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Slide Board Training
R2R Introduces Slide Board Training…Slide your way to
better results
So you've survived the Holidays and it's time to dust off the
bike and dig out the run shoes. Maybe your lifted some weights
or maybe your lifted your fork in the off season. Now it is time to
get back to it.
Early season workouts tend to be a base building type of affair,
long slow bike rides and easy aerobic runs. Problem is, that
without proper pre-base conditioning, injuries often occur at this
crucial point in the training year.
Some common injuries seen in cyclists early in the training
cycle are low back pain and various issues with hip stabilizer
muscle groups. Runners tend to discover problems in the hip
area due to small imbalances through forces created by form,
equipment or relative weakness in hip muscles.
Endurance athletes train their "forward moving" muscles:
quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. Little attention is paid to the
lateral motion and control muscles because, well, we don't move
side to side when we swim, run, or bike. But those are exactly the
muscles that need to be strengthened to prevent injury associated
with our forward motion, and make us a stronger, faster, more
efficient athlete.
We can divide the muscles of the body into two main groups,
the prime movers and the stabilizers. Obviously, the movers
make things happen. They are the muscles that drive us forward.
The stabilizers work to reduce unnecessary, inefficient motion in our joints, and maintain our balance. Wasted motion due
to weakness in stabilizing muscles can cause injuries. In our
hip the stabilizers are the three gluteus muscles, the piriformis,
and several small muscles deep in the pelvis. It is difficult to
strengthen them with traditional weight training.
Endurance athletes are always looking for ways to get
stronger, faster and more energy efficient. We tend to train
only with a static strength program, if at all, and we forget how
important lateral movement is to the flexibility of our hip complex
and strength and stabilization of our core. Core strength allows
for a balanced and stable center from which all movement is
generated.
Now is the time to address hip strength and stabilization issues
and commit to development of a stronger, more efficient core.
But how can you cram another conditioning program into an
already packed and busy day?
For the time challenged endurance athlete or anyone looking
to get a step ahead, consider adding Slide Board training to your
menu. Slide Board training strengthens the stabilizer muscles, in
a weight bearing position (standing) while the athlete is in motion.
This multi-dimensional weight bearing dynamic activity recruits
the stabilizers of the hip in a way that is difficult to duplicate, but
very necessary for endurance athletes. An additional bonus is by
strengthening the hip stabilizers you improve you balance, which is very important for injury prevention as well as efficiency! And
when you are looking at millions of steps and millions more pedal
revolutions, you need to have your body perfectly tuned. Slide
Board training provides an easy and efficient way to strengthen
your hip stabilizers to help prevent injuries with forward activities
such as running and cycling.
Slide Board Training works several plans of motion not just
forward plane and it forces us to work from the core as well. A
strong, stable core reduces stress on the stabilizer muscles and
by extension, ligaments, muscles and tendons as well. The
result is improved efficiency in the aero position and better form
and posture while running and even smoother movement through
the water.
Slide Board Training offers a myriad of benefits in exchange
for a relatively small investment of time. While we mainly
discussed the muscular and core related enhancements,
remember that Slide Board Training is a dynamite cardio workout
as well.
Give Slide Board Training a try this season and incorporate it
as a fun and valuable cross training tool throughout the year. We
know you will enjoy the benefits come race day. Happy Sliding!
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