66. Don’t go into debt for racing or training – Go back and read tips 3 and 13.Bonus. Learn to have Fun – Every moment, we can choose to live in Joy and misery. We all know life is not perfect, we have good days and bad days. If you get off track, get back on as soon as possible. Go back and look at your thankful list, tips 8. If you have kids, this is a good read… The Perfect Moment by Andy Andrews.If you are not happy with where you are, you have the power to change …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 39
65. Get familiar with the race-course – I have found this to be very helpful, especially triathlon. By knowing the coarse I felt less stressed about missing a turn and could focus on the race. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 38
64. Make a Race Checklist – When signing up for a race, check the official race site for a packing list. Below is the list from USA Triathlon. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 37
63. Pack the night before the race – I know this seems like common sense but some don’t think it's necessary, I am here to tell you, do it. This helps lower your stress before a race and make the process more enjoyable. I remember one triathlon, where a guy was running around looking for an extra helmet because he forgot to pack it the night before, don’t be that guy. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 36
62. Don’t change anything before a race – If you go to the pre-race expo, sure it’s ok to buy stuff but don’t use anything new that you haven't tested in training, especially shoes. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 35
61. Practice in training –You can’t wait till race day to see how your nutrition, transitions, hydration, and equipment works, experiment on these areas during training. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 34
60. Open water swimming –Never swim alone, it’s best to always have someone with you. You can also purchase a swim safety buoy. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 33
58. 10% Rule – Add 10% to your total training volume each week. This allows your body to slowly adapt to the stress.59. Recovery week - Every three to four weeks reduce volume by 20%. This allows your body to adapt, repair, and rest. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 32
55. Running without shoes will help you identify your natural gate – Due to overbuilt shoes, many have lost their natural way of running resulting in heel striking. Heel striking puts undue stress on the hips, legs, and knees. PS, Do this on grass or turf, like a football practice or playing surface.56. Bobbing up and down when you run is slowing you down, learn to run smooth – This bobbing up and down is called vertical oscillation. The higher the number the more you bob, the lower the …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 31
50. Warm-Up – This is critical to your success. Regardless of the activity, you need a warm-up routine. The routine should last anywhere from 10-15 minutes.51. Cool Down - Just as important as the warm-up, the cool-down should take 5-10 minutes.52. Stretching – Over the years the debate has been going back-in-forth about stretching, does it decrease injury? Should I or shouldn’t I Stretch? In my option, yes you should. However, don’t look at it as injury prevention but a range …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 30
49. Don’t use earbuds when training – For one, if you riding a bike, it’s just not safe. You cannot hear what is going on around you. Second, this helps you learn to listen to your body so you know how your body reacts to the training. Last, we all need some time away from mental direction; this will allow you to clear your head. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 29
48. Starting together doesn’t mean you have to finish together – Many people prefer to train with others. It’s because people like to be a part of a community, it keeps them accountable and it’s more fun. However, if you are in a sport that requires specific heart rate training, then my suggestion is that you only start together. Meaning, do your warm-ups, and drill together but afterward do your training plan. When finished with your session, you can hang out again. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 28
46. Don’t train on a full stomach - After eating, a regular meal, wait two hours before starting an intense training session. The last thing you want is a belly full of undigested food. 47. Short workout only requires water – Don’t be fooled by marketing. Any endurance workout less than an hour only requires water. You can replenish your glycogen with real food and electrolytes with some salt. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 27
Only thirteen days left. I pray these tips have been a blessing. In this next section, my primary focus will be on training.43. Don’t start to fast - When beginning a new workout regiment everyone is so gung-ho and tends to do more than they should. Start slow and work up the volume and intensity. This will limit injuries and lower your rate of burnout.44. No Pain, No Gain is a joke – we live in a society that thinks that if you’re not dead at the end of a workout then it …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 26
41. Don’t view working out as a cure-all for losing weight – depending on where you are currently, with your health, you may need to delay a work-out program. 42. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) can cause sugar cravings – HIIT is all the craze now, what most people don’t understand is that HIIT can cause you to overeat after your work-out. How, due to glycogen depletion. HIIT, because of the nature of the workout, your body requires sugar to make energy. To …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 12
17. You don’t need all the best stuff to get better or in shape– To be honest, it’s an excuse to justify why we’re not doing what needs to be done. How I know, because I’ve used them all. Here are a few… I need a gym membership to get in shape. I need a $1,500 pair of race wheels to go faster. I don’t have the right cookware. I don’t, fill in the blank________. The reality is, just start where you are, it’s better to do something rather than nothing. If you need some ideas go back and …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 9
14. “I’m so busy” – Have you ever said anything that sounds like this? Truth is, you have to slow down to be healthy, you can not keep up a frenetic pace and expect positive results to your health and well being. Even God tells us to take one in seven to rest. Rest allows your body, mind, and spirit to clear out. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 8
13. Let go of your ego – I see this all the time, even with myself, I’m not exempt. Be open-minded to suggestions from someone that has had success. Do your best to stay away from the “I” syndrome. “I” did this and “I” did that. A lot of times ego and the “I”, got you where you are, learn from it, and move forward. Don’t let your ego keep you stuck where you are. …
66 TIPS IN 40 DAYS: DAY 6
11. Enjoy the journey – We have to find joy in the process because success usually doesn’t happen overnight. The journey is where we learn the most about ourselves, what we can do, and what we can overcome. It makes the WIN even more enjoyable. …
Warm up is a waste of time?
Many years ago when getting ready for a training session, I would be impatient and spend just a few seconds with a stretch here and a stretch there, then take off. A common theme that occurred every time was I did not feel “in the groove” for several minutes or sets etc. Have you ever felt that way?The problem was that I did not warm up properly, in this case at all. So, I went back to the basics, warm up. Not all warm ups will be the same, it depends on your activity and …
3 Steps to Starting any Training Program
Each year we start out with a goal for success. Perhaps yours is to start a new exercise regimen, enter a running event or race a triathlon. Goals are great, but the part that gets us frustrated is the execution. When it comes to athletic events, I’ve been doing this stuff for years and even with my background, I still continue to learn. So, I know how you feel, frustrated, unsure and sometimes defeated. It’s almost like…”If I only had a plan.” Like a cook book, we all love the ones that have …
[Read more...] about 3 Steps to Starting any Training Program
Back to the Basics
No matter which sport (Football, Baseball, Soccer, Running, Triathlon, Swimming) or business you are a part of, your success depends heavily on getting back to the basics.Living in an instant society, we want everything to come now. How many people pay to have Amazon Prime with free or expedited shipping? We also want to lose weight fast or we want to obtain running a 7 minute mile in a week. How about this one, which I’ve heard several times, "I haven’t been …
Do the Ordinary, Extraordinary
OK, I must confess I'm a sports fanatic. Those that know me know I am a diehard Texas A&M Aggie fan. Last year, the Athletic Director hired Jimbo Fisher to be the next head coach. The one thing that stood out to me is his pursuit of perfection. He's said many times, "do something until you get it right and then do it until you can't do it wrong". He’s also said "do the ordinary, extraordinary."So now you might ask what does that have to do with fitness, running or …
We help frustrated individuals and aspiring athletes, confused about what to do and stuck, by identifying their needs and developing a hand-crafted plan for success.