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Why, When, and How to Use A Foam Roller OCTOBER 29, 2018  · BY LANCE WATSON While nothing can quite replicate a good sports massage, you can enjoy many of the same benefits at home (or between massages) with a foam roller.  In recent years, foam rolling has gone mainstream. Once a self-massage technique used only by professional athletes, coaches, and therapists; foam rolling is now an everyday practice for people at  all levels of fitness . There’s a reason for the popularity of this self-massage technique: it’s simple and it works! With the (usually foam-based) cylindrical muscle rollers now widely available in a variety of designs and firmness levels, there’s never been a better time to start. Here’s what you stand to gain if you haven’t tried foam rolling, and how to do it better if you’ve already started. What is foam rolling? Foam rolling is also called  myofascial release . But what is fascia? And why do you want to “release” it? Fascia is the thin tissu

OCTOBER 8, 2018 · BY CHRISSIE WELLINGTON AND ANDY KIRKLAND Considering athlete weight in relation to performance is important when planning and executing training. But, where is the line between an increase in performance and encouraging an athlete to adopt unhealthy behaviors? Being a coach isn’t an easy job. We often work with highly-motivated people living complex lives. It’s our job to help them achieve their potential and actualize their dreams. While planning and prescribing training plans is a large part of what endurance coaches do, ultimately, we are influencing the behavior of athletes to help enhance performance. However, like many relationships, things can sometimes go wrong. A few poorly-chosen words, poor communication, or lack of understanding of the needs of the other person can lead to acrimony, or worse. “Ideal racing weight” is an important subject because the mass of an athlete affects performance. While it can be a sensitive topic for a coach to address, i

The Enduro World Series contender reveals his gym formula to gain power, speed and endurance, whether it's on the bike or your own terms. With riding season just around the corner, it's time to get fit. To help you along the way, world’s third ranked enduro racer  Greg Callaghan  is here to offer his advice – and you should pay attention, because this Dubliner  knows a thing or two about fitness . Whether you want to up your bike game for the upcoming race season or just get a bit fitter, simply follow Callaghan's steps (and squats) in the video below to start 2018 right. https://www.redbull.com/us-en/greg-callaghan-fitness-video Gym work forms a corner stone on which to build speed and stamina. Mountain biking works the body like nothing else so being fit enough to be able to deal with the stresses and strains of muscling a bike down a hill leaves your brain free to identify the fastest lines and upcoming dangers. Want to hear fro

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/optimizing-strength-to-weight-ratio-while-staying-healthy/ SEPTEMBER 13, 2018    BY TAYLOR THOMAS Striking the appropriate balance between your power output and weight is critical for a sustainable and healthy approach to training and racing. Many athletes try to maintain as low a weight as possible while still being powerful on the bike—but it can be difficult to hit that sweet spot. If weight loss is taken too far, athletes can see a decrease in overall power, along with more serious health issues. While  watts per kilo  are often top of mind, health and resiliency should ultimately be the key goals for any athlete. Here’s how to strike that elusive balance. Why is Weight Important? Weight plays an important role for all athletes to some degree, but in cycling specifically, watts per kilogram (W/Kg) or strength-to-weight ratio, has been found to be one of the  single best predictors of performance.  Simply put: the higher a cyclist’s W/Kg

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/best-time-saving-stretches-cyclists/ SEPTEMBER 24, 2018    BY SHAYNE GAFFNEY We all know that cycling is great for a myriad of things, but the bike keeps your body in a fixed position, sometimes for hours on end. This can wreak havoc on the neck, middle back, hips, and lower extremity muscles, causing them to become shortened, painful, and  lose their ability to produce powe r. This, of course, is unacceptable and the exact opposite effect we want after spending time training outdoors, or in the pain cave! So, do yourself a favor and  spend a few minutes stretching your legs  out after you beat them up—your body will thank you, and it will give you some precious time to think about life (i.e. more cycling) for a while. The following stretching routine is designed for athletes who are time-crunched and need to really maximize any time dedicated to their fitness. The Rules The ideal time to stretch statically is POST WORKOUT. Bacurau et a