How does PowerLung help for cycling?
Even in our mostly flat area of Texas, riders in last month’s MS150 ride to Austin had some hills to climb. If you trained and are riding for fun, 150+ miles is a long distance and requires extra endurance. That’s where PowerLung comes in to help!
Back of the pack or front of the pack?
Let’s start with the training. If you are training with PowerLung at the same time you are training for a ride or a race, you are helping to train your lungs to breathe more air by strengthening your breathing muscles. Then before and after each training ride you can use your PowerLung for a quick warm up and cool down. What makes PowerLung so valuable for cyclists is that it teaches you to exhale forcefully and empty your lungs more.
The benefits to cyclists are:
- you get more air per breath because your lungs have more space for air when you inhale;
- when you exhale you are eliminating more lactic acid from our body;
- improving your recovery time!
When you’re racing, riding at the back of the peleton has more significance other than not being fun. Professional cyclists always prefer not to be at the back of the peleton because more crashes occur at the back therefore it’s more dangerous.
While Al is a real competitor he is such a nice person he introduced fellow Houston cyclist Richard Lamb to PowerLung. Richard, an avid cyclist as well as coach and mentor, never seems to be at the back of the pack when he’s racing at the Memorial Park Crits every Wednesday night in the summer. While the Memorial Park Crits are a local race event coordinated by Hans Schneider, people from all over come to ride when they are in town. To support Hans and the Houston cycling community, PowerLung usually provides PowerLung products for prizes at the event. It’s a great time and a great group of people. Come check it out and win a PowerLung.
If you have a similar event in your area let us know about it and we’ll see about providing PowerLung models for people in your area to win as well. Even if you already have one and win one you can do what Richard Lamb does and give it to one the up and coming riders.
Hills and trails
For those of you who are mountain bike enthusiasts, PowerLung provides extra benefits for your riding experience. Get the extra power for those steep inclines by using your breathing to help you. That’s right! Increasing your exhale as you push down on your pedal increases your power. PowerLung is uniquely designed to provide training for your exhale muscles as well as inhale, this allows you to take advantage of the extra power your breathing can offer.
If you enjoy your trails in the mountains, you’ll really appreciate the extra benefit PowerLung offers for altitude activities. As you know, altitude means less oxygen per breath. With PowerLung training before you make that trip to the mountains as well as while you are there, you will be breathing deeper and getting more air per breath. With each breath you are actually getting more oxygen! You’ll enjoy your time in the mountains more and reduce the effects of oxygen deprivation. People who climb Mount Everest and Mount McKinley use PowerLung to help them train for their ascents so you know you can benefit from the same training to improve your riding experience.
Fitness and fun
Cycling is an inexpensive and fun way to enjoy exercise. It provides aerobic exercise but is low impact with less stress on the joints. Whether cycling through the neighborhood or on a weekend ride, you want to be able to ride at your best and still enjoy the scenery and the company.
Regular training with PowerLung helps you reduce breathlessness to maximize your enjoyment. If you can’t ride outside but enjoy riding indoors on an erg cycle or in spinning classes, PowerLung is still the perfect tool to help you get the most from your training experience. Train regularly with your PowerLung and remember to take it with you to use for warm up before you ride and warm down afterward.
Going green on a bicycle
One of the big events associated with National Bike Month is Bike to Work Day on May 21. Many cities have activities scheduled for this event. Your mayor may even be riding a bike to work that day!
There are a lot of people in Houston who ride bicycles to work every day. To find out about special events here we called our friends, and PowerLung retailer, Bicycle World of Houston. Tom, one of the certified instructors told us they were helping to sponsor a special Westside/Energy Corridor Bike to Work Day on May 20th.There’ll be a rest stop with coffee and a raffle drawings for items, including PowerLung, at 8AM. Join the fun and a chance to win a PowerLung. For more information visit Bicycle World of Houston.
To find National Bike to Work Day activities in your area visit the League of American Bicyclists, your local cycling club, or your local cycling store. If your favorite cycling store is having an event for National Bike to Work Day or National Bike Month with a drawing, tell them to let us know so we can see about having PowerLung as a prize for their event.
