Sage Rountree: Yoga for Athletes, Training for Running and Triathlon | Blog
Powerstroke DVD
Snowed in at home, across the street from our closed pool, I finally made the time to watch my colleague Marty Gaal's swim-technique DVD, Powerstroke: Speed through Force and Form. On the disk, Marty, head coach of One Step Beyond Multisport, gives a clear, accessible discussion of good form, along with illustrations; this was useful review for me as an athlete. The second section contains shots of swimmers both from the deck and from underwater. This was my favorite feature as a coach, since I got to hear Marty's analysis of swimmers' strokes. Then Marty explains the Powerstroke approach (which emphasizes a very strong pull) and outlines how to practice it correctly, including various drills. The disk finishes with some stretches and strength exercises to practice. Marty has some seriously flexible shoulders—my linemen yoga students, who break into a sweat trying to bring their elbows together in garudasana arms, would be aghast!
Now I'm eager to get in the water and try this approach out for myself—and to bring along my waterproof camera and see just what's going on in my stroke, frame by frame.
Now is the point in your season to improve your stroke. Technique is essential in the swim; you can't fake it in the water, as you sometimes can on the run. Putting effort into improving your technique is the single best investment of your swim training time, and Powerstroke is a great resource both for reviewing good technique and for learning how to safely apply more force in the water. Check it out! Marty and his wife, Bri, lead clinics in which they teach this approach hands-on. (One got snowed out this weekend, in fact.) Find the DVD here and clinic information here.
January 31, 2010 04:39 PM
| Training and Racing, Media
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On Indoor Cycling
At the end of this week, I'll teach the last of the indoor cycling classes I've led every Tuesday and Thursday for almost four years. It has been a wonderful experience, because my students have been so special. Most came to the class from other indoor-bike classes, expecting a rip-roaring workout, and sometimes they got it. But usually, we went through a workout with more complicated goals and more subtle effects.
Not everyone who dropped in realized it, but the regulars knew that we were going through periodized cycles, laying an aerobic base in the winter, building on it in the spring, riding hard in the summer (we had lots of fun with Tour de France–inspired workouts), returning to base in the fall, and having a blast each December with themed playlist and greatest-hits workouts from the year. Each day was part of a bigger picture, and once students grew used to the rhythm of my teaching—and comfortable with the idea that you don't have to go hard all the time—we had a full class of great people. (I do the same thing in yoga, periodizing the practice, and spending more time encouraging students to relax than I do exhorting them to work harder.)
Best of all, many of my students have been inspired to buy road bikes, or dust off their old ones, and have begun participating in charity rides and races. Who could ask for more as a teacher? At some level, teaching is planned obsolescence. We impart the tools so that students can implement their own practice. (Obviously, this obtains in yoga, too.)
In just the last week, two students who'd taken classes when out of town reported on what a different experience it was. Both had been encouraged to turn extremely high cadences—120 and up—without any breaks. This may be exercise, but it isn't true to cycling, unless you are training for short track races in a velodrome! Jennifer Sage has written a nice e-book, Keep It Real, and created a whole site around this concept: indoor cycling should mimic workouts for outdoor cycling. If you ever ride on a spin bike, or if you teach indoor cycling, you should check out her work.
In pondering my retirement, I reflect that these have been my main points, week in and week out.
- Form and breath. Continually come back to the most efficient form you can muster, and breathe as deeply as you can in the circumstance.
- Push it down, scrape it back, lift it up, kick it forward, Disco Lady.
- Don't stand 80 percent of the time. Stand 8 percent of the time, or less.
- A sprint doesn't last for minutes on end. It's a true max effort. A nice workout is to put on some music you like, then sprint the breaks between the songs (presuming they are 8 to 12 seconds or so).
- You're either a masher or a spinner; spend some time working on your weakness, and we can meet in the middle, near 90 rpms.
- The more you think you need a hard workout, the more you probably need to have an easy workout.
- Even if studies show the cool-down isn't that important, it helps you feel closure. We liken it to choosing "Shut down" for your computer, rather than simply unplugging it.
- Tuesdays, do pushups. As many as you can with good form. Eight is enough for me.
- Thursdays, do core work. Planks are good, but change it up occasionally.
- At least once a year, listen to a full hour of ABBA. If you like ABBA, it will be a treat; if you don't, it will be a great way to develop equanimity.
January 25, 2010 11:57 AM
| Training and Racing
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Yoga Day USA
It's Yoga Day USA, a day of free or deeply discounted yoga across the country. You can find a local option by searching the map at the Yoga Alliance's site.
If you enjoy your class, consider giving the price of a standard class ($10–$15) to Haiti relief efforts.
You can see my take on gravity's role in yoga on the Yoga Day USA YouTube channel, and at YogaVibes, where all classes, including mine, are half price today.
My First Ultra
My site now has a race report from my one (and likely only) foray into the land of the ultramarathon. Spoiler alert: it's boring.
Here are my conclusions:
- Timing and terrain are key.
- You may need to improvise.
- Be open to what comes.
January 13, 2010 01:46 PM
| Training and Racing
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Cross-Legged Twist
If you're a member of USA Triathlon (which you should be, if you race triathlons!), you'll soon receive a copy of their nice magazine, USA Triathlon Life. [Addendum: See it online here!] The winter 2010 issue includes a piece I wrote on yoga for triathlon. If you look very closely at the cross-legged twist instructions and photo, you'll notice they don't quite mesh. While the instructions cue you to cross right leg over left and roll to the left, the photo shows that cross of the legs with a twist to the right. Obviously, this is just a mistake of composition, but it gives me a chance to tout the virtues of twisting both ways with the legs crossed.
Here's a depiction of what's illustrated:
And here's what's called for in the text:
Same cross of the legs—right over left—but two different poses. Both do stretch the IT band, the outer hip, the spine, and the chest. But the first one, in which you twist right, works the lateral quads and the iliopsoas on the left, while the second, in which you twist left, gets much deeper into the right-leg glutes, tensor fasciae latae, and IT band.
Try them both, and you'll feel the difference. Together with a squat for the quads and lower back and a forward fold for the hamstrings, these twists would be part of a complete postrun routine. These twists appear in Athlete's Pocket Guide to Yoga and in the Reclining Twists episode of my Sage Yoga Training podcast, available free at iTunes and streamable at YouTube. We also do them regularly at the studio, and they're featured in my YogaVibes yoga for athletes class. Enjoy them both!
January 6, 2010 08:05 AM
| Training and Racing, Yoga, Media
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