Bicyclemania Grass root trail & mountain bike riding <> Buy a cycling trail ..... You'll not get lost again <>

ABUSE

Drugs:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Crash And Burners:

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.

Power:

Once the nerve impulse is received by the muscle, molecules within it produce heat and movement which is energy.
'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'

HEART AND BLOOD

The average heart weighs about 255g.
Pumps about 36,000 litres of blood through about 20,000 km's of blood vessels.!
Each cubic mm of blood plasma contains 5 million red blood cells that carry oxygen.
8000 white blood cells that fight infection & 250,000 platelets that cause clotting.

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.

The maximum heart rate can be roughly calculated using the age adjusted formula. Maximum heart rate = 220-your age.
So, a 40 year old persons maximum heart rate is approximately 180 beats per min. Maximum heart rate = 220 - your age 40 = 180 b.p.m

For your own personal heart rate
print-out, exercise & active program
go to http://www.polaruk.co.uk/

SKELETON

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.
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.

Thumbnailed

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.