When you extend your body beyond your center of gravity, you risk injury.
Keeping your body balanced and supported is the best way to make effective movements and remain injury free.
This applies not only to sport but most activities that you complete on a daily basis just doing life. So, we need to apply these principals in our sport, triathlon. Over reaching while swimming, biking, and running, is the fast track to becoming injured. Muscles do not like to be stretched …
Many of my athletes tend to get a little unsure about what they should be doing once the season ends. You need to keep training; only differently.
*Strength training
~ The longer you have gone this past season, the more important it is to rebuild the muscle that you’ve lost. Endurance sports reduces muscle so get back at the weights and get stronger.
*Keep moving
~You need to keep moving and there are so many different ways to move your body. Mix up …
Admittedly, this is the time of year when eating lots of calories is associated with family, fun, and holidays. And, there is nothing wrong with that; in fact, eating builds muscle and that’s a good thing. However, carbohydrates tend to dominate our eating habits this time of year (I am sure we don’t need to create a list of the obvious carbs I am talking about). So, what do you do? Everything possible! Splitting wood, going on walks, extended swim …
Strength training is critical during the off-season months because it prepares the body for the rigors of intensity and volume in racing during the season. It is the time of year to build and repair muscle that has been neglected while racing and recovering. Usually, there is less volume during the winter months which will give individuals the time needed to rebuild strength and stamina. Certainly, at least one day is recommended however two to three times per week is …
One of the most popular work outs to do in multi-sport is the “brick”. This is in reference to doing two sports back to back, swim-bike, swim-run, and the most popular, bike-run. Whether you are preparing for a sprint, olympic, half or ironman, the brick is an important component that offers insight on one’s fitness, endurance, and mental fortitude. Most sprint triathlons can last up to an hour and thirty minutes, olympic distance up to 3-4 hours, half 6-8 hours …
Hills
As one of my client’s 5 year old has stated “think of the hills as rainbows, Mommy”. Truly, hills are your best opportunity at creating excellent fitness; no frills, no fanfare, no glory. Just you and the hill and the occasional wildlife to keep you company. In fact, it can be down right meditative; listening to your breathing, feeling your heartbeat, and calming your thoughts as you begin to doubt whether or not you should be doing this workout. That’s …
One of the things that concerns me about our country is the lack of movement among all age groups, men and women. It doesn’t take much, in fact you don’t even have to be an Ironman, to live a healthy and fulfilling life. However, you do have to move somewhat on a daily basis in some way, shape or fashion for a period of 60 minutes. It can be walking the dogs, swimming in a lake, playing horseshoes or badminton …
Nutrition – Nutrition is the biggest mystery in long endurance sports but it doesn’t have to be. I have seen people run the gamut on the food at an Ironman event from pancakes, oatmeal, Spam, PB &J, Big Mac’s, Ensure, raw meat and the usual gels and gummy blocks on the market today. And, there is no doubt that one needs to eat and receive calories during such a long athletic event as Ironman. Hopefully, the calories that one consumes …
Pacing – I remember a quote from Mark Allen, he said “At Ironman, the race begins at mile 18 of the run” Now, for us mere mortals the race is about pacing; when in doubt slow down. It is such a long day! If you are like most people and don’t have all day to train, eat, sleep, massage and then eat again; you have to make the training work for you and still have a work life, family life …
The swim…
By most peoples standards, I had a “good” swim at Lake Placid, 1:17 and change. By my standards and my competitors standards, it’s pathetic. However, I literally swam 4 times prior to the Ironman in Lake Placid and only one of those times was beyond a mile. I did this on purpose. Knowing that my swim would only be 10 to 13% of my overall time. I didn’t want to commit so much travel and training to a portion …
