Just Beet Yourself Up a Little

[related post: On Nutrition]

Beets are really weird. They're purple and squishy and have been described as tasting 'meaty'... personally, I think they're delicious, but they can take some getting used to!

You may have heard of some of the health benefits of beets: they dilate your blood vessels to improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, they guard against cancer and heart disease, they're a great source of healthy carbs... but did you know that many studies have shown that they can also improve athletic ability?

VO₂ is the measure of the amount of pulmonary oxygen you harness during exercise. The better your oxygen uptake, the better you will be at endurance drills... that's one reason the coaches keep screaming at lovingly reminding us to open up our lungs and BREEEAAATHE all the time.

Beet juice helps to REDUCE the oxygen cost of exercise, lowering the rate at which your body uses up oxygen. You also get the bonus of increased tolerance of high-intesity work rates, as well as a much lower perceived exertion level. So really, you're doing more, with better efficiency, and feel like you're doing less! It's the ultimate lazybutt's dream.

What we do: Canned sliced beets from Ralphs are cheap and easy to take on the go!

Just ONE DOSE of the purply stuff 1-3 hours before an event can help give you a small improvement in performance. In a study with cyclists, it took just one dose of 500mL of beet juice 2.5 hours before a time trial to improve.

So just think what even greater performance benefits “loading” a week before your event will give you! Elite rowers [I know I know, sorry! But it was the best example I could find] who consumed beet juice for 6 days performed better on an erg test. I believe Alcan is 6 days away... *hint hint nudge ;]

Quick recap:

Eat BEETS for
- slower oxygen uptake
- longer time to exhaustion
- lower perceived exertion
- increased performance

In the wise words of Captain Roger: "Just beet it! Hahaha I'm so punny!"

 

P.S. It was so hard coming up with a title for this. Too many good options. So I'm just going to post them here:
"Beets. Bears. Battlestar Galactica."
"Bring on the Beet"
"This Beet's Everything!"
"Don't Miss a Beet"
"We got soda... OJ... purple stuff!"

Hop on the Special Boat to Oakland!

With only two more months until Oakland, it's time to throw some extra training into the mix.  I know many of you have already been working hard, pushing that wall at practice, in the gym, at the track.  What else can you we do to prepare?

Hop on the Special Boat!  We now have the Special Boat reserved both Saturday and Sunday before practice.  From now until Oakland, the Special Boat will be focused on the little things that we don't take the time to work on in regular practice anymore.  What are those things?  Technique.  Timing.  Cadence.  Effectively transferring power into the water.  The first six strokes of the start.  The recovery.  There will be a coach on the bow with a super critical eye, looking for perfection.  Don't expect a "hard" workout - tabatas, intervals, finishes will be saved for regular practice.  Do expect pause drills (I know, your favorite), waltz drills, exit drills, paddling with your eyes closed.  What you learn in Special Boat can be practiced further in the higher intensity environment of the regular practice that follows.

As always, Special Boat is open and encouraged for everyone, regardless of your paddling goals or paddling ability.  If your goal is to tik sum rass in Oakland, consider Special Boat as an important way for you to do your part in getting us one stroke closer to Italy.

SD Hell Week - Alcan 2013

It’s that time again! HELL WEEK woooo!

Even if you’re not going to Alcan, let’s keep up the team spirit, get Hell Week done and push each other to be better!  Always remember to stretch and do some cardio for warm up! 

And NO INJURIES.

MONDAY:

Bronze: Leg Circuit

Silver: add Ab Circuit

Gold: add mountain climbers (3 sets, 45 seconds each set)

TUESDAY:

Bronze: Ab Circuit

Silver: add Robert’s Twisting Plank -Lay your forearms on the ground and plant your toes. Hold your body up in a strong, straight line, twist your upper body, bringing your free arm under your body, with rotation! (35 seconds each side; 3 sets)

Gold: add Leg Circuit

WEDNESDAY:

Practice! Or if you miss practice:

Dead Man’s Burpee Challenge (http://www.spacedragons.org/2011/06/dead-mans-burpee-challenge.html)

THURSDAY:

Space Murph:

1. Run (“Run1”)

2. Crunchy Frogs (“CF”)

3. Squat Jumps (“SJ”)

4. Scissor Lunges (“SL”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j0N-LLMQtY

5. Burpees (“Bp”)

6. Push-ups (“PU”)

7. Side plank w/ leg lift (“SP”)

8. Run (“Run2”)

Bronze:

Run1: 0.25 miles | CF:  50 | SJ: 50 | SL: 25 | Bp: 25 | PU: 50 | SP: 50 | Run2: 0.25 miles

Silver:

Run1: 0.25 miles | CF:  100 | SJ: 100 | SL: 50 | Bp: 50 | PU: 100 | SP: 100 | Run2: 0.25 miles

Gold:

Run1: 0.50 miles | CF:  150 | SJ: 150 | SL: 100 | Bp: 75 | PU: 125 | SP: 100 | Run2: 0.50 miles

Rules: Do Run1 at the beginning, Run2 at the end.  All exercises in between can be split up however you wish in whatever order you wish, as long as at the end you completed the numbers listed above.  Any exercise that is one-sided (i.e., side planks) means you need to do the amount listed for each side.  For example, if you are doing bronze, you need to do 50 side planks w/ leg lifts on your right side, and 50 side planks w/ leg lifts on your left side.  You can split the side planks up so you do 10 planks, the move on to 20 burpees, and then come back to finish the rest of the planks later.

FRIDAY:

Bronze: Ab Circuit

Silver: add Leg Circuit

Gold: add tabata alligator push-ups (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok8d8GG4CFY)

LEG CIRCUIT:

1. Wall Sits (maximum duration)

2. Star Jumps

3. Tuck Jumps

4. One legged rotational squat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUWEdzfTNl4

5. Three-Point Lunge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_4cQJC8Dwo

Do wall sits before every other set. Each exercise for 30 seconds is one set. For one legged rotational squat and the three-point lunge, do 30 seconds for each leg.

Do five sets.

AB CIRCUIT:

1. Bicycle Crunches

2. V-Ups

3. Mason Twists

4. Side Plank

5. Dead Bugs

Each exercise for 35 seconds is one set.  Side planks are 35 seconds for each side.

Do five sets.

Any questions? Don’t know how to do an exercise? Ask on Spacebook!

SD Weekly Digest 6/5/13

Hard Work vs Practice

“Hard work is the sweat and tears you put toward a single task” … Practice “trains and refines your body and your mind to perform a single task beautifully, effortlessly, strongly and gracefully”

So, while off-the-water training is very important, make no mistake that practice is a critical component to doing your best both individually and as part of a team.  Though life schedules can become hectic, do your best to make it out to practice regularly, your body will approve ;)

  

1.  2013 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival (VANCOUVER) – Fri Jun 21 – Sun Jun 23 

-   Still 4-5 Men’s spots left!  Sign up before it’s too late!

-   We have 2 mixed boats REGISTERED! Plus genders =)

-   Fri Practice: We do like to take advantage of our Alcan practice to get in their boats and taste the False Creek waters.  It is not mandatory, but we will have a practice, likely around 4p-6p.

-   Travel via Seattle: I-5 bridge collapse may complicate travel from Seattle airport to Vancouver, review your travel plans!.

-   Event Website: http://dragonboatbc.ca/home/

-   ACTION ITEMS:

    ->  PASSSPORT: Make sure it is valid through 12/31/13!

    ->  LODGING: Finalize your roomies and lodging plans!

    ->  WAIVERS: On-line waiver signing – keep a look out for YOUR invite!

2.  BAKE SALE – Sat July 6th 

-   Save the date!  Only 1 month away!  

-   Start thinking of COOL things to bake!

-   Stay tuned for sign-up links for goodies and/or sales support

3.  Big LB – Sat/Sun July 27-28 

-   Sign up!

-   3 Mixed boats, Genders, Masters, 500m and 200m races

4.  2013 PDBA CLUB CREW QUALIFIERS (Oakland) – Aug 10-11

-   Check it out and sign-up NOW if you are interested

-   Winners of these races get the opportunity to represent the US in Italy 2014!

-   Remember the Big Picture!

5.  2013 Treasure Island Dragonboat Races – Sep 14-15

-   Check it out and sign-up NOW if you are interested

-   Space Dragons Traditional season ender!

-   Remember 2012?  …  Work Hard Play Hard

6. SAFETY TEST

   - Don't forget to review the attached safety materials, do the safety test and make sure you got all of the correct answers.  Then at practice, tell Captain Roger and sign the SCDBC sheet.

7.  PRACTICE - Sat/Sun 9am, Wed 5:30p-Sunset

   - Practice Poll Reminder: Be mindful of the practice poll. We need your poll responses for Sat/Sun practice by Wed 7p to properly notify SCDBC, later responses, while helpful to coaches and captains, do not help us satisfy our obligations to the association, beach monitors and the greater DB community.

** Wed/Sat/Sun Practice Poll (fill it out and keep it updated with changes)!

    SPECIAL BOAT – Sat/Sun 7:45a, before normal practice (8a ON THE WATER)

   -  Adding Sundays starting THIS WEEK!  

 Please be on time, we only have 1hr!

   -  Usually a smaller group, so an accurate practice poll is extremely important.  Please keep this poll updated! Don't be "that guy" who signs up and then doesn't show up!

** Special Boat Practice Poll (fill it out and keep it updated with changes)!

 -- Your Captains

SD Weekly Digest 5/29/13

Summer is Coming

The air is starting to warm up for Summer.  Make sure you bring plenty of hydration for paddling and land drills.  Proper hydration will allow you to maximize your workouts and recovery!

** General reminder to please sign up for EVERY team Evite (Yes / Maybe / No) 

1.  Alcan OC-2 Time Trial Makeups – Sat 6/1 

-   YES, this Sat!  After practice.  If you have not already done so, make sure you notify coaches if you are planning on participating.

2.  PRACTICE - Sat/Sun 9am, Wed 5:30p-Sunset

   - Practice Poll Reminder: Be mindful of the practice poll. We need your poll responses for Sat/Sun practice by Wed 7p to properly notify SCDBC, later responses, while helpful to coaches and captains, do not help us satisfy our obligations to the association, beach monitors and the greater DB community.

 ** Wed/Sat/Sun Practice Poll (fill it out and keep it updated with changes)!

    SPECIAL BOAT – Sat 7:45a, before normal practice (8a ON THE WATER)

   -  Sat only until June!  

 Please be on time, we only have 1hr!

   -  Usually a smaller group, so an accurate practice poll is extremely important.  Please keep this poll updated! Don't be "that guy" who signs up and then doesn't show up!

 ** Special Boat Practice Poll (fill it out and keep it updated with changes)!

3.  2013 Alcan Dragon Boat Festival (VANCOUVER) – Fri Jun 21 – Sun Jun 23 

-   Still a few slots left, both boys and girls!  Sign up ! Before it’s too late!

-   We have 2 mixed boats REGISTERED! Plus genders =)

-   Fri Practice: We do like to take advantage of our Alcan practice to get in their boats and taste the False Creek waters.  It is not mandatory, but we will have a practice, likely around 4p-6p.

-   ACTION ITEMS:

    ->  WAIVERS: On-line waiver signing – keep a look out for the invite!

4.  BAKE SALE – Sat July 6th 

-   Save the date!  Only 1 month away!  

-   Stay tuned for sign-up links for goodies and/or sales support

5.  Big LB – Sat/Sun July 27-28 

-   Sign up!

-   3 Mixed boats, Genders, Masters, 500m and 200m races

6.  2013 PDBA CLUB CREW QUALIFIERS (Oakland) – Aug 10-11

-   Check it out and sign-up NOW if you are interested

-   Winners of these races get the opportunity to represent the US in Italy 2014!

-   Remember the Big Picture!

7.  2013 Treasure Island Dragonboat Races – Sep 14-15

-   Check it out and sign-up NOW if you are interested

-   Space Dragons Traditional season ender!

-   Remember 2012?  …  Work Hard Play Hard

  

-- Your Captains