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DRUGS |
DEHYDRATION |
FOOD & EATING |
SKELETON |
MUSCLES |
HEART & BLOOD |
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YOUR
BODY:
What you get from this information
is entirely up to you, Just use it
as a basic guide. After all even if
you don't find it handy for your
cycling, it'll be very handy for pub
quizzes. personal trainer.
THE BIG IDEA :
Any maximum intensity training only
works effectively and safely if the
body is warmed up beforehand, and
given enough rest afterwards.
However shinny and ultra - low
weight & expensive your bike is, you
are the sole means of propelling it
along. You may know everything there
is to know about compression damping
and progressive spring rates, but
you'll still be going no where fast
if you're over-trained or racked
with cold.
Make cycling apart of your
lifestyle, it could bring many
healthier benefits ! |
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DRUGSMMM |
HABITS:
The dubious bits they put in the
legitimate stuff from the chemist
are scary enough, but who knows what
goes into the local street dealer's
melting pot?. Drugs cause
disorientation and psychological and
physiological chaos, of varying
proportions. Mixing these symptoms
with any kind of intense exercise
just makes the risks higher as the
`products` crash around your system
faster. Given the length of time
some drugs stay in your system,
think very carefully before mixing
mountain biking or for that matter,
any cycling with pharmaceutical
habits.
DRINKING:
Alcohol makes you feel like shit on
Sunday mornings when you should be
riding. Re-hydrate with water or a
weak sports drink as soon as
possible and hope you feel better
when you hit the trail. Next time,
eat first to line your stomach,
limit the amount you drink and have
the odd glass of water or a couple
of soft drinks. Before you crash
into bed, drink at least a pint of
water, that way you should feel like
riding the next morning. We are not
telling you not to drink, but drink
it in moderation.
SMOKING:
Fags will fill your lungs with
sticky tar, reducing performance,
increasing irritation and massively
increasing the risk of lung cancer.
None of these are recommended.
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DEHYDRATION |
WATER:
Seventy-five per cent of the energy
given out by your muscles is heat,
and the body's cooling system is
water-based. A litre of sweat gets
rid of 600 calories of heat.
Exercising intensively in the heat,
you can lose up to two litres of
sweat an hour. Dehydration affects
the circulation, placing increased
strain on the heart and lungs, and
other systems become impaired with
only minute rises in body
temperature. Remember two per-cent
body weight fluid loss = 10 - 20
per-cent performance loss. Five
per-cent body weight fluid loss = a
performance drop of 30 per-cent,
with nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Below this level, and things get
really serious. [lights out!]
WHEN
TO WORK:
Keep hydrated throughout the day.
NEVER wait until you get
thirsty as that's to late. Watch out
for hot work places or air
conditioning which may have an
artificially dry atmosphere. As soon
as you are on your mountain bike
drink as much as you comfortably can
without having to stop every twenty
feet for a piddle!. About 100ml
every quarter of an hour or more if
its hot. Don't ration a bottle so
that it lasts a hole ride, take
enough bottles to allow for the
expected time. Keep drinks to a
frequent sips, and don't stop after
riding.
WHICH DRINK:
Pure water is a great re-hydrator,
but over long periods you need to
mix it with other fuels and minerals
to maintain operating levels.
Hypertonic and isotonic drinks are
absorbed faster than just pure
water. Concentrations of carob's in
isotonic drinks will be around 4-8g
per-100ml, keeping a balance so that
you can refuel without affecting
hydration. Hypertonic drinks contain
more sugars and should be used with
another, thinner drink to avoid
dehydration. Use hypersonic and
isotonic drinks in all
high-intensity situations, add a
carbohydrate drink as the activity
increases beyond an hour but
increase other intakes to
compensate. Countless sport drinks
and gels are now on the market some
unflavoured starch carbohydrate
powders, some carefully-balanced
fuelling mixes, and others little
more than fizzy sugar/syrup drinks.
>Always read the labels.
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FOOD
AND EATING
BITE
AND SWALLOW:
As soon as food and drink are taken
on board, the processing starts. The
teeth chop and grind it all up into
little bits while the tongue tells
you what it tastes like and starts
stirring in saliva enzymes to break
down cooked starches. The dissolving
mush is massaged down to the stomach
in wave like actions for yet more
serious stirring. The stomach is
basically a muscular bag that can
stretch or shrink depending on its
load, with muscular valves at either
end to stop any overflow. Acids and
enzymes, which break down proteins
and dairy products, are also added
to the mix at this point. The
average meal will be emptied from
the stomach after about 3-5 hours,
but liquids go through much faster.
PIPE
WORK:
Once out of your stomach it begins
the eight meter-long "Yes 8
Meters !" journey through
your intestines, where actual
absorption of nutrients takes place.
Minute fronds on the intestinal
walls absorb fats, sugars and
proteins, and further down the
piping there are lymph glands to
fight any infections that kick up.
Each type of food is broken down
into its most basic form before
absorption. Carbohydrates are broken
down into monosaccharides, fats are
split into fatty acids and glycerol,
and proteins are broken down into
peptones, polypeptides and amino
acids.
BILE:
As well as the basic plumbing, there
are other organs vital to
processing. The liver is a huge
gland that creates up to a litre a
day of the acidic `bile` that breaks
down fats. It manufactures enzymes,
vitamins, cholesterol, protein and
blood components. Not content with
this work load, it is also
responsible for breaking down bodily
toxins and storing blood and
processed glycogen sugars ready for
use. The pancreas is another
essential gland which controls the
carbohydrate metabolism of the body
through the production of insulin.
CARBOHYDRATES AND SOURCES:
Carbohydrate complexity is all to do
with molecule size. Your body
doesn't care, it processes them all
in the same way. The key to choosing
the best carbohydrate for the job is
in the extras you get with the food.
Complex carbohydrates tend to be
those starchy, good-for-you foods
with roughage, vitamins, minerals,
proteins etc, that fill you up.
Bread, pasta, rice, oats,
unsweetened cereals, pulses, beans,
spuds and parsnips are all
complex-rich. Common sense tells you
to stick to these as your staple
carob's source, as opposed to a
massive pile of sugary cream buns
and choc bars fat lard
Just eat sensibly and read the
labels and don't go overboard by
trying to eat a bowl of pasta
halfway around the course. "
Muppet "
HOW
MUCH AND WHEN ?:
When you are out riding, aim to eat
and drink one gram of carbohydrate
for each kg of body weight for each
hour you are exercising, with the
same amount before and after a ride
to preload and reload respectively.
MIXING
THE FAT:
A lot of high-protein foodstuffs,
such as eggs, cheese and red meats,
also contain lots of fat. The way to
avoid this becoming a problem is by
rationing how much you eat of each,
and choosing a leaner or low-fat
alternative wherever possible. Swap
your frying for boiling, poaching or
grilling to minimize fats added
through cooking. Beans, Soya, cereal
and bread are all alternative
low-fat sources of protein. Mix your
diet and use as many food groups as
possible, and your protein needs
shouldn't ever be a problem.
'One
serving of pasta with mushy peas &
honey & rice pudding please'
FRUIT & VEG:
It's quite simple, eat fresh fruit
and veg every day.
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MUSCLES |
PULLING POWER:
Muscles are the motors that
power the skeleton, muscles always
pull, through contraction of muscle
fibre, they are not capable of
pushing. This means that for every
muscle there has to be another
capable of pulling in the opposite
direction to get you back to the
original position. For example, the
biceps oppose the triceps. Where
maximum power is required, muscles
are layered on top of each other,
with different attachment points but
the same basic function. Muscles are
linked to the skeleton by tendons,
and enclosed in lubricated sheaths
to keep operation smooth. Muscles
contract when they receive a nerve
impulse from the brain -so how
can yours work?.
They come in two varieties.
Involuntary muscles are the
automatic ones that control the
heart, breathing, digestion,
circulation etc. These keep you
alive without you having to worry
about it. Voluntary muscles are the
ones you get the remote control
for..
POWER:
Once the nerve impulse is
received by the muscle, molecules
within it produce heat and movement
which is energy.
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DID YOU KNOW: |
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There are 640 named muscles,
accounting for an average
50% of your body weight,
100's have no name,
including the ones which are
at the base of every hair
strand |
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Fancy that..! |
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CRASH AND BURNS:
Under normal use the circulation
is able to supply enough oxygen, and
carry away enough of the waste
products, for pain-free operation.
Fatigue occurs when fuel available
in the muscles and liver is spent or
being processed too slowly. Under
extreme workloads the demand for
oxygen outstrips supply, and the
muscles work `anaerodically`.
A build up of excess waste occurs,
and this is what causes the [burning
sensation] in the muscles
that bring you to a halt. Flushing
the muscles through with oxygen and
fuel-rich blood is the order of the
day, which is why we're always
banging on about warming down.
MUSCLES AND THE TWITCH:
Muscles are bundles of elastic
fibres laced with blood vessels that
supply fuel and oxygen. Two basic
types of fibres exist: powerful but
fuel-hungry `fast twitch` fibres and
more efficient-but less powerful
-`slow twitch fibres`. Natural
weight and composition of muscle is
determined genetically; certain
people will always be stocky and add
muscle easily, others will always be
light and `wiry`. Specific training
,however, can increase muscle power
and nervous efficiency.
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HEART AND BLOOD |
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DID YOU KNOW: |
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The average heart weighs
about 255g.
Pumps
about 36,000 litres of
blood.
Pumps
through about 20,000
km's of blood vessels.!
8000
white blood cells that
fight infection &
250,000 platelets that
cause clotting.
Each
cubic mm of blood plasma
contains 5 million red
blood cells that carry
oxygen. |
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Fancy that...! |
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PUMPING:
The heart is the pump for the whole
system. It pushes blood through the
lungs, where it picks up oxygen,
then pumps it out through the organs
of the body. The more it gets used
the stronger it will grow, pushing
more blood with each beat. When
resting, it doesn't need to beat as
often. Hey presto: a slower resting
rate.
PLUMBING:
Plumbing for the heart comprises of
two types of pipes Veins and
arteries. The arteries carry
oxygenated blood fresh from the
lungs, while the veins carry the
blood back for re-supply. Both are
,elasticised tubes which decrease in
diameter at the extremities. As they
are operating under heart pressure,
the arteries are smooth but the
veins operating under lower pressure
are equipped with valves to prevent
back-flow of blood.
BLOOD:
The blood is basically the transport
system [Bike] for the
body. Plasma carries sugar, amino
acids, mineral salts, enzymes and
other nutrients. Red blood cells
carry oxygen out and bring carbon
dioxide and other waste back. White
blood cells fight infection by
ingesting bacteria [yummy !]
If the infection is serious the
cells divide and multiply extremely
rapidly. Blood platelets are large
cells responsible for maintaining
blood thickness and clotting in
wounds.
LYMPH:
The lymph system is a secondary
circulation that is based on the
plasma that flows from the
capillaries. It flushes through the
body's tissues, nourishing them and
carrying away waste products. Tiny
lymph vessels, like veins, join
together at larger lymph nodes and
glands where the lymph fluid is
filtered to prevent infection
passing into the blood stream. This
is why your glands feel hot and
swollen when you are fighting an
infection. The lymph fluid is then
passed back into the circulation
system.
ABOUT
YOUR HEART RATE:
Your heart is the most important
muscle in your body. It pumps blood
to your lungs and other bits by
contracting and relaxing
rhythmically. The number of times
your heart contracts and relaxes per
minute is called your heart rate. A
healthy person with average fitness
typically has a resting heart rate
of 60-80 beats per minute. During
exercise, your heart rate rises as
more blood has to be pumped into the
system. The harder you exercise, the
further it rises.
RESTING AND MAXIMUM HEART RATES:
When you exercise with a heart rate
monitor, its important to know about
heart rate limits, because your
heart and your body gets its best
workout when your heart rate rises.
Your resting heart rate is your
heart's rate when you're at rest,
while your maximum heart rate is
your limit to how hard you can
safely push yourself.
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MAXIMUM HEART RATE CAN BE
ROUGHLY CALCULATED USING THE AGE
ADJUSTED FORMULA: |
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BONES |
THE
HARD BITS:
The bones in your body provide
protection for the soft bits, 'the
skull .... that dense bit'
protects the brain and your eyes,
the ribs protect the lungs and
heart, the spine protects the spinal
nervous column and the pelvis
creates a basket for your giblets to
sit in. The bones themselves are
fully capable of self-repair when we
damage ourselves. Even a simple hard
knock will cause extra bone to grow
in the bruised area ready for the
next time. However, care must be
taken to ensure proper realignment,
hence all that fun with plaster and
pulleys.
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THEM BONES:
< Picture is Thumbnailed |
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Pelvic
4 |
Skull
22 |
Ribs
24 |
Spinal
33 |
Upper back
60 |
Lower back
60 |
FLEXING:
Different sections of the body are
linked to different types of joint,
according to the range of movement
required. Hips and shoulders have
ball-and-socket joints allowing big
circular movements, and rely on
muscle and ligament strapping to
keep them in place. Knees and elbows
are hinge joints, kept fore and aft
by heavy ligaments and ridges on the
bearings. The kneecap forms a stop
at the knee to prevent it all going
flamingo. The spine is a stack of
vertebral bones, each one moving
slightly on cartilage bushings
allowing larger movement of the
whole spine. Stability comes from
muscles in the back and stomach,
which act like the lines on a tent.
JOINTS:
Cartilage provides smooth bearing
surfaces and shock absorption for
the joints. Like all good sealed
bearings the joints need to be kept
lubricated and maintained, so each
one has a sensorial capsule with a
store of fluid secreted inside.
Skeletal damage comes mainly from
impact or just old age but it can
easily be damaged by careless use or
posture. |
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