As a runner you’re not going to the gym to get yourself a body which will look good on the beach, the point is to exercise certain muscles which will complement your running.  So what are the areas a runner should concentrate on?

The Core

Vital for runners, cyclists and any other endurance athletes, the core is the midsection of your body and encompasses your hips, your abdominals and the other muscles which support the spine.  Core exercises will add to the strength which will help runners improve.

Your core muscles

The Back

Similar to the core, the back muscles are also an area which can be neglected but which can provide some essential stability.  A strong back will help your running posture.  Slightly lower down, the hamstrings are an awkward area to exercise and are often neglected.  Hamstrings exercises will help avoid injury and take some pressure off the knee joint.

The Legs

It may seem obvious that the legs need exercising but it’s important to exercise them in the correct way.  Runners don’t want to increase their muscle size unnecessarily by undertaking too many heavy weight exercises but some are necessary to efficiently increase strength in certain areas.

Of course you will also want to increase your muscle endurance and this is where the lighter weights and greater number of reps comes in.  Calf raises and quadricep curls are a good example.

Lastly, a quick mention of all in one exercises of the type you could perform with a Kettlebell for example.  You can perform several exercises at once, getting the boring gym stuff out of the way quickly and getting back out onto the road.

So in this article we’re going to dispense with the brand names and take a look at a naturally occurring substance which had been used for some years now by athletes and body-builders to improve their performances.  Creatine is a substance that is produced naturally in the human body (and in fact any vertebrates) and helps to supply energy to the body’s cells.  Muscle cells are the primary recipient of creatine which is transported around the body by the blood.  Around 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle.

The Creatine molecule

Creatine was discovered and named (it’s derived from the Greek word for meat) in 1832 by a French chemist named Michel Eugène Chevreul.  About 50% of the body’s creatine originates from ingested food, especially meat, which meas that vegans and vegetarians have less naturally occurring creatine than meat-eaters.

Athletes and body-builders began to switch on to the benefits of creatine supplements in the early 1990s.  For these sportspeople, the benefits of creatine were several times those of a very high protein diet, i.e. an ability to train harder for longer than would have been possible before and therefore a contribution towards gaining muscle mass.

Over the last twenty years of creatine use, it has become a supplement widely used by ordinary gym-goers.  It’s very safe; it’s very hard to ingest too much as excess creatine just gets excreted in the normal manner.  Occasional concerns have been expressed over the years about allergies and hydration problems but the most extensive research over the last two decades has shown that taking 5g – 20g per day orally is almost completely safe.

If you’re thinking about taking the next step forward, creatine could be the answer.

Kettlebells

So that’s what they look like, a metal ball of varying weight and a looped handle on the top.  The shape is important because it allows a huge range of movement when exercising, making it possible to combine several exercises into one.  For this reason, kettlebell enthusiasts regard them as something of a total body workout.

Kettlebells originate from Russia, a country where the strongman competition has a long and respected history.  Competitions would be held in towns and villages and the winners would gain local celebrity status.  Bogatirs was the name given to these regional strongmen, as well as Girevik, which means ‘kettlebell man’.  It was kettlebells that these champions traditionally trained with – they would be made out of solid iron by local blacksmiths.  They could be manufactured in a variety of different weights for people of different abilities and the variation also meant that different body parts could be exercised.  One of the biggest users of kettlebells is reputed to be the Russian army who are said to use them as an integral part of their training.

As we said earlier, the design of the kettlebell ensures a total body workout if the proper techniques are learned and applied properly.  Importantly, there is plenty of focus on the legs, back and other often neglected parts of the body.  With kettlebell exercises, if you want to exercise the shoulders with a kettlebell swing, it will involve the back muscles, hips and quadriceps to name a few.

Kettlebells are widely available in most sports shops now so check them out, learn the techniques see what sort of difference they can make to your training.

So, mountain bikers, think you were the first to ride a bicycle off road?  Think again, cyclo-crossers have been at it for at least a hundred years, way before anyone though about sticking some fat tyres on a clunky bike in the 1970s.

Cycle-crossers will tell you that historically it was a way of keeping fit in the winter. When the road racing season finished, why not maintain your fitness by riding round a muddy field on a Sunday morning?  This does seem to have some link to the way cyclo-cross came about in the early 20th century; French road racers in particular are said to have raced each other from town to town in the off-season by the quickest possible route – cutting across fields and through woods, heading for the church’s steeple in the distance. This may also have given us the term ‘steeple chase’ as it was almost certainly the riders only point of reference.

The increased difficulty of controlling a road bike off road also helped riders improve their bike handling and the need to jump off and carry it over obstacles (logs, streams, etc) helped with their all round fitness.

The Origins of Cyclo-Cross Racing

The first properly organised cyclo-cross race appears to have been the French National

Early cyclo-cross

Championship in 1902.  The organisers were Daniel Gousseau and Géo Lefèvre (Lefèvre was also the man behind the Tour de France).

The sport received a huge boost in 1910 when Tour de France winner Octave Lapize mentioned his off-season cyclo-cross when explaining how he maintained is fitness. Subsequently National Championships were held in Belgium (1910), Switzerland (1912), Luxembourg (1923), Spain (1929) and Italy in (1930).  The first international cyclo-cros event was held in Paris in 1924.

It remained in Europe for the following decades until the 1970s when the organised races began to become popular in the United States; the first National Championship was held in California in 1975.

The Nature of Cyclo-Cross Racing

Although cyclo-cross is still regarded as a method of winter training by many riders, the scene has been big enough for so many years that some riders are cyclo-cross specialists, rarely racing in any other disciplines.

There are of course similarities with mountain bike racing but there are also significant differences.  Races tend to be shorter and run on courses with smaller laps.  Most races will not be more than one hour long and the format will be something like 50 minutes racing plus one lap – when the leader completes the race, everyone else finishes on that lap, whether they’ve been lapped or not.

Courses are set so that getting off at several points is unavoidable- big logs tend to be the main obstacles – and competent cyclo-cross riders are adept at dismounting and remounting in one smooth motion.  Bikes can be swapped while racing as long as you have a willing helper to hold the spare one.

The days of just adding some knobbly tyres to your road bike are also long gone. Dedicated cyclo-cross bikes have been available for many years now and feature better clearance between the wheels and the frame (to avoid mud clogging) and stronger brakes. Check out this Grand Prix start to a 1950 race:

Quad Stretch

The Quad Stretch is the one most prospective athletes are familiar with; it’s familiar to

Quad Stretch

cyclists and runners alike and anyone whose sport involves running of any degree.  Stand straight with your toes pointing forward then, keeping you knees together, bend one knee and lift that foot up until it touches your buttocks (or as far as you can go comfortably). Push your hips forwards slightly to target the quadriceps a little more and hold the position for thirty seconds.  Return to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.

Hamstring Stretch/Calf Stretch

Our second stretch is great for the hamstrings and also for the calf muscles.  Stand up

Hamstring Stretch

straight to begin with then bring one foot forward, keeping the leg straight and supporting it on your heel.  At the same time bend the standing leg and lean the upper body forward, pushing your backside out as you do.  You’ll know you’re performing the exercise correctly when you feel the stretch on the back of your leg. Hold the stretch for thirty seconds, return to the starting position and swap legs.

Glutes Stretch

Now for the glutes, which are the muscles surrounding the hip area and another vital area

Glutes Stretch

to exercise for runners; again the repetitive motion suffered by this area means a warm-up is vital. Lie down to begin with with, then bring the knees up towards you.  Now place the foot of one leg on the knee of the other.  Now grab the thigh of the lower leg with both hands and pull gently until you can feel the stretch.  It is the upper leg you are stretching here and when performed correctly you will feel it on the upper part of your thigh.  Hold the position for thirty seconds then swap legs.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Our last stretch is the hip flexor and this exercise helps to prepare the buttocks, the hip

Hip Flexor stretch

and the quadriceps.  Begin the stretch standing upright then take one large stride forwards.  Your front foot should be flat on the ground and your knee at 90°.  Your back leg should be supported on your toes and the knee should be close to the floor. Hold this position for thirty seconds and swap legs.  When you’ve finished your run, head over to our favourite internet casino for some relaxation.

In this article we’ll introduce the leg exercises one can undertake in a gym by using just the machines – we’ll leave the free weights for another article.  All the following exercises are general leg workouts and are not solely focused on cycling muscles.  They are the Leg Abduction/Adduction, Leg Curls, Leg Extensions and the Leg Press.  Make sure you warm up well before you drag yourself away for the poker table.

Leg Abduction/Adduction

The most common way to perform the above exercise is to use a machine built for that

Leg Abduction/Adduction Machine

very purpose.  The adduction and abduction exercises are two different workouts; the abduction works the gluteus muscles (inner thigh) and to start the exercise the user places their legs against the pads which will be touching the outside of the thighs.  The exercise is performed by pushing the pads and opening the legs, then bringing them back together again.

The adduction version of the exercise is performed in the opposite way; the pads are on the inside of the thigh and the exercise is begun by bringing the legs together, than opening them again.

Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps with a comfortable weight.

Leg Extension

The leg extension machine is a fantastic exercise for the quadriceps and always a popular

Leg Extension

exercise for any gym-goer.  The machine allows the user to sit down and hook their feet under the pads provided.  The exercise is begun by raising the feet out in front of the body and then lowering them again.

With this exercise it’s important not to lift too much weight, there’s a possibility of knee damage from overtraining.  Don’t try and perform 888 of these.

Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps with a comfortable weight.

Leg Press

The leg press is an exercise that works several muscles – the glutes, the hamstrings and

Leg Press

the calves and most people find they can lift significant amounts of weight using it.  Again though, overtraining can lead to damage so care should be taken and of course warming up is important.

The user will begin in a horizontal or declined position (with the feet higher than the head) and will then take the weight before releasing the clasps that will allow the exercise to begin.  When the reps have been completed the weight needs to be pushed to it’s limit while the clasps are replaced.

Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps with a comfortable weight.

Leg Curls

Lastly, the leg curl is an exercise which isolates the hamstrings in an effective way.  The

Leg Curl

user lies face down on the machine and hooks the heels under the pads which hold the weight.  The exercise is performed by lifting the heels towards the buttocks then lowering them once more.  Beginners are advised to start with a light weight, as you’d start careful at the roulette table.

Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps with a comfortable weight.

Abs for core stability

the road and you’ll receive a variety of answers.  The most obvious reason  to go and do some upper body weights is that if you’re a really committed cyclist, you could end up with some huge legs and a twig-like upper body.  However, the purpose of this article is to discuss the weights a person can do in the gym that will be beneficial for cycling.  At a basic level there are two main areas that can be improved in the gym and these are the (obviously) the leg muscles and the abdominal muscles.

The Abdominals

We’ll start with some basic abdominal exercises and this is an area which can make a real difference to your cycling and give you some Sizzling Hot abs; it’s the building block for your back and upper body strength and provides the stability necessary for improved training.

• Basic Sit-Up – the easiest to learn and perform and all you need is a mat on the floor or an inclined sit-up bench.  The bench will have some foot hooks to help you perform the exercise while on the floor you may need to hook your feet under a dumb bell or barbell.  Just keep your back straight with your hands near your ears and your elbows out, sitting up then lowering yourself down slowly. Do 3 sets of 20 reps to start with.

• The Plank – you don’t need any equipment for this one, just support your body on your forearms at one end and your toes at the other end, keeping your back straight.  Do this for as long as can but to begin with, aim for a minute

• Bicycle Crunch – an appropriately named exercise that adds a bit of variety and complexity to the basic sit-up.  Start flat on the floor then lift your upper body, bringing your right elbow and left knee together; lower them and bring up your left elbow and right knee.  Do 3 sets of 20 reps to start with.

In Part Two we’ll check out some basic leg exercises.

Spinning Bike

air, there are in fact other environments that will provide a respectable workout and can be a valuable addition to your training workout.  Many of us are members of gyms as well as keen cyclists and the free classes available at many venues can be worth considering.

Spinning is one of the best things a cyclist can do indoors and it involves more than an exercise bike.  Use one of those to warm up by all means but a genuine ‘indoor’ machine involves a purpose built ‘spinning’ bike which features a riding position similar to a normal bike and a flywheel to make the effort involved adjustable.  Newer bikes can also feature clipless pedals, helpful if that’s what you’re used to riding on the road.

Spinning actually dates back to the 1980s when ultra-endurance cyclist, Johnny Goldberg, developed an early version after near miss while cycling at night.  The first Spinning Studio opened in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 and when Schwinn picked up the rights to the franchise, Spinning began to take off worldwide.

Classes at gyms may well offer levels for beginners to advanced levels of fitness, although the difficulty of the workout in general depends on the level of effort put in by the exerciser.  There’ll be an instructor at the front of the class to talk you through a workout – warming up slowly then increasing the intensity.  Interval type training is a big part of Spinning as is ‘hill climbing’ – increasing the difficulty of the pedal revolution and maintaining a steady speed.

If the gym is well-equipped, another option is to show a film of a rolling road on a big screen featuring hills and other landscapes, and tailoring the workout to that trip.  For me, the only drawback to Spinning is the static nature of the bike – you obviously can’t move it from side to side as you might when climbing a hill out of the saddle but this is a small sacrifice for staying out of the rain on a winter evening.

We can date the first bamboo bicycle back to at least 1894 and a model from 1896 is shown in the picture.  One can understand why a natural material such as bamboo should be a popular choice for the manufacture of many things, especially in poorer countries where more sophisticated component-making techniques may not be available.  Anyone who has visited Hong Kong or the casinos of Macau will have seen bamboo scaffolding many stories high, and still used now despite other methods available.

1896 Bamboo Bike

A bamboo framed bike, despite what sceptics may think, is amazingly strong.  It has an inbuilt damping quality and excellent crash tolerance, meaning it takes a lot to snap it. Also of course of looks unusual and makes an ideal method of transport for any environmentally conscious commuter.

Modern bamboo bikes are treated in one of various ways to provide them with the strength necessary for a long life. The material must be cured before use and there are a number of ways to accomplish this: smoking and heat-treating, using a blowtorch or ‘baking’ in an oven are several. Once the various tubes are measured they must be joined and over the years, techniques for this stage have ben refined and perfected. Early models used metal clamps which were tightened around the ends of the bamboo lengths, more modern methods use the strength of natural fibers – hemp is a good example – to wrap around the joins before saturating it with resin.

Something a bit more modern...

Of course everything else apart from the frame is made of the more usual bike materials but maybe one day we’ll see a few components made of bamboo as well. The cost? A quick internet search will tell you that you can spend a few hundred dollars to a few thousand on a bamboo frame, so there’s an option for most pockets.

Mark Cavendish

Road Race World Title and in the end, it was only Mark Cavendish who could have done it.  2011 has been a fantastic year for Cavendish, winning a number of Tour de France stages, the Green points jersey and now the Road Race title is the cherry on the top.  For the next 12 months, he will be wearing the Rainbow jersey that signifies the world champion.

The British team knew the Danish course three years ago as did all the other national teams, and they’ve been meticulously planning this result from the off.  Cavendish would be the contender because the nature of the course – largely flat with some small hills – meant that it would almost certainly be a bunch sprint.  With the undisputed world’s best sprinter in your team, you know you’ve got a chance.

Of course all the other teams know what you’re going to do as well: watch for breakaways, try and keep the peloton together and be in the prime position to unleash your sprinter in the last kilometer.  That the British managed to do this is a testament to the team’s planning, organisation and execution.  The pressure on Cavendish and the whole team has been immense; clear favourites, but this is cycling at the highest level and every other team will have been trying to disrupt the flow to their own advantage.

Breakaways came and went, a crash disadvantaged several of the top riders and only in the last 2 kilometers did the peloton give up the breakaways and settle in for the sprint. Bradley Wiggins pulled Cavendish along before giving way to Ian Stannard and then Geraint Thomas before the man from the Isle of Man made his move.

Mark Cavendish says he is now setting his sights on the 2012 Olympic games in London, and would love to a World and Olympic champion at the same time.  Check out the finish: