by Dirk McCuistion, Massage Specialits
The Biceps muscle extends from the radial tuberosity at the forearm to two separate attachments in the shoulder. Since this muscle crosses both the elbow and the shoulder it has actions on both joints. The Biceps acts in stabilizing the forearm and shoulder through any type of lifting or throwing motion. It is also a derotator of the forearm so this muscle actually aids in pronation and supination (rotation) of the forearm.
To the stretch your Bicep:
- Start by placing your hand on wall a little lower than shoulder height.
- With your hand on the wall make sure your thumb is pointing down toward the floor.
- Turn your shoulders so you are facing squarely away from the wall.
- Bend your knees
- As your should extends straighten your elbow
- You should feel a stretch across the length of you Biceps muscle
- Hold for at least 20 seconds and try the other side
Goal Setting
Setting goals for your triathlon season is important if you want to
improve upon where you are and how you raced last year. Let’s look
at a few simple ideas when goal setting.
One of the most important aspects of goal setting is making your
goals measurable. Your goal could be to ‘run a 28:00 minute 5k’ but
it shouldn’t be to ‘get faster’. We all want to get faster in a relative
sense, but we should put ourselves out there and ‘say what we
mean, and mean what we say’.
Another important aspect of goal setting is to make the goal
challenging but realistic. Say for example, your current fitness level
allows you to run a 40:00 10k off the bike; the chances of you
running 33:00 is not very likely in a season’s time. By no means do I
mean you should limit your goals, but they have to be realistic. One
of the strategies I follow when goal setting is to set myself up for a
few slam dunks along the way. Currently my fitness level tells me I
can swim a 14:10 for 1,000 yards. My first swim goal of the new
season will be to swim 14:00 for 1,000 yards by December 1st. Your
goals should be challenging but attainable. If you can’t reach the
first set of goals, how will you ever reach the harder ones?
More...
D3 Tips for the Off-Season - Sport Rotation/Ask the Coach
Mike,
In reading your Sept. ‘Ask the Coach’ article, you said you
do big run weeks, big bike weeks, and big swim weeks.
Are you doing other activities with those weeks like some
swimming during your run weeks, and biking during your
swim weeks, etc? Anything other than weights?
Sybil
This is a great question Sybil!
Earlier in my life I worked in a big city, took the train to work
everyday, and trained for triathlon about 6 hours per week. My
job was stressful and my commute was long; about 3 hours per
day. I lived in the Northeast, where the weather was very seasonal
and the winters were cold, dark and wet. I didn’t know it at the
time but I was training by what I now call ‘Sport Rotation’.
My triathlon season went from June through August. In the fall I
would run some road races but by mid October my season was
over. I usually took a few weeks off to let my mind and body
recover from the season. By December 1st I was usually starting to
log some consistent running miles and I would hit the weights 2-3
time per week. I would jump in the pool for a swim once per
week and maybe get on bike trainer once per week as well. This
cycle would continue on until February when I decided that my
run base was strong enough and I needed to start working on my
swim more frequently. I would drop my running back to 3-4 days
per week, and get in the pool 2-3 times. I would continue with
weights a few times a week, and I would try my best to get on my
bike trainer one time per week. Since the season’s dictated my
training schedule, sometimes I would be outside on my bike by
late February, but most times it wasn’t until early April. I would
usually put in as many miles as I could for April and May and by
June I would have a more balanced approach to training. More...
