More on Cycling Posture

Wow!  I almost forgot that I needed to follow up on my last post...this aging thing is a little rough sometimes!

Oh well...I finally remembered.  Better late than never...right?

In my last post Cycling Posture I talked about the postural distortion patterns that often plague cyclists, as a result of prolonged body positions and repetitive movement patterns.  We discussed the concept of adaptive shortening, and briefly discussed the resulting imbalances that frequently occur within the Human Movement System (HMS).

Today let's take a look at how we can begin to regain proper posture through a variety of mobility and strength exercises.  I promise to do my best to keep this post brief, so I will warn you up front...this may turn into another series of posts, in order to cover everything you need to know.

Are you ready?  Then let's get started!

Let's start with the upper body, since many of you who are reading this are probably competing in triathlons, whether Sprint, Olympic, or Ironman...this information could help to keep you performing for longer, without succumbing to nagging shoulder injuries.

You may remember me discussing Upper Crossed Syndrome (UCS), and mentioning that this dysfunction results in decreased clearance within the glenohumeral joint capsule...often resulting in an impingement of various soft tissues that lie in and around the joint.  Over time, impingement of these structures can result in degradation of the tissues, pain, decreased mobility, and instability of the joint itself.  As we have discussed many times in the past, the human body is a remarkable 'machine', and adapts quite efficiently to various situations.  The body will adapt in amazing ways in order to protect itself...we usually refer to these protective actions as compensations.

One such compensation that typically accompanies UCS is the drawing up and in of the shoulder.  This is typical among individuals who are experiencing some degree of impingement.  This action often results in an over active upper Trapezius muscle, as it is this muscle that is responsible for elevation and adduction (moving toward the body's midline) of the shoulder blades.  This action effective reduces the amount of movement within the shoulder joint, thus preventing further impingement of the surrounding soft tissues. 

While this serves to protect these tissues, it also compounds the problem, and can result in a condition known as Frozen Shoulder.  A frozen shoulder requires a great deal of physical therapy, and can be quite painful to rehabilitate.  We'll discuss the compensatory actions of the upper trapezius in a future post - but for now, let's take a look at the imbalance that occurs with UCS, and who the culprits are in this common postural distortion pattern.

The imbalance that is present with UCS involves the anterior chest muscles (pectoralis minor, pectoralis major) and a number of posterior chest muscles (mid-lower trapezius, rhomboid, sub-scapularis).  These are some of the major players in UCS, but understand that these are not the only muscles involved, and in extreme cases, physical therapy is necessary to reverse the effects of this postural deviation pattern.

It is important to understand that these imbalances commonly involve both strength and length...muscle strength, and muscle length.  Remember, many of these muscles have adaptively shortened due to prolonged positioning, and their antagonist muscle(s) have inversely lengthened.  The overactive, shortened muscles must be returned to their normal resting length, while the underactive, weakened muscles must be retrained and restrengthened.  Restoring balance in this manner will return the dysfunctional joint to normal function through proper positioning.

"So how do we do that?" You ask.

I am assuming you have all purchased a Trigger Point Therapy kit by now...right?  What?  You STILL haven't invested in your body, yet you are an active, aging athlete?  Stop right now, and click on the Trigger Point banner in the upper left corner of this page to order your kit right now!

Ok...if you don't have a TPT kit, grab a tennis ball.  What? No tennis ball?  Well then, I guess you really SHOULD click the link above then, huh?

Let's start by releasing tension in the pec major and pec minor muscles.  Remember, it's the tension and over-activity of these muscles that is pulling your shoulders forward (protraction). I've attached a short video which describes exactly how to perform this exercise, so take a moment or two to watch it before moving on.

http://youtu.be/2t7Z3CjQeZ8

I'm just like many of you...an aging, amateur athlete, who has a real job.  Therefore, I understand that time is precious.  One of the reasons I like this exercise so much is that not only do you get soft tissue work in the form of massage, you also get some stretching of the muscle tissue when you perform the pulling action.  By combining these two techniques into one quick and easy to perform exercise, you can get away with having to perform a separate stretching routine for your chest muscles...thereby making this a very time efficient corrective-based exercise, that can be incorporated into any current fitness or training regimen.

Check back soon for the next installment - see...I told you it would be another series!  Next time we will discuss some strengthening techniques for the mid and lower trapezius muscles, that will help to pull the shoulder blades down and back (depression and retraction), effectively creating more space within the shoulder capsule.

Thanks for reading, and as always...

Yours in Health and Performance,

John

Cycling Posture

I am a cyclist...I have Cycling Posture.

How about you?  Do you ride bikes?  If you answered yes, then I would bet that you too have some degree of postural dysfunction, as a result of your cycling.

Worry not however, you can be fixed...really.

Many cases of postural dysfunction are the result of muscle imbalances...most of which are a direct result of a process referred to as adaptive shortening.  If you have been following along with my ranting for some time now, the term adaptive shortening shouldn't be new to you.  I have mentioned it numerous times in the past few months.  On the chance that this is your first visit to The Aging Athlete, I will briefly describe the concept of Adaptive Shortening.  If you are familiar with it already, then fast forward two paragraphs.

Adaptive shortening is the process of a muscle or muscle group adapting to repetitive positioning within the human body.  A common example of this process involves the hip flexors, and their ability to create improper positioning of the pelvis.  We spend a great deal of time sitting.  Sitting in front of the computer (as I am doing right now), sitting in planes, trains, and of course...automobiles.  We sit in front of the television, and when we eat.  When we go to the movies, we...well, I think you get the point.  We sit...and we sit ALOT!  When we sit, our hips are in a flexed position.  Hip flexion is a result of contracting the hip flexor musculature (psoas, tensor fascia latae, rectus femoris...to name a few), thus flexing the hip joint, drawing the knees and chest closer together.  Over time, these muscles begin to adapt to this 'normal' shortened position.  The muscles that control hip extension (gluteals) reflexively relax against the constant pull of the hip flexors, resulting in the pelvis being tipped forward.  This is known as an Anterior Pelvic Tilt.  When the pelvis tilts forward, so too does the spine.  Rather than lean forward constantly, we instinctively stand up straight, which results in an increased curvature of the lumbar spine.  Over time, this increased curvature can result in low back pain due to compression of the intervertebral discs, as well as degradation of the vertebral body itself.  This postural deviation is due to a relatively minor muscle imbalance, that was created when the hip flexors adapted to a repetitively shortened position.  This position is often referred to as Lower Body Postural Distortion Pattern, or more commonly...Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS).

There are a number of postural deviation patterns common within the human body and the human movement system (HMS)...many of which can be alleviated (and even avoided) by incorporating some relatively simple corrective-based exercises into your current workout regimen.

If you are a cyclist, there is good reason to believe that you not only have Lower Crossed Syndrome, but you are likely to have another postural distortion pattern commonly referred to as Upper Crossed Syndrome (UCS).

Like LCS, UCS is the result of muscle imbalance due to adaptive shortening.  In the case of UCS however, the muscles that have shortened are primarily the pectoral (chest) muscles.  Adaptive shortening of these muscles is the result of repetitive or prolonged shoulder protraction, or rounding of the shoulders.  Individuals with UCS typically have rounded upper backs, forward rounded shoulders, and a forward protruding head, as shown in the picture above.

I often refer to this postural distortion pattern as computer posture, as hours of sitting at your workstation or home computer often result in this type of posture.  If you are a cyclist to boot, then you are getting a double-whammy, so to speak.

Think about your body position when riding.  Not only are your hips repetitively flexed, but your back is typically rounded, your shoulders are rolled somewhat forward, your head tends to be pushed forward and up, and much of your weight is being supported through a constant contraction of your chest muscles.  More advanced and experienced cyclists are able to minimize the amount of body weight being supported by the arms, through body position and core strengthening exercises, but the majority of amateur level cyclists fall victim to this issue.

In the photo above, you can see two distinctly different riding positions.  The first position is a pretty common position, while the second is more correct from a postural perspective.  As you can see the second image shows proper alignment of the spine, with a 'neutral' lumbar spine.  The shoulder blades are being rolled back and down along the rib cage, resulting a retraction of the shoulders.  The head is being held in a neutral position as well.

The rider in the first picture, is surely supporting much of his body weight with his arms, resulting in prolonged contraction of the chest musculature.  Adaptive shortening of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor musculature is guaranteed, which will eventually result in the forward rounded shoulder positioning shown in the picture above depicting UCS.

This protracted positioning actually minimizes the amount of space that is normally present within the shoulder capsule, aka glenohumeral joint space.  Over time, this can result in the impingement of soft tissues such as the biceps tendon and supraspinatus tendon of the infamous Rotator Cuff.  Probability of tissue degradation and even a rotator cuff tear, is high...especially if you partake in other activities such as golf, tennis, or swimming.  

So...for those of you who compete in triathlon, I encourage you to read on!

A proper swim stroke is highly dependent on a highly mobile shoulder joint.  If you have reduced the amount of room within your shoulder capsule, you will instinctively compensate to avoid the discomfort associated with impingement of soft tissues against the acromium process (the distal end of your collar bone or clavicle).  Repetitive friction within the joint will most likely result in some degree of tendonopathy...often requiring surgical intervention.

So what can we do to minimize our risk of low back pain and shoulder surgery?

Check back soon to see what the answer is!

Yours in Health and Performance!

John

High Performance Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate.  The simple utterance of the word can create shear panic in some...thanks to a still growing number of 'professionals' who claim that the macronutrient we all know as carbohydate,  (CHO) is the devil!

I recently read some...well, let's just call it propaganda...about the dangers of carbohydrate.  The author cited such things as "Carbs cause overweight."  I think she meant to say, that carbohydrates are a cause of people being overweight, and obese....but I don't know for sure.

Anyway...that's absurd.

Too many calories are to blame for weight gain in the form of adipose tissue...and a lack of exercise...NOT carbohydrates!

The author also went on to write about the effect that CHO has on diabetics, citing them as the culprit of ALL causes of diabetes.  She also states that the majority of Type 2 diabetics can be cured simply by eliminating CHO from their diets.  Interesting.

The part I liked the best however, was when she went on to justify her hatred for all things carbohydrate by referring to the term essential.  I have copied what she wrote, so that you could all share my pain.

"Carbs are not "essential" and high consumption displaces necessary nutrients. "Essential" means that a certain food is absolutely required by the body (like gasoline or diesel in a car), is not manufactured by the body, and so must be consumed in the diet.

Have you ever heard of an "essential fatty acid"? (EFA)? Some types of fats — Omega 6′s and Omega 3′s — are absolutely required by the body.

Have you heard of "essential amino acids"? Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 8 amino acids that are "essential." Without them, muscles, hormones and the heart (a muscle) cease to function properly. Muscles have a high protein requirement.

Have you ever heard of an "essential carbohydrate"? I hope not, because there's no such thing!
Of the three calorie containing molecules — proteins, fats and carbohydrates — only certain fats and proteins are "essential." When the diet is high in carbohydrates, it is often deficient in the necessary essential fats and proteins. Deficiencies of essential fats and proteins causes all manner of diseases, from mood disorders (neurotransmitters are made from essential fats and proteins) to muscle weakness (muscles have a high protein requirement), hormone imbalances, heart disease and premature aging."

Wow!  That's all I can say.

I am in complete disagreement with her stance of the non-essential nature of CHO, and here's why.  If you read my last post, you will remember seeing the picture below.  This is a printout of a ventilatory threshold test that I performed on a client.  As you look from left to right on the chart, you will see a column heading (in gray) that reads Cal. CH (kcal/min).  Is everyone with me?  Good.

As you scroll down that column the numbers you are seeing refer to the number of calories that are being used from CHO stores (both muscle and liver glycogen) to support the activity.  You will notice that as the intensity of exercise increases, so too does the number of CHO calories required to sustain  the activity.  That is because moderate to high intensity exercise is dependent upon CHO...not protein, and not fat.  That's not to say that those two macro-nutrients don't play a role in supporting and sustaining physical activity...because they do.  It's just important to know that each of our energy systems is primarily driven by a specific macro-nutrient.  In the case of moderate-high intensity activities, that macro-nutrient is CHO.  Protein's greatest role in the support of physical activity is that of recovery and regeneration of lean muscle mass.  Fat's primary role in the support of moderate-high intensity exercise is to provide energy (in the form of calories) to support the regeneration process following activity.

Another example of jacked-up thinking...

I was told by a Nurse Practitioner and the MD she works with, that "carbs are carbs"..."there's really no difference between eating a Snickers candy bar or eating an apple.  Both are loaded with sugar."

Really?!!

First of all, the candy bar is packed with high fructose corn syrup (go do a little research on that product!)...basically empty calories.  It is a food product that is devoid of any sound nutrients or fiber.  The apple on the other hand, as you can see by the picture below, is nowhere near the same as the candy bar.  It has fiber and vitamins, is low in fat, and is a natural white food, which has been found to improve our immune response.  Can you say that about the candy bar?

So...in my opinion (and backed by quality research), CHO is an essential macro-nutrient - especially if you are an active individual!

Alright, it's time to get off my high horse and talk about carbohydrates in a little more depth.  Sound good?

With all that being said...there are truly some dangers when it comes to CHO.  Actually, much of what the author stated was true...relatively true.

Let's use an analogy to really make this point clear.

Brushing your teeth is good right?  Using toothpaste is good too, right?  What happens when you use too much toothpaste?  That's right, you usually end up creating way to much foam in your mouth, causing you to swallow (or ingest) some toothpaste.  Now go and look at the warning on your toothpaste.  I think it is safe to say that most of you would find a warning that states you should avoid ingestion of the product, as it can be hazardous to your health.  These warnings are also accompanied by the number of Poison Control.

What?!!

That's right...toothpaste can be hazardous for your health.  Should we then flood the Internet forums warning consumers to eliminate toothpaste from their hygiene diet?  Of course not.  What we should do however, is monitor the amount of toothpaste we use, and heed the warnings of potential poisoning.  We should be responsible. 

We should also be responsible when it comes to consuming carbohydrates...or any food or drink for that matter. 

So what does responsible consumption look like?  Well...let's dive in to that concept!

First and foremost, we should look at our food from the perspective of health and performance benefit...I mean, come on people...we are athletes aren't we? 

Every time you consume food or drink, it is an opportunity to positively or negatively impact both your health and your level of performance...in life or your chosen sport.  Applying this simple principle can help you make better food choices along the way.

I am going to teach you a simple, great, rule-of-thumb concept that will allow you to qualify your carbohydrates.  That's right, you can use this method to determine whether the carb you are considering eating or purchasing should be placed in one of two piles; good or bad.  Actually, you could add in a third pile if you'd like...an 'in between' pile of sort.

Oh, by the way, this is primarily in reference to grains and starches...things like pastas, cereals, chips, etc.

First of all, you should employ the Brown Close to Ground rule of thumb.  This basically means that the closer to the earth the CHO came from, the browner it will be, and the nutrient content will be significantly higher.  Processed foods, are much further from the ground and have typically been stripped of their nutrients and fiber.

Don't be fooled though.  If you go to the grocery store and select a loaf of bread based on it's color, you will most likely end up buying white bread that has been dyed brown to look more healthy.  Really...it's true.

To make matters worse, some manufacturers will sprinkle some oats or some combination of grains on the bread (some will even put some in the dough) and market it as Multi-Grain.  Multi-grain doesn't mean the same thing as Whole Grain!

Whole Grains are those that have not been stripped of their nutrients and vitamins.  Whole grains are typically higher in fiber, and even contain essential amino acids (something that the author forgot to mention in her rant about essential-ism) and healthy fats.

Okay...here's the next rule to follow.

Always, and I mean always compare the ratio of fiber to sugar.  Get out of the habit of looking at the total carbohydrate count, and look at the amount of sugar and fiber that the product contains.  The rule is High Fiber-Low Sugar.  Nutritionists typically classify a food product as a low sugar item if it contains less than 10grams of sugar per serving.  Products that contain 5 grams or more of fiber per serving are considered to be high-fiber items.

So what does this mean?  It means that you need to be looking at the Nutrition Facts Label on the food you purchase.  It the product you are looking at doesn't meet the High Fiber-Low Sugar criteria, put it back on the shelf and keep looking for a comparable product that does meet the standards.  If a comparable product is not available, then you need to decide whether or not you really need or want it, and if you have the ability to eat it in moderation.

These are very simple ways to rate the quality of your carbs, and by simply employing these techniques, you will be well on your way to improving your health and performance!

As always, I thank you for taking the time to read my rants!

Yours in Health and Performance!

John

'Cardio' training...what a waste of time!

Wow!  That may be the most controversial title ever!

Right now, you are probably asking yourself, "Does he really think that cardio training is a waste of time...what an idiot!"

Okay, maybe you weren't thinking the 'idiot' part...or maybe you were.  In either case, you are going to want to read on.

Alright, I'll say it... yes, for the most part, I do believe that cardio training is a waste of time...relatively speaking.

"Oh my God!  He's completely lost his mind!" is what you might be thinking now.  Let me explain.

The majority of 'cardio' training that I see people doing is truly a waste of time.  I know, I know, some of you out there are thinking that some exercise is better than none, and you are absolutely right.  I would submit however, that for the most part, the time could be spent more productively.

Let's imagine that you and I are walking into a typical fitness center, be it LA Fitness, Lifetime, 24-Hour, blah, blah, blah.  As we walk past the reception desk, we casually glance to the left, or the right, or in some cases our gaze rises upwards towards the second floor.  What do we see?  That's right, rows of treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers, etc.  As we take a closer look, we also notice that many of these 'cardio' machines have TV's and magazine trays.  Looking even closer yet, we notice that those members who are using these machines are chatting with one another, calmly perusing the pages of their favorite periodical, or casually channel surfing.

This is NOT cardio training!

What do we NOT see?  A ton of sweat!

Wait....I know what you are going to say.  They're working in their fat-burning zone...right?  Uh-uh.  Nope.  Wrong!

The so-called fat burning zone is a myth...nothing more than a way for the health and fitness industry to market their services.  


What?

That's right, you heard me correctly.  And I can back up that statement with evidence.  Take a look at the picture below.  This is a printout from a ventilatory threshold test that I conducted on one of my firefighter clients.  Click on the image to enlarge it, so that you can see what I am referring to.

Looking at the chart, you will see the clients heart rate (HR) in the fifth column from the left.  Looking at the HR values you can determine the intensity of the work he was performing at any given time.

The 'Fat Burning Zone' is typically defined as 60-65% of your maximal HR (MHR).  But how do we know what your maximal heart rate is?  Some of you are now thinking "I don't have a degree in Exercise Science, and even I know how to figure out my MHR...220 minus my age!"

Wrong again!

That formula was developed by Dr. William Haskell in 1970, and was designed to estimate heart rate training zones in cardiac rehab patients.  Dr. Haskell was quoted in the New York Times, in 2004, as saying "I've kind of laughed about it over the years, the formula was never supposed to be an absolute guide to rule people's training.  But, it's so typical of Americans to take an idea and extend it beyond what it was originally intended for."

The formula 220-age might provide some people with a place to start their training, but most quickly find that they do not progress, as they quickly plateau within their training programs.  Studies have shown that fitness testing based on this formula tends to overestimate one's cardio-respiratory fitness level (most commonly referred to as VO2 Max) by as much as 25%!

Okay, back to the chart.

Looking at the top row, and reading across, you will see this client's HR was 94 beats per minute (bpm) at an easy 3-mph walking pace.  Following across to the right, you will see a column heading of Cal. Tot (kcal/min).  The value is 5.1, and what this means is that he is burning a total of 5.1 calories (kcal) per minute of activity, at this intensity.  Moving right, the next column refers to the number of kcal from the 'burning' of carbohydrate (CHO).  The next column to the right displays the amount of kcal being burned from fat...4.5 kcal per minute, or 88% of the total calories being expended.

Some of you are saying "See, we told you so.  Clearly this shows that the greatest amount of fat calories are burned while exercising at low intensities!" 

Hang on there pardner!

While physiologically speaking, that is correct...it doesn't necessarily mean that you will burn the greatest amount of fat from your body, while working out a such low intensity levels.  Here's why...

As you read further down the chart, you can see that the intensity of exercise, and the total number of kcals being utilized is increasing...yes?  What you also see is that the percentage of CHO and FAT calories is starting to flip-flop....meaning that as the intensity level of exercise increases, a greater demand for CHO begins to develop, and conversely, less of a demand for FAT kcal occurs.  In fact, at one's ventilatory threshold (the green row), the percentage of kcal from FAT is zero.

"See...more evidence for the effectiveness of low intensity exercise on fat reduction!"  That's what you are thinking huh?

Alright, give me a little more time to make my point.

What we need to keep in mind here is that weight-loss is basically a game of numbers.  To lose weight, one must create an energy deficit...use more calories than you consume.  And let's face it, most people who are doing 'cardio' are trying to lose weight...specifically fat weight.

It's also important to know that one-pound of fat is equal to 3500kcal.  Got it?


So what's the answer, you ask?  Well...it would make sense to increase the level of intensity up to where your total caloric expenditure was worth the time investment, right?  The problem with this, is that when you are working at high intensity levels, it isn't possible (for most people) to sustain the activity for very long, thereby resulting in a less than optimal calorie output again.

So what's the best way to do it?  Interval training.

Interval training is a method of training that takes you through different HR training zones, that target each of the three different energy systems that your body utilizes for various functions.  Check out the example below.

The examples that follow are adapted from a company by the name of Tignum.  If you've been reading my blogs for a while now, you should be well aware of who Tignum is, and what they do.  If you're not sure, and you are interested, click here to find out who they are and what they do.  Suffice it to say, that the data that follows, is based off of Tignum's research and presentations.

Okay, the first example is that of a 150-pound person riding a stationary bike for 30-minutes, at 65% MHR...their fat burning zone.  Following this exercise session, this individual would have burned a total of 82 kcal, 42 of which could have been from fat.  Again, not a very good return on the time invested, and he has only trained on energy system.

The second example is the same individual, but now he has decided he needs to ramp up his training, so he has chosen to increase the intensity of the exercise session by riding for 30-minutes at 85% MHR.  This results in a much greater caloric expenditure; 157 kcal, of which 10 may have been from fat.  This is good, but the issue here is that many people who train at this intensity 'burn out' quicker, often before they reach their goals.  Once again, only one energy system has been trained.

The last example is the same individual, after reading this blog.  He has taken what I have written, and applied it to his life.  He now uses an interval training session whereby he works within low, medium, and high-intensity training zones.  Using the 220-age formula, these zones would represent training ranges between 65-85% MHR (and even 90%), and yet still only requires 30-minutes of his time. Training could however, be performed for 45- or even 60-minutes, due to the periods of low intensity work that are integrated into this workout, that provide for recovery.

So let's look at his numbers.

30-minutes of true interval training will result in a total caloric expenditure of 179 kcal, 50 of which could be from fat!  Now that's a much better return on your time investment, in terms of calorie expenditure.  Training with intervals not only increases he total caloric expenditure, it also serves to train all three energy systems of the body.

The added bonus to this type of training is that it results in an elevated metabolic rate for longer periods of time, following your workout, due to higher intensity exercise.  This is known as the EPOC effect, which stands for Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption.  In easy to understand terms, this means that instead of your body quickly returning to its normal RMR (resting metabolic rate), which refers to the body's caloric expenditure while at rest...it remains elevated for hours following your training session.  This results in even greater caloric expenditure from fat stores, as your body recovers and repairs itself.  It's a bonus burn!

Okay, here's the last thing we'll talk about...how to apply this to your training or exercise regimen.  The best way to determine your HR training zones is to have a ventilatory threshold test performed on yourself.  A few fitness centers and gyms now offer this type of training for their clients at an additional cost...often ranging from $100-$250.  The data collected is then used by Trainers to develop effective interval training plans.  If your gym offers this service, make sure the trainers are competent in the use of the data to develop your plan.  Also find out if they are able to progress the plan when you begin to plateau.

What if you don't have access to that technology?

This is where the 220-age formula will provide you with a good base to begin interval training.  It's certainly not my first choice however, it will allow you to begin improving upon the efficiency of your highly valuable, training time.  Determine your MHR using the220-age formula, then determine three distinct HR training zones.  I recommend using 65%, 85%, and 90% ranges.  For example, if you are 48 years old, your estimated  MHR would be 172 bpm.  To determine your ranges simply multiply 172 by .65, .85, and .90.  This will result in the following training zones:

Zone 1 = 111 bpm
Zone 2 = 146 pbm
Zone 3 = 154 bpm



If you are interested in having a Ventilatory Threshold test performed on you, and you live near me (Glendale, Arizona), please contact me at john.metzger@scisport.net.  I use the iMett Submaximal Ventilatory Threshold Detection System do determine your VT.  I use this on all of my athletes and firefighter clientele with tremendous results.  One of the greatest things about this specific device, is the software that allows me to instantly generate an interval training plan, that is individualized to you, based specifically on your data.  This means that you have a one of a kind training program, rather than some shotgunned training template, such as those used by many personal trainers.  The plan can be progressed easily as you begin to improve, thereby keeping you constantly challenged as you progress in your workouts.  You don't even have to be present for me to progress your plan!

My fee for this test is $200, if you come to my location.  The system is also mobile however, we would need access to a commercial quality treadmill or Keiser stationary bike.  Trip charges do apply for on-site testing at the location of your choice.

So now do you understand why I say most cardio training is a waste of time?


Thanks for reading!

Yours in Health and Performance,

John