Got Lungs!!

Well, that's what I have been working on for the last 10 days, actually getting more out of my lungs. I bought the Powerlung device to strengthen my inhale and exhale muscles. I have really decided to do everything possible to ensure the best season I can have. I can tell you, the freaking device has been a tough workout. The device helps increase lung capacity, which helps you race faster, perform longer, and exercise easier.

It came with an instructional DVD that I patiently watched to make sure I was going to do it correctly. It looked simple when the dude from DHL was performing his breathing exercises on the DVD. OK, 3 seconds inhale, 3 second exhale. Do 10 reps of that, with the last 2 being a powerful 1 second inhale, followed by the same type of exhale. I set the device to the easiest setting so I could get going. I blow, and that was No 3 sec inhale! I mean not even more than a second. OK, I coughed, got my lungs ready, and again. But no 3 second inhale. A little better than the first time, but still well under 2 seconds. After the shocked settled in that I was not a good breather I decide to just go through the 10 inhales and exhales and make my assessment after.

That is when I realized that my exhale muscles were incredibly weak. I couldn't blow out really, really hard. I also felt shortness of breath when I tried to inhale very deeply also. I also was breathing from the top of my lungs, and not the bottom. I have some serious work to do if I want to get to the 6th level of resistance. The first one was kicking my ass.

This device is going to help me, and it has in as short as ten days. I remember all the times that I have blown up in a XC race. Long before I did, my breathing was very rapid and short, and there was nothing I could do at that point. That meant I was not getting oxygen to my legs, even though I was pushing hard. By the time the legs had went and I was going backwards, it was my lungs that went first. So in retrospect, my legs have never really sold out on me if I have given them the proper oxygen that they need through better breathing.

I have noticed that when I'm drilling it on the road now, my breathing has been much more stable. I breathe more deeply now, regardless of if I'm hitting it hard, riding steady, or out of the saddle. I did a Tuesday morning Timetrial on the Felt before I went to work, and the loop is 1.6 miles. I did the loop for 45 minutes, and my lap times got faster every single loop around. Normally it drops by the end, and I'm crawling. My first lap time was 4mins, 51sec with an avg spd of 20.1mph. 8 laps later my time was 4mins, 24sec with an avg spd of 22.8mph. The lap time on each loop got better by 3-4sec, and when you do that over 8 laps, it is much more stable on the body, breathing, acid burn in the legs, etc. I’m on the easiest resistance, which means there is a lot of room for improvement. I'm going to continue to take baby steps with this device. I'm going to make this a natural progression in my breathing getting better. To do that I'm simple going to start from the easiest setting, and slowly move up to the more difficult setting as I have mastered my inhale and exhale muscles.

I love how this training block has come together. I stopped spending so much time at the gym doing spin classes when I would get rained out, and bought a couple of CTS workouts for my ipod. It only cost $10.00 and it goes onto my video ipod. I can put a towel on my handlebars, sit it on top, and let it take me through the workout. Or I can have it connected to my TV, so I can play it in surround sound. The One Legged Drills exercise is absolutely fantastic. My cadence has gone up 4 or 5rpms since I have been doing them. The fast pedal, stomp it out and time trial workouts makes the variety fun and fresh.

I have also bought a pull-up bar. There are 5 different positions I can use, and can do over or underhand. I can do the toughest exercise, and just sit there hang for 30-60sec with my knees up. When I feel like really punishing myself I kick my legs out for 10-15 seconds and bicycles forward and backwards. That has tightened up my midsection, and my core has more integrity now.

I also have my workout corner. I have some weights just to do light reps exercises, push-up bar for deeper push-ups, and a yoga block and mat. Yes, I do yoga 4 days a week and it totally rocks. The more flexibility, the faster the muscles recover. Most of the exercises I do I care my own weight, as I never want to really get hooked on the classic weight training program at a fitness club. Plus, plyometrics is the KING of all my exercises every week.

I can't forget my trusty stopclock. I was given this stop watch in 1989 as a gift from my mother when I first turned pro in table tennis. 18 years later it is the only timer I use when I train.

My Racer-X will be locked and loaded on Friday, so I'm hitting the trails on Saturday and Sunday. I really can't wait to report back on how the new body handles the trail. I'm also really interested to see how the lungs will react under XC race training since I haven't ridden single-track since June. I have been questioning if I'm an mtn biker or not, since it's been so long. I'll find out soon enough, and report back to ya!

Pacer Out!