- Detoxifies The Body
- Lowers Kidney Stone Risk
- Good Mood By Boosting Endorphins
- Immunity
- Weight Loss
- Improves Your Skin
- Muscle Recovery
- Heart Health
By: Collin Snyder
These days, there are countless products out there to measure power. Each type has their own pluses and minuses. Pedal based powermeters have become more and more common over the past five years, although has been mainly targeted towards road bikes. This year, the German company SRM and Garmin have brought this technology to mountain bikes, both using a Shimano SPD style XC pedal. The big benefit of a pedal based system vs a crank based system is it is very easy to swap from bike to bike. With two mountain bikes, a fat bike, and several cyclocross bikes, this benefit is very enticing for me. Earlier this week, I was able to purchase a single sided version of the Garmin XC mountain pedals known as the Rally XC100.
Here is my initial review
First, pairing was without issue using a Wahoo head unit. It quickly found the ANT signal, and once it was detected, I was able to change the crank length which defaults to 172.5mm. If your cranks are any other length, this must be changed for accurate power numbers. The instructions right out of the box are a little thin as they are mainly just pictorial based. It didn’t give great instructions on how to calibrate. Stages requires the crank to be at 6 o’clock, other powermeters just need the cranks to be still, and older powertaps had to have the cranks spin backwards during the calibration. Googling calibrating the older Garmin Vectors came up saying just calibrate when nothing is touching it. Hitting calibrate the first time, it just kept giving the “calibrating” message for about 30 seconds followed by calibration failed. I hit retry and it calibrated almost instantly, said torque offset 0.0.
Right out the driveway/down my dirt road, the numbers seemed inflated quite a bit. The numbers were right around my threshold power which normally I can’t hold until I warm up for a little bit. Fast forward a few minutes and I got stuck at a light. When the light turned green, I did a hard acceleration which was easier than an all-out sprint, my power was in excess of 1000 watts…which unless every other powermeter I’ve owned has been lying to me, wasn’t right.
However, after about 5-10 minutes, the numbers seemed to settle down and were much more believable. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I rode about a 50/50 mix of road and trail. Anyone expecting useful info on a twisty single-track, will be disappointed. Like the mtb powertap and older stages I’ve owned in the past, numbers on the trail are either 500-700 watts or zero. When you get done and look at your average power for a really hard lap, you will surely be underwhelmed. Your average power will probably be only 60-75% of what you could hold on the road for the equivalent time. Power on the mountain bike is really for all that time spent riding to and from the trail unless you are somewhere that has long sustained climbs or long open stretches.
After the ride, one notable oddity was the max power for the ride was severely inflated. It said my max power was around 1300 watts, about 300-400 higher than I will see in an all-out sprint. Comparing my power/time graph, the 1-2 second power was the only thing that was out of whack compared to historical data.
Ride two was a little more mundane. I recalibrated before the ride. Again, it failed calibration the first time, but when I clicked retry, it gave a successful message. Out the door, power numbers appeared normal/believable. I rode the 4-5 miles to the trail head, did a hot lap of my local trail, and rode home. Once again, my max power was super high at 1500ish watts. I suspect that a single rouge spike is causing the issue. Your 1 second power is a worthless figure, so I am not concerned over these spikes. If the main numbers stay inline, then I am not worried.
The Garmin Rally XC100 are available now from your local bike shop for an MSRP of $699. For dual sided power, the XC200 are available for $1200.
Special thanks to Sweetbikes in Canton Michigan. In these times, support your Local bike shop.
The post Garmin MTB Power Pedals – Rally XC100 appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
By: Collin Snyder
These days, there are countless products out there to measure power. Each type has their own pluses and minuses. Pedal based powermeters have become more and more common over the past five years, although has been mainly targeted towards road bikes. This year, the German company SRM and Garmin have brought this technology to mountain bikes, both using a Shimano SPD style XC pedal. The big benefit of a pedal based system vs a crank based system is it is very easy to swap from bike to bike. With two mountain bikes, a fat bike, and several cyclocross bikes, this benefit is very enticing for me. Earlier this week, I was able to purchase a single sided version of the Garmin XC mountain pedals known as the Rally XC100.
Here is my initial review
First, pairing was without issue using a Wahoo head unit. It quickly found the ANT signal, and once it was detected, I was able to change the crank length which defaults to 172.5mm. If your cranks are any other length, this must be changed for accurate power numbers. The instructions right out of the box are a little thin as they are mainly just pictorial based. It didn’t give great instructions on how to calibrate. Stages requires the crank to be at 6 o’clock, other powermeters just need the cranks to be still, and older powertaps had to have the cranks spin backwards during the calibration. Googling calibrating the older Garmin Vectors came up saying just calibrate when nothing is touching it. Hitting calibrate the first time, it just kept giving the “calibrating” message for about 30 seconds followed by calibration failed. I hit retry and it calibrated almost instantly, said torque offset 0.0.
Right out the driveway/down my dirt road, the numbers seemed inflated quite a bit. The numbers were right around my threshold power which normally I can’t hold until I warm up for a little bit. Fast forward a few minutes and I got stuck at a light. When the light turned green, I did a hard acceleration which was easier than an all-out sprint, my power was in excess of 1000 watts…which unless every other powermeter I’ve owned has been lying to me, wasn’t right.
However, after about 5-10 minutes, the numbers seemed to settle down and were much more believable. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I rode about a 50/50 mix of road and trail. Anyone expecting useful info on a twisty single-track, will be disappointed. Like the mtb powertap and older stages I’ve owned in the past, numbers on the trail are either 500-700 watts or zero. When you get done and look at your average power for a really hard lap, you will surely be underwhelmed. Your average power will probably be only 60-75% of what you could hold on the road for the equivalent time. Power on the mountain bike is really for all that time spent riding to and from the trail unless you are somewhere that has long sustained climbs or long open stretches.
After the ride, one notable oddity was the max power for the ride was severely inflated. It said my max power was around 1300 watts, about 300-400 higher than I will see in an all-out sprint. Comparing my power/time graph, the 1-2 second power was the only thing that was out of whack compared to historical data.
Ride two was a little more mundane. I recalibrated before the ride. Again, it failed calibration the first time, but when I clicked retry, it gave a successful message. Out the door, power numbers appeared normal/believable. I rode the 4-5 miles to the trail head, did a hot lap of my local trail, and rode home. Once again, my max power was super high at 1500ish watts. I suspect that a single rouge spike is causing the issue. Your 1 second power is a worthless figure, so I am not concerned over these spikes. If the main numbers stay inline, then I am not worried.
The Garmin Rally XC100 are available now from your local bike shop for an MSRP of $699. For dual sided power, the XC200 are available for $1200.
Special thanks to Sweetbikes in Canton Michigan. In these times, support your Local bike shop.
The post Garmin MTB Power Pedals – Rally XC100 appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
By: Raquel Torres
If you want to increase the likelihood of reaching your goals and dreams, visualization is where it all begins. Just as affirmations or mantras are beneficial for motivation, focus, and effective goal setting, so too is a visualization or mental imagery.
It is the use of the imagination through pictures or mental imagery to create visions of what we want in our lives and how to make them happen. Along with focus and emotions, it becomes a powerful, creative tool that helps us achieve what we want in life. If used correctly it can bring about self-improvement, maintain good health, help you perform well in sports, and accomplish your goals in life.
In sports, mental imagery is often used by professional athletes to improve their skills by picturing the achievement of a specific feat, such as hitting or shooting a ball, riding a bike, swimming, or running a race, among other things.
Some benefits of visualization:
By experience, the more I practice this, the better mentally prepared I am before any life event or race week, this increases the possibilities to enjoy the whole process.
It’s a very good habit to do the visualization first thing in the morning, I also do it during training, or before going to bed.
We can apply this technique to anything in our life, big dreams, goals, interviews, speeches, personal life, any life challenge, or skill that we want to improve or learn.
Before any big event or activity, it’s very important to do the full movie in your mind several times. Dreaming is free and legal.
Visualization Scenarios Tips for Triathlete’s Race Week:
This can help to ease any race day nerves.
For better results start 2 weeks or some days before, visualize for around 5 minutes or more your event, here some examples of scenarios to visualize for a triathlon race day:
The intention of visualization is to prepare your mind and body for the reality ahead of time, when the day comes your mind/body will definitely feel familiar and perform better.
The post The Power of Visualizing Your Goals appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
Submitted by: JoAnn Cranson
It’s time to ride bikes year round no matter where you live. I have a wonderful family of “Giant” brand bikes in my garage for the variety of riding I do. Giant brand bicycles is the world’s leading brand of high-quality bicycles and cycling gear. Their focus is being builders and innovators, but to also create a global community of cyclists. Giant owners are athletes, adventurers and advocates for cycling. Some are Tour de France racers, singletrack explorers, neighbors and friends.
I get asked the question on a regular basis by friends “What kind of bike should I get to ride”? Well…. that is a loaded question that only you personally can answer. The bigger question is “Where do you want to ride this bike?”
I can’t answer the question of what bike you should get, but I can certainly help you come to an answer for yourself!
How about I explain each bike and what I use it for along with a picture.
Road Bike (which is my personal favorite) is designed for pavement riding only. This bike is designed for long touring (higher mileage-40+) and group riding on the road. You can go longer distances faster than any other bicycle. The riding position takes some time to adjust to with a more hunched over profile to make you more aero dynamic and the seat is usually smaller and lighter. My “Giant – Propel Model” – is a great ride with an aero design to the bike that allows me to glide down hills like no other!
Gravel Bike – OK, so you don’t want to just ride on the roads, you want to ride the Rails to Trails or some gravel roads, I get it. Then we pull out the “Giant – Liv” (Liv models are designed specifically for women) with a more upright position on the bike and knobbier tires that make you feel safe and steady on gravel and unpaved roads, plus you can still easily ride on pavement just at a slower pace. Remember these bikes can have different tires put on them to accommodate what you want to do with them. A smoother tire would allow you to be on the pavement and go faster, but not as easy to handle on gravel.
TT Bike – But wait, you are taking up doing triathlons or an Ironman? Well you will want a bike that you can save your energy on, be totally aero-dynamic and pedal as fast as you can! You need a “Giant – TT bike”. This bike can fly as you are laid out on the handlebars to have that air go right over the top of you. TT bikes require a bit of practice to get comfortable with arm position and obtain overall control. But, the energy you can save on these bikes for the run directly after dismounting is well worth the bike choice.
Mountain Bike – You want to enjoy the woods and some adventure? You need a mountain bike that will take you over the logs, bump over ruts and stones and get you through the sand. Now I had a “Giant – 29er Talon” for some time, but like I said, everyone has their personal preferences and mountain biking wasn’t for me. I think I started too late in life and I’m a scaredy-cat and wasn’t comfortable on the rough terrain. But just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean this isn’t your greatest enjoyment and challenge! This is a great bike for fall and winter pedaling!
Fat Bike – But what about best of all you “Win” a bike like me last year and get a Fat-Tire Bike!!! This Fat bike is ideal for Winter riding in snow (some people get studded tires) or beach riding in deeper sand, or riding in the woods with a less scary, slower ride. Now these bikes will not keep up with the roadies on pavement, but you can comfortably ride any terrain at a more relaxed pace with nice wide tires to provide security and more bouncy comfort. Giant does offer the Yukon fat tire bike in their lineup.
Electric Bike – One bike I don’t have in my family yet is a Giant Electric Bike. Giant offers Electric Bikes in Road, Mountain and Gravel styles. They allow you to ride farther and faster than you thought possible. If you struggle to keep up with younger family members or friends that you want to spend time riding with, this may be an option that is the right fit for you.
There are many other styles of bikes I don’t have, check out Giant’s website for their wide array of choices. Whatever bike you pick, just get on it and pedal the way you want to. It’s a great way to exercise without extra strain on knees and other joints. You get those endorphins flowing which pushes stress away. It allows you to spend time with family and friends of varying ages. As you pedal, breathe the fresh air and take time to see the beauty of nature in this journey called life!
The post My “Giant” Family of Bikes appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
By Ross DiFalco
As the days get shorter and cooler, you might find yourself coming home from work in the dark without the ability to ride outside. Instead of relegating yourself to the indoor trainer, you do have another option. You can learn to ride in the dark. For the uninitiated, riding in the dark may sound crazy and scary, but it doesn’t have to be.
You will need a good set of lights. I recommend getting a helmet mounted headlight with an external battery. If you have a spare helmet, I find it beneficial to keep the light mounted so it’s one less hurdle. Get one with greater than 1000 lumens that can run for a minimum of two hours. When you test a light, it might seem bright, but while you are riding it will seem much less so. Brighter is better, with a long beam distance being very important. You also should have a backup light on your handlebar for a “just in case” moment. There should be two rear facing lights as well. I like a very bright seat post strobe light and a helmet strobe light. The name of the game is being seen and being able to see.
Once you have your lights and have charged them, it’s time to select your bike. If you are like many cyclists, you probably have a bike for every niche around. For night riding I highly recommend using a mountain bike. Having flat wide handlebars, an upright riding position and wide tires/suspension all act as a pothole security policy. Potholes sneak up on you and it would be bad to crash in the middle of the night. If in case you do crash, ride with your phone charged. Before you head out the door, tell someone where you are going and how long you will be gone.
Let’s get riding!
Choose a route that has minimal traffic, and preferably slow traffic. I really like riding through neighborhoods, dirt roads, paths, and rail to trails. I avoid riding on sidewalks and roads with minimal shoulders. It’s very similar to riding in the light, those areas tend to pose the greatest risk to cyclists. Do be aware that a bright helmet mounted light can blind drivers so be cognizant of where you look. Another word of caution, deer are much more active at dawn and dusk. Watch out for deer that might hop out in front of you.
Take it slow, get used to the feeling of riding in the dark, and enjoy the differences. I am a cyclist that loves to get outside and be in nature. If I can ride longer outside and avoid my trainer, I will gladly do so. If you are like me, give riding in the dark a try! It’s an exciting feeling to glide through the night in the chilly fall air.
The post Night Riding Tips appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.
By: Brian Reynolds
Every triathlete should know that a Triathlon is not only physically demanding on the body but is also mentally demanding. Our body will only go as hard as our mind will allow. If our mind doesn’t want to push the pace then our body will not push the pace. Our mind and body are one which means it’s imperative to work on your mental game in training since it can have a big performance impact on race day.
Let me share a quick story with you about one of my 5 hour rides I did this summer. The long ride was supposed to be a steady zone 2 aerobic effort on a warm Saturday morning. I felt ok for the first 2 hours considering it was warm and humid. I was holding around my usual power for the first half of the ride. By the 3rd hour I was starting to feel more fatigue in the legs and my power began to gradually decline. This is unusual for me to start slowing down by the 3rd hour into a 5 hour ride. Normally I’m able to increase the effort and push the pace harder. When this was happening I was starting to doubt if I would be able to maintain the same power throughout the ride. It felt like a war was going on in my head. My doubt and fear was my enemy and I was in a retreat during the 3rd hour of the ride.
By the 4th hour of the ride my doubt and fear had taken over my mind and I didn’t have any motivation or willpower to keep pushing through the discomfort. I just gave up and rode between 140 to 180 watts. Normally I would be pushing 230+ watts by this time into the ride. In my head it felt like I had retreated from my enemy and I was hiding out in the bunker until the ride was over. I was making excuses for myself by saying that it was ok to take it easy and just soft pedal back home. Besides all of the races have been cancelled anyways due to COVID so what am I killing myself for? I got to a point into the ride where I couldn’t accept this excuse. I had to find a way to get myself out of this rut and the only person who was going to do it was going to be me. I had no support crew to cheer me on and encourage me along.
When I got to the 4:10 hour mark it was like a light switch got flicked. I went from soft pedaling at 140 watts to 200 watts just like that. I was able to average 200+ watts for the remainder of the 5 hour ride and the effort felt the same or slightly easier than when I was pedaling 140 watts. What was the difference? How did I go from being weak to being strong in a very short timespan? I changed my headspace. Instead of thinking of the discomfort and feeling sorry for myself I flipped the script. I envisioned that I was strong and couldn’t feel pain. I concentrated all of my focus on being strong and having total control of my mind and body. I wondered to myself how can changing your headspace make you go faster? Apparently through this process I was getting neural energy from a release of dopamine which put me in a “feel good” state. In addition dopamine will buffer adrenaline which is important because every bit of physical effort requires adrenaline and when your adrenaline level reaches a certain threshold in the body our brain stops voluntary muscular control. Basically your body is saying “I quit”. Dopamine pushes back the level of adrenaline and it gives you more energy.
As I rode with higher power and a lower effort level it got me excited and I began to zone in even further. It’s likely my body was releasing more dopamine because I was able to raise my power even more by the end of the ride. What I learned on this ride is no matter how bad I was feeling or how bad the situation I was able to turn it around. You always have the power and that power is your mind. Your mind can give you the infinite energy so long as you have control of your mind to keep fear and doubt at bay.
The post The Power of the Mind appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.