This is the first post of what I call “Training and Coaching Wisdom”

What Prompted Me Start The Series?

Sadly and quite unfortunately “Motivation, good coaching and sensible training” have all become synonymous with “No Pain, No Gain/Glory/etc.” The coach has been painted like a vicious drill sergeant while the athletes are quite often described as weak if they are not breaking down and suffering in a media constructed image of performance. These short extremely shallow, short sighted  and quite damaging “methods” has claimed many an (aspiring) athletes, myself included. Fortunately, there are some remarkable individuals that go down to the fundamentals of human performance and come with truly amazing methods. Unsurprisingly these same people in just a few words can put what I have come to think of as cornerstones on the way of becoming a better athlete.

Ultimately the time spent training is only miniscule on the greater scale and it is unreasonable to believe that only then it is when we make progress.  Becoming a better person is intertwined with high performance, as such personal (athletic) improvement is a constant daily process.

This is how the “Coaching and Training Wisdom” was born.

It serves  to break through the fake slogans, get to the fundamentals and share some of the true gems out there to help everybody on their way to improvement.

The first instalment in the “Coaching and Training Wisdom Wisdom” comes from Kelly Starrett in his absolutely amazing book: [amazon text=Becoming a Supple Leopard&asin=1628600837]

Kelly Starrett on Lifestyle’s Role in Performance

Seeing what is right in front of very noses is usually the toughest.  Unfortunately what most fellow athletes and coaches seem to constantly ignore –  we are humans first and everything else follows from there.

You cannot make basic lifestyle errors and expect your body to be able to absorb the consequences when you are working in a performance-biased paradigm.

The most commonly overlooked aspects include:

• No warm-up or cool-down
• Sleep deprivation
• Dehydration
• Poor nutrition
• Prolonged sitting
• Stress

Furthermore, Kelly Starrett goes on the explain that top performance does not always always mean good technique. Or something that is a recurring them in this blog – “Fit, But Unhealthy”

Underlying all this beautifully complex technology [that is the human body] is a simple truth: Your body has an amazing capacity to deal with poor mechanics. Again, your body can generate huge amounts of force and endure a ton of punishment in spite of your bad technique and tissue restrictions. You can move fast, lift heavy, and sit all day with poor technique and still perform well.

While short-lived results might provide some satisfaction, ultimately injuries develop.

But eventually your body will tell you that you’re doing something wrong. And it doesn’t just whisper in your ear; it rams the message down your throat by zapping your ability to generate force and opening the floodgates to pain.

Again, we need to move away from the practice-makes-perfect paradigm and realize that practice makes permanent.

For more “Coaching and Training Wisdom Wisdom” you can Follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Kelly Starrett

Kelly Starrett – [amazon text=Becoming a Supple Leopard&asin=1628600837]

[amazon template=thumbnail&asin=1628600837]

Kelly Starrett – [amazon text=Ready to Run&asin=1628600098]

[amazon template=thumbnail&asin=1628600098]
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I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for.
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

(ooh…) Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, there’s nothing but blue skies.

-Screeching Weasel (covering Jimmy Cliff)

Failure is a necessary evil.

In retrospect I can’t even begin to count the many times I stood there wanting to quit, sell all my bikes and equipment and just be done with it once and for all. Sitting there asking whether it is worth all the hours, sweat, rain, wind, and pain. Oh the so many times I let negative thoughts creep in and take over all the positive memories and experiences.

Here is the time I want to extend a BIG

Thank You!!!

To those people who gave me a pat on the back, a reassuring hug or even a slap in the face when needed, to put me back on track and shelter me from the negative emotional storms. This was by far the strongest inspiration and most positive motivation I ever received in my life so THANK YOU once again!

Failure is Never Final

I should always keep reminding myself that failure is a step towards success, not an end.

When even with a subpar race I finished just over a minute behind cyclists (Nikolay Mihaylov) who intermignled with ProTour riders in the top half at the 2013 World TT Championships in Toscana, Italy, I am certainly on the right track.

All in all, grayness stays only if you let it hide your sunshine, so I have no good reason to be unhappy, therefore it’s time to refocus and most importantly learn from past failures.

Now that the ‘rain and the dark clouds’ of the offseason are starting to disappear letting through the sunshine of future hope and goals shine through, I can see clearly now all obstacles on my way.

The Road Ahead – 2014

Looking at the road ahead I have never been more certain of my cycling goals for 2014.

My absolute top priority is the 2014 National TT Championships, in addition I will try my hands at the 4000m individual pursuit at the 2014 National Track Championships. Not sure how things will go with my new team, however, provided it stays fine I would want to finish all the stages of the 2014 Tour of Bulgaria.

The Challenges

More or less I have a full-time job so training during  the week when days are short all the way until March or even April will be limited to the indoor trainer. Not a problem for me, since I am probably THE only cyclist who likes the trainer. Besides the 5-6months starting from October 2012, I have always had to work long hours and it never really impeded my progress, it just made me really obsessive compulsive about making the most of the hours I had available to me.

Not having the weekly training race would certainly provide some challenges as far as seeing if my peak power is developing as I want, but I should be able to mimic the efforts with various interval sessions.

On the positive side, after Mid-March and even if the winter is not very snowy, I would be able to do long rides on the weekends and the terrain here has plethora of flat, hilly, rolling, mountainous routes so I can train pretty much for any event I want.

I am sure it will not be easy 7 months, however, I am positive it will be all worth it. So a year after launching TheTallCyclist, after all the ups and downs I am back on track! I would resume my Weekly Training Summaries as well as my regular posting.

As the song at the top of this post goes:

It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

(ooh…) Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies.
Look straight ahead, there’s nothing but blue skies.

The Dream is alive! Long live The Dream.

The post I Can See Clearly Now: The Road Ahead, 2014 and Beyond appeared first on The Tall Cyclist.

Impossible is just a big word, thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.

-Muhamman Ali.

Picture (source)

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You need to work hard, you need to work smart and you need to work consistent. But you have to have all three!

What does work hard mean?

Here is the problem it is a relative term. Each of us defines it differently. Here is how I am going to define working hard: you take yourself to the point of discomfort. That can be physical, that can be mental, that can be emotional. But you take yourself out of your comfort zone. If you guys want to make it, you have to learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable… If you wanna be great. You have to make working hard a habit.

Every time you enter the gym to work out or to practice, or to play a game , you have a choice to make. You have the choice to work hard, or you have the choice to NOT work hard. Most of you don’t grasp that not working hard is a conscious choice. It’s easy to make excuses. It’s easy. At the end of the day…you have the choice to work hard.

If you wanna be great, you have to make working hard a habit!

Hard work beats talent when talents fails to work hard.

“No matter how good you are, if you don’t work hard, nothing will happen for you.”

What is YOUR choice?

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This pain is mine, it is my privilege, my pride. What will you do with YOUR pain?

This pain that you hold is yours.

There is not a single pain quite like it.

Nobody else on God’s green earth can feel this pain, or have the indescribable feeling of pride you will have when you overcome it. This pain is not your curse; this pain is YOUR PRIVILEGE

-Arnold Scharznegger

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Sometimes you have to face problems alone. That is not a disadvantage. Pick yourself up, go big and go for broke!

You’ve gotta pick yourself up by the bootstraps
No one’s gonna help you out when you fall
You’ve gotta find a way out of your problems
When you’re broke and you’re backed up against the wall
If you sleep on your only chances
They’ll never come around again
So dig deep and swing for the fences
You never know it might work out in the end

Only YOU can go after your dreams and change your life. Come join the fight!

Come join the fight
So we can change the way we’re living
What’s left inside?
If you believe
Believe you’ll never give in
Come join the fight
Turn away and you’ll be sure to lose it
Hold onto those dreams
They’re the one thing they can’t take away now.

-Dropkick Murphys

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