wise athletes podcast

Topics Tendon vs. "Under the kneecap" painHow to tell what the problem isHow to deal with the painHow to build back to low or no pain with athleticism and strength Key Learnings Single leg exercising instead of double legProgress by working as hard as you can without lingering pain (recover in 24 hours)Don't use painkillers while trainingBe optimistic: you can get better. Exercise is critical to healthy joints and tendonsRest makes you weaker and more susceptible to pain About Dr. Ebonie Rio Dr Rio is a post doc researcher at La Trobe University and has completed her PhD in tendon pain, Masters Sports Phys, B. Phys (Hons) and B. App Sci. Dr Rio has a clinical career that has taken her to the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Ballet Company, Australian Ballet School, Melbourne Heart Football Club, Alphington Sports Medicine Centre, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and much more. In approaching the full spectrum of training, the field of tendons and connective tissue represent an area that not much is known relative to others, such as muscle physiology. This results in knee pain being hard to rehabilitate because knees do not “play by the same rules” as muscles and bones.  The goal is to improve the capacity of joints and tendons to sustain and handle loads.   5 Tips for Kneecap Pain: https://youtu.be/8vv3VY7ceS0 Managing My Kneecap Pain Portal: https://mykneecap.trekeducation.org/ Contact Info https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/erio linkedin.com/in/ebonie-rio-436474224

Outline of discussion What is mindset, and how does it relate to aging?How is mindset similar to or related to placebo or nocebo effects?  Why does belief make such a difference?  Why is “believing is seeing” so powerful?How can we take advantage of this human mechanism of our brain …to enjoy our lives more, and accomplish more of what we want in our lives? How can we focus on adapting to our changing abilities without dwelling on the lose of ability?  As we get older we seem to get slower for some reason. How do we keep from feeling badly about that?  Where’s the upside to aging as an athlete? ABC's of Aging (A)ttitude - positive attitude to facilitate doing the things that make you happy vs. dwelling on what you cannot do any longer due to age (B)alance - physical and mental balance. Physical balance is the sense of balance that can weaken as we get older, and can be trained to avoid falls which may put us out of the game. But also finding balance in life is important. (C)onnection -- connect with the things you find important and the people who make life meaningful. Dr. Alan D. Castel Alan D. Castel is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research focuses on how cognition changes with age and how people selectively remember important events. His work has been supported by the National Institute on Aging and has been featured in The New York Times and Time Magazine. He received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2004, completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, and has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at UCLA since 2006. Age is an important number, but it can also be deceiving. After 40, most people say they feel younger than their years, some lie about their age, and many attempt to hide the signs of growing old. Although most people think of their later years in terms of decline, they can be one of the best times in life. We are all aging, and many people are concerned about what to expect with advancing years. Retirement, happiness, and brain health are some of the many topics covered in this book. Better with Age shows what we can do now, at any stage in life, to make sure we enjoy old age. Contact Book Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging TEDx Talk How We Learn as We Age UCLA Department of Psychology http://castel.psych.ucla.edu

What is athleticism?  Aerobic Endurance — also known as cardiovascular fitness and stamina, is the ability to exercise continuously for extended periods without tiring.Muscular Endurance — the ability to repeat a series of muscle contractions without fatiguing.Muscle Strength — the ability to carry out work against a resistance.Explosive Power — the ability to exert a maximal force in as short a time as possible, as in accelerating, jumping and throwing implements.Speed / Quickness — the ability to move quickly across the ground or move limbs rapidly to grab or throw.Anaerobic Capacity — long sprinting ability, or the ability recover from repeat sprints (glycolytic system)Flexibility — the capacity of a joint to move through its full range of motion, which is important for execution of the techniques of sports.Agility — the ability to quickly change body position or direction of the body.Balance and Coordination — the ability to stay upright or stay in control of body movement is an important component of many sports skills.Reaction Time — the ability to respond quickly to a stimulus.Analytic and Tactical Ability— the ability of the mental system to evaluate and react to strategic situations (tactical ability).Motivation and Self Confidence — a motivated and focused athlete, with a level of belief in themselves, often seen as arrogance in athletes.Coping with Pressure — the ability to stay focused and perform up to expectations while under increasing pressure, and under changing conditions.Skill and Technique — the specific skill set and technique required to be successful in a particular sport. Contact Info Website: humanvortextraining.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HVTraining\Instagram: http://instagram.com/hvtrainingFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HVT412/Strength training certification course: http://s.bl-1.com/h/dl5nV3pk?url=https://strength-training-for-cyclist-certification.mykajabi.com/hvt-launch-closed Menachem Brodie Bio With over 20years of coaching experience and a sports-medicine background spanning from Emergency Medicine & Physical Therapy settings, to the NCAA Division I Strength & Conditioning setting, Coach Brodie brings with him an incredibly unique & diverse skill set, which has led to his work as a Health & Fitness Engineer for international companies in the Health, Wellness, & Fitness fields. Coaching since 2000, Menachem Brodie has been working with athletes in a number of settings, and a broad variety of sports. From Basketball and Cycling, to CrossFit and Triathlon, Brodie has helped numerous athletes to attain their goals, and beyond. With his belief that one should Train Smarter, Not Harder, he has developed and polished his training philosophy over the last 2 decades, in order to allow his clients and athletes to not only excel in their sport of choice, but also in their professional lives.  Having earned a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Pittsburgh, Brodie has experience across the Health & Fitness spectrum including having worked as an Exercise Physiologist for a Bariatric Surgery Center for 2 years, working as the Strength & Conditioning coach in a Physical Therapy clinic for those who needed more guidance and direction to return to their sport or hobby, and working as an EMT running 911 calls. Suffice it to say, Brodie’s experience and background are far more reaching than the average coaches.   Menachem‘s Certifications include: USA Cycling Expert Coach, with DistinctionUSA Cycling Power Based Training CertifiedLEOMO Type-R Certified CoachNSCA-Certified Strength & Conditioning SpecialistPrecision Nutrition Level 1 Certified CoachPostpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist

This is re-release of a shortened version of Episode 50 (1.5 hours long)....I cut out the good and left the great. If you haven't listened to the full episode, start with this one and then graduate to the full story from George Dallam, PhD. Nasal breathing is not a trick or hack to get an unnatural advantage.  Nasal breathing is the designed in way to breathe properly.  Not nasal breathing causes health and performance problems. But it's never too late to do it right. Learn the why's and how's of nasal breathing from George Dallam, PhD. Dr. Dallam says, "One simple rule:  breath through nose all the time, or as much as possible." Benefits of nasal breathing:  Better filtering of particles and viruses (less nasal infection, bronchitis). Filtering becomes even more important when exercising because we take in so much more air.Less water lost though breathingLess energy spent on breathing (more energy for locomotion); higher O2 extracted per breath (higher efficiency)Recovery from "EIB" exercise induced bronchoconstriction (exercise induced asthma)Provides a powerful training stimulus to improve fitness…make you faster even if you go back to mouth breathing in high intensity efforts, such as racesImproved stress managementBetter sleep, and overall improved recovery from exercise (lower stress, avoidance of snoring)Better posture and movement ability with improved diaphragm activityFunctional movement benefits —diaphragm is a major core muscle that is under strength when we mouth breathe. Avoids possible damage to the heart from over breathing (a hypothesis from Dr Dallam)  Notes from discussion with George Dallam, PhD Myths about breathing: I feel the need to breath faster when I need more oxygen — mostly false.  It is the presence of higher than usual CO2 in the blood that causes the “air hunger”CO2 is bad, and needs to be removed as fast as possible — false; CO2 is necessary for normal bodily functions.  Too much AND too little CO2 are bad for the body.Breathing faster brings in more oxygen (superoxygenation) — no; red blood cells are generally 95-98% oxygenated after passing by lungs.  You don’t get more oxygen into red blood cells, you just lose more CO2 from blood plasma, which creates problems for the bodyBreathing doesn’t take much energy or oxygen to do — false.  During exercise, breathing can use as much as 15% of the total energy burn of the body…15% of the oxygen being used.  If we can save 25% of that by breathing more efficiently (less breathing for same oxygen), we’ll have more oxygen left over for other muscles to use.An athlete cannot get enough oxygen for exercise though just nasal breathing — false.  It is easy to see why people would come to this conclusion after one attempt, but with adaptation, many elite athletes compete using just nasal breathing. What does the nose do for us? Conditioning of the air:  humidifying the air and warming up the air.  Reduce lung dehydration and related wheezing and breathing problemsFiltering:  particulates (dust, smoke), viruses are captured instead of putting in lungs.  Avoid damaging lungs long-term (emphysema, cancer) and reduce infections impacting lungs.Increasing air resistance…forces a recruitment of the diaphragm which is the best muscle for efficient breathing.  Breath through the nose, then you will breath diaphragmatically without thinking.  You can stop trying to train yourself to “Belly Breath”.Calming.  Reducing stress.  Deep slower breathing vs. quicker shallow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system…lowers the stress level of the body.  This is definitely true at rest.  For athletics, peak performance comes of being able to relax into the effort..not by trying as hard as possible, so stress level might also play a role in athletic performance.More efficient breathing:  breathe less to get the same amount of oxygen.  25% less breathing when nasal breathing.  So the 15% of total energy expenditure being spent on breathing is lowered to 11.5%….a 3.5% point reduction in energy used for breathing that can now be used elsewhere.  This is the same level of economy improvement that elite endurance athletes seek to obtain from using weight training…and this is just from breathing through your nose.Avoids the over breathing associated with mouth breathing. Over-breathing MAY be a cause of damage to the heart seen in endurance athletes as a higher incidence of AFib….lowering of CO2 in blood (from over breathing) results in blood flow restriction, which may be a cause to a lack of blood flow (a lack of oxygen) to the heart.   Related to Exercise Induced Asthma / Bronchial restriction (EIB) The lungs are filled with alveoli … the little sacs that allow the body to exchange gases.  Single cell thick, covered in a surfactant that allows the sacs to stay open even at low pressure.The lung environment is very liquid and very delicate.Imagine blowdrying wet tissue paper with a hairdryer…not good.When the air comes into lungs via the mouth, the air is not treated. Everyone has experienced coughing…the only way we have to get stuff out of our lungs that shouldn’t be there. It also is what happens when we have damaged our lungs, whether from breathing air that is too cold or too hot or too dry or too wet or filled with damaging particulates or just through over extertion.Our body creates “broncho constriction” to protect the lungs. If you ever had a wheeze at the end of your exhales, you’ve had this thing.This correlates very highly with mouth breathing athletes. Bronchio restriction is vey common among elite athletes…cycling, swimming, running. 20-50% of population vs. 5% among sedentary population. The more you breath, the more important it is to treat the air you breath and protect the lungs.The availability of broncho inhalers may just be serving to allow us to overcome our natural defense again damaging our lungs from mouth breathing. HOW TO NASAL BREATHE? The transition to nasal breathing is easier for some people.  Some people feel a terrible air hunger while others get used to it very quickly.  The path forward for everyone is to find your way to just the threshold point that your body can do it…with just a suggestion of air hunger…and then move higher over time.    It takes 6 weeks to 6 months.  Three key variables that impact time to adapt: Existing sensitivity to CO2.  If low sensitivity, then short time to adapt.How well developed is the diaphragm muscle.  The more you need to build, the longer it will take.How dedicated is the effort to adapt.  The more you nasal breath, the faster you will adapt. What do you need to do to be able to nasal breathe all the time? Break / Start the Habit Break the habit of mouth breathing.  Do it whenever you realize you are not nasal breathing.  Set reminders.  (See Episode 45 on building habits: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/45-build-strong-habits-with-samuel-salzer/https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/45-build-strong-habits-with-samuel-salzer/):  During exercise, put a little water in your mouth so you don’t have to think about nasal breathing.According to Dr. Dallam, "I also found that focusing on nasal breathing during exercise facilitated focusing on it throughout the rest of my life as well.   While subjective at best, I consider that I am more relaxed, more thoughtful, sleeping better and happier as a direct result.” Once you can do your endurance & recovery workouts while nasal breathing, the adaptation will go very fast because that is most of your training.  And, if you are nasal breathing outside of exercise as well, you are essentially always nasal breathing at this point.You’ll adapt even faster if you will take down the level of effort to match your ability to perform while nasal breathing, and only increase as your nasal breathing improves.Separately work toward nasal breathing during sleep.  This is harder as you will be unconscious, but this will have a gigantic impact on your health and ability to recover from exercise.  Look into mouth taping and breathing exercises to open nasal passages before sleeping. Reduce CO2 sensitivity: By nasal breathing more, you will have less CO2 in your blood.  Your body will get used to that …meaning it will start to feel normal quickly (in days).  Keep pushing on the edge of discomfort to keep lowering your sensitivity.  Pushing too hard will backfire, so take your time.  This is not the place to develop a psychological problem.  And, this adaptation will happen faster than the muscle development so there is no payoff from pushing harder than just enough. "Breathe light" exercises:  just breathe more slowly while resting…until you feel an urge to breath more….just experience the feeling (from Patrick McKeown)Do breath holds while moving (walk, light jog).  Hold until the air hunger is strong.  Recover your breath fully, then repeat (from Patrick McKeown)https://pneuma.plus/ — a free site with breathing exercises Muscle development: Training the breathing muscles to get stronger.  This happens simply by using nasal breathing.  Just give the muscles some time to adapt.  It’s like getting used to using a bigger gear on the bike….You can do it for a short time right away, and over time you will get more muscular endurance as you get stronger.The Diaphragm muscle has to adapt.  At first, you won’t be strong enough to keep nasal breathing (i.e., pulling air through the nose and down into the bottom of the lungs) for a long time.  But the diaphragm muscle will get stronger and eventually you will be able to breath diaphragmatically for as long as you need and train for.  This might be the slowest part of the adaptation..The nose muscles have to adapt as well. Nasal passage recovery: If you haven’t been using your nasal passages in this way, you will have to get them adapted to this level of use.The most important thing is to just breathe through your nose as much as possible.It will probably help to start using a Neti pot or Neti bottle (there are many varieties).  Use distilled or boiled water, not tap water.  Remember to not blow your nose too hard after rising nasal passages with water…you may inadvertently push water into your ear tubes which may cause irritation.  I do it first thing to let the water fully drain out before I sleep. The first few times will be unpleasantly reminiscent of getting water up your nose at the beach.  But do you remember how amazingly good your nasal passages felt after a day in the surf?  This is the same thing.  After doing it for a week, you will never want to stop.  And it will make nasal breathing so much easierUse BreathRight strips or the like to hold open the airways in your nose.  George says his nose muscles got stronger after a while, so this may be a temporary thing.  But it does make an enormous difference in the beginning.  There are other nasal dilator devices to try if you like the idea of stuff up your nose.  I don’t.Try the Buteyko (bu-tek-o) method for clearing mild nasal congestion Metrics: It can help to track improvement if you use metrics but you don’t have to do so because the goal is NOT to breathe less, it is to use nasal breathing.  The rest comes naturally.HRV — your HRV level should start to increase, especially if you can nasal breath while sleepingHR — you may find your HR starts getting lower for the same power / speed.  This doesn’t occur for everyone.Breaths per minute — monitor your natural breathing.  Oura ring & Whoop strap do this for sleep, which is a good way to see if it is falling.  You want to get to 14 or less breaths per minute.  10-14 breaths per minute is normal, according to Patrick McKewon.Length of time until air hunger —  5 normal breaths. Exhale. How long until impulse to breath?  25 seconds minimum. 40 seconds target. Maximum breathlessness test:  normal breath in and out of nose.  Exhale, then hold and see how many steps you can take.  60 steps is minimum for “good” CO2 sensitivity.   How to get started with nasal breathing during exercise, According to George: Get on an indoor device you like to use:  stationary bike, treadmill, etc.  Get going at a pace that is lower than normalBreathe nasally.Every 3 minutes increasing the pace just a little, and rate how much the air hunger you feel.When you find the level at which you feel you cannot keep going, back off just a little so you can keep going.  It will feel hard but not feel like you are suffocating. The effort should be in the challenge of pulling the air in and out, not in staying conscious or in dealing with the fear of suffocating.  Another thing to watch is a rising HR…if your HR is higher than it should be for that level of power / pace, then you are struggling too much…just back down a little until the HR stabilizes The next workout, try to go a little harder while nasal breathing to see if you can do it.  You will probably find you can go harder every time for a while.  The early, beginner gains will be the easiest, as in most things.Continue the upward progression over timeFeel free to mouth breathe once in a while if you want to go harder.  It won’t be a set back, but it won’t help you progress toward 100% nasal breathing.  Just don’t lose track of the behavior change you are trying to instill as a habit. George M. Dallam, Ph.D. – Biographical Information Dr. Dallam is a professor in the School of Health Science and Human Movement at Colorado State University – Pueblo. Dr. Dallam has taught a wide variety of classes in exercise physiology, research and statistics, behavior facilitation, sport psychology, kinesiology, biomechanics, management, exercise assessment and prescription, swimming, running and triathlon. He is currently chair of the CSU-Pueblo Faculty Compensation Committee and is the outgoing chair and an ongoing member of the CSUP Institutional Review Board. Dr Dallam is also the former inaugural National Teams Coach for USA Triathlon and worked for many years with elite U.S. triathletes as a coach, advisor and consultant. Athletes coached directly by Dr. Dallam have included National Elite and Age Group Champions, Olympians, Pan American Games Medalists, World Age Group Champions and the top ranked male triathlete in the world in 2005-2006, Hunter Kemper. Dr. Dallam has been involved in numerous research studies and the publication of their results at both CSUP and the USOC examining various aspects of triathlon performance and training, diabetes risk factor modification, and the effects of functional movement improvement on running . His primary research interest recently focused on the capability of human beings to adapt to nasal only breathing during exercise as a way to improve both health and performance. Dr. Dallam was both the founder and a long term member of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Commission. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters applying training principles to triathlon and is the co-author, with Dr. Steven Jonas, of Championship Triathlon Training, published in 2008 by Human Kinetics and Teaching and Coaching Triathlon Successfully, published in 2014 by Coaches Choice. He is currently writing The Nasal Breathing Paradox during Exercise for future publication. He is regularly sought as a speaker and expert on exercise related topics having provided insights to a broad range of publications. Dr. Dallam has received both the United States Olympic Committee’s Doc Counsilman Science in Coaching award (2004) and the National Elite Coach of the Year award (2005) for triathlon. He has also received all three of CSU-Pueblo’s university-wide awards for teaching (2001), scholarship (2003 and 2021) and service (2005). He has further twice received the outstanding faculty member award (2005 and 2013) in the College of Engineering, Education and Professional Studies at CSU-Pueblo and the inaugural Scholarship Award (2021) in the newly formed School of Health Science and Human Movement. Finally, Dr. Dallam has been continuously training and competing in triathlon since 1981 and has recently also begun playing water polo again as a masters athlete.

Dr Emily As a Podiatrist, Human Movement Specialist, and Global Leader in Barefoot Science and Rehabilitation, Dr. Splichal has developed a keen eye for movement dysfunction and neuromuscular control during gait. Originally trained as a surgeon through Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and Mt Vernon Hospital in Mt Vernon, NY, in 2017 Dr. Splichal put down her scalpel and shifted her practice to one that is built around functional and regenerative medicine. Tips: Activation – walk barefoot 30 min/day.  Spikey ball 2x/d Strength – muscles in foot.  "Core" of foot is fascially connected to body core and pelvis.  Forward lean.  Feet shoulder width apart.  Rock body forward…push toes to come back up.  Stand on one leg for 30 seconds.  Look for youtube videos for more. Recovery – massage for feet to improve circulation.  5 minute foot release.  Stand on golf ball. Naboso.com barefootstrong.com Dremilysplichal.com

I thought it timely to look deeply into the heart of the older athlete.  I think about my heart a lot.  I am constantly monitoring my resting heart rate, my training heart rate, my HRV, how my heart feels when I am going all out, and I think hard about how to make my heart work better today and tomorrow and long into the future.  I thought it was time to talk to the one and only Benjamin Levine, MD, a practicing cardiologist and researcher with an amazing track record in Sports cardiology and cardiovascular physiology and exercise.   Dr. Levine is also the founder and Director of the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, Professor of Internal Medicine/Cardiology and Distinguished Professor of Exercise Sciences at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.   Dr Levine is the real deal, and this short conversation is so chock full of useful information you’ll want to listen twice.  All right let’s talk to dr Benjamin Levine.  https://www.texashealth.org/ieem/About-Us/Directors-Letter IEEM: https://www.texashealth.org/ieem BIO: https://www.texashealth.org/ieem/Faculty/Benjamin-Levine Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine: https://www.texashealth.org/ieem

Episode 86 -- Part 1: basic training principles, key training & physiology terms, simplified training intensity levelsEpisode 87 (this episode): Part 2: deep dive into "no man's land" and sweetspot, how to prioritize training efforts, and more on why building in fun is the key Hunter Allen Bio: Ex-Pro cyclistPeaks Coaching Group Founder, CEOUSAC Level 1 Coach …. Focusing on : Road Cyclists, MTB and TriCo-Founder TrainingPeaks WKOCo-Author “ Training and Racing with a Power Meter ”  Co-Author " Triathlon Training With Power "Co-Author “ Cutting Edge Cycling ”2008 Olympic USA BMX Team Technical CoachAnd, it should be noted, still a super fit dude (298 FTP) Peaks Coaching Group: http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/

Episode 86 (this episode) Part 1: basic training principles, key training & physiology terms, simplified training intensity levelsEpisode 87: Part 2: deep dive into "no man's land" and sweetspot, how to prioritize training efforts, and more on why building in fun is the key Hunter Allen Bio: Ex-Pro cyclistPeaks Coaching Group Founder, CEOUSAC Level 1 Coach …. Focusing on : Road Cyclists, MTB and TriCo-Founder TrainingPeaks WKOCo-Author “ Training and Racing with a Power Meter ”  Co-Author " Triathlon Training With Power "Co-Author “ Cutting Edge Cycling ”2008 Olympic USA BMX Team Technical CoachAnd, it should be noted, still a super fit dude (298 FTP) Peaks Coaching Group: http://www.peakscoachinggroup.com/ Download slides from Hunter Notes 5 Levels of Intensity Countdown (the Wise Athletes simplified version) LEVEL FIVE (5): Short maximum output efforts above threshold. This level includes VO2max testing efforts (so a 10 second flying 200 on the track to a 5 minute VO2Max effort), — you are using everything you got. All out for a short time.  Pacing is hard without practice but what is notable is how, even with proper pacing, you fail to maintain the power output after a very short time.  This is similar to weight lifting…the bigger the weight, the fewer the reps. The fast twitch muscles fatigue quickly from using up ATP and accumulation of waste products that make the muscle environment more acidic and interfere with the muscle function. At this level, oxygen is the limiter.  After a rest, the muscle recovers and can go again but not quite as well. This process can be repeated a few times but the fast twitch muscle will get fatigued (maybe damaged?) and need to heal and adapt before the next effort (hopefully a couple days hence if you went to failure).  At this level, you really need a power meter or smart trainer to measure your power output for the training interval.  HR won’t help because of the delay in HR response.  LEVEL FOUR (4): Lactate threshold / FTP/ steady state (around an hour) — it’s a concept as much as it’s a power output that can be sustained as long as glucose is available to burn and lactate can be cleared and used by the mitochondria. Similar to this is the Functional Threshold Power….It’s called functional because an hour is a nice round number and is approximately the time needed to complete a 40k TT which is a standard TT distance in cycling.  This might also be about the time it takes to burn through available glucose.  You are breathing heavily but steadily.  You are not talking.  At this level, if you paced it correctly, glucose is the limiter, not oxygen.  A power meter is helpful but you could also do an FTP test based on distance covered in 1 hour or time to compete 25 miles.  LEVEL THREE (3) Tempo / Sweetspot (also called “no man’s land”) is in-between lactate threshold and endurance pace. This is where racing lives unless it is a very short or very long race.    This is advertised as being more time-efficient than polarized training.  Sweetspot is the high end, just below Threshold, while Tempo is the lower end, just above Endurance/FatMax level. LEVEL TWO (2): Endurance/ fat max (a long time). This is the famous Zone 2 which is said to be where your fat max effort level is located as well. You can talk in sentences because you can easily breath in enough air for this effort.  This is the effort level that not only maximizes the burning of fat, it stimulates the building of healthy mitochondria and the volume of type 1 muscle fibers. Building more type 1 muscle fiber gives the cyclist the ability to ride harder for longer, and clear the lactate generated by the fast twitch muscle for a much high power output for longer time.  At this level, paced correctly, you don’t have an obvious limit.  If you are not used to the time in the saddle, then all sorts of things can go wrong eventually, but it isn’t oxygen or fuel.  Here a HR monitor is most helpful.  After you figure out your endurance pace HR, stay below it. LEVEL ONE (1): Recovery ride.  This does not feel like exercise.  Just get the blood flowing to help with repair.  Use the time for focus on technique:  perfect pedaling, higher cadence coordination, deep rhythmic breathing training.  Go easy at whatever HR or power comes out.  Easy.  Recovery. 

Carrie Jackson Certified Mental Performance Consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and co-author of the book Rebound Carrie has helped athletes achieve amazing athletic accomplishments – things they never thought were possible for them. She's worked with athletes that get so nervous before competition they wondered if they should quit; now those same athletes show up to their events and not only perform well, but actually enjoy it! She's worked with injured athletes through their recovery and helped them return to their sport only to have their greatest season yet. Contact Carrie https://carriejackson.com/ Rebound Top Your Game

Dr. Miele Bio Dr. Miele runs her own business ‘Mind over Body Athletics, LLC’ in which she trains and consults athletes and coaches in a variety of sports, sport psychology, injury prevention, and training methods. Dr. Miele played Division I basketball at Arizona State; was Tight End for the Arizona Caliente, of the Women’s Professional Football League; and was also a New York Golden Gloves semi-finalist in 2004. She began coaching athletes in 1986 and has been involved as a personal exercise and fitness trainer since 1994. Dr. Miele has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe as an athlete and coach and has been involved in consulting, coaching and teaching a wide range of sports including but not limited to; Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Baseball, Football, Archery, Bowling, Figure Skating, Hockey, Boxing, Wrestling, Field Sports, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Track and Field, Gymnastics and Tennis. Links to resources Dr. Laura Miele's website: https://www.sportfitnessconsulting.com/ Psyche of the Injured Athlete on Amazon: https://a.co/d/4qDlEdI