success led him to believe that he was “above the law”.

∙ That he doped is very serious, but it is the least of his sins given the period in which he rode.

∙ That he doped on the massive scale indicated by authorities is profoundly disturbing.  By so doing, Lance discredited a sport that I love.

∙ That he lied so often, so fervently and so convincingly about his doping is scary beyond description.

∙ Finally, that he lashed out at - even destroyed - those who dared challenge him with the truth, is despicable.

My impression from watching the Oprah interview is that Lance can still be persuasive and occasionally even charming.  But he used those same skills to fool us before.

One hopes that he is indeed beginning on some kind of path trying to reclaim his humanity.  I hope he finds his lost soul.

But even if he does, it will not repay the damage he inflicted.  Nor will it reclaim the lost vision of the man who beat cancer and then beat the world.

Ultimately, he beat himself by losing himself in his fame.

(My newsletter is my own work and I am solely responsible for the opinions expressed in it.  It is distributed to friends, current and former personal training clients, and current and former cycling students from both the YMCA and Aspen Athletic Clubs.  The views expressed here are mine alone.)

YMCA INDOOR CYCLETHONS:   Thanks to its supporters, the YMCA strives to not turn away anyone due to inability to pay.  It is part of the open and accepting culture members enjoy there.

Each February the Y conducts its “Partners” campaign to raise money to support this commitment.  Among the fundraising efforts during the month, cyclethons will be held at YMCA’s around the metro.  You can get some exercise in a fun atmosphere and know that you are supporting your Y and your community.

On Sunday, February 17th, the Des Moines’s YMCA are holding cycle-thons from Noon to 6 pm.

The Walnut Creek YMCA is holding a separate 24-hour event from Noon Saturday, February 23 to Noon Sunday February 24 at Walnut Creek.

Cost of the rides is $30/hour and a tee shirt is included.  Teams are welcome as well as individuals.  No other cycle classes are planned that day.  You may reserve your bike at the welcome center.

Other locations are also holding events.  You can inquire at your branches welcome desk.

.... OR MAKE A BIGGER COMMITMENT: If you’re able, you may wish to consider making a larger commitment to your Y and your community.  More than $1.4 million needs to be raised in 2013.   These funds will provide the benefits of a more healthy lifestyle to more than 21,000 persons in our community who might not otherwise be able to afford it.  At the Healthy Living Center, programs are provided for cardiac rehab patients, cancer survivors, and other participants in the unique medical programming.  This medical programing is made available to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it through the Partners program.  If you’re interested in donating, you can give to one of the 450 campaign volunteers, your own branches Executive Director or by going to www.dmymca.org

SLEEP = GRATITUDE = BETTER RELATIONSHPS:  It is well known that getting a good night's sleep is good for athletic performance and general health.  New research suggests that good sleep also fosters a better sense of gratitude which is good for our relationships.

Research presented this month to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) suggests that not only do we sleep better if we have good relationships but that we actually have better relationships if we sleep better.

"... people still seem to take pride in needing, and getting, little sleep," says Amie Gordon of the University of California, Berkeley. "And in the past, research has shown that gratitude promotes good sleep, but our research looks at the link in the other direction and, to our knowledge, is the first to show that everyday experiences of poor sleep are negatively associated with gratitude toward others -- an important emotion that helps form and maintain close social bonds."

Social psychologists are increasingly finding that "prosocial" behavior -- including expressing gratitude and giving to others -- is key to our psychological well-being.   A large body of research has documented that people who experience gratitude are happier and healthier than those who don’t.

ENERGY DRINKS = CAFFEINE = MONEY.  U.S. energy drink sales are now more than $10 billion a year - and growing faster than any other category of beverage.  

The appeal of these drinks is the implication that they provide a mental and physical edge.

Reports of deaths and injuries associated with these drinks have resulted in an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  It is thought that the deaths and injuries may be linked to extremely high caffeine levels.

The FDA and other investigations, as reported in a recent New York Times, suggest that the drink’s claims rely only, or almost only, on their high caffeine content.

Caffeine can increase alertness, and sometimes improve athletic performance.  But according to Dr. Robert Pettitt of Minnesota State University at Mankato, “If you had a cup of coffee you are going to affect metabolism in the same way.”

Nonetheless, the energy drink companies have promoted the drinks not as caffeine delivery systems but as something more scientifically formulated.  Of course, this implication enables the companies to charge premium prices.  But even a Starbucks coffee has more caffeine for less money.

“These are caffeine delivery systems,” said Dr. Roland Griffiths, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who has studied energy drinks. “They don’t want to say this is equivalent to a NoDoz because that is not a very sexy sales message.”

THE LAST OF THE CONTRAINDICATIONS: The last two newsletter issues have covered the widely accepted list of things “not” to do in indoor cycling.  I will finish that series in this issue with a few items that involve rider’s personal safety or bike maintenance.

While many of the contraindications can create a chronic injury, there are at least two that can cause immediate injury:

∙ Riding with one-hand or no-hands.  Riders sometimes do this in the belief that it helps their balance or core strength.  But the fact is that there is not enough resistance to provide any strength.  You may feel a lack of balance in this position but it does little to improve your balance.  And it defeats the reason you are in class.  You lose connection with the bike and then can’t maintain a smooth and powerful pedal stroke.  And if your hand or foot slips, you may have a serious fall - perhaps on your face.

∙ A similar high-risk maneuver is one-legged pedaling when one foot is out of the cage/cleat.  You are at a big risk from the moving pedals if your foot slips.  I have heard of someone who required 18 stitches from this accident.  This same benefit can be obtained by emphasizing one leg over the other but leaving it in the pedal.

Three other common practices can damage the expensive indoor bicycles.

∙ Pedaling backwards.  First, this is risky on fixed gear bike due to the compressive forces on knee.  From a maintenance perspective, pedaling backwards can unscrew the pedals from the crank arms possibly striping the threads.  Moreover, there are no muscular or neurological advantages to pedaling backward.

∙ Lower body stretching on the bike.  It is pretty common to see people stretch by putting their feet up on handlebars etc.  Again this is not effective as a hamstring stretch.  And it is easy to slip resulting in possible injury.

∙ Standing on the pedals when they are parallel to the ground can also harm the bikes because it applies torque to the cranks in opposite directions.


AEROBIC EXERCISE BEST BET FOR WEIGHT AND FAT LOSS:  A new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology has found that when it comes just to weight loss, aerobic training is better than strength training.   But the study also found that both aerobic and strength training is best for decreasing body fat percentage.

In the study overweight people were enrolled in one of three protocols: aerobic training,  resistance training, or a combination.  Persons in each group exercised three days per week.

The groups assigned to aerobic training and aerobic plus resistance training lost weight while those in the resistance training group actually gained weight because of an increase in muscle mass.

Fat mass and waist circumference significantly decreased in the aerobic and combination groups, but were not altered by resistance training alone.  In other words, you’ve got to do your cardio.

Having the benefit of both modes of exercise, the combination group decreased body fat percent significantly more than either the aerobic only or strength only group.

My take: a healthy lifestyle requires aerobic training, strength training and proper nutrition.

QUOTE:   “Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.” - Nido Qubein


Bill Roach, NASM-CPT, CES, WLS.
Star 3 Lifetime Certified Spinning Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Corrective Exercise Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
bill.roach@mchsi.com