As a cyclist, have you been turned off by indoor cycling classes because they didn’t have anything to do with real cycling? Are you bored to tears riding your trainer at home in the winter or when you’re too busy to ride outside? Wouldn’t you love to be able to take advantage of the motivation, camaraderie and energy of indoor classes to help you stay focused on your training, but you just can’t face the aerobics-on-a-bike type of class? Would you like to know how to maximize your performance and technique in indoor classes? And perhaps most importantly, would you like to ensure that you’re not wasting time with an inefficient workout, but rather burning calories, shedding fat, and getting as much bang for your buck as possible?

I discovered a fantastic resource this week, as an an ex-spinning instructor, I have to say that it is a must-read for anyone who wants to lose maximum fat with indoor cycling, get as fit as possible on a spin bike, and even prepare for a sport-specific event, like a triathlon or a century bike ride. If you’re a spinning instructor, then you simply have not seen the whole picture until you read this book. I was blown away.

Some of the things that world-renowned spinning instructor Jennifer Sage talks about in this book include:

The mechanics of pedaling on a spin bike with a weighted flywheel and the huge implications it has on training techniques, cadence and pedal stroke

Which techniques are applicable to fitness, fat loss, and outdoor riding and which techniques you should sit out, no matter what your spin instructor says

How to select your gear or hill (resistance) and your cadence to best simulate what you do outside, adhering to the rules of “specificity of training”

13 popular movements that all cyclists (and non-cyclists alike) must avoid in indoor cycling classes, and why

How to increase your climbing skills and strength indoors

How to improve your endurance and maximize fat burning and aerobic base

How to change your program throughout the year (periodize) using indoor cycling classes

A comparison of heart rate training zone methodologies and how to choose which one works best for your specific goals

13 drills for indoor cycling classes to optimize your technique

9 high intensity interval profiles to maximize your performance

…and many more tips on how to make the most of indoor cycling classes!

No more drudgery of riding your trainer alone, no more inappropriate techniques that detract from your riding skills.  Here’s to greater fitness and higher performance, both inside and outside! Anybody that is taking an indoor cycling class or spin class, as well as anybody that is teaching an indoor cycling or spin class must read this book.

You can purchase this eBook for just $19.99 and begin improving your performance today while having much more fun and burning more calories by clicking here! Keep it Real has 177 pages with 18 color photos. It was super easy to read, and made me want to go back to teaching spinning - because it can be highly beneficial, but it’s just that only about 1% of instructors actually do it right! Enjoy.

The following is a special message from Ben Greenfield:

Dear Perplexed,

It’s the sad truth, and I can understand your confusion and frustration. Too many fat burning or muscle toning programs are incredibly complicated, require expensive gym memberships, demand hours spent preparing meals in the kitchen, and result in burn-out, mental fatigue, and boredom!

It just shouldn’t have to be that way.

Not only should exercise and nutrition be understandable, achievable, and straight-forward, but it should get results that you can see.

Frankly, if you’re not noticing any changes within 3 weeks, then something might just be wrong.

So is there a solution to your problem? Does a program exist that involves A) no guesswork and B) won’t make smoke come out your ears as you try to interpret the complexity?

Yes! After working for over 9 years as a Spokane personal trainer, helping thousands of people melt away literally tons of fat, and discovering how to transform the body into a lean and athletic fat-burning machine, I’ve collected all the secrets that I’ve learned over the years and packaged them into one complete manual - a book that will change the way you view nutrition and exercise forever. I call it….

Shape21: The Complete 21 Day Lean Body Manual

This guide offers a revolutionary new approach, and here’s why: rather than separate nutrition and exercise into two different programs, I’ve combined a workout plan, grocery shopping list, exercise instruction manual and meal menu that shows you exactly how to exercise and what to eat every single day…

Read the rest of this entry »

Need a quick workout to do on your office break? In this 4 minute video, Ben Greenfield demonstrates how to use an elastic band resistance training tool like The Gymstick for a short and effective workout that boosts the metabolism with no sweat. Simply perform the exercises in the video with minimal rest, and repeat 1-2x if time permits.

Recommend exercises/reps are as follows:

Front Squat to Press - 10-15 reps

Standing Body Rotation - 10-15 reps/side

Triceps Press - 10-15 reps

Rows - 15-20 reps

Sideways Leg Kicks - 10-15 reps/side

Upright Row - 10-15 reps

Good Morning “Bows” - 15-20 reps

Bicep Curl - 10-15 reps

Recently, I’ve been plagued with an injury while preparing to race the Ironman World Championship of triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. The injury is called “IT Band Friction Syndrome” and requires low-impact or non-weight bearing exercise to maintain fitness until the knee is pain-free (alternative, highly non-attractive option is to run through the pain and destroy your knee forever).

We’re talking about creating, non-traditional methods to maintain peak aerobic fitness without causing damage to an injury. Research has shown that non-impact water exercise offers this benefit, and this activity is utilized by quite a few pro triathletes and marathoners. Consequently, at my triathlon training and racing blog (http://bengreenfieldtri.blogspot.com), I have quite a few workout entries that include the term “Aqua Jogging”. So what exactly is aqua jogging (AKA water running)  and how do you do it?

There are two different types of aqua jogging: 1) running in a deep water where you cannot touch bottom of pool; 2) running in shallow water with feet touching bottom of pool.

The first method of aqua jogging is the “non-impact” version that I highly recommend and that I will introduce in this post. The second version is relatively low-impact when compared to running, but can still cause pain in the knees during the initial stages of something like an IT band injury.

Non-impact aqua jogging requires a few different pieces of equipment:

1) Aquatic Shoes. I wear the AQX Aquatic Training shoe (pictured left). With strategically placed vents and fins,these shoes allow you to achieve 2-3x the cardiovascular intensity when compared to simply running in your bare feet. Trust me, I also tried wearing an old pair of running shoes and they were soggy, heavy, and very non-fluid. They actually hurt the knee. These shoes make it so easy to actually get your heart rate up and keep it there, which for me was one of the more frustrating aspects of water jogging before I started wearing them. In bare feet, you have to pump…and pump…and pump the legs at a very high turnover to achieve any type of training effect heart rate. The shoes fix this, and providing resistance, flow impedance, and increased muscular recruitment.

2) Flotation Belt. Some pools actually have these available, typically somewhere near to the pull buoys and kickboards. I personally use the Speedo swim belt (pictured below), which is comfortable and doesn’t leave the little rubbing marks and blisters on my stomach like some of the belts at the pool. A belt is a must, since you must ensure that a part of your torso is above the water or you will spend too much energy attempting to stay afloat.

3. Tunes. In my opinion, audio is a must, since there’s not much to look at while aqua jogging (although I have been tempted to bring all my aqua jogging gear to a local lake on a sunny day…). Here is what I do:

-take a small sandwich ziplock bag

-drop an mp3 player inside the bag

-thread the headphones out the top of the bag

-seal the bag

-then affix the bag to the side of my head with my goggles strap

This homemade solution works pretty well. Another option is an actual underwater mp3 player. The newest one on the market, the Nu Technology 2 GB Waterproof MP3 Player is pretty cool because you can also use it while freestyle swimming, and it doesn’t actually mess with the audio quality like some of the other brands.

I would consider Nu Technology the cadillac of underwater mp3 players. But check out this link for a wide range of other waterproof/underwater mp3 players.

OK, now you’ve got all your gear and you’re ready to aqua jog! Let’s make sure your form is sound - the last thing you want to do is explain to your friends that you pulled a muscle running in the water! The AQX Aquatic Training shoes include a DVD that teaches proper form for regular deep water running, deep water cross-country skiing, and shallow water plyometrics/running drills.

Here’s the basics of proper deep-water running form:

-Lean forward.

-Bring the knees up towards the chest and kick back through full range of motion, exactly as you would when running, but slightly more exaggerated. Imagine you’re running up a steep hill.

-Pump the arms vigorously, but leave the fists closed.

-Avoid a straight up-and-down posture with a piston like up-and-down movement of the legs. This is more like bicycling, and won’t stimulate the running muscles as much as leaning forward and kicking through the range of motion.

-And yes, for those of you wondering, you can jog in a stationary space, but it is more interesting and beneficial to actually move forward, such as down and back in a lap lane.

———————————

Finally, let’s look at a sample workout for aqua jogging. This workout offers multiple benefits - it works on running form, intensity, and muscular strength:

5 minute warm-up (i.e. 3 laps running)

1 HARD exaggerated running effort at max capacity for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back

1 HARD “heel-to-butt” kick effort for 1 length of the pool, then easy jog back

1 HARD “high-knees-running” effort  (knees come all the way up to chest), then jog back

1 HARD “cross-country ski” effort (straight legs, straight arms), then jog back

Repeat these HARD efforts as a circuit, going 2, 3, or 4 times through. Workout time will range from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many circuits you perform. Cool-down jog for 5 minutes.

———————————

And that’s it. The beauty of aqua jogging is that it can be intense, but very forgiving on the body because of it’s non-impact nature. If your form is good, you can perform hard aqua jogging workouts on consecutive days and maintain fitness, VO2 max, and lactate threshold without risk of overtraining or injury.

So get out there and hit the pool for a great winter cross-training workout!

Summer air travel can be the bane of your healthy living quest. While at home, the consistency of your exercise and nutrition habits offers a reliable means of maintaining wellness. But once you hit the runway, everything changes. For a better idea of what I mean, perhaps you should read an article from the Pacific Elite Fitness archives, titled “How To Get Fat When You Fly“.

The purpose of the next few blog posts (appropriately named in a series called “The Healthy Traveler”), is to allow you to follow me, Ben Greenfield, on a six day excursion to and through Poland, where I will be attending my brother’s wedding.

In this first post, we’ll inspect 8 Essential Items in the carry-on bag of The Healthy Traveller. The following items are not necessarily the most ideal, the most useful, or the most practical but they *are* exactly what lies in the carry-on bag beneath my feet as I write this article…

1) Two yams. Quick! You’re rushing out the door and realize you have no food plans for the flight. While microwaving may not be the healthiest option for cooking food, a fast nuke can make for a healthy meal later in the day. 2008 Olympic 100 and 200 meter gold medalist Usain Bolt swears by yams, and I happen to always have a couple around. If I don’t have the chance to bake at 400 for an hour, I microwave for 12-15 minutes and throw into a ziplock bag. For sweet (breakfast), you can down these with a pack of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon from the airport Starbucks. For savory (lunch or dinner), lightly sprinkle with salt, and a small amount of ketchup. A great meal for the airport, packed with dense vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

2) Four Bumblebars. High in good fats from their generous nut and seed content, Bumblebars are my healthy bar of choice, and the Chocolate flavor pairs fantastically with a cup of black coffee. Other good brands include Larabar, Hammerbar and Biobar. When choosing energy bars, look for:

-Primary carb source (at least 3g of fiber or more) from whole grains like brown rice, oats, bran, barley, rye, buckwheat or whole wheat flour.

-Primarily sweetened by natural sugars (preferably 15g or less): dried or fresh fruit, fruit juice, purees (fructose), milk (lactose) or honey.

-Contains lean protein sources such as whey, soy, casein or eggs.

-Monounsaturated fat sources like nuts and seeds, nut butters or flaxseed.

-Limited in ingredients like wheat flakes, rice, white flour, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, dextrose, malitol, malt syrup, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and colors, saturated/trans fats, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil or extra calories from chocolate, caramel, frosting, or icing.

3) An orange. Fruits will give you fiber, more vitamins, and immune-boosting Vitamin C (important in that passenger-crammed airplane space). Try to travel with “peel-fruits” like oranges or grapefruits. Bananas tend to get a bit mushy when thrown around in your luggage.

4) Ziplock bag of Brazil nuts and almonds. Nuts are a good source of both healthy fats, as well as low-glycemic index carbohydrates, offering blood sugar stabilization during that long flight. I’m a very big fan of Brazil nuts, which are high in selenium, a potent anti-oxidant that fights many of the free radicals generated during physical activity and daily metabolism. However, they *are* expensive, so I mix with almonds, another healthy nut. Avoid peanuts, which are higher in toxins and pesticides.

5) Elastic band. Elastic bands are highly portable, very light, and give you access to a variety of exercises that simulate a typical gym workout. In Chicago O’ Hare, I performed this 20 minute circuit three times through, under the stairwell in the B concourse: 20 Push-ups, 20 Reverse Pull-Ups, 20 Elastic Band Overhead Presses, 20 Walking Lunges, 20 Elastic Band Torso Twists, 20 Elastic Band Rows.

6) Actionwipes. I’ve blogged about ‘em before. After I finished my elastic band workout, I had 5 minutes to catch the flight to Dusseldorf, Germany. I had both the Actionwipe spray and the Actionwipe wipes in my carry-on. I made a quick trip to the bathroom on my way to the gate and wiped myself down with the clean, fresh scent of Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oil, natural anti-fungals and anti-septics. Use discount code BGF for a 10% discount.

7) Tube of UHydration. This a new product that is a blend of electrolytes and vitamins. You add it to water, and get the equivalent of something like Vitamin water, except without the nasty chemically artificial sweetener taste and no calories. This stuff is sweetened with Stevia Leaf Extract, and contains Vitamin A, C, B-6, B-12, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Zinc, Sodium, Potassium, and Choline. Tangerine-Ginger is my flavor of choice today.

Wax Ear-Plugs and EyeMask. Deep, rapid-eye-movement sleep is essential to immune-system health and muscle repair and recovery. Inadequate sleep affects insulin sensitivity, appetite control hormones (increased leptin, decreased ghrelin), weight loss hormones (decreased testosterone, increased cortisol) and appetite neurotransmitters (decreased GABA, serotonin, dopamine). Since noise and light are major disruptions to deep REM sleep, you’ll be healthier if you can block these out.

That’s it! Remember, being healthy is about making those tiny extra efforts that ultimately leave you with soaring energy levels and mental clarity, low annual health care costs and peak physical performance.

I’ll teach you more with each post from The Healthy Traveller during this week’s adventures in Poland…

In the recent podcast episode #9, I interviewed US National Swim Coach Jerry White, who spoke about the use of magnets during exercise. He introduced the theory that exposing the body to magnetic fields during exercise can enhance flexibility, improve muscular stability and enhance lactic acid clearance.

It turns out that 41 year old Olympic swim phenom Dara Torres actually utilizes magnets for sports performance! Check out the picture below, where she is wearing a magnetic bracelet. In the youtube video above, you can also see her working out with a magnetic bracelet.

I’ve actually found a source for the bracelets. Click here to check it out.

Also, there is an actual series of wraps that you can wear on your body after exercising, which I’ve started to utilize for recovery. Click here to check them out.

Want to win a free book?

You’re in luck! In exactly 2 weeks, on August 24, at noon, Ben Greenfield will be selecting the top 3 blog comments of the entire 2 weeks and sending the authors a copy of Shape21: The Complete 21 Day Lean Body Manual. Your comments can be questions for Ben, analysis of recipes or articles, or even how you felt after performing the workouts in the Video section on BenGreenfieldFitness.

So what is Shape21? This book includes exact day-by-day instructions with meal plans, recipes, grocery shopping lists, cardio routines, resistance training workouts, and exercise photos. Each day for 3 weeks, you find out how to shed maximum fat and achieve ideal muscular tone. No guesswork involved. Click here for more info on the Shape21 program by Ben Greenfield.

And remember to post a comment on the blog. It’s the only way to win a free copy!

P.S. Ben Greenfield is now posting mini-tips on nutrition and fitness at http://www.twitter.com/bengreenfield. Don’t know much about Twitter? That’s OK. Just go to the page to learn more. It’s the easiest way for you to follow expert advice for free!

Attention triathletes!

I’ve published the race day nutrition clinic to the web, and visitors to BenGreenfieldFitness.com receive a special 10% discount code on this 1 hour video and accompanying powerpoint (normally $9.99).

Just visit http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/RaceDayNutritionClinic and use the following code:

BGF08

Enjoy!

If you read the latest race report at http://bengreenfieldtri.blogspot.com, I mention a device called the Muscletrac, which I’ve been successfully using on the multiple knots and adhesions I develop while swimming, cycling and running.

This is basically a self-massage device with special wheels attached. When rolled across the muscle tissue, the individual articulating wheels allow for targeted penetration and stretching of the muscle tissue and overlying fascia. It has quite a different feel from the similar tool that is more commonly seen - The Stick.

So how does this actually help performance and recovery?

Restrictions such as muscle tightness, knots, trigger points and adhesions can cause pain, decrease range of motion and ultimately lead to injury. By applying pressure and releasing these tight areas, performance and mobility can be improved! I’m a big fan of the Muscletrac, especially since it’s smaller and more portable, for those times when you can’t throw a personal massage therapist in your suitcase. This is useful for not only athletes, but also sedentary individuals who need to enhance blood flow and flexibility.

Prior to my recent triathlon, I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to warm-up or stretch prior to the race. So during the drive to the race, I used the Muscletrac on my legs, shoulders and back to improve range of motion. It worked perfectly. After the race, I used the same strategy to work the inflammation out of the tissue, vastly reducing post-race soreness and enhancing recovery.

Click here to check out the Muscletrac website, which gives detailed instructions for implementing on a wide variety of muscles.

If you listen to the recent podcast that discusses some amazing facts about the link between exercise, fat loss and supplements, I mention two recent studies that identified scientifically proven ingredients in topical creams/lotions that can significantly increase the loss of adipose tissue. In the studies, subjects achieved significant fat loss (1-2mm loss of subcutaneous fat) using the product for a period of 4-12 weeks.

The first ingredient is called “glycyrrhetinic acid”. After a comprehensive search, I could only locate one cream that actually contained this ingredient. It is called TargeX TDS. It can be found by clicking here.

The second ingredient is called “aminophylline”. It can be found in a product called Ab-Solution Plus, which you can find by clicking here and performing a search for the product.

So how do these fat burning creams actually work?

The first method is via an increase in the release of norepinephrine. Unfortunately, when administered orally, norepinephrine can cause tachycardia (high heart rate), high blood pressure, and anxiety. Therefore, a transdermal application such as a skin lotion or cream, would have to be highly targeted to the adipose tissue underlying the area to which it was administered. When applied, the actual activity of the fat-burning enzymes (lipolytic enzymes) would be enhanced.

Another effect is vasodilation, or increased blood flow to a specific area. Enhancing blood flow to areas high in fat can increase the mobilization and disposal of free fatty acids that have been activated by “lipolysis”, the body’s breakdown of fat. Of course, the lipolytic enzymes that allow for lipolysis would need to have been activated for this to work, thus a skin-heating cream would not be effective by itself.

A comprehensive article on this topic can be found by clicking here.

Study 1: Diabetes Obesity Metabolism, July 2007, primary author: Caruso

Study 2: Steroids, July 2005, primary author: Armanini