Blog | dirtyheartmtb

Copy of Copy of D (2).png

Hot Topic: ‘Healthy’ food companies need to distance themselves from the emotional language of toxic

Hot Topic: ‘Healthy’ food companies need to distance themselves from the emotional language of toxic

A fistful of fries, glistening with salt and dunked in ketchup, definitely isn’t the smartest, healthiest eating option. But treating yourself to them occasionally won’t suddenly make your heart putter to a stop, your legs swell twice their size nor clog your arteries. We don’t eat purely for the purposes of physical health. Eating is emotional. We eat for enjoyment, for pleasure, for comfort. You’ll know that if you’ve ever eaten warming tomato soup when you’re feeling ill (

How to be a better cyclist without being in the saddle - FOAM ROLLING

How to be a better cyclist without being in the saddle - FOAM ROLLING

Cycling is a repetitive sport. A good cyclist should turn the pedals 90 times in a minute. In the same way that we maintain our bicycles by regularly lubing our chains, we should be optimising the performance of our bodies by using regular recovery strategies. The foam roller is a great recovery tool and has become a popular piece of equipment found in most gyms today. It is used to perform self-massage to the muscles and connective tissue of the body, otherwise known as s

QUICK GUIDE: Supplements for cyclists - What to take, what not to take

QUICK GUIDE: Supplements for cyclists - What to take, what not to take

As endurance athletes we tend to be very aware of what we put into our bodies. To keep up with the taxing rides, workouts and competitions, the body demands very specific fuel. Hang around a group of elite athletes long enough and you’ll see all sorts of dietary habits. However, nutrition from food alone often isn’t enough and so many use vitamin and mineral supplements to keep performance and recovery at their peak. But which supplements should you take? A stroll into any gi

Stage Race Nutrition - Getting it right

Stage Race Nutrition - Getting it right

From www.wines2whales.co.za The Issue: Over fuel and you’re left feeling sluggish, weighed down and potentially dealing with GI problems. Under fuel and you’ll be running out of energy and watching riders ride away from you. Not consuming enough will also promote poor recovery and increased risk of injury. Priorities are to FUEL + REPLENISH + RESTORE + HYDRATE: Fuel your body’s energy needs for the current day’s race. Refuel your body to recover from the current day’s race; r

STRONG is the new SEXY - Using strength to become a better rider.

STRONG is the new SEXY - Using strength to become a better rider.

As a personal trainer and triathlete, I train a variety of people; from those wanting to lose weight, those that want to tone and reshape their bodies, to athletes wanting to improve performance by improving their strength. The thing that I find most astounding is how relatively weak the athletes are, and they are often the "fittest" for their particular sport. For example, cyclists that can cycle for days but struggle with a 60 second plank or 15 push ups. I think there ar

Three Points of Contact - Hands, Feet & Saddle

Three Points of Contact - Hands, Feet & Saddle

During every ride, no matter the level of rider you are, there are 3 points of contact while on the bike. Your hands, your feet and your bum. Make sure you have the correct equipment and feel comfortable at these 3 points. HANDS You require properly sized handlebars and reach to make sure the bike fits on a very basic level. Make sure your brake angles, shifters and grips are adjusted correctly to ensure that you can not only reach the brake levers when you need to but also f

DIY "Racebar" - Make your Own

DIY "Racebar" - Make your Own

Make your own nutritious power packed bars for training rides and races. Ingredients: 1 cup packed dates, pitted and no sugar added 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup or agave, or combination) 1/4 cup all-natural peanut butter 1 cup raw almonds 1 1/2 cups rolled oats 1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional) Optional add-ins: 1 scoop protein powder of choice , other nuts, vanilla, sunflower seeds, raw cacao nibs (I like 2 Tbsp, for crunch), flaked coconut, toasted oats, etc. I like to

New Cycling Pedals May Help Kneecap Burnout?

New Cycling Pedals May Help Kneecap Burnout?

Here are some excerpts from a blog post written by a doctor after seeing his patient's results from using the Catalyst Pedals: "If you look at modern clip-in pedals, they have a key flaw. They basically replicate running on your toes… This ends up overloading the anterior compartment (kneecap)." Consider how the forces get transmitted when you...place force through the center of your foot… instead of running on your toes and transferring the force to the front of your knee, t

Women aren't small men: Myth busting female sports performance.

Women aren't small men: Myth busting female sports performance.

Women aren't small men. University of Waikato Research Fellow Dr Stacy Sims dispels some of the myths about female sports performance. University of Waikato Senior Research Fellow, Dr Stacy Sims, is changing attitudes in the sport science field. Her research addresses female physiology and how this influences athletic performance. Dr Sims’ research helps sport coaches to develop tailored training, nutrition and recovery programmes that enable women to achieve greater results.

8 Myths About Women Who Mountain Bike

8 Myths About Women Who Mountain Bike

My lady mountain-biking friends are some of the most intrepid women I know, but not all of us came by it naturally. Perhaps they were natural risk-takers as kids — but then again, I think most kids are open to taking risks (or none of us would have tried walking, right?). Too bad that the growing-up process often involves dimming or even snuffing out that bright, bold spark that moved us to try new, often risky things. Mountain biking women have managed to keep that spark goi

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating

Think about the workout you just did. As an athlete, you can’t just go through the motions during a workout. You have to put in effort and be committed. It is crucial to be in the moment and tuned into your body and learn your body's weakness + strengths in order to get the best performance gains. Being Mindful in your eating is the same practice of being fully attentive and tuned in to get the full benefits of your diet. What are those benefits? Well you’re likely to see i

Your Hips Don't Lie

Your Hips Don't Lie

When you’re out on your favourite trail or competing in a race, your success depends a lot on BALANCE. The better balanced you are, the more confident you will feel and naturally you will ride faster…and we all want to ride faster (or at least look the part while we’re doing it). Now we’re not talking here about mood swings…some of the best athletes I know are extremely unbalanced individuals! We’re talking about your ability to stay on your bike while navigating a single tra

Beets for performance

Beets for performance

Yeap. It’s true. In the sports world there are so many various herbs, foods and supplements touted for their performance enhancing abilities. However, it is rare for something to actually be scientifically studied and found to be legit. Beets have that stamp of science approval. So why aren’t we all juicing (literally) for the gains? Well let’s explore the topic a little more, particularly the implementation of this practice. Why are beets beneficial? Nitrates found in beets