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Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Phone: (04) 385 2279

PFC Wellington Newsletter

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Advice on Road Cycling

Category - Recovery

 

Here are some tips I have picked up over the years with looking after my knees for Road cycle racing and abit of Mountain biking I have done recreationally.

  1. Change at least your cleats for each 10.000 km to avoid worn cleats!
  2. Unless you are a very experienced rider, you should make sure that your cleats have "clearance" so that you can wiggle the bike shoe 2-5 degrees to either side without having to click your way out of your clipless pedals.
  3. Change cycling shoes when they are worn! Especially rain, mud in the woods and walking on concrete are things that make your cycling shoes worn, even though they may not be old. Abrasion can also occur in leather and plastic on the upper side of the shoe, shoe locking mechanism or in the sole of the shoe.
  4. Buy cycling shoes with stiff soles. This gives you the most direct line of pedals without loss of energy. Over time a worn and soft shoe sole can make you get used to incorrectly pedal position in relation to your natural foot position.
  5. Set your cleats so they are placed under the ball of the foot, representing the widest point on your foot. Adjust the cleat 1-2 mm further towards the heel if you feel like it.
  6. Also set your cleats after your natural position of your feet. You can see it when you walk on tiles with wet feet eg. in the bathroom. If your left forefoot pointing slightly outward relative to the right, so should the cleat on the left shoe be adjusted accordingly!

Till Next Time

Happy Training

Darren Gordon

 

 

 

By T K Robb

Stretching your muscles after training will not only relieve the lactic acid build up, but it will also help to re-lengthen your muscles that have become shortened while exercising. When stretching, the pressure in the lengthened muscle helps to force the lactic acid out of the muscle and into the blood stream where it will be removed. The returning blood flow after relaxation, further flushes out the muscle. This lengthening of the muscle also 'reminds' the muscles of their true length, preventing that 'siezed up/stiff' feeling the day after heavy exercise.

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Recovery: carbohydrate consumption

Category - Recovery

 

By Te Kawa Robb

Glycogen is the fuel your muscles use during exercise. Consuming a quality form of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of completing exercise will allow optimum replenishment of your depleted glycogen stores. Once past this 30 minute window, metabolic conversion from carbohydrates to glycogen is slowed.

Better yet, have some protein with your carbs to help repair torn muscle fibres. A quality post exercise smoothie/shake will do the trick. Try a fresh berry smoothie with a carb/protein recovery powder. Penny's have a great range of products in store - pop in and ask the team for assistance.

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Recovery nutrition

Category - Recovery

 

By Kevin Nicholson

Ensure that you not only eat a meal with carbohydrates after training but also include some protein as well for muscle recovery. Aim for between 10-15g protein.

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Recovery: Hot / Cold Showers

Category - Recovery

 

By TK Robb

In the event that you can't get access to two bath tubs to do hot/cold soaking after a hard training session or race, hot/cold showers are the next best thing.

Once the water is warm (not hot), let it warm you up for 3 minutes, particularly the lower limbs. Then turn the temperature down to cold for 30 seconds, then turn it back to warm. Make sure you expose the legs to the cold water rather than your body. Repeat this 3 times.

Why does hot/cold recovery treatment work? By shocking the body with cold water, particularly the areas that have built up lactic acid, your body's shock response is to draw blood away from the extremities and towards the core. This helps to flush the lactic acid. Please exercise caution with this method the first few times you do it - you may get light headed if you aren't used to it. Focussing the cold water on your legs more than your body will prevent potential fainting.

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Recovery days

Category - Recovery

 

By Terry Moes

Recovery is just as important as training.  If your legs feel like they need a day off then chances are they probably do.

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