Speed Through Fitness

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.  

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

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

The key to maximizing your productivity within your workouts is to be hitting the exact duration and intensity levels necessary to address your identified weaknesses.  Each workout’s elements (duration and intensity) are created to stress the body in a manner that creates a stimulation at the hormonal (aka human growth hormone), the aerobic (larger oxygen uptake) and muscular level (development of new muscle) resulting in faster speed and enhanced endurance in a shorter period of time. 

Please keep in mind that if you push beyond the necessary duration and/or intensity levels, you are pushing the body into a zone that can become counterproductive and negatively affect your speed and endurance – this fine line is the difference between being fit & razor sharp or being over trained, fatigued, sick and/or injuried. 

Also, by keeping a close eye on your resting heart rate and your body weight in the morning (utilize the Body Analysis spreadsheet – email me), you have two of the key indicators to evaluate how your body is adapting to stress of training on a daily basis.  By keeping detailed logs of your food & body analysis information, you are able to adjust your training & eating habits to turn the body from a catabolic (tear down mode) to an anabolic mode (growth and improvement).  It cannot be emphasized enough the impact your eating and sleeping habits have to your health, wellness and ultimately your performance results. 

Finally, if logistically possible, please set up an appointment with your physician and have your blood drawn (request a full panel) so that your physician can review the health of your blood chemistry.  By reviewing your blood panel every 12 weeks, we can evaluate the effectiveness of your training, eating and sleeping patterns.  If any of these three variables  become out of balance, you run the risk of becoming over-trained and the associated side effects: fatigue, decreased speed & endurance, irritability, depression, etc. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me!  Remember, Work Smart, Not Hard!

Yours in sport & health,

-Coach Robb, Coaches and Staff

Between riders riding and racing every weekend, a frequent question is how to recover properly.  If you have followed me for any period of time, you know that I am an advocate for one day of rest per week and to pull back the overall volume and intensity every six weeks to allow your body to rejuvenate both mentally and physically (at a blood chemistry level). What does that look like?

1. Rest Means Rest: this is not the day to go to a theme park,run errands that have you outside and in the heat and humidity, etc. Anything that is stressful on your body should be avoided. Note doing a sport specific event “easy” is not the idea of a rest day. Instead schedule a massage, read a book, go to a movie or go to lunch with an old friend.

2. Take a Nap: when your body gets into REM (rapid eye movement) level 3, it releases hGH (human growth hormone) which make you both lean and facilitates recovery. Make the room dark and cold, eat a quality snack and consume 5-8 ounces of cold water prior to lying down.

3. Contrast Therapy: the goal here is to expose the muscle tissue to the largest temperature deviation that you can tolerate; the bigger the temperature spread between hot and cold the better. If you complete in the shower, strive for 2 minutes hot – 30 seconds cold. If you utilize a bath, strive for 4 minutes hot, 1 minute cold). Repeat 2 to 4 times.

4. Loosen your muscles up: go for a therapeutic massage or take a yoga class the night prior to your rest day. Spend 20 minutes both in the morning and the evening foam rolling and working on trigger points.

Gotta' slow down sometimes to go fast!

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

About Coach Robb

Before we review the five most common mistake that a rider needs to avoid, let’s take a brief look at the physiological demands put on a rider during riding and racing.

First, a rider has to “teach” the body to conserve glycogen and burn fatty acids as a primary fuel source.  Note, the higher the riding intensity level, the more glycogen (aka stored carbohydrates) your body burns.  The downside to higher intensity and the utilization of stored glycogen, is that your body only stores about 60-80 minutes of glycogen within the muscles – not enough to finish strong, hence the need to prepare and train properly (which will be outlined below). 

With this in mind, it is imperative that the racer focus on maximizing his or her aerobic capacity, both on and off of the motorcycle.   When this is implemented properly, the following physiological adaptations take place (which results in better endurance and overall speed):

-  Improved delivery of oxygen to the working muscles

-  Lower overall heart rate due to the increased stroke volume of the heart

-  Improved elimination of lactic acid (a by product of burning carbohydrates)

-  Increased number of mitochondria (remember in school: “The power house of the cell”

In my opinion, one of the most beneficial by-products of endurance training is that it prepares the rider for the psychological demands of racing – especially late in the race when mental focus can make the difference between 1st and 5th place.  When you teach yourself to stay mentally sharp, you the rider will be able to make the necessary decisions that will build upon themselves throughout the race.  Here’s how.  When you don’t mentally drift off, you will consistently consume the necessary fluids and calories (ideally every 15-20 minutes) which will result in stabilized blood sugar levels. 

When your blood sugar levels are optimized, your brain has the necessary “fuel” to implement the proper techniques that you have worked hard to incorporate into your riding.  These proper techniques lead to faster speeds which your brain has to process efficiently throughout the entire race.  If your brain runs out of fuel, you will find yourself missing your important lines, resulting in slower average speeds and ultimately more work and fatigue on your body as it fights the non-optimal lines. 

You can see how this becomes a problem quite quickly.  Here are few things you want to avoid to enjoy your riding and/or improve your race results:

Mistake #1: Deviating from your regular routine

When it comes to getting the body warmed up sufficiently and properly, it needs to be subjected to the same exercise protocols that are used in training when away from the track. For example, it doesn't make any sense to expect a bicycle to be a sufficient warm-up tool if you're using something like the Concept 2 rower in your every day workouts. You also need to consider intensity levels. We don't want the intensity to be so high during the warm-up that is that it ends up leaving the body tired, but we also don't want the heart rate to not rise to a level that starts to produce and activate the lactic acid shuffle. What we see is either riders are using the wrong tools to warm up or they're warming up at too high of an intensity.

Mistake #2: Coming to the starting line dehydrated or under nourished

When you sleep at night; your body pulls the necessary glycogen (which is sugar) from your liver to sustain your brain functions during the night. Then when you wake up in the morning and put demands on the muscles, the energy necessary comes from the glycogen that's been stored within the belly of the muscle tissue. The challenge that we have on race day is the duration of time since your last meal - sometimes between 12 to 15 hours.

Think about race weekends: you're going to be racing on Sunday morning and practice or racing begins at 7:00 am. Let’s say that you ate dinner at 6:00pm Saturday night and you wake up at 6:00am Sunday morning, that's 12 hours since your last meal.  To put it in perspective, imagine that if you ate your morning breakfast at 8:00 in the morning, but then you didn't eat dinner until 8:00 pm and you had no snacks or any meals in between that timeframe, you'd be extremely hungry. But for some reason (whether we chalk it up to a nervous stomach or we're afraid that we're going to get cramps) we don't take the time to eat a good-sized meal early enough so the muscle glycogen is already at a deficit before the gate drops. When you add high intensity racing, which tends to drain the glycogen from the tissue very quickly, and you can see why riders have a tendency to fade quickly or miss simple lines – all because the blood sugar levels within the rider is too low.  Frequently this fade or silly mistake syndrome is blamed on a lack of fitness, but rather, should be attributed to low blood sugar levels. 

Mistake #3: Lack of a post-race recovery routine

When you come off the race track, there's an enzyme that helps you replenish glycogen within the muscle and the liver called the Glycogen Synthase Enzyme.  You've got about 20 to 30 minutes where that enzyme is at its highest level, so when a riders comes off the track, the first thing they need to be focusing on is the replenishment of depleted glycogen.

For example, if you took a bit of oil out of the engine after each lap, you wouldn’t expect the engine to still be running strong at the end of the race.  The idea here is that every lap depletes some level of glycogen (the exact amount is based on the duration and intensity level) and it's the athlete's responsibility to get the body replenished to perform at an optimum level.  Whether its 20 minutes later, 30 minutes later, whenever your next race is, you have to understand that as soon as you come off the track, priority number one is to get that body replenished and to get it rehydrated. 

Failure to do so is going to manifest itself out on the track as you start to fade and go backwards.  Again, we're right back to an empty gas tank within the muscle.  If you want to be able to perform optimally, moto after moto, day after day, it starts after each race or workout – so plan ahead and implement consistently. 

Mistake #4: Racing at an intensity that is not familiar to your body

This mistake is not a misprint – many racers fail to race to their full potential by riding too hard - too early in a race!

It is obvious that on race day you're going to be pushing a pace that's difficult to emulate during training, but training at an intensity level that's much less than the demands of race day leads to a culture shock to the body. It produces more lactic acid than the body has been acclimated to and the physiologic process of absorbing and diffusing lactic acid shuts the muscles down.

The end result is that the contractions of the muscles are slowed down, you begin to focus on how bad your body is hurting and instead of focusing on racing the course, and you begin to make errors on the course that begins to negatively affect your confidence. To offset this negative effect of lactic acid, you want to try to incorporate a couple of workouts a week that is held at an intensity level on the motorcycle that will accurately emulate race intensity.

Additionally, you need to make sure you are testing and training at the same intensity levels off the motorcycle with various forms of cross-training. If you want to race at a higher level on the race weekend, incorporate similar conditions and intensities when you're practicing on the motorcycle along with your cross training off of the motorcycle.

Mistake #5: Not racing the track

The final and biggest problem that we see on the race day is racers shifting their focus from preparation and implementation of a normal routine to who is on the gate.  The rider begins to size themselves up against somebody else and then pulls in a past performance of the other rider, and then immediately dumps that information into the race at hand.  Your goal is to make the least number of mistakes, carry as much momentum as possible and charge the course. 

If somebody else is jumping something, they think they need to jump it.  My question is why you don’t just focus on racing your race; race every section as hard and as fast as you can, try to optimize every single section of the course and your goal is that you would do it faster and better than everybody else.  It's not that you can't learn something from somebody else, but when the gate drops, the only thing that you can take control of is yourself.  So, what I want you to be thinking about is how I can get through this section faster than anybody else. 

Frequently, this requires thinking outside the box.  When another rider is doing something through a section that nobody else has thought about, and probably not even willing to try, the results speak for themselves.  Be smart, but creative and you will be surprised at the outcome. 

If you really want to optimize your fitness and preparation, you want to create the mindset that you are racing the course - minute after minute with your pace falling off as minimal as possible.  We don't want you to come around the course on the opening lap with a time of 2:00 and then fall off to a 2:15. 

Ideally we are looking for less than a 2 second deviation from your first to last lap - you've seen this emulated by the best racers.  The only way you can do this, is to race the course, minimize mistakes and make the best of something when it goes wrong.  Allowing frustration and anger to sidetrack your focus, doesn’t fix the fact that you've messed up a section.  Re-establish your timing; get back to charge mode and carry as much momentum as possible to create the fastest lap times on the course.  Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect! 

If you have any questions or are interested in a customized nutrition and performance program, please feel free to contact me directly at Robb@CoachRobb.com. Also, don't forget to hit that "follow" button!

Yours in sport and health,

-Coach Robb

@Scott Meshey 141

When it comes to preparing for a new season of training and racing, there are several tricks to performing at your full potential.  When it comes to the human body, you must realize that you are only as fast as your weakest link!  Let’s take a look at a few tricks that you can implement today:

Test Your Fitness Regularly

Your season needs to be broken up into four definitive seasons: Pre-Season, Pre-Competitive, Competitive (with several peak performances) and the Off Season.  During each of these training cycles, you want to begin each cycle with a series of base line assessments to establish a quantified measurement of your sport specific speed, strength, endurance and lactate tolerance. During each training cycle, the focus of your efforts changes according to your race schedule – you don’t want to be working on your endurance too much when your race schedule requires short, explosive efforts.  

Know Your Sweat Rate

It is imperative that you know how much and when you should be drinking to avoid either dehydration (not enough water) or hyponatremia (too much water).  Your goal is to stay within 2-3% loss during each workout. Research has shown that if you lose more than 3% of your body weight in sweat, the strength of your muscle contractions can diminish by 10-12% robbing you of both speed & endurance.  

To receive a copy of MotoE’s Sweat Rate Calculation Spreadsheet, email me directly.  This simple resource will ensure that you are not drinking too much or too little which will help you train and race to your full potential.

Maintain a Food Log

Your daily food log should have three pieces of information for each day: what time, how much & what you ate.  This data will provide you a clear snap shot of the quality and quantity of food you are consuming on a daily basis.  Many times, the lack of muscular endurance is a result of inadequate amounts of food (i.e. fuel) coming into the body resulting in low blood sugar.  Low blood sugar can lead to a lack of mental concentration, weaker muscle contractions and lack of consistent speed.  To receive a copy of MotoE’s Food/Energy Spreadsheet, email me directly.  This simple resource will ensure that you are getting the right amount and type of foods to sustain your duration and intensity levels.   

Reduce Your Body Fat

It is not a surprise that lighter racers have a lower overall core body temperature than heavier athletes; this is a result of body fat to lean muscle ratios.  The same principle applies to speed & endurance – the stronger and lighter the body, the easier it is to produce and maintain a fast rate of speed.  To accurately measure your body fat/lean muscle ratios, utilize a combination of tape & caliper measurements.  These two forms of measurement are the cheapest & most accurate (second only to submersion which is difficult to find and cost prohibitive) way of seeing how your body composition is changing specific to your food, hydration and workout/performance logs (relevant to volume & intensity).  

By evaluating your body measurements and skin fold measurements every six weeks, you will get an accurate snapshot of your program and determine if your training efforts are delivering the incremental progression that you outlined in your goal profile.  To receive a copy of our MotoE’s Body Measurements Spreadsheet, please email me directly.
 

Establish a Warm-up Routine

Nearly every new athlete we have worked with says the same thing “I always feel better at the end of the race than I do at the beginning of the race”.  This is because the rider has used the first half of the race to “warm up” - the scientific term is called the Lactic Acid Shuffle.  When the body burns stored carbohydrates (i.e. glycogen) it releases a hydrogen atom that acidic in nature – hence the feeling of burning in the muscles.  As the body becomes more acclimated to the presence of this hydrogen, your circulatory system increases its efficiency and rids itself (actually reabsorbs) of this burning sensation.  In order to improve both your opening speed along with maintaining that speed throughout the race, a warm up that is specific in duration, intensity and time before your actual race is imperative to performing at an optimal level.
 

Visit a Chiropractor and Massage Therapist

When you recognize that muscles stay tight when bones are out of alignment and that bones get pulled out of place when muscles are tight, you recognize that these two modalities are synergistic – you shouldn’t have one without the other.  A qualified massage therapist will help you identify what muscle(s) that are chronically tight which will help direct your stretching efforts to eliminate any future muscle strains and/or tears. An in-line spine and flexible muscles will allow for proper biomechanics which will produce faster speeds & improved endurance.  Please email me directly for more information about what to look for regarding a qualified massage therapist and chiropractor.
 

Get Some Blood Work

When you have your blood drawn, 99% of the time, they draw and evaluate a partial panel; however, a full panel will provide you better insight regarding your overall health – especially the health of your blood cells.  For example, when you train and race hard, you break down your red blood cells, which are necessary to carry fresh oxygen to the working muscles.  If you’re RBC (red blood count) is down, you will feel sluggish and fatigued for long periods of time and not know why – you have a low red blood count.  

By having your blood drawn every 12 weeks (once a quarter), you can evaluate the effects of your food, hydration and training schedule as it relates to your overall health.  Please note the ranges that are established on your blood panel reports are established based on the absence of disease verses a more important range referred to in the human performance world as functional health.  Your optimal health and performance ranges are nowhere near what is outlined on your blood results data sheets, hence the need for a qualified physician who understands the nature of your sport and its demands on your body.  

At MotoE, we have a staff of physicians that can read and evaluate your full blood panel results and make recommendations to improve your health and ultimately performance.  Please email me directly for more information about this service.
 

Listen to Your Body

One of the worst things that you can do to your body is to stop listening to the external signs that your body is either hurt or fatigued.  By tracking your morning heart rate, you will be provided specific feedback on how your body is responding to stress (virus, training, hungry, dehydrated, etc.) and whether or not you should workout today (in any way) – our rule of thumb is that if your resting heart rate is up by more than 5 beats, you don’t train but rather eat cleanly and go back to bed.  The signs of injury are pretty obvious: the injured area is swollen, hot to the touch, tender to the touch, discolored, and has limited range of motion.  

These self defense mechanisms are designed to provide you feedback so that you can make adjustments that will turn these conditions around.  If you take pain medication, this only masks your body’s natural receptors of pain, which increases your risk of further injury or illness. At MotoE, we have numerous cross reference tools to keep our riders from getting burned out, overly fatigued which helps them avoid injury or illness.  It is imperative that you pay close attention to your body’s external signs: elevated morning heart rate, a normal workout effort is harder than normal, suppressed appetite, low motivation and excessive muscle soreness are examples that are easy to identify.  

Establish Goals and Training Objectives to Achieve

To maximize your productivity and ensure that you are achieving your personal racing goals you must establish three sets of goals: 3 months out, 6 months out and 12 months out.  The reason for the three sets of goals is associated with how long it takes the body to develop the necessary physiological elements (i.e. strength, endurance, lactate tolerance, flexibility, etc.).  The objectives that are established for each goal are based on the results of your baseline assessments – nothing will keep you on the straight line of success like honest evaluation of your assessments. Either your endurance is getting better or it isn’t – what you choose to do with this information is the difference between a champion and a good racer.  To receive a copy of MotoE’s Goal & Objective Spreadsheet, email me directly.

Have Fun!

Don’t lose sight of the fact that you took on racing for the fun and the challenge.  No matter what happens on race day, be thankful that you had the opportunity to go out and race (at whatever level) and that no one can ever take that experience away from you – ever!

*****

Thank you for taking the time to read!  If you have any current frustrations that you would like some help breaking down, please don’t hesitate to drop me and my team an email.  We would enjoy answering your questions and getting you on the path to success immediately.

Yours in health and sport,

 Robb Beams
Owner-Founder of MotoE’s Complete Racing Solutions

TIME TO REST - Pay attention to these 10 body indicators to gauge when to work out and when to back off!

If you don’t take time to rest and recovery, your body wont adapt to the stress of training and racing – and as a result you won’t get stronger or faster. If you neglect recovery for too long, you will start to lose strength and speed.

Here are some symptoms to look for:

• First your sleep patterns will be off (tired and you can’t sleep, restless sleep, etc.).
• Second your energy levels will be negatively affected.
• Third, you will begin to get sick more frequently (and take longer to heal from the virus).
• Fourth, your appetite will become suppressed.
  

Remember, over training is not applicable only to elite athletes and professionals, recreational athletes have to balance, personal, professional, bills, children, inadequate sleep, etc. which is what makes recovering from your workouts and racing even more difficult.

Symptom Evaluation
See if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

Symptom #1-Body Mass
A 2% drop in weight from day to day indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. More than likely, you didn’t hydrate enough to offset heat, humidity, intensity and duration. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance and could compromise the quality of your next workout or race.

Symptom 2-Elevated Resting Heart
An elevated resting heart rate is a significant indicator of stress within the body. An elevated HR indicates that your nervous system is in that “fight or flight” mode which results in elevated hormone levels to provide more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body doesn’t know the difference between and physical and psychological stress. A hard day at work and/or a hard workout or race both require additional recovery protocols.

Symptom 3-Sleep Quality: you wake up and don’t feel fresh.
Quality sleep: falling asleep quickly, deeply and staying there for a long period of time will allow your body to release the much needed growth hormone (hGH) necessary for rebuilding muscle and burning body fat. Several low quality nights of sleep will decrease your reaction time, immune system, can cognitive functions – not a good scenario when it comes to quality workout or high end performance on race day.

Symptom 4-Hydration: your urine is dark yellow
Unless you are taking B vitamins, a dark colored urine can be an indicator of dehydration. Your urine is an easy indicator of your water levels throughout your body.

Symptom5-Energy Levels are Low
Honesty is the key here. You know the difference between being tired and having low energy. Being tired is about recovering from yesterday’s workload. Being low on energy is a at a completely different level. Athletes think they can block out signs of fatigue and push to the next level of fitness, performance just doesn’t develop in this environment.

Symptom 6-Mood State: your moody (and even cranky).
When your body is overwhelmed by stress (training, racing, work, family, etc.), it produces the stress hormone cortisol that can cause irritability and/or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness means not enough recovery.

Symptom7-Sick Frequently
Any illness or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This translates into fewer resources available for recovery from training.

Symptom 8-Pain: your excessively sore or have a nabbing injury.
Whether you are sore from over worked muscles or have an injury that continues to linger is an indicator that your body needs more energy to put towards the repair, which extends your total recovery time.

Symptom 9-Performance is sub-par.
This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity nor intensity. If you perform well on a particular workout, you would rate that workout as “good”. If you have a sub-par performance or feel like you are struggling to complete that same workout, you would rate that workout as “poor”. Trending workout quality – multiple poor workouts in a row – is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery.

Symptom 10-Oxygen Saturation: low oxygen levels.
The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured and is thought to be an accurate assessment of recovery because of the association of high oxygen saturation levels and higher energy levels.

Evaluation Time: count how many of the above symptoms you have experienced over the last week and then compare this against the following:
0-1: Green Light: you are recovering adequately and can maintain your normal volume and intensity
2-4: Caution: You can complete your hard workouts; however, cut the workout short if you are struggling to complete the first couple of intervals after a long warm up
5-6: Warning: This is the zone where you are close to tipping the scales and becoming over-worked, sick and injury prone. You need to add a second rest day to your week
7-10: Danger: You are IN the danger zone and need to take one week completely off (no sport specific training); increase your high quality food intake and take 2 hour naps each day.

If you want me an my staff to review if you should take a break from training and racing, please feel free to contact us at Contact@CoachRobb.com.

For the weekend warrior who has limited time to train, here are 5 things you can implement tomorrow to improve your racing results.

Step 1: Establishing a Weekly Routine
Take your personal calendar and schedule the following elements for the next seven days (in this specific order):

§ Hours of sleep you plan to get – daily!
§ When you are going to eat your meals and snacks
§ Hours you will be working
§ Time you will be exercising (include intensity levels)
§ When you will prep your motorcycle and you’re your transportation
§ What days you will compete

Your goal is to complete at least 75% to 80% of your scheduled elements on a weekly basis. Don't complicate things by trying to add a bunch of sophisticated elements to it. Just keep it basic and easy to follow. By focusing on all of the small elements, they add up to a very solid program. So, if you get your program moving to the next level immediately, establish a routine and stick to it!

Step 2: Establishing a Practice Routine
One of the most common mistakes we see is that riders will go to the track to practice and they just run laps without any evaluation of lap times. To make the most of your time on the track, capturing lap times will determine your consistency, along with the deviation between your fastest and slowest laps.

Practicing starts and working sections of the track is imperative to finding new found speed; however, you need to put all of the elements together to emulate actual race conditions as often as possible. As we have discussed in previous articles, what ends up happening on race day is that the body is exposed to high levels of speed and associated lactic acid that is produced as a by-product of burning glycogen. As the lactic acid accumulates within the blood, it begins to “burn” and mentally throws you off.

Depending on the nature of your track and its practice schedule, it is important to implement practice segments that include such physiological challenges such as negative split intervals, pacing intervals, pacing pyramids and sprint intervals. These types of intervals will challenge all of the various energy systems necessary to perform optimally during the race weekend. Remember, practice doesn’t make perfect, specific and perfect practice makes perfect.

Step 3: Consuming sufficient calories for optimum performance and maintaining proper hydration
The challenge that you have when the intensity goes up is that it drains the stored muscle and liver glycogen very quickly. So what ends up happening is by the time you get to the end of the moto, your gas tank (of glycogen) is essentially on empty. To give you a good analogy of that, it is kind of like building a very strong motor, and then just not putting sufficient gas in it to finish the moto. If you think about all of the strength training and all of the cardiovascular cross-training that you do, if you don’t give your body enough fuel, it will not have the necessary amount of energy to finish the moto strong. Many times we see late moto fatigue and heat related sickness, due to the lack of necessary calories. For you, the racer, looking to get the most out of your body you need to approach food from a functional stand point. Carbohydrates provide the necessary glycogen to your liver and muscles for exercise. Protein provides the necessary building blocks to repair torn down muscle tissue and fat provides the macro nutrient necessary for proper neurological functions and bodily needs (i.e. oil for skin and hair quality).

The second component that you can address to improve your speed is to avoid coming to the starting gate under-hydrated. Just as a rule of thumb, we are looking for around 40 to 50 ounces of water to be consumed on a daily basis - and that does not factor in the needs of what is lost in the form of sweat from exercise. To help offset this situation, you need to make sure that you are starting your day with a good eight to sixteen ounces of clear water to jump start your hydration levels. If you go to the starting line under-hydrated, let’s say by 2-3%, it won't take long before the contractile strength of your muscle tissue is adversely affected (in some instances as much as 20-30%). The key here is to determine how much weight you are losing during a race (or intense practice session) to determine what your perspiration rate is for the duration of your session. Add in your total consumption of fluids consumed during the last hour of before your moto or practice and you will get an accurate idea of how fast you lose fluids in a given environment of temperature, humidity and race intensity. This information becomes priceless in regards to preparing your body to handle the demands of high intensity racing.

Step 4: Establishing a body that is resilient to stress through fresh fruits and vegetables along with sufficient amounts of quality rest
Though this step appears to be similar to Step 3 in regards to food, it is different from the stand point that we are discussing the body’s ability to adapt to stress associated with training. When it comes to establishing a body that is resilient to stress, the two things that you need to pay attention to are:
Eating raw fresh fruits and vegetables
How much rest you are getting each evening

In regards to your fruits and vegetables, if you can afford and can find organic, this is ideal. However, at the very least, you want to lean towards raw and fresh food items whenever possible. Without getting into a dissertation about nutrition, you need to understand that there are three macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fat. You hear about them often and know what they are; however, the thing that makes them work at an optimum level is the integration of micronutrients (sourced from fresh fruits and vegetables). Whenever possible, you need be looking for a way to introduce raw and fresh fruits and vegetables (i.e. salad, vegetable & fruit salad or steamed vegetables). The bottom line is to avoid anything that comes out of a can along with trying to get as many servings throughout the day that we can without causing any gastrointestinal issues.

In regards to your sleep, you need to be striving to get eight to nine hours per evening. Please keep in mind that sleep is not how long you are lying in bed, but rather hours that you are in the state of sleep. When you get into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Pattern Three, you are at a state of relaxation where your body releases hormones that are instrumental to getting stronger.
To help facilitate quality sleep try the following:
§ Eat a small amount of high quality protein and complex carbohydrates 30 minutes before going to bed
§ Drink 8 to 10 ounces of cold water
§ Don’t watch any television in your bedroom
§ Keep the room as dark as possible
§ Set the room as cool as you are comfortable with
Remember, you don’t get stronger from your workouts, but from quality eating and sleeping! If you don’t eat and rest, your body will never elevate itself to the next level of performance.

Step 5: Improve your speed by improving your range of motion through flexibility
Within your performance program, flexibility is probably one of the most boring yet most productive uses of your “extra” time. Most racers don't like to stretch because they don't see the direct benefits associated with it. Stretching is somewhat a nebulous concept. What are the benefits of stretching as it relates to a racer?

First, by increasing your range of motion (i.e. working on your flexibility), you are working towards re-establishing your normal range of motion within each muscle group and associated joints. Let’s take a look at the shoulder for example. The shoulder is designed to have 360 degrees of range of motion. There are muscles surrounding the entire head of the shoulder joint on the front, side and back. As a racer, when you encounter a high speed get off, the impact on all of the supporting muscles is high.

As a racer, you need to be prepared for any contact with the ground (whether it's a high speed get off or whether it's a slow speed tip over), by having as close to 100% range of motion as possible. If the muscles that protect each joint are tight (hence limiting your range of motion) the impact of each fall has a much more negative effect (i.e. greater damage).

Let's take another look at your shoulder. When you fall and put your arm out in front of you, the head shoulder gets jammed back into that capsule extremely quickly. If the muscles are tight and the range of motion is limited, the net result is usually a torn muscle. If this injury isn’t handled properly, scar tissue begins to form within the capsule of the injured shoulder joint and your range of motion is further limited due to the in-elasticity of scar tissue.

Though scar tissue doesn’t sound like a big deal, as a racer it is very detrimental to your positioning on the bike due to the limited range of motion and the compromising you do with your body on the motorcycle. For example, if you've had a lower back injury, which has resulted in limited range of motion, you wont be able to keep the bike stable going through the whoop section because you're having difficulty getting into the proper attack position and the bike will swap all over the place. Another example is getting your elbows up into a corner. You may not be able to accomplish this important skill because you've got restrictions in your muscles surrounding your shoulder joint. It isn’t a lack of desire or discipline, it is a physical limiter!

By focusing on your flexibility, you will be able to get into the proper position on the bike without self induced restrictions. The better your range of motion, the better your position on the motorcycle the faster your lap times will become.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to post a question here on TT!

Yours in sport and health,
-Coach Robb

When speaking with my clients, we frequently discuss training protocols (duration, intensity levels, frequency, workout purpose, etc.) however, nutrition is a big area of confusion for most riders. With this in mind, I wanted to discuss the importance of post workout/recovery nutrition. Simply put it is THE key component of improving your fitness and speed by 1% every day. The first 20 minutes after a workout or race, your muscles have an enzyme (glycogen synthase enzyme) that is responsible for the replenishment of depleted sugar (specifically glycogen) in your liver (to feed your brain) and muscles (for movement).

Benefits of Post Exercise Nutrition
Research has proven that consuming a post workout/race meal or snack consisting of a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates (for depleted sugar) to protein (to repair torn down muscle tissue) will not only facilitate your recovery but also help offset the negative side effects of training: high cortisol levels (a fat magnet) associated with physical and mental stress. Keep in mind, that training is designed to “stress” your muscles and various hormonal systems; however, too much intensity (HR too high) or duration (going to long) will cross that fine line from training into the zone of over training and the associated negative side effects.

Optimum Recovery Through Nutrition – Phase 1
To nail your post exercise/racing nutritional recover (at a 3:1) ratio, strive to consume 70-100 grams of carbohydrates, and 20-25 grams of protein (err on the high side of these ranges) within the first 20 minutes of finishing a workout or race (plan ahead to ensure that this materializes).

Optimum Recovery Through Nutrition – Phase 2
The second window of recovery occurs 2 to 3 hours after your workout or race. Similar to your immediate post workout/race meal or snack, consume a 3:1 carbohydrate/protein meal or snack.

Convenient Recovery Options
10-12 ounces of Recovery Fuel
10-12 ounces of a post exercise smoothie
2 hardboiled eggs and a piece of fresh fruit
10-12 ounces of chocolate milk
4-6 ounces of mixed nuts (macadamia, pecans, almonds, almonds) and organic raisins

Please let me know if you have any questions or need anything clarified.

Yours in sport & health,
-Coach Robb

Coach Robb has been working with riders & racers since 1987 and is the founder of the Complete Racing Solutions Performance Program, the Mental Blueprint of Success, MotoE Amateur Development Program & Nutritionally Green Supplements based out Orlando Florida.

CompleteRacingSolutions.com is a premium resource center for motocross, supercross and GNCC riders of all abilities and ages. Visit his website & subscribe to his bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used with great success by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, Star Yamaha’s Jerry Martin and Alex Martin, RCH’s Brock Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo, multi time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Monster/Pro-Circuit/Kawasaki), multi time amateur national champion Jon Jon Ames (Thousand Oaks Yamaha), GNCC champion Charlie Mullins (Factory Red Bull/KTM), Chris Bach & GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along thousands of riders all around the world.

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, and stretching and soft tissue maintenance. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & on Facebook: Coach Robb.

Coach Robb is a regular contributor to Vurbmoto.com, Racer XVT, FLMX & FTR Magazine and various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

When it comes to getting faster and having better endurance, nothing creates more confusion than what to eat and when. I receive close to three hundred emails a day, and I would say that 25% of them pertain to nutrition and hydration. With the internet being the go to source for most everyone, the conflicting claims about carbs, protein and fat have left most people frustrated.

As stated by Liz Applegate, Ph.D “most supermarkets stock more than 30,000 items, yet every time we race up and down the aisles of the grocery store, we toss into our carts the same 10 to 15 foods. Which isn't such a bad thing, as long as you're taking home the right foods -- ones that will build muscle, burn fat and fuel your workouts. These 15 foods fit the bill -- add these to your must-buy list:”

Almonds These are an excellent source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that many of us fall short on because there are so few good food sources of it. And the form of vitamin E found in the nuts, called gamma-tocopherol (a form not typically found in supplements), may also help protect against cancer.

Eggs One egg fulfills about 10 percent of your daily protein needs. Egg protein is the most complete food protein short of human breast milk, which means the protein in eggs contains all the crucial amino acids your hard-working muscles need to promote recovery.

Sweet Potatoes Just a single 100-calorie sweet potato supplies over 250 percent of the DV for vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, the powerful antioxidant. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, and the two trace minerals manganese and copper.

Whole-Grain Cereal with Protein Look for whole-grain cereals that offer at least five grams of fiber and at least eight grams of protein. If you pour on a cup of milk or soymilk, you'll get 30 to 40 percent of your protein needs in one bowl.

Oranges Each oranges supply over 100 percent of the DV for the antioxidant vitamin C, and a recent study from the University of North Carolina Greensboro showed that taking vitamin C supplements for two weeks prior to challenging arm exercises helped alleviate muscle soreness.

Canned Black Beans One cup of these beauties provides 30 percent of the DV for protein, almost 60 percent of the DV for fiber (much of it as the cholesterol-lowering soluble type), and 60 percent of the DV for folate, a B vitamin that plays a key role in heart health and circulation.

Mixed Salad Greens Rather than selecting one type of lettuce for your salad, choose mixed greens, which typically offer five or more colorful delicate greens such as radicchio, butter leaf, curly endive, and mache. Each variety offers a unique blend of phytonutrients that research suggests may fend off age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Salmon Besides being an excellent source of high-quality protein (you get about 30 grams in a four-ounce serving), salmon is one of the best food sources of omega-3 fats. These essential fats help balance the body's inflammation response, a bodily function that when disturbed appears to be linked to many diseases including asthma.

Whole-Grain Bread Whole-grain bread may help the weight-conscious. One study showed that women who eat whole-grain bread weigh less than those who eat refined white bread and other grains.

Frozen Stir-Fry Vegetables Research shows that eating a combination of antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin C, may lessen muscle soreness after hard workouts by reducing the inflammation caused by free-radical damage.

Whole-Grain Pasta Whole-grain versions are a must over refined pastas because they contain more fiber to fill you up, additional B vitamins that are crucial to energy metabolism, and disease-fighting compounds such as lignans.

Chicken Along with protein, chicken contains selenium, a trace element that helps protect muscles from the free-radical damage that can occur during exercise, and niacin, a B vitamin that helps regulate fat burning during exercise.

Frozen Mixed Berries The colorful compounds that make blueberries blue, blackberries deep purple, and raspberries a rich shade of red are called anthocyanins--a powerful group of antioxidants that may help stave off Alzheimer's disease and some cancers.

Dark Chocolate Chocolate contains potent antioxidants called flavonols that can boost heart health. In one study, a group of soccer players had lower blood pressure and total cholesterol levels, and less artery-clogging LDL cholesterol after just two weeks of eating chocolate daily. Other research suggests that the chocolate flavonols ease inflammation and help prevent blood substances from becoming sticky, which lowers the risk of potential blood clots.

Greek Yogurt Besides being a good source of protein and calcium (one cup provides 13 grams of protein and 40 percent of the DV for calcium), yogurt with live cultures provides the healthy bacteria your digestive tract needs to function optimally.

Coach Robb has been working with riders & racers since 1987 and is the founder of the Complete Racing Solutions Performance Program, the Mental Blueprint of Success, MotoE Amateur Development Program & Nutritionally Green Supplements based out Orlando Florida.

CompleteRacingSolutions.com is a premium resource center for motocross, supercross and GNCC riders of all abilities and ages. Visit his website & subscribe to his bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used with great success by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, Star Yamaha’s Jerry Martin and Alex Martin, RCH’s Brock Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo, multi time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Monster/Pro-Circuit/Kawasaki), multi time amateur national champion Jon Jon Ames (Thousand Oaks Yamaha), GNCC champion Charlie Mullins (Factory Red Bull/KTM), Chris Bach & GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along thousands of riders all around the world.

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, and stretching and soft tissue maintenance. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & on Facebook: Coach Robb.

Coach Robb is a regular contributor to Vurbmoto.com, Racer XVT, FLMX & FTR Magazine and various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

Based on research – we need to rethink Ice Baths & Anti-Inflammatory Medicine
Each year, thanks to improvements in technology & extensive research, exercise physiologists are discovering more about how the body responds to the numerous variables that contribute to performance. This includes, but is not limited to: energy systems, muscular strength & endurance, nutrition & hydration, neuromuscular and many more. With this being said, it is a surprise that many performance coaches are adhering to the mindset that ice baths and NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin & ibuprofen are still being advocated as part of the recovery process.

In 2006, the European Journal of Applied Physiology studied a group of college age males for six weeks while they trained on stationary bicycles. Following each workout, each student placed one leg in an ice bath and the other was left out and kept at room temperature. Over the six weeks, they discovered that the non-iced leg had gained more strength, circulation and endurance.

At the University of Florida, a study found that muscle strength decreased after taking NSAID’s while a study at the University of Arkansas showed that high doses of ibuprofen appeared to limit the body’s ability to increase the development of new muscle.

As stated by Mackenzie Lobby, “there is more than a decade of research that backs up these studies’s suggesting that for recovery, there are better options than ice baths and anti-inflammatory drugs”. According to Dr. Jennifer Solomon, a sports medicine physician in NY City, “The bottom line is that in order to recover, your body needs to go through a process which includes inflammation – and ice bathes and NSAID’s inhibit the normal inflammatory process”. Dr. Solomon points to a more natural approach to recovery, low intensity & impact exercise, dynamic movements after a warm up and a post exercise massage.

Anti-Inflammatory Medicine
Old School: use anti-inflammatory medicine to control inflammation after a hard workout or race
New School: use raw fruits & vegetables, eliminate refined carbohydrates (most anything in a box or a bag that you eat), consume extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, high quality Omega 3 fish oil & walnuts to offset inflammation; foam roll and if possible massage work.
Exception: when dealing with inflammation and swelling associated with an injury, anti-inflammatory medicine will help limit the negative side effects of excessive swelling: pain and limited range of motion. This would be imperative in a multi-day race. Remember, it is the excessive, long term use of NSAID’s that have proven to inhibit new muscle regeneration, muscular strength and interrupt sleep patterns.

Cold Plunge & Ice Baths
Old School: use to reduce muscle damage & speed up recovery
New School: unless you are racing a multi-day event (see below), let your muscles recover and rebuild naturally. The inflammation process is part of adaptation to training and racing, facilitate recovery with real food and soft tissue work (foam roller, trigger point & massage work).
Exception: similar to NSAID’s, when dealing with inflammation and swelling associated with an injury or high intensity racing over several days, a cold plunge/bath will help offset the inflammation & swelling. Remember, the inflammation process is a natural reaction to training and racing, and your body needs the opportunity to react and adapt long term for optimum performance results.

How To Reduce Your Core Body Temperature
The key is to bring down the core body temperature slowly to minimize the “shock” to your body. Think about when someone falls into a frozen lake, the biggest shock to the body is the drastic temperature change. This creates incredible stress and ultimately fatigue to the body. The body’s natural defense mechanism is to try and heat the body of water that you are in, unfortunately, being submerged in freezing cold water lowers the core body temperature too quickly and you begin to shiver (your body’s natural way to warm itself). Shivering is fatiguing on the body and uses a tremendous amount of energy – not a good state to be in between races when you are attempting to conserve energy to finish each race strong.

Step 1: Come off of the track and into the shade of your awning, strip out of your gear (logistics pending) and sit under an oscillating fan. Place hand clothes on the back of your neck, both wrists and your groin. On your neck and groin you have to large arteries that will help decrease your body temperature quickly. Your wrists are low in fat and will help cool the core temperature quickly as well. Consume a cold sports drink slowly.

Step 2: Pour room temperature water onto the wash clothes while you are sitting under the fan; continue to pour onto the clothes to keep them damp with the air blowing across them. Duration: 3-5 minutes.

Step 3: Pour slightly cooler water (not ice cold) onto the wash clothes while the fan blows across the slightly cooler clothes. Continue to re-hydrate with cold sports drink. Duration 3-5 minutes.

Step 4: Pour ice cold water onto the wash clothes while the fan blows across the cold clothes. Duration: until you begin to feel slightly chilled. Then move back to room temperature water and stay under the fan. If you begin to get “goose bumps”, discontinue the water and adjust time in front of the fan accordingly. Remember, if you get too cold, your body begins to shiver to create internal heat, robbing you of much needed energy.

Once you have pulled your core temperature down; strive to consume fresh fruit for the water, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to prepare you for your next race. Remember to add some high quality, easily digestible protein to control your hunger during the day (protein and fat are the only elements that control your hunger).

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, if you have any questions about your current program or would like MotoE to create a customized mental, nutrition and performance program for your racing program, please email me directly.

-Coach Robb

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 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 bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, Star Yamaha’s Jerry Martin and Alex Martin, RCH’s Brock Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo, multi-time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki) GNCC bike racers Charlie Mullins and Chris Bach, and GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along with thousands of riders all around the world!

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. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him socially on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & Facebook: Coach Robb.

In addition to his own newsletters, Coach Robb is a regular contributor to Vurbmoto.com, Racer XVT, iMotoOnline, ThumperTalk & and various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

Nutrition and how the human body absorbs and responds is unique from individual to individual, influenced by outside variables (i.e. heat, humidity and intensity) and has to be validated by trial and error. Let’s review some basic elements that may cause nausea and some suggestions on how to reduce or eliminate associated symptoms.

Cause #1: Pre Race Anxiety & Race Intensity
Everyone experiences anticipation and stress on race day. Pre race stress can lead to feelings of nausea and may have a negative effect on your race day nutritional plans. This is caused by the fact that body has to “decide” which is more important: digestion for fuel or maintaining core body temperature.

Digestion: blood & water are needed in the digestion process to convert your food to stored sugar
Performance: your racing efforts require blood (for oxygen to be carried to the working muscles) along with water (to be diverted to your skin to rid yourself of internal heat).

You can see how this creates a “stress” on your entire body as it attempt to prioritize what to do: break down food for fuel or sweat to maintain your core body temperature. Solution: consume easily digestible foods that maintain blood sugar levels within the blood.

Cause #2: Food Timing & Types
Low blood sugar levels are frequently associated with dizziness and nausea. Maintaining a consistent blood sugar level has a significant impact on your energy and performance. Because the body stores carbohydrates in limited quantities, 60-90 minutes of stored energy in the muscles and liver, it is important to eat throughout the day. To keep your blood sugar level stable and energy stores high, aim to eat 4 to 6 small meals throughout your race day. Solution: eat at the correct time with the correct types of food.

Timing
Give yourself 2 hours between your prerace meal and start time. This will allow enough time for your body to break down, absorb and purge completely. On race day, choose food items that are easy to digest (see below).

Types
The following sources of carbohydrates (stored in the muscles as glycogen) should be consumed throughout the day: whole wheat grains, rye, stone ground bread, oatmeal, lentils, beans, peas, asparagus, broccoli, fresh ripe fruit (specifically apples, pears, apricots & bananas) high quality cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, couscous and quinoa.

The following sources of carbohydrates should be consumed immediately after your race: white potatoes, watermelon, white rice, noodles, cereal, waffles and pancakes.

Don't forget the protein
For controlling appetite and speeding up recovery after your race, immediately consume a carbohydrate-protein beverage to replace depleted sugar & repair torn down muscle tissue. The ideal recovery nutrition source is 150 to 200 calories at a mixture of 3:1 of carbohydrates & protein. By consuming this carb-protein drink within 30 minutes of your race; your body takes advantage of a highly active enzyme (glycogen synthase) responsible for replenishing depleted sugar within the muscle and liver. This will result in a higher level of replenishment, setting you up for higher levels of output in your next race.

The following foods are great sources of protein: salmon, tuna, lean deli meat, mixed nuts (avoid peanuts), beans, lentils, tofu, whey, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream (if you are not lactose intolerant).

Avoid Excessive fiber & fat
Meals in the day leading up to the race need to be easy to digest. As mentioned above, stick to carbohydrate-based meals with lean protein and a small amount of fat. The low fiber residue will lessen the severity of G.I. (gastro-intestinal) disturbances on race day.

Cause #3: Fluid Timing, Types and Amounts
The key to proper hydration is not the act of drinking water and sports drinks that contain sugar and electrolytes, but rather the absorption of what you drink. Solution: drink at the right time with the correct concentration of carbohydrates & electrolytes specific to your sweat rate.

Timing
Throughout the day, sip consistently on a sports drink that has a 4-6% carbohydrate concentration and a solid electrolyte profile (Energy Fuel) to ensure that you are maintaining your hydration levels.

1 Hour before your race: consume 8 to 10 ounces of ice cold sports drink (cold absorbs better than warm)
15 Minutes before your race: consume 4-6 ounces of your ice cold sports drink
Immediately following your race: consume 8 to 10 ounces of your sports drink; when you have raced your last race of the day, consume your protein-carbohydrate beverage as mentioned previously.

Drinking too much water can lead to a state of hyponatremia (low blood sodium) which can increase nausea related symptoms. Drinking too little water can lead to a state of de-hydration which can also cause nausea related symptoms. The key is to determine the optimum amount of fluids to consume – see below.

Amounts
You need to determine your sweat rate given your intensity level, duration, air temperature and humidity. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Coach Robb’s Sweat Rate Calculator, please email me directly and I will forward you a copy for FREE. By determining your sweat rate, you can determine how much fluid you need to consume on race day.

Choosing the right sports drink
Research science has shown that the key to maintaining high levels of energy from a sports drink is determined by how quickly the body can convert the sugar to energy. Complex carbohydrates have to be broken down over a long period of time which results in a slower delivery of energy. During high intensity racing (and in high temperatures), the digestive process is slowed down, as mentioned earlier because the body is working hard to deliver oxygen and rid itself of heat. When you compound a slowed digestive system with complex carbohydrates, you have delayed delivery of energy for racing.

The solution is to use sports drinks that have a 4-6% concentration rate, which are made from simple sugars and have electrolytes added for better absorption. A product that I helped develop, Energy Fuel, has this exact profile and has been tested for over a year with great results on the track. The sugar in Energy Fuel (cane sugar) is absorbed passively (without the need of your digestive system to break it down) and will not only sustain your energy, but also help prevent any backing up in the stomach (and associated discomforts).

Cause #4: Cold & Hot Environments
Both hot and cold weather places stress on your body by elevating your heart rate. This places a demand on your stored sugar levels and begins to shut down your digestive process (refer to Causes 1-3). Solution: choose your racing gear accordingly.

Hot weather: as your body strives to rid itself of heat, you will notice that your heart rate will be elevated and sweating will start immediately. Wear gear that is light in color, has wick away characteristics and vented.

Cold-weather: your body is constantly trying to conserve heat & stay warm (hence the shivering). Wear throw away clothing to the start line & discard as come up to the starting line.

Other possible irritants
Alcohol, caffeine, spices, artificial sweeteners & ibuprofen can create irritation in some people. The body’s various systems (circulatory, respiratory, etc.) become more sensitive to any irritants when under physical emotional or mental stress. Racing tends to present all three of these types of stress. Identifying anything that might create symptoms before you get to the races will result in better race day results.

What else can you do?
As always, speak with your physician about anti-nausea medication that may offer some relief when racing or training hard. Probiotics may assist with G.I. disturbances as well as being of assistance to general immune health.

Yours in health and sport,
Coach Robb

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 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 bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, Star Yamaha’s Jerry Martin and Alex Martin, RCH’s Brock Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo, multi-time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki) GNCC bike racers Charlie Mullins and Chris Bach, and GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along with thousands of riders all around the world!

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. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him socially on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & Facebook: Coach Robb.

In addition to his own newsletters, Coach Robb is a regular contributor to Vurbmoto, Racer XVT, iMotoOnline, ThumperTalk & and various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

Extended recovery can be the key to peak performance later in the season. I want to recap an insightful article written by a retired professional triathlete who had reached the pinnacle of his professional career and is providing validation to many scientific studies about the value of rest and recovery. There is no better way to learn something than from someone who has been there before.

How Can Setbacks Elevate Your Performance Potential?
As articulated by Torbjorn Sindballe, "the rules of training to achieve your peak will tell you that a top performance after an injury isn't possible. Those rules say peak performance requires relentless commitment over many months and endless hours of training. How then is it possible to come back stronger than ever in a season that has offered more than a fair share of health issues, setbacks and injuries eroding the base of consistent hours you typically rely on? Is it the body responding to a welcome break? Is it a reinvigorated hunger to win? Or is it a sense of urgency to perform?"

When you see a professional athlete come back from a major setback and then perform at an all new level, it sheds light on amateur training and racing that forced rest can help you achieve your own peak performance.

Health is the Key to Fitness and Performance
"With all we know about training, examples of incredible comebacks should be surprising. We know that 2-3 weeks of tapering leads to improved performance, but two to three months with a drastically reduced training load should be detrimental to performance and require much more than a month or two to build back. As quoted by Craig Alexander, 2 time winner of the Hawaii Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run), "Being healthy is as important as being fit. Because I was forced to rest because of an injury, my body responded well to training and I became more mentally confident in my ability".

"An injury typically exposes a weak link somewhere in your musculoskeletal chain. For example, low back dysfunctions typically stem from weak and poorly controlled abdominal muscles. The body spends a lot of energy compensating for such instabilities. Taking time off to recover and restore function with treatment, strength and stability training will allow you to tap into your body's full potential.

Being rested is an important part of being healthy. A body that has gone through half a season of training and racing will not respond as quickly and effectively to training as a fully rested and balanced body.

What Causes Declining Performance
Timothy Noakes, a South African sports physician and physiologist, has studied the human body for many decades with a particular interest in how the brain regulates fatigue and hence affects human performance. According to Noakes, there isn’t any controlled studies on how forced rest upon an athlete effects mental perspective and performance output.

Take a top endurance athlete like Robert de Castellas who set the marathon world record in 1981 but was barely able to break into the top ten at various marathons over the next five years. This is a clear indication of complete physical and mental fatigue. His body wasn’t capable of performing at its optimum level because it was offset with overall fatigue. Castella then took a full year away from structured training and racing. Over a six month time period he built a base of strength and endurance along with systematically adding speed and threshold work. The end result was winning the Rotterdam marathon in 1991.

Noakes did a study on chronically fatigued athletes with adrenal or hypothalamic (mental) burnout. In such a state, “an athlete is unable to secrete stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which are responsible for raising blood glucose levels or mobilizing fat for energy”. Keep in mind that these hormones are part of a natural functioning body and are needed when exercising, training hard or racing.

Noakes’ research team injected insulin into the test subjects to get their blood glucose levels down and observed the results. In a chronically fatigued state, their bodies were unable to get blood sugar levels back up which is a critical stress response in sports.

The take home message? When chronically fatigued, your body’s ability to produce hormones required to function normally is suppressed and you will more or less be forced onto the couch.

Chronic Fatigue
During heavy training (volume or intensity) the body is under a tremendous amount of physical stress. This is a combination of mechanical breakdown of muscle and tendons or use of energy storages along with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a byproduct of metabolizing sugar commonly referred to as free radicals. Their effects on the body are similar to a peeled apple; the antioxidants in the apple are all in the skin. When the apple is peeled, the flesh is exposed to the reactive oxygen in the air and a breakdown begins which is illustrated with the flesh of the apple turning brown.

During hard training sessions and racing, the body has a difficult time consuming enough antioxidants from foods such as raw fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate, wine and certain teas imperative to maintaining optimum health and performance.
Noakes points out that oxidative damage is higher when eating a high-carbohydrate diet. Keep in mind that a high-fat diet may be important to reduce overall oxidative stress on the body as well.

In addition to the oxidative stress it is important to look at the brain itself. Noakes’ research points to the critical role of
the brain in regulating fatigue; hence anything that affects our brain function will also impact our physical performance.
Heavy workloads or high stresses in life often compromise sleep quality which is paramount to brain recovery. You can recover physically during the day, but the brain only recovers at night during deep sleep. Lack of quality sleep will then, over time, affect your body’s most basic levels of function.

Keys to Recovery
As outlined by ex-professional triathlete, Torbjorn Sindballe, the idea is that forced rest improves performance in athletes who have a form of chronic fatigue. We can distinguish between short term fatigue linked to the body’s day to day carbohydrate stores and long term fatigue linked to fatigue in the brain, changes in the hormonal system as well as micro-tears in the tendons, ligaments and muscles. Long term fatigue can result in injuries, illness or can even cause severe chronic fatigue with adrenal or hypothalamic burnout.

Noakes’ personal experience is that it takes six weeks with complete rest to recover from chronic fatigue and much more when the case is severe. As a result, for athletes with excessive training volumes and intensity, it may be beneficial in their longevity and performance results to take longer periods of the year where rest, good sleep and light alternative activity replace sport specific/structured training.

Recovery Tips for Peak Performance
Take an extended break from training and racing. Most racers take too little time off at the end of a season or after a peak performance. Strive to take 8-10 weeks away from structured training and racing, depending on your training background, volume and training intensity. The focus must be on the restoration and recovery of the body and the mind, this is imperative to your longevity as an athlete.

Improved sleep. Quality of sleep is the key to brain recovery. Many athletes cut into the volume of sleep so they can train. This strategy will have a negative impact on your health and ultimately your performance.

Eat more antioxidants and fewer carbohydrates. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants and experimenting with how many carbs you need to maintain training intensity and volume with will help you offset some of the negative side effects of high training loads and reduce the oxidative stress on your body. Keep in mind that carbs are imperative to fueling performance efforts; be cautious of cutting back your carb intake too aggressively.

Conclusion
What can you learn from elite athletes and clinical researchers? Ask yourself the question why you are afraid to rest? The logic of rest and recovery are simple. No amount of training will do someone good if they cannot absorb the adaptations associated with training. I have known many athletes who get injured and suffer from burn out as their season progresses. The overtraining culture of athletics is enormous and very few have the confidence to go against it. It is not surprising that those who adhere to the benefits of rest are the most successful within their respective sport.

Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard!
-Coach Robb

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 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 bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, Star Yamaha’s Jerry Martin and Alex Martin, RCH’s Brock Tickle, Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo, multi-time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki) GNCC bike racers Charlie Mullins and Chris Bach, and GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along with thousands of riders all around the world!

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. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him socially on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & Facebook: Coach Robb.

In addition to his own newsletters, Coach Robb is a regular contributor to Vurbmoto.com, Racer XVT, iMotoOnline, ThumperTalk & and various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

10 SHOPPING RULES FOR OPTIMUM HEALTH & PERFORMANCE
Yes, believe it or not, there are some “rules” to follow EVERY time you go shopping, these will keep you from purchasing items that will keep you from making wise food choices and ultimately undermining you’re eating & drinking habits. Keep in mind that you eat for only one purpose: to fuel your life in the healthiest way possible. Following these rules will ensure that you have exactly what you need, how much you need and avoid having to throw anything away because it has spoiled (this will save you money too!).

Shopping Rule #1: DON’T SHOP ON AN EMPTY STOMACH
Literally eat a high protein & fat snack (protein & fat are the ONLY nutrients that satisfy hunger) prior to walking in (i.e. apple and cheese stick, banana and almond butter).

Shopping Rule #2: PREPARE A SHOPPING LIST & ONLY PURCHASE WHAT IS ON YOUR LIST
If you have to purchase something this isn’t on your list but a necessary ingredient to a recipe, meal or snack then add the item to your shopping list for future reference. The key is to create & maintain a consistent shopping list (you will notice that you eat 18-25 of the same items every week) to carry with you to your farmers market or grocery store every time you go shopping.
[NOTE: your energy levels & performance results will help you determine if you should keep an item on your weekly shopping list. If your energy is high & your performance results are good, you know your food items are working and vice versa.]

Shopping Rule #3: SHOP 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK
Shopping two to three times per week will ensure that you have ripe, high quality fruits, vegetables and lean sources of protein readily available. Ideally, set your personal schedule to permit you visiting the store on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Shopping on Sunday allows you the opportunity to go home and prep, pack and store your food items for Monday – Wednesday. Wednesday allows you to purchase, prep and store for Thursday and Friday. Friday provides you the opportunity to purchase, prep and store what you will need for an active Saturday and Sunday. As we will discuss later, it is the lack of availability that keeps individuals from eating properly verses the lack of desire. If it isn’t available, you are forced to lean on convenience and you find yourself eating out of a drive through window or out of a package.

Shopping Rule #4: SHOP SOLO
Shop solo – this will keep others from influencing your shopping efforts. This will eliminate the impulsive purchases and save you money.

Shopping Rule #5: SHOP THE PERIMETER OF THE STORE
Shopping the perimeter of your grocery store is where you will find fresh/raw food items. With the exception of small ingredients (salt, pepper, olive oil, etc.), there is nothing in the center of the store that you need to be eating. This is NOT to be confused regarding the dairy case – especially the organic items. Dairy items can be a good source of protein, calcium, etc. for those that are not lactose intolerant.

Shopping Rule #6: PURCHASE MORE THAN YOU NEED
Purchase one or two more items than what is on your shopping list – especially your fruits and vegetables. If you think you will consume 10 oranges, purchase 12. This will keep you from running out. If you find that every three days you have two to three items left, then cut back. But as a general rule of thumb, it is better to want it and not have it verses wanting it and not having it available. Running out should be avoided at all costs – your health is worth it.

Shopping Rule #7: USE A SHOPPING CART VERSES A BASKET
If the basket becomes full (or heavy) you will be tempted to cut back on the amount of real-raw food that you are purchasing – this undermines Rule #6. If you are purchasing fruits and vegetables in bulk, you will have numerous bags; putting them in a shopping cart will minimize the amount of damage to your items because you are not “stacking” them in your basket.

Shopping Rule #8: LABELS SHOULD ONLY CONTAIN 1 INGREDIENT
When you pick up an item, stop and read the ingredients listed on the label. If it has more than one ingredient, put the item back on the shelf. Remember, single ingredient packages represent an ingredient that will be used with your snack and meal preparations. If the item has more than one ingredient, read shopping rule #9.

Shopping Rule #9: EAT ONLY WHAT YOU CAN PRONOUNCE
If you can’t pronounce it, don’t purchase–much less eat it! This shopping rule is actually eliminated when you implement shopping rule #8; however, if you must purchase something that has more than one ingredient (we all have weak moments & time restraints) you should be able to pronounce each ingredient in the product (the Braap Bar is a perfect example of a convenient, real food snack bar). If you can’t pronounce the ingredient Trimethylxanthine, it is safe to assume that it isn’t good for you to consume!

Shopping Rule #10: UPDATE YOUR SHOPPING LIST
Before checking out, take a moment to review and update (with items you forgot to write down before you left for the store) your shopping list. This is also your last opportunity to verify that you have everything on your shopping list in your shopping cart. Not only will this eliminate you having to make another time consuming trip back to the store for one or two items, it will also eliminate the need to run through a drive through because you didn’t have the necessary elements to prep, prepare and pack your snacks and meals.

Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard!
-Coach Robb

Researchers in Canada found that individuals who worked out and then ate 6 ounces of cooked ground beef (2x the recommended amount of protein in a meal), maximized their muscle growth verses those who only consumed 2 to 4 ounces. Those who consumed 2-4 ounces may not have consumed enough protein to preserve lean muscle (much less grow new muscle).

To enhance the growth of new muscle, lift weights and consume high quality protein. Having a hard time getting enough protein in on a daily basis, consume a 10 ounce smoothie with my Protein Fuel. It is plant based protein source that is easily digestible and has a powerful amino acid profile to build new muscle.

Please let me know if you have any questions about protein intake or need anything clarified!

-Coach Robb

It isn’t a secret that there is an optimum strength to weight ratio when it comes to going fast on a motorcycle; however, getting to your ideal weight (percentage of lean muscle & body fat) where you have both strength & endurance is the key to your success. Most riders & racers, when they attempt to lose body fat, end up tearing down muscle for energy which results in a lighter number on the scale, but a significant reduction in overall body strength, along with reduced levels of speed & endurance on the bike.

In my opinion, when it comes to losing body fat long term, you must first stabilize your blood sugar levels and satisfy your appetite. There are only two things that satisfy appetite: fat and protein. Protein plays a significant role with building new muscle and supporting your immune system. Fat plays a major role in vitamin & mineral regulation, protection of internal organs, etc.

Below is a Clean Eating Challenge that I believe is a great tool to implement every three months throughout the year. This Clean Eating Challenge is designed to help stabilize your blood sugar levels with real food & determine your sensitivities associated with carbohydrates (a medical symptom referred to as carbohydrate intolerant-CI).

CI is a common problem in many populations and the diseases associated with this condition are reaching epidemic proportions. This challenge, created by Dr. Maffetone, helps you identify if you experience common symptoms of CI including: sleepiness after meals, intestinal bloating, increased body fat, fatigue and others. Here is an outline of the various stages associated with CI:

Early stages of CI include elusive problems associated with blood-sugar handling, such as fatigue, intestinal bloating and loss of concentration.

Middle stages include a more serious conditions including hypertension, elevations of LDL, lowering of HDL, elevated triglycerides, excess body fat and often obesity.

Long term CI manifests itself as various diseases, including diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Final stages include a condition referred to as Metabolic Syndrome. This stage is includes disorders such as: hyperinsulinemia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Polycystic ovary, Stroke, Breast Cancer, Coronary Heart Disease, High Blood Cholesterol and Triglycerides.

Please note, CI is an individual one, affecting different people in different ways. The key to avoiding disease is to be aware of CI in its earliest stage and to make the appropriate diet and lifestyle changes. The following are some common complaints that occur immediately after eating a meal or for others remain a constant symptom or feeling.

STEP ONE
Prior to beginning this challenge, evaluate if you experience any of the following (check the box if applicable so that you can reference if the symptom(s) still persist after completing the two week Clean Eating Challenge):

Physical Fatigue: Overall feeling of fatigue; morning through lunch or even all day.

Mental Fatigue: Inability to concentrate; loss of creativity, poor memory, poor grades, various forms of “learning disabilities”. This is more pronounced immediately after a meal or if a meal is delayed or missed.

Blood Sugar Handling Issues:
Fluctuations in blood sugar are normal during the day, but are amplified if meals are not eaten on a regular schedule.
Feeling jittery, agitated and/or moody (symptoms that immediately subside once food is consumed).
Craving for simple sugars, chocolate or caffeine; bouts of dizziness.

Intestinal Bloating:
Suffer from excessive gas; antacids or other remedies are not successful in dealing with the gas levels.
Gas tends to be worse later in the day and into the night.

Sleepiness:
Feel sleepy immediately after meals containing carbohydrates, particularly a pasta meal or a meal that contains
bread, potatoes or dessert.

Increased fat storages & weight:
For most individuals, too much weight is too much fat. In males, abdominal fat is more evident and in females it is
more prominent in the upper body, upper thighs and in the face.

Increased triglycerides:
High triglycerides are not only found in overweight individuals. Individuals with high triglycerides are the direct result
of carbohydrates from the diet being converted by insulin into fat.

High Blood Pressure:
Most individuals dealing with hypertension produce too much insulin and as a result are carbohydrate intolerant. For
some, sodium sensitivity is common and eating too much sodium causes water retention along with elevated blood
pressure.

Depression:
Because carbohydrate adversely affect the levels of neurotransmitters made in the brain, feelings of depression
and/or sleepiness can result. Sugar has been promoted as if it is a stimulate, but in actuality, has the opposite effect.

Addiction:
Individuals who are addicted to alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes or other drugs often have many of the above mentioned
symptoms.

STEP TWO
Send me your email and I will send you a copy of my MotoE Body Measurement Spreadsheet. When you receive the file, double click on the attachment and print. You will want to capture these numbers prior to completing the Clean Eating Challenge.

STEP THREE
Purge (throw away – don’t give it to anyone, they don’t need it either!) your cabinets and refrigerator of the following:
- Breads, rolls, pasta, pancakes, cereal, muffins, chips, crackers and rice cakes
- Sweets and products that contain sugar such as ketchup, honey, etc. (read the labels to ensure there is no sugar)
- Fruit juice
- Processed meats that contain sugar
- Fat Free, Skim & 2% Milk, half and half
- Fat Free or Low Fat Yogurt & Ice Cream
- Energy Bars and Energy Drinks that contain fructose
- All soda, including diet
- Alcohol, except dry wines

STEP FOUR
Time to go shopping to stock up with what you will need to get this challenge under way!

Few considerations:
Note: don’t consume anything on this list without prior approval from your doctor-NO EXCEPTIONS!
- Plan ahead so that you are never without sufficient food
- Avoid becoming hungry – unlimited amounts of food are available to you, eat every 2 hours
- Don’t focus on the volume of food you are consuming – just eat
- Take the time to chew your food completely – this will aid in the digestion and absorption of your food
- Consume enough vegetables (at least 6 servings per day) to maintain fiber intake (and avoid constipation)
- Drink cold filtered water at a rate of .5 ounces per pound of body weight
For Example: 150 pounds x .5 ounces = 75 ounces per day

Food you can eat in unlimited amounts:
- Smoothies made with real fruits and vegetables
- Steamed or raw vegetables (avoid white potatoes and corn) – organic ideally
- Fresh fruit - organic ideally
- Nuts and seeds – organic and free of any oils and salt
- Almond butter – organic ideally
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Whole fat mayonnaise
- Whole eggs
- Non American yellow cheese – look for hard cheeses like Swiss, Provolone, etc.
- Meats (beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.) – free range and sugar free (read the label here!)
- Fresh Fish (cold water Atlantic) – salmon, sardines, albacore white tuna (nothing out of a can)
- Fresh Shellfish
- Tofu
- Mustard (as long as there isn’t any sugar added)

Helpful Suggestions:
Eggs
- Omelets: any combination of vegetables, meats and cheeses
- Scrambled with guacamole, sour cream and salsa
- Scrambled with a scoop of ricotta or cottage cheese and tomato sauce
- Boiled or poached with spinach or asparagus

Salads
- Chef-leaf lettuce, meats, cheese, eggs
- Spinach-with bacon & eggs
- Caesar-romaine lettuce, eggs & parmesan cheese
- Any salad with chicken, tuna, shrimp or other meat and/or cheese

Salad Dressings
- Extra-virgin olive oil & vinegar with sea salt and spices
- Creamy-heavy cream, mayonnaise, garlic and spices

Fish and Meats
- Pot roast cooked with onions, carrots and celery
- Roasted chicken
- Chili made with fresh meat, and a variety of vegetables such as diced onions, celery, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and spices
- Steak and eggs
- Fish (not fried) with any variety of steamed vegetables
- Tuna melt on a bed of broccoli or asparagus

Snacks
- Celery stuffed with nut butter or cream cheese
- Guacamole with vegetable sticks for dipping
- Hard boiled eggs

Supplementation
Whey Protein
Fish Oil
Branched Chain Amino Acids

STEP FOUR
Time to eat and train! As mentioned above, eat every two hours (even if you are not hungry). During the next two weeks, keep all of your workouts aerobic, which means eliminating any and all weight lifting (it is anaerobic by nature) and any strenuous workouts (above Heart Rate Zone #2).

What to expect during the first week:

1. If you have been eating lots of sweets or other carbohydrates, you may experience cravings for sugar for the first few days.
2. You may experience a headache associated with withdraws – strive to use
   &
   to relax the muscles in the neck and upper shoulders.
3. You may find yourself falling off of the program, not because you intend to, but rather due to the realization that processed foods are everywhere. If you eat something that is not “approved” you need to start over and this is ok!
   

STEP FIVE
Stay consistent with both your food and aerobic training. Maintain a food intake log along with a detailed training log, specifically mental clarity, energy levels, average and max heart rate with each workout.

Over the next two weeks you will capture a better snap shot of your eating and how it reflects on your health, wellness & performance. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or need anything clarified.
-Coach Robb

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 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 bi-monthly newsletter that outlines the training solutions used by Factory KTM/Red Bull’s Ryan Dungey, multi-time Loretta Lynn’s & Mini O Champion’s Jordan Bailey (Factory Monster Energy/Kawasaki), Factory Kawasaki/Pro-Circuit’s Adam Cianciarulo and Loretta Lynn’s Champion, Gracie VanHorn, GNCC bike racers Charlie Mullins and Chris Bach, and GNCC Quad racer Roman Brown along with thousands of riders all around the world.

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. Please visit CompleteRacingSolutions.com to subscribe to his bi-newsletter and learn more about various resources for riders. You can follow him socially on Twitter: @MotoCoachRobb & Facebook: Coach Robb.

In addition to his own newsletters, Coach Robb is a regular contributor to various websites. Robb can also be heard on the monthly radio show DMXS answering listener’s questions about nutrition & fitness.

In attempt to make up for lost time associated with winter, athletes & riders have a tendency to get a little over zealous during early season workouts which frequently produces injuries, sickness and performance frustrations. Implementing these 4 components will maximize your speed, strength and endurance in 8 weeks or less!

Identify and Eliminate Your Weaknesses
“Race your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses” is the motto that I say to all of my clients because as humans, we spend the majority of our time doing things that we like & what we are good at. To make the greatest progress within your training program, you must identify what you are NOT good at and start there. Establish where you are physically lacking – muscular strength, endurance, lactate tolerance and don’t forget the non-sweating disciplines of flexibility, nutrition and realistic goal setting; begin where you are the weakest or have room for the most improvement (relevant to your personal goals). Early season/baseline testing will help pinpoint your weaknesses as well as capture your current maximum heart rate for that specific discipline (see below).

If you don’t know how to identify your physical weaknesses, please email me at Robb@CoachRobb.com and I will send you some protocols (specific to your goals) to help you identify your physical weaknesses. Please include your specific goals in your email to ensure that I send you relevant assessment protocols.

Avoid Training Yourself into Exhaustion
By not knowing how hard you are actually training (verses perceived exertion), athletes run the risk of injury & burnout. Actual intensity levels need to be monitored with a heart rate monitor to ensure that you are training within your aerobic zone for the majority (not all) of your early season efforts. Please note that you must establish your heart rate training zones for each discipline that you train. For example, if you utilize the Concept 2 rower as a cross training tool, you cannot use your heart rate zones from the bicycle – more muscles are engaged during rowing than cycling which results in a different max heart rate number and associated heart rate zones. Over my last 22 years of coaching, I have seen the use of generic formulas (for example, 220-age) have a margin of error as high as 30-50%. The assessment of your pre-season max heart rate can be captured with a simple pre-season max heart rate assessment.

If you would like some assistance determining your accurate heart rate zones, please email me at Robb@CoachRobb.com and I will send you a copy of my sport specific Max Heart Rate Assessment and Heart Rate Spreadsheet so you can create your personalized heart rate zones to maximize your training efforts. Please include all sports that you currently train and race (specifically race distances/durations) so that I can provide you accurate assessment protocols.

Improve Your Power and Endurance without Sweating
Chiropractic care, massage therapy, trigger point therapy and hydro-therapy are that should be a part of every athlete’s routine for one simple reason: tight muscles pull bones out of alignment; misaligned bones keep muscles tight. If you visit a massage therapist and the attachments of the muscles are out of line, it is the same as if you pulled the ends of a rubber band far apart, no matter how much you rub the center, the band is still tight. You have to get the attachments of the muscles to the correct position before you will get the tension out of the muscle. The reverse is true as well. If you get an adjustment and the muscles are tight, the muscles will simply pull the bones back out of alignment. Lining up the spine and removing tension within the muscles will result in better strength and improved endurance.

Trigger points are the “knots” that you feel within the muscle tissue. These knots need to be removed before they become a chronic pain site along with the source of a muscle tear. Just like a piece of rope, a knot becomes the weakest point of the muscle tissue and needs to be addressed on a daily basis. Please implement these trigger point therapy exercises daily to improve your range of motion within a muscle.

Hydro therapy is the use of hot and cold to relax and facilitate recovery within a muscle tissue. Hot water will vasodilate (open up the blood vessels) and bring fresh blood flow to muscle tissue. Cold water will vaso-constrict (close up the blood vessels) and off set inflammation within the muscle tissue. By switching between hot water (ideally a Jacuzzi tub) and an ice bath (painful thought I realize!) you will reap big rewards when it comes to a faster recovery and improved muscle flexibility. Protocol suggestion: 10 minutes hot – 10 minutes cold – 10 minutes ambient air temperature while foam rolling.

Smart Eating Habits Produce Faster Speeds and Improve Endurance
Hands down, NOTHING will improve your speed and endurance faster than eating smart and staying hydrated!

What to eat, how much to eat and when to eat has become a big convoluted mess thanks to social media and the internet; however, it isn’t difficult at all. Simply shop the perimeter of the grocery store where you will find fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein sources. Every two hours strive to eat one to two pieces of fruit and vegetables and 3-5 ounces of lean protein along with 10-16 ounces of cold water. That’s it – that simple!

The lean protein that you consume will repair any muscle tissue damage associated with training as well as improve your immune system. The fruits and vegetables will provide your body the necessary vitamins and minerals necessary to support your cardiovascular efforts, immune system as well as provide the catalysts necessary to produce energy.

If you would like to see how powerful eating is, please email me at Robb@CoachRobb.com and ask for my 2 Week Food Challenge. This challenge is designed to stabilize your bloods sugar levels and help you see how quickly the food you ingest influences your energy levels and performance (of all intensities and duration's).

Yours in sport and health,

-Coach Robb

What happens to the brain when a concussion happens?
Inside your skull you have cerebrospinal fluid and of course your brain. A violent impact causes your brain to vibrate and sometimes even bump against the skull bone. If the force is too much, you end up with a concussion. Ironically, the trauma that occurs when the brain hits the skull, there is often no evidence of injury because the damage is on the inside, within the medical world it is known as the “Silent Injury” according to Dr. Lovell from the University of Pittsburgh’s medical center which researches concussions.

Once common mistake is assuming that because you didn’t get “knocked out”, then the hit to your head was minimal. In fact, if you experience vomiting, dilated pupils, loss of smell or taste you should visit with a neurologist immediately. Additional negative symptoms after a head impact are headaches, dizziness or memory loss lasting more than 5 day or delayed memory of easy questions (i.e. what did you eat for breakfast yesterday morning?).

4 Stages of a Concussion:
Impact to the head
The most common causes of concussions are falls, car accidents, impact sports and explosions. The trauma causes force to the head in two directions: linear (forwards and backwards) or rotational (side to side). These forces literally cause your brain to “slosh” within the cerebrospinal fluid and bump up against the skull.

Inflammation
Trauma to the brain can damage neurons, the cells that govern the flow of chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters. In the worst case scenario, those damaged neurons lose control of the neurotransmitters, allowing them to accelerate up to five (5x) their normal speed. The resulting chemical acceleration can cause memory loss, blurred vision, dizziness, headache and nausea.

Hibernation
Your brain’s cortex detects the neurotransmitter imbalance and tries to fix the neurons by calling for a surge of healing glucose. At the same time, calcium neurotransmitters start constricting the blood vessels, delaying glucose from reaching the neurons. Your brain function slows until blood flow returns to normal.

Recovery
Healing the neurons within your brain can take several weeks to within your brain. However, if you sustain another concussion during this period, you could suffer permanent damage and a lifetime of headaches and other adverse side effects.

Though it is hard for competitive athletes, but staying away from the potential of re-hitting your head, rest & proper nutrition will facilitate the recovery process.

Note: if you experience headaches after hitting your head, DO NOT consume aspirin or ibuprofen (this may increase your risk of brain bleeding); instead use acetaminophen.

Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard!
-Coach Robb
http://www.completeracingsolutions.com

The Frustrations of Tight Muscles

I want to encourage all of you (no matter how physically active you are) to get massage work completed at least once a month. If you are physically active, in addition to your monthly massage, you need to complete trigger point and single muscle stretches AFTER every workout.

My oldest son is struggling with back spasms because his quads (front of your thighs) are so tight. Think about this, your quads attach to the top of your pelvis. When your muscles are tight, they "pull" your pelvis forward which over stretches the muscles in your back and hips. So we are manually massaging his quads, foam rolling, trigger point, and stretching them 3x a day.

Since all of these muscles are intertwined together, they pull on one another. Your goal is to release any trigger points (think of these as "Knots" in your muscles) that will allow the muscles to be their normal length allowing for normal range of motion (without pain!).

Massage Therapist: find one that understands your activity level and your dedication to completing the maintenance work (hydrate, trigger point, etc.).

Trigger Point-Stretching: use the link below (tutorial videos) and implement AFTER exercising - when the muscle at it's warmest and receptive to trigger point and single muscle stretches.

Yours in sport and health,

-Coach Robb

1. Getting sick: as you get closer to your race (especially the last week), you need to kick into overdrive your hygiene habits. Wash your hands regularly, keep them covered in anti-bacteria gel, stay hydrated, load up on immunity supporting foods and supplements, use a netty pot two times a day (morning and evening).

2. Too much time: as you taper down your training, your volume should be coming down and your intensity should be going up. As your volume of training time comes down, you are left with a surplus of "idle time". Use this time to sleep, eat or get a massage.

3. Squeezing in one more hard workout: the body will ALWAYS perform better if you come into an event rested and hungry to compete. If you squeeze in one more hard workout (out of doubt and fear), you run the risk of dumping your best potential in training instead of racing.

Yours in sport and health,
-Coach Robb

The body provides you many indicators that it is fatigued and susceptible to illness: elevated heart rate, high body temperature, suppressed appetite, declines in athletic performance, poor sleeping patterns and more. Though these indicators may seem obvious as you read them, most riders will not acknowledge that if the body doesn't get the elements necessary to recover and overcome fatigue: sleep & food, it is inevitable that an illness (and an injury) is right around the corner.

Here are 7 Rules for a speedy recovery from an illness:
Rule #1: Listen to your body.
The body is an efficient machine, a fever or elevated heart rates are clear signs that you should back off on both your intensity and duration of riding and cross training. Please email me if you would like a free copy of the MotoE Body Analysis Spreadsheet to easily track this data on a weekly basis.

Rule #2: Get more rest.
Resting does not mean going for a one hour riding session or a two-hour spin on your bike hoping it’ll make you feel better – it will only make you more fatigued. Your goal is to get 7-9 hours of deep, high quality sleep each day. Avoid watching TV before going to bed and make the room as dark and cold as possible.

Rule #3: Pay attention to diet and proper hydration.
Make it easy on your body to go about its job of fighting off the infection or virus by loading it up with vitamins and minerals through fruits and vegetables. Regarding hydration, every day consume half of your body weight in ounces of water (160 pounds/2=80 ounces of water per day). Proper nutrition would involve eating every two hours and eating fruits, vegetables and lean protein at every meal or snack. Please email me if you would like a free copy of the MotoE’s Food & Performance Log to easily track this data on a weekly basis.

Rule #4: Return to training gently.
As you start to feel better and your resting heart rate is back to normal for five days, resist the urge to jump back into training full-throttle. As a general rule of thumb, if your resting heart rate is up by more than 5 beats over your weekly average, then don’t train at all for that day. If your heart rate is within 3 beats of your weekly average, then exercise at a very easy effort level for 45 minutes or less. As you can see, knowing your resting heart rate in the morning is an important variable to use when it comes to health & performance. Please email me if you would like a free copy of the MotoE’s Body Analysis Log to easily track this data on a weekly basis.

Rule #5: Don’t ignore the obvious signs from your body.
If your heart rate spikes straight up getting out of your car or you don’t have an appetite, then following your normal volume & intensity of training does not make sense. This physical experience will correlate with your resting heart rate (see #4 above).

Rule #6: Don’t expect someone else to be able to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do.
Unfortunately you’re training partner, riding coach; family, spouse, etc., doesn’t actually know how you are feeling, so it’s up to you to make the correct decision for yourself (based off of non-emotional evaluation tools: resting heart rate, hours and quality of sleep, suppressed appetite).

Rule #7: Don’t become an internet doctor.
Google can be a wonderful tool, but even the most rational among us can turn into raging hypochondriacs if let loose on the internet when feeling sick. Before you know it, your bout of strep throat has escalated to some rare form of infectious disease. So make an appointment with a legit medical doctor who understands how important your health is to you along with your desire to get back on the bike ASAP!

Eating to Avoid an Illness
Training (both on and off of the bike) is intended to improve your strength & endurance; however, this improvement only happens when you eat correctly immediately after your workouts and races. Immediately after a hard day of racing (or training), your immune system is suppressed and your overall body is fatigued, this makes you vulnerable to an airborne virus.

To improve your immunity, eat green fruits and vegetables & every meal. The main ingredient found in fruits and vegetables are phytonutrients. These are substances that plants produce naturally to protect themselves. Additionally, they provide the plant's color, aroma, texture, and flavor.

Oxidative stress and inflammation, a byproduct of high intensity or long bouts of prolonged exercise, increase the production of free radicals, which can cause further cell damage. Antioxidants act to combat these free radicals. Therefore, recovery nutrition must entail much more than simply consuming post-workout carbohydrates and protein. Consuming foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids also speed the recovery process.

While it's necessary to supplement your diet with over-the-counter multivitamins and fish oils, consuming whole foods that are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids need to be the foundation of your nutrition. Food is intended to provide macro- and micronutrients, including fiber that you just can't get in a pill.

According to a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the top 50-antioxidant rich foods included 13 spices, eight fruits and vegetables, five types of berries, and four different nuts and seeds. So why not include some of the following antioxidant-rich foods in your daily diet?

Ginger, cloves, cinnamon, curry, and garlic
Each of these boast anti-inflammatory properties and bold flavors to go with any type of meal, be it sweet or savory. Sauté your favorite vegetables with a bit of garlic and curry powder, or add a dash of cinnamon to your oatmeal.

Blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, and red raspberries
These berries are packed with vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene. They're also rich in the minerals potassium and magnesium. They can be tossed into salads for a taste of something sweet, or as a topping for your favorite yogurt. Got berries? Snack away!

Artichokes, sweet potatoes, spinach, red bell peppers, asparagus, and red cabbage
These veggies are jam packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and flavor. Cooking them only enhances their antioxidant properties. In fact, researchers found that a cooked sweet potato has 413 percent more antioxidant properties than when raw.

Quinoa
Though considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. Its low glycemic, and the only “grain” that contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein (7 grams per half-cup cooked). It's also rich in manganese and copper, two minerals required as cofactors for the production of antioxidants. What’s more? It's ready to eat in just 10 minutes.

Walnuts
Walnuts are an excellent source of micro- and macronutrients like protein, fiber, and omega-3 fat. In fact, just one ounce of walnuts (that's a shot glass or small handful) contains the recommended daily value, or 2.5 grams, of the essential amino acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). As if that wasn’t enough, once ingested, ALA is metabolized and converted to EPA and DHA (the kind of omega-3's found in fish). The walnut is a rock star in the world of antioxidants. Add it to salads, yogurt, and protein/vegetable dishes.

Cross training, riding and racing is demanding and places the body under a great deal of metabolic stress. A daily diet rooted (no pun intended) in nutrient dense foods will play an integral role in both your recovery and enhanced immunity. While a post-workout recovery drink is vitally important in replenishing muscle glycogen and aiding in muscle repair, a diet that focuses on antioxidants will help to minimize the cellular damage that can be caused by the oxidative stress of free radicals. Allowed to roam freely, free radicals can very subtly damage muscle tissue and negatively affect your speed & endurance.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, if you have any questions about your current program or would like MotoE to create a customized mental, nutrition and performance program for you, please email me directly.

Yours in sport and health,
-Coach Robb

I recently hosted a live call in session about "How to Prioritize Your Workouts If You Are Tight on TIme".
I outlined how and when to implement: Food/Hydration; Rest; Flexibility; Strength Training; Aerobic and Speed Workouts.

The call lasted around 42 minutes, so if you have some time to listen to the call dial the following number and use the access code provided.

Recorded Playback Number: 712.775.7029
Access Code: 443254

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to drop me an email.
-Coach Robb

This article is in addition to the last three articles where we broke down fats, protein and carbohydrates as it related to health, wellness and ultimately performance. Proper hydration is one of the “easiest” nutritional components to implement, yields huge performance gains but is still one of the most misunderstood and neglected component of a nutritional program.

The Importance of Hydration

Here are some statistics to shed some light on the incredible importance of being properly hydrated:

The average human body consists of 96 pints of water (64 pints inside the cells & 32 pints in the blood, lymphatic & digestive juices)

• Brain: 75% water
• Bone: 20-30% water
• Body Fat: 10% water
• Digestive Juices: 86%
• Blood 85%
• Muscle: 70%
  

And in my opinion, the most staggering statistic is relevant to muscle strength; a muscle that is dehydrated by only 3% can lose up to 10% of its strength and 8% loss of speed! The potential for optimum levels of performance literally dries up!

Core Body Temperature

When your body is running low on proper water levels within any system of your body: lymphatic, digestive, circulatory, etc. your athletic performance is negatively affected. The most detrimental is the ability to avoidoverheating.

Exercise (or more specifically any form of movement) creates heat within the muscles; the higher the intensity the hotter your body becomes. When this happens, your body’s metabolic systems move into over drive to maintain 98.6 degrees (your core body temperature while you are at rest). As your core body temperature increases, your body moves this increased internal heat to the skin via your blood. The performance issue is associated with your bloods responsibility to deliver oxygen, nutrition to your working muscles and the transfer of metabolic waste of your working muscles. Outside of 98-100 degrees and your body will automatically sacrifice muscle contraction for regulation of core body temperature. Think about it this way, a reduction in muscle function, even immobility isn’t life threatening; however, if your core body temperature rises more than 9 degrees Fahrenheit, normal biochemistry ceases and you can die.

Simple Steps to Properly Hydrate

Daily Tips:

> Strive to consume half of your body weight in ounces of cold filtered water (For example: 150 pound athlete divided by 2 = 75 ounces per day).

> Keep a post it note of how many water bottles you consume throughout the day or put a black marker hash mark on your disposable water bottle to indicate how many times you have re-filled it.

> Drink cold fluids: this has been documented to absorb quicker and helps pull down your core temperature.

> Avoid carbonated water and sodas; they slow down the absorption of water.

> Consume complex carbohydrates - fruits & vegetables at every meal and snack:

During exercise:

> Refrain from waiting until you become thirsty – you are already dehydrated [Note: the sensation of thirst, regulated by hypothalamus in your brain, occurs due to the lower concentration of water in the blood.].

> Consume a sports drink that has a 5-7% carbohydrate ratio for optimum absorption.

> Consume 8-10 ounces every 15 minutes throughout exercise.

> Sip your fluids versus gulping to avoid the ingestion of air.

> Know your sweat rate: your goal is to lose no more than 2% (dehydrated) and no less than 1% (overhydrated). If you haven’t received a copy of our MotoE Sweat Rate Calculator, please email me and I will send one over to you.

> Test your hydration volumes, intake frequency and carbohydrate concentration in training and under the same conditions (temperature & humidity) as your race.

Post exercise:

> Consume a carbohydrate and protein liquid drink within the first 20 minutes of finishing.

> Avoid juices, especially citrus juice, this will only add to your stomach acidity which will increase your chance of cramping and feeling nauseated.

> Continue to sip on your sports drink to help replenish depleted electrolytes and sugar storages.

Until next time, Train Smart-Not Hard!

Coach Robb
http://www.completeracingsolutions.com/

There must be some big sales going on in within the supplement world - my email has been overflowing this week about vitamins! The latest theme seems to be when to take vitamins?

There is no exact science to food and supplementation, but when it comes to maximizing the absorption of your vitamins, I would recommend three simple things:

1. Take with food. Hence the word supplementation, vitamins will interact with your raw/real food and help fill any vitamin or mineral void that you may have in your meal.

2. Avoid drinking too much. If you fill your gut up with water, you simply are diluting the concentration of your vitamins.

3. Take your vitamins at night before bed (unless they create some digestion challenges). In my opinion, when your body has the least amount of demands being put on them, this allows for better absorption and maximum benefit.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or need anything clarified.
-Coach Robb

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