Flight Centre Cycle Epic

Here are some other tips to improve stamina and make YOU a better rider.

1. Technical Exercise. In terms of technique, endurance riding is slightly different from shorter distance racing. Interval training is a system of physical conditioning in which the body is conditioned to short high intensity efforts separated by adequate periods of recovery. For example, a 15 minute ride at E3 or a 60 second effort on an indoor trainer with a recovery period ratio of 1:10.
2. Cross country running. Split a course/football pitch into four sections. Alternate walking and jogging along each section. So walk long side, jog short side, walk long side, jog short side, and so on. Build this up slowly, eventually jogging two sections successively, walking one, jogging two and so on.
   
   You can vary this task by using a set route and alternating between the jog and walk every 30 seconds, or two hundred steps. See if you can find a friend or two to do this with you, they can help you stay motivated. The joy of doing laps in this way is that you can run at different speeds but don't need to worry about losing each other. If you find yourself getting bored then you aren't working hard enough.
   
   Try to speed the jog up to a steady run, and replace the walk with a slow jog. Keep going for a minimum of 20-30 minutes.
3. Skipping. If possible, use a mixture of fast and slow music and try to skip in time. Once you are comfortable with the basic skip, try to vary the types of skip used (two feet, alternate legs, twisting the rope). Each week, try to build up the length of time you are skipping for. Try skipping for a minute, then jog slowly for a minute to recover, then skip again for another minute. Aim to keep this going as long as you can. As you start to tire, do 30 seconds of skipping, 30 seconds recovery, then 20 seconds of each. In this way you should be able to keep it up for at least 5-10 minutes.
4. Running on the spot. Run on the spot for a set period of time such as five minutes. Or for a number of set periods of time with a rest, e.g. one minute running, 15 seconds rest.
5. Swimming. If you have access to a swimming pool, then try doing any one continuously for a minimum of 20-30 minutes and this will help massively to build your stamina.
6. Keep hydrated. Drink eight glasses of water per day, and make sure to keep drinking while exercising.
7. Decrease or eliminate junk food. It supplies empty calories, excess fat and sodium, sugar and food additives.
8. Avoid crash dieting or starvation diets. If weight loss is part of your fitness goals, speak with a nutritionist or other health professional about healthy methods of losing weight?
9. Feed your muscles. They need energy to work, and their main energy source is glycogen. Carbohydrates are your best source of glycogen. Eat 5 to 6 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight to supply adequate glycogen to muscles.
10. Choose healthy sources of carbohydrates. Eat fruits, salads, pasta, cereals and whole-grain breads. They not only provide carbohydrates, but are packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals.
11. Check with a professional trainer or nutritionist to assess whether you need extra protein. If you are training vigorously, extra protein may be worth considering. The added amount is usually small, even for professional athletes.
12. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. The Food Guide Pyramid suggests three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit every day.
13. Make sure to get fat in your diet, even if you are on a weight loss program. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are better for you than saturated. The recommended amount is no more than 30 percent of your total intake of calories.

These tips have been brought to you by Healthwise Global, a world leader in corporate health, adventure learning and injury management by providing innovative lifestyle solutions, creating balance in people's mind, body and soul.