Biking & Always!

I am super happy to complete my hat-rick 100 miler historic race(El Tour De Tucson) in Tucson, Arizona beating my 2 previous ride timings.  If you have not read my previous 2 ride summary, please click the links below 2022 https://www.bikingandalways.com/2022/12/el-tour-de-tucson-2022.html 2021 https://www.bikingandalways.com/2021/12/the-el-tour-de-tucson-is-epic-cycling.html Last year was one of my busiest year with hectic work schedule, taking up a new job function, family events, strength training, injuries, recovery but yet it is one of my strongest year. One of my favorite activity for for last week of every year is to look back, cherish and decode key facts for the year. This year I wrote things I should continue, improve and stop Top 3 things I should continue   Strength training & Cycling Read for 15 mins daily Measure consistently & Pivot Top 3 things I should Improve Active listening Let others fail & learn Focus on long term outcomes Top 3 things I should Stop Im

I am super thrilled to share my second consecutive 100 miler bike race journey in Tucson, Arizona. Before I begin, a quick summary of what El Tour de Tucson is and recap from last year can be found in below link. Please read through this if you haven't already. You will get a context to this experience I am sharing here  https://www.bikingandalways.com/2021/12/the-el-tour-de-tucson-is-epic-cycling.html Right after my maiden race last year, my goal was to participate again in 100 miles race in 2022 and be the best version of me, of-course beating my own record from last time ( Completing the 100 mile race less than 6:34 minutes ). Key to success in cycling is thorough planning, meticulous execution and consistent efforts. Well, I had everything sorted in paper and what are best ways to achieve them but life had something else planned. I started off the year 2022 testing positive for COVID. Though, I was asymptomatic, my training rhythm, heart rate and metabolism had a a huge toll fo

Yes it is true, you don't need to spend hours of training in gym to become stronger. Thanks to multi joint exercises. This video and message is for those who share an excuse that they don't find time to go to gym. Multijoint exercises are part of compound movement that uses more than one muscle group of your body and provides more bang for your buck. Even a simple 3 set 6/8 reps for 15 mins would burn more calories than doing a cardio for 1 hour in gym. Before you begin, you might need to purchase a 10/20/25 lbs kettlebell, dumbell & barbell. All links given at the end of the blog.  Time you need: 15 to 20 minutes Frequency : Every other day Sets : 3 Reps : 6/8/10/12/15(Start with less reps and increase gradually to maximum reps) Let's compound Before doing any workout regime, spend 2-3 minutes for a quick stretch of your upper/lower body. Stretching loosens your muscle, warms the body and avoids injury Kettlebell swings Barbell squat Barbell row Barbell deadlift Dumbbe

 Grand Canyon Rim to Rim is 26 mile strenuous hike with altitude drops of more than 9000 feet and elevation gain of 4000 feet. It starts in North Kaibab trail head of North rim and ends in Bright angel trail head in South rim.  Everywhere you will be seeing a warning board like this. Doing rim to rim as day hike is of-course very tough but it is not something dangerous or unachievable. Planning the day well and training your body for elevation gains and high heat weather conditions will make your hike achievable and rewarding How to train for Grand Canyon Day Hike GC rim to rim hike from North to South can be split into 4 parts 7 miles downhill - Usually cold, windy and taxing on your knee 8 miles medium downhill, dry/flat box zone 6 miles medium elevation with high heat tiring zone 5 miles of high elevation stairs Above split is my logical break and based on the plan that you start early in the day in north rim and finish during sunset in south rim. Base building For any endurance wor

As we have discussed in my previous blogs, key to fitness is consistency and varying intensity. If you have always been training at the same level of intensity, your body gets used to it and bringing noticeable improvement to your strength is bit challenging. Different people have different fitness goals. For my father who is 70+ years old, doing same intensity every day enables him to maintain his current strength and mobility but if you are like me in 40, who wants to improve the current strength then best option is to include variety and varying intensity in your training program. As a fitness enthusiast and budding coach, I have put together 7 key workouts that you need to include in your weekly routine. These routines will work for all fitness levels(beginner to advanced) and has many options to mix up the workload and intensity factor.  Work routines can be created focusing on certain muscle groups or focus on core strength.  I recommend to include core muscles, fullbody and legs

If you are following my blog, I believe you understood the importance of staying physically activity. Being active, perhaps doesn't amplify fitness beyond a point. What is the best way to measure, train and amplify your fitness. The magic word is Vo2 Max.  What is Vo2 Max Body inhales oxygen and pushes into blood stream during breathing. Heart pumps the blood into muscles, oxygen gets converted into chemical reaction which eventually fuels the muscle to do the work( Wow, Energy ). Vo2 max is the amount of oxygen your body can intake and pump them into muscle as energy during a hard workout. More the V02 max, more is your fitness. During hard workout, many of us would do heavy breathing. This is simply because, body needs to pump more blood into muscle as energy however soon you will realize your system is drained and ready to crash. While crashing is absolutely normal, the duration of crash is different for different people based on their fitness. Vo2 Max is the measurement  that s