Finding Center with Lawrence Van Lingen (Part 1) - Ep191

In this episode I sit down for another conversation with Lawrence. We discuss the magnificent Tadej and look at his position on the bike, how he makes power, and analyze some video of him in action. We also peek at videos of Bradley Wiggins, Tom Pidcock, and Remco.

Our conversation digs into the psychology of cyclists and why they do what they do. We agree that it is very important for an athlete to have a clear and authentic understanding of their “why”.

I am sure you will appreciate Lawrence’s perspective on human movement in our discussion. Thanks as always for listening.

Links:

Lawrence's Website ►► https://www.lawrencevanlingen.com/

Lawrence's Instagram ►► https://www.instagram.com/lawrencevanlingen/

The Han Solo Effect - Ep190

In this walking podcast, I discuss the spectrum of athletes who are coached prescriptively vs those who are coached descriptively.

By examining this spectrum, we can understand how and athlete or coach understand and relates to the metrics they work with, or in many cases, seem to worship.

For the record, numbers should not be worshiped.

My perspective is always to understand the why. I discuss aspects of why we would relate to a metric, such as power, in a certain way.

Acorns and Ice Skating - Ep189

In this podcast, I take a walk in Girona and discuss the inspirational athletic arc of Alysa Liu. If you haven’t read about her story, I recommend it, she embodies a child like, joyful athlete, and also jumped straight from the archetype of the child to the queen.

3 North Stars - Ep188

As Obi Wan would say, Hello There.

In this walking pod, I offer 3 North Stars. Which should maybe be Three North Stars. But who cares, english spells lots of things wrong like the words receipts. Stupidest word ever. I digress.

The north stars, of which there are the same number as thou shall count before throwing the Holy Hand Grenade, are to help answer the question “How do I simultaneously be a healthy person and also a bike racer?” which I think is a good one. And thus, I have attempted to answer it.

If you would like to throw a Holy Hand grenade at me, do it in the comments. Thanks for listening.

On Meditation - Ep187

In this walking podcast, I outline some very basic ideas behind meditation. For some, meditation can be a daunting or challenging task; I offer a simple structure that can help it feel more productive. It is also important to be gentle with ourselves when we are learning something new; it is very rare that anyone can do a new thing at an accomplished level without experience or training.

Some would offer that long solo rides are meditation; I would submit that these activities are meditative, but they are not meditation. There is a difference between regulating our emotional state and managing our internal kingdom.

You don’t shower once in your life and then it’s done, we shower every day, more or less. The same can be said of cleaning our mental and emotional space. Meditation is a powerful tool for purpose. In fact, it is the proper tool for this job.

Further Thoughts on Pedaling - Ep 186

A walking podcast in which I expand on my percolations about how to pedal a bike. Some offer that you can’t coach this activity. Their position is that by coaching someone on how to pedal a bike, the subject will suffer unintended consequences. I cannot accept this as I believe that we control our limbs, and also that any movement program or engram has the potential to be re-written. How do we influence our reality if not with intent?

Onward.

Vitality and Generative Capacity - Ep185

This podcast is a blend of walking thoughts, followed by three readings which are appended to support the experience and concepts I talk about. It is based on the experience I had of loosing power at home for almost 5 days just before Christmas this year.

The first reading is from Mike Salemi. You can find him on his site Mike Salemi dot IO. He talks about five nutrients that all men need.

The second is from Evan Peikon, who has a Substack titled On Human Performance. He discusses the limitations of modern wearable devices and what they can and cannot tell us, making the case that wearable companies are effectively writing checks they cannot always cash when they draw multiple conclusions from a single device.

The third is from Michael Holt, who discusses how modern man is most often depleted, and how this leads to an erosion of his abilities to be generative. This state does not only impact his ability to perform at the highest level, it negatively impacts everyone in his life.

Links:

Mike Salemi ►► https://mikesalemi.io

Evan Peikon ►► https://onhumanperformance.substack.com

Michael Holt ►► https://savageandsaint.com

Miscellaneous Questions - Part 2 - Ep184

The completion of a list of questions sent by one of my clients. This is my best attempt to provide answers that are helpful individually and collectively.