JoeCardio

Dr. Young and the pH Miracle for Diabetes

2011-12-13T02:13:00.000-08:00

Someone gave me Dr. Young's book back in 2005 and that really started my foundational understanding of the Ebb and Flow of Ph in the Body...Normal Blood Ph=7.365....7 Ph=Neutral(no flow lukewarm)....exercise lactic Acid=2.5 Ph(hot)..... the actual blood Ph must be strictly maintained by the body while many other systems buffer, absorb,store, or neutralize acid increases in the body from food, exercise and mental activity required to flow energy and move us through life.... if acids are not able to be neutralized and removed by the body in a natural flow(cooling)......then these systems begin to backup and break down(anaerobic fermentation)......this is the essence of interval training(hot to cold)....Anaerobic to Aerobic.....higher highs and lower lows create more flow.......this is why I EXERCISE..

The AEROBIC system is the Body's cooling system....any product...Like...PROTANDIM..or...ASEA and many other supplements available on the market, like Dr. Young's, that aid the body's cooling (aerobic) system will help restore and maintain the natural ebb and flow. of the body... and all systems will benefit.....Are we in the sun shine 24/7?....is it winter 12 months/year?....Summer and Winter are the (hot and cold) seasons of growth.... SPRING-(a steady increase in volume) into peak growth which yields the fruit of the cycle...FALL-(tapering down) into another season of renewal with less volume and higher intensity......this is my logic for cycling verses a long term daily intake of any product that I have personally found to have major influences on my energy systems. The two top products I definitely recommend you consider cycling are Protandim and ASEA....Protandim in the Winter and ASEA in the summer....ASEA (water and a cooling agent) cools and is needed more so in spring and summer training while Protandim (is an enzymatic agent) and will influence both the Anaerobic and Aerobic Energy Systems equally in both Winter and Fall Seasons. The outcome of Protandim intake will depend greatly on the type of internal energy system balance and the phase of training the individual is in. For instance a Power Athlete depends more heavily on the Anaerobic System for peak performance while the Endurance Athlete depends more heavily on the Aerobic System (Max VO2) expansion for peak output and performance. I will share more specifics as my personal research moves forward with each of these two very unique products....

Unicycling with ASEA 2

2011-10-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

If ASEA brings CELLULAR balance then Unicycle training brings MUSCULAR balance, that is unless you are unicycling uphill. Unicycling uphill is a quad dominant exercise much like squats or running but especially like UPHILL running. This is where the proper intake of ASEA during extended exercise (longer than 1 hour) can, in my opinion, maintain cellular balance longer and thus maintain a higher power output average during these extended exercise durations. In short (less than 1 hour) bouts of exercise ASEA may be best used post exercise. ASEA has a PH of 7.3 on the biological PH scale. Normal blood PH is 7.365 on this same biological PH scale. Lactic Acid, the by product of Anaerobic exercise, has a PH of approximately 2.5..... If you are not exercising then after a certain age of physical development you are slowly losing your body's own ability to maintain cellular PH balance or to even re-balance properly during rest following normal daily activities. This is all happening at a cellular level so we often don't realize it until it is too late...... The first signs of these cellular imbalances are often revealed as pain. A second and more serious symptom of imbalance is acute illness. The 3rd and often last phase of imbalance develops into chronic illness and in the extreme cases, chronic disease leading ultimately into premature death. When it comes to our inherent abilities my motto is "use it or lose it", "practice makes perfect" and "Leading... is an example".

Unicycling with ASEA

2011-10-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Riding Up to the top of the Beartooth Pass on a perfect fall day in Montana. My friend Max asked me to attempt this ride with him and I accepted. Max introduced me to Uni-cycling back in 2007 and I rode extensively that year and up until 2009. My last unicycle training ride was 1 and 1/2 years ago so I really was not sure if I could do this ride even though I had raced up this pass on foot(click for results) and on a road bike (click for results) on August 6th & 7th, 2011, in a 2 day event. This was the last time I put ASEA to the test and I actually drank 2-32oz bottles of ASEA over this weekend event. I had been doing my own research on this product called ASEA and I thought I would use my unicycle outing to give ASEA yet another test. I personally do not network market this product so I had to purchase the ASEA for these events from a wellness center near my home. If anyone would like to see more of my research into ASEA I would invite you become my friend on facebook or ask to join my facebook Expresso Bike Group("Expresso Bike Riders and Fans") where I promote indoor cycling on an Expresso Bike. Once you are a member of this facebook group I would encourage you to create a free Expresso Bike user account and locate one in your area to try it. I have a secret facebook ASEA group where I post detailed training feedback relating to my balance training with ASEA but it is currently available upon request only, to members of my Expresso Bike Riders and Fans Group. My thinking here is to introduce a training device which I endorse and use daily and which I believe is an essential part of any type of complimentary wellness product such as ASEA.

CrossFit Workout #2

2011-04-18T03:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a graph of my heart rate reaction for my 2nd CrossFit workout. This workout was completed last Saturday morning, 4-16-2011. It was a total of 9 days from Crossfit workout #1 to #2 and that is typically as long as muscle can hold gains, at least from my research and experience. The window that I am looking at right now is a repeat Crossfit workout from 7 to 10 days. As I become more conditioned to the intense muscular breakdown I will shorten my recovery time between each workout while maintaining my rigorous Aerobic Endurance training. You can check the graph of my Aerobic Endurance workout that immediately followed this CrossFit workout in my tweets for Satruday, April 16th. I was pleased that I could follow a Crossfit workout with my usual Saturday Aerobic Endurance Training Day but I had to cut my volume duration in half.

Here is the workout I did, this was a 17 minute workout start to finish consisting of (3) 5minute (As Many Reps As Possible) rounds with a 1 minute rest after round 1 and 2. Each round had 5 exercises consisting of (5) 1minute sets. I started with 75lb Thrusters and moved onto Farmer Walks using (2) 45lb kettlebells. This was followed with 95lb Sumo Deadlift High Pulls, ouch! I then moved right along into Jumping Pullups and finished with Suicide sprints. As you can see in the graph above I did get a little heart rate recovery after the first round but not so much after the 2nd round. In the graph above you can see how I followed the 17 minutes of CrossFit with a 2000meter row just like last week. The row this week was at a steady 10minute pace for my 2000meter row finishing in 10:04:4, the damper setting was on #6 just like last week also. Now notice that my heart rate for the row was slightly elevating over the 10 minutes vs last week it was dropping over the 10 minutes, just make a mental note here as it will come into play next week. Thanks for checking in and have a great training week!

Joe

P.S. In case you are wondering my total reps for this workout was 184 while my friend and more experienced CrossFit instructor did nearly 250 total reps.

First CrossFit Workout

2011-04-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

This heart rate graph represents my heart rate response from my first CrossFit workout. This a little over a 25 minute file and begins with the 10 minute CrossFit workout. I had 10 minutes to complete as many rounds as I could. Each round consisted of 3 Major exercises starting with Burpees then on to 35lb. KettleBell Vertical Swings and finishing with Kipping Pullups. 10 reps were required for each exercise before moving on to the next. I completed 4 full rounds plus 7 Burpees into the 5th round. I followed this with a cool down on the Concept2 Rower in 9minutes and 12 seconds. You can see in the graph above that the heart rate was slightly dropping in the 10 minute recovery phase post CrossFit. I was rowing a a steady 9 minute pace for 2000meters on the Concept2 rower. This heart rate drop at a steady pace indicates that I was clearing lactate and replacing global ATP supply. This is usually my first step for my recovery post exertions.

Thanks,

Joe

P.S. I would like to give a special thanks to Wes at Yellowstone CrossFit, Thanks Wes!

Aerobic Power and Endurance Training

2011-03-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

This is the comparison Heart Rate graph from last weeks brick vs this weeks brick. The order this week was Expresso Bike/Treadmill/JacobsLadder. Last week was JacobsLadder/Treadmill/Expresso Bike. This week I was able to transition much faster with only 5 minutes between each 1 hour event. I was also able to do a 10 minute weight session post the 3 events with 1 set of 10 reps of explosive plyo jumps over a standard weight bench. Thanks for checking in. Joe

Aerobic Power and Endurance Training

2011-03-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you for taking a look at my training heart rate graph from 3-19-2011. This graph above is over 4 hours in duration and reflects 3 Major 1 hour exertions and 1 (20) minute recovery exertion, but first let me explain the graph. Moving along the bottom of the graph is the overall time-line for my exercise and this is where you will find small lap time markers that I can create from my Polar Heart Rate Monitor while exercising. The first lap time marker indicates the end of the first Major exercise while the 2nd lap time marker indicates the beginning of the 2nd exercise in the series of 4 machines I exercised on this morning at my local Anytime Fitness. The time in-between each exercise is a resting/recovery and transition phase where you will notice a significant drop in the blue (HR) line. Along each side of this graph from bottom to top are numbers from 0 to 200 and this represents my rate of heart beat reflected in beats per minute or (bpm). The colors on the back drop of this graph reflect intensity zones for my particular body's exertion. These zones are specific to me and have been arrived at through a Max VO2 Test. Red is my highest heart rate intensity zone and symbolizes Heat, Stop and Danger. The Pink represents an elevated blood lactate zone and may not be sustainable (nor advisable) for such a long duration as this workout. The color Green symbolizes growth. Think of a growing green tomato, when the tomato is green it is growing, and so are you when you train in your Aerobic Power zone as I have in the graph above. Green also symbolizes Oxygen and just happens to be the color of Oxygen bottles, go figure. The rest of the shades are just descending shades from Green to Yellow. Yellow represents fat or adipose tissue in the body. Heart Rates in the Yellow zones are reflections of the body using stores of body fat as a primary fuel. Heart Rates in the Green zones are indicative of the body using increasing amounts of sugars and fatty acids along with substantially increased amounts of oxygen uptake to create more human horsepower or wattage.

Summary of Treadmill work including 5minute recovery

The Blue line in the graph above is reflecting the actual heart rate variation as I move along on each different piece of equipment. Rapid increases or decreases in the Blue line indicate either a higher intensity interval or a recovery phase. The first 1 hour and lap 1 reflects my effort from climbing on a Jacobs Ladder covering over 5000 total feet. The slight drop in the blue line every 10 minutes or so reflects a 40 to 60 second recovery phase where I decreased my pace every 1000ft of climb on the ladder. Lap 2 to lap 3 was a transition and recovery phase. Lap 3 to lap 4 was treadmill work with an average speed of 3.8mph and an average gradient of nearly 15%. Increases in heart rates were due to a couple of 5 minute intervals jogging 4mph at 15% and the very last peak heart rate was running at 5mph at 15% to the end of lap 3. From lap 3 to lap 4 I took a full 20 minute recovery phase for fluid intake while preparing for my Expresso Bike ride.

Ride Profile of the Savage Revenge Expresso Bike Tour

Lap 4 to lap 5 was a 20 mile ride on an Expresso Bike. This was a simulated mountain climb and decent traversing over 2300 vertical feet and is the longest Tour of the available Expresso Bike courses. Notice my heart rates stay constant even during the descending portion of this ride and this was accomplished by constant pedaling in a larger gear than was used on the climb.(Note: On an Expresso Bike constant pedaling must be maintained, even while riding downhill in order to maintain a high average wattage output.) From the top of the decent to the finish I closed a 30 second deficit on my 285 watt pacer within 2 miles of the finish. This means I actually got faster as I rode and this is quite important as it represents a dramatic shift in my fitness relative to previous training rides. Post ride I transitioned into my last exercise which was on a Cybex Arc Trainer. I used the Arc Trainer to clear lactic acid build-up with a 20 minute easy recovery full body motion to begin clearing all accumulated blood and muscular lactic acid. Well that pretty much sums it up. The day following this workout was Sunday and I did a 1 hour active recovery walk at home on my wife's treadmill with an average heart rate of 118 bpm. It is Monday morning now and I will be off to the gym in just a few minutes to start a new training week of shorter high intensity work to prepare for another long Aerobic Power and Endurance Training Day on Saturday.

Take Care,

Joe

Dr. Emoto's Earthdance Message

2011-02-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

Changing Charge Changes Blood

2011-02-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

Changing internal cellular charge changes the actual blood cells giving them more electrons. Watch this video to see how grounding the human body to the earth can change the blood by changing energy flow and internal pain response as well as health. Healthy blood comes from proper electrical charges at the cellular level. Blood PH is optimal at 7.365 which is slightly ALKALINE,(-Negative Charge). Things start to move faster and create more internal heat at a PH below 7.(+Positive Charge) If the blood has the same charge as the cells there is no gradient of HIGH to LOW and thus NO FLOW. Grounding is one way to change the blood cell charge in the body but there are other ways such as daily exercise and Positive thoughts. Grounding is a great place to start.

The Stranger than Fiction Story

2010-12-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

I am currently working on the story, sorry for the delay, but while you are here you might want to take a look at some real training results as documented by my work with actual Firefighters. The results the Firefighters achieved were based on daily walking via a treadmill. Nothing too difficult but daily for 6 days per week with a Sunday rest day. This group of 3 Rookie Firefighters did this for 6 consecutive weeks while their heart rate reactions were collected and analyzed via downloadable heart rate monitors. Suggestions were made as to speed and intensity for each Firefigher's personal walking protocol. Of course, this would apply to any type of training as well as on any type of training device such as an Expresso Bike. Training on an Expresso bike gives me all of the mind and body interactive experience I need. The Bike also provides me with the data collection, analysis and data retrieval that I need to continue to create and guide my personal program. Check it out here if you like.

Take Care,

Joe

Firefighter Health and Wellness

2010-06-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

2004/2005 Firefighter study reflecting improved blood lactate levels during a 1mile run at 6mph. Max VO2 tests were implemented before and after a 6 week/5 day/week walking protocol. Walking at gradients had a positive influence for these Firefighters ability to manage blood lactate accumulation from running while running was not part of their 6 week training regime. Running and Firefighting require much more power output (greater VO2 demand) than walking yet training daily with a walking protocol guided by heart rates determined from their before Max VO2 testing allowed these Firefighters to improve their ability to meet the greater demands of both running and Firefighting.

Thank You,

Joe

Firefighter Health and Wellness

2010-06-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am only now publishing the Recruit Data Results from the 2004 Billings Fire Department Max VO2 study for others to view. The dramatic improvements in Firefighter Max VO2 and ventilatory thresholds (AT) were all accomplished over a 6 week moderate to low intensity walking program requiring each of these test subjects to walk 6 days/week for 1hour/day. The individual walking protocols used were monitored via Polar down-loadable heart rate monitors and the recommended heart rate intensities were derived from the data extracted from each individual Firefighter's Max VO2 pre-walking program test.

Thank You,

Joe

PowerCranks Day 6 (8/19/09)

2009-08-19T07:17:00.001-07:00

Heart Rate Data from Day 6 PowerCranks Session on Stationary Bike
Energy System: Aerobic
3 Sets of 2 intervals each (forward and reverse pedaling)

Set #1- Warm up
Duration: 5 min. each Interval (Forward followed by Reverse pedaling)
Resistance: Same as day 2,3,4 and 5
Cadence: 60 rpm
Recovery: Passive (Seated)

Set #2- Steady High Cadence
Duration: 5 min each Interval (Forward followed by Reverse pedaling)
Resistance: Same " "
Cadence: 100 rpm
Recovery: Passive (seated)

Set #3- Descending High Cadence
Duration: 12 min. each Macro Interval (Forward followed by Reverse pedaling)
Resistance: Same " "
Cadence: 120 rpm descending 10rpm each minute with 1minute active recovery at 60 rpm between each Micro interval. 120-60, 110-60, 100-60,90-60,80-60,70-60
Recovery: 60 rpm Active
Goal:(Training the aerobic system to recover from accelerations)

PowerCranks Day 5 (8/18/09)

2009-08-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Pre-fatigue session on an Expresso Bike

3 High wattage sets 3minutes or less
Work duration: 6 minutes
Wattage Avg: approximately 350

PowerCrank Session:

Forward Single Leg independent intervals on Stationary Bike with PowerCranks
Duration: 2 minutes each leg, for 4 sets each. Total of 8 sets over 16 minutes
Resistance: Same as Day 2,3 and 4
Cadence: 50
Recovery Phase: 3 minutes seated

Reverse Single Leg independent intervals on Stationary Bike with PowerCranks.
Duration: Same as Forward
Resistance: Same as Forward
Cadence: 50
Recovery Phase: Same

Forward PowerCranking on Stationary bike
Duration: 10 minutes
Resistance: Same
Cadence: 90
Recovery Phase: 5 minutes seated

Reverse PowerCranking on Stationary Bike
Duration: 10 minutes
Resistance: Same
Cadence 90
Recovery Phase: 5 minutes

Heart Rate data available upon request.

Joe

PowerCranks Day 4 (8/17/09)

2009-08-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

Training Device: Stationary Bikes fitted with PowerCranks. and an Expresso Bike with conventional crank arms.

Expresso Bike: Coastal Run Course - Followed my personal Best Ghost for 1/2 the course.
Duration 5 minutes
Avg Watts: 310
Cadence: 80 rpm (estimate)

Bike #1 Forward independent Pedaling (same tension as day 2 & 3)
Duration: 15 minutes
Cadence: 70

Heart Rate Reactions: 142 Max. Hr./ 136 Avg Hr. 1mra-125, 2mra-101, 3mra-92

Bike #2 Reverse independent Pedaling (same tension as day 2 & 3)
Duration: 15 minutes
Cadence: 70

Heart Rate Reactions: 140 Max. Hr./ 134 Avg Hr. 1mra-113, 2mra-87, 3mra-87

Note*1mra=1 minute recovery average heart rate

PowerCranks Day 3 (8/15/09)

2009-08-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

Training Device: Stationary Bikes fitted with PowerCranks. and an Expresso Bike with conventional crank arms.

Expresso Bike: Stormy Hollow Course - Followed my personal Best Ghost for 1/2 the course.
Duration 10 minutes
Avg Watts: 283
Cadence: 100 rpm (estimate)

Bike #1 Forward independent Pedaling
Duration: 15 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 162 Max Hr./ 154 Avg. Hr./ 1mra-140, 2mra-118, 3mra-105, 4mra-100, 5mra-95

Bike #2 Reverse independent Pedaling
Duration: 15 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 158 Max/ 149 Avg. 1mra-135, 2mra-113, 3mra-103, 4mra-97, 5mra-93

Note*1mra=1 minute recovery average heart rate

PowerCranks Day 2

2009-08-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Training Device: Stationary Bikes fitted with PowerCranks.

Bike #1 Forward independent Pedaling
Duration: 12 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 156 Max Hr./ 139 Avg. Hr./ 1minute recovery average-130 bpm, 2mra-99, 3mra-90

Bike #2 Rearward independent Pedaling
Duration: 12 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 163 Max/ 150 Avg. 1mra-139, 2mra-106, 3mra-96

Note*1mra=1 minute recovery average heart rate

I did the same workout as yesterday but I added 2 minutes and additional tension on each bike for a total workout duration of 24 minutes at slightly higher heart rates. Training should be progressive from day to day and season to season. Last fall I could not ride PowerCranks at a sustained high cadence, above 60 to 70 rpm. Now I am maintaining a 90 plus cadence on them. This would have been impossible last fall but this is why there are seasons. Fall- Preparing the Soil (fibers and neurons), Winter-beneath the surface work, (Core Strength Training and Endurance Work) Spring-Greening up (Increasing Oxygen uptake-interval work) Summer-The fruit ripening (balancing New spring Power increases with winter endurance work for optimal race performance)

PowerCranks- Crank Arms that Pedal Independently

2009-08-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Training Device: Stationary Bikes fitted with PowerCranks.

Bike #1 Forward independent Pedaling
Duration: 10 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 145 Max Hr./ 129 Avg. Hr./ 1minute recovery average-125 bpm, 2mra-93, 3mra-80

Bike #2 Rearward independent Pedaling
Duration: 10 minutes
Cadence: 90

Heart Rate Reactions: 142 Max/ 131 Avg. 1mra-129, 2mra-94, 3mra-83

Note*1mra=1 minute recovery average heart rate

Lance Armstrong

2009-07-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why Lance lost about 9 lbs of muscle during his Cancer treatment. Ever wonder why he became The Greatest cyclist ever after this unfortunate event? Ever wonder why Lance entered the tour this year lighter than any previous tour? Ever wonder why Lance claims to have lost his top end POWER in this tour? Ever wonder why Lance ran out of fuel in yesterdays Time Trial? Lance is shifting his energy systems balances just like I did and we all do. Balance is the key to human energy flow, health and wellness. If you would like to hear my answers to these questions just ask.

Thanks,

Joe

Firefighters manage energy out of balance, are you a Firefighter yet?

Daily Training Update 7/16/09

2009-07-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

Course Rode: Ascension 18.3 miles

I rode this course yesterday and blew up chasing L. McPherson's personal best ghost at about the 40 minute mark. I was holding nearly a 250 watt average up until that point. I back out and finished strong but could not make up lost time. I finished this course at a 245 watt average with a 167 Hr avg. and a time of 59:49. I decided to try a new product(SportLegs) that my friend really believes in. I also took 3 Race Caps Supreme before this workout for the first time also.

Today's Results: Expresso bike Ascension Course: 260 Watt avg./ 168 Hr. Avg. and a time of 58:19 That is a 15 watt improvement overnight and 1 minute and 3o seconds faster. If you want to know how this happened just ask the question. I believe I understand how my energy systems were manipulated with these supplements for a greatly improved time and watt output. Lastly, at one point I had a 1:10 lead over L. McPherson's ghost but I did manage to maintain 16 seconds of it by the finish. Note: L. McPherson aka readyfreddy, is the #1 female rider in the Expresso Global Leaderboard System and a really great person.

Joe Cardio
Believe and Achieve!

Daily Training Update 7/10/09

2009-07-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

I managed to break through a 1 month plateau on my 20 minute Expresso course, Stormy Hollow 7.4 miles. I followed my previous ghost and answered every move on each climb. On the last climb I used my new high cadence technique to gap my ghost by 4 seconds and that 4 seconds rolled into 15 seconds once I rolled over the top ahead of him. I managed to keep 11 seconds of this gain until the finish setting a new best time on this course by 11 seconds with 1 less average watt of power vs my previous best attempt. This is how the tour will unfold today also. High cadence in the climbs will win the day. Go Lance! Watch Live :

Daily Training Update 6/30/09

2009-06-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I am still replacing my glycogen stores from this weekend's activities.(130 mile Saturday ride and a 2 hour Sunday TT race) This process may take from 48 to 96 hours. Yesterday's workout was short(25 min). I followed a previous warm up ghost on the Ironhorse course. Today I did the same course and was able to gain 2 seconds on the same ghost where as yesterday I lost 2 seconds to the ghost on the final 100 yard push to the finish. Low power output means low sugar. More power means more sugar so I am already coming back. The goal is to raise Max VO2 in the coming days without becoming too acidic in the process. I will accomplish this by keeping my big efforts short with no long sustained lactic acid buffering efforts like one would expect in a 20 minute to 60 minute max effort. I have been doing too many of these longer repeated efforts in the last 2 months and I have actually put on about 5 lbs of body fat. I guess it's time to re-balance and lean up just in case I decide to race next month, we will see!

Joe

Why Do Expresso Bikes Make You Sweat Bucket Loads?

2009-06-23T02:16:00.000-07:00

This is the question that begs for an answer. Here are my thoughts on this subject. Within each individual is "one" complete system yet within this one system are two complimentary and somewhat opposing subsystems. These two subsystems are the aerobic and anaerobic systems. While the aerobic system is the low power/cooling and circulating system of the body the anaerobic system keeps things heated up with high power that is quite inefficient. As sugars are broke down for the anaerobic system's fuel, a large percentage of the energy escapes into "The System" as heat. This process uses the anaerobic system as a high powered energy provider for the body while at the same time providing an internal heating system also. The anaerobic system keeps us moving instantly, on demand, while it also challenges a distribution and cooling system, the aerobic system, to maintain our internal environment at a very stable 98.6 degrees Ferinheight. This is where every Joe's Cardio System comes into play. The body's Cardio, or blood circulating system, dissipates internal heat by circulating our blood from internal regions to outer regions of the body and back again. The aerobic system acts as a heat exchange system that does it's exchanging near the skin surface. This heat exchange system is a two way system. When we are hotter than the outer ambient temperature heat is drawn away from the skin but when we are in a warmer environment the heat exchange slows down a bit. In athletic terms this heat build up and accumulation is called the warm up phase. As the body accumulates heat from exercise the need to reduce heat will bringing the aerobic system on line and eventually when enough heat needs to be exchanged rapidly the body will apply water. This water is in the form of sweat on the skin, and it is used to draw more heat out of the body at a higher rate of exchange. In simple firefighter terms we just called it "putting the wet stuff on the red stuff". This was an old firefighting cliche that simplified the actual process of cooling a fire (energy) out of control. Water is a medium that accelerates energy transfer. Hot water will make things hotter and evaporating water will take heat away with it. Thus, one of the main reasons we sweat is to accelerate the cooling process of the body.

Here is the thing nobody is telling you about the Expresso Bike. Nobody seems to understand why these bikes are so special but I believe it has to do with the very nature of muscle fiber actions. You see muscle fibers act like switches that are either on or off. Once a particular muscle is activated and more work (wattage) is demanded more and more fibers are rapidly switched to the on mode while a load is continuously applied. These fibers switch off again during the relaxation phase but the repetitive motion of pedaling against more constant resistance will have you building lots of heat in no time. Expresso Bikes require more constant pedal pressure to keep moving in the virtual world than outdoor bikes. Just try coasting and see how fast the virtual world comes to a halt vs real world biking. Lastly, the Expesso bike is stationary so no airflow means less evaporation and more water must be applied to the skin surface, period. With more constant tension there are more fibers recruited and more heat build up. You may notice people turning red and the next thing that happens is the body puts the "wet stuff, on us, the red stuff". The really good thing about this whole virtual world experience is that when you get back on your actual outdoor bike you will have a an improved ability to remove heat. You will cool better which means better recoveries while in motion and at rest also. Ever wonder why some people have to sleep with no blankets at night and need a window open. They are running HOT and they have aerobic systems that are unable to adequately cool the body. This imbalance can be from various reasons but namely lack of exercise and/or too many simple sugars in the diet. It's true we may have inherited a genetic tendency to burn more sugars for fuel than the average Joe but by understanding "The System" within one's self we have the ability to transform ourselves. With a simple choice to regularly exercise we can grow stronger and produce more with less down time. How do I know? I have lived it, from a competitive bodybuilder to and endurance athlete. Lastly, I just believe it is true and if you continue to read my blog I will have the stats very soon. I will be racing this weekend after nearly 2000 virtual world miles since January and only two outdoor rides. I guess we will just let the data speak for itself.

Stay tuned and Thank You.

Joe Cardio

Daily Training Update 6/16/09 (Know Thy Self)

2009-06-16T04:06:00.000-07:00

Principal:
Know Thy Self. As the Oracle shared with Neo, to know thy self is the Path of the One. For an athlete or coach observing the response of heart rates relative to power, the feedback of the interaction of the two illuminates much about one's self. We are all created equally but with different internal balances to our energy systems. Some of us are born with a dominant Power (sugars as fuel)based energy system while others have a dominant Endurance (fats and Oxygen as fuels) based energy system. Usually the path of a child developing into a future athlete branches off into one of these two directions, Power athletes or Endurance athletes. A child's motivation will seek the path of least resistance, usually success, which does not always reinforce good training habits. Early on they can get by on a natural balance but as the level of competition increases, self discipline rules the podium. If you have experienced more than your share of failures in your past competitive cycling attempts or other sports, as I have, the future is much brighter than ever before. While we all have a gift, a good coach can provide motivation and insight that will help you achieve more but the greatest athletes seem to have achieved a unique understanding of what it was they needed, on their own. To achieve the next level of success in YOUR sport you may need more feedback. Now you have my daily training feedback to learn from as well as my guidance to using the latest cutting edge technology for your training. This is all finally available to the general public with the Expresso bike, designed by Expresso Fitness. If it is not in your health club or in a home near you yet, just wait. I believe it will be, very soon! The first step is get yourself a heart rate monitor. If you want to support my friends and my network of partners. Here is a link to Apex Personal Training where I live in Billings, Montana. They are my personal friends and are another husband wife team who are really trying to get their community up and active. Now to the data from today's workout:

PreWorkout: A cup, or maybe several cups of Joe, you know!

Warm up: There was no warm up today because this was an endurance ride.

Workout:
I rode one of my favorite rides called Pyramid Mountain. It has a gradual gradient up and over the top where the really cool Pyramid is and finishes with a nice scenic down hill into the valley. Really Really engaging ride for me. I'm a bit of a Mayan buff myself and this is the next best thing to riding to the real ones for me.

Start time: 03:55

Opponent: An earlier version of Me (my ghost) from the Expresso Matrix!

Course Rode: Pyramid Mountain 13.5 miles Ride Duration: 42:25 min/sec

Power Avg: 226

HR avg/Max: 156/187

Goal:
Follow my ghost exactly and compare heart rate results when I get home. I can do this because my down loadable heart rate monitor software allows me to overlay the graph from this ride 5 days ago exactly over today's. To my surprise there was a slight change.

Results:
With a 156 average heart rate this was a good aerobic workout at about 80% of my max. heart rate. The Max hr of 187 came on the last mile when my previous ghost did a couple of tempo efforts toward the end of this beautiful ride. I did not want to beat this ghost just mirror him to better compare my data. The results of this ride showed a 1 bpm increase in the average hr and a 5 beat increase in max heart rate for the exact same wattage average. What does it mean? I believe I'm finally, after 10 years of observing heart rates, beginning to understand all the interaction and what it means and if you would like an explanation just leave a comment or question and I will share it with you.

Outward Observations:
I was finally cooling well on this ride. Like I said these bikes will make you sweat buckets loads but for the first time in 4 months of training I didn't have a drop of sweat on my bike until about over 20 minutes into this ride. Good cooling means ? Just leave me a comment and I will tell you what I believe.

Inward Observations:
No internal heat build up until about the 167 Heart rate range and above. Which wasn't until 37 minutes into this ride and yes now I was driping enough sweat on the bike to almost start a puddle below me! My heat dissipated well and that was another indication of ? Just ask Me!

Recovery:
My heart rate dropped 78 beats in 2 min and 39 seconds. This is nearly a record for my recovery heart rate. What does this mean? Just ask the question in the comment section.

Special Note:
If any of you programmers are reading this you may really want to start thinking about the future of PROPRIETARY ANALYTICAL SOFTWARE FOR THESE BIKES or other devices. The understandings I am sharing here will likely guide the human analytical software of the future. Not everyone wants to spend the time observing like I do but they would really like a computer generated coach who could explain it.

Thanks,

Joe

If your cup is full to overflowing then maybe your not giving enough. I choose to give from the bottom of my cup and my cup continues to grow!

Daily Training Update 6/15/09

2009-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

PreWorkout: Coffee!

Warm Up 04:30 hours
Course Rode: Ironhorse Rush (silver members only) 199 Watt avg./149 HR avg.
Action: I followed my ghost: Felt easy today, Perspiration levels were lower, good sign. Legs felt like a butter churn just whippn the butter!

Workout
Course Rode: Farmers Bluff/distance: 6.9 miles 231 Watt avg./167 HR avg.
Expresso saved me on this one, my polar monitor stopped recording and I used Expresso Data!
Action: A continuation of the warmup. Last 1mile was the actual only upgrade part of the W/O
Tempo push for the last 1 mile in the 340 to 360 Watt avg. range. Felt easy with nice respiratory response.

Tomorrow's 3 high cadence tempo efforts at the end of an endurance ride should set me up nicely for another shot at that Sleeper ghost on the next Stormy Hollow ride! I'll be back!

Daily Training Update 6/13/09 & 6/14/09 (Revelation)

2009-06-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

This update will be slightly different than the last for reasons I will explain in a minute. I'm not absolutely certain but I believe I have encountered some problems with the Expresso Matrix. The last ghost I was following was not behaving normally. This ghost was riding more like a program from the machine world of Expresso. We call these machine world programs, Pacers. You see a pacer doesn't have a mind of it's own. Any Expresso bike rider can control the pacer with the controls on the bike. The pacer is identified with a yellow jersey and a black P in the middle of his his back. Yep, these pacers are all male, sorry ladies! Back to the point, while riding and controlling my pacers in previous training missions, I noticed these machine programs zigging and zagging from side to side in the path ahead of me. I never gave it much thought until now. I just thought this was some Expresso programmer's idea of a Joke or else they just couldn't perfect the code yet. Anyway I found the tell and now that I am publishing this Truthful observation I'm sure it wont be long before they correct this minor problem, but still it's glitch.

With this new "Revelation" I went back into the Expresso Matrix last Saturday the 13th, after a stressful day in the outside matrix. I had to burn off some sugar and to do some more recon work on my last ghost opponent and that is when it all happened. You see instead of jumping out in front of this ghost I decided to play it smart and lay back on his wheel. I figured I would just make as many observations as I could for as long as possible. When the race started I could hardly believe my eyes. This ghost was all over the road from the very start. If this was a real person behind this ghost then he must have been reading a book or even watching TV or something. For all I knew this real person was asleep at the wheel of this bike. If that was the case it just added even more insult because I was still having trouble keeping up with him. All I could think about was the possibility that I was finally wheel to wheel against an Agent for the Expresso System. This thought sent an injection of adrenaline into my blood just like those 3 alarm fires back in the day. With this extra boost of adrenaline, induced only by a thought in my mind, I was able to stay with this ghost 3 additional minutes over the previous days ride. This was an extra 3 minutes of observations and he still appeared to be sleeping at the wheel. If this guy was not asleep at the wheel then he was a hopelessly as lost as I was into another version of the Matrix. Apparently these Expresso bikes work as computer screens and or TVs. I don't know for sure because I stopped watching TV a long time ago. Either way it really got my mind engaged and I rode better for it!

There was another important tip that I learned over the last 100+ hours I have spent in the Expresso Matrix. I learned there was a way to shield my Heart Rate monitor signal from the data grabbing Expresso bike. The secret was bucket loads of sweat. Apparently a really really sweat saturated shirt, which is easy to achieve on an Expresso bike, works as a barrier to the signal from my Polar Heart rate Monitor. I don't know how they will get around this obstacle but I'm sure, it's just a matter of time. Until then I will continue to go straight home and save mine off line to share with you as soon as I can. I hope someone outside of the Expresso Matrix is getting this signal. Now that I have broadcast this info on the net it is only a matter of time before they send an Agent looking for me. I hope it's just one even though I'll have enough coffee for the whole company. I don't know how many Agents I'll have to go through before I get to the Source but I can drink more coffee with more agents if that's what it takes! If they show up between 1 and 4pm Monday through Friday I'll be waiting with a hot cup of Joe, you can count on it!

Friend and Advocate!

JoeCardio

Special Introflective Update:

2009-06-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

The lines between my waking reality and this "Matrix" we call the virtual reality system of Expresso.com are beginning to thin. The "Expresso Matrix" almost had me. As I looked back at my Polar training log, that came with my S-series Polar Heart Rate monitor, I noticed it had been 14 consecutive days since I stayed out of the "Expresso Matrix" and off Espresso, I mean Expresso! No, I'm not ready to give up coffee just yet. Actually they are both becoming difficult to stay off of. With a further look back in my Polar training log I realized that the Expresso Matrix had pulled me in for 20 days, consecutively last month. Jeff Socia was right; You must rest if you want to grow! After I thought about it I decided to search for evidence of this Truth. Then it came to me; Even the Creator took a rest day after 6 consecutive days of building the "Original Matirx". There must be something to this Truth.
Though I did not Create the Matirx within me, I contorl it because I am it's master! I have no conscious memory of how it happened, just the undeniable fact that (I was Born into it!) I have a Father and a Mother and I love them very much. I have tried to honor them as best as I could. Looking back, I now see how blessed I was to have them. I can still do a better job of thanking them and others for their contribution to my life in the Original Matrix. From this day forward I pledge to take a rest day from the Matrix of Expresso! I pledge to spend the day building upon my real relationships and stop chasing ghosts. I will ride my "carbon fiber" bike with my family and friends, at least when possible. I pledge to give my Father and Mother a shout out today and every Sunday henceforth. At the very least I will pause and reflect upon the many blessings in my life and especially the ones they have bestowed upon me. I will strive to be humbly thankful for all they have given me over the years. Yes, Yes that is it. I need to develop a routine of rest and build a network where I can share this 6/7 day a week transformative experience!

We are all Firefighers, aren't we?

2009-06-13T01:53:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of my 17 years as a Firefighter and over the years there were always manuals required to study in advance of the next promotion. One of the things that really stayed with me was the part in the Firefighter Essentials Manual that talked about the various elements of fire. In this manual the dynamics of fire were represented by a triangle and each side of this triangle was representative of of an element and a System needed for fire to become a living thing. Without one of these elements there was no fire. Fire, this living thing, has no mind of it's own. It just does what it does. It stands on its base just like we stand on our own two feet but it's base is represented by the base of the triangle. The triangle base represents fuel. Take away the fuel (food) and the fire will die, eventually....slowly. The left arm or the left side of the triangle represents Oxygen. This symbolizes the fire's need to breath and thus it's respiratory system. Take away the oxygen and the the fire is no more. Without oxygen, a slightly quicker death of the fire will ensue vs lack of food. Observe how long can you hold your breath vs how long you can go without food. I guess you get the picture. The right side or arm of this living entity is heat. Fire, while it's alive, radiates heat so this right side symbolizes it's heating system which is controlled only by fuels and oxygen levels available. We also radiate heat but we are intelligently programmed by the Creator of the Original Matrix to maintain a delicate internal balance very close to 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Lastly there was a 4th and rather elusive process or System called a chemical chain reaction. It was something that gave the triangle added dimension. It changed the appearance of the fire triangle from a 3 dimensional structure to a 4 dimensional geometric figure called a tetrahedron. I used to explain it to children in my talks at schools like this: Stretch your arms out a bit and point your thumbs to the center touching the tips together. Now point your index fingers to the sky and slowly bring them together and you should see a triangle. As you keep holding your fingers in that position bring your hands in and place the triangle directly over your heart. I would then tell the children "at the heart of every fire is a chemical chain reaction."

Now I will tell you the part that I never told them. The only thing that separates us humans in the Original Matrix from the energy form known as Fire is this 4th dimensional process. We operate by all the same processes and systems as fire except that our 4th dimensional process, is a chemical and ELECTIRCAL interaction. This last System is regulated by both the voluntary and non voluntary processes of the mind. What does this mean? It means that our thoughts influence this other living process within us as well as feed on it. This living process, energy, is ebbing and flowing between two opposite yet complimentary systems whereby the strength of one influences the reaction of the other. Thoughts regulate the process as well as oxygen and available fuels but thoughts can also accelerate the process acting as emotional fuel to our fire within. This chemical and electrical process has an intimate relationship with our thought process. The mind and the body are connected much like a symbolic marriage, the two become one. In this relationship the two individual systems have interactions that accelerate (regulate) either the heating or cooling processes of our flesh and blood, living, organic machines. Could this mean that there is a symbolic marriage between the two hemispheres of the mind as well? Could the principals be applied to the relationship of the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind also? The answer would appear to be, yes.

It was the last year of my Firefighting career that brought me back to this basic understanding of fire dynamics as a Fire Investigator. I had no personal desire to enter the Fire Prevention Bureau at that time but I saw the opportunity that was presented to me and I understood it was just another step in this journey of life I was born into. While working in the Bureau I had dual roles as both investigator and a public safety educator. Little did I know then I was being prepared to share these far reaching concepts with others who would soon enter the Matrix within the Matrix, the Expresso Matrix. So it is only now with these far reaching concepts in the back of my mind that I sit here sipping my espresso preparing for my next journey into the Matrix of Expresso. I am a Firefighter and I must subdue this last dragon within me but my training has only just begun.............. end transmission.

Rider: J. Keener
AKA
JoeCardio
Just another Joe battling his way up the leader board in the world of Expresso.

Daily Training Update 6/12/09

2009-06-12T05:06:00.000-07:00

PreWorkout: 1 pot of my favorite Joe from 2 to 3:30 am.

Warm Up 04:25 hours
Course Rode: Ironhorse Rush 6 miles Duration: 21:01 Watt avg 198/HR avg-max 146-173 Out rode previous ghost by 8 seconds. Note: Warm up Heart rates elevated, showing a stress response, a possible Adrenal response to the lack of sleep. I only slept 3 hours last night.

Workout
Course Rode: Stormy Hollow 7.4 miles Duration: 22:00 Watt avg 292/HR avg-max 180-194
Note: used my polar data for HRs today.

Opponent:D. Eaton Rank 17 20-29 M Ghost time 0:21:04 06/08/09 Shula's Athletic Club,
Miami Lakes, FL
Goal: Study Opponent to learn riding style and stay with his ghost as long I can.

Results: I stayed ahead of this ghost with a new first 10 min power avg of 300 watts for this course. I didn't give up the lead until the second major climb.

Outward Observations: This rider is a good climber with what appeared to be an aerobic dominant balance. It took 10 min for him to start warming up (accumulating some lactate) to compliment his aerobic system and pushed valiantly into the climbs.(Lance would be proud)

Inward Observations: My balances were optimal, My perceived AT was 3 to 4 beats above normal allowing me to average 180 bpm overall. I achieved a recent new Max HR of 194 with a nice push for the last 1/4 mile. Stepping off the bike revealed a great pump to my quads so yeah I did stomp a little at the end. Recovery HRs stuck a bit above normal but I cooled off nicely indicating minimal lactic acid accumulation.

Perceived Effort level: This was the easiest effort level of any of my attempts at a new 20 minute power average.

System Stressed: Respiratory: I had minimal buffering action and thus respiratory will likely adapt and, yes, this means More VO2!

Conclusions: This rider's ghost is stronger than me, at this time. Rider D. Eaton brought out the best in me and for that I am grateful, thank you! For the first time I was able to manage my heart rates in a way that I could feel the ebb and flow of lactate coarsing through my veins. I rode within my limitations, resisting my normal urge to over react to the other rider. My past over reactions would usually end in a physical ,mental and emotional failure. Today I am happy to announce I achieved a new level of self control and for that I was rewarded a new 2 watt power output average for this course and my 20 mp (minute power) , which now stands at 292 watts. The duration was equal to my previous best time on this course. (22:00) Unfortunately I did not achieve a new ghost because I did not beat my last best time, but I still have the lesson learned.

Rider: J.Keener aka
JoeCardio

Believing is Achieving! With failure comes the opportunity to learn. So we shall see upon the next return to the "Expresso Matrix". Like Arnold once said "I'll be Back" wink

Can I drink Energy in a Cup or a Can?

2009-06-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

If you could drink energy in a cup or a can wouldn't that be just great? I know it would really boost the Coffee sales at the Kiosk but that just isn't quite how it works, even though all the energy drink promoters would like you to think that way. Here is the Truth according to my observations. #1. There is energy in all things and energy can NOT be destroyed, just contained or released. We are human machines and containers. Our machines are our vehicles by which we move in the "Matrix" of life. Once started they never shut off until our life cycle is either expired or Terminated! (unplug from the Matrix) While in the Matrix we just park them in garages (bedrooms) until the charging cycle is complete. Some charge faster than others while some have not been upgraded by the owners/operators/drivers. Yes we, the mind and the spirit (the driver) behind the wheel of these amazing machines have choices to make. We can choose to become the master of the machine or we can continue to be a slave to it. We can upgrade our parts by choosing to subject the machine to quantifiable daily stress via the workout, (now, thanks to the Expresso bike from Expressofitness.com) or we can just continue to let time and wear take it's toll and continue to take a pass on the upgrades. We may even continue to opt out of the upgrades if we would rather take our bods to the clinic when parts fail. We can remain a slave to "The System" and let the Docs insert replicated parts when we are told there is no other choice. It works, but the parts are very expensive and never seem to work as good as the real thing.

You see our human vehicles are adaptive machines and they upgrade when we sleep. (park them) They only upgrade if they have detected an increase need for energy release during the day. Yes it is true, our bodies actually engage in a process of releasing energy that is always present either around us or within us or both. #2 If number one is true then we ARE actually ENERGY and (when we are in motion) we become moving energy.(ok Neo) We move energy with our minds and our bodies and there is a true balance between the two. Thus if you want to know how much potential energy you will have for the day find and an Expresso bike and start experiencing the Cardio System that engages both your Mind and Body. You can find one in a local health club by using the Expresso bike locator in the expressofitness.com web site. Or, if you would rather purchase one I'm sure they would sell you one also. When you finally find one or it finds you, as it did in my case, you too can now work on your daily upgrades like I do and it is really really fun! Ok now, let us recap for a second: Technically you can drink energy but the drinks are actually fuel additives that just temporarily accelerate the process of the Machine (body) releasing energy. If you want more daily energy then you must move more energy for longer durations during your daily workouts (upgrade stimulus) and you will receive upgrades provided that you intake the proper upgrade materials required for your specific machine (body) after the workout. This material will then be used during your next re-charging/idling/sleep cycle for a new you the next day! Every day is a new day and a potential new you if you choose well! Oh yeah, if you think well of yourself and others, you will become well, if you act well you may become the well others can draw a refreshing example from. Thoughts do matter. We can either start thinking and acting responsibly for ourselves and others and enjoy the beauty and interactivity the programmers have developed in the Expresso Bike Virtual Reality world or we can continue to sleep in the hope that eventually one would awake with more energy in the real world Matrix. But as I often wondered in the past, before I took the Red Pill, why was I so tired while others could keep on going and going and going.........?

Rider: J.Keener aka
JoeCardio

Believing is Achieving!

An ocean of Joe

2009-06-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts on Coffee before your workouts? Does anyone really know what it does for endurance athletes, I mean exactly what it does? Have you ever tried to get off the stuff and had a whammer of headache as well as extreme lethargy? Well here are my thoughts and observations as well as some test results. Oh yea I drink coffee, like I said in one of my other posts I drink it early in the morning before my w/o. I get it for free from my wife, ok well I guess I do have to work for it. Due to the fact I work for her at the Kiosk, I sometimes drink too much and I have to come down for a while. (Laughing) So here is what I believe: Coffee/caffeine hydrolyzes sugars stored in the muscle. What that means is it brings sugars from the muscle into the circulating blood stream. What good is that to endurance athletes? Well if you are an endurance athlete and you are exercising on an empty stomach you will go better with this stuff in your system, at least until you crash! What does it mean for non athletes? Well if you are already a rich running machine from eating too many sugars and not exercising you will run even richer and may even experience bouts of high blood pressure. Thus the doc will say "No Coffee for You!"

Did you know that another name for Lactic acid is Milk Acid? Milk is an infants fuel of choice. When endurance athletes want to know how rich they are running during exercise they go get their blood lactate levels tested at rest and during exercise. About 1 month ago I went to get mine tested not realizing all of this at that time. The tester forgot to tell me not to have any coffee before the test. So I'm at the Kiosk about an hour before I go get tested and I decide I'll have a little jolt before I go. A 16 oz. white chocolate quad shot seemed like just about enough rocket fuel, wrong! I get there and my resting blood lactate levels are way up at 15mmol. 22 mmol is as high as the unit tests and Lance has never generated much over 6 mmols during his tests. Ok then I tell her just give me some time to burn this off and sure enough after about 20 minutes of moderate pedaling my levels came back down into the low 3 millimol range. We still got some workable data but who would of thunk?

P.S. My wife is a non coffee drinker, go figure!

Rider J. Keener Aka
JoeCardio
_________________
A rising tide lifts all Ships! I am an ocean of Joe!

Daily Training Update 6/11/09

2009-06-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

This mornings results are in: Today I rode 2 courses, Iron Horse Rush for Silver members only and Pyramid Mountain: I followed my previous best ghost on both rides. Iron horse was just a warm up at 190 watt average and 135 HR avg. Cooled off for 2 min. and then rode Pyramid Mountain. Following this previous ghost on the 13.5 mile course felt way easier than I remember. I forgot about the last 1 mile in the last ride where I pushed into about a 330 watt average and it felt very difficult. Today I completed this course with the exact same 155 HR avg but was able to push ahead of my ghost in the last 1/4 mile to knock 1 second off my last ride time while peaking at a higher HR of 183. I recoverd back to 105 bpm within 2minutes and 30 seconds. This is a really good recovery rate for me and indicates that this ride did not see any noticeable accumulations of lactic acid. A further observation confirming this theory was the fact I had no noticeable redness in my face or skin as well as my bodily heat dissipated very quickly after the workout.

Rider: J. Keener aka
JoeCardio

Daily Training Update 6/10/09

2009-06-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

Course Rode: Stump Puller 6.9 miles Duration 22:12 Watt avg 219/ HR avg-max 146-177
Course Rode: Farmers Bluff 6.9 miles Duration 21:34 Watt avg 228/ HR avg-max 155-186

The three systems: Circulatory, Muscular and Respiratory. Every workout has an impact on the balances between these 3 systems and the strength of each. The above heart rate averages had a moderate impact on the circulatory system today while the Max heart rate represents strong respiratory challenges above the 175 AT (Anaerobic Threshold). Durations above the AT were 01:35 and 02:35 respectively. Respiratory challenge must be kept short to minimize the buffering reaction to the rapid rise of blood lactate by the muscular and circulatory systems. High cadence (100 to 120 rpm) was also applied during the intense portions of the workout which were 1 mile tempos for the last 1 mile of each ride. 5 minute recovery heart rates confirmed lactic acid accumulation was minimal.

Rider: J. Keener aka
JoeCardio

Virtual Reality Training On an Expresso Bike

2009-06-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Course: Ascension

Previous best time: 01:11:00 Power Avg.- 253 Watts HR Avg/Max 158/189 bpm

Opponent: Ghost Leaderboard Rank 117- Rider L. McPherson 40-49 F 0:58:35 03/26/09 Rochester Athletic Club, Rochester, MN

My day actually started last night when my wife was surfing the best female times on the Expresso Global Leaderboards. She noted a standout female rider who had by far the best sprint time in the 1 mile Expresso Freeway course. My comment to her was, “that was impressive but does she have Endurance?” Well she found her time on Ascension, an 18 mile climbing course, and it happened to be over 1 minute and 30 seconds faster than mine. This announcement brought a smile to her face. Well then it was game on for me! My wife seemed to delight in the fact there was another woman out there who she could identify with as being superior to me. Note: I work for my wife at her Coffee Kiosk and yes, she is my boss “superior” or what ever you want to call it. She is teaching a lesson in humility. You see I was a Firefighter for 17 years until 2007 when I was moved to take an early retirement to pursue my fitness aspirations. To her delight and our surprise I was now able to help at her business and spend time home with our new son who arrived 3 months early in September of 07. At home I usually take the night shifts with him because she opens the Kiosk in the early morning. At bedtime I spend time holding holding our son and usually fall a sleep with him in the recliner in his bedroom. Lately I seem to wake up about midnight only to lay him in his crib and then make my way back to bed with my wife. She is usually sound asleep upon my return and I quietly try to power out 3 more hours of sleep before my alarm goes off and it’s time to drink “Coffee!”
You see with our busy schedule I have had to get my training time in before she heads to work at 5:30 AM. I can’t train for hours in the leisurely afternoons like I used to since the unexpected arrival of our most precious gift as well as I now choose to work for my wife to cut her labor costs and watch our son in the mornings while she is working. This leaves only from 4 to 5 AM to train. Luckily 2 Expresso Bikes suddenly showed up our health club and it has breathed new life into my training program.

So here I am this morning selecting a ghost L. McPherson, fear and excitement grip me both at the same time. Fear that this woman would give me a virtual world cycling lesson and that familiar excitement that comes with actual races that I have been in before. Unlike in those races, I now knew the course and the rider to a better extent and best of all this rider didn’t even know I was on the course. All I had to do was match her moves and attack when the time was right. As I quickly found out, she was an explosive rider who did all the attacking in this ride. Her riding style revealed itself on the very first small climb, she was an explosive climber as well as sprinter. I’m talking about 350 watt bursts up to nearly 600 watt peak outputs at the top of some of these climbs. I understood I could produce equivalent sprint watts based on our Expresso Speed Way times but I knew I could not hold those repeated wattage bursts in a long ride like this. So my strategy was to go high cadence in the climbs in gears 5, 6 and 7. This had me rapping out 110 to 120 rpms to stay with her accelerations but held off lactate accumulation in my quads which comes with stomping too hard. She was loosing me on the climbs by a couple of seconds but to my relief she would soft pedal the down hill sections which, fortunately, gave me a chance to recover and prepare for the next surge. This also got me thinking that she was merely out for a training ride while here I am putting it all on the line, oh well, then it was time for the next surge. This was going ok for me until about the 30 minute mark and I noticed an accumulative affect of these surges. My heart rates were not recovering anymore and she was pushing me above my AT (anaerobic threshold) of 175 on the climbs now and at times I was approaching my LT (lactate threshold) heart rate of 186 bpm. Now fear really did set in with the worst part of this climb yet to come. I realized I would have to back off on the last push around mile 13 giving up precious seconds in a hope that she would not start to push the down hills like she did the climbs. My gamble paid off and for the last 5 miles she brought up the tempo but it was manageable. Our average was hitting the high 240 watt range and I found that I could maintain this but now I was absolutely in the red zone. The question in my mind was “could I hold this for 3 or 4 more miles?” I caught back on her wheel with about 3 miles to go. This gave me enough time to think about the situation. She was pushing my limits, HR 180,and the last mile with a slight uphill finish. Great she was going to sprint this finish and I was already in the red zone, 180 plus. It happened Just like I figured, she did sprint and gaped me on the finish with her pulling to a peak of nearly 600 watts. After we finished I hopped off the bike sweating and gasping for air while walking around the gym where people in the real world were probably looking at me wondering if I was going to have a heart attack. Well fortunately I did not because here I am, post workout, waiting for my son to wake up and analyzing the data. Yep I lost today and I won at the same time. Mrs. McPherson crossed the line ahead of me but she lifted me to a new personal best by an amazing 1 minute and 35 seconds. For this I am grateful to her, thank you! She also taught me something about leadership today: every great leader seems to have the ability to lift others along with them, A rising tide lifts all ships! See you on the Leaderboards!

Thanks,

Rider J. Keener Aka
JoeCardio