Posts Tagged extreme sports
Mountain Climbing Gear: What You Need
Posted by Wyoming Knott in fitness on April 19th, 2010
One of the fastest growing sports in the world is mountain climbing. People of all ages are turning to high peaks looking for exercise and adventure. In order to make your experience enjoyable and safe, it’s important that you choose the right mountain climbing gear.
Any list of mountain climbing gear starts with a good reliable helmet. Falling debris and rock is a constant danger. You need a helmet made of rugged plastic or composite to protect yourself. You also want a helmet which contains lots of padding. This will cushion the blows of any objects striking you in the head. Lastly, you want a comfortable, adjustable chin strap to keep the helmet firmly in place.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are your climbing shoes. Shoes provide the main contact between your body and the mountain. Depending on the terrain you are climbing, you may look to different types of shoes. Some shoe materials provide flexibility and grip while others are more rigid and have embedded spikes. Breathable shoes help limit the effect of sweat and will serve to keep your feet warm and dry.
Your mountain climbing gear must include a comfortable and flexible harness. The harness will provide a point for attaching belay and safety lines. It’s important that the harness fit you correctly. A poorly fit harness can create damaging pressure on the underlying skin leading to blisters and other problems. Additionally, if the harness is not properly attached, it can create a safety issue and lead to accidents.
The centerpiece of your mountain climbing gear will be your backpack. There are many types and sizes of backpacks. It’s important that you consider how long you plan to be on the mountain, what gear you will be carrying it, and how much weight you can safely carry when choosing a backpack. The best backpacks have multiple storage pouches. This provides easy access to frequently used items while keeping things separated. The last thing you want is all of your items to be soaked because of a leaky water container. If your items are separated, this can be avoided.
The mountain climbing gear you choose will make or break your experience. Choosing wisely will help you be safe and enjoy your mountain climbing experience.
Want to find out more about ‘mountain climbing gear, then visit Wyoming Knott’s site on how to choose the best mountain climbing gear for your needs.
Aikido, The Latest Martial Art
Posted by Rhys Jones in fitness on December 7th, 2009
The sphere of Martial Arts is one of the most important contributions of Asia to the world. Who will forget Bruce Lee and the fact that he was first and foremost a martial arts competitor before becoming a movie star? Martial arts pictures are a huge hit with the ever-increasing popularity of Asian cinema like ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and more recently ‘The House of the Flying Daggers’.
The Chinese are the first nation that come to mind when it you think of such things, but the Japanese are just as sporty with a rich heritage of body contact sports in their past. Modern Japan still gives honor to the martial arts by holding tournaments and promoting their martial arts abroad,
Aikido is one of these. It is interesting to note the fact that the word comes from three Japanese characters from which one derives the meaning of the one word. Ai means ‘joining’, Ki means ’spirit’ and Do means ‘way’. From this we can understand why Aikido lies beyond merely the physical skills of it students, particularly since its first proponent, Ueshiba, focused on the spiritual and philosophical development of his students.
In Aikido, one is not taught violence instead, one is trained to be in harmony with the adversary so that you are able to defeat him more easily. This might seem strange but it really works. In approaching an opponent, the aim of the Aikido practitioner is to be one with the opponent so as to be able to attack him where he is weakest and in so doing, divert or put him out of action, but never to kill him.
This is where Aikido becomes an art form. Art is something beautiful to look at and something positive and Aikido is all that. At least one of the people involved in the combat is searching for harmony and concord can only be achieved if there is elegance in the actions. The moves may be calculated, but there is an air of elegance in performing these movements. Not a feminine grace, but a grace that emanates peace. The ‘art of peace’ is what they call it in Aikido and it is one of the most affirmative influences of Aikido on its students and to everyone else who chooses to learn about this Japanese martial art.
Some of the techniques in Aikido include the following.
Ikkyo is the first technique. Using this technique, you control an opponent by using one hand to hold his elbow and one to hold near the wrist. This grip is supposed to allow you to pin your enemy down to the ground.
Nikyo, the second technique, is when you perform a wrist lock which enables you to twist the arm of your opponent which will in turn cause nerve pressure.
Sankyo, the third technique, is a technique that creates upward-spiraling tension throughout the arm, elbow and shoulder. There are many other techniques but the first three are enough to give you a basic idea.
In studying Aikido, it is important to remember that, together with building physical strength, you will need to improve your mind to be able to overpower your adversary. Just like in any art form, it takes a great deal of practice and discipline to reach the summit of the art of Aikido. The chief thing to remember is, that anyone who wants to get into the art, should have the resolve to give honor to the art by performing it in the best way possible.
If you are interested in the fairly modern Japanese Martial Art of Aikido, please click a link to visit our website at http://aikido.the-real-way.com
What Bikers Look For in a Mountain Bike Shoe
Posted by Plato Serrano in fitness on October 23rd, 2009
Extreme sports requires specialized equipment. Good bike shoes are the overall most significant piece besides a bike helmet when riding a touring bike through brutal territory.
Traditionally, the outer layer for this type of shoe was made from robust leather. After that, it was changed as a good amount of bikes no longer had the toe clip or strap, which is awfully kind of like the hard rubber found on mountain bike tires.. Rough stuff!
Because the ability in pedaling originates from the ball of the foot, it’s sensibly right for designers to make sure that the sole is a little curved and very soft. This can be for the reason that there will be times in which you will need to get down and then carry the bike. When this happens, the mountain bike shoes become perfect for hiking until such a point in time which it looks safe and sound to cycle again.
Astoundingly, this characteristic still makes the shoes amazingly sturdy and will last a few months prior to being replaced with new ones.
There was also a time which mountain biking shoes had laces almost like most sporty shoes on the market. These were phased out later as the lace had a knack of becoming wrapped up with the pedal. This by yourself has created a whole lot of undoubtedly avoidable accidents, the laces therefore had to be replaced with the velcro strap.
Here are a few thoughts that you ought to contemplate when purchasing a pair of mountain biking shoes.
1. It is important to check on the hardness of the sole. A whole lot of manufacturers say which the kind of material that was used in making it makes it more resilient. Not true. You can ask what fabric it is made from but for a bike rider it should be ideally made from carbon.
2. The mountain biking footwear ought to be each comfortable and breathable. Nearly all bikers can be on the trail for more than only 2 hours and it is only right that the pair purchased is able to provide reasonable amount of air flow.
3. The final issue to contemplate is the shoe’s weight. It should be light-weight thus you won’t have a tough time in the future going onward as you travel long distances with the additional weight of your shoes on the outing.
Apart from an excellent pair of shoes, you can additionally get a helmet, a pullover, as well as a couple of biker shorts. Nothing should hinder the mountain biker from bycycling forward particularly when going uphill.
Every one of these items can be purchased at a local sporting goods store or on the web therefore you will be in a position to join a growing club of folks who also have the will to be close with nature and their bike.
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The Scooters of Your Youth
Posted by Owen Jones in fitness on September 18th, 2009
The Razor A scooter … What does that phrase conjure up in your mind? If you have children, I’m certain that you’ve already heard of the Razor A scooter series, but they weren’t around when we were kids. However, the idea was, even though I forget the marques from my youth.
I adored my two-wheeled, kick-powered scooter when I was a kid. Mum and Dad had their automobile, my older brothers had their bikes and I had my scooter. It didn’t go fast, but then, I didn’t go far either, but it was transport and it gave that feeling of freedom. I had my wheels and I was mobile!
Well, the modern variety of that scooter is the Razor A scooter series. And they really are modern too! They are a far cry from the simple scooters of yesteryear. The Razor A scooter series was brought out in the year 2000 and is sturdy, log-lasting, collapsible and as safe as you can get.
The Razor A scooter series is sold in several forms to accommodate different age groups, abilities and pockets. For instance, the Razor A scooter is meant for children of six years and older, while the Razor A2 scooter, the Razor A3 scooter and the Razor Pro scooter are intended for older, weightier, more demanding and more skilful enthusiasts. With prices starting at around $25 none of them is over-priced.
The Razor A scooter series is constructed from aircraft-grade light aluminium and weighs in at just six pounds. That’s light enough for any young child to be able to carry, if necessary, without risk of injury. It is also collapsible, which means that it is easy to carry under your arm, in the trunk of your car or on the bus. Storage is a doddle too.
The Razor A scooter series is height-adjustable too in that the handlebars can be raised as your child grows up or if an older sibling wants a turn. It also has a heavy-duty braking system, which is naturally very important as these scooters will easily reach speeds of five or six mph on the level and much more on a slope. Going down hill, that is.
The Razor A scooter series also has lesser and greater stable companions. The Razor Kiddie Kick is meant for children younger than six and has a third wheel for increased stability, although it is equally as strong and durable as the Razor A scooter series. The Razor A scooter series is intended for ‘young-minded’ people from the age of six. I say ‘young-minded’ because it is quite the rage now, to put one in the car and scooter the last mile or two into work or college. That mile or two every day will save you gas and give you extra exercise over a prolonged period of time. After all, it all adds up, doesn’t it?
Furthermore, for those who require a bit more power, there are the Razor E100(S), Razor E200(S) and the Razor E300(S), which are electrically powered scooters. The (S) means that they have a seat attached.
So, why not introduce your child to the idea of mobility with a Razor A scooter? Give your child the chance to look back on his or her youth in 20-30 years time and remember zooming about at three-five mph on a Razor A scooter.
Do you have great memories of your chilhood scooter? The Razor A scooter is the modern equivilent. Come over to our site at http://razorascooter.com and find out more.
Overtraining Could Be Unsafe
Posted by Alison Addy in fitness on June 21st, 2009
Many riders adopt the philosophy of hard work produces good results in order to become better riders. These riders spend long hours in lifting, training, stretching and focusing on improving their performance. Training always helps to enhance the performance. However, overtraining might not be a very good idea. Overtraining can result into injuries which might keep you away from the sport for a long period of time. You should be able to balance both recovery as well as training in the best possible manner. Usually, overtraining occurs when you are not able to balance training and recovery correctly.
Response of your body to training is complex. Everything from when and how hormones are released from your body to Blood cell adaptations, heart, lungs, bones, veins and muscles is alerted when your body adapts to training. Appropriate amounts of recovery along with correct training stress will result into improvement of performance. You should avoid a situation where there is limited recovery and excessive training as it will lead to negative reactions from your body parts. One of the biggest factors that you need to take care of is the hormone levels in your body.
If you increase your training load to an extent where the stress level goes very high then the training will not help you improve your performance. It is very obvious that every athlete has his/her own natural ability levels. You should be able to give your body proper amount of rest if you are going to exceed the ability of your level while training. By giving appropriate amount of rest to your body you will be able to improve your natural level of ability. There are many cyclists who overtrain their body and at the same time they do not provide enough rest to it. This will result into decrease in the level of your natural ability.
There are many other factors which can result into overtraining. You should avoid performing the same routine activities during training sessions everyday. This can result into overtraining. Avoid training when you are physically unfit or have any medical problems. You should not take part in frequent competitions as this can drain you both mentally as well as physically. One of the most important things that you need to take care while you are training is proper intake of liquids. Dehydration can result into overtraining.
Poor performance in competition or workout sessions, reduce maximum heart rate, increase heart rate while sleeping, heavy feeling muscles, lung infections, lack of motivation, decrease in ability to concentrate are some of the symptoms of overtraining.
Read full articles to know more about vo2max training and cycling training available at this web.