Need For Speed

First of four days off. Did a chest and back workout this morning. Mostly back, want a greater spread on the back. So I’m going to work it a lot harder.

When for a speed blade this afternoon. Been raining the last several days. Which worked in my favor for once. The down time was like a reboot. Now that I’m skating again it all the new technique.

I’m still really stoked about this new skating style. The physics of the moves show great potential for a lot of power. I am already thinking about buying softer wheels. I have felt may skates lose traction on several occassions. Softer wheels should cure that problem, and create another one. Use up way more wheels $$$$.

Time trial tomorrow morning. Although I’m a ways away from mastering this new style. I am sure I will be able to post a very decent time.

Tomorrow will be the first day of the rest of my life. So I plan on kick it off with a stellar preformance on the track tomorrow. Everything is in working order, zero discomforts.

I am hoping to push the limit to the point of straining these new muscles. Once I have have the muscles stressed enough. I should be able to run through a multitude of leg exercises. To determine which exercises will be needed to build up these weaker muscles. There by preventing future injuries and increaseing my overall speed. It’s a win, win situation for me.

Sounds like a solid plan streamline! Anxious to hear how these latest time trials go for you.

Couldn’t time trial yesterday. There was a cycle race taking place. Did the circuit instead and had a great skate.

Played predator for just over two hours. I stalk the trial waiting and searching for cyclists. Perfecting my style until it is time to pounce. I’m slowly becoming a master at this game.

Have a couple of committments this morning so I can’t do my time trial again. Not a problem I will instead enjoy a couple more hours of stalking cyclists. Hope to hit the gym as well but I’ll have to see about that. It’s a holiday so the gym closes early.

Just because I can!

You have a great training attitude.Every time I look over your thread its kickass.

Stream, you have a very unique sport that you are training for. What exercises do you focus on to help you with skating? If you could, give us a brief summary of the muscles that you focus on and the exercises that you use.

thanks

[quote]mday wrote:
Stream, you have a very unique sport that you are training for. What exercises do you focus on to help you with skating? If you could, give us a brief summary of the muscles that you focus on and the exercises that you use.

thanks[/quote]

Like any sport. Once you achieve a certian level of skill and physical abilities. The sport demands full body training to pervent correlative injuries. Although the legs are the primary source of power, the entire body is required to propell higher speeds.

Being into body building makes the full body workout a given. I do a lot of core exercises that require core rotation. Skating form is stressful on the lower back, so abs are a workout on there own.

I used to restrict my legs strengthening exercises to the machines. This was basically to prevent back injuries and allow for intense endurance exercises. The advice I have recieved on this forum and other areas on this site. Have taken me back to free weight leg workouts.

Front squats
Back squats
Romanian dead lifts

Front lunges w/ db
Side lunges w/db
Back lunges w/ db
Wall squats

Leg press machine w/ moving seat
single leg kick offs, alternating
endurance presses 50+

Leg extensions and curls

Calf raises, seated and standing

Balance board
Vertical jumps
Plus a multitude of other leg power and explosive exercises to keep it fresh. Using and trying all forms off exercises

Most important however, is skating. I have taken my speed to another level. Although I have not time trialed to determine my speed. I have noticed a greater degree of difficulty maintaining a solid form and balance at some critical moments. My form is more easily distrupted by small obsticales and imperfection in the trail.

This new skating style demands greater exersion. As I push my lead skate forward it demands that the back skate be pushed harder to assist the forward momentum. I feel the increase in speed as soon as I start to skate. On the slight downward grades I am hitting speeds that have once again put the fear and exileration back into my workouts.

I am at my best when I do this. My level of concentration is at it’s peek. My senses are on high ferquency and my reflexs are as sharp as an knife. I see and analyze everything infront of me. I skate with a purpose and I’m always prepared for the unexpected.

Great explanation of a very unique sport.

You mentioned a lot of lower body and core work to prepare you for skating. Do you work with dynamic type lifting to get the CNS to operate at peak efficiency (especially lower body stuff)?

One of the things that has amazed me about olympic lifters and powerlifters is how efficient they are. A lot of this work is done with dynamic type lifts.

Living life on the edge. A near “you’re fucked” moment.

Scenerio, a section of the trail that crosses six side streets. The trail has the right of way (which means shit when up against a ton of steel). Doing 35+ kph, (I have no brakes, safety reasons). An SUV runs the stop sign.

I’m less than three seconds away from a world of hurt. I yell out “HEY!!”, he locks it up dead center in the cross walk. There are three metal poles on both sides of the road to prevent vehicle access to the trail.

I don’t even attempt to slow. As I scream through the 3 1/2 foot opening and bank to the right with everything I have. I have five-six feet of asphalt dead ahead. This requires a second hard bank to the left. I was less than six inches from his bumper There directly in front of me is a rough enterance to a parking lot and safety.

That is the third major near miss in two weeks. Life is exilerating and I love pushing it to the edge. There is zero margin for error in this game. The moment one forgets that, it will be all over. This is the reason we train for hours and hours. The difference between living and dieing is training and more training!

[quote]mday wrote:
Great explanation of a very unique sport.

You mentioned a lot of lower body and core work to prepare you for skating. Do you work with dynamic type lifting to get the CNS to operate at peak efficiency (especially lower body stuff)?

One of the things that has amazed me about olympic lifters and powerlifters is how efficient they are. A lot of this work is done with dynamic type lifts.[/quote]

I used to do some olympic lifting in my late twenties. I found it difficult to find workout partners. So I never got into it in a serious way.

I find doing db exercises on buso balls. To be a great benefit for stability and coordination. Vertical jumps are amazing for for that explosive power. I’m thinking of adding ankle weights this winter. But I do plan on trying some of the power lifts as well this wnter.

I am also pushing 50. ( Next February)

My advice to up your endurance…

Buy a motocross bike, and run 30 laps on a closed course/track while trying to keep up with riders 1/3 your age.

Has worked wonders for me.

Another good piece of advice …
Don’t Crash !

It hurts a hell of a lot more at this age.

Time Trial #6 August 10, 2008

University of Victoria

Wind calm
30 km 1:03:23

Still not happy. Did a heavy arm workout yesterday. I could really feel the stress from it in my lower back. So I wasn’t skating up to par.

We are with in reaching distance of thirty kmh. The six weeks I lost in the early spring have got me behind schedule. I will keep pushing in hopes of a great fall.

Next week is another time trial. Every week brings the opportunity to better myself. This is the best way to challenge yourself. To find out what you have inside and how to get it out. To learn how to trick your mind into over coming mental and physical hurdles.

Next week brings me one step closer to the top of the world!

Woaaa…scary story Streamline, be safe. Awsome training as usual.

Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better. I had to work like hell. My lungs were on fire. The burning sensation in my legs was, noticable. The reward. A perfect set of glutes.

She knew it. Didn’t appreciate my interest. Equals one hell of a workout. She tried to shake me. She obviously didn’t realize the depth of my devotion. If such an event awaited me everyday. Life would be bliss and I’d be in awesome condition.

This is one reason to get up everyday and train. The beauty of nature is just around the next bend.

Thrill of the hunt.

Fate does sometimes reward us for our efforts…

Some people really do deserve what they get. When I skate I will draft behind serious cyclists. I will then determine their usefulness. Catch my breath and pass or stick to them and practice high speed control.

Some people are intimidated have someone in their draft and will usually (if they can, take off or fall back) indicate it. Today I came out of an intersection, from a red light. Caught up to the cyclist in front of me in less than a minute. I just got in her draft (and I mean just). Then she turns and in a very hostile vioce and starts yelling at me for drafting her.

Not the tone of voice you want to use with me. I basically told her to go fuck herself. If she didn’t like the situation she was welcome to do something about it.

She tried and failed. Then I blew the gears right of the bitch and because I can be an asshole, I gave her both fingers and showed her how great it is to be a male! Humble pie has been served, in style!

Back to the drawing board. Went out for my time trial today. I decided to start with a pace that would give me 30kph. I held the pace for ten km. It was all down hill from there. The up grades are killing my time. The harder I push to get up them the more drained I am for the down grade.

It’s back to the gym to work out a leg routine that will bring this mile stone to a conclusion. I have six to eight weeks of good conditions and then it’s day by day.

I am going to break this mile stone this year. If I have to bleed to do it, so be it. There is no possible way I can go into the next season without this distance behind me. Basically it time to step up and get the fuck’in job done.

August 18/08 Leg Workout

Squat machine

1 X 230 X 8
1 X 320 X 8
1 X 410 X 8
3 X 500 X 8

Straight leg deadlift

1 X 135 X 8
1 X 225 X 8
2 X 275 X 4

Seated push off

1 X 135 X 8 each leg
1 X 150 X 8
1 X 165 X 8

Seated endurance leg press

2 X 300 X 50

Lunges

2 X 12 X 30 lb db’s
4 X 12 X 40 lb db’s

Felt pretty good. I’m going to push hard. Instead of waiting for fall I will start my winter training now. I’ll keep it simple for now. As the skating season come to an end, I will increase my leg workouts. Lets see where this will take us.

Good leg workout, couldn’t get on the seat leg press so no kick offs or endurance presses. Everything else was solid. I need some straps for the dead lift and to start front squats.

The weight was right on, so I start my steady climb up the weight chain. Train season has started. Still looking forward to lots of skating. Even with the lose of six weeks in the early spring I still believe I can make goal.

I wasn’t planning to hit the gym until Sept. or Oct. to start working the legs. However I need to make my goal of +30 kmh before winter. That means gym time now. Bigger, Stronger, Faster I can live with that.

Feel great, had a really good leg wokout. Got everything done, 35 & 30 reps on the leg endurance press. Went 40,45,50 with the db’s in six sets of 12 lunges. The rest is the same, still need straps.

Weather sucks, raining off and on for the last week and a half. Four day long weekend coming up, the weather is clearing up so I’m looking forward to doing a time trial.

It’s the end of August already. Not the best of summers but theres always next summer. The quest for the perfect summer is never ending. Hoping for one last stretch of heat before the cool down begins. Fingers crossed.