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About this blog

Coach Robb is a human performance expert that helps amatuer and pro-level riders perform their best, focusing on diet, fitness, and mental conditioning.

Entries in this blog

Coach Robb Podcast #26 - The Difference Between Epstein Barr, Adrenal Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Coach Robb Podcast - #26 - The Difference Between Epstein Barr, Adrenal Fatigue and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Are you struggling with fatigue, can’t lose those last 10 pounds, not sleeping at night, have poor concentration, experiencing body aches…. (just to mention a few)? Have you sought professional help only to be made to feel like you are losing your mind and it is all in your head?  Well the truth is there is a process associated with fatigue and during this podcast Coach Robb walks you through the symptoms, causes and a few ideas on how to turn your miserable conditions around. Over the last 34 years, Coach Robb has received thousands of emails from individuals all around the world who struggle with fatigue – both mentally and physically.  In this podcast Coach Robb walks through a concept he refers to as the “Flow Pattern of Fatigue”.  He explains how fatigue can manifest itself in the way of a virus, then overload your adrenal system and eventually result in a condition commonly referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as discuss the pivotal differences between this condition, adrenal fatigue and Epstein Barr. After listening to this podcast, you will have a better understanding of where your symptoms originated, why your body is struggling and three specific steps to begin turning your symptoms around.  
http://www.coachrobbpodcast.com
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

2

KETOGENIC DIET & INTERMITTENT FASTING: DO THEY WORK? - PODCAST #23

During this Coach Robb Podcast I shed some insight into how the Ketogenic Diet (a.k.a. Keto Diet) originated and how this suggested way of eating has some immediate benefits, but also long-term consequences. I also discussed the similarities of the Keto Diet and past “popular diets and systems” that focus on one element of nutrition, take it out of context, and market that element as a brand new idea that is revolutionizing the way humans should eat to shed body fat and improve performance. As they say, everything old becomes new again, and after listening, you will see how there is a much simpler and sustainable way to eat to drop those unwanted pounds of body fat without sacrificing your foundation of health and wellness. During the second half of the podcast, I explain what intermittent fasting is and how the body adjusts and adapts to short periods of complete fasting (eating no calories at all). In addition to the pros and cons of intermittent fasting, I explain that if you implement fasting, of any duration, at the wrong time, the consequences could be quite substantial. If you have read about fasting and wondered if this process is good for you, grab a piece of paper and jot down some notes. The decision to fast has many implications beyond what it does to the body during the fast. You also need to understand the timing of the fasting process to avoid detrimental long-term results. Listeners questions include: What do I do if eating prior to exercise and/or racing makes me sick to my stomach? Why does training in the heat makes it difficult to drop body fat? How does a warm-up and cool down improve performance? What are the hierarchy of needs relevant to overall health and performance? What can I do to reduce cholesterol levels naturally?
  http://www.coachrobbpodcast.com/
 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

43

Road to Loretta's - History of MotoE Amateur Race Team

Follow Coach Robb on his way to Loretta's and learn about the history associated with the most successful amateur development program in the history of motocross. Watch MotoE riders Triangle Yamaha's Logan Best ripping on the new YZ65 to a pair of seconds (including some holeshots!); Dylan Greer and Josh Guffey in the Pro-Sport classes; Curtis Biorn in the C class; Bud Guthrie in the 40+ class and Colton Eigenmann in the 250B class where he landed on the podium in the last moto and went 4th overall. Coach Robb has had the privilege of working with riders such as Ryan Dungey, Adam C, Jeremy & Alex Martin, Jordan Bailey, Isaac Teasdale, Ian Trettel, Ashley Fiolek, Broc Tickle and many more as they have developed into national amateur champions and into professional stars. If you would like more information about Coach Robb's MotoE Performance and Nutritional Programs, please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com.  
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

0

How Rest Improves Your Speed & Endurance

Exercise is a great habit to have within your daily life; however, when it becomes an obsession it can actually become counter-productive to your overall health.  Excessive training (in the form of volume and/or intensity) without adequate rest causes the body to become "numb" to external indicators of over training such as mood swings, simple sugar cravings, interrupted sleep, loss of sex drive, loss of body weight, suppressed appetite and an elevated resting heart rate. Research indicates that after 12 weeks of consistent training, Cytochome C (a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the production of energy at a cellular level), reaches a peak and then beings to decline. In addition to Cytochrome C levels, so does your maximum oxygen uptake (also known as your VO2 Max.).  At this point, the body must be allowed to rest and re-group for continued progress.
Give it a rest! Training creates adaptations within the body's various systems (muscular, cardio-pulmonary, lymphatic, nervous and connective) and needs to be supported with rest and food for positive adaptations.  Inadequate amounts (and quality) of sleep and food set the body up for a physical break down which leads to negative effects on the body (i.e. suppressed immune system and muscles with less power and endurance). In addition to adaptations within the body's systems, training causes changes at a cellular level - cell mitochondria swell, metabolic wastes accumulate, essential nutrients (particularly electrolytes and stored glycogen) deplete, and muscle tissue is torn.  This tearing is known as microtrauma of the cells, and torn muscle tissue doesn't work efficiently.  As popularly noted, it takes 48 hours for the body to recover from this micro-trauma and has to be supported with rest and food for proper recovery and improved overall health. If the body doesn't get the opportunity to rebuild from the "work phase" of training, overall health and associated performance begin to slow down (and in extreme circumstances, cease all together). The concept of hard training days followed with easy-active recovery days incorporated into your weekly training schedule establishes the balance necessary for maximum improvements in your overall health and ultimately your performance.  Consistent training without physical or mental setbacks provides the foundation for your body absorb your training volumes.  The larger the foundation (i.e. quality of overall health) the quicker you will recover from workouts and the quicker your body will progress to new levels of performance. The key to overcoming your fear of taking time off is to understand how much it will help, rather than hinder, your performance.  Think about it this way, if you are not fresh, you will not have the energy (or desire) to push to the next level of performance.  If your body doesn't experience the next level, you will begin to stagnate within your performance cycles. So, the next time you see a recovery workout on your schedule, don't ignore it! Remember, that rest allows your body to recover, rebuild, and ultimately become stronger.
Have a great holiday weekend and don't forget to tap that "follow" button!

Coach Robb Beams
Human Performance Expert
 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

5

Coach Robb: "Who is your favorite rider you have worked with and why?"

I am super excited about this new series captured by Treehouse Creative Designs (TreehouseCreativeDesigns.com)! The vision of the series is to learn more about my background, my training methods, and my perspective on the motocross industry. In this first segment, I was asked "Who is your favorite rider you have worked with and why?" If you have a question on your mind, email us at Contact@CoachRobb.com and we will incorporate it into our next video series. #MotoE
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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Coach Robb Podcast: POST-RACE DEPRESSION & HOW TO AVOID THE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF OVER TRAINING

Podcast #21 POST-RACE DEPRESSION – HOW TO AVOID THE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF OVER TRAINING Over the last 34 years of coaching, I have has seen countless cases of post-race depression. This is not a subject that I take lightly and in this podcast I explain why it happens, as well as providing some very important steps you can take to help offset the symptoms. **Note: if you are dealing with depression, I strongly urges you to seek professional help immediately! ** I also outline what over training is, how to identify if you are on the path to over training, along with four specific questions you must answer to keep it from happening again. Grab a piece of paper and jot down the blueprint as I walk you the necessary steps to elevate your health, wellness and performance without having any future performance setbacks. Listeners questions include: What is the difference between electrolytes and calories in a sports drink; When should I resume training after muscle soreness, Tips to keeping Energy Fuel cold during long workouts, Can you drink Energy Fuel with dinner, and the fine line between being too technical and not technical enough. If you have any questions or frustrations, please post them below and we will address them directly here on TT!   Thanks for listening. Coach Robb
CompleteRacingSolutions.com 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

12

MotoE - Fueling for Performance Bundle Now Available!

Frustrated with trying to figure out what or when to eat and drink during your athletic training and racing? Cramping? Bonking? Feeling tired all the time? Whether you’re a national champion or weekend warrior, this workshop is designed for every type of racer. MotoE founder, Coach Robb applies his 34 years of experience as a nutrition and performance coach to provide proven solutions to the most common nutrition and hydration frustrations. You will walk away with: ▶ Customized nutritional & hydration strategy for improved strength to weight ratios, speed & endurance ▶ Proven process for determining what you need to eat & drink (and how often) during training and racing ▶ Clear understanding of what foods aid in muscle recovery and support your adrenal and immune systems Order Here - CLICK HERE Get a sneak peek of the presentation here:      
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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5 Key Steps to Training & Racing Well in Heat & Humidity (Pod Cast)

During this Podcast (#18), I outline How to Train and Race in Hot and Humid Conditions for Optimum Performance.  I walk you through 5 key steps to take prior to, during and following training and/or racing to ensure that you perform well in these difficult situations, along with how to correctly recover in the shortest amount of time.  During the first segment, I also outline how to identify and offset a heat stroke. During segment #2, I  address the Role of Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat as it Relates to Performance.  This includes how each of these plays a significant role in your energy levels, performance levels, and your ability to recover.  You might be surprised to learn what it takes to become both lean and strong! Finally, I answers listener’s questions about eating enough to off-set weight gain associated with stress; how to lose fat and not muscle; why eggs are important in a meal plan; and why do I train faster than I race? If you have any questions that you would like me and/or my staff to research and discuss, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email to: Contact@CoachRobb.com Regards, Coach Robb
 

5 Food Buzz Words That Make You Think You're Eating Healthy (but you're not!)

What looks like a healthy choice on the outside (and marketed accordingly) isn't always what it's wrapped up to be on the inside. Here's 5 food marketing buzz words that sound oh so good until you peel back the covers for a better look: Made with real fruit Reality: there are no regulations around this claim, according to Joy Dubost, PhD (spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics).  She provides a simple example.  Consider Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars Mixed Berry.  Sounds like a relatively healthy snack.  But the "made-with-real-fruit" filling contains puree concentrate (made with sugar) of blueberries, strawberries, apples and raspberries. Solution: the lower a fruit is listed in the ingredient panel, the less the product contains.  If you want to reap the benefits (vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, water, electrolytes) of eating fruit, consume a piece of in season fruit every time you sit down to snack and/or have a meal.  Lightly Sweetened Reality: Unlike “sugar-free” and “no added sugars”, this claim isn’t regulated by the FDA.  It is easy to be fooled.  A simple example is Wheaties Fuel, a cereal that is marketed specifically to athletes and carries the lightly sweetened label; however, it contains more sugar per ¾ cup serving than the same amount of Froot Loops. Solution: again, read the nutritional panels.  Avoid products that have sugar within the first five ingredients (Note: also look for words ending in –ose (sucralose, fructose), these are all sugars and should be avoided because they are synthetic sugars).  Gluten Free Reality: To make this claim, a product must be made without wheat, barley or rye.  But there have been reports of cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains during growing or manufacturing says Pamela Cureton, RD at the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Solution: look for a seal from the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, the Celiac Sprue Association or the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness which test products to ensure they have not gluten.  Added Fiber Reality: though products with this claim do actually pack additional fiber – often listed as polydextrose, inulin (derived from chicory root), or maltodextrin – it’s unknown whether consuming them has the same benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, as the fiber found naturally in whole foods.  Solution: it is okay to consume added fiber (often found in cereal, yogurt and energy bars), but too much can cause a derailing bellyache.  Strive to consume 14 grams per 1,000 calories as a general rule of thumb. Wild Rice Reality: “True wild rice comes from a plant that’s indigenous to certain lakes and rivers in the Midwest and Canada,” says Peter David, wildlife biologist at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in Wisconsin.  “Most people eat the kind produced out of California, which may be treated with chemicals. Solution: look for the plant name Zizania palustris on the ingredient panel.  It packs four times the amount of protein, 73 times the potassium, and 12 times the fiber per serving as its impostor. Learning what to look for in your food for optimum health, wellness and ultimately performance…another piece to help you Work Smart, Not Hard!
Yours in sport & health, -Coach Robb, Coaches and Staff CompleteRacingSolutions.com

 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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Coach Robb Podcast: Building the Perfect Training Program - Endurance Specific

Do you struggle with building a nutrition and training program that doesn’t leave you exhausted and flat on race day? During Podcast #13, Coach Robb walks you through the four stages necessary for optimum strength, speed and endurance specific to anything endurance (triathlon, running, mountain biking, road cycling, adventure racing, long distance open water swimming, hiking and climbing, off road motorcycle racing (2 plus hours like BAJA & GNCC). Before listening to this podcast, make sure you have a pen and paper to take some notes.  Coach Robb outlines the three main components associated with performance then walks you through four stages associated with building the perfect endurance program: Creating an Athlete Performance Profile, Creating an Athlete’s Foundation for Performance, Performance Evaluation and Performance Development.  After listening to this podcast, you will have the ultimate template for optimized endurance specific performance. And as the people’s podcast, Coach Robb answers listeners questions about the benefits of massage, how to control intensity for weight loss and cycling, how to recover from a snowboarding session, benefits of energy gels and blocks during a half marathon and when to review biofeedback indicators. Click the play button below to to listen to the podcast. If you want to be notified of future podcasts & blog entries, be sure to tap the "Follow" button right here on ThumperTalk.
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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MotoE Performance Newsletter - March Issue

Click Here for the latest MotoE Performance Newsletter.  Within this issue: Power of Protein Part 2 - Avoid Cramping & Fatigue and more! If you are looking for a complete nutritional and performance program (to improve speed, endurance, drop fat and build muscle), please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com. Yours in health and sport, -Coach Robb    
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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5 Simple Things That Will Improve Your Riding Sessions and Racing!

Eat Prior to Working Out Eat soon before you head out and you could be plagued with G.I. (gastro-intestinal) issues. But if your last snack or meal was hours ago, you could run out of energy. The goal is to time your meals & snacks to provide a stabilized blood sugar level throughout your riding session or cross training work out. Accomplish this by eating every 2 hours after you wake up in the morning Allow 2 hours after eating a complete meal before exercising – this allows for complete absorption and proper purging avoiding cramping. If you are tight on time, consume 8-10 ounces of Energy Fuel to provide your brain and muscles the easily absorbable carbohydrates and electrolytes necessary for optimum performance.   Foam Rolling Use a foam roller before your pre-ride or work out stretching. The direct pressure helps vasodilate (open up) the tissue bringing fresh blood to the muscles about to be used. When you foam roll prior to stretching, you will reduce the activation of the Stretch Reflex, reducing your risk of a pulled muscle. Chronic aches and pains like Achilles tendinitis, planter fascia, etc. benefit from direct pressure before exercise because it increases blood flow & muscle elasticity. Riding & cross training is more productive when tender/sore spots are warm. Start by rolling with a tennis ball move to a lacrosse ball then manual massage then sport specific exercise.   Warm Up There are three physiological benefits to an effective warm up. First, your warm up is an activity that allows the body to transition from inactivity to activity and to distribute the blood flow into the extremities. This distribution of blood warms up the muscles, tendons, cartilage and ligaments avoiding any cramping or tearing.   Refuel Immediately after a riding or cross training session, your muscles and liver are looking for simple sugar to replenish your storage levels for the next workout. Your window of opportunity is 20-30 minutes after you finish because of an enzyme (glycogen synthase) that is at its highest activity level immediately following exercise. By consuming real food that is easily digestible is the key to optimum replenishment and recovery.   Ice your pain When to apply ice depends on the injury. If the pain is chronic, here's the best post workout sequence; foam roll, static stretch, ice. But for acute pain (less than 72 hours since incident), skip foam rolling & stretching and ice immediately. The quicker you ice, the faster you slow down inflammation. Do a 5 minute on-off cycle as much as possible during the first 72 hours after injury. NOTE: Refrain from applying heat to the aggravated/injured for the first 72 hours – this will only increase the inflammation process.   Yours in health and sport, -Coach Robb (CompleteRacingSolutions.com) 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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Coach Robb Podcast #11 - Now Available!

Are you frustrated that your training and eating habits are not producing the results you are looking for? Coach Robb’s Podcast #11 drills down on the top six culprits that could be holding you back. Coach Robb taps into his 30+ years of working with clients, athletes and racers to outline how overlooking little things can create a domino effect that undermines your efforts and eventually your health without you seeing it until it is too late. He also explains why trying harder is not always the correct mindset when it comes to breaking through personal plateaus. If you are tired of being tired or ready to bust through performance glass ceilings, you don’t want to miss this podcast!  
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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Coach Robb Podcast #8 is Now Available!

Do you want to understand why you are gaining weight even though you are training consistently and watching what you are eating? Want to understand why you feel exhausted all the time? Want to understand why waking up to an alarm is making you gain weight? If so, take a few minutes and listen to my latest podcast and stop the vicious cycle! Tap the "play" arrow below to listen to the podcast and be sure to tap the "Follow" button to be notified when I post new blog entries, right here on ThumperTalk.  
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

1
 

The Health & Performance Dangers of Becoming Hungry

Most nutritional and hydration errors occur because the food and water is not readily available. If you are hungry and you don’t have healthy snacks and meals to consume, you will inevitably end up going through a drive through to satisfy your hunger – this is completely different than eating fast food because you don’t care about your health. Speaking of being hungry, this is a sensation that you should NOT be experiencing on a daily basis. When it comes to nutrition for both your health and performance, there are two simple questions that you have to ask yourself: 1. Am I eating fresh fruit, vegetables and high quality fat every two (2) hours? 2. Am I getting hungry before the two (2) hour window of time has transpired? Think about this for a minute, if you are eating nutrient dense fruits, vegetables and protein every two hours (this stabilizes your blood sugar levels along with satisfies your appetite) and you are still getting hungry – YOU NEED TO EAT MORE FOOD! This sounds completely contrary to the mainstream mindset; however, being hungry will undermine your efforts at each workout. Think about your car, if you have a half a tank of gas and you want to drive 1000 miles, you can’t without filling up your gas tank. Your body is the same one but with one extra catch. To improve your workout quality, your brain and muscles need adequate sugar to complete the workout and raise its fitness to the next level. Without the new threshold of workload, the muscles will not be stimulated enough to create an adaptation – the result is a performance plateau. When it comes to determining how much protein, carbohydrates and fats you have to consume refrain from pulling out a scale and reading labels extensively. Instead, focus on your hunger levels (there shouldn’t be any), evaluate your performance results (consistency and improvement) and your biofeedback (quality of sleep, resting heart rate, personality characteristics). If these evaluation elements are not consistently positive, you need to eat more food. If you begin to eat too much (this rarely happens), you will get a clear notice: your clothes will begin to wear tight. Remember, stress comes in many forms: relationship, work, financial, workouts, hydration, hunger, etc. The value of your health and wellnexs is finding the correct balance of volume & intensity of training to maximize your training efforts and achieve your personal goals. Ironically, it all starts with consuming adequate amounts of high quality food, remember it is all about Working Smart, Not Hard! Yours in health and sport, -Coach Robb 
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

1
 

Simple Components of Success That You Can Do Today!

To help you get the most from your daily efforts, here are some reminders on how to optimize your training & racing efforts. Eat Prior to Working Out If you eat too soon before you head out, you could be plagued with G.I. (gastro-intestinal) issues. But if your last snack or meal was more than three hours ago, you could run out of energy. The goal is to time your meals & snacks to provide a stabilized blood sugar level throughout your training sessions specific to your intensity levels. Accomplish this by eating every 2 hours after you wake up in the morning. Allow 2 hours after eating a complete meal before exercising – this allows for complete absorption and proper purging avoiding cramping. If you are tight on time, consume 8-10 ounces of Energy Fuel just prior to provide your brain and muscles the easily absorbable carbohydrates and electrolytes necessary for optimum muscle contraction and sweating.   Foam Rolling (please use these videos) Use a foam roller before your workout and/or before working out. The direct pressure helps vasodilate (open up) the tissue bringing fresh blood to the muscles about to be used. When you foam roll prior to stretching, you will reduce the activation of the Stretch Reflex, reducing your risk of a pulled muscle. Chronic aches and pains like Achilles tendinitis, planter fascia, etc. benefit from direct pressure before exercise because it increases blood flow & muscle elasticity. Training is more productive when tender/sore spots are warm. Start by rolling with a tennis ball move to a lacrosse ball then manual massage then sport specific exercise.   Warm Up Your warm up is an activity that allows the body to transition from inactivity to activity and to distribute the blood flow into the extremities. This distribution of blood warms up the muscles, tendons, cartilage and ligaments avoiding any cramping or tearing.   Refuel Immediately after training, your muscles and liver are looking for simple sugar to replenish your storage levels for the next workout. Your window of opportunity is 20-30 minutes after you finish because of an enzyme (glycogen synthase) that is at its highest activity level immediately following exercise. By consuming real food that is easily digestible is the key to optimum replenishment and recovery. By implementing these non sweating performance elements on a daily basis, just adds more tools to help you Work Smart, Not Hard! Yours in health & sport, -Coach Robb     
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

0
 

Which of These 3 Things Are Making You Slow?

When it comes to halting a rider’s progress both on and off of the track, nothing will stop you quicker than an injury.  Unfortunately, for many rider’s, we have either become complacent to injuries and have adopted the mindset that “it is just part of the sport” or assumed that the injury is a result of overusing a particular muscle or group of muscles.  With the exception of trauma associated with direct impact, injuries are an imbalance within your performance variables: sleep, food, hydration, training (volume & intensity) and your ability to “absorb” the daily workloads that you subject your body to in an attempt to improve.  As surmised by Dr. Maffetone, injuries fall into three categories: mechanical, chemical & mental.  Let’s review how each of these categories influence the status of your performance.  #1 - Mechanical Injuries Let’s create a scenario. You wake up one morning and when you step out of bed you feel a “slight pull” in the arch of your right foot.  You notice it, but you don’t think much more about it because within a few minutes of walking around the “slight pull” dissipates.  For the next week, every morning when you take your first few steps, you feel the tenderness in your foot lasting progressively longer and instead of being a “slight pull” it is actually becoming painful to walk on it.  This pain is now lasting throughout the day and is beginning to negatively affect your workouts.  As you train, your body senses the pain in the arch of your right foot and counterbalances this pain by shifting the way that you walk, stand and land when you run or walk. You know that you should run on your mid-foot, but it hurts too much, so you begin running by landing on your heel (mechanical mistake) and your body adjusts more of your weight to your left leg, this causes increased load levels on your left side and a domino effect of issues.  Keep in mind, this entire chain of events wasn’t a byproduct of a high impact injury, instead it is your body compensating to some soft tissue issue that resulted in a loss of biomechanics.  The key to avoiding a mechanical injury is a three step process: identify how the problem started, properly address the associated symptoms & implement a system to keep the issue from arising again.  Step One: Identify the Difference between the Pain Site & Pain Source If we continue to use the illustration of your right arch in your foot, let’s say that you purchased a new pair of shoes and they didn’t fit properly for the type of training you are doing.  Your left foot (notice the opposite side of the foot that hurts) gets tweaked during exercise which results in micro trauma (small tears in the muscle & connective tissue).  While there are no symptoms (swelling, hot to the touch, etc.), this micro trauma is sensed by the brain and is immediately addressed with compensation – you shift your body weight from being equally distributed with both feet, to more weight being distributed to your right foot (the eventual site of your pain, but not source of the problem). This distribution of more body weight to the right side of the body puts more loads on the bones and muscles which creates a “secondary compensation”; an excessive amount of load that has to be distributed to keep you upright and able to walk.  This excessive load eventually weakens (because of fatigue) both the primary and secondary muscles become so tight (part of the compensation process), flexibility is limited and movement is creating micro tears in the tissue that your brain picks up as pain.  When this point of the process is achieved, the muscles are like a tight guitar string and the slightest movement ends up being the “action” that you feel – a muscle tear or chronic tenderness.  Solution: find an experienced human performance coach or physical therapist who understands movement associated with your specific sport to help you identify the source of your pain. If you can’t move without pain, you will never be able to achieve your full potential. Step Two: address the symptoms.  It is not a rational thought to think that you can correct pain by acting as if it isn’t there – sometimes this means taking some time off!  The therapy needed for dealing with symptoms needs to begin with the cause of the pain in the first place.  In the illustration of your right foot, you need to source the problem all the way back to a poor fitting shoe that didn’t support your training efforts.  Once you are put into the correct shoes, the body will cease making adaptations and compensations – this is the critical step to dealing with the painful symptoms.   The body has an incredible natural ability to heal itself once the cause of the problem is properly addressed.  As a general rule of thumb, if the injury is acute (you have felt the pain for the first time within the last 48 hours), then apply ice for 10 minutes and then air temperature and manual massage for 10 minutes.  If the symptom has persisted for more than 48 hours, apply ice for 10 minutes, moist heat for 10 minutes and air temperature/massage for 10 minutes.  Repeat as many times as logistically possible.   Step Three: Prevent the Cycle of Pain Before it begins Most racers are able to narrow down the source of an injury quite quickly when questioned.  For example, if I ask an athlete how old their shoes are, they are able to tell me that they are 8 months old and not very comfortable to wear.  They have literally narrowed down the source of the problem with just a few questions.  The problem arises when racers ignore their body’s feedback relevant to pain and not make the necessary (usually easy) adjustments to keep the symptoms from getting worse.  When your body provides you an obvious signal – tenderness in your foot for example, stop and ask yourself what is actually going on.  If you don’t stop, rest and evaluate what conditions have led to this situation, you will be eventually forced to stop resulting in more down time from riding & racing.    #2 Chemical Injuries – Epstein Barr/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome The typical racer spends most of his or her spare time riding, cross training, working/school and spending time with your family & friends.  Riding & cross training is as common as eating lunch each day.  However, you may notice that it is getting progressively harder to get through a workout or a race feeling strong.  Additional symptoms may include irritability, weight gain, craving simple sugar, not sleeping well and getting ill frequently.  Though this may not be as “painful” as a mechanical injury, you are chemically injured.  Although some chemical injuries may provide symptoms of inflammation, which can be painful, the most common characteristic of a chemical problem is that you feel tired and fatigue quickly when training and/or racing. To properly address chemical injuries, you must first rule out more serous conditions such as anemia (low red blood cell levels), infections or other disorders.  To help narrow this condition quickly, a full panel blood test, evaluation of family history and a physical exam by a professional should be performed every three months. A personal schedule that is spread too thin creates an environment where the ability to recover completely is hindered and the stress level placed on your adrenal system becomes excessive.  Your adrenal system is designed to adapt and compensate for all the stress that you subject your body to on a daily and weekly basis.  With your adrenals not being able to sustain your stress levels, your bodily functions begin to decline.  Symptoms include: Ø  Blood sugar becomes unstable leading to fatigue Ø  The brain is deprived of the necessary sugar it needs, cravings & increased hunger follows.  Ø  Irritability - because the brain is sensitive to relatively small changes in blood sugar Ø  Weight Gain – stress slows down your metabolism which causes your body to shift from using more sugar and less fat for fuel which leads weight gains Ø  Suppressed immune system – this leads to frequent illness and lingering sickness Ø  Allergies become more common & severe Solution: clean up your personal schedule so that you are doing exactly what you have outlined in your personal schedule to maximize your mental focus and overall productivity.  Additionally, add more high quality fat to satisfy your appetite and fuel your body with high quality MCT (medium chain triglycerides) for energy.    #3 - Mental Injuries As stated by Dr. Maffetone, “a chemical may trigger impairment on a mental or emotional level.” If the brain becomes distorted from a chemical effect of diet, nutrition, excessive training volume or intensity, a mental injury can occur.   Symptoms include: Depression Low desire to train Fearing competition High levels of anxiety Personal life and balance becoming stressful Decreased performance results (even with more effort being put into training) A functional imbalance in the brain’s chemistry is a change in two neurotransmitters: Serotonin & Norepinephrine.  The brain’s imbalance may be caused by a mismatched diet, lack of nutrients, or training too hard, too long or too often.  Serotonin has a calming, sedative, or depressing effect in the brain.  A high carbohydrate (high glycemic) meal, results in more serotonin production.  Norepinephrine has a stimulating effect on the brain.  A racer who is depressed could benefit from more of this brain chemical. Overtraining frequently is preceded by too much anaerobic work.  Anaerobic work creates excessive lactic acid which has been shown to create depression, anxiety and phobias amongst racers.  The catalyst for this is an overstimulation of the adrenal glands, and occurs with the release of endorphins. 
  Conclusion The key to optimum performance is to think through how the problems were created and implement a specific process to pull you out of the negative environment and into an environment that yields optimum health, wellness and ultimately performance.  Each injury needs to be seen as part of the racer and each racer must be approached individually based on age, experience, status of the injury, how the body responds to therapy and overall goals.  Finally, step back and review this entire process.  It has taken weeks, maybe months, for your injury to get to the point where you stop and address the issue with therapy.  And all along this process, your body has not been healthy and your performance has been negatively affected.   Next issue we will discuss: The Anatomy of an Injury: Knees & Ankles.  If you have any questions or need anything clarified, please email me directly.  Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard! -Coach Robb

About MotoE and Complete Racing Solutions MotoE-CompleteRacingSolutions.com (the world’s largest and most successful moto specific Human Performance Company) is a complete Motocross Performance Training company with a vision of developing good racers into championship level racers through proven nutrition, mental, fitness and performance programs. MotoE currently manages the nutrition, mental, speed, strength and endurance programs for Ricky Carmichael’s GOAT Farm, the Georgia Training Facility (GPF) and WildwoodMX - with more partnerships to be announced in 2018. Led by Head Coach and Founder, Robb Beams, MotoE offers 33 years of success including four-time supercross and three-time motocross champion Ryan Dungey, and current pro riders Jeremy Martin, Adam Ciancirulio, Alex Martin, Isaac Teasdale, Tristan Charboneau and Mitchell Harrison.  Current top amateur riders developed by MotoE’s Performance & Nutritional Program include Jordan Bailey, Lance Kobush, Jake Pinhancos, Stilez Robertson, Joshua Guffey and Dylan Greer.   If you are frustrated with "gusessing" what to do or why your performance levels are below your expectations, contact MotoE's Customer Service department and request a FREE 20 minute consultation with Coach Robb to see what can be done to get you to that next level of fitness and performance.      
Coach Robb

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MOTOE IS EXPANDING AND HAS $156,000 IN SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE FOR THE 2018 AMATEUR RACING SEASON!

MotoE is once again opening and expanding its amateur racing sponsorship program for the 2018 race season beginning November 20th2017.   Due to the success of both the MotoE Factory and Co-Factory Teams experienced in 2017, the 2018 sponsorship program will double in size and continue to consist of two levels of sponsorship: Full Factory & Co-Factory. Each rider chosen for the MotoE Factory Team (total of 6 riders) will receive 100% of their coaching fees covered (a $10,000 annual value) along with significant discounts on Coach Robb’s Nutritionally Green performance nutrition products including his extremely popular Energy Fuel.  MotoE Co-Factory Team members (total of 20 riders) will receive 80% off their coaching fees covered (a $4,800 annual value), as well as discounts on Coach Robb’s nutrition products. Both Factory and Co-Factory Teams are being doubled in size for the 2018 season.  “Last season we received just over 2200 resumes for our Co-Factory Team so we wanted to expand our sponsorship level to provide more riders the opportunity to gain access to our championship proven nutritional, performance and mental programs used by some of today’s top professionals and amateur national champions,” states MotoE Founder and Director of Human Performance Services, Robb Beams.  "In 2017 the MotoE Factory team consisting of Jake Pinhancos, Joshua Gibbs and Stilez Robertson who dedicated themselves to the program resulted in multiple championships, as well as performances that were far above what we had projected for the 2017 race season,” commented Beams. "Our Co-Factory Team development vision was to improve the rider’s strength, endurance and overall speed to make them eligible for the MotoE Factory Team and ultimately a factory ride with a reputable team,” he added.  This vison became reality when long time team member Isaac Teasdale was recently signed to the Babbitt’s/Monster Kawasaki AX Lites Team for the 2018 season. “Our focus again in 2018 is to provide amateur riders all over the world access to the same MotoE Blueprint of Success Performance Program that was created and implemented with our top amateurs and professionals over the last 33 years. Improving the rider’s speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, lean body mass and mental preparation to handle the physical and mental demands of high profile amateur racing will continue to be our focus,” says Beams. Applications will be reviewed and accepted thru December 29th 2017. Riders will be notified of their sponsorship level by January 5th2018 and will begin receiving their MotoE Blueprint for Success Performance Program the week of January 8th 2018. If you are dedicated to doing what is necessary to be a top amateur racer and possibly an amateur national champion (in any class), submit your updated race resume and 2018 race schedule for review to Contact@CoachRobb.com. No matter what class you race, where you race, or your past results, all resumes will be reviewed! MotoE (the world’s largest and most successful Human Performance Company) is a complete Motocross Performance Training company with a vision of developing good racers into championship level racers through proven nutrition, mental, fitness and performance programs. Led by Head Coach and Founder, Robb Beams, MotoE offers 33 years of success including four-time supercross and three-time motocross champion Ryan Dungey, and current pro riders Jeremy Martin, Adam Ciancirulio, Alex Martin, Isaac Teasdale, Tristan Charboneau and Mitchell Harrison.  Current top amateur riders developed by MotoE’s Performance & Nutritional Program include Jordan Bailey, Lance Kobush, Jake Pinhancos, Stilez Robertson, Joshua Guffey and Dylan Greer. For more information, visit www.CompleteRacingSolutions.com
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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Coach Robb Podcast #6 - Now Available!

During this show I answered the frequently debated question – “Should my maximum heart rate go up or down as I become fitter?” I also outlined what an Energy Matrix is and how training with a heart rate monitor will make you leaner, stronger and faster in the shortest amount of time. In addition to answering more listener questions, I also explained why strength training is a key component to improving your ability to burn fat, increase speed and reduce muscular fatigue. When you get a moment, make sure to follow me over on Youtube at Robb Beams to hear your questions answered in video format! Click here to download: https://www.dmxsradio.com/ Yours in health and sport, -Coach Robb 
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Coach Robb

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Are You Absorbing Your Workouts or Wearing Yourself Out?

As you capture more and more historical data, you are able to catch any deviations in your body’s ability to adapt to the stress of training. By consistently tracking your daily resting heart rate you are able to “catch” signs of fatigue, stress and even illness early and adjust your training accordingly to minimize the grip of the virus or stress. As a general rule of thumb, if your resting heart rate is up 3-5 beats over last week’s average, you need to keep your workouts strictly aerobic (this means NO weight lifting – it is anaerobic) and the duration to less than a hour. If your heart rate is up 6 beats or more over last week’s average, you need to go back to bed (if logistically possible) and use your normal “training time” as “recovery time”. Use this “recovery time” for eating, stretching and mental development – the non-sweating performance elements of your program. It is always better to give up one or two days of training then to “push through the stress or virus” only to be set back 7-10 days. Please keep in mind that an elevated heart rate associated with high intensity/volume training is normal and is part of the adaptation process when supported with proper amounts of food & sleep. The key is to evaluate how your body “absorbs” such a workout. By listening to your body and following your bio-feedback (resting heart rate, body weight and quality of sleep) provides you direct feedback that what you are doing (training and recovery wise) is working. Remember, Work Smart - Not Hard! -Coach Robb
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Coach Robb

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Should You Workout Hard This Weekend or Take Some Down Time?

Over Training Indicators include: mood swings; craving of simple sugar; interrupted sleep; loss of libido; loss of body weight; suppressed appetite & elevated resting heart rate. Once you have reached the point of over training and are experiencing associated symptoms, your satisfaction associated with training becomes less rewarding and ultimately affects other elements in your life (relationships, work, etc.) along with having a negative effect on your performance (which ironically makes you think you need to do more or work harder!). Training creates adaptations within the body's various systems (muscular, cardio-pulmonary, lymphatic, nervous and connective) and needs to be supported with rest and food for positive adaptations. Inadequate amounts (and quality) of sleep and food set the body up for a physical break down which leads to negative effects on the body (i.e. suppressed immune system and muscles with less power and endurance). In addition to adaptations within the body's systems, training causes changes at a cellular level. Dr. Sandler notes that cell mitochondria swell, metabolic wastes accumulate, essential nutrients (particularly electrolytes and stored glycogen) deplete, and muscle tissue is torn. This tearing is known as micro trauma of the cells, and torn muscle tissue doesn't work efficiently. As popularly noted, it takes 48 hours for the body to recover from this micro-trauma and has to be supported with rest and food for proper recovery and improved overall health. If your body doesn't get the opportunity to rebuild from the "work phase" of training, overall health and associated performance begin to slow down (and in extreme circumstances, cease all together). The concept of hard training days followed with easy-active recovery days incorporated into your weekly training schedule establishes the balance necessary for incremental improvements in your overall health and ultimately your performance. Consistent training without physical or mental setbacks provides the foundation for your body to absorb larger volumes of training. The larger the foundation (i.e. quality of overall health) the quicker you will recover from workouts and the quicker your body will progress to the next level of health & ultimately performance. Think about it this way, if you are not fresh, you will not have the energy (or desire) to push to the next level of performance. If your body doesn't experience the next level you will begin to stagnate within your performance cycles. So what will it be this weekend - big workout or some down time to recover? Yours in sport and health, -Coach Robb  
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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MotoE-Coach Robb Newsletter

The October MotoE-Coach Robb Newsletter is now available for download.  CLICK HERE and learn: 1. Planning for the 2018 season of riding and racing. 2. How much fluid should you consume on a daily basis? 3. How to build lean muscle mass? 4. Why you are exercising but still gaining weight?  5 How to deal with post race depression. 6. Difference between a pain site and a pain source.  7. The importance of building an aerobic base. If you would like to receive Coach Robb's newsletter monthly in your email, please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com and subscribe at the top of the landing page.   Yours in sport and health, -Coach Robb Note: If the link above doesn't work for you, please copy and paste the following into your browser: http://conta.cc/2gkBdVZ  
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hydration Hydration Relevant to Performance

Frequently I discuss the importance of proper hydration and nutrition as it relates to building and repairing muscle tissue, burning unwanted body fat and consuming enough water, sugar and electrolytes to perform optimally every day when you head out the door. With this in mind, I want you to begin keeping a very detailed analysis of your sweat rate. Nutrition as it relates to performance is an interesting subject; we look at the quality and quantity of your food intake and evaluate if you have enough energy to finish your workouts feeling strong throughout the duration of the workout. If you begin to fatigue, we know that we need to adjust the quantity (we assume that the quality is there at this point). Now let’s take a detailed look at your hydration as it relates to your performance. Proper hydration is going to affect your body in two ways: one, it helps you regulate your core body temperature. The cooler you are from the inside out, the better you will perform. The second benefit to proper hydration is that your muscles (and brain) are receiving enough water, electrolytes and sugar to perform properly: good mental clarity and strong muscle contractions. To improve your confidence on race day, you need to know what your sweat/replenishment rate is specific to your intensity with the factor of temperature & humidity. Though it sounds tedious during the week, it is invaluable on race day – you will know exactly what your hydration strategy to implement to race up to your fullest potential. Until next time, work smart - not hard! -Coach Robb
Coach Robb

Coach Robb

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4 Reason (and solutions) Why Your Training is Making You Fat and Slow!

Mistake #1: Not knowing YOUR sport specific heart rate training zone Your maximum heart rate number changes specific to the sport that you are training and racing.  For example, your maximum heart rate on the motorcycle will be higher than on a bicycle (because of the amount of muscle you are using).  A frequent mistake athletes make is completing a maximum heart rate assessment within one discipline and then use the established heart rate training zones across all forms of training and racing.  An additional mistake is using the generic algorithms that are programed into heart rate monitors.  When you plug in your age, height, body weight and activity level, the watch is programmed to provide you GENERIC heart rate zones.  The most accurate assessment of your maximum heart rate is to complete field testing every 6 – 8 weeks. Solution #1: Complete Sport Specific Time Trials and Determine Your Maximum Heart Rate [Note: your maximum heart rate varies from sport to sport – the more muscle you utilize, the higher your heart rate] Your maximum heart rate changes as your aerobic engine improves.  The stronger your aerobic base, the lower your resting heart rate.  With this being said, your maximum heart rate will come down as well because the heart can pump the necessary amounts of oxygenated blood to the working muscles at a lower number because it is “stronger” and pumps more volume of blood with each beat.  Over the duration of my career, I have found the following field tests as a solid indicator of maximum heart rate along with muscular endurance: Swimming: 500 yards (capture your interval at each 100 yard interval) Cycling: 10 miles (capture your elapsed time and heart rate at the five mile and ten mile mark) Running: 3 miles (capture your elapsed time and heart rate at each mile marker) For physical strength, I have a customized Plyometric routine that I feel tests your lactate tolerance and anaerobic thresholds.  This test is EXTREMELY difficult and requires a doctor’s approval.  If you have your doctor’s approval and would like a copy of this Plyometric Assessment, please email me directly.   Mistake #2: Not Testing and Evaluating Your Training Efforts Correctly When you complete your maximum heart rate assessments through time trials, you want to make sure that you are not fatiguing the muscles too quickly which keep you from accurately testing the strength of your heart (specifically oxygen volume as it fuels your working muscles with oxygenated blood). Keep in mind that there is a difference between muscular endurance and muscular power.  If you muscles fatigue due to excessive load or exertion, you will not push your heart into its upper limits.  The key is knowing how to evaluate your time trial results.  Below mistake number three, I will outline testing protocols along with how to evaluate them correctly.  Solution #2: Allow for an Adequate Warm Up When you are attempting to test your aerobic engine, you need to make sure that you don’t increase your intensity too quickly for two reasons. First: the muscles need adequate time to warm up (usually 20-30 minutes) so that you don’t use the first half of your assessment as your “warm up”.  Second: trying to hit maximum effort too early.  The idea is to see what your maximum is over the entire duration, not the first five minutes.    Mistake #3: Following a Generic Training Plan Following a generic training plan that doesn’t take into consideration your training background, physical abilities and availability of time to train will lead to performance plateaus, illness and injuries. Within our performance programs, we factor in your testing results, physical limiters (see Mistake #2), goals and objectives as we develop your training program.  Too frequently I interview new clients who are frustrated with their last year of training and racing because they don’t see any improvements despite the consistency in their training.  The reason for this is that the efforts are not being quantified and the athlete spends too much time in the “grey zone” that yields little to no improvements in performance.  Solution #3: Begin Following a Scientifically Backed Training Program If you would like to begin maximizing your training efforts, please email me and let’s get a nutrition & performance program built for you ASAP!  I guarantee that you will burn body fat, build muscle and improve both your speed and endurance in as little as 12 weeks.  Stop the insanity of training without a plan and email me today.   Mistake #4: Not Eating Enough Fat, Protein and Raw Fruits & Vegetables Many athletes become fat and protein phobic because of the misinformation that is floating around on the internet and morning shows.  The truth of the matter is that the body needs more protein and fat than you can even begin to imagine. Simply put, lean protein re-builds torn down muscle.  If you want to build more muscle you have to eat protein.  Lean protein also supports your immune system which helps protect you against viruses and being down and out being sick. Clean fat will help your body recover from the oxidative stress of aerobic exercise (at all intensity levels).  Eating raw fruits and vegetables will provide your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals to both produce energy as well as recover from your daily training.   Solution #4: Begin Eating More Protein, Fat and Raw Vegetables & Fruits to Burn Body Fat and Improve Your Speed & Endurance The only two things that satisfy appetite is fat and protein – NOTHING ELSE.  If you are on a low fat, low protein diet, you will never experience the true feeling of being full.  This will negatively affect your ability to sleep (which makes you gain weight because your body doesn’t have the chance to release human growth hormone (hGH) which is responsible for making you lean).  The key to burning fat and building muscle is to satisfy your appetite so that you can sleep deeply (REM patter three).  When you get to REM pattern three your body rejuvenates from the inside out and allows your body to release human growth hormone naturally – you will wake up both refreshed and leaner.  However, it starts with real, raw fruits, vegetables, high quality fats and lean protein. You can now see that by training with a scientific, yet simplistic approach will yield the long-term results that you have been always wanting.  I look forward to hearing from each of you and how me and my staff can help you and your program. Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard! -Coach Robb   About Coach Robb and MotoE (CompleteRacingSolutions.com)  Coach Robb has been working with riders and racers since 1987 and is the founder of the Complete Racing Solutions Performance System, the Mental Blueprint of Success, the MotoE Amateur Development Program, the MotoE Educational Series and a nutritional consultant to Nutritionally Green Supplements based out of Orlando Florida. CompleteRacingSolutions.com is a premium resource center for motocross, supercross and GNCC riders of all abilities and ages.  Visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com & subscribe to his monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used by Factory KTM/Red Bull Ryan Dungey, Geico Honda's Jeremy Martin, Factory KTM/Red Bulll Alix Martin, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit Adam Cianciarulo, multi-time Loretta Lynn & Mini O Amateur Champion Jordan Bailey (Factory Rockstar/Husqvarna), Factory KTM/Red Bull Broc Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit Stilez Robertson, off road riders Charlie Mullins (Factory KTM/Red Bull), Chris Bach and Ryan Overton along with quad racer Roman Brown (Factory Yamaha) along with thousands of riders all around the world who have families, hold full time jobs and just love to ride and race motorcycles.   Instructional videos with Coach Robb can be found on the Coach Robb’s YouTube Channel addressing rider’s questions about speed, endurance, strength, nutrition, biomechanics, stretching, and soft tissue maintenance. You can also find articles and videos at CompleteRacingSolutions.com relevant to riders of all abilities.  If you are into social media, you can find him on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb, Instagram: CoachRobbBeams and Facebook: Coach Robb.  If you are into podcasts, CLICK HERE for his first three shows where he outlined: How to Eat Healthy on $10 a Day; Importance of Sleep and It's Influence on Weight Loss; The Dangers of Over-Hydrating.    
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Natural Alternatives to Performance Enhancing Drugs

It has been a few years now since Lance Armstrong appeared on TV and admitted to his, and his teams, use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDS).  To say that there was an awareness of PEDS influencing the race results of the Tour de France is an understatement; however, to the extent that past racers and champions have admitted to using PEDS (both regarding the type and amounts) is frightening.  In this article, I thought I would provide a recap of the most popular PEDS and how you can get the same performance results in a healthy and natural way.  Note: Your body produces these substances naturally in the body, the key to optimum health and performance is to maintain a high quality & quantity of healthy blood through clean eating and controlled training efforts (volume, intensity and frequency). Drug: Erythropoietin (pronounced, ah-rith-ro-poy-tin, and abbreviated, EPO) What EPO Does Within the Body Erythropoietin (pronounced, ah-rith-ro-poy-tin, and abbreviated, EPO) is a relatively recent entry into the deceitful pursuit of glory. EPO is a protein hormone produced by the kidney. After being released into the blood stream it binds with receptors in the bone marrow, where it stimulates the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes). Medically, EPO is used to treat certain forms of anemia (e.g., due to chronic kidney failure). Logically, since EPO accelerates erythrocyte production it also increases oxygen carrying capacity. Side Effects of EPO: Death In the 1990s, there was a spate of sudden deaths associated within the cycling world associated with EPO: Marco Ceriani (16 years old), Johan Sermon (21 YO), Fabrice Salanson (23 YO), Marco Rusconi (24 YO), Jose Maria Jimenez (32), Denis Zanette (32 YO), Marco Pantani (34 YO), Michel Zanoli (35 YO).  This negative publicity was at least part of the reason for the clamping down on EPO use, which was rampant at the time.  The reason that EPO, and transfusion blood doping, is dangerous is because of increased blood viscosity. Basically, whole blood consists of red blood cells and plasma (water, proteins, etc.). The percentage of whole blood that is occupied by the red blood cells is referred to as, the hematocrit. A low hematocrit means dilute (thin) blood, and a high hematocrit mean concentrated (thick) blood. Above a certain hematocrit level whole blood can sludge and clog capillaries. If this happens in the brain it results in a stroke. In the heart, a heart attack. Unfortunately, this has happened to several elite athletes who have used EPO. EPO use is especially dangerous to athletes who exercise over prolonged periods. A well-conditioned endurance athlete is more dehydration resistant than a sedentary individual. The body accomplishes this by several methods, but one key component is to “hold on” to more water at rest. Circulating whole blood is one location in which this occurs and, thus, can function as a water reservoir. During demanding exercise, as fluid losses mount, water is shifted out of the blood stream (hematocrit rises). If one is already starting with an artificially elevated hematocrit then you can begin to see the problem -- it is a short trip to the critical “sludge zone”.

Additional dangers of EPO include sudden death during sleep, which has killed approximately 18 pro cyclists in the past fifteen years, and the development of antibodies directed against EPO. In this later circumstance, the individual develops anemia as a result of the body’s reaction against repeated EPO injections. There are some other reasons why cyclists might be predisposed to sudden death - riding at high intensities when carrying viral infections (as pro athletes tend to do) is one of them. And, as Ryan Shay, and a number of other high-profile cases have shown recently, sudden death is a tragic, but not completely uncommon event. There are reports that Nolf’s cardiogram was normal, but even that are not a guarantee of health, because those tests can often miss the quite rare conditions that cause sudden death in athletes. Source: click here How to improve the quality & production of red blood cells naturally With a balanced diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources, your body will produce the blood chemistry necessary to perform at an elite level.  Determining the optimal amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats that an individual need for optimal health and performance is beyond the scope of this article; however, I want you to know how to create healthy red blood cells.  Natural Eating Solution: eat high quality protein along with high quality brown bread with real butter.  The protein will provide your body with iron (helps form hemoglobin which carries oxygen in the bloodstream from the lungs to the muscles & brain) and the brown bread will provide you B vitamins (also referred to as Energy Vitamins).  An additional benefit of eating protein and brown bread is that the bread with improve your absorption of the iron.  Drug: Human Growth Hormone (hGH) What HGH Does Within the Body hGH is stored in a pea sized ball called the pituitary gland and is the primary stimulus to muscle & muscle strength, bone growth & bone strength, tendon growth & tendon strength, injury repair and mobilization of body fat for use as energy.    Warning: this gets technical, but necessary to fully understand this process.  The key to overall health and performance is to stimulate your own production of growth hormone and you accomplish this by stimulating the pituitary gland correctly.  The pituitary is stimulated to release growth hormone by another hormone circulation in the brain called somatocrinin.  Levels of somatocrinin can be increased by increasing levels of brain neurotransmitters.  These neurotransmitters are the chemicals that carry information from one nerve to another.  Their activity constitutes your mind, your consciousness and dreams.  To increase neurotransmitters, you have to get the amino acids that influence them past what is called the blood-brain barrier.  This concept is beyond the scope of this article, but what needs to be discussed here is an amino acid, Tryptophan, which is a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin.  Serotonin is a compound that slows down brain activity during rest & sleep.  Shortly after you fall asleep, your pituitary gland releases a burst of growth hormone.   Source: Optimum Sports Nutrition, Dr. Michael Colgan. Side Effects of Synthetic hGH External side effects of synthetic hGH include: intense wrist nerve pain, diabetes, overgrowth of the facial bones, gaps between the teeth as the jawbone widens, development of a fatter nose, thickened bone above the eyes resembling an ape and excessive hair growth.  Internal side effects include stressed liver, thyroid & pancreas symptoms, diabetes and historically die prior to the age of 60.  How to improve the production of hGH naturally As mentioned above, the largest growth homone release occurs 30-60 minutes after falling asleep along with high intensity exercise (within moderate volume levels).  To take advantage of these normal physiological functions, racers need to increase the duration and quality of sleep and monitor exercise durations and intensity levels.  Ideally, racers should train twice daily, mid morning and early afternoon and take a nap immediately after training.  Remember, each time you rest, your body receives a burst of growth hormone naturally.  Natural Eating Solution: consume a high-quality smoothie that contains a high quality whey protein prior to sleeping and napping.  Research has shown that the production of hGH can improve by up to 300% when high quality whey protein is consumed before resting.  Drug: Testosterone What Testosterone Does Within the Body Testosterone has two distinct modes of action, androgenic (masculinizing) and anabolic (tissue building).  Up to a certain level of testosterone in your body, a level that varies widely with biochemical individuality, the androgenic action produces more maleness, broader features, more hair, deeper voice, and larger sex organs.  Along with it, the anabolic action produces larger muscles and greater strength. 

Side Effects of Synthetic or Excessive Testosterone If you take synthetic or excessive testosterone, the androgenic action turns nasty (aggression, violent anxiety, paranoia, and manic-depressive reactions).  Additional negative side effects are irreversible baldness, overgrowth of the prostate, (which chokes the bladder and requires a catheter in order to urinate), acne (the blood fails to contain the excess hormone and overloads the sebaceous glands), impotence, shrinkage of testicles, cardiovascular disease and cancer.  How to improve the production of testosterone naturally Sleep 8-10 hours; eat high quality fruits, vegetables and high-quality protein.  Control your exercise intensity & volume to avoid over stressing your body.  Natural Eating Solution: eat foods that are high in boron, zinc, vitamin C, branched chain amino acids and maximize the release of growth hormone.    If you have any questions, comments, or suggestion for a future article, hit me up on the comments section below. I enjoy hearing from you. Oh, and don't forget to tap that "Follow" button so that you're notified when I post new tips on reaching your highest potential. Coach Robb Beams
Complete Racing Solutions
         
Coach Robb

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