Monday, December 10, 2012

New Ventures

So I just opened a new bike shop here in good old Myrtle Beach. It's called The Myrtle Beach Bicycle Fix. I'm still coaching and the shop website has much better content on coaching than this old blog! Take a look at it and see if I can help you out!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Fall Promotion

October Coaching Promotion!

This October I am offering discounted coaching packages! 25% off your monthly payment and 25% off the setup fee as well! Sign up for a one year program during the month of October and you can save a minimum of $325.00 per year depending on the plan. Now is the time to get going for peak fitness in 2013! Sign up today!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Saw this today....useful for some people I know...

The Truth About Alcohol and Cycling


By Josephine Allen • Cycling Camp San Diego emailprintSaveSleep Patterns Affected

The low blood glucose levels caused by the alcohol in your body can have a serious effect on sleep patterns too. REM sleep is disturbed and this is the sleep cycle where you consolidate and commit to long-term memory everything that happened during the day.



Dehydration

Antidiuretic hormones which normally prevent too much urine being created are reduced in the body when you drink alcohol, the resulting effect being excess urine production, dehydration... and of course several trips to the bathroom in the night which compound your already disturbed sleep!



Dehydration continues well after alcohol consumption and since as little as a 2-percent decrease in body water weight can have a significant impact on performance this is certainly going affect your Strava time the following day.



More: What Does Your Sweat Taste Like?



Muscle Growth is Affected

Lack of sleep not only turns me into the human equivalent of a caged tiger being poked with a big stick but the double whammy here is that less sleep equals less HGH being produced by the body. What does HGH do? Exactly what the name Human Growth Hormone suggests—builds muscles. Reducing what is naturally produced in the body to build muscle is clearly a performance decreasing strategy.



Cortisol Production Increases

Cortisol (a useful "fight or flight" hormone which increases with stress levels) increases when you drink alcohol. While you may be having a merry old time while you're in the pub, the aftermath on your system can be dramatic. Increased cortisol negatively affects testosterone levels and being in a prolonged and unnecessary state of "I'm ready to flee from an attacking rhinoceros" can't be good for anyone.



Testosterone Production is Reduced

Studies have shown that consuming alcohol leads to a dip in testosterone (i.e. post-riding drinking could really affect that period of muscle growth after a training ride). And don't be fooled by thinking testosterone is only a guy issue. Sadly this isn't the case; girls need it too for muscle development.



Oh dear, this really is kind of depressing isn't it? So, what's the answer? Never letting a drop pass your lips again? Maybe—but remember life's for having fun and sometimes the mood-enhancing benefits of a few drinks with good friends can far outweigh the physical downsides. I'm a great believer in "all things in moderation" and while I can't claim that drinking is going to improve performance most of us aren't competing at a pro level and the odd drink or two isn't going to ruin our lives

Monday, July 23, 2012

Plan now for cyclocross season!

If you are serious about racing cyclocross this fall/ winter and want to maximise your potential, now is the time to start planning! You need to give yourself  4 to 6 months to fully prepare if this is your focus. If you've been training and racing all year then you'll have a good foundation and need less time to prepare. If you want to be a cyclocross specialist and eschew the other disciplines of bicycle racing, time to get going!
Roadies and Mountain Bike racers keep your seasons in mind too. Give yourself six months of training before your A priority events next year. You need to be considering next year around October/ November of this year. A ton of improvement can take place in six months, but you can't make much headway if you only get serious a few weeks or a month out. Planning and preparation is the key to success!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

D. Hall and some of the junior racers he's been coaching this summer at the USAC Mountain Bike National Championships in Sun Valley, ID in July.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Winter Bike League

The Charleston WBL will be starting up again soon. Nov 14th is the 1st ride. This year we will change it up a bit with different loops each week instead of expanding the old loop as the mileage gets added. Get ready for some high quality training this winter. More details to come soon!DH