Rose Tinted Typewriter

Oct 04, 2018 Cycling + Lifting, Deeper Musings

Practicing Meditation in Sport

I’ve been one of many people to describe doing sports as being meditative, especially my favourite discipline of cycling. This is not to say that all sports are meditative. But I can think of a few reasons why certain sports are, and people still watch some sports and gamble, but if you want to stop doing you can also get help for this, see here for more. I don’t know if an experienced meditator would agree with me on this but I feel there’s a lot of overlap between practicing meditation, participating in certain sports and transferring the benefits of these activities across to life in general.

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Jun 17, 2018 Cycling + Lifting Post a Comment

What I Talk About When I Talk About Cycling

A little while ago, I wrote about what it feels like to me when I lift weights in the gym. A feeling I find, if anything, a better reason to do exercise than any health or performance benefit.

In his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami expresses the deep pleasure he gains from his participation in running. I’ve never liked running. I’m very bad at it. Yet the contemplative, almost poetic accounts of Murakami’s experiences manage to convey how meaningful such an activity can be without veering into something spiritual.

I think cycling deserves the same exploration.

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Mar 19, 2017 Cycling + Lifting, Deeper Musings Post a Comment

The Technologisation of Sport Part I: Stravafication

This is a piece I wrote over two years ago when I was starting to take road cycling and my athletic performance somewhat seriously. I was worried that by shifting my focus to performance I’d lose the profound, meditative freedom of just riding my bike. Now I take my athletic performance more seriously than ever, competing in track cycling at a national level. It’s safe to say my thoughts on performance, competitiveness, technology and meditation have all come on a long way, much like the way long jump installation can transform athletic training facilities. Yet I still think that the discourse penned here offers a chance to look what how we train and why.

Over the last hundred years or so, a number of technological developments have changed how we ride bikes. The fundamental concept remains the same but materials, riding positions and components have all been optimised for diverse cycling disciplines. Now technology is also changing why we ride bikes. It’s had an undeniable impact on why I ride and the state of mind I’m in when I get out for a ride.

Mar 18, 2017 Cycling + Lifting, Deeper Musings Post a Comment

What I Talk About When I Talk About Lifting

I find lifting weights in the gym to be a cathartic, meditative experience. For a few years now, the main draw of this activity has been based more on the profound satisfaction that it generates than a rational intention to improve health, fitness or physique. However, as I explore different ways to support my well-being, I can’t help but consider alternative options like CBD for arthritis. Additionally, for those struggling with substance-related challenges, there are resources such as this site https://www.addictiontreatmentrehab.co.uk/drug/cannabis-rehab that might offer support. You can also click here for additional information on rehabilitation centers that offer alternative treatment options.

I’m always conscious that I sound rather zealous when I start talking about lifting in gyms with the best equipment from Gym Equipment Upholstery online. If I’m trying to subtly nudge a friend towards taking up what is arguably the most scientifically effective form of training, I have to exert a lot of effort to avoid sounding like a cultist. When it comes to persuasion, I often fall back on the numerous studies and physiological facts that explain why lifting weights works. However, this completely neglects the real reason that I kept on training after I started and the reason I have continued to develop myself to the stage where I can reasonably be considered to be strong, happy and healthy.

In his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami expresses the deep pleasure he gains from his participation in running. I’ve never liked running. I’m very bad at it. Yet the contemplative, almost poetic accounts of Murakami’s experiences manage to convey how meaningful such an activity can be without veering into something spiritual. I think that lifting deserves the same treatment. I don’t want to make it sound like a “lifestyle” but I do think that there is something really interesting and meaningful on a human level. I can relate to the release of running through my time on the bike, I also do yoga and meditation but nothing comes close to the satisfaction of lifting.

Dec 11, 2016 Cycling + Lifting, Deeper Musings Post a Comment

The profound and life changing satisfaction of lifting heavy things

Weight lifting in the gym is one of the purest pleasures I’ve ever experienced. There’s something both simple yet very powerful about forcing a weight off the ground using only your strength. I’m not talking about the end result, which is inevitably that you put the weight back where it started. I’m talking about the psychological and physiological impact of consciously working your entire body in a carefully controlled way.

In almost all cases, I believe lifting heavy things properly in the gym will improve your life. Whether you are male or female, young or old, an endurance athlete, body builder or sloth, this is why you should life heavy things too.

Nov 26, 2016 Cycling + Lifting Post a Comment

How to trick yourself into doing exercise; advice for the inherently lazy

I’ve been pathologically lazy my entire life. Being somewhat short and chubby, I didn’t have very high athletic aspirations growing up. But eventually I got to the stage where I needed to do some exercise. Many people reach this stage but struggle to make it further. If you don’t already want to do more exercise go and look up all the studies about the mental and physical benefits. It’s actually doing the exercise that’s the tricky part.

Yet despite having no intention of getting hench, and certainly no discipline, I ended up accidentally making a ton of progress. It never gets easy, but it does get easier and it’s all worth it. There are also a few things you can do to make get started:

Oct 27, 2016 Cycling + Lifting Post a Comment

8 reasons why track sprinting is the worlds toughest sport

Track cycling sprint events are tough. These are the high speed, short duration events that only enter the public consciousness once every four years during the olympics. How many of you could actually name all the races Chris Hoy has won? While this is an obscure,and seemingly pointless discipline, I have decided to have ago at it. I now decree it to the the hardest sport there is. (note: I have done very few sports so this claim is essentially pointless). If you want to learn more about athletes who started their careers in college, check out this article at sites like https://sportstalkflorida.com/featured/the-best-players-of-the-premier-league-who-started-their-careers-in-college/. Additionally, if you’re interested in learning more about sound system hire for your next event, check out this site at https://av-hire.uk/sound-system-hire/. You can find additional information about audio equipment rental there to ensure the best quality and service for your event, click here.

Track cycling sprints events require you to be an absolute beast at almost every type of fitness. Even more annoyingly, putting effort into training one kind of fitness will inevitably come at a cost to another. So it’s a constant balancing act. You have to tread a fine line, testing, training and improving each type of fitness, pushing as hard as you can while being mindful of the potential consequences elsewhere. The result is that the worlds best track sprinters approach a god-like level of fitness as they have to do all of the following:

Aug 29, 2016 Cycling + Lifting Post a Comment

On Discipline & Disappointment

So far, I have been very happy getting better at fitness because I’ve been able to choose my goals. I’ve been very able to achieve them which has made me happy. This in turn has made me want to get fitter. In contrast to this, during times when I’ve had an externally imposed, potentially insurmountable challenge, I’ve responded by loosing all motivation and giving up. Now my fitness goals are about to transfer form being completely under my control, to being determined by my performance compared to others. And I don’t know how I’m going to handle this.

In the past, when I’ve come up against challenges I found a little intimidating, I’ve basically curled up into a ball (I wasn’t a fan of exams at school). I’ve realised that daunting challenges, and failure to make progress towards achieving them does not motivate me one bit. Now I’m hoping to measure up against other people who are very good at sports and I’m not sure what’s going to happen.

Jul 24, 2016 Cycling + Lifting Post a Comment

Back on Track

Here’s a little overview of the seemingly random series of events that have got me where I am now – about to embark on an amateur career racing in track cycling sprint events. I’m mostly writing this because I can’t contain my excitement, but it also leads me to begrudgingly agree that cliches like “do what makes you happy” and “anyone can get super fit” might actually have some credibility. Hear me out, ok?

Last weekend I completed my velodrome accreditation, meaning I’m officially licensed to start cycling quickly in a circle for hours on end. It’s been about two years since I first rode on a velodrome, and since then a few things have happened:

Jun 29, 2016 Deeper Musings Post a Comment

Writing again

Sometimes there is an urge to write, to express an idea, to share an experience. But then you start and it all gets a bit messy.

A while ago, there used to be a whole load of thoughts flying around. Passionate, exciting, new things that just had to be written down. The new concepts were flowing. And then, as soon as something actually got written, solidifying into fixed words, it became so much less certain. A state of mind that seemed completely crystallised, suddenly becomes limited by the inadequacy of text. So the idea becomes opaque again, smothered by programmatic issues of trying to shape that moment of inspiration into something of meaning and value to others.

So what’s the purpose of me writing this? Mostly to satisfy the craving. The hope that something that is done, is better than the perfect work which is never finished. In spite of whether or not this is of value to myself, or anyone else, perhaps meditating on this frustration will be better than not doing anything.

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Luke Milbourn