Having recently returned from a fun day’s ‘Seminaring’ (if there is such a word) with the Sussex Mountain Bikers, I sit here in my comfy carver, reflecting on the events of a day, which bizarrely culminated with a trip to A&E and my diagnosis of ‘broken leg’. I must clarify that the fracture had nothing to do with the Sussex Mountain Bikers, it just happened to occur on the same day.
On the morning of Saturday 12th January, the then able bodied Matt Hart set off to Worthing in West Sussex to meet up for the day with a group of 11 knowledge hungry Mountain Bikers, all of which had rather unusual nicknames. The most strange by far was ‘Windy Side Bo**?!ks’, an apparently pleasant and popular kind of chap until he breaks wind. He also allegedly struggles to get to grips with his knowledge of basic human anatomy and this is where the second part of his name originates. When he fell off his bike a few months ago landing heavily on his hip, he seemingly clutched his groin instead of his side, screaming ‘ooohh me Bo**?!ks’. Perhaps his testicles were on vacation that day? As you can imagine, with other nicknames like Shirley, Spanky, Sponge Boy, Deadly and Cat Boy to figure out, it took us a while to get started, but we eventually did.
I was approached initially to run this seminar by a guy called Jim Barrow, who never disclosed his nickname, but judging by the amount of double entendres he managed to pin-down during the day’s proceedings, perhaps a fairly apt nickname would be ‘Inuendo Boy’! What do you reckon guys? Jim did do well to organize the whole thing though, so well done. Good job you didn’t fall ill for this one eh?
Jim has also written an account of the day’s events on the Sussex MTB site, which includes individual’s thoughts and a bit more on the practical interval training session where ‘Deadly’ unfortunately and involuntarily saw his breakfast again. Deadly is now called ‘Deadly Chunk-Blower’. It’s a cruel world!
The seminar started at 10:00am and finished at about 5:30pm and included theoretical workshops, a practical interval training session and plenty of opportunity for questions. Have a look at the itinerary below and if you fancy organizing something similar for your club or team, email me on matt@torq.ltd.uk, or phone 01923 212856 to discuss seminar content and prices. Similarly, the TORQ fitness weekends run on a very similar format, so for individuals and small groups this may be a better option.
Seminar Itinerary
10:00 – Introductions and informal discussions.
10:30 – Training Theory. The principles of training, looking at the interplay between the training session, recovery and nutrition. Followed by Q & A opportunity.
11:15 – Energy Systems. The body’s mechanisms of energy production and how these relate to Mountain Biking. Also, just as important – how these systems can be trained for optimal performance. The subject of interval training will be covered here. Followed by Q & A opportunity.
12:00 – Practical Interval Training. A chance to put theory into practice. We’ll go out on our bikes, warm-up for 15 minutes and then you’ll find out what is truly meant by the term ‘interval training’. You will need your stopwatch for this. We’ll finish off with an analysis of your results.
14:00 – Periodization of Training. Spelt with a ‘z’, because that’s how the Americans spell it. This topic will help to explain how you should cycle your training over the year. Successful training is not just about constructing a workable weekly plan – an annual plan is vital too. Followed by Q & A opportunity.
14:45 – Performance Nutrition (macronutrients). What should you be eating, when and why? All will be revealed. Followed by Q & A opportunity.
15 :30 – Strengthening the Immune System. This subject will deal with various methods of protecting yourself against colds and flu, as well as what to do if you’re infected! Followed by Q & A opportunity.
16:00 – Matt Hart’s undisclosed Mountain Biking tips! A list of little gems that I’ve picked up over the years (a list that is constantly being added to).
17:00 – Final Q & A session. My chance to sum-up and your chance to ask some final questions.
