French cyclist Pierre-Luc Périchon avoids trimming his fingernails outside of rest days. He says that new growth excites the nervous system and saps slightly more energy.
(According to WSJ story)
French cyclist Pierre-Luc Périchon avoids trimming his fingernails outside of rest days. He says that new growth excites the nervous system and saps slightly more energy.
(According to WSJ story)
How do his nails know that they are trimmed such that they start with “new growth”?
French cyclist Pierre-Luc Périchon avoids trimming his fingernails outside of rest days. He says that new growth excites the nervous system and saps slightly more energy.
(According to WSJ story)
So that’s why I had problems in my last race. 
Your brain told them …
French cyclist Pierre-Luc Périchon avoids trimming his fingernails outside of rest days. He says that new growth excites the nervous system and saps slightly more energy.
(According to WSJ story)
How do his nails know that they are trimmed such that they start with “new growth”?
Considering that nails allegedly continue to growth after death, I say bullshit
Also, we all know to never do anything new on race day, and not to change anything on race day, so I call bullshit, again
Further, considering his results, this strategy may not actually be working for him; he might want to change that up?
Many elite coaches and athletes recommend the same thing, but for different reasons. Particularly for longer races you do not want tender or sensitive tissue around the nails going into race day. This is particularly true on the toes. Always do your trimming early in race week.
Many elite coaches and athletes recommend the same thing, but for different reasons. Particularly for longer races you do not want tender or sensitive tissue around the nails going into race day. This is particularly true on the toes. Always do your trimming early in race week.
My decades of doing it the night before without any issue suggests differently. If you have tender or sensitive tissue after cutting your nails then you aren’t “trimming” them - you are hacking them to the nubs.
Ha, I thought this thread was going to be about the dangers of gouging a wetsuit with freshly-trimmed nails! 
This is wisdom along the lines of eat fast animals to go fast (i.e., eat rabbit not beef).
people said the same thing about shaving legs and haircuts and shaves…not the night before at least … and I guess nails are made of the same stuff … aparently all that keratin pruning will get you!
Must not play water polo. Mandatory pre-game nail checks.
This is wisdom along the lines of eat fast animals to go fast (i.e., eat rabbit not beef).
Bhugger. THIS is where I’ve been going wrong…too much hippo and walrus meat since the outbreak of Covid 😖
Eye roll…
Add to that no:
- tingly hair shampoo
- mints or flavoured gum
- cold water - or hot for that matter
- leg or body shaving
- any Axe body product
- silky underpants
- fresh tube socks
- Popeyes spicy chicken
- music over 90 bpm
- National Geographic articles featuring naked tribespeople
…and the list goes on.
Best to just eat tepid porridge while sitting in a body temperature bath, watching documentaries on British gardens.
Some give this precious fellow a good slap, in the classic French style…
Nails don’t grow after death. Growth takes energy and there is none. The skin retracts so the nails look longer.
Paraphrase from an actual pro cycling discussion (from “A dog in a hat”):
DS: Never eat bananas. They are bad for your endurance.
Rider: But Team A (a much better team) eats bananas.
DS: Thank God. If they didn’t we’d never beat them.
…and the list goes on.
Many elite coaches and athletes recommend the same thing, but for different reasons. Particularly for longer races you do not want tender or sensitive tissue around the nails going into race day. This is particularly true on the toes. Always do your trimming early in race week.
This is the answer. The energy thing is BS. You do not want a sore toe because you trimmed too deep (or upset stomach because you ate something new that morning… it is all a part of the old advice ‘nothing new on race day’)
and you can eat cheese the day before a race but not melted cheese. I heard this in a TDF broadcast a long time ago and I still wonder what it was all about. (Not enough to look for an answer though)
and you can eat cheese the day before a race but not melted cheese. I heard this in a TDF broadcast a long time ago and I still wonder what it was all about. (Not enough to look for an answer though)
Cycling is full of traditions no one questions, and full of bro science.