30 minutes total A surefire way to set holiday lethargy ablaze Warmup: 5 min, jumproping alternating 50 hits of both feet, alternating feet, alternating high knees THEN: C2 rower, 1 min. Easy THEN: C2 rower tabata, 20 seconds on all out, 10 seconds easy for 8 minutes straight THEN: Straight to spin bike, 2 min easy spin warmup THEN: 20 seconds on all out, 10 seconds easy for 8 minutes straight Cooldown: 5 minutes easy spinning on spin bike.
Short, sweet and hard to beat. Remember, all out means highest sustainable pace so you begin with same intensity you finish with.
WHY IT'S RAD: If you have a head with a more round than oval shape, you can't go wrong with this helmet. Light, well-ventilated, and the choice of numerous pro teams before Giro rolled out the forthcoming prolight, the ionos looks sharp and has one of the best retention systems in the game. Easy to adjust to fit your melon with a quick pinch on the Roc Loc at the rear of the helmet, and you're ready to go. Also, the Roc Loc doesn't interfere with the arms of shades the way some retention systems do (majorly annoying on any ride, but particularly when you get into the 4-hour plus game). Wide variety of finishes available to suit your Category 4-going-pro lifestyle.
BUMMERS?: Really, really wish Giro would revise their sizing and come up with something in between the medium and large sizes. The medium presses into my forehead and gives me a headache plus nice indentations in my head every time I wear it and the large fits passably but gives me that Paolo Bettini mushroom head look. It's odd because the Bell size medium helmets fit me perfectly as do Specialized size medium, Giro not so much. My other tester, who has a 'round' head, though, scored a perfect fit with the ionos and rates it as the best helmet in his quiver.
WHY IT'S RAD: With the advent of riser bars, even cross country/casual trail riders tend to forgo bar-ends these days. After spending a few months, including one nine-hour trek through the Rockies, sans bar-ends on my mountain bike, I got tired of doing the 'fake bar-end.' You know, where you hold the ends of your grips and make believe you have bar-ends just so you can have an extra hand position. I switched over to the GX2 and my hands have never been happier. I tried the first iteration of the Ergon grips a while back and was pleased with their performance, but they had palm platforms that I found to be a tad too large and the angle between the ergo palm platform and grip surface was a bit funky. Ergon got it right on the GX2, and you can adjust the angle of the bar-ends independently of the grip angle. Killer. The surface area of the ergonomic palm pad has been reduced relative to the first-gen offering, and Ergon seems to have hit the sweet spot this time. If you're riding conventional round grips and haven't tried these, I highly recommend them, either with or without bar-ends depending on your riding preference. I was a bit doubtful that the shorty-style bar-end on the GX2 would be long enough to make much of a difference, but when you take the surface area of the palm ergo platform into account, it's a perfect equation—just enough length to fully support three fingers on the bar-end and your palm on the ergo platform. The bar ends are magnesium and don't add enough weight to be noticeable just the way it should be. These grips have made mountain biking much more fun, have greatly reduced hand fatigue on the trail, and make the long slogs I take through the city on the way to the trails much more bearable by giving me a few additional hand positions to work with. Like all modern grips, these have a bolt that cinches the grip down to the bar, so they will never spin no matter how hard you pull or how much you sweat. Bravo.
WHY IT'S RAD: After spending more than a year lugging around up to 90 pounds back and forth to parks for functional strength and conditioning sessions using a 15-year-old Lowe internal-frame backpack, I began researching a better alternative. Apparently I'm the only person in America walking around in the city carrying heavy loads, because I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I had several mountaineering friends who do training similar to what you see here on www.drillit.tv who recommended I look into Osprey packs. My research led me to the Aether 70, a robust, durable pack with a custom-fit option that comes with AirScape suspension, an IsoFrom Harness and IsoForm CM hipbelt (that can be heat-molded at a dealer for the aforementioned custom fit option). Available in three sizes, I opted for the Large and the 4400 cubic inches of storage space. I've overloaded the Aether more than once with a 50-pound sandbag, a 25-pound sandbag and a kettlebell, all at the same time, and I have yet to blow out anything on the pack. It has dual pockets on the sides that easily swallow large water bottles plus there's a hydration pack sleeve. In addition to a gargantuan main compartment separated from the bottom compartment/tent/sleeping bag ditch area, the top-loading pack has a nice storage space on the top flap, so it's always easy to get at my iPod, wallet, phone, keys, throwing stars, whatever, even when the pack is filled with a cripplingly heavy load. Compression straps galore make cinching down the load easy, and I've never experienced a pack that came anywhere close to feeling as good as this one did on my back thanks to the numerous adjustment options that made dialing in fit easy (even though I didn't read the directions). Big thumbs up, highly recommended for your training arsenal.
WHY IT'S RAD: As a long-time Oakley M-Frame/Razor devotee, I wasn't sure anyone could do a better job of making a cycling-specific shade than Oakley was already doing. After spending months using the Havik 2 Full, I can say that Giro has created an equal to Oakley's offerings that I can highly recommend. Well-ventilated and with Zeiss lenses, these puppies give you a crystal-clear view of the road, cars running red lights, and the ass of the rider in front of you in the paceline, even in a downpour. The lens coating isn't overly delicate, so it's not a problem to brush off snot/spit/road muck/tire spray, a critical feature if you're going to be out in a group or riding in weather. Giro was the first company to offer a higher profile lens over the nose bridge, a feature that cycling shades have needed forever, so kudos to them for spurring competitors to follow their path. The arms on the Havik's fit slightly tighter than what I'm used to on M-Frames/Razors/etc., but not so tightly that they're annoying. The pressure point is to the rear of the ear with the Havik 2's arms rather than directly above the ear as is the case with Oakley's. The look of the Havik 2's is full-on Euro-pro, so if that's what you dig on and off the bike, you're in luck.
WHY IT'S RAD: Weighs nothing, durable, fits my bottom perfectly. After two decades of trying to find a saddle I can ride without destroying my perineum and prostate, I have finally found it. It took running through literally of dozens of saddles and trying everything on the market before I discovered the Toupe. This saddle is simply the best, most awesome seat I've ever tried. I was on the first generation Specialized BG saddle the month it came out more than a decade ago. It was a great, but imperfect concept. Since then Specialized has perfected it. You can sit on this seat all day and not be any worse for the wear in the bedroom the same night—something I can't say of any other saddle I've ever tried. Once you get on the Toupe, you will no longer have to pee every five minutes the rest of the day after you ride a bike, either. That's the way cycling should be—genital pain free.
$: $170
BUMMERS?: If you're not used to riding a very, very firm saddle, the Toupe will take some getting used to as it shifts the load of your bodyweight off your perineum and onto the points of your sit bones. You'll get used to it, though, in a few weeks, and then you'll be very, very glad that you did.
WHY IT'S RAD: My first mountain bike was my mom's pink Schwinn Mirada. I essentially repo'd that rig, a mother's day gift my dad gave her, when I was 14 and getting heavily into the hot mountain bike scene at Kansas City's Minor Park. After that it was a full rigid Specialized Stumpjumper with Shimano Deore DX and thumbshifters. I remember waking up in my tent the day after I rode the 409 trail in Crested Butte thinking that I had literally broken my wrists they hurt so bad. Those days are long gone and in the interim I've had the chance to ride hundreds of different bikes, some good, some that sucked (my K2 Razorback full suspension rig comes to mind. Snapped the chainstay on that one, and it just basically sucked). I'm not a huckomatic kind of guy. That shit's cool, but I'm 34 and use my arms and hands for a living and don't have a desire to be typing one-handed. I put a premium on a bike tough enough to handle my size—6'2", 180 pounds—that's a decent weight (under 27 pounds is good, I'd love lighter but I'm not prepared to trade in my car for one of the current crop of $10,000 full carbon rigs with all the gingerbread), that climbs without much pedal-induced bob and is geared towards xc riding. Right now I'm primarily on fire roads because that's what I can ride to from where I live. I'm not in love with the blue/black/white paintjob on my Giant Anthem 4.0 and sure, I wish I was on the carbon version with XTR, but this is a very, very solid and capable rig. It's the best climbing full suspension bike I've ridden, even out of the saddle, feels solid and stable on wide-open descents, and can take a beating without falling apart. Pedaling is generally very, very smooth to the point that I just don't think about the fact that I'm on a full suspension bike. It disappears underneath me, and that's what it's supposed to do. The Fox F100RL fork has tremendous torsional stiffness, smooths things out adequately, and hasn't blown up, so it gets good marks in my book. The full Shimano XT groupo is bombproof and keeps shifting perfectly, which is great because I like riding bikes, not spending all of my time fixing them. The ancillary components like seatpost, stem, bars, etc. are all quality Race Face stuff, totally adequate, durable, and nice to see name brand components in these areas where many manu's cut corners with house brand kit. My Anthem isn't superlight, probably about 27 pounds, but I'm always confident I'm not going to destroy anything on the bike, and nothing on it is so exotic that I'll have a problem replacing it. Also, it has a water bottle mount on the downtube I can actually fit a water bottle in (awesome, don't always feel like drinking stagnant Camelbak pond scum, nice to be able to grab a bottle out the door and roll). I've also moved back to Shimano XTR clipless pedals on this rig (I'm a longtime Time user). The float isn't as buttery as the Time ATAC's I've used for years, but they also don't have the weird lateral float ATAC's have, which I don't like and which always cause your feet to migrate to the outside of their pedals thus increasing Q Factor and fucking up your spectacular, efficient pedal stroke. Have had zero probs with the Shimano pedals, entry and release is crisp, float is okay but not great, and they don't detach from the spindles like Crank Brothers pedals (which I will never use again after ripping a Crank Bros pedal body off of the axle and impaling my shin bone a few years back). I'm very happy with this bike overall. It's a hell of a value in its category, as Giant bikes usually are and allows you to do some very serious mountain biking without forking over the down payment on a house. I just wish I had the '10 model, which has a much, much better paint job. Curious to try the new Giant 29ers also.
BUMMERS?: Not into the paintjob, but that doesn't impact my ride experience. Saddles are a matter of personal preference. When will someone make a suspension fork that allows you to get up and hammer out of the saddle without bobbing like a pogo stick? The Fox Float RP2 shock on the rear of this rig allows me to do that, the fork doesn't. The WTB saddle on this rig is a genital destroyer IMO. Other folks with different ass shapes may love it. As for me, I'm looking forward to getting a Specialized seat on the Anthem at some point.
1 hr 30 min 15 min warmup 60 min. Intervals @ high end of tempo range on the cusp of LT, all very high cadence, 2000 ft climbing -only recovery during descents (pedal high rpm all the way down) and for traffic obstructions
WHY IT'S RAD:The best shoes I've ever used for FST and weight training, ever. Also the best shoes I've ever used for off-road running form drills. Much loved in the off-road running world, these shoes are basically a form-fitting carapace that allows your feet to function the exact same way they would if you were barefoot, but with more protection. The top is snug, but not constricting spandex. The soles are thin, supple, and allow the sole of your foot to function exactly as it does barefoot. You develop superior foot, ankle, and calf strength, mobility, and proprioception when you wear these shoes. Wear them when you train and you will see benefits in these areas within a few training sessions. Wear them running and you immediately notice what you're doing wrong—if you have bad form or heel strike, it will hurt. That's because you're not supposed to heel strike, something that starts to make a lot of sense when you try running barefoot. These shoes have made every training session I've had more productive, allowed me to zero in on deficiencies in my form on any movement where my feet are on the ground, and have made me a stronger cyclist, too. If you're a cyclist, give them a shot just as an around the house/wearing around shoe and you'll garner some of the same benefits I've experienced. In my experience, the FiveFingers Classic model, which uses an adjustable elastic band around the upper, is ideal for indoor training while the Flow model, which has a Velcro strap and covers the entire top of the foot, is better for training outdoors. Washing machine safe, so you can get the stink out, too.
BUMMERS?: None, really. A little trickier than a normal shoe for using on the TRX. Not ideal for wearing in concrete jungle, but worth wearing on the streets/sidewalks on occasion because they help you learn what you're doing wrong with your feet when you're walking. And if you've been wearing normal running shoes or crosstrainers your entire life, you're probably doing something wrong. These shoes will change how you move.
WHY IT'S RAD: Shimano's custom-fit off-the-shelf concept brings tailor made luxury to your feet, sort of. You go into a Shimano dealer, stick your foot in a special vacuum-sealer and heater, and the insoles and shoes are molded to your feet. Bam, shoes that fit your feet perfectly. Really. I was very impressed with my experience at iMartin in LA. It took less than a half hour and when I took my maiden voyage a few hours later, I was rolling in the best fitting bike shoes I've ever owned. I've run into trouble with low-volume, narrow toe boxes on Shimano shoes in the past, but not with this model. Plenty of headroom and width up front, but not too much, and a heel counter that holds my foot perfectly in place. I still prefer the even feel of the Boa lacing system over the straps and ratchet arrangement found on this shoe, but it's not a deal killer. The Shimano sole remains one of the stiffest of any shoe manufacturer out there delivering seemingly zero loss of power transfer without being so stiff your feet go numb. The custom-fit insoles are heaven on your candy pillows. The aggressive tread makes getting off the bike to push or stomp on rattlesnakes easy, but it also adds a noticeable amount of weight to the shoe. If you're not a World Cup racer you may not care. Put this shoe on a diet and give it a Boa lacing system and it's 100% home run. As it is, still a killer shoe, will fit your foot better than anything else you buy off the shelf, and may make you feel 8% more beautiful and lean.
BUMMERS: Noticeably heavier than any other mountain bike shoe I have owned in recent history, and heavier than shoes I owned half a decade ago, too. The gigantic heel lugs and overbuilt sole seem to account for most of the weight. The weight in the heel feels like it weighs down the back of your foot on the bike but the aggressive, overbuilt sole means they won't wear out too fast. You'd need a rotary grinder to wear these things down.
WHY IT'S RAD: After years of having their top athletes rock M-Frames and Radars, except for those that went the Travis Brown/Hincapie/Craig Lewis route, Lance Romance, Cav, and numerous others switched to the Jawbone. Now that I've had time to check them out, I still prefer the Radar XL for the vast majority of my riding. The Jawbones feel heavier on my face, don't have unobstructed peripheral vision due to a frame that goes all the way around the lenses, and don't offer as much coverage as the Radar XL. What I find greatly appealing is the quality of construction and the ease of swapping lenses. If you've ever swapped lenses on a pair of Radars, M-Frames or roboshades from other manu's, you know it can be a pain in the ass to pop and switch those puppies without creating a thumbprint apocalypse that takes five minutes of huffing and buffing to get rid of. You won't have this problem with the Jawbones. They're also a more stylistically subtle shade option for off-the-bike or whatever wear. Quality of lenses is top notch and I haven't noticed any perceptible distortion.
BUMMERS?: Fit slightly tighter than Radar's/Radar XL's on temples, slightly heavier too.
WHY IT'S RAD: Not everyone is in love with the robo-shade look, but I've been on board since mini-truck freestylin' legend RL Osborn got funky with Oakley Blades back in the day. Since then Oakley has continually elevated their sport optics game and made the M-Frame then Radar go-to shades for endurance sport athletes. I love them because I barely notice I'm wearing them, they don't pinch my head (this depends on your noggin size though), they have the most uninterrupted field of peripheral vision of any shade I've tried thanks to the lack of frame around the sides and bottom, and the optics are crisp. My only gripe with the regular old Radar and the M-Frame before it is/was that these shades didn't cover enough of the face above the bridge of your nose. That meant that when you had your head down, you ended up looking at the top of the frame in your bottom field of vision and had sunlight flooding in over the top. The Radar XL solves this problem with more coverage in the exact spot where I (and apparently their athletes) wanted it.
BUMMERS?: The Iridium coating completes the robo-look, but damn, these babies scratch easily. And that's a bummer when you consider that's a big chunk of what you're paying for. I baby mine and still managed to get a scratch directly over my right eye. Fuck.
*To be executed 2 times per week with at least 48 hours between bouts
*Just do pull-ups/push-ups during 2nd round, not 1st
A 2 x’s, 10 reps per set:
Oly Bar Clean
B 1 x, as circuit, 10 reps per movement
X-over Lunge
Oly Bar Deadlift
Lateral Lunge
Barbell Front Squat to Overhead Press
Rotational Lunge
Dumbbell Single Leg/Single Arm Deadlift
C (2 x’s, push-ups 1 x)
20 push-ups, 20 pull-ups
Bent Over Row
20 push-ups, 20 pull-ups
Oly Bar Bus Driver
20 push-ups, 20 pull-ups
Shoulder circuit (w/ 5# dbs):
-lateral Dumbbell raise
-front Dumbbell raise
-Bent over Dumbbell raise
-W Dumbbell Shoulder Rotation
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
THEN: (after completing 2 rounds of above circuit)
TRX:
Sprinter’s Start
Hamstring Press
Suspended Lunge
Hip Press
Single Leg Squat
Hamstring Press
Hip Press
Hamstring Bicycle
08 December 2009
40 minutes total
5 min. walk warmup
7 min. dynamic stretch
-walking lunge
-walking hamstring bent over toe touches
-walking high kicks
-walking high knee ankle grabs
-walking lateral lunges
-walking rotating lunges
THEN, as I go you go. A=person 1, B=person 2
-1st person does A then switches to B while B switches to A
2 min. A=jump rope B=carioca
2 min. B=carioca B=jump rope
2 min. A=jump rope B=lateral shuffle
2 min. A=lateral shuffle B=jump rope
2 min. A=jump rope B=carioca
2 min. B=carioca B=jump rope
2 min. A=jump rope B=lateral shuffle
2 min. A=lateral shuffle B=jump rope
2 min. A=jump rope B=high knee run
2 min. A=high knee run B=jump rope
5 min. walk cool down
FST Winter Training Protocol *two times a week for next 12 weeks *To be executed 2 times per week with at least 48 hours between bouts *Just do pull-ups/push-ups during 2nd round, not 1st
20 push-ups, 20 pull-ups THEN: Two rounds of the following, 5 reps per movement
Oly Bar Clean Oly Bar Snatch DB X-over Lunge Oly Bar Deadlift Oly Bar Straight Leg Deadlift DB Lateral Lunge Barbell Front Squat to Overhead Press Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift Med Ball Rotational Lunge Dumbbell Single Leg/Single Arm Deadlift Kettlebell Overhead Swing Bent Over Row Single Arm Row Single Arm Dumbbell Push Press Oly Bar Bus Driver
2.5 hour mtb ride on road, marin headlands loop with infomatics guru E. Doyne and TV. Big ups to TV for rolling in freezing ass temps with platform pedals and tennies. It takes brass balls to haul the frame that helped Cal win 4 rugby national championships up 2k vert. Well done. Typed by thumb, sent via ESP. Follow me at: www.andrewvontz.com, www.drillit.tv, @vontz
03 December 2009
'In every endeavor, people who concentrate and refuse to quit become the elite.' -from Extreme Alpinism by Mark Twight and James Martin Typed by thumb, sent via ESP. Follow me at: www.andrewvontz.com, www.drillit.tv, @vontz
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