TriAya's Group: SHUT like dog on steak, sorry! (Page 27)

Erin on swimming head position

99% of everything I've read says--and what I have taught/coach in the water--is look down or just very slightly ahead. Some basic reasons: it keeps a neutral spine => hips/legs more likely to be in line with body => more efficient swivel rotation around your body axis => breathing more likely to be efficient => no neck-ache => less likely to get a hand/foot directly to face in OWS and lose goggles.

There are two reasons I can think of why she would say head up: 1. It was conventional wisdom in swimming for a long time, and is sometimes though rarely still taught in short-distance/competitive swimming; 2. There is something specific about your body mechanics/swim style that when you focus on keeping your head up, you're actually in a more straight-line position with hips & legs in line (I still think it's a long shot, but possible).

I'm not sure what "less draft" means ... less drag?

Edit P.S. -- I am THRILLED you got a fantastic bike ride in! Isn't it wonderful? And also, head position perhaps aside, it's also really good you got a coach that is helping you make progress in the water. 

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (downhill) eeeeeeeeeeeeee yay! Good, good, good. Thank you for reporting back on that.

I love hills--running, biking, swimming (ha, ha) you name it. I'll go dig up my "how to get up hills" thing, too--it's a mental technique, not a physical one.

I am right with you there, Mr. Armstrong! I don't know what or why it is (especially since I am a heavier athlete), but I have some guesses.

And part of it, too, I think--probably for both of us--is sheer joy and sense of adventure. A hill!

I'm a "heavier athlete" too and I also like hills.  I think others running with/near me are shocked that I can do what I do.  Same thing used to happen in high school and college sports--I was super fast but didn't look it, so I could whip those skinny little gals when they weren't expecting it.  It's also great for the derriere and legs!  Plus on downhills when gravity kicks in, watch out!!!!!  Sooooo fun!!!  I am planning my first Oly tri in June that is on a flat course (there's a thread in the clydes/athena sections) but I know training on hills will help a lot.  The hill I live on is currently being covered in snow, while just a couple miles below it is sleeting.  Love it!!!!

Were going to get along just fine. You already know where I'll be after the race, in the beer garden Either way we'll figure out where to meet on that day, there's a thread under the California section and we already have a good group attending.

I'm feeling so much better now. I plan to ease back into it again but the swim will have to wait at least another week.   

Sounds like that race will be fun!!  Wish we had more up here in the NW but the season starts later due to weather.

 It snowed here last night!  Very pretty outside, but I don't have the right shoes to go run in it, so I will be sledding for a while instead.

Yeah I remember living in Maryland from 1997 to 2001 and the winters were great, except for the blizards. Now that I've become serious about training and enjoying our sport I wouldn't give up San Diego for nothing due to the almost year round opportunities.

Yeah, warm is good.  We don't really have blizzards, though.  Just a skiff of snow now and again, and tons of rain.  Don't you miss this---->?

Actually I do miss that but I have Big Bear a few hours away if I really want it.

Why living in San Diego in the winter is perfect:

1. I can ride my quad in the desert one day.

2. I can surf the waves the next day.

3. and be snow skiing on the third day.

Life is good here.

Spinning® Class Tips [the formatting turned out weird, but you'll get it]

Okay, guys. I’m going to go on a rant. I promise not to do this too often, but I went to something that called itself a Spinning class tonight, and when I see a pi$$-poor instructor putting students at risk, it GETS ME STEAMED!

Here’s how to stay safe, happy, and get the most out of indoor cycling.

Before Class

Ø      Call ahead or show up very early to reserve your bike (if in doubt. Most classes are quite popular, especially this time of year).

Ø      Go to class early. Introduce yourself to the instructor. Be sure to specifically mention if you’re a beginner, have special considerations, or recent injuries or illnesses.

Ø      Pick a bike in front. Beginners are least likely to do this, and they’re the ones who need to be closest to the instructor in case they need advice or assistance.

Ø      Bike setup. Ask the instructor for help if you’re fairly new at this.

-         Seat height: This is the most important adjustment. Jack it up just ‘til your hips rock when you pedal. Then put it one notch lower. (Your leg should not be fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke; there should be a slight bend in the knee when the foot is parallel to the floor, when the pedal is down).

-         Seat fore/aft: KOPS (Knee Over Pedal Spindle) when your feet are at 3 and 9 o’clock on the pedals--this isn’t gospel, just a general guideline; the way Spinner® bikes are made, you put more strain on your knees when they are past the spindle.

-         Handlebar height: Start by putting it level with the seat and readjust higher from there, but really, just have ‘em where they are most comfortable.

During Class

-         Go at your own pace. Go at your own pace. Did I say go at your own pace? YOU know where you are at in your training program and fitness, and what your workout plan for the day is.

-         If your instructor remains seated the whole time, find another class/instructor. I don’t trust instructors who do this with the “I’m getting paid to work out” mentality. YOU, the student, and YOUR needs should be the focus, and at the very least once or twice per class, the instructor should be getting off the bike and actually teaching/coaching around the classroom.

-         As a triathlete, you are a road cyclist, not an indoor cycling enthusiast. Do what will most benefit your real cycling skills.

What NOT To Do

The gold standard is: if you wouldn’t do it on a road bike, don’t do it on a Spinner®. Good old-fashioned common sense will tell you the rest. Many of the following are wildly popular in indoor cycling due to unskilled and dull instructors who like endangering their students, and who have to resort to outlandish and downright insane tactics to put on a class (because they don’t know a damned thing about cycling or fitness). I can’t possibly cover the infinite forms of idiocy I’ve seen, but here are the top few.

1. Super-high cadence. On a Spinner®, this is above 110 RPM.

-         It’s useless in training your legs for the road.

-         It’s useless, period—the weight of the flywheel, not the exertion of your legs, is turning the pedals. No fitness benefit.

-         Risk of injury: if clipless, feet easily slip out. In either case, force of flywheel transfers to knee joint—the bike is riding you, not you the bike.

1. Super-low cadence. On a Spinner®, this is below 60 RPM.

-         If you’ve cranked the resistance so high you can’t do 60, there’s too much force on your joints, especially your knees.

1. Up, down, up, down. Also known as jumps, this is lots of rapid getting in and out of the saddle.

-         These are meant to teach good form and smoothness when getting up to pedal and back down, so they have a purpose, and some repeats can be good. However, you don’t pop up and down in the saddle constantly while on the road, and doing a ton of them in a row in class encourages poor form and jerking.

-         Poor form and jerking puts stress on all the joints and increases injury.

-         Encourages erratic pedal strokes and rhythms.

1. Aero position. I realize this might be a really unpopular place to say that, but the truth is that indoor cycling bikes, and Spinner® bikes in particular, are not built for aero. Aero position on a stationary puts a lot of force on the body where it shouldn’t be. It’s like being on a very poorly fit bike.

-         The spine hyperflexes—this puts a lot of tension on the lower back, and this puts leg musculatures in positions where they can’t work optimally.

-         Knee joints are unlikely to track properly (tend to laterally flay in and out).

-         Neck strain.
 

1. Stretching or calisthenics while on the bike. Do I really need to explain why this is a bad idea? Okay, well, I promised no dumb questions, so actually, please ask.

Props. Using anything other than what you’d use on the road is doubly counterproductive—it detracts from actual cycling practice, and is an inefficient way to use whatever the prop is.

Thanks for the tips on the spinning classes!  I've been catching one or two a week all winter and I see that my instructors break a lot of the rules.  Lots of jumps, aero, and they don't help people individually at all, which I have always thought was odd.  All other classes I take have the instructor helping 'newbies' do things the right way. 

Luckily most of the class is just pure riding, not high cadence, but a mix of sprints and hills.  I really enjoy it a lot, as it makes that hour fly by.  I do the classes at Gold's Gym and it is specifically called "RPM Cycling" as it does focus on recovery--every other song is a hard one, followed by a slower, recovery song.  I did notice that when I was riding my bike this weekend, I was sore afterwards, even though I'd been spinning all winter, so I think there's a lot to be said for getting out there in the outdoors to ride when it's possible, as using the balance makes it a fuller workout. 

What do you know about how spinning classes translate to cycling fitness?  I've often wondered how an instructor would do on a real bike.