Hey, this is Mark and Steve from the DVCC, and this is the, Ask DVCC Show. So today, we're gonna answer three questions that have been posed to us. Actually I nipped out of this nice green office, to see some clients at DVCC Bedford, and asked them, put them on the spot, and I've got those questions from three clients. So, underway, first question is, I'm about to do an endurance bike ride at 50 miles. What should I be doing as a warm up?
- Well, the warm up I don't think is the most important part. Because realistically, when you're riding on a bike for 50 miles, probably the best warm up, is to just gradually increase your pace on a bike. But for 50 miles, unless you're Lance Armstrong, you're not gonna be going, really really fast the whole time. So I don't think the warm up actually is the most important part. I think it's what you do, to negate the fact that you're on a bike for 50 miles. Eg, when you're sat down in a certain position, you're going to be causing, essentially muscular imbalances, because I'm assuming there's a lot of training, that's happened, to get to being able to do 50 miles. So, you're going to be sat on a bike, for a long long time, in your training and then actually on the day. So, that will mean that your hip flexors will potentially become shorter. The front of your legs, are gonna become tighter. And, what you need to think about, is what you're going to be doing, everyday probably, to make sure that those things don't actually become an issue. For example, if your hip flexors become tight, then that can often cause your, well other side of your body, the opposite muscles to either become weak, or not to be working. So for example, your bum just won't be working the same. Cos essentially it's sat down, and you're not really doing too much, your hip flexors become tight. So, what I would do is make sure that you're implementing a flexibility routine, everyday, to essentially negate all of the things that happen from the bike. So stretch your hip flexors, stretch your quads, stretch your pecs. Because when you're sat down on a bike, you'll be really protracted in your shoulders. And try and make sure that you're thinking about your posture. Because you don't want the fact that you've done a bike ride to cause you issues in a few months time, because it's effected the way that your body sits.
- And on a side note, you also wanna be, a lot of people think about nutrition wise, what they need to be eating. They think about the food they need to be eating on the morning. Actually, it's kind of the, it's the meal the night before, actually from the lunch before, that you need to be focusing on. Carb loading, a lot of people say, but it's not necessarily just carb loading, but it's effectively thinking about the, when you do long endurance like that, you are using the food from previous days, day.
- And often, when you're doing really endurances, you wanna be thinking about, little gel packs and things like that, to give you that boost of energy.
- Cool, so, next question is. How much fish oils should I be taking? And that was actually posed, literally just earlier, by Peggy. And that's why, we have this fish oil here. So this is the DVC optimised fish oil. It is pharmaceutical grade, which basically means it does not contain any heavy metals. Guaranteed not to contain any heavy metals. Now we've gone quite a few full circles, so, they do say and they have said, for quite a few years, that you want to be taking a gram of Omega 3 fish oil per percent of body fat. Now for most of us, that means consuming pretty much one of these every few days, because it's a tremendous amount. And actually one gram is basically one tablet. Someone, average person might be 30%. That would mean 30 pills. Now that's not sustainable. Certainly not over the long term. So, what we advise, is six grams a day.
- So that just means, if your pills are one gram, then obviously that's just six pills a day. Ideally you'd spread that out. Ideally it would also be with meals. Halfway through the meal, pop a couple of tablets and then, obviously that's three meals a day, you'll hit your six grams, no problem.
- Yep, and I mean, if you struggle with fish oil liquid, these are tablets for you. There is obviously fish oil liquid. Is you get a high dosage in a smaller amount of fish oil liquid. So effectively, a teaspoon is five grams. So you're pretty much getting your six grams, with one teaspoon. But obviously, fish oil tablets are far easier to take around and carry around. And also, I think taste a little bit better, because they don't taste of anything. So, good. Anyway, next question is, and final question. How can I improve my golf performance in the gym?
- Well, contrary to what a lot of people you'll see on YouTube videos and things, you don't really wanna just be imitating a swing, using equipment. So try a, I don't know, use cables and just doing a swing, because often that can change a motor pattern, because it's not the same way you're gonna be swinging a golf club. So what you wanna think about, is things that will aid, in swinging of the golf club that won't effect your technique. Because you're not training technique. You're trying to train the strength qualities that you need, to be a better golfer. So, for example, grip strength's been related well in golf to being able to drive, distances. So, working on grip strength in the gym, is easy to do. It doesn't require you to actually hold a golf club, to do it. Working on your core stabilising muscles, will always help. Anti-rotation, flexion, abdominals. But also posterior chain, will also aid as well. And again obviously, when you're swinging the golf club a lot, you can end up with a lot of different imbalances, because you're very dominant on one side. So it's important that you make sure that you're training both sides, to keep in alignment, because over time, that'll end up in a worse golf swing, because you'll end up with different injuries and things like that.
- It's a very, a quite simple thought, if you think about what do you do a lot of? Frequently, either sit at a desk, or golf swings, you use the same muscles repeatedly. And that means that other muscles aren't necessarily working and you'll cause imbalances. So, as it is, sitting at a desk all day, you're gonna form imbalances. The same goes for golf swinging, rugby swinging of the foot if you're kicking, a kicker, or tennis, with the shoulders. So you need to do work to negate the issues that could be caused by just using the same muscles over and over again. And also, with golf, it's very important that like Steven says, you aren't just. It's a very simple thought process, to think right, I'm gonna pick up a dumbbell, I'm gonna swing the dumbbell like I swing a golf club. That is a laymans, or a lazy way of doing things, because like Steven says, you're motor patterns, you're used to swinging the club in a certain way, in a certain arc. And a club is very different to a dumbbell, but you will alter your swing naturally, if you're using a dumbbell, because it's different leverage, different weight. It's completely different to swinging a golf club, so you don't want to just go straight into mimicking like Steve says, the golf swing yeah, with a dumbbell.
- Basically, don't use the gym to try and imitate the sport with the equipment. That's not the idea, and that's not how you get better using the gym for sport. It's training the right strength, or endurance qualities of the muscle, not necessarily just trying to imitate the swing or the kick of a rugby ball, and things like that.
- So, this is Mark and Steve Gray. If you have any comments, please leave them in the box below. You will start seeing, some information about our six week program which we'll be launching in January. That is, we launch it basically once a year. So, we might well have an opportunity for you to get onto the pre-registration list. We might not, we haven't decided whether we're gonna do that. We limit it to 30 clients per gym. There's obviously five gyms, so if you see it, I would get onto it pretty quickly. Otherwise, look out for that coming in the first couple of weeks of January. But, if you wanted to start, and start now, and before the January rush. Do click on any of the links, and you'll be able to download any of our guides, and then see if the DVVC is going to be right for you. So, thanks and goodbye.
- You struggle to know stuff, don't you?
- [Mark] Sometimes.
