by rocktapeuk | Jan 31, 2014 | News
Skyrunning UK is pleased to announce that ROCKTAPE will be the first sponsor to support the Skyrunner® Series UK. Just like all our participants in the Skyrunner® Series UK, the ROCKTAPE team are avid athletes. ROCKTAPE already supports various UK based events and athletes in a variety of sports; notably Ultra runner and Lakeland 100 winner Terry Conway and Salomon International athlete, Anna Frost. No matter how carefully we prepare and train, injuries happen and unfortunately they can happen on a frequent basis, especially when pushing at the limits. ROCKTAPE is not just for the injured athlete, it can also be used to help delay fatigue and improve posture/running form. Today, ‘Kinesiology Tape’ is widely used throughout the world to treat injuries and pain. ROCKTAPE is the only tape specifically engineered to meet the demands of elite athletes. Why is it unique? Stick and Stretch. Its unique glue means that unlike many other tapes ROCKTAPE stays on the skin come hell or high water. ROCKTAPE stretches twice as much as most kinesiology tape and is engineered to mimic human skin. The ‘stretch’ is the secret behind ROCKTAPE! How does it work? When applied properly, ROCKTAPE lifts the skin away from the muscle, which promotes positive changes in the body’s fluid, mechanical and neurological systems. Commonly people wearing Rocktape report less pain, swelling and tightness, greater awareness of the area and later onset of fatigue. Paul Coker, Medical Director, Rocktape UK explains, “We are really pleased to be able to support the Skyrunner® UK series in its inaugural year, we hope it’s the beginning of a long term-relationship. ROCKTAPE offers lots...
by rocktapeuk | Jan 28, 2014 | News
RockTape, the world’s strongest brand of kinesiology tape, announced today it will be the kinesiology tape sponsor of Team Garmin-Sharp, the top American cycling team dedicated to ethical sport and developing the next generation of cycling champions, for the 4th year in a row. RockTape will provide the team with kinesiology tape for the entire 2014 season. RockTape is used in endurance sports throughout the world to treat common muscle injuries throughout the body, like shin splints and knee and quad, back and neck strain. RockTape is also used for performance to strengthen and support weak muscles prone to injury. When applied to the skin, RockTape restores the muscle by promoting blood flow to the injured area. It is thin, light, supportive and comfortable to wear for up to 5 days, and is perfect for treating Achilles tendons, plantar fasciitis, lower back problems, shoulders, calves and more. “Our roster includes some of the most talented riders in the world,” said Kevin Reichlin, Team Chiropracter, Team Garmin-Sharp. “We use RockTape throughout the season – during training and races across the globe – to treat injuries and help prevent and alleviate muscle pain, soreness and fatigue so that our riders can focus on what they do best – racing.” “Training and racing in pro-cycling is rigorous, and can put a great deal of strain on the body,” said Andrew Talansky. “We use RockTape to help prevent and recover from injury while training and racing, all year long.” “Being selected to support athletes in a sport that I have competed in means a great deal to me,” said RockTape CEO, Greg van den Dries....
by rocktapeuk | Jan 20, 2014 | News
British Skeleton has joined leading sports stars such as the Garmin-Sharp pro cycling team; the World CrossFit Champion and ‘fittest woman on earth’ Sam Briggs; Saracens rugby; and the Turner Nascar racing team to partner up with Rocktape – the world’s strongest brand of kinesiology tape – ahead of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. On the back of this season’s successes at the Skeleton World Cup, the US backed company will support GB skeleton athletes not just in Sochi 2014 but through to the following Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang 2018, South Korea. The 4-year deal positions Rocktape as the ‘Official Kinesiology Tape Supplier’ of British Skeleton, and will see Great Britain sliders wear a specially designed Union Jack tape at the Games next month. Simon Bunyard, CEO of Rocktape UK said: “British Skeleton operates one of the toughest performance regimes in Olympic winter sport and it has been in amongst the medals since the sport first returned to the Winter Games back in 2002. We are delighted to be able to play our part in assisting the GB athletes in their push for podium finishes both in Sochi, and also in four years’ time in PyeongChang.” David Henwood, Commercial Director at British Skeleton said: “We are constantly looking for every performance advantage, and for a small sport like ours to be able to partner with the leading kinesiology tape supplier in world sport is a tremendous recognition of what our athletes and the British Skeleton programme has achieved this far.” Worn by athletes all over the world, Rocktape will help the British Skeleton athletes keep up with...
by rocktapeuk | Jan 20, 2014 | Interviews
Please describe a typical week’s training? Depending on the time of year, an average training week would consist of 25+ hours, split between swim, bike, run and gym work. Structure is something that works really well for me, so I ensure each month, week or day is planned in great detail. However, no training week is ever the same as the previous week. This is something that keeps motivation high, therefore maintaining training interesting. As the season approaches, training changes slightly, with race fitness becoming the main focus. I love what I do and it wouldn’t be possible without the support from Rocktape and Odlo, two of the best sponsors that I cannot thank enough! What is your favourite training activity? I love all three aspects of my sport, but of course I do have a favourite. The bike is my favoured discipline and I look forward to the long rides on my training programme every week. The weather sometimes has a part to play and occasionally the turbo trainer acts as a replacement, but there is nothing better than riding up and down mountains on a training camp in the sun. What is you least favourite training activity? Training in England over the winter can be difficult at times, but with good mental strength nothing stops us. Come about April time it is just about warm enough to start some open water swim training. When the water is freezing and I am shivering, I realise this is definitely my least favourite training activity, especially when I get out and cannot feel my feet for hours. If it was...
by rocktapeuk | Dec 28, 2013 | Interviews
Please describe a typical week’s training? Monday 8am-10am: On-court or physical session. If I have competed over a weekend then I will rest Monday morning. 12pm-1.30pm: Strength & conditioning session with my s&c coach Brendan Chaplin, followed by soft tissue massage. 5pm-7pm: On-court session with my coach James Vincent (we call him Vinny) and other performance players at Leeds Metropolitan University for attacking training and match practice. Tuesday 7am-9am: On-court session, which may include some physical exercises such as burpees, plyometric drills or sprints to tire myself out before doing consistency or attacking practices. 11.15pm-12.30pm: Strength & conditioning circuit session plus core work and sprints Spinning session 1-1.45pm if I’m not a university lectures. 5pm-7pm: On-court session with my coach Harry Wright (an ex England international player) and other performance players at Leeds met. Training & match practice, but mainly matches around competition times. Wednesday 7am-9am: On-court session with lighter skills if we’re competing or if we have a university match. Light skills consist of practicing shots and working on our racket reaction speed. 9am-9.45am: Soft tissue massage. If I am competing in an international tournament I will leave on Wednesday, so sometimes I may not train. We often have University matches, home or away, on Wednesday afternoons from 1pm and these can take up a lot of time. I also coach a junior badminton club in Horsforth in Leeds for 3 hours in the evening. Thursday 7am-9am: On-court session with Vinny and the performance group – a tough physical session or match practice if we are competing on the weekend. 9am-9.30am: Physical cardio vascular session either on the...
by rocktapeuk | Dec 20, 2013 | Interviews
Please describe a typical week’s training? A typical week’s training usually involves 2 or 3 sessions per day, dependant on the time of the year and how close it is to any competitions. Between sessions I am currently studying for my Personal Training qualifications. Sunday is long run day, which is normally between 13 and 20 miles. I follow this with a swim session in the evening. Mondays are normally a double run day, with steady mileage, and then a gym session of basic strength and conditioning work to target some of my weaknesses and other key areas for runners such as the glutes and hips. Tuesdays are session days, which can target tempo, hills or track work depending on the time of year. I supplement my hard session with an easy morning run, or an evening recovery run if I train in the morning. Wednesdays are again steady running days with gym and swim sessions. Thursdays vary through the year, but during the current base-building phase they consist of a medium to long run. Fridays used to be an easy day, but I’m adding some quality running to give me an extra day of recovery following Tuesday and an extra day before the Sunday long run. Again, I will supplement the workout with an easy recovery or morning run. Saturdays have now become my recovery day and I find it important to listen to my body on this day to ensure I recover properly from the week’s training as it is a vital part of my programme. I normally run anywhere between 5 and 10 miles. I won’t...
by Paul Coker | Nov 19, 2013 | Rocktape Kinesiology Tape
A lot of folks involved in kinesiology taping will tell you that tape should only be applied by a super-special, highly trained, jedi tape ninja. (Actual title may vary). They will discourage athletes and members of the public from even attempting to self-tape. They will probably also tell you that only therapists trained in their education system and accredited by their official sounding, but sort of made up, association should tape you up. I don’t really agree with any of that, bear in mind I am a physiotherapist, tape instructor, and tape company medical director!! I think that in many situations, many people can and should consider self-taping. There are some caveats and exceptions that I will mention. First and most important; if you have a pain that is any of the following you should see e a experienced, competent therapist/medic. You have a pain you rate as strong or severe (on a scale of 0-10: 6 or above) You have a pain which doesn’t stop or become mild (under 3/10) in any position You have a pain which is worsening despite resting it. Self-taping is best suited to those little niggles, aches and pains. The ones that don’t exactly stop you in your tracks, but none-the-less, stop you moving freely, playing your sport, standing at work. If you are anything like me, and 95% of the world, you know the kind of niggles I mean. Now before you grab a roll of ROCKTAPE and get sticking, there are a few things you need to know to ensure you get a safe, effective, lasting application. THE GOLDEN RULES ROUND...
by rocktapeuk | Nov 19, 2013 | Reviews
We received this wonderful email from a happy customer recently. Thank You Megan! To The ROCKTAPE Team I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thank you for your wonderful kinesiology tape! In April 2012 I had my 3rd knee operation and was told it was unlikely I would be able to run distance again. This happened mid way through me training for my first marathon, which would have been at the time of me recovering from surgery as it happened. During the recovery process I was recommended ROCKTAPE kinesiology tape by my physio. The collective operations mean that I have minimal cartilage on the back of my knee cap and so the grinding motion of most sports risk the knee cap flaking, which has happened in the past. I was shown how to apply the tape to raise the knee cap slightly to prevent this happening and, with the help of the tape, have completed 2 half marathons, my first and second marathon (London and Edinburgh) and my first ever ultra marathon since February 2013; raising nearly £5000 for charity in the process. I had a whole roll of ROCKTAPE with me for the ultra and used it for any pain or injury incurred, it was an ongoing joke that I looked like I was re-building myself! I truly believe that my knee would not hold up without the kinesiology tape, it hurt during a 4 mile run without it, yet 169 miles passed with not even a twinge in my knee. I have booked 2 more ultras since completing the first, a 50 mile...
by Alex Bergin | Nov 13, 2013 | Reviews
Physiotherapist Angus Wood recently carried out some fairly radical tests using Rocktape. Here he discusses his findings… I used a skier dressed in ‘Skins’ compression gear and stuck the tape to the clothing as a visual guide. Anterior, Posterior and Lateral tapings were applied according to the movement patterns that can be used in skiing. He was assessed initially to see where any restrictions were, which included left side bending and reduced forward flexion with a shallow lordosis. Rotation was similar, reduced to the left. What I asked of Richard (the skier) was to ski a narrow corridor of short radius turns, which would show the most movement patterns, e.g. rotation of the lower limb, separation at the pelvis and side bending of the torso, as well as extension and flexion movements. Common issues in ski performance are related to lack of symmetry in movements and poor skiing posture. With the tape applied to the skins it was easier to see where issues were arising in Richard’s skiing. There was a lack of commitment in some of the turns, where he was either not using his inside ski or there was not the same degree of rotation going on through either leg. In the longer radius turns the issue was the amount of lateral separation. Following taping to the actual skin,(then wearing skins over the top to maintain scientific rigour) we repeated the same exercise and the results were very interesting. The turn initiation (weight transfer and rotation of skis) was much smoother with a more symmetrical appearance. The longer turn radius offered a smooth transition and potentially an increased edge angle (Richard was able to...
by rocktapeuk | Nov 6, 2013 | Interviews
This week we talk to ex Under-23 European Champion and current GB kayaker, Lani Belcher. Please describe a typical week’s training? We’ve just changed our routine from 6 days on and then 1 day off, to 12 on, 2 off. The change has also seen the number of daily sessions go from three to two, but both sessions are absolutely max intensity, so we need the hours in between to recover. In a 6 day period, we’d have 4 morning paddles and 2 morning run sessions, with afternoons alternating between upper and lower body strength sessions, usually in the gym. We’ll do yoga once each week around midday, otherwise the time spent between morning and afternoon sessions is used for serious recovery efforts. Winter training involves more endurance work. What is your favourite training activity? As I come from a marathon background, I love the endurance sessions (2km) where you can ride the wash of the paddler in front until it’s your turn to do the work. They are shattering efforts, but enjoyable. What is you least favourite training activity? We do ‘split 500m’ sessions that are a real nightmare. 200m max effort, 100m recovery, repeated once before a final 100m burst. They really build up lactic acid and hurt a lot. The 300m sessions are even worse and are almost guaranteed to make us vomit. What is the single most important or effective part of your training? Technique, because without it all the power in the world will get you nowhere. We practice drills that reinforce the vital connection between upper and lower body. It’s a common misconception...
