Gym'll fix it?

As ever I'm restless near the end of another accountancy training term - did I mention that this is my other job? I teach people to pass their accounting exams - I'd not say 'to be accoutants' because they can only be that with practise!

So, I've been looking at ways to increase my PT income and I have 2 new lines under development;

A weekly boxercise circuits class in a local community hall (6 week trial to begin with)
Buying the equipment and client list of a local small leasehold gym

The boxercise class I should have done sooner but life gets in the way - the gym came up a little earlier than I would have expected purely by chance........

I was browsing estate agent sites on the web looking for property to buy or rent to set up a PT studio. I have been informed that the usage type I need to be allowed to do this is difficult to get agreed by the local council (anywhere in the UK). As I mithered about I saw an ad for a gym and of course I had to look!

Now, I'm a free weights and mixed gym girl at heart and the gym I'm looking at is not. But looking at financial projections I think I can make a go of this if I can add more members, some classes at quiet times and also before and after the usual hours, I can even add some PT work for members and non-members for me and others.

It will take some work - I'm not afraid of hard work. However Mr BristolPT (the hubby) is a bit more risk averse and I'm working hard just selling the idea to him! Oh, well - I plan to work there for a day soon to get a real feel for it, wish me luck!

Head for the hills!

A Little blog to help you weekend mountain bikers out there!

Mountain biking – Get fit and get kit!

I went out biking with my hubby at the weekend – due to the harsh wind we decided to head for the protective cover of the woods and mountain biking instead of being blown all over busy highways on our road bikes.

Now I’ve not ridden my mountain bike since a triathlon last year and I’ve not been doing any specific training either! So, this was gonna hurt but at least it helps me to share with you exactly which muscles are needed (via the feedback of a bit of pain and soreness) and to identifies what kit and which little upgrades could help reduce some of the worst excesses when you go out for a ride.

I’m making no mention of the bike here – this is very much down to your riding style, terrain ridden, budget, size, weight, in fact more variables than you might think. For help and advice here contact a local bike shop or two and try before you buy. If you can wait and you can get to Birmingham (new venue in 2011) the Cycle Show in October is a great place to see many manufacturers in place www.cycleshow.co.uk. I’ve also not quoted prices as there are so many choices and suppliers that all but the serious kit options can be found at most price points.

Basic kit

There are 3 MUST have things on my bike kit list (apart from the bike), 4 for the girls, they are;

A helmet – quite frankly you’d be mad to ride without one. Make sure your helmet fits right – it should stay on with just the head strap the chin strap is merely an extra to stop it from flying off if you fly through the air. Make sure it covers your forehead too, I’ve seen lots of skidlids placed jauntily on the back of people’s heads, this will not protect you properly in a crash or fall. It MUST also comply with safety standards – look at the labels.

Cycling shorts – you can spend lots of money on these but you don’t have to. The best alternative for infrequent bikers is probably short liners – they are padded and worn under any trousers or shorts you may already have. A little note about what to wear under them – ahem.......most comfortable if worn commando, i.e. next to skin.

Gloves – It’s going to be bumpy so a pair of gloves will help absorb some of the shock especially a pair with pads or gel inserts. They will also reduce callouses on your hands from gripping the bars and in my case stop my hands getting torn by the trees I push past or hit.

Item 4 for the ladies – wear a good supportive sports bra (level 3 or above), the lumps and bumps on the trail are going to be challenging enough without them causing you more pain and damage.

Good investments

These are not MUSTs but are still good items to have to make your ride a more pleasant experience;

A good saddle – mens and womens saddles should be different as we are a very different shape so make sure you have the right type for you first and if are still suffering from numbness or pain go talk to your cycle shop about sizes and types. However, don’t expect not to have any soreness unless you ride very frequently.

Better handle bar grips – these can absorb some of the trail vibrations and reduce that juddering feeling.

Stiff soled shoes – Although cycling shoes and clipless pedals would be the best thing to cycle in the next best is to make sure that your shoes do not allow your toes to flex. If you wear soft soled trainers you toes can bend down around your pedals leading to cramp, numbness and pain. Adventure racing shoes can be also great choice as these can also be used for walking and running.

Bigger volume tyres – (e.g. upgrade 1.9 to 2.1) will be higher and wider to spread the shock and weight and if ridden a little below full pressure, a little trial and error here may be needed based your wheels and the feel of your ride. Too little pressure will result in a pinch flat or a deformed wheel. Tyres can make a surprisingly large difference to your riding enjoyment.

Serious kit

If you’re planning on serious mountain biking and riding a lot or doing some really technical courses you might also need;

Carbon fibre handle bars – again these will absorb the shock but are very expense and need care when fitting.

Protective padding/guards – available for shins, knees, elbows, back, anywhere that you might damage in a serious fall in fact.

Simple adjustments

Riding position and wrist position if wrong can ruin an otherwise good ride, make sure your bike is set up for your leg length and height to begin with and that your wrists are not at an angle when reaching for the brakes.

After riding for a while you can try adjusting saddle height, handle bar height, distance of saddle from handlebars to suit your exact requirements and moving break levers for easier access.

Having got you bike and yourself all kitted out and set up to your liking it’s now off to the woods/hills/mountains/trails. You’re going to use a lot of muscles, here are some of the main ones and some ideas or how to get them ready for the ride;

Core – it may sounds strange to you that I’m starting here but without good core you can’t even sit on the bike. Luckily though few of us are so bad that we can’t at least sit and pedal. However, on the trails steering is less about the handlebars and more about core ability and body position.

My key core exercises would be BICYLE (of course!) opposite knee to elbow, ensuring a big twist a the waist and the straight leg to be as low and parallel to the floor. FROGGIES (or V-crunches) with arms out to the sides. CAT STRETCH to ensure the spine is also flexible and strong. PLANK could also be used to simulate periods of static body position on downhill sections

For the arms and upper body I recommend PRESS-UPS, these can be full or half press-ups, preferably at your own handlebar width, TRICEP PRESS with a dumbbell, LAT PULL DOWNS to engage shoulders and use upper back.

Last but by no means least you also need to use your legs – a lot! After my session my quads were burning so I will be doing plenty of SQUATS with dumbbells and also some static WALL SQUATS. I won’t be leaving out my calves either with some DROPS and RAISES on the stairs at home to stretch and strengthen these muscles.