Ready Set Go!

I am not going to recommend things like equipment, training, race, etc. to anybody unless I’ve been there, used it, and liked it. The following is something that has benefited me. By the way, I have no business connection with the author or anybody associated with him:

I’ve been using part of the Ready Set Go! program the past two years and intend to use more this year. One of the key parts is the “Sprint 8″. Does the “sprint” part of the title sound familiar? I think it has been significant in helping me to develop speed for racing. Besides speed, the side-effects are numerous and healthful, through the release of natural human growth hormone (HGH) during the anaerobic exercises. A great thing about the program is that it can easily be adapted for people at any fitness level – even beginners who are carrying some extra body weight.

I think there must be some people who have wondered how as a racer I got faster from one year to the next even though I was from the U.S., with little scooter race experience, lacking scooter coaching, and usually I was one of the oldest competitors. There are probably several factors of course, including: improved kicking techniques, increasing experience, better training, improved equipment, and enthusiasm and support. I would stress that to be competing at high levels, all these things have to come together. Other factors for me also include staying healthy and uninjured.

This is how it affected me: Using Sprint 8s has been and continue to be an important part of my on-scooter training as well as my cross-training on a stationary bike. The Sprint 8s have been key for me when preparing for the European Scooter Championships in 2007, the U.S. records I set that year, and my results from the World Championships in 2008. I was surprised – using them had improved my speed and endurance speed compared to the fitness level I had at the Worlds in 2006 when I won my first veterans championships.

It’s possible for more improvements yet, I think, even as I’m nearing 60 years old. My best recommendation for others would be to keep searching for things that work for you. This is one of the workouts that makes a big difference for me and I have a lot of enthusiasm for it. Who knows what any of us are capable of until we try something new to improve. This also seems to be consistent with any of us trying a footbike for the first time!

http://www.readysetgofitness.com/

http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200604/high-intensity-training-1.html

http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200604/high-intensity-training-2.htm

One evening a couple of weeks ago I went to a demo of workout equipment (treadmill, elliptical trainer, recumbent and upright bikes) that feature the Sprint 8 training protocol. The author of the book, Phil Campbell, was gracious and knowledgeable. He presented the program and led us through a Sprint 8 on the equipment. I was on one of the upright bikes and sprinted myself into an anaerobic haze.

As it turns out, maybe I did the workout a little too intensely! I always do the Sprint 8s at full blast on the scooter and I was used to riding an occasional spinning class, going extremely hard on every sprint. Apparently, the Sprint 8s are supposed to be done a little bit differently than how I’ve been doing them. I’ve learned how to increase the intensity through the workout so that one can withstand doing these sprint workout every other day.

This workout can also be worked into other training and fitness schedules if you would want. As usual for athletes and coaches, the combinations of training and how they relate to fitness are both science and art form.

So at the end of the demo evening, I completed a total of 7 all-out sprints. I chose to stop at seven before I went too deep and I couldn’t walk out the door under my own power. Now it’s time for me to finish reading the book, then re-think and adjust how I do some of the workouts. Also as a general rule, it’s good to start out with the Sprint 4 version when starting a new cycle of sprints during the training calendar. This makes sense for beginners and experienced exercisers.

I hope using this information will help you to improve your fitness, health, and scooter experience.

SPARKy and the footbike

(illustration from National Geographic)

It’s interesting and fun to me to see connections in the world that relate to footbiking. For instance, in gradually learning how to kick a footbike more efficently, I’ve paid (layman’s) attention to developments in physiology and kinesiology. The article below is very interesting both from a prosthesis standpoint and footbiking. I hope you find it worthwhile too. For me it’s also seeing how being in more of a sprinter’s position (taking advantage of regenerative kinetics) on the footbike can create more power:

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x“SPARKy Devices Helps Amputees Return to Normal Lives

ScienceDaily (Dec. 23, 2009) — Arizona State University researchers have developed a prosthetic device that literally puts the spring back into an amputee’s step. The ASU scientists have developed and refined SPARKy (for spring ankle with regenerative kinetics) into a smart, active and energy storing below-the-knee (transbitial) prosthesis…

The device is featured in the January 2010 National Geographic magazine in an article called Merging Man with Machine, the Bionic Age.” (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/bionics/bionics-animation)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222122027.htm

Ikea Scooter/Bike Rack Hack

Rack'em Up

After wondering how the heck I could fit some scooter and bike storage into my new (small) apartment, here’s what I made. It seemed easiest to hang the scooter by the wheels, so the rack design became a post and lintel style with hooks. And the bikes just had to go along for the ride hook (they cooperated).

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(Click on images to enlarge.)

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The handy Stoleman brackets

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The posts and bracket hardware are from the “Stoleman” system of shelving sold by Ikea. The lintel is a 2″ x 4″ x 36″ piece of pine lumber with vinyl covered utility hooks from the hardware store. This design can work with short ceilings like mine at 7′8″ as well as tall ceilings over 9′. The Stoleman posts are very adaptable and worked well with the wood after I shaped the ends to match the hardware.

If you try building something like this, I recommend fastening the ends of the posts into the ceiling with screws. Otherwise you would risk having the whole thing loosening up and falling over. Maybe in the middle of a cold winter night. Maybe while you sleep and dream of scooters. It could happen.

Snow Time to Scoot

Earlier today, I came in from a kick and felt pretty darn slow (PDS). Somebody had apparently let the air out of my tires even though they still appeared to be pumped up.

It wasn’t extremely cold (34°F), the wind was about 10 mph, and there were patches of ice and snow in the street. I was warm enough but since I hadn’t been scooting consistently lately due to snow-on-the-ground and the busy holidays, it was a noticeable effort. In situations like this, it feels like the footbike is telling me to slow down.

It’s not so bad though when you stop to think that you get to be outside and notice all the seasonal changes: like getting to see the luxury houses that were formerly hidden in the trees; in another yard, the sadly deflated Santa Claus and Snowman laying flat on the ground among the tangle of lights and electrical wires that somebody is going to have to pack away soon; and across a small rushing creek, several narrow wooden snow-covered foot bridges, that in warmer weather lead their owners to their remotely located garden sheds.

It’s good to notice things again.

And then to understand that the air in my tires will warm up again in a few weeks, my legs will regain life, and then I’ll have the opportunity to notice the changes of spring –on my footbike.

The Incredible Lightness of Sprinting

After recent comments by Joe Jung and new-to-the-blog Kevin from Boulder, here are some thoughts on scooter equipment and sprinting:

The basic preparing-a-racing-scooter tip:

It’s alright to make the scooter lighter weight of course but the most effective equipment-related things to focus on are rolling resistance and aerodynamics. As I recommend to all kickers though, whether you’re focusing on racing, touring, or cloud-gazing (http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/), the most benefit you would get would to be sure that you develop good overall technique as well as adaptable variations of technique. A lighter weight scooter does have a very slight advantage on a hilly course, but just like with a racing bicycle, having lighter weight equipment will not win a sprint distance event for you.

The exception in this is if the differences in weight between two scooters is let’s say, 15 pounds, then the lighter weight one does have an advantage. If the difference is 15 ounces, or 15 grams, then the advantage might only be psychological. Even considering this, I like the light weight of the Footbike Track –might partly be because I can lift it into the back of my car much easier…

The Upside of Sprinting (and short distances):

As far as records go, there are several short sprint distances to race. Sometimes a 600 meter sprint is used but it is not a specific international standard distance. It just happens to be a convenient short-ish distance that was used in 2008 for the World Championships and some other events. The actual measured sprint distance at the international races seem to be mostly determined by what short distance venue is available.

Since the organized (sort of) sport is so new in the U.S., we certainly could do the 1000 as well as shorter distances like the Dutch use for their national sprint championships. I believe they use, 200, 500, and 1000 meter timed distances, and then a criterium of about 10 kilometers. All these distances are then scored and an overall sprint champion (in each age/gender category) is awarded – much like an omnium is organized for track cycling.

Personally, in the U.S. I’ve used 1k, 8k, and 5-mile distances as benchmarks for my fitness and race-readiness. The 8k is an odd length but it has historical significance from the first official race being held in Colorado in 1999. Coincidentally, it’s also very close to being 5 miles.

I like sprinting —and training for sprint distances has been an excellent way for me to be able to get up to speed for any of the distances I’ve raced. Also it has the added benefits of secretly increasing my fitness and hopefully my health. I hardly noticed I was getting older (well, at least while on a footbike) because I was getting faster.

In physiological studies done in recent years, it’s been found that most people of any age can increase their fitness through effective training –and that includes resistance training, like weights and sprinting. Sprint training can even apply to people over 90 years old if they are ready for it. So, my main training goal is to be able to be fit and compete in the over 90 category at the 2042 World Footbike Championships in Indianapolis.

If you’re ready to kick it, it’s waiting for you. Try a sprint once in a while – it adds a little more kick to your normal scoot.

Happy Kickdays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is having nice holidays.

Thanks very much for reading and your great comments. I’m pleased that things have been well-received here so far. It’s been fun and I’m looking forward to more.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year – may you get a kick out of every day in 2010!

Best Wishes,
Gary

We are Concentric and Eccentric

This is one of my favorite topics for discussion on training and fitness: concentric and eccentric muscle contractions. I personally have had plenty of sore or injured hamstrings through (stupidity) the years and it’s good to know that they are most likely caused by eccentric muscle contractions. Knowing that, then one can train the muscles better for coping with certain kinds of movements.

The GREAT news: just by being out on a footbike at any speed, even just around the neighborhood, our muscles are performing both concentric and eccentric functions.

Not only are these actions taking place in our legs but also in our arms and shoulders. All of this would seem to be a fitness improvement over both running and cycling. The dual use of muscle is one of the main reasons why footbiking is such a beneficial fitness activity.

. . . .

I’m both quoting and paraphrasing from Dr. Yesis, whose articles I’ve been reading lately:

http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com

http://www.dryessis.com/wp/

By Michael Yessis, Ph.D.

Concentric strength
Concentric strength is the most common type of strength displayed in a gym. With concentric strength, the muscle fibers and tendons shorten during contraction.

Eccentric strength
With eccentric strength, the muscle lengthens during its contraction. As the muscle lengthens, it develops tension that, when it becomes great enough, stops the movement. With gravity acting through body weight to pull you downward, the eccentric contraction controls and stops the (lunge) movement at the end of the range of motion. The eccentric contraction, which can be 50 percent stronger than the concentric, is mainly a guiding and stopping contraction. Also, when weight is raised in a concentric contraction, the antagonist muscles contract eccentrically to control the movement and to provide greater joint stability.

The eccentric contraction is also the key to preparing a muscle for an explosive concentric contraction. And, eccentric strength plays a role in all dynamic movements, especially maximal resistance and speed movements.

. . .

To improve eccentric contractions in my legs, these are what lunge exercises I ideally could do:

* Yoga: warrior pose
* Stationary lunges
* Walking lunges
* Side lunges
* Alternating lunges (jump/switch lunges)

Warning: At the top end of risk are the jump/switches. These are high impact. You can easily get hurt so basically don’t do them if you aren’t experienced with high-level training.

I sometimes do more than one type of lunge during a short workout but I tend to go for the warrior pose, mostly. I use the warrior pose because it seems to have the lowest risk of injury or soreness. For me, the risk is likely due to my age and therefore I’m especially reluctant to hobble around from overdoing it. Sometimes I add a little weight to any of them if I’m feeling frisky. I’m usually conservative as to what I do for off-scooter fitness.

Great things to keep in mind:
1.) Just like in footbiking, make sure your physical condition is good before you start.
2.) As in most sports, doing fitness and conditioning exercises away from your primary sport will allow you to be in better overall fitness, have your body better prepared for your specific sport, and allow you to enjoy your sport (footbiking) even more.
3.) You hardly have to do ANY of the exercises to get benefits. Even small amounts help like you wouldn’t believe.
4.) Find a way to have fun doing the exercises, even though it’s probably not going to seem as fun as footbiking.

Here’s to you finding fitness bliss this season!

Thank you and keep it kicking.

. . . .

And hopefully this would be obvious:

Disclaimer and Warning: I am not an exercise professional so check into this information on your own first before doing any of this. The exercises need to be performed properly and gradually so get that information elsewhere, first. Of course if there is any question about your heart withstanding these activities, don’t do the activities.

Attack of the Handlebars

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Photo: Handlebars, December 2009

(This is 3rd in a series of Endless Images of Handlebars.)

(This is not over yet–sorry.)

This is:

A.) Trying to copy Pete Hummers’ handlebars but not quite getting it right.

B.) Results of stealing wind tunnel data from an F-1 racing car front wing.

C.) Going Medieval after watching Monty Python’s Holy Grail too many times.

D.) Defending my title against Jeff “Moses” Okie (FBUSA) aka “Spartacus” at the coliseum in Rome next year.

E.) Bolting on a pair of loaner handlebars from Chris Cox after he had “modified” them during the downhill at the Utah Valley Marathon. (He’s an animal — I mean “Cannibal”.)

F.) Using Ergon grips, not as intended or recommended – but amazingly improving the situation no matter what position they’re in.

G.) Searching for relief from tired, old, injured and irritated nerves in webbing between thumb and forefinger.

H.) All the above.

I.) Most of the above.

J.) A couple of the above, some of the time.

Just put it in my basket.

Adding flower power to my kick

I ordered handlebars from amazon recently and they sent a basket instead. I mentioned that briefly to them in an email. They apologized and then sent the handlebars even though I already had the basket. I’m thinking about ordering a basket next time and seeing what they send me.

Drafting in Scooterland

To more directly answer a recent question from Pete Hummers–yes, there is such a thing as scooter drafting. There’s a lot more to it of course.

For those who don’t know, drafting is following another person really close like in bike riding or racing. It allows the following person to do less work because they are in the wind slipstream of the lead person. The sheltering is most effective the closer the following person gets to lead’s rear wheel. It’s sometimes referred to “sitting on a wheel” (to draft) or even “wheel-sucking” in a more derogatory term, if the person behind never shares some of the harder effort at the front.

I wasn’t sure there was much benefit to drafting either until I kicked for the first time with another person.

Bob Dymond and I first kicked together at the Pedal-with-Pete charity bike ride in Columbus, Ohio in 2005. It was also the first time either of us had seen another adult on a scooter. We had about a 96° day with about 10-12 mph of wind and the drafting we tried out still helped when we went upwind. So basically there’s even a little bit of help from it when you’re going touring speeds, especially if there’s some headwind. The faster the road speed though, the more benefit there is.

Drafting a scooter is more difficult than drafting on bikes. There are three main reasons: 1.) The rearward kick of the person in front and the obvious consequence of the follower being kicked 2.) The surging road speed of the footbike, because the kicks are intermittently applied power 3.) There just isn’t as much slipstream produced by a scooter.

During the races, drafting varies widely. Sometimes the packs are kind of mob-like and unorganized and sometimes they function similar to a team time trial, again like in bike racing. Usually there is some collaboration and camaraderie among kickers even on different teams, to maintain speed and sometimes just to help finish the race. Still occasionally there’s a difficult situation. One racer may sit on a wheel for a whole marathon, declining to do any work at the front, and then at the end of the race, try to sprint past the people who had done all the work. It’s very tactical at times.

Another interesting factor is the kicking back motion, unique to footbikes. One would think that there would only be danger for the kicker who is drafting behind. Although there is a danger of a front wheel or body part being kicked, there is also a danger of the following person to ride up on the foot of the lead person. The latter situation is very likely to cause a foot injury to the person in front, depending on how the front wheel hits the foot. It’s considered an accidental incident, although unfortunately I suppose it could be used tactically.

As Bob and I later did the 8k and 5-mile record attempts in Max, Indiana together, I would try to get in step with the kicks to match Bob. This is similar to what cross country skiers and speedskaters (ice or inlines) do. It was cool because I could get within about 12 inches of Bob’s rear wheel to get maximum drafting benefits. Unfortunately, it didn’t really last more than a few seconds at a time though because I would soon get out of step with him. It’s very difficult to match up—due to experience, leg length, fitness, and kick style differences.

As for drafting a bike on a scooter, go for it! (It’s best to have the cyclist’s agreement, if you’re really being polite.) It’s a tremendous feeling because the bike plus the rider punch a comparatively large hole in the wind and the speed is generally smoother and more consistent, compared to another scooter ahead. Personally, I enjoy chasing bikes–it’s entertaining fun and it’s good training.

I hope that starts to explain drafting as applied to footbikes but if anyone has additional questions, please ask.

Thanks for asking, thanks for reading, and thank you for drafting.