Close to home

   In all my years of mountain biking I've never had "home" trails that I could ride to, and not have to drive to. The closest was when I lived in McKeesport many moons ago. There was some decent stuff over in Port Vue and Liberty, but that required a pretty good ride to get to.

   Recently the Saint Vincent's Equestrian Team has cut some sweet singletrack into the woods surrounding the college. There was already some decent trails close by. Most noteably the stuff around the lake, but no real singletrack. It is such a joy to not have to drive to get to decent trails. Not only are they fun, but also very scenic. Yeah, all the new stuff together only adds up to about 2 miles of trail, but combined with the stuff around the lake, and riding from home it's super easy to put together a fun, 10-12 mile ride now. So I've started taking care of the trails...removing leaves, knocking back jagger bushes, clearing deadfall, even a few reroutes. There's still alot I want to to, but that's on hold a couple weeks while the guys with guns are prowling the woods looking to take out Bambi.

   Fine by me really, this year's bike riding is winding down. I only need about 7 hours to reach my goal for the year of 250. I'm trying to get into the habit of bouncing on the rebounder every morning again. I moved Paco the Kettlebell back up to the living room from the basement in hopes that I'd be more likely to randomly pick it up and get some exercise. So far that seems to be working too. I'm also going to start with walking lunges, power cleans, and deadlifts as soon as my legs feel a little better. Also need to get back into the daily habit of foam rolling, yoga and stretching.

Becoming a Cellerciser affiliate!

When you find something you truly believe in, that's changed your life in such a positive way, you want to share it with the world. So, I have officially become an affiliate of Cellerciser rebounders!

Cellerciser

Vee Snowshoe XL's: A Second Impression

I got back out on the fat bike again today. This time at Yellow Creek State Park near Indiana, PA.

These trails have a little bit of everything, and I thought they'd be a perfect place to put the Snowshoe XL's through their paces. Tire pressures were lowered to 7.5 front/8.0 rear for this ride. At these pressures I didn't feel any noticeable difference in the way the tires handled on pavement or on the trail (meaning no more or less self steer), and they didn't seem to have any more rolling resistance than at the slightly higher pressures I tested yesterday. They were also a bit more comfortable riding through rooty sections of trail that would cause the bike to chatter. Still a long way from resembling any kind of suspension though.

A couple things I did notice...

There are sections of trail at Yellow Creek that are very tight and twisty that have you whipping the bike left, then right, then left again as you slalom downhill between trees. In these sections the Snowshoe's seemed sluggish and couldn't "keep up" with the rhythm of the trail. To be fair, some sections of the trails are so twisty that I've struggled to muscle my way through on the 29er before too though.

What was more disconcerting was when I tried to turn the bike in a fast corner and instead of diving inside it wanted to keep wandering to the edges of the trail (and sometimes beyond).

Basically, these tires track straight and true, and they prefer to stay that way. They can corner, quite well in fact, but a quick succession of turns is probably more from a physics standpoint than should be asked of any 4.8" bike tire.

Another thing I noticed is that the tires would slip sideways when crossing logs/branches at anything other than a 90 degree angle. Was somewhat surprised by this because everything I had read said that the silica compound was great for wet/mud/slippery grip. This could be more a fault of my riding techniques on the fattie though. Still don't think I'm running the tire pressures low enough. When I was running the H-billies I was running pressures low enough that I could "pre-load" the tires to get the wheels up and over obstacles. The pressures I ran on the Snowshoes haven't had any "give" to them to allow them to be compressed.

Today I rode through some wet/muddy sections and was pleasantly surprised that the textured surface didn't gum up with dirt. I'm sure it depends on soil type too though. Clay based dirts are pretty much going to stick to anything while loamy dirts are so crumbly that they don't hold on to anything.

So to sum it up...the jumbo tires can be a handful in the tight and twisty. They also have great grip, but that doesn't mean they'll never slip.

I probably need to spend some time tooling around the backyard playing with tire pressures to see what works best. With the H-billies I started at 10 psi, rode a couple laps around the backyard to get a good feel for how the tires were reacting, then lowered in increments of 0.5 psi and rode additional laps until the tires got too soft and bouncy for riding on solid ground (around 6 psi) for my weight. I think something similar with the Snowshoe's will be beneficial for me.

Vee Snowshoe XL: First Ride Review

OK, the few reviews I've found on these tires generally said the same things...the tires are big (duh), the have a bad self-steer problem, the textured surface packs with mud in wet conditions, and they're slow rolling.

At this point you're probably wondering why the heck I would buy them with reviews like that!
My fat bike came with Vee's H-Billie tires that I was impressed with. I wanted something bigger with more grip, and these fit the bill so I thought I'd give them a shot.

After my first ride on them I'm here to set the record straight.

First off, they are big. Mounted on my 90mm rims they measure in around 4.5 inches with a diameter of 30 inches. Out on the trail this translates to monster truck levels of rollability. You'll find yourself seeking out things to roll over with these bad boys!

For my first ride I decided to head over to White Oak Park. It's got some fast and flowy trails with only a few technical sections and no rocks to speak of. For this ride I went with 8.5 psi in the front tire, and 9.0 psi in the rear which is about 1.0 psi higher front and back than I was riding with the Vee H-Billies this summer on singletrack. At those pressures they roll pretty darn good on hard surfaces (hardpacked dirt singletrack trails that were mostly leaf covered). On pavement they are not fast rollers, and they rumble a good bit (enough that it was preferable to ride the grass on the edge of the road instead of the road), but why the heck would you wanna ride these beasts on pavement anyway?

Self-steer? At these pressures I only noticed a slight tendency for self-steer on pavement. Out on the trails they behaved normally. They also have gobs of traction. Standing up pedaling uphill on wet leaves on top of moist ground the tires never slipped once no matter how hard I laid on the gas.

I didn't hit much wet stuff to see if the textured surfaces hold on to dirt, but I do think that textured surface was helping with the velcro like traction I experienced on this ride.

Next ride I'll probably drop the pressure down a bit to see how they react. I'm 200 lbs and at 9 psi the ride wasn't bouncy, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either.

I plan to continue with updates through the winter so there's some real world reviews of how these tires are performing in snow and ice conditions.

Fat is Fun!

So I finally got myself a "fat" bike this past summer, and I'm anxiously waiting for it to snow to try it out in that environment.

The bike is a Motobecane FB5 3.0 which can be bought on-line from the bikesdirect.com website. There is some assembly required when the bike arrives, but nothing too serious. This model cost $900 and it was a great deal. 

Recently I decided that 4.25" wide tires wasn't big enough, and purchased some 4.8" tires to put on the bike.

These are the Vee Snowshoe XL tires. They are listed as 4.8", but mounted up on my 90mm rims they are measuring in at 4.5". I'm keeping them inflated to 20 psi overnight though so they may still grow a little when the casing stretches. Did a quick spin around the yard and the road in front of the house after getting them mounted, and they seemed to roll pretty good with no self-steer (though I don't think any tire has that problem at 20 psi). I'll find out tomorrow morning how the handle at typical trail riding pressures (7-10 psi).

Finding the Time

It's been almost 3 weeks since I started bouncing on the Cellerciser. The past week was trying at work as I was driving a long way to the drive site, working 12 to 16 hours, then driving home every night. Then I pulled a 12 hour day on Sunday. Through it all I found time to bounce every morning before leaving for work, and every night when I got home.

I don't think I've lost any additional weight. My diet has been terrible, and it's tough to drink enough water while out on a job site. I do feel like I'm healthier and fitter than I was when I started though. I quite proud that I have found time to bounce no matter how busy I got.

Thinking I might post some one month in photos to see if there's been any physical change. I know mentally I'm sharper than ever, more able to stand up to long work days, and stressful situations, and I find I don't get as drained or sleepy while driving. Physically I've had more energy even as I'm doing more with less rest and sleep.

The Simple Joys of Bouncing

Day Nine: My Personal Experience (so far)

As you may or may not know I have only been rebounding since the end of 2013 when I bought a cheapie trampoline from the Walmart. I bounced on that thing for a month and a half before the Cellerciser arrived.

Some of the positive benefits I've experienced are:

- I've had these small lumps that formed on my right thigh, back of my right arm, and back of my left arm.
I thought they were fatty build ups in the fascia so tried massaging them and rolling out the one on my thigh with a foam roller. This didn't have a whole lot of effect though. When I started bouncing on the cheapie Walmart trampoline they became smaller. The past week on the Cellerciser they have nearly disappeared! I have full confidence that if I keep bouncing regularly they will soon be gone. I believe now, knowing a little more about the lymphatic system and the way it works, that these were blocked lymph nodes. Blocked lymph nodes can lead to all kinds of problems including cancer.

- A drastic increase in mood and energy. I'm used to feeling lethargic. I had almost accepted it as the norm. Since I've started bouncing, and especially since I've started on the Cellerciser I feel turbocharged. It's easier to get through the day, help around the house, and my moods have stabilized with none of the emotional ups and downs I'm used to experiencing.

- Muscle tone. I know I'm overweight at the moment, and when I first started on the rebounder I actually gained weight due to the increase in muscle. Lately that number has started to swing the other direction, and I could probably be seeing better results if I didn't like to eat so much.

- Speaking of eating. I notice I'm not as hungry as I used to be even though my activity level has increased. For now I'm going to attribute this to my body working more efficiently/correctly, and the fact that bouncing is supposed to help level out your blood sugar.

- Strength. Wow, I can't believe how much bouncing on the rebounder has increased my strength and endurance.

- Lack of sickness. To be fair I have had a fairly good health record since last spring. The only time I got sick was when I had a tooth get infected. I did start to get sick just after the New Year's though, and I think it was the bouncing that pulled me back to good health. Winter isn't over yet, but this may end up being my first winter in forever that I made it through completely healthy. It's also taking alot less effort on my part to stay healthy. Bounce, drink plenty of water, and an adequate amount of sleep.

- The elimination process. This is a big one that affects everything from my general health, to my sinus problems. I have been a long time sufferer of chronic constipation. Since I took up rebounding I'm now pooping regularly, and often quite largely,lol.

That's my personal experience so far. I think looking long term, that if I keep bouncing daily, that it may save myself from an untimely illness or death, and add quality years to my life. I don't want to live to be an old man if I can't move or be active. What's the point?

Day Eight: Music to Bounce by

What I'm listening to, the bouncing playlist:

1. Marching Band Medley- Drumline soundtrack
2. Classic Drum Battle- Drumline soundtrack
3. Remember the Name- Fort Minor
4. Locked out of Heaven- Bruno Mars
5. Sandstorm- Darude
6. Shipping up to Boston- Dropkick Murphys
7. Rise- Eddie Vedder
8. Heartspark Dollarsign- Everclear
9. Dark Blue- Jack's Mannequin
10. Waiting for Tonight- Jennifer Lopez
11. What Does the Fox Say- Kidz Bop cover
12. Faith- Limp Bizkit
13. Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynrd
14. Wake Me Up- Avicii cover by Maddie Wilson
15. Can't Hold Us- Macklemore cover by Madilyn Bailey
16. Idioteque- Radiohead
17. Cotton Eye Joe- Rednex
18. Don't Stop the Music- Rihanna
19. Temperature- Sean Paul
20. I Like to Move It- Madagascar Soundtrack
21. Riot- Three Days Grace
22. Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down
23. Move Along- All American Rejects
24. Let U Go- Ashley Parker Angel
25. Whatever- Liam Lynch

Day Seven: It's been a week!

It's been a week since I got my Cellerciser. I've managed to bounce twice a day all week.

Today's workout's included 12 min of bouncing in the morning for 110 calories burned (along with 12 minutes of Bagua/Circle Walking for another 130 calories.

When I got home from work I bounced for another 12 minutes for 144 calories burned!

Day Six: Finding a Rhythm

Morning Measurements:

Weight- 200 lbs
Waist- 39 inches

Nothing dramatic from the last post, but it's the start of a new week so I wanted to bring this up to date.

This morning I did something closely resembling the 12 minute workout I posted earlier. I was somewhat stiff and sore this morning, and my bouncing reflected that. The first day I bounced on the Cellerciser it felt like I was bouncing on a cloud. Today it was more like an old box spring. I think this is more to do with my current physical state than anything to do with the trampoline though. It's possible that I overdid it this weekend like I tend to do.

A condensed rebounder workout

When you don't have time to play on the rebounder for 45 minutes, but still want a fun, effective workout her is a 12 minute routine I came up with and basic descriptions of each movement.

2 minutes of health bounce (feet don't leave the mat, land on heels)

1 minute strength bounce (bounce as high as your body, trampoline, and ceiling allows you to)

1 minute with hand weights (alternate between bicep curls, front raises, overhead presses, and side raises)

1 minute of twisting (imagine being a skier going through moguls, the upper body stays stationary, twist at the waist and throw your lower body side to side keeping knees together and parallel)

1 minute of clock bouncing (90 degrees hops around the trampoline one direction then reverse the other direction)

2 minutes of alternating between side kicks, jogging in place and front kicks (this is a killer!)

2 minutes of alternating between the seated V bounce and the basic seated bounce.

2 minutes of the health bounce to cool down

I keep meaning to wear the heart rate monitor to get and idea how many calories this burns...

The Health Benefits of Rebounding on a Mini Trampoline

As promised, below is a list of potential benefits that can be obtained by rebounding on a trampoline.

This list is from Dr. Morton Walker's book, Jumping for Health:

1) Increases respiratory capacity. (lowering mortality)
2) Circulates greater oxygen to tissues (raising immunity)
3) Creates higher equilibrium between tissue oxygen need and oxygen availability. (creating greater power)
4) Greatly enhances muscular and valvular fluid exchange, lightening the heart’s workload and facilitating lymph-flow.
5) Tends to reduce levels of arterial blood pressure during exercise. (resting heart)
6) Lessens the higher blood-pressure period after exercise. (resting the heart)
7) Increases resistance to cardiovascular disease.
8) Increases red-cell production activity of the bone marrow. (raising oxygen-delivery capacity)
9) Aids venous blood flow as well as lymph flow. (enhancing waste-cleansing)
10) Encourages collateral circulation of blood and oxygen.
11) Strengthens heart muscle and other muscles, causing them to work with greater efficiency.
12) Lowers elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.(producing arterial health)
13) Allows heart to beat more slowly at rest.
14) Stimulates metabolic activity.
15) Promotes growth and tissue repair.
16) Tones the endocrine system, especially the thyroid, to increase output.
17) Enhances the body’s alkaline reserve for potential emergency output.
18) Attains absolute potential of the cells on a biochemical level (maximizing function and performance).
19) Conserves physical strength and efficiency.
20) Expands the body’s capacity for nutrient fuel storage and endurance.
21) Improves coordination through enhanced transmission of nerve impulses and muscle response.
22) Produces vigor through increased muscle fiber tone.
23) Provides relief from neck and back pains, headaches and pains due to poorly toned physiology.
24) Enhances digestion and elimination.
25) Creates purer sleep and relaxation.
26) Increases mental performance, enhancing learning.
27) Curtails fatigue and menstrual discomfort in women.
28) Minimizes colds, allergies, digestive and abdominal problems.
29) Slows aging.
30) Lessens likelihood of obesity.

In another post I'll share some of my personal experiences from rebounding.

Mixing things up

It was so nice out I thought I'd mix things up, give the trampoline a break, and go outside for awhile.

Did all 8 of the Jiang Rong Bagua palm changes (both directions),
a little of the Xingyi 5 element fists,
the beginning of the Guang Ping Tai Chi set,
and some standing stance practice that included:
Universal Post, Horse stance,
Half Horse Stance, and Chin to Toe
(though that's just the name not what I can actually do).

Day Four: Workout One

went a little nuts on the new rebounder this morning.

45 minutes of non-stop bouncing!

heart rate monitor says 610 calories burned.

at one point I think I saw my heart rate max out at
170 bpm.

I finally let loose and did some fun stuff:

front kicks, side kicks, sprints, sparring stance switch hops,
around the clock bounces, one foot bounces,
front and side lunge hops on and off the rebounder...

too fun. felt like I could have bounced forever :-)

I also took a waist measurement. 39 inches.
down an inch and a half from Monday!

Day Four: Field Modifications

Yesterday I make some modifications to my Cellerciser because when I was bouncing on it on the carpet the wobbling was so much it was messing up my workout. I was concentrating on that instead of just bouncing.

What I did is pull of each leg and wrap a single wrapping of electrical tape around the leg post on the frame and reattach the leg. There is still a very slight amount of wiggle, but not enough that you notice while bouncing.

The other thing I did was put grease on all of the spring contact points vs the 3 in 1 oil I originally put on. The 3 in 1 oil made the rebounder quiet, but it was messy and didn't last long. The great I got is called "Reel Grease" made by Ardent, and is actually meant to be used on fishing reels. It's a cool yellow color so it's easy to see where it has been applied, has a thick but not goopey consistency that seems like it will stay in place, and a silky smooth texture that should provide good lubrication.

So far it's been quiet as a mouse.

Yesterday I did a 15 minute bounce in the morning before work, tested out my 12 minute routine after getting home from work and making my field modifications, and another 15 minute play around bounce while watching TV last night. I think the last bounce was one too many because I got really tired shortly after, and fell asleep hard on the couch.

My weight this morning was sitting steady at 200 pounds. Was hoping for a little more loss, but 5 pounds this week isn't bad I guess. The real measurement I'll get later is my waist. Hoping to knock down that 40.5 inch waist number.

Day Three: Signs of Hope

Today was my third day rebounding on the Cellerciser.

Some not so good things:

-The springs are starting to get squeaky again already. Thinking I'm gonna have to come up with something else to lube the springs other than 3 in 1 oil.

-Since I'm bouncing on carpet the constant shimmying of the legs is getting disconcerting. Not in an "OMG I think this thing is about to break" way, but it's distracting and is changing the way I'm bouncing to try and adjust for the movement instead of just enjoying the bounce. Thinking about wrapping the inside of the legs with some duct or electrical tape to try to minimize the movement.

Now on to the good things.

-The past couple days I've felt stronger and more energetic, and I'm not feeling like I just stepped in front of a bus like I did when using the cheapie Walmart trampoline.

-Both the kid and the wife have been spotted bouncing on the rebounder with no prior prodding from me. The family that bounces together stays healthy together.

-When I weighed myself Monday morning my weight was 205. This morning after some process of elimination (taking a dump) I weighed in at a cool 200! My target weight is 170 so I still have a ways to go, but the fact that the number is going down and not up is encouraging.

Day Two: Workout One

Woke up a little sore this morning from my bounce session last night, but nothing terrible. Made my way through a 15 minute workout on the Cellerciser. I'm loving how quiet this rebounder is, and how smooth the bounce is. I did notice last night though that it's more difficult to max out my heart rate on the Cellerciser vs on the cheapie Walmart bouncer. 

I'll be writing more about rebounding here in the future. Topics will include: the benefits of rebounding, my personal experiences(so far), and some theories I have about the lymphatic system and how it relates to Tai Chi, Qigong, and Chinese medicine in general. 

Day One: Workout One

20 minutes of bouncing for a total of
225 calories burnt.

Started with the health bounce for a couple minutes to warm up,
Then started getting some lift off the trampoline,
Sparring stance switches,
Shuffle punches,
Kangaroo punches,
Torso Twists (what I like to call "hitting the moguls" because all the twist is below the waist),
Some stuff using 3 lb dumbbells,
back to the strength bounce,
and then it broke down to playing around with dance type movements
and having fun,
did a little big of seated bouncing to work the gut,
then finished up with some health bouncing to cool down.

One thing I'd like to remember to do when I bounce is take off my glasses,
and see if bouncing without them can improve my vision at all.

Probably alot for my first workout, but not like I'm entirely new to rebounding.
I've been bouncing on the cheapie Walmart bouncer for about a month and a half now.
I'm hoping the Cellerciser will hold up alot better than that one did.

Day One: My Cellerciser has arrived!!!

The UPS truck swung by the house today, and dropped off my brand new half fold Cellerciser.

First impressions:

-dang, this thing is heavy
-easy to set up
-very well built

Check back in a couple weeks after I've spent some quality time bouncing.
I'll post a more thorough review.

Thoughts on the bounce:

-silky smooth with little to no noise
(especially after hitting all the metal to
metal with some 3 in 1 oil)
-dang, these legs sure are wobbly (more so on carpet than hardwood floors)
-me n you are gonna be good friends

The getting started stats:

-morning weight 203 lbs
-waist measurement 40.5 inches (at belly button)
-took some before photos (wow I'm outta shape!)
-

Stay tuned for info, thoughts and stats from my first official Cellerciser workout!