Each Monday in January we posted our “Make it Happen Monday” articles in an effort to help inspire and motivate you to reach your ultimate weight goals. Today is the “bonus” 5th Monday of the month and I wanted to wrap things up with my overall HOT LIST.

I’m not a licensed nutritionist, but what I’m sharing is some good common sense suggestions that will likely go far in helping you become a better and healthier cyclist. I also welcome you to add in any HOT LIST tips of your own in the comments section below.

1.     Set a Cycling Goal – Before the week even starts, be sure to set a goal for yourself to reach each week.  Pick a certain distance or amount of hours you’ll spend on your bike…and then go get it.
2.     Add Bran to your daily food intake (Men: 14g of fiber for every 1,000 calories; Women: 25g per day)
3.     Use the Bike to your advantage – When you’re craving something to eat that you know shouldn’t enter your mouth, think to yourself how much better you’ll feel and how faster you’ll be on the bike if you don’t allow yourself to eat it.
4.     Drink Water – I’m not just talking about during your ride, drink water all day long….and drink a lot of it.  Shoot for at least 8 glasses of cold water per day.  Or More.
5.     Eat Spinach – It’s not an urban legend….spinach will do your body good.  Along with spinach, pack your body with other Cruciferous vegetables as well.
6.     Protein and Vegetables – I’m not telling you to do the Atkins diet, but I do recommend loading up on protein and vegetables and minimizing your carbohydrate intake during meals.
7.     Add Hemp Hearts – I discovered this “Super Food” about a year ago and it has become the absolute best addition to my diet that I’ve ever made.  Find out more about Hemp Hearts right here….and here.
8.     Lifestyle – Yes…Diet – No.
9.     Consider ditching Red Meat – You don’t have to become a vegetarian, but try decreasing the amount of red meat you eat and replacing it with chicken, fish, and beans.
10.  Push yourself – Ride your bike with the notion that the harder you push it, the closer you’ll come to your optimal weight goal.
11.  Don’t cheat – Once you’ve committed to riding hard and eating clean….do it.  But if you do, don’t let it bring you down.  Just turn around and start moving back in the direction of your goals.
12.  Positive thoughts – See yourself cycling strong and looking great….don’t keep saying to yourself, “I need to lose weight”, “I can’t do this”, “this is so hard”, and statements that focus on what you don’t want.
13.  Make time for Fitness – If you don’t make time for health and fitness, get ready to make time for illness.
14. Eat oatmeal for Breakfast – There is a lot to oatmeal, so check this out for what I recommend most.
15.  Find your motivation – Dig deep and find your number one source of motivation.  It is this one thing that will get you on the bike on those days that you’re just not feeling it.

16.  Give these Switches a try – Check out the 7 Minute Diet.  They charge for it, but it’s well worth the $50.

Our Cycling for Optimal Weight min-e-book is still available for download.  Check it out.

When we came out with our Cycling for Optimal Weight min-e-book on December 27th, we offered up the challenge (and reward) for all those who would commit to going on the program.  Five of you responded saying you were ready to go after your ideal weight using cycling to help get you there. Out of those 5 people, only one has come back to me and said they’re ready to go after it.  I’m sure the others will come around soon and get on board, but I would like to congratulation Bryan (from Biking to Live) for committing to better health.

It took just a little bit of convincing, but last Monday Bryan told me he was ready to grab 2011 by the balls and show it that this is the year of the Bryan (my words, not his…but I know he was thinking it )

We got right at it and I laid out the cycling program that I wanted him to follow for the first couple weeks.  He also filled out his nutrition assessment which helped Kelli set him up with an eating plan that was right for him.  Online nutritional counselling is what Kelli does for a living, and although I’m a little biased, I honestly feel she is the absolute best in the business.  Bryan is in for some first rate help, advice, and support.

On the day Bryan committed to starting the Cycling for Optimal Weight program, I sent him a video that I felt would  add a little motivation and show him that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.  If you need a little boost today, have a look at this video from The Journey TV.

If you’d like to get Bryan’s perspective on the Cycling for Optimal Weight program, please read his post entitled “Cycling for Optimal Weight – A Mission” and follow his continued progress in future posts on his blog.

Okay, your turn….what are you doing to move closer to your goals?

Last Monday we published our Loving the Bike Cycling for Optimal Weight min-e-book and have been very pleased with the feedback received so far.  Each Monday in January we’re going to spin off from what’s included in the book and provide you with additional information to help achieve your ideal weight….and we’re calling it “Make it Happen Mondays“.  If you haven’t already downloaded your free copy of the Cycling for Optimal Weight e-book, you can do so now by clicking right here.

One aspect to achieving your optimal weight that wasn’t included in the e-book is lifting weights.  When I worked as a personal trainer, I would tell my clients that there are three key factors involved with getting the body in the shape you desire; weights, cardio, and nutrition.  The same applies to cyclists, but in my opinion the rules change a little when you’re spending a lot of time on the bike.

During the outdoor cycling season, weight lifting can be kept to a minimum so you can keep your focus on riding.  In the off season (if you have one), lifting weights gives you the chance to strengthen your cycling muscles, but it’s very easy to waste unnecessary time and energy.  To make sure you keep things productive and efficient, I’ve brought in my friend Heather Nielson to lay out a great weight lifting program for you to toss into your winter season training.

How does lifting weights help get you lean? The more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolic rate will be….and this helps create less fat.

At Home Workouts: Off-Season Conditioning for the Cyclist

The weight lifting focus for the avid cyclist, should be working on muscle imbalances and weaknesses that develop.  The sport of cycling depends heavily on the power to weight ratio more than most other sports.   Cyclists are often concerned about whether the extra weight gained through weight training will be off-set by the advantages gained in building force and muscular endurance.  By utilizing a program that does not add anymore bulk than is necessary and concentrating the strength building in the lower body, the advantages gained will more than likely off-set whatever extra weight gained.  Form follows function however, and one of the most common mistakes cyclists do for their off-season weight training program is follow a friends’ body-building routine.  That sort of program is simply not appropriate for the cyclist.  The muscle movements during cycling require a weight training program that not only trains the muscles to produce further force, but also trains the synchronization of their muscle recruitment at the neuromuscular and molecular level.  As a result of doing exercises that include many muscle groups at the same time, the actual time spent doing a weight training program is lessened as it’s not necessary to do a large number of exercises.

The general flow of a weight program for a cyclist should start with spending more time in the off-season and then tapering off to a maintenance type level as the race season (or regular riding season) approaches.  Additionally, the beginning of the weight training program starts off with lighter loads and more repetitions so that the muscle groups can adapt to the addition of the program in a more progressive manner.  A rule of thumb for every weight training session is to include warm up and cool down to aid the muscle groups in adapting to the work load.  It’s also a good idea to have a ‘library’ of exercises from which to choose so that your body doesn’t become too accustomed to the same program.  Also remember, recovery is the most important part of training!

In the beginning phases of the weight training program, you’ll want to do about 2-3 sessions a week.  You can do this for about 3 months.  You’ll want to do anywhere from 8-10 total exercises and do 2-3 sets of each.  Start off with a weight that will allow you to do ~20 repetitions.  The beginning phase can last up to 4 weeks.  After that, you’ll want to decrease the number of exercises for the lower body to about 4 or 5, and increase the weight slowly to eventually allow for 6-8 repetitions.  The upper body exercises can remain at 15-20 repetitions.  You can still do 2-3 sessions a week for the remainder of the off season.  As spring approaches, male athletes can get away with nearly eliminating weight training from their program while women and those 40 and older should continue to lift year round as the lower levels of testosterone in women and in older athletes is lower than for men in their physical prime, so muscle mass is generally lost slowly over time. (Note from Darryl: Even if you’re only doing a couple effective exercises per week…it’s definitely going to help you out)

Below is a list of exercises to choose from.  Remember to listen to your body, do what you enjoy and add variety every 3-4 weeks!

Lower Body:

1-Step-up using a stable bench or chair with or without free weights in each hand held at the side, alternating legs with which you step up with.

2-Walking lunges with or without free weights in each hand held at the side and walk across the floor.  Make sure that when you perform these, the knee doesn’t extend past the foot.

3-Squats with or without free weights held resting on top of the shoulder; again making sure the knee doesn’t extend past the foot.

4-One-legged squat : A variation on the traditional squat and is a great exercise that utilized core stability.  Only do this if you don’t have knee problems!  Hold your body and free weights in each hand resting on top of the shoulders like you were doing a squat, but lift one leg off the ground and extend behind your body.  Be sure that when you squat that you don’t extend your knee past your foot.  Complete one entire set on one leg before switching to the other.

Upper Body:

1-Chest fly lying on your back on a stable bench using free weights or tension band .

2-Chest press lying on your back on a stable bench using free weights or tension band.

3-Push-ups with or without knees on the ground.

4-Pull-ups ; this is a great exercise but only if you happen to have a supported bar already installed in your home.

5-Extended Row : Do these by bending at the waist slightly, having knees slightly bent, and holding a free weight in each hand, arms next to the body and elbows bent at 90º.  Extend your arms out front and then pull all the way back squeezing your back muscles.

Core:

1-Back extension on a stable bench lying face down with the torso hanging over the edge, while balancing yourself with your hands holding the bench (or exercise ball), extend as far down as you can and only lift back up until body is straight again; do not hyper-extend the back!

2-Plank: Support the body on the elbows at a 90º angle, with the body in a straight line.  Hold for as long as you can!

3-Bicycle Crunches: Variation on the theme of the regular crunch and a regular favorite of the avid cyclist!

4-Side crunches using a medicine ball:  Sit on the exercise ball with hands behind the ears and sit up and down at opposite angles to work the obliques.

5-Reverse pike on the exercise ball :  This is probably one of my favorite core exercises but it should be noted that it requires a lot of stability and if you’re not sure you can hold your body in the air then don’t attempt them.  Facing the floor with your knees over the top of the exercise ball, back straight and holding your body up with your arms straight, roll the ball across your shins all the way to the point of your toe, bending at the waste.  If you can do 10, I’d be super impressed!

6-Cross-toe touches with or without free weights in each hand while laying on your back.  Hold a free weight in your hand above your head and with the opposite leg, reach up and touch your foot with the weight in your hand while stabilizing your body with your other arm out to the side.

7-Regular crunches laying down but with legs crossed in Indian style: this opens up the lower abs so that you can get a more utilization of the abdominals.

8-Scissor kicks: This exercise works the hip flexors by opening them up and moving them in a different direction than what the cyclist is used to.  Lay down on your back and put your hands, palms down, underneath your lower back to support it and raise your upper body slightly off the ground and scissor kick your legs, alternating which leg goes over the other.  Do as many as you can.

Heather Nielson is a Level 3 USA Cycling Certified Coach and races for Touchstone Climbing, an Elite Women’s Team based out of Northern California.  She co-founded The Run4Kids in the fall of 2001, an annual event in St. George, UT that continues to date.  While attending Southern Utah University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biology Zoology with double minors in Chemistry and Nutrition she also served on the student government board for Athletics and Recreation and was President of the Southern Utah University Mountain Biking Club from 2002 to 2004.  She currently works as a Chemical Engineer for a fuel cell company based out of Northern California.  To contact Heather for coaching, e-mail her at: nielson.heather@yahoo.com.  You can also follow her on her blog: http://heatherscycleworld.blogspot.com and on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/shitcyclistsays