Basic Running Styles

Hey Guys and dolls, here are some basic running skills to get your running smooth and your technique to pro level :P

The pose technique THE BASICS

* Lean machine: At all times, angle your body forward to the point where you feel you're about to fall. Do not bend at the waist. To go faster, lean more.

* S-shaped body form: Run with your back straight and your knees slightly bent at all times, including at impact. You should run at a height two or three inches shorter than your normal standing height.

* Short stride: Your foot should land under your body, not ahead of it. Remember that "distal" (far from body) equals weak, poor leverage, while close to core equals strength and good balance.

* Land on forefoot, not heel: Initially contact the ground only on the ball of the foot. Landing on the heel transmits maximum shock and has a momentum-killing "braking" effect

* Fast cadence: Minimum leg turnover should be 180 to 190 strides per minute. Increase as you get fitter and want to go faster. Remember: The longer the foot's on the ground, the more momentum you lose.

* Pull, not push: This is the hardest-to-master part of the pose technique. After the foot strike, pull the heel straight up in the direction of the butt by contracting the hamstring. It should go up like a rubber band. Fight the urge to push off from the toes as you normally do, instead using the quads and calves.

* Flick it: Don't yank the foot up; flick it up just enough to get it off the ground an inch or so. It will continue upward on its own; the faster you're running, the higher it goes.

* Free fall: Once airborne, don't reach with your stride. You're in flight, carried along by your center of mass. The foot will travel in a natural arc, then drop like a plumb line without any muscle activity.

SA CHAMPS!!!!

hey guys, sorry its taken so damn long for me to get back to my blog but i have actually been really busy, i know thats no excuse with technology these days but im going to use it anyway!!! :P

So to get back to some of the comments you left on my previous blog:
Treadmil is good for base training, id recommend that to the beginner fitness enthusiast to start finding a nice run pace on that! Then try move your run to road running! You find you get results a lot quicker and your body uses more muscles than on a constant flat treadmill run.

A trick i have learnt with my training and "diet" is what i dont have in the house, i cant eat! its that simple... Your ability to say no when your in the shop or resturant is up to you and your will power. it comes with time!!

On to my training:
I ended up making my provincial side Duathlon team, which i was beyond stoked for!! I was invited to compete in the SA champs and I decided to take the opertunity to see what I had to work towards! I started training double the amount I was used to and even went as far as seeing a nutritionist to put me on an "ironman eating plan" and so far it has worked wonders for me. If you are wanting something similar let me know and we can work something out!

Anyway I had two weeks to get to national level of competetion which is ridiculous to even try and accomplish and i knew that, but never the less thought what the hell i dont have anything to loose :)

I arrived in Cape Town mapped out the course, 10km run, 40km cycle, and onto another 5km run. The best of the best were there and i was nervous! The weather couldnt of been kinder to the event its was around 25c on the day and in winter in South Africa that is pretty hot!! Anyway I must give a shout out to my sister who also made the provincial team and also competed in South African champs, her day went well and she had a PB time and had an exellent learning experience!

My race went better than I expeted, as I started the run I felt good and I knew I was going faster than i had in training, not always good but it paid off this time around, coming in to end off my10km run i had already improved my time by 4 minutes, onto the bike and i felt strong, however i hit a wall in the 3rd or 4th lap out of 6, and that is not me, usually i have one of the strongest bikes out... I lost 3 minutes on the bike compared to my usual 40km time and i was not impressed! When i came in for the final 5km run i knew i had to make up some time and i gave it all i could. I ended up getting a PB race time and finished 12th overall in my age group. After reminding myself I have only been doing the sport for 4 months it brought a smile to my face and i realised there may just be a bright future in the distance :D

Anyway I hope to hear from you guys, hope you have not written me off just yet!

EAT SLEEP TRAIN SWIM RUN BIKE WIN!!!!
keep safe

AND SO IT BEGINS!!!

So, before we start id just like to inform you that my full stop button on my laptop has decided to STOP working, so whenever you see * its the end of my sentences :D so now not only do you have to put up with my fantastical spelling, but also my annoying teenage texting text :P

I have taken so long with this because i have been thinking about the direction i want this to go* So, being the very sporty health freak I am, i will be going through the nitty gritty of Diet AND Training, the do`s and don't`s, what works and what is a myth :) ALSO I will be taking part in the next Ironman South Africa in approximately 324 days time, sooo, ill take you through every weeks training and the changes my body is going through* I have been training for just over 3 months now, and what my body has gone through already is scary, and i am SUPER exited to see how different my life will be leading up to the race*

AND SO IT BEGINS!!

I would like to hear from you guys what you biggest weaknesses are when it comes to diet, training and basic health* When I say diet i DO NOT MEAN STARVATION!!!!!!! When i refer to diet i simply mean your everyday intake of food* Diets, in starvation terms is the worlds number #1 myth just to get that off the bat! in fact starving yourself only makes matters worse for yourself down the road*  So let me know what you guys battle with and I will help in the areas I can and help you find the answers you need*

Choosing a sport such as Triathlons and Duathlons makes it extremely important to make sure your body has exactly what it needs throughout your training sessions and normal day life* When your body is forever using so much energy its very important that it has that energy to use, otherwise you will burn yourself out, injure yourself or get sick* Now i understand that not everyone is a athlete running marathons with smiles on our faces* But the same does apply for everyday living, your body needs its energy to function sufficiently!

Today, im going to give you a basic tip to start you off with* Remember your mom nagging at you to take your vitamins :P Well, im here to bring those fond memories back! You have no idea what those magic little pills do for you! And for those of you who hate to many pills, THERE ARE NATURAL ONES OUT THERE SO NO EXCUSES! I recommend to start off by taking two supplements everyday< get yourself Omega 3 and CLA Green Tea capsules* These two have been working hand in hand together for me, the Omega 3 contains just the right amounts of positive fats your body needs, meaning it will help use fats your body doesn't need for energy rather than store it(which is a score!!)* The CLA Green Tea is an amazing supplement i use to keep lean and keep my body consistently free of unwanted toxins! (you wee A LOT) :)

Anyway, that's that for now* I hope you find some of what i talk about interesting and some what useful :P As i said ill be updating weekly and it would be great if you gave me some things you battle with and we can talk about them via blog!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

xoxo
Training Dude

My First blog ever... This is me...

Well... Hello :)

My name is Ryan Johnston and i have never really even thought about blogging... Probably because i don't think my life is interesting enough to put on paper for others to read... However lately i have been getting this urge to document my life... Mainly because in the past year my life has taken a 180 degree turn. In the beginning of this year if you asked me what I did, i would tell you that i am a full time model, i would of told you that my life consisted of training, castings and way to much money being spent on partying... What i wouldn't of told you is that i was incredibly unhappy, no answers, worried where i was going and how i was going to get anywhere in life... Even though it was and still is my dream to be a successful model, actor or celeb, deep down i knew it was not working. The partying took its toll on my body and i looked the furthest thing from a healthy fitness model. So i made the decision to move back to my hometown and try find my feet and get myself looking more like a model... My folks were happy to have me back of course, me... i was in two minds... i didn't know whether i was happy to be back or sad my dreams were disappearing right in front of my eyes... so close, yet so far... no one to blame but myself... that's the hardest thing to accept...   

Around a month went by and i had not changed much, I was still partying way to much but now looking for a job in my hometown... very unsuccessful... But in Feb, I decided to put some fancy clothes on and started working for my dads company. However still not managing to drop the party side of life... Then after a long week of work and having one hell of a party the past weekend, it was a Thursday (ill never forget because it was the day my life changed), i walked into my dads office and I asked him to buy me a bicycle... He told me to work for it, but after a lot of persuading i managed to convince him id pay it off every week... This was the best decision i had made in a long time...

So here i am, I'm 25 years old, its now middle of May and I'm getting there... I'm not completely happy... I'm still struggling to let go of my dreams, but I'm a lot happier than i was in the start of this year... Ive put my addiction for partying aside and found my new addiction, TRIATHLONS and DUATHLONS... I'm actually pretty good :) ha ha even if i do say so myself... I took part in the corporate ironman (1st ever race) and not only did i finish, i came 25th... after that i was hooked... since then i have taken part in two other races but they were duathlons, got 7th in a development race and then took part in a national series this past weekend where i came 27th :) I'm stoked... so You might be reading a lot about my training and races...

anyway i don't think i have done to badly considering this is my first ever blog... it actually feels good to get that off my chest...

have a good day.
smile.