Cycling and The Quiet Upper Body

While riding all those base miles, what you should be thinking about is “QUIET UPPER BODY”. What that means is, assessing your body position, all while your just clicking off the miles at an easy pace. You may not think a lot is going on while your heart rate is low, but what’s happening on a microscopic level is huge in the big picture.

1. Patterns are being formed by muscle memory as you spin a perfect circle. One way to get that perfect circle is doing one leg drills and
working your way from 70-80-90 RPM intervals and keeping the pedal stroke smooth. Put this to practice: we work on this at the Kain Performance Brick Workout on Tuesday nights, 6:30 PM at Los Gatos HS.

2. All the Winter Core Training comes into play, as you hold your back and neck steady, allowing all the power to generate through your hips, glutes, and legs, directly into that pedal stroke. If you haven’t been doing any core training, add a plank and sit ups every day. Add five minutes of this per day and it will make a difference.

3. The longer rides will become easier if you focus on building endurance gradually. Be patient!

4. Reassess your body position all the time and ask yourself:

Am I rocking side to side? If so, focus on even pedal strokes.
How is my grip? If your knuckles are turning white or your hands are tired, loosen your grip.
Is my face relaxed? Think about deep breaths in and big exhales to really open the lungs and relax the upper body.
Is my back starting to roll? Is my lower back feeling fatigue towards the end of the ride? If so, remind yourself to engage those muscles down the spine and pull the scapulas together; flatten that back out; stretch and move while standing and shrug your shoulders to keep loose. Try not to stay static in the same position for too long.

5. The long slow distance (LSD) will build your cardiovascular system which will be different for everyone on the team depending on how you trained over the winter, or didn’t train! It takes time……

6. Lastly, tune in to your inner voice which should be like hearing the coach’s comments as you ride along, reminding you to: make smart shifts on the bike, transition up and over the rollers smoothly, pressing the hills and recovering on the down hills, keep the upper body and face relaxed and don’t push too big a gear!

That’s it for now! Please ask questions if you want help with your body position, or pedal stroke. Hope you all got out to enjoy some sunshine today! See you Saturday for another EPIC TRAINING DAY WITH KP!!!!

Happy Training!!!
Coach Sharoo
www.kainperformance.com

About your Coach: Shari Kain is the Assistant Head Coach of the Kain
Performance Multi-Sport Team. She is a USA Triathlon Certified Coach, as well as a former National Cycling Team member on both the Road and Mountain Bike National Teams. Shari won National Titles in the Criterium, Cyclo-Cross and Off Road Triathlon. She also won the Xterra World Championship in 1999. She was an alternate on the 2000 Olympic Mountain Bike Team. Shari graduated from UCSB in 1987, where she played Division 1 Volleyball. She was the second women inducted into the Xterra Hall of Fame in 2010!

2023-11-02T21:43:22+00:00

I joined Kain Performance in 2003 and since then this team and triathlon have become a huge part of my life. Pete and Shari have created a great program lead not only by their coaching but their team concept. We train as a team, we push each other to improve, and on race day we support each other like no other group out there. In the past 7 years we’ve traveled as a team to races in Europe, Hawaii, and of course all over the US. I’ve made great friends along the way and have improved at the sport more then I ever expected. I’ve gone from a middle of the pack finisher to actually winning my age group in a triathlon this past year. I’ve competed in National Championship races and have finished 50 triathlons including 3 Ironman’s. In 2009 I was part of the Kain Iron team that went to Ironman Austria. The trip and event was a perfect example of a Kain destination race. The 20+ athletes competing combined with their supporters made for a great group of people and an incredible experience on race day that I will always remember. At Kain it’s all about the team and weather you are an age group winner or a triathlon newbie you’ll fit in. If you’ve got a triathlon goal Kain Performance will help you achieve it.

Russell

I ran into Pete at my gym in early 2010 and told him about my desire to start competing in the world of triathlons. Of course, I couldn’t swim more than a couple laps in the pool and hadn’t ridden a road bike since I delivered newspapers on a Schwinn Varsity back in the 70′s. Pete got me a great deal using the Kain Performance team discount on a new Specialized bike and all the accessories to go along with it. I began swimming, doing the Tuesday night team brick workouts, and Saturday team rides. Within two months, I completed my first sprint tri. Because I felt so prepared, it was a very positive experience. I had gained a lot of knowledge and insight from Pete, the coaches, and the other people on the team…everything from strategy, to transitions to preparation. I was hooked! Now, eight months later, I’ve completed six triathlons, including two Half-Iron events. I can’t wait to take on Ironman Austria in 2011, with the 30+ people going from Kain Performance. I enjoy the energetic and supportive nature of the folks that comprise Kain Performance. Pete and Shari have a unique way of making training fun and enjoyable and they’ve created a team environment like no other. I couldn’t have picked a better group of people to train with!

Wayne

After several seasons with Team in Training, I joined Kain Performance to step up my training. I have really noticed an improvement in my running. Pete and Shari are a great team, and you never know what to expect in terms of the workout. Pete can take a hard workout and make it one of the best workouts ever. The other team members provide a lot of energy and team spirit, and make me not want to miss a workout.

Judy

I joined Kain Performance on a Sunday during a Labor Day weekend, back in 2003; I remember that day very well because we had a great swim and run workouts finishing up the day with one of the best parties I have ever been to, just ask Jody!! I started doing triathlon back in 1993 and since then I’ve joined a few different Tri-clubs but when I came to Kain Performance, I found everything in one place; the best coaching, a great bunch of people with different backgrounds, a diverse variety of workouts year round with weekend training trips, team destination races and of course, lots and lt’s of fun. Pete keeps a good balance for his training programs; be prepared for some serious training and racing but also be prepared for some even more serious FUN. Personally, my training has improved so much that I think I’ll have a shot to qualify for worlds this year. The only problem training with Kain Performance could be that, after a while, you might not be “Street Legal” any more…

Jorge

I was bitten by the triathlon bug after a season with TNT. Since joining Kain Performance this summer, my swimming has really improved through practicing the assigned drills, listening to the technique stuff and having one-on-one sessions coached by Becky Gibbs Lavelle. The running economy workouts have helped me make significant improvements in speed, with new personal records for 400m, 800m and 1 mile. I really enjoy Pete and Shari’s coaching style and applicability.

John

Cycling and The Quiet Upper Body

Cycling and The Quiet Upper Body

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!