Training Tempered

How Do You Approach Your Workout?

2011-10-04T13:40:00.002-04:00

This is part of a list that I recently sent out to my athletes. I was addressing my adult swimmers on my masters swim team who I coach. I guess it can apply to walking through the door of a workout at the gym, any athletic practice or even work too...

1 When you walk through the pool doors, I hope you say the words “thank you” to yourself. I hope that you are grateful that you have the ability to exercise and further that you have a place to share the experience with fellow swimmers.

2 Words spoken at practice must be of a positive nature about yourself, your teammates and towards the swimming or exercise tasks that you are presented with. Greet and pursue these challenges with a willing attitude and have some fun with it. (We do well at this in my opinion...)

You've heard it before, probably, but how many of us actually practice and exercise a good attitude day in and day out? Exercising attitude, a good positive one is just like exercise, if you don't do it regularly, deliberately and thoughtfully you my not be giving it your best shot!

Coach Dave

Memorial Day Notes...

2011-06-01T13:41:00.001-04:00

I hope that all of you enjoyed a long weekend. I certainly did.

While enjoying a trail run through the woods near my house yesterday,
I got to thinking....

I took time to absorb the reason for why I (and many others) had this
particular day off.

It's a single day where can to take time, be it a minute or the whole
day (although I certainly don't believe that we need to limit it to
that one single day)
to think about and hopefully honor those people who have given their
lives so that we can do whatever we chose to do yesterday.

Hopefully you got to spend time with family, loved ones and friends.
You got to listen to music, eat good food, talk about anything you
chose to discuss or just sat and watched children play.
Even if you ended up working, I hope that somewhere you still
realized that to do whatever you did, that it was a pretty good deal.
We know life from a particularly priveliged perspective. (That's my
opinion anyway - as is this whole note.)

That fact that we have the freedom to relax, rest, work or whatever
was on our schedule is really something to be thankful for. In our
country, we have so many choices and we have
so much leeway to do whatever we want is truly amazing. It is so
amazing that it is easily overlooked. But not overlooking the
obvious, is a great exercise. It requires one to step back, take a
moment,
analyze the situation and then realize the given fact.

In the US we have a system and people who devote themselves to
securing our existence in the world. That system and those people
who enable us to dream up and then actually pursue those
opportunities deserve
honor and recognition.

What I think is also important is that for every memorial, with its
list of countless names of those who sacrificed their lives, there
are the family, loved ones, friends and neighbors who miss
their soldier on that day and every day. These folks all push on
through live having to replace the physical presence and interaction
only with memories.

I believe that we owe it to our fallen soldiers to remember them and
enjoy the day and realize how good we have it.

Be well all and always be thankful for what you have!

Coach Dave

SKILLS Training...

2011-05-13T17:42:00.002-04:00

I recently attended a really great strength and conditioning program here in Baltimore that was put on by Perform Better. Some of my very favorite speakers were presenting. Lee Burton, Mike Boyle, Todd Durkin and Alwyn Cosgrove. These guys are leaders in the industry and it's always great to learn something new and just get out and see a mass of other trainers. The one thing that all great presenters seem to have is an acronym.

So, the very next morning, while I was driving to coach swim practice, I thought, "I want an acronym...!" I started rifling through words and in within a few the word skills came to me. What could I do with this group of letters....? Hmmm, well the coffee must have kicked in at that moment and I came up with the following.

S-K-I-L-L-S....

S- for swimming, that is what I was going to coach but since I work with athletes from different sports, "S" can stand for sports.

K- Nobody was able to guess this. Kid. Be a kid, we all need to be a kid again. Maybe a part of me never stopped being a kid. Kids usually just jump into things like trying a new athletic move, exercise or sport technique without hesitation. Luckily they have not yet become self-conscious and do not bother worrying about how they look even if they don't do it right the first few times. This is a beautiful thing.

I- Intensity! We need to have a fun intensity about what we do and we need an intensity component in our training!

L- Love, hopefully we love what we do, simple as that. I tell all my athletes that I don't care if they are the worst in the world at their chosen sport or activity. If they love to do it, that is as good a reason to continue as any. In fact, I'd rather see someone do a sport that the suck at if they love it rather than listen to people say they just do it because they are good at it....

L- Laugh, in my opinion we need to laugh freely. Most importantly, we need to be able to laugh at ourselves. It is a sign of strength if we can laugh at ourselves. I don't like it when people take themselves too seriously.

S- So long. Find a completion point and say so long to your session. Mission complete, congratulations, be happy with your achievement, time for evaluation when we have completed our training or season. Now it's time to move on and say so long and put our experience in storage bank and build on it for future endeavors.

Hope you enjoy this. It's always great to have SKILLS!

Be good,

Coach Dave

Time of Year

2010-05-22T17:10:00.003-04:00

Holy Cow! Time flies by and before you know it, you have not posted on your blog... Well, what are you gonna do...? Get back at it I guess. It's an exciting time of year. May is a great month. The days are getting longer, outdoor seasons in swimming, triathlon and of course motocross are getting under way. I have a number of triathletes racing tomorrow in what I think is truly a "mid-atlantic classic" triathlon. The Columbia Tri is a great race. Did my first one in like 1989 - which to many athletes I know is so long ago it doesn't register for them. That's ok, after all, it was last century.

I remember the sport when things like lace locks for running shoes were cutting edge. Disc wheels were out there but about 1 in every, what 75 bikes had them. I think back and I love the time when it was more rough edge, with not so many refined gadgets. A good bike, running shoes, of course your Speedo which I always felt comfortable in since my background was swimming. It's just what you were so used to seeing people in.

Sure you always had those people who where 100% into the culture of "being a triathlete" as they were the racing. Now though, just coming back from the expo at Columbia, where I had the opportunity to catch up with some old friends, I just feel a bit at odds when I see those certain athletes who reeeaaaalllly like to be noticed as a triathlete. You know what I mean, that slick racing bike on top of their car, running shoes, sport sunglasses, you can spot them a mile away. Their stand out attire is usually accompanied by multiple stickers on the windows of their car indicating the races they have done, complete with the distances spelled out. If it's not, swim 2.4, bike 112 etc etc, it's 70.3 or something like that. Then the products stickers. They look like support vehicles for a pro stage race. My question is, what are they saying? Do they just want to let people around them know, "hey if my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, I "me" can get myself to civilization no matter what separates me, be it water, a road to bike on or maybe just sub 7 minute per mile foot travel...?" (Actually, I used to love to think about it that way.)

I know, I'm not going to get on people who proudly display the badges of their physical conquests and the products and races they love to use and do. When it all comes down to it, I do love the idea of people getting out there, pushing their limits mentally and physically. I just want for each and every one of them to feel unique in their triathlon pursuit(s) and enjoy the discovery of what they are made of as they embark on every multi-sport challenge. That is the meaning of cool in my opinion. Way cooler than any product or sticker or killer equipment they can purchase.

So, I hope everyone has a great race, safe race and feels like at least at one moment that they are not sure if they can make it, or can maintain their pace, or struggles with maintaining the high output of stroke tempo, wattage output or stride frequency, but then for some reason or another, finds the strength and reaches down deep and comes through for him or herself and finds that personal victory.

Have fun! Coach Dave

H1N1 is No#1

2009-11-27T21:54:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah, I am just getting over swine flu. What a bummer. Just glad that I didn't seem to give it to anyone else... we'll see though. Great trip to Southern California with RacerX Virtual Trainer. Traveled with Tim who runs that show. No, he didn't get it but the minute I came back east I felt it hit. So Cal is always a cool time. We were in Temecula which is ground zero for pretty much all motocross activity. Some cool video of the trip, the athletes, trainers, managers we met with are coming out soon. Hope all of my athletes stay healthy! Coach Dave

Cool Link!

2009-09-03T19:44:00.002-04:00

Well, sometimes I spend time writing here on my blog and sometimes my words get picked up elsewhere...

Please check out my one of my favorite sites for some good words this week.

www.racerxvt.com

Coach Dave

Time...

2009-08-28T16:49:00.003-04:00

Usually when I see some kind of program, book or article, there is often a claim that this works in a finite amount of time. Titles that read something like the following examples, "flat belly in 2 weeks," or "5 weeks to big muscles," or even "5 days to ripped abs." When I see these things they pretty much make me crazy. Publications are filled with pure baloney is my observation.

I feel even crazier and even bad when I hear how someone I know personally starts to believe something that is clearly a misguided thinking. But we can all fall prey to information or claims that support a personal goal or desire that we hold. I hope that this bluntly presented little post can serve as ammo for someone who needs to get that figurative slap in the face. One that helps out a vulnerable sole who has been temporarily confused and actually believes the marketing hype of some "BS" product.

Here is the one thing that we need to remember about fitness as well as developing a body that reflects a high fitness level; time. It takes time to get into shape. It takes time to develop muscle and it takes time combined with energy, discipline and possibly modifying our behavior to loose body fat and get fit. It can be done.

The journey should be as important as the destination. Don't look for short cuts. Look to apply your energy to activities that help you achieve the goal of fitness. These include regular exercise and sound nutritional intake that includes food. Lean meat, vegetables, fruits, whole grains. Be creative, and enjoy variety in your dietary intake and your exercise program. Do them from here on and you'll be far better off than if you look for the quick fix!

Be healthy because you eat healthy and exercise!

Coach Dave

Personality

2009-08-13T08:46:00.002-04:00

Coaching swim practice this morning. It starts out with me giving them the warm up. This morning it was 200 free, 2 x 200 IM kick/swim by 25s and then a 200 pull. Pretty basic. The next step is I hold everyone up and give them a little talk. Maybe this is just announcements for the schedule or a congratulations to my triathletes in the group for the past weekends race or sometimes a bit of my from the heart words of wisdom. It's funny, I have found that many of them actually enjoy a few words - something that provokes some thought.

At 5:59am, not many people are doing anything out of the normal realm of their usual personality. But even when they are half asleep and just beginning to transition from slumber just 30 minutes prior to a full out workout pace in the next hour, the subtle characteristics of their personality show right through.

One of my favorite lines from the movie Pulp Fiction was, "Personality goes a long way." It sure does in my book. It's almost like I can guess what a person will do in practice, during a set or during a course of a season, by what I observe in their personality. I have some totally driven athletes and some very easy going athletes. From either side of the spectrum, I get good work and fast swimming out of all of them. Just because an athlete is easy going doesn't mean they won't be the fastest one in the pool though. On the other side, sometimes the super driven athletes are the ones that we wait for.

All of the different personalities make coaching great fun. Reading your athletes well is a benefit and a key component of coaching success in my opinion. The next challenge though is to get your athletes to comply with what you feel is going to be in their best interest. First they must understand and believe in the plan. And that is very hard for many of them, especially the super driven ones. That drive they some of them have is what makes them succeed but at a certain point it can work against them. It all comes down to personality...

Awareness

2009-08-03T21:49:00.002-04:00

Today's post is about "awareness." The definition of the word awareness starts out "…having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact...." Wow! What a great thing this "awareness" must be. Seems like a great thing in the world if there was a healthy level of awareness about.

On the other hand, I was totally inspired while watching the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong came out of a 3 or 4 year retirement and pretty much wasted most of the 189 greatest riders in the world. Two riders, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck were able to finish ahead of Armstrong. Yet a portion of the public think that Armstrong somehow fell short or didn't do well because he did not win. This is an un-aware perspective. Armstrong was nothing short of phenomenal.

For anyone who has thrown a leg over a bicycle and ridden with a group of riders you would surely understand that this is something, no other way to say it, superhuman. Period.

People once again are being treated to a newfound reality (or new awareness) that the athletic life span goes beyond 25 years old. Considerably farther beyond.

On a grander scale, Lance’s purpose of returning to the Tour included his goal of raising awareness of cancer on a worldwide level. My interpretation of his action was to raise awareness of cancer, what cancer survivors are capable of and to inspire people with the disease to keep doing.

In my opinion the tour, the sport of cycling, bicycle sales and the battle against cancer are all better off because one guy came out of retirement. Lance is on the move and in a global capacity.

So, I give an A+ to Lance for doing this. I don't care if you don't love the guy, he blasted a message out into the world that everyone would do well to be aware of. Awareness at it’s best and in this case very well done. 2010 with his new team, I will find a way to watch, you can bet on that.

In another variation of the two-wheeled sports that I know and love, motocross, I was excited to hear Ryan Dungey, the current leader of the 250 Lites class in AMA Pro Motocross Racing speak about awareness as well. Dungey and Lance share a sponsor and Dungey spoke about meeting Lance at a Nike event. During their conversation Dungey told Lance that he was on board with his support of raising awareness of cancer. It sounded like he was suggesting that he hoped for the people in motocross, racers, staff and fans etc. would be on board too. I hope this is the case. That would be a great thing.

So there it is, an idea, broadcasted through a sporting event and then jumping over to an adjacent sport to make its way through the population.

The idea of raising "awareness" of cancer is a great thing. But again, in my opinion, just getting people to be more aware is a true challenge. Just getting people to stop and think about what they are doing, why they are doing it and even what they have come to think about some really basic things would be a huge achievement.

Coach Dave's official stance on the concept of "awareness." I would like to see more of it. More thought, more positive actions whether it be for your own health and well being or that of others. I would like to see people really consider how they move through life. Further, how they interact with others.

In a more subtle way that people might be more aware. One of my favorite things in life is that simple action in which we can all take part. It really does not take a lot of energy and it can be so rewarding. Given that many humans are social creature and most have the ability to communicate, if we have the use of our vision. We can acknowledge those who come in close proximity with in the form of a smile, a nod maybe even a hello.

I am amazed how many people have no interest in this kind of communicating. Sure, some of us live in densely populated areas and there are simply too many directions we could send our energy off into. However, what is the use in not exchanging a bit of a pleasantry in a simple smile.

Today, tomorrow the next day, from now on, go out, go forth, purposefully proceed and be aware. A population that is more aware of their own surroundings, their own actions will be better capable of being aware of things like cancer and how we can beat it.

In the meantime, we might even end up helping others and contributing more if we work on being more aware. Even if our only contribution is an enlightening smile or nod in a strangers direction.

Awareness for all and all for awareness!

Be it, live it!

Coach Dave

Keep it Simple

2009-07-24T19:56:00.002-04:00

What a great saying, "keep it simple." Life, our lives and the social politics that surround everyone and everything create such complexities that I am convinced we would all be much better off if our main goal was to... keep things simple.

One way to do this is to be ourselves. Say what we mean instead of trying to say what we think someone else might want to hear. Say what we mean and if we find ourselves, ah, how shall I say this, if we are not quite correct or accurate in our words then we should just suck it up and eat our words. Maybe we could say sorry or maybe we could say something to set the record straight. Then, we could move on.

What we say, is hopefully a reflection of what we believe. But I can think of a dozen times when for whatever reason I have heard someone say something that they really don't believe is true. Why do they say these things? Well, often it is out of anger or maybe just in the heat of a debate.

What on earth does all this have to do with athletics? Well everything. For example, I hear people dread about a set in swimming that is offered by a coach or a triathlete who is dreading a long bike ride. The say things like, "do I have to?" Quickly my reply is "absolutely not." You do not have to do this. Here is a great word. Want. I love to hear someone say, I want to do that... whatever "that" is. From desire comes want. My hope today is that all of us have a desire to do something active. And from that we want to get out there and do it!

Go forth all!

Coach Dave

Stuff vs Skill

2009-07-11T22:11:00.003-04:00

So many times I see people, athletes, get too unbalanced in regards to what they think will help them improve at their given sport. It seems get caught believing that the stuff they buy will help them improve more than building their skill and or conditioning.

It certainly gets a little distracting especially when you see sports like swimming start to go in this direction. Swimmers now have new speedy suits that are pretty much like wetsuits that enable swimmers to float better and thus attain greater speeds. These are a sore subject with me - I'm for banning them. But in my other sports, I see and hear people talk about the products with as much emphasis or even instead of talking about the skills and conditioning and improving these areas which is what is really going to make the difference.

True, it is fun to go out and buy all the latest coolest equipment for your sport. In cycling and triathlon you have everything from whole new bikes, to the parts that go on them. Stuff like super light racing wheel sets, new lightweight groupos (components), aerobars, helmets, wetsuits and every other little gadget. I agree that some pieces of equipment are clearly a must while others are honestly a little beyond what we can really use.

Just today, on my way to the motocross track I was talking to a fellow mx rider and he was telling me that I should get a new exhaust system so that I'd have more power. He continued that there are some good engine mods (modifications) that I could have done that would also boost my horsepower... Funny thing is, I'm not close to stretching my bike to the limit yet. My bike is stock. Additionally, I lent my bike to an athlete I coach who is a pro motocross rider Stephen (Stella). I do fitness training with him. His skill level is far beyond mine. I had the pleasant opportunity to see what my bike is capable of and darn it looked good. He was flying over a nice 100 foot table top jump. He was turning the bike like it was on rails. Poetry in motion to see him ride.

What I'm getting at is that athletes who want to improve should put their resources into getting help with improving their own performance. Coaching and technique lessons on a regular basis will far outweigh even the best equipment. I fully support getting good equipment because after all, it's kind of hard to ride without a bike... But once you have the stuff, like a bike for example. Get some coaching. I'll say it again, get some good coaching. Get your technique checked out and work regularly with a good coach. This is going to make the biggest difference in your improvement and your enjoyment out of your sport.

I'm not saying not to buy all that fun new stuff. That can be a great reward for hard work. Also, safety gear is always good to have. Just make sure that you are keeping focused on improving your skills, your techniques and your conditioning first.

Keep improving!

Coach Dave

I Stand Corrected - A Lesson Remembered

2009-07-09T09:29:00.002-04:00

The past two weeks have been absolutely fabulous weather-wise here in Baltimore. This makes it so easy to get out on the bicycle and get some nice miles in. While on one of my favorite routes, at the right time of day with minimal traffic, I felt so relaxed as I rode through one of those almost "to good to be true" moments in time. No cars, beautiful roads, clear good weather, cold water in my water bottles, just ideal conditions. How can it be better?

Don't know what it is, maybe turning the cranks helps my brain turn out some good thoughts but I always have the best idea development while riding. Still, realizing that things can change in a split second, I always urge myself and others not to totally day-dream while riding on the road. But this is not a post on good things gone bad.

It is my recollection of a humorous but potent memory of a lesson that I learned one day at a bike race.

My teammates and I were dressing in our cycling gear, getting ready to warm up for our race which was going to start an hour or so later. At local races, you have all the different categories of racing throughout a day. The original posted timeline for race starts can get totally off track because of races taking longer or crashes for example.

With a vivid memory, I can still hear my teammate asking, "what race is going on now?" I looked up and saw the pack coming around and my reply was, "looks like the juniors out there now." "We still have the girls race next before ours...." Suddenly, as I sat on the ground putting my cycling shoes on, I noticed the wheel of a bike pull in right next to me. A little surprised by the close proximity of the front wheel, which was about 11 inches from my head, the rider of the bike leaned over and asked, in a bit of a biting manner, "what did you call that race?"

My brain scrambled to make sense of what was going on. Then, I realized, it was one of the women racers who, had taken offense to me calling her race the "girls" race. Ouch, what to do?

Well, immediately, I said, kiddingly, "you can call our race the 'boys' race." Well that didn't score any points with this rider. After a short but terse conversation, she rode off and I sat there a little puzzled with myself. My buddies looked at me. We all agreed that she must have had supersonic hearing to catch my words.

A little embarrassed, I quickly came to the conclusion that I agreed with her. Rather than trying to convince myself that she was being overly sensitive about my misguided categorization of she and her fellow athletes. I looked at this situation as a great opportunity to remind myself of the power of words. When we think, we usually think in terms of words. What words we use to describe things, events, people and even ourselves can really determine and influence our world. I enjoy considering the perception and the perspective of those people around me. I'd like to see more of this actually.

So the importance of this lesson is to pick your words carefully. Life is usually better when you feel like you are accurately understood.

In my own athletic pursuits, I want to see what can achieve. And, what I or any of us want to achieve is most likely something that we have never done before. It is a step, or many steps into the unknown. That means we are venturing into the territory of the new and uncharted so to speak. That is often accompanied by a question of whether we can actually attain that goal. We then may not have that same amount of confidence that we usually have. But that is what is what, in my opinion we need to do as often as possible. But, with that, I think it's somewhat easy to get off the track of good self-communication and the positive self-talk cycle that helps to keep pointed towards the achieving any goal.

For the athletes I coach, I can clearly see that I am not the only one who needs to remind himself of keeping on track. It is important as a coach to help athletes through these slips forward progression. It starts with the words we say to ourselves and surely any words that come out of our mouths. When we say things like, "I stink at this..." we create a block from progressing. But when we say things like, "I feel like I'm getting this...." Or even, "that was OK" we avoid holding up our forward progression.

Well, looks like another nice day today! Great day for a ride and more thinking. I hope all of you have the opportunity to do something that is new, exciting and fun. And I hope while you do it, that you will pick the words that you say to yourselves and others that are reflective of a positive direction!

Have fun and say what you mean out there,

Coach Dave

Attitude is Everything

2009-07-06T18:17:00.002-04:00

OK, in talking to about a dozen of my athletes over the past week I keep on coming back to one
recurring theme. We've all heard it but it is so true. Attitude is everything. Now I don't mean the kind
of 'attitude' that some people hold - like their sweat doesn't stink... No, I mean that any athlete or fitness seeker can realize success if they have the right perspective.

Success is a definite motivator. So allowing ourselves to acknowledge our achievements however big or small
is a great exercise. Success is fun and having fun leads to success. As I say, the road to achieving a goal is as important as the goal itself.

One of my favorite clients, a great guy named Billy, who has just achieved a 4th degree in Taekwondo is not only a great martial artist, he is a great person. In a conversation he said something that was music to my ears. His words, I thought were a true window to his sole. He said something to me that was so simple but so essential to success. His statement was, "I like to have a good time." This statement is pure and it is what everyone should say. We do the things we do because we want to have a good time. But wait... not always. I constantly witness people loosing sight of the big picutre. It shows in their attitudes that are characterized sometimes by a bit of drudgery or guilt and are often accompanied by statements like, "...ok, I'm going to drag myself through this...." Or sometimes phrases like, "do I have to do this?"

My vision detects a sort of conflict or possibly, said in a different way, I see mixed signals. Why do we want to tell ourselves anything but that which is consistent with the direction of our goal. Sadly, I think we learn as adults to be adults. Adults can do things. When we can'd do things or when something is not familiar to us many of us tend to shy away from doing it. It could be anything from dancing to skiiing to riding a bike. If we are not proficient, we steer clear of engaging in that particular activity. And especially when we are being watched.

How do we break through this. Billy and I love to discuss new training techniques. He will try any new exercise or fitness move I throw at him in the gym. In another discussion he spoke about how we have to be a child sometimes. If you think this sounds like hogwash, you are exactly the person who needs to be more of a child - at times. Let me clarify what I mean. A child of learning. Instead of assuming that you are supposed to be good at something because you are an adult you need to clear that thought out of your mind. You must assume the mind of the child and try that something. Within reason, we need to forget our chronological age and be a child and get out there and do it. (Disclaimer... if it is an activity that is beyond a certain risk threshold, like freestyle bmx jumping... get some instruction first... I say that with humor...)

So today's post, just be a child at heart and in attitude. Especially if it leads to venturing into the unknown of a new and potentially rewarding experience.

Have fun!

Coach Dave

Back to my client

Getting Tempered with Stephen Stella

2009-06-21T21:06:00.007-04:00

I am really impressed with a young athlete I am working with. This athlete puts in some big miles on the roads on his bicycle but he is not a triathlete or a bicycle racer. He runs and he has put in some brutal sessions with me pushing him hard in the weight room. I even have him training in the pool and having coached national level swimmers, I am very impressed with his natural ability, coordination he has quickly learned good freestyle technique in the pool. One day I will get him into a triathlon.

Who is this athlete and what sport does he do? His name is Stephen Stella and he is a professional motocross racer number 343.

I tell many of my friends who swim competitively, or road race on bicycles or do triathlons and they kid me and say, "you train this guy who races a motorcycle?" The mountain bikers seem to understand. But the others kid me and ask, "what do you do have him move his wrist a couple of times...? Meaning they are under the gross misconception that all a motorcycle racer does is twist the throttle with their right hand. They think, it's gotta be easy, there's a motor on the thing.

If it's worth it, I set them straight and tell them, well there is a motor on these bikes but it's a hard sport. In fact, Personally I ride a bicycle, swim workouts, run and the highest heart rate that I see on my heart rate monitor is when I ride my Yamaha YZ 250F (a motocross motorcycle) at the motocross track. Somewhere around 180 beats which has to be near my max heart rate.

Pro mx racers race for about 35 minutes usually with a heart rate of 180-190 beats per minute. That is redline my people! I love anything with two wheels and love the workout I get from my bikes.

Back to Stephen. This guy is getting tempered the way I like. He is learning a great deal about training and he loves to work hard. So all the ingredients are there for a great season but in pro motocross you need sponsorship to compete. The top racers in the sport have an exponential advantage. Nice schedules where their bikes are built, tuned and maintained. They get a salary from their factory supported team so they don't have to work another job. To boot, they are racing a bike that probably costs anywhere from 40-120K.

My post here sounds all chummy up until now. True we have everything going really well right now with fitness training, a good bike, and a great mechanic. We are batting heads with the sports top racers like I described above, on a bike and budget that is nowhere near theirs.

But here is the push, on our way back from the first Natioanl Pro at High Point Raceway in right outside of my old hometown of Morgantown, WV, Stephen's cell phone rang. It was the owner of the shop that had basically lent him race bikes as a racer sponsorship deal. The shop going out of business. Ugh! That means Stephen is loosing his bikes. No ride! Ugh again.

Loosing your bikes is not a good thing! You can't really hit the starting line with running shoes. Important piece of equipment there. His next race is on the 4th of July weekend at Red Bud in Michigan. Talk about having to hold things together.

The optimist in me sees this as an opportunity. I think, let's go talk to some big sponsors. The realist in me says, we have some serious work to do to land a new sponsor and go compete with the guys at the top. This is definitely going to be a challenge. Amazing, all the right ingredients and no oven to bake them in... so to speak.

Anyone want to sponsor a proven professional motocrosser with a tone of potential?

Keep posted! Coach Dave

PS To see Stephen in ripping some practice laps at the track, check this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKaok-RHF_0

Nutrition for Real

2009-06-21T18:02:00.003-04:00

I was having a nice conversation with an old friend of mine who is a nutritionist. She has worked with people for years who desperately need to alter their nutritional intake. Or should I just say they should start to eat well. Or, said even another way, they need to cut out the junk food. Those empty nutritionally void foods with lots of preservatives, additives, high sodium, high fat foods.

One small comment that she made really had a big impact on me. Her comment was "... when you are up against the big food companies your going to loose...." She was talking about her frustration with getting people to eat a well balanced nutritionally sound diet. It's so easy to succumb to the temptation of buy one get one free ice cream or super convenient foods ready to go easy to eat.

Getting people to eat whole foods instead of highly processed foods is a tough go. So many things that are on the shelves of the grocery store are to put it bluntly garbage. (That is my opinion.) Food companies package their garbage food very nicely and market it heavily to unknowing people who allow themselves to take for granted the fact that they see a food sold in a store so it must be ok.

We spoke further and she commented to me that many people I work with who are athletes are motivated to eat right. I agreed but then thought about a different industry and that is the "nutritional supplement" industry. This is a huge multi-million or maybe billion dollar industry. I'm not against convenience in replenishing lost carbs and protein after a hard workout, but I see some athletes fall prey to the marketing of these products. I will say now that there is absolutely no magic food. No on food or supplement is going to make anyone have a superstar performance. Sorry, that is the truth. The good news is that it's all you if you do have a great performance.

So rather than just ranting about all this, I will just say what I believe. Any time someone asks me about nutrition, I first recommend they talk to a registered dietician or a good nutritionist. Then I tell them about a true eating formula that can do them wonders. Here goes...

Drink water and stay hydrated, eat foods in their, or close to their natural form instead of in a highly processed state. Eat vegetables and fruits. Eat lean meats if you eat meat. Give yourself a day each week to eat anything within reason. Eat something simple, carbs and protein within 20 minutes of finishing your hard workouts. Go for a variety of natural foods in your dietary intake.

Keep it simple and keep it real! Coach Dave

Speed Suits (Swimming)

2009-06-19T16:27:00.002-04:00

I am disappointed in a huge way with the sport of competitive swimming. Swimming is not, and should not be, in my opinion an "equipment" sport. It's an athlete and water. Aside from open water events the distance is set, the course is consistent and up until these darns super swim suits, you could pretty much compare the swims of today with those of years ago.

Sure there have been technical rule changes in the strokes, but that still leaves the athlete to master the technical part and train hard to achieve their goal time. Now, you have super buoyant swim suits that cover the athlete, making a more streamlined figure through the water. Darn, might as well let swimmers get on a surf board and just paddle.

Further, you now have times set in the new suits, from local to world records and it's pretty much aided not by better training or a mental breakthrough but because of some new material, trapped air inside the suit and the floatation properties of the suit. All this translates into, "let's buy some speed." There is a gray zone now. Some records have been set and we'll see if they stick or if they have an asterisk in the record books or if they will just nullify them. What a mess.

Now, you have a sport where the equipment is going to be a $1000 dollar commitment annually because these suits are not only super buoyant but also super expensive. Being in the sport of triathlon since 1986 I have seen a whole explosion of products that give athletes more speed if they are willing to cough up some dollars. Race wheels, 3 grand (yes, $3000 dollars without tires) aerobars for over 400 bucks, where does it end. Well I can except that almost because it a technology sport. The bike is a machine, a wonderful one, but by the nature of it it is outside the athlete which changes the whole dynamic. It is a necessary piece of equipment so it's fair game.

Swimming though, what a beautiful sport we had. Nothing but you, the starting block, 25 or 50 meters of water and it's go time. Now I hear kids say things like, well I was 2 tenths of my national cut but with the suit I think I can be there and make the time standard..." How disappointing to rely on some new tech instead of your own guts, hard work and determination.

I wonder who is getting a big paycheck? My feeling is that the people who make the rules at FINA and USA Swimming might be getting a sweet little stash of cash to create rules that allow the new suits. Disappointing when you take a once pretty pure sport and throw the dynamic of an arguably unfair edge to the competitors whose hunger for improvement becomes clouded by an untrue assist. More on this as we go...

Stay true! Coach Dave

Feedback

2009-06-19T16:10:00.002-04:00

This week was personally gratifying in a big way. With all of the athletes I coach out competing in their respective venues they all resumed training this week and during our training sessions they told me about their races. The common thread was in the feedback my athletes gave me. In my last post on "racing to your potential" I shared something that my athletes hear constantly from me. I call it "Coach Dave's rule of racing." That is, don't evaluate your performance during your competition. This seemed to help many athletes in holding their focus. They have heard it many times from me and some even heard my voice in the back of their head... I got a nice kick out of that.

So, feedback, it's what keeps athletes going and it gives coaches fuel and helps them determine the best training plan for you. The opportunity to interact with a professional coach is going to make you better. The old adage, two heads are better than one definitely applies here.

Well that's the simple message for this afternoon. I hope all of you are getting ready to push through a good event this weekend! Come Monday, get ready to give me your evaluation.

Thank you to all of you for your dedication!

Racing To Your Potential

2009-06-14T19:21:00.003-04:00

Winding down an exciting weekend here in the Mid-Atlantic. I had athletes in a variety of venues. From the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Swim (4.4miles) to the AMA Pro National Motocross race at High Point Raceway outside of Morgantown, WV and finally add in the Eagleman Ironamn 70.3. Busy weekend for all the Training Tempered athletes. I had the opportunity to attend the motocross race with a very talented young racer who I have the pleasure to coach.

In spite of these vastly different venues comprising very different sports, all of the athletes I coach get one lesson in common from me. That is, during your event, I don't want any of my athletes to evaluate how they are doing. Sounds confusing maybe but when I explain further it should make sense.

During any athletic event, I want my athletes to push through their entire event. In some cases they are pushing their bodies to the that edge and if they push too hard, it may mean reduction of pace further into the event. Evaluation comes later, after the event is finished. I want them to focus on what will get them to the finish line. By race day, hopefully their thoughts will not be on a conscious level in regards to their form and technique. Rather they will be almost a feeling that has developed from the joining of mind and body through thoughtful training sessions. So no matter if an athlete is feeling great or lousy, they should maintain their focus on getting the job done. This is the immediate task at hand.

Let's look at some quick examples. Half way into the bike leg of a 70.3 triathlon, an athlete finds herself ahead of the pace that she had anticipated. She leads her usual competitors who are often ahead of her. Then, she starts questioning her performance. She begins to question if her pace is too fast. This means that her focus shifts to evaluating her performance rather than clearing her mind and balancing the delicate line between fast and too fast.

Cut to a swim where from the start of the day, the athlete doesn't feel like it's going to be an "on" day. Sure enough, the gun goes off and the pace for the first few minutes seems to be too stressful. Almost at the point of writing off the race and possibly pulling out of the competition all together, he pushes through, makes it to the first mile and somehow soon he starts to find a smoothness in this stroke and the good race pace begins to flow...

I'm sure you can think of an event that turned out better than expected. Sometimes when you remove all of those thoughts that are connected with evaluating performance and just letting your body and mind do what they are trained to do, your event has a positive outcome.

So lesson from Coach Dave, leave the evaluations until the end of the day and push through your event with a clear mind.

Balance

2008-06-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

Based at CORE Fitness in Timonium, Maryland for Personal Training, I incorporate balance and functional training moves when I train my clients. This can be as simple as standing on one foot while doing an exercise. But the effects are greater as it causes you to engage your core muscles while also providing an increase in the complexity of the exercise through requiring more concentration on balance. You may want to use a lighter weight than usual when doing this type of training. One example of where you can try this is to do a standing shoulder press standing on one foot. (This exercise is also called military press or overhead press.) Once your weights are in starting position at the shoulder height, lift one foot so that you are balanced on one foot for half your reps and then switch feet finishing the set balanced on the other foot.

Benefit from an Inconsistent Practice Schedule!

2008-06-26T15:31:00.001-04:00

If you are like I am you probably have lapses in the consistency of your workouts. Unfortunately (maybe?) over the past 15 years or so, I have gotten into really good shape through a few solid months of consistent swimming only to be followed by a period of weeks out of the water.

Instead of getting down about loosing fitness when I get back on schedule, I like to turn things around and use my lack of fitness to push myself to be as efficient as possible. To me, as a coach and a swimmer, technique is so important but it seems to be ignored by so many swimmers and coaches. Heavy effort and slugging it through the water seems to be all too common at practices. Personally, I have a tough time standing on deck and not saying anything to a swimmer I am coaching if I think there is something they could be doing to improve their technique.

Swimmers need to educate themselves on proper technique. A fine place to start when you think about technique is to look at the movements or patterns of movements that you repeat during the stroke cycle. Ask yourself “am I creating drag from a particular way I am executing a movement?” For example, is my hand entry (where the hand enters the water) in the freestyle stroke entering clean or is my hand crashing into the water creating waves, turbulence and drag? Then ask yourself, “can I refine or alter this movement to create less drag?

There are plenty of areas of concentration in all the swimming strokes where you can exercise a little self-analysis with the goal of correcting flaws and thus becoming more efficient. It is quite possible that as you shift your focus to be aware of the way you are moving, instead of your level of exertion, that the result will be faster swimming. So next time you get in the water, especially if it is after being out for a while, focus your attention on the actual movements of the stroke pattern and how you can adjust or fine tune them to create less drag. Finally, see it also as an exercise in positive thinking as you will be focusing on what you want to make happen. This is way more productive than dwelling on how out of shape you think you are.