Athletic mastery depends on understanding official gameplay rules, optimizing equipment technology, and implementing sport-specific conditioning drills.
Weight loss is an imbalance of the number of calories you consume versus the number of calories you burn through activity. Shadow boxing is an exercise that burns calories and one that you can do in the privacy of your home. A 140-lb. person burns approximately 382 calories per hour when boxing.
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CrossFit has value for a triathlete, if used strategically as part of training. Use it to help you identify muscle weaknesses and develop power.
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Cycling is an accessible sport that helps hone your cardiovascular fitness and enhances your health, but is not without drawbacks. Low-impact and beginner-friendly, cycling is accessible to most people. However, you have to incur the cost of equipment, hope for sunny days and watch for dangers on the road.
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Whether you're racing short-track cross-country, marathon, downhill or stage, the right fuel can make or break your race. For short races, you don't have to eat during the ride, but your pre- and post-race meals affect performance and recovery.
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Using the wrong type of shoes for a sport can lead to soreness and injury. Running a few miles one time in your basketball shoes is unlikely to cause permanent harm. But making a habit of running in basketball shoes can slow you down, negatively affect your form and even cause injury.
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Your energy needs decrease during a swim taper -- the period before a key meet in which you drop off training significantly to give your body a rest. The result of a taper is stronger, refreshed muscles and a boost in cardiovascular performance for competition.
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Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, five months gives you plenty of prep time to train for and complete a full marathon. Before even considering a 26.2-mile race, develop a base of running three to four days per week for six months or longer.
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Cycling shoes enable you to pedal more efficiently and with less fatigue, whether you're zipping down the road, cruising over the trails or spinning away in indoor cycling class.
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Look at any professional cyclist and you’ll notice what USA Cycling’s endurance director calls his “strange” shape: bulging quads and big butt with a small waist. The best cyclists use both their quads and glutes, or butt muscles, to provide power with each pedal stroke.
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A successful 800-meter race requires a lot more than just the 90 to 120 seconds you see during competition. Training includes long runs, interval workouts, cross training and weight training -- with five to six days of training and double workouts on some days.
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Whether you're out on the field for the team or simply playing a game with the family after Thanksgiving dinner, football gets you moving. You'll burn a significant number of calories passing the ball, sprinting down the field and blocking opponents in a full-contact game.
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An official sprint triathlon involves a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike ride and 5K run. If you've signed up to take on this challenge, you may wonder what constitutes a respectable showing. Although you don't expect to hang with the leaders, you probably don't want to be struggling in the back either.
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Cycling bibs offer comfort if you're putting in long hours in the saddle. Rather than wearing a two-piece combo with shorts that have a tight waistband, ride down to reveal parts unknown and a chamois that doesn't stay put, bibs offer comfort and stability.
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Avid cyclists and indoor cycling junkies benefit from wearing cycling shoes. These stiff-bottomed shoes that clip right into the pedals make your ride smoother and more efficient. If riding is a predominant part of your workout routine, cycling shoes are a valuable investment.
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Racing a 70.3-mile triathlon, or a half-Ironman distance, is an investment of time and money. You'll need to commit to hours of swimming, biking and running weekly to successfully finish the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1-mile run before the eight-and-a-half-hour cut-off time.
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Don't ask members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club how warm it has to be to swim. These winter swimmers plunge into the Atlantic Ocean every Sunday from November until April and revel in the chill. Swimming temperatures are a matter of preference -- some people can tolerate much colder temperatures than others.
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You'll never have an easy 140.6-mile race, but proper training will get you to the finish line. An Ironman triathlon, consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, is arguably the most grueling one-day competitive event you can enter.
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The sports of tennis and basketball involve quick stopping and starting as well as lateral movement. The shoe you choose should offer durability and support during play. Wearing a tennis shoe for basketball or vice versa, though, will not enhance your play.
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When you combine three sports that usually require three different types of performance wear into one competition, you're bound to be confused.
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You don't have to skip a cardio workout just because your legs feel like lead or your knees are creaking. The arm bike, also called an upper-body ergometer, gets your heart pumping while giving your legs a rest.
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