Introduction What’s in this month’s guide
2 3
Developing Muscle Force (Strength)
4
Swim
6
Where are we now
6
Swim session 1
7
Swim session 2
9
Swim session 3
11
Swim session 4
13
Bike Where are you now
15
Bike session 1 – turbo.
17
Bike session 2
19
Bike session 3
21
Bike session 4
23
Run
25
Where are you now
25
Run session 1
27
Run session 2
29
Run session 3
31
Run session 4
33
Goals & Resolutions – Why goal setting is critical
35
Why Goals make a difference
35
Commit to your Race Goals
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Nutrition – Weight control Impact of Weight on Performance Weight Loss for Triathletes
1
15
41 41 44
A Strategy for Weight Loss
44
In a nutshell
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Introduction A very happy 2018 to you all! Decisions, decisions…. It’s a month where we can choose to sit back, watch from the side-lines and wish others well in their sporting quests for the year whilst finishing off the leftover tub of chocolates. Or we can set our own goals and start the year with a feeling of purpose because we have something to aim for or improve upon. The turn of a new year often brings renewed positivity, an additional spring in our steps and an opportunity to really narrow our focus on our targets for the year ahead. Now, I’m guessing because you’ve subscribed to our program you’ve wisely decided to take the active approach! Yet this still poses more questions. Do I make the step up in distance? What is my budget? Am I ready? Do I chase a qualifying spot? Whatever goals you’ve set or aspirations you have, we’re right behind you, delighted to be part of your journey and wish you the very best for the year ahead.
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What’s in this month’s guide We look at how we build force to cope with hills on the bike and run and develop the muscles needed for the swim. In addition we take a quick look at some of the causes of tendonitis and how to protect against it – particularly as we build the force our muscles can impose on them. We have the usual sets of training sessions – with adaptations for your current fitness and chosen distance. We take a look at goal setting – its importance and how to do it so it sets you up for some real “Personal Bests” this year. Finally, If you are like us you are recovering from over-indulgence during the festive season, we discuss weight and its impact on your times – and more important how to lose it. As an athlete you need to approach it differently to the mass of the idle population is you are not to lose muscle. You will also find a note about defensive cycling in the Bike section. It is not meant to be exhaustive but rather to provoke some thought and remind you – perhaps of the blindingly obvious – but it is amazing the number of cyclists we see making some common mistakes.
By the end of the month we are looking to achieve……… • • • • • • • •
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Consolidation of our ‘base’ structure An injury free month A clear list of aims and objectives for the year A reduced stroke count in the pool An increase in recovery rate bike cadence An increased understanding of the Borg Scale of Exertion At least a 70% session completion rate A month of fun training with as many smiles as grimaces!
Developing Muscle Force (Strength) Last month we looked at the differences between Force, Power and Endurance. As endurance athletes we are less interested in “force” than the other aspects but it is a key component of power: • Force = Mass x acceleration - measured in Newtons • Work = Force x distance – measured in Joules • Power = Work x time – measured in Watts To understand this, consider the weight lifter; he/she wants to be capable of lifting getting the maximum force out of their muscles in a single contraction. Compare this to the marathon runner who wants to sustain their speed round a 26-mile course. You don’t need huge amounts of force for this, but you do have to sustain it for a long time – and if you increase the muscle mass, you increase the amount of work you must do. This of course is why weight lifters have huge amounts of muscle and marathon runners are comparatively slight. Nevertheless, marathon runners do have to develop a certain amount of force. For us as triathletes the relationship is more complex. When we are running or cycling on the flat we do not have to generate a great deal of force. The effort to sustain a constant speed on the bike is comparatively small and the major effort on the run is holding up our own body weight. However, the swim does demand power in the upper body – which adds weight we could ideally do without on the other two and as soon as you add hills you need to look at power for the bike and run.
Muscle Force – two components. The amount of force we can generate depends on two things; the number and size of muscle fibres in our muscles and their ability to all contract together. “More than 90 percent of the total volume of a skeletal muscle cell is composed of muscle proteins, including the contractile proteins actin and myosin. When a muscle cell is activated by its nerve cell, the interaction of actin and myosin generates force through so-called power strokes. The total force depends on the sum of all the power strokes occurring simultaneously within all of the cells of a muscle”.1 To increase the amount of force we can develop we must increase the total quantity of muscle protein – known as hypertrophy – and we must develop the neural basis of
1
Scientific American - Mark A. W. Andrews, associate professor of physiology and director of the Independent Study program at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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muscle strength by increasing the ability to recruit more muscle cells--and thus more power strokes--in a simultaneous manner. In untrained muscle the fibres fire “synchronously”. It is thought that this prevents the muscle from overworking and possibly ripping itself apart as it creates a level of force to which it is not accustomed. In particular, developing too much force can damage tendons. Repeated hill work seems to be very effective at developing this ability to fire of the neural pathways together. However, doing it as part of longer endurance sessions also helps build muscle mass but not excessively – which is what you are looking for as an endurance athlete.
Tendons The biggest danger you face is building the capacity of the muscles to generate more force than the tendons can accommodate. This is a major cause of tendinopathy – patellar or Achilles. To protect them there are two types of exercise we can do: • Stretching • Strengthening We will be covering these in more detail in a later edition, but the ideal exercises are those designed for rehab after an injury to patellar, Achilles or even those “swimmer’s shoulder” or rotator cuff injuries. By pay attention to these exercises as part of your daily routine – they need only take 5 to 10 minutes a day you can do much to avoid injury if you know you are prone injury.
Next Month We will be looking at how we build aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance and strength endurance.
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Swim Where are we now January forms the second part of a two-month phase where we look to achieve the bulk of our endurance. But we mustn’t forget technique. Technique must still be considered the priority even during this endurance building phase. Repetition of quality movement will result in our having the ability to swim further for less expenditure of energy. The sessions for this month uniquely combine mixing technical work whilst remembering triathlon as an endurance sport. Sessions this month will include: • • • •
Swimming at an even pace Reducing our stroke rate per length Developing an efficient leg kick Swimming at two different rates of intensity.
Shoulder Injuries Almost every swimmer will experience shoulder pain at some time! About 90% of these injuries are caused by poor technique in one of four areas. This poor technique is also costing you time and energy! We look briefly at each of these areas this month.
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Swim session 1 Purpose of this session Maintaining a manageable and even pace.
Kit checklist Fins
Paddles
Pull Buoy
Watch
Ankle ties
Wetsuit
What’s in this session Perform multiple sets of one of the following distances to be done at mono pace: • 200, 300, 400 or 500m. Static recovery of between 1 and 3 mins between sets.
Coaching points •
• • • • • • •
Recommend Borg Scale Rate of exertion is #12. Aim to maintain even pace ‘splits’ throughout Time and record your splits Be strict with your recovery times Bi-lateral breathing throughout Find a comfortable rhythm and settle in to sustainable pace Don’t use swim aids Stay hydrated.
Adaptations •
Increase or decrease recovery times. • Reduce or increase distances
Impact on your training Swimming ‘within yourself’ will allow you to build endurance whilst maintaining good technique.
Effect on your racing Mono pace swimming saves energy leaving you plenty in the tank for the remainder of the race.
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Body Rotation Swimming with a flat body in the water with limited rotation along the long axis of the spine causes the arms to swing around the side during the recovery phase resulting in large amounts of internal rotation at the shoulder joint. Correct this with bilateral breathing and 6-1-6 and 6-3-6
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Swim session 2 Purpose of this session To improve stroke efficiency by reducing the number of strokes needing to be taken per length.
Kit checklist Fins
Paddles
Pull Buoy
Watch
Ankle ties
Wetsuit
What’s in this session 1. Swim 50m counting how many (individual) strokes it takes to do so.
2. Half this figure leaving “stoke count per length.” 3. Now increase the distances that you're able hold that stroke rate. (e.g. 100m, 150m, 200m, 250m, 300m, 350m………) 4. Stop at the distance you can just about hold that stroke count and perform multiple sets at that distance.
Coaching points •
Recommend Borg Scale Rate of exertion is #12. • Your aim is to increase distances whilst maintaining your stroke count • Take plenty of recovery between sets • Breathe bi-laterally
Adaptations •
Swim in repetitions of 25m • Use hand paddles throughout • Take set recovery durations between sets • Why not try single arm only to see which arm is more efficient.
Impact on your training You’ve now set yourself a bench mark you can use for future swimming The improved ‘feel’ for the water will maximise efficiency and allow you to increase distances swam for the same level of energy expenditure.
Effect on your racing Improved efficiency and a better ‘feel’ for the water translates directly to cracking swim splits! 9
Hand Placement Leading with the thumb. This is a fairly common error. Not only does it mean you are not set up for the catch but it leads to excessive rotation of the of the humerus with resulting rotator cuff impingement.
Correct it by visualising your middle finger as it enters the water first.
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Swim session 3 Purpose of this session This session is designed to improve leg kick technique.
Kit checklist Fins
Paddles
Pull Buoy
Watch
Ankle ties
Wetsuit
What’s in this session Format: 50-100m drill (below) followed by 50-100m swim. • Using fins: o Kick from hip o Narrow kick o Vertical kick • Repeat above – no fins. Format: 50-100m drill (below) followed by 50-100m swim. • Using fins: o Kick on back o Kick lying on side o Constant kicking. • Repeat above - no fins
Coaching points 1. Kick from hip. Straight leg with slightly flexed knee. Use arms.
2. Narrow kick. Tap inside edge of fins together when feet pass each other. Use arms. 3. Vertical kick. Hold on to side of pool, keep body vertical and kick legs for sets of 30 secs. Keep body approx 2ft away from side of pool. 4. Kick on back. Arms either across chest or straight above head. 5. Kick lying on side. Keep side of face on surface of water. If lying on left side, keep left arm straight and above head and right arm by side. And vice versa. 6. Constant. Focus on keeping kicking all the times regardless of angle of body or breathing pattern. Use arms Note: too much fin work can cause cramp. Take plenty of recovery between sets 11
Aim to keep hips high in the water throughout. Keeping chin tucked in (as if you were supporting an apple under your chin) helps to create this.
Adaptations •
Increase or decrease distances swam for drills and swims • Use fins for all the drills (however, take them off for the swim sections) • Keep ‘leading arm’ by your side during the ‘kick lying on side’ drill to encourage more body roll.
Impact on your training •
Improved body position in the water • Improved rhythm and arm cycle timing • Increased ability to swim longer distances.
Effect on your racing A good leg kick will keep the hips nice and high in the water enabling a more streamlined and hydro-efficient body position. This reduction in resistance converts to a quicker swim split Using our legs encourages blood flow which in turn prepares them for the run to transition and subsequent bike leg.
Crossover Allowing your hand to enter the water across the centre-line of your body. This does several things; causes snaking of the body, a poor catch and generally results in the thumb entering the water first – see above.
Correct it by “on your side” drills and visualising the middle finger pointing straight down the pool.
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Swim session 4 Purpose of this session To develop speed endurance by swimming at two different rates of intensity using the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion.
Kit checklist Fins
Paddles
Pull Buoy
Watch
Ankle ties
Wetsuit
What’s in this session Choose a distance (either sets of 300m – or 500m) according to your preferred race distance: Up to and including Standard Distance. Perform (up to) 7 sets of 300m as follows: Scale #11
Scale #15
1. 50m 250m 2. 75m 225m 3. 100m 200m 4. 125m 175m 5. 150m 150m 6. 175m 125m 7. 200m 100m 70.3 (half iron distance) Perform (up to) 6 sets of 500m as follows
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6.
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Recovery 45-90 secs 45-90 secs 45-90 secs 45-90 secs 45-90 secs 45-90 secs 45-90 secs
Scale #11
Scale #15
Recovery
100m 200m 300m 400m 100m 100m 100m 50m
400m 300m 200m 100m 50m 50m 50m
30-60 secs 30-60 secs 30-60 secs 30-60 secs
500m
30-60 secs Swim down to finish
Coaching points • Stick to the set rates of exertion throughout • Use the lower rate to establish good technique and then aim to maintain the same control during the higher rate • Be strict with recovery times
Adaptations •
Use hand paddles to develop shoulder strength • Increase or decrease distances according to fitness levels • Slightly increase intensity level (up to #16) as the distances decrease
Impact on your training •
Improved ability to hold higher rates of exertion for longer distances • Increased cardio vascular capacity • Better technique at slower speeds • Hold better technique at higher rates of exertion.
Effect on your racing •
Improved ability to ‘negative split’ • Improved ability and versatility to maintain strength during varying degrees of resistance (such as change of tide direction) • Your average rate of exertion will increase • Your swim split times will decrease!
Catch and Pull Through Two common errors – 1. Catch begins with fingers higher than wrist and arm over extended 2. The pull through is done with a straight arm. 1 results in pushing down on the water, not back. 2 increases drag from the arm. Both waste energy and exert excessive force on the shoulder
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Bike Where are you now This month we look to continue from where we left off in December i.e. building endurance and power. December may well have been a ‘baptism of fire’ due to the jump in mileage but this month is a great opportunity to consolidate the endurance gained. Race season is a long way away, so we’ve still got plenty of time to continue creating a superb base from which to use as a launch pad for a fantastic summer of racing. Again, approx. 70% of our available training time should be allocated to endurance. Sessions this month will include: • • • •
Using gears as a method of overloading to generate force An endurance ride that develops cadence and force Using spin as a recovery aid after periods of ‘over-gearing’ Applying an even force across various levels of resistance.
Defensive Cycling – Some thoughts There injury risks in each of our sports but it is the bike that could ruin your season, or life. The road is a dangerous place, most of us have been cut-up by a thoughtless motorist or pedestrian. Bad news - the cyclist generally comes of worst. Other road users don’t set out to cause injuries but there are certain precautions you can take to make it less likely that you will be injured. Assume you are going to come off at some point You almost certainly will! Wear a helmet. There is not much you can do to prevent grazes, bruises or broken bones if you come of at speed and hit something but a helmet can save your life. Not wearing one is, frankly, stupid. Protective Spectacles. Stones can be thrown by passing cars can be traveling towards you at high speed, and I can assure you that a bee in the eye at 35kph is pretty uncomfortable. Either could cause you to lose control. The best ones to buy are those with interchangeable lenses. Clear or yellow for night and polaroid for bright sun. Bright clothing with reflective patches If they can’t see you they can’t avoid you! Yellow is good. Don’t forget the gloves – you use your hands to signal. 15
Lights It gets dark early at this time of year and if the weather is particularly cloudy it can suddenly become dark very quickly. Get some good ones and use them! At the very least, carry spare batteries and it is a pretty good idea to complete spare lights. Your secondary set need not be expensive – they are simply designed to get you home and need not be a replacement for your 1600 lumen Cree Headlight.
Now for the defensive riding bit Do not hog the gutter. There is a temptation, particularly amongst those new to the sport, to try to keep as close to the kerb as possible. This tempts drivers to think they don’t have to make a specific overtaking move to pass you. The Highway Code rule 163 says: “give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car” Position yourself around a metre from the kerb – particularly on country roads – which will compel the driver to make a proper overtaking manoeuvre. When approaching a traffic island place yourself in the centre of the lane to ensure drivers are not tempted to try to squeeze through. Passing parked cars Give yourself a door’s width from any parked cars. Having one opened on you by someone who doesn’t look behind is thoroughly unpleasant. At traffic lights While you can overtake stationary traffic on the inside beware of the first vehicle in the queue. They might be turning left. Position yourself where the second in the queue can see you clearly. If there is a large vehicle at the front do not get between it and the kerb. Round-a-bouts Be prepared for cars to turn onto the round-a-bout in front of you. Most drivers seem incapable of assessing the speed of a sports cyclist at round-a-bouts. Speed Appreciate that most motorists think cyclists travel at a little above walking pace. They simply do not realise you may be doing 25mph! Do not be tempted to “rush the junction” because you do not want to expend the extra energy to accelerate again. You may have miss-judged the speed of the motorist! Common Sense Use it! There is no substitute! 16
Bike session 1 – turbo. Purpose of this session To develop power by applying varying degrees of force and in 2 different body positions.
Kit checklist Turbo trainer / riser block
Helmet
Road or mountain bike
What’s in this session Main set 1 • 2 mins in each of following gears: • 50/14, 50/13, 50/12 • 2 mins spin @ 100 rpm • 3 mins using same gears as above: • 2 mins spin @ 100 rpm • 4 mins using same gears as above: • 2 mins spin @ 100 rpm • 4 mins recovery @ 60-70rpm
Main set 2 • 9 minutes in 50/14: • 3 mins seated • 1 min out of saddle • 2 mins seated • 1 min out of saddle • 1 min seated 17
Cadence & time feedback
Clipless pedals
Fluids
• 1 min out of saddle
Coaching points • • • •
Consume fluids little and often Thorough warm up and cool down Smooth pedal action at all times Keep upper body still but relaxed
Adaptations • This session can be done on flat roads • Amend gear ratios according to fitness levels • Increase / decrease cadence according to fitness levels
Impact on your training • • • •
‘Spinning’ will improve rate of recovery Increased ability to climb hills More efficient pedal action Increased power output
Effect on your racing Better bike splits, especially on hilly courses.
Cycling places a unique combination of strains on the body • Bent, static upper body position • Continuous repetitive leg action • Powerful forces on knees and Achilles – on hills Which makes us prone to injury! But we can avoid it by taking prophylactic action.
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Bike session 2 Purpose of this session To develop endurance whilst improving rates of cadence and sustainable power.
Kit checklist Turbo trainer / riser block
Helmet
Road or mountain bike
Cadence & time feedback
Clipless pedals
Fluids
What’s in this session 50-mile ride broken down as: • 1-20 miles in the 34-tooth chain ring (inner chain ring on the front) Cadence range 75-85rpm. • 21-40 miles all in 50/15 • 41-50 miles @ 90rpm+
Coaching points • • • •
Take plenty of fluids and nutrition (protein and carbs) Use the first 5 miles as warm up (75rpm) Chose flat course where possible Keep levels of exertion around #11 - #12.
Adaptations • Amend ride distance to suit fitness levels and target race distances but stick to the proportions: i.e. 40%, 40%, 20%. • If hilly course, apply increased force for the inclines only as opposed to using 50/15 for miles 21-40 • Reduce or increase rates of cadence accordingly
Impact on your training • Increase levels of endurance • Increase the rate of cadence • Increase levels of force 19
Effect on your racing You will have possessed the ability to produce a good bike split on a hilly course.
Back & Neck Pain Causes • • • •
Saddle too high – Handle-bars too low Distance saddle to bar, too long Week core muscles Poor posture at the office desk
Solutions • Get a good bike fit • Work on Core Strength • Get a good office chair/put a cushion in the small of the back • Sit up straight • Work standing up – get a desk raise • Get up and wander around every 40 minutes – at least
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Bike session 3 Purpose of this session To develop sustainable power and to use spin as a recovery tool.
Kit checklist Turbo trainer / riser block
Helmet
Road or mountain bike
Cadence & time feedback
Clipless pedals
Fluids
What’s in this session 1-3 hour ride. • Include multiple sets of the following: • Alternate: 10 mins ‘over gearing’ (in 50:14) / 5 mins spin @ 90+ rpm
Coaching points • Use inner chainring for the 5 min spin durations • Controlled and smooth pedal action throughout • Keep upper body relaxed
Adaptations • For additional recovery, spin at 60-70rpm for 5 mins following the spin elements • Can be done on an indoor bike • Amend time, power and cadence proportions to suit areas most in need of work
Impact on your training • Recover faster • Increase level of sustainable power • Improve endurance
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Effect on your racing An increased level of power and a quicker rate of recovery can only mean one thing – Quicker bike splits!
Upper Leg Pain Causes • Sciatica caused by pressure from over-tight piriformis • Saddle too low – pressure on patella • Saddle too high – strain on hamstring • Over-tight quads and IT Band • Cleat set-up – pain at side of knee
Solutions • Loosen overtight muscles by: o Stretching – daily o Foam rolling o Massage • Get a good bike fit • Use higher cadence and lower gears on hills
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Bike session 4 Purpose of this session Applying an even force over two different levels of resistance.
Kit checklist Turbo trainer / riser block
Helmet
Road or mountain bike
Cadence & time feedback
Clipless pedals
Fluids
What’s in this session Perform multiple sets of the following 12 min sets:
Duration
Gear
Exertion level
Cadence
3 mins
50:13
#13
N/A
3 mins
50:16
#13
N/A
6 mins
N/A
#10
75~90 rpm
Coaching points • • • •
Important to make a distinction between the levels of exertion The key is to apply the same level of exertion despite the change in gear Stick to the gear ratios indicated throughout Speed travelled, cadence achieved (for the 2 x 3 mins) nor gears used (for the 6 mins @ #10) are relevant.
Adaptations Increase / decrease durations, gearing and exertion levels to suit current fitness levels.
Impact on your training • Improve bike fitness by using the classic ‘exertion / recover’ principle • Increased self-awareness 23
• Recover at a higher rate of cadence.
Effect on your racing Producing an even rate of exertion across different gear ratios bodes well for those undulating bike courses by maintaining an even output.
Achilles Tendonitis Causes • Calf muscles not moving through full range – permanently contracted • Cleat position • Overtight calf muscle • Strength of tendons/muscles
Solutions • Lower saddle to reduce toe pointing • Move cleats back a few mm – shortens “moment arm” • Rolling, massage and stretching of calf • Eccentric calf programme – Heel lowering instead of raising
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Run Where are you now January can often represent a month of recovery – from Xmas! However, without sounding like a party pooper, it’s a month that can potentially be hugely beneficial to our year ahead. I liken each training sessions to an individual brick. Each brick is valuable in the overall scheme of things which is to build a house. Some bricks are bigger than others because they are needed to create a solid structure from which the remainder of the house then gets built upon. Sessions during this ‘off season’ are the structural bricks that form a strong foundation. Sessions this month will include: • • • •
A ‘fartlek’ run that will work all body systems Hill repeats as the ultimate method of gaining run power An endurance session to give you confidence and a psychological edge A ‘negative split’ session for pace control.
Impact with the ground • When your foot hits the ground it does so with a force of about 686 Newtons (if you weigh 70KG). • On a 10k run that force will be exerted about 5000 times on each foot. Which is a lot! Fortunately the energy imparted is fairly small – perhaps about 0.08 of a kcalorie each time the foot lands. But it does mean there lots of opportunity for injury.
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The most common running injuries • Runner's Knee. Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) • Achilles Tendonitis. ... • Hamstring Issues. ... • Plantar Fasciitis. ... • Shinsplints. ... • Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) ... • Stress Fractures
Prevention is better than cure • • • •
Choose the right shoes Buy from a shop that offers “Gait Analysis” Shoes don’t last for ever Proactive long-term injury-prevention strategy, such as strength training, stretching, and regular foam-rolling • Warm up properly and do dynamic stretches before starting
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Run session 1 Purpose of this session To develop a range of body systems (speed, muscular endurance, force and endurance) within one run.
Kit checklist Watch
Warm clothes
Fluids
Hand weights Garmin / GPS watch
What’s in this session 45-120 minute fartlek run. Vary running at different speeds, intensities, rates and durations of recoveries. Throw in some hills and really enjoy having no set agenda!
Coaching points • • • •
Fun to do with others Keep good technique at all times Variety is the key as it shocks the body system thus increases fitness quicker Best to avoid frequent repetitions at extremely high intensity levels at this stage of the year.
Adaptations • Use 0.5 – 1kg hand weights for additional force and shoulder strength • Increase / decrease duration • Can be done on a track by varying intensities and distances run.
Impact on your training Run faster, stronger, further and recover quicker.
Effect on your racing You’ll be better equipped to race faster on hilly courses with constantly changing forces are needed.
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Develop Core Strength and Flexibility If you want your legs to move smoothly the muscles must attach to a strong body that can at the same time achieve full range of easy movement
Think • • • • •
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Planks – Front and side Bridges Static stretching Foam Rolling Massage - Self or Sports
Run session 2 Purpose of this session To use inclines as an ‘overloading’ tool in order to develop force. To run at the same intensity level on inclines as flats.
Kit checklist Watch
Warm clothes
Fluids
Hand weights Garmin / GPS watch
What’s in this session • 10-30 minute run @ #11 • 5-10 repetitions of hill repeats each lasting 1 minute per ascent. (Intensity level #13) • 10-30 minute run @ #13 • 5-10 hill repeats each lasting 2 mins per ascent. (Intensity level #13) • 10-30 minute run @ #13
Coaching points • Choose a hill 5-10̊ that takes more than 2 mins to run up. • Pace yourself! • Recover during the ascents (walk / jog) Ascents: • Keep stride length short and cadence high • Keep head still but relaxed • Mid-foot impact • Work the arms • Keep a good knee lift Descents: • • • • 29
Keep upper body loose Use arms for balance Soft and controlled impacts with the ground Impact with slightly bent knee.
Adaptations • • • •
Increase / decrease durations and intensity levels to suit Increase / decrease repetitions Use 0.5-1kg hand weights for additional power Can be done on treadmill.
Impact on your training • Increased output of force and anaerobic capacity • Improved balance • Increased cadence
Effect on your racing Big time savings to be had by being strong in the hills.
Running Form • Fast Cadence – less time on ground less energy used • Avoid heel striking – shorter stride, hips over foot as it lands • Develop excellent leg/hip flexibility • Relax the upper body • Get a coach to look at your form
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Run session 3 Purpose of this session To make sure we can run at least our target race (run) distance.
Kit checklist Watch
Warm clothes
Fluids
Hand weights Garmin / GPS watch
What’s in this session Run 150 ~ 175% of your chosen target race (run) distance. E.g.
Standard distance
= 10k
+ 50 ~ 75%
= 5 ~ 7.5k -------------= 15 ~ 17.5k
Total distance run
Coaching points • Keep intensity level around #11 ~ 12 • Avoid ‘spiking’ intensity levels by maintaining an even pace throughout. • Aim to finish the run with energy to spare as opposed to ‘emptying the tank’.
Adaptations If necessary, build up to maximum distance by covering the total distance in 2 runs on consecutive days.
Impact on your training Covering mileage such as this helps to form a great base layer from which we can build from.
Effect on your racing Knowing you can cover the distance come race day is a huge psychological boost. It leaves you thinking how best to run the leg as opposed to thinking ‘can I complete the distance?’
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Learn a little about the physics of running form Watch this video analysis
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Run session 4 Purpose of this session • To increase intensity levels despite increases in distance. • To increase our perception of pace.
Kit checklist Watch
Warm clothes
Fluids
Hand weights Garmin / GPS watch
What’s in this session Perform a series of runs of the following distances followed by recoveries. Distance
Intensity level
Recovery duration
1k
#10
1 minute
2k
#11
1 minute
3k
#12
1 minute
4k
#13
1 minute
5k
#14
1 minute
6k
#15
1 minute
Coaching points Must keep pace consistent throughout regardless of the distance to be covered. 1-minute static or walking recovery between sets Remember to warm up, stay warm and cool down Calculate the distance you need to run according to your chosen race distance. Aim to cover race distance + 30%.
Adaptations • Adjust recovery between sets according to current fitness levels 33
• Impact on your training • Being able to control your pace in training will allow us to get the most of our session, enhance enjoyment and reduce probability of injury.
Effect on your racing ‘Negative split’ sessions such as this will allow us to steadily find our rhythm and optimum pace which we then hold for the remainder of the race.
What’s up next We’ll slightly reduce the level of endurance and incorporate a little more speed and muscular endurance.
Look forward to next month when we start to build speed!
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Goals & Resolutions – Why goal setting is critical Around two thirds of the population in the UK make New Year Resolutions. About 40% admit to having failed to keep them but more careful research shows that probably 80% have given up in just 3 months. Top performers, whether in sport, business or pretty much any other field, set goals and follow them through. So why are most people unable to set goals or make resolutions and stick to them.
Why Goals make a difference They serve three distinct purposes: • A focus for planning • An inspiration/driver when the going gets tough • A “lens” for visualisation We will discuss the last of these in a later article but the first two are critical for your training. We often hear people say, “I do triathlon” and that is the way they come to think. They turn up for training, get up early to plod the streets, they are in the pool at 6.00 in the morning. It has become a routine and these activities have almost lost their purpose.
Alice in Wonderland Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don't much care where. The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go. And that is just the point. Unless you have a clear idea of where you want to get to it really doesn’t matter what training you do, and you cannot plan how to train. “A goal is just a dream unless there is a plan.”
SMART Goals and Plans S.M.A.R.T. is a mnemonic has been around for many years in the business community to describe what a goal should be:
Specific Measurable 35
Achievable Relevant Time bounded Typical New Year Resolutions are expressed as: Lose weight, Get fit, Save money, Go to gym, See more of the family, eat more healthily, train harder. These all fail the basic test; they’re not SMART. Perhaps our resolution is “To be a better Triathlete”. Does this fit the criteria of being a SMART goal? • Specific; Does that mean able to complete longer distance or finish my current distance in a higher position? • Measurable; What happens if the Brownlees and Gomez turn up. I might be faster, but I’ll fall down the positions. So I should specify times! How about; “Complete a Sprint Tri in 55 minutes”? • Attainable; Not really! I took this sport up two years ago after years of idleness. • Relevant; Does it fit my long-term goals? Does it feel important to me to achieve this? • Time-bounded; When? This year, next year, in 5 years? So let me try the SMART Version. Let me give you some context. I am a 63-year-old man who had a heart attack 7 years ago, was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago, broke his arm severely 15 months ago – still recovering - and broke two ribs 6 weeks ago. My SMART goal I will complete the May 2018, Winchester TryTri in 1 hour 30 minutes. This will prove to myself that I am still able to compete. Even better it will prove to the medical specialists who wanted to put me on drugs and acknowledge that I was going to have to accept my ill health and manage it rather beat it. And more important; it can give hope and help to change the lives of others who are in the same position as I was. It is: ✓ Specific: I will complete the May, Winchester TryTri in 1 hour 30 minutes ✓ Measurable: in 1 hour 30 minutes ✓ Attainable: Doesn’t even matter if the Brownlees turn up and it is challenging but attainable ✓ Relevant: This will prove to myself that I am still able to compete. Even better it will prove to the medical specialists who wanted to put me on drugs etc…. 36
✓ Which is important to me! ✓ Time bounded: May 2018
I have a goal – what do I do with it? You use it to develop a plan to achieve it. It is not just a case of training harder but targeting the right training, so the place to start is with the Limiting Factors. First, identify your weakest sport – the one in which you can make the greatest improvement to your overall time. A good place to start is to compare your previous times for each sport with your fellow competitors. If you were in the top 20% on the bike and the bottom 20% on the run you will clearly gain the greatest benefit from improving your run. And if it is as clear cut as that it is easy to make decisions. But if you are in the top 50% on the bike and the bottom 40% on the swim you will have to think about it. The bike will represent about 50% of the race time, the swim perhaps 15%. The impact on your overall time will be greater by a small improvement on the bike. Then write out your goals for each individual sport, for example: Winchester TryTri • • • • •
Swim – 400m – 7mins 30sec Bike - 22.5K – 50 minutes Run – 5K – 25 minutes Transitions – 5 minutes Total – 87minutes 30 seconds.
Next look at each individual sport. What are the Limiting Factors here: ✓ Swim: Technique – body position, breathing, catch. Fitness – power, endurance, stroke count ✓ Bike: Technique, hill climbing, endurance, flat speed, cadence, power ✓ Run: Technique, hill climbing, endurance, speed And don’t neglect less specific characteristics for effective competition such as; overall cardio vascular condition and endurance, core strength, flexibility – and even body weight. Now you know where to target your training you can take each of the training sessions in this guide and tailor them to your specific requirements as well as deciding the number of each you will do in a week. For some it might be 1 Swim, 2 Bike , 4 Runs – others 3 Swims, 4 Bikes, 2 Runs.
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But remember that the training sessions in the guide are carefully designed to fit the periodisation so the adaptations should follow those suggested in each individual session.
A Source of Inspiration There are two big problems with this phase of training: • The weather’s lousy and the days are short • You may well get slower before you get faster It takes commitment to leave the house at 6am on a frosty morning or put on your running shoes and get out in the rain and wind when you get home from work. But if you have a burning desire to achieve something… And unfortunately building force to help with hill work, upping your cadence and using lower gears as part of the training regime will result in slower average speeds which can be thoroughly demotivating. But if you have a clear understanding of the reason you are adapting your training in this way it will make the difference.
What next? 1. Write your goals out in detail – the overall goal and the specifics for each sport. 2. Put copies of them in places where you cannot fail to see them several times per day 3. Share them with your nearest and dearest and the world at large 4. Look at them first thing in the morning and last thing at night 5. Write your training schedule into your diary every week. Don’t just use the auto repeat facility on your diary software – the action of purposefully writing it down in the diary is an act of commitment that will help keep you focussed.
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Commit to your Race Goals Identify your first “A” Race of the season. Write out your goal for that event; include the Name of the Event, date, target time and the reason it is important to you! Then do the same for any other “A” Race. Repeat this for each of your “A” Races
SMART Goal
Identify your limiting Sport Where do you finish in each sport? Sport
Top 20%
20% - 40%
Swim Bike Run
Set Goals for Time on each Sport Sport Swim Bike Run
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Distance Time
40% - 60%
60% - 80%
80% - Last
Limiting Factor for Sport Score 5 for amongst the Worst in age group, Score 1 for amongst the best. Limiter
Swim
Bike
Run
Technique Force Cardio-Endurance Muscular endurance Anaerobic Endurance Power Speed
Other Issues Score 1 for “No Problem”, Score 10 for Major Issue and commit to Action to overcome it. Issue Weight Flexibility Core Strength General body strength Injury – Actual or Prone to… Psychology Nutrition Life Style
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Problem Action Rating
Nutrition – Weight control As we start the New Year many of us will be realising we have over indulged on Turkey, Christmas Pudding, Cake, Wine, Spirits, Chocolate and Nuts over the last week or two. Even elite athletes take a break from their regimes once in a while. However, many of us age-groupers, particularly those of us who have joined the sport more recently have more of a problem. We started over weight in the first place, we may even have started it because we were overweight and wanted to do something about it. So this month I ‘m going to focus on weight control. Next month we’ll return to a more detailed look at macro-nutrients beginning with carbohydrates and then working through protein, fat and onto micro-nutrients.
Impact of Weight on Performance The simple answer is that if you are carrying too much weight it will slow you down. The problem is to identify what is too much. There are a number of studies on the issue for each of our individual sports but, as far as I can discover, no study for Triathlon as a multi-sport. The impact of excess weight is complex. During the swim it impacts on drag. There have been experiments using weighted padding to fill out a full body tri-suit. On the bike the major impact is on hills where it affects both the time and the energy expenditure but has a very minor impact on the flat. Typically losing 10lbs will result in a 3% increase in speed on a 6% climb increasing to over 5% on a 10% incline. It is on the run that excess weight makes the biggest difference. A study at Georgetown University used a 12-minute Time trial and discovered that every 1% over weight cost 23 metres in distance run. This may not seem m uch but if you scale up the figures to typical distances in triathlon it becomes very interesting. Let’s take an example: You are about to do your first sprint triathlon, you are currently 1 stone (6.36 Kg) above your target weight. You currently run 5 K in 30 minutes. If you lose that weight your time will drop to 26.52 on a flat course and if you have been working on hilly courses the improvement will be radically more.
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Current Weight Target Weight % Reduction
168 154 9%
Distance Time Time Factor (distance/12) Metres Lost % Lost Potential Time Hrs:Mins:Sec
5 30.00 2.5 522 10% 26.86 00:26:52
You can use this calculator to apply it to your own circumstances on the website here.
What weight should you be? If you were a simply a swimmer, runner or cyclist it would be easy to tell you. Unfortunately, each of our sports put conflicting demands on the body in terms of musculature and body fat. Add to that the basic frame (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph) on which muscle and fat are hung favours different sports. Top swimmers tend to have long arms, big feet and hands and heavily muscled upper bodies. A distance runner needs a slim lightly muscled upper body – all that swimmer’s muscle is just deadweight. Distance runners need lots of slow twitch muscle fibres while cyclists need lots of fast twitch muscle fibres and they too want to skip the heavily muscled upper body. Added to this are the variations in the amount of body fat that you require to perform. Endurance athletes require more body fat than others simply because after about 2 hours of exercise you run out of available glycogen and the body starts relying on fat as a source of fuel. So, while male and female athletes in general tend to have body fat percentages in the range 6-13 % and 14 – 20% respectively male Olympic triathletes are in the 11 – 13% bracket. And it is likely that longer distances benefit from higher percentages.
Art or Science All of this means that working out your ideal weight is as much an art as a science, but you have to start somewhere. Let’s start with Body Mass Index (BMI). This is the most widely used measure of ideal weight. It uses the formula of Weight in Kilos / Height in Metres Squared. You can work it out yourself or you can use our calculator here. 42
If you are in the bracket of 18.5 to 25 you are considered normal. The problem with this measure is that it doesn’t take into account variations in body form, musculature or bone mass. Ideally you probably want to be around the middle of this range but it’s quite possible that if you are swimmer with a particularly strong broad upper body you may fall above the range. If you want to get more accurate you can calculate your Body Fat Percentage with the calculator here.
Do you want to lose those extra pounds? The answer for most of us – at this time of year – is probably YES. It’s also the time when it seems that half the population have decided they want to get fit everyone starts to diet and - even worse - the swimming pools and gyms will fill up – you’ll now be sharing a lane with 8 people when there were just two of you during December. But don’t despair, most will give up by the middle of February. We all know that there are two components to losing weight – diet and exercise. We won’t talk about the exercise since as Triathletes we all do more than almost any other sport let alone the rest of the population.
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Weight Loss for Triathletes With the number of different diets available, recommended and sold you would think that losing weight was complicated. Add to that the number of people that fail to lose weight or simply regain it – and more – and you would be forgiven for thinking it nigh on impossible. But, in essence it is very simple; if calories expended are greater than calories ingested you will lose weight! The problem for most people is that they do not follow the diet in the first place and do not make the small changes in life-style necessary to maintain it. This is not the place to delve into the psychology of why this might be, but I hope that by arming you with a couple of simple facts and then a strategy for triathletes you can tackle the problem successfully.
The Facts One pound of fat will yield about 3500 calories of energy. If your weight is stable – you are eating as many calories as you burn – reducing the intake by 3500 calories will result in losing one pound. • A standard size ginger nut contains 50 calories. If you currently have a cup of tea with a ginger nut every day and you give up the biscuit you will lose one pound every 10 weeks. Which equals 5lbs in a year. • A slice of toast butter and marmalade contains about 350 calories. And you will lose 1 lbs every 10 days, 36lbs in a year. Over 2.5 stone! • 1 Pint of beer or a large glass of wine come in at about 210 calories each. Reduce your intake by 2 drinks a week and it will save 6 lbs in a year. And if you are drinking them in a pub it will save you some place between £300 and £500 – that new Garmin Sports watch. The point I am trying to make is; you need only make small changes and the long term impact is huge. You just have to sustain them – turn them into habits. We will be discussing goal setting and visualisation as techniques for improving performance elsewhere but these same approaches can make these new weight control habits easy.
A Strategy for Weight Loss As an athlete in training, if you want to lose any more than about 1½ lbs per week you need to approach the task with care. Failing to do so can have a serious negative impact on training and lead to loss of muscle mass. This in turn leads to frustration and stress. This will affect your
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enthusiasm for training, the sport itself and has impacts on hormones and sleep which then start to impact on the rate of weight loss. All this puts you on a course for a downward spiral.
Lose weight in the off-season Losing weight demands that you eat fewer calories than you burn. The immediate impact of this is lower glycogen stores. This will make training feel more difficult and reduce your performance during training. However, once you return to a balance of Calories-In V Calories-Out your level of performance will rapidly recover – within a day or so – and you will be ready for competition. Starting now also means that you have more time to reach your goal which allows for a slower weight loss regime. While 2lbs or 1kilo per week is not too difficult to achieve there is good evidence to suggest that half that rate is better. It seems to preserve power more effectively!
Do not “Crash Diet” Crash diets impact on lean body mass and hormones. In short you will lose muscle and your body will change the way it functions and the way you feel. Muscle mass – in one test those on a fast weight reduction programme (1kg/week) last twice as much weight in the same period as the slow reduction group 0.5kg/week) but while the fast reducers lost 0.2% lean body mass the slow reducers gained 2.1%. Higher rates than 1kg/week produce higher rates of muscle loss. Hormones – Crash diets have an impact on a range of hormones. Those that affect our perception of hunger, metabolism of sugar, testosterone – associated with building muscle mass - and cortisol – the “stress” hormone which affects mood and the predisposition to lay down fat stores. Mitochondrial Adaptations and Metabolic Rate – The effects are complex, but it appears that at high levels of calorie restriction, particularly amongst those that are already slim the body changes the way it metabolises blood sugar making weight loss more difficult and regain more likely.
Lower Carbohydrate Intake, Lower GI Carbs and more Fibre Current government guidelines are that the percentages of energy you need should come from: Carbohydrate 50% Fat 35% Protein 15% We suggest however that there is wide ranging evidence that has been around for many years that this is not a good distribution. 45
Studied have shown that the same calorie intake with a distribution as shown below: Carbohydrate 40% Fat 35% Protein 25% produced significantly higher weight loss. This is probably because the additional protein encourages the development of further muscle mass which burns more calories. Eating lower Glycemic Index (GI) Carbs will keep your energy levels much more consistent through the day and will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Foods with a high GI Index are rapidly converted to blood sugar which, if not used by exercise, is converted to fat. The easiest way to achieve that is simply to avoid packaged foods, carbonated drinks that are not low calorie, and cut out the sugar from the latte and the blueberry muffin (56g Carb, 32g Sugar and 452 calories) that goes with it.
Even More Protein Because you are training it is likely that you are burning an additional 800 -1000 calories per day. The training is likely to be having an impact on the bodies demand for protein, particularly when building force, so there is a benefit in further increasing the proportion of protein. Studies suggest that increasing the proportion to 35% significantly reduces the amount of muscle loss. However, there is a downside to this. Those who have sacrificed carbohydrate for the additional protein may feel more fatigued while still being able to perform at a higher level.
Spread your protein consumption through the day Eating your carbs in four portions in four reasonably equal portions throughout the day appears to have the best results. An intake of 20g to 30g of protein stimulates the muscles to produce protein for a period of 2 to 3 hours. It is certainly more effective than concentrating the consumption in a single evening meal and interestingly it seems more effective than more smaller snacks of protein. A further study found that ingesting a portion of 40g of protein 30 minutes before sleep increased muscle protein synthesis during sleep.
Refuel properly after training sessions Even if you are following a low carb diet it is important to replace glycogen stores quickly after a training session. The general advice is to take 1 – 1.5g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight within 30 minutes of the end of the training session. 46
You can further protect your muscle mass by consuming 20 to 25 grams of protein within the same time scale. In other words, a good protein shake or protein bar.
“Strength” Training As we have mentioned above one of the major problems for athletes on weight reduction programmes is the problem of muscle loss. Lifting weights can give a major boost to muscle mass and a good “weights work out” in the gym can pay dividends. However, any resistance training session aimed at building “force” also helps so this is the ideal time during the training cycle. Serious hill work on the bike and run and using paddles during swim sessions will have much the same effect. The ideal appears to be a series of short highly intense periods where you push the muscles (not the cardio-vascular system) as hard as you can. The periods can be around 20 seconds, your muscles should feel they can do no more, but you should not be gasping for breath.
Once you have achieved your target weight It is easy to regain weight quickly following a diet! Which is why, as a nation, we are a bunch of serial dieters. Your metabolism has a tendency to adapt to a low-calorie intake with changes to your hormone balance and even at a cellular level your mitochondria adapt. These adaptations will drop out after a time so if you increase your food intake gradually it will ensure you don’t just pile on the pounds. So, continue to monitor your food intake and if you have been using a calorie counting website then keep using it allowing yourself perhaps an extra 50 calories per day. You should also bear in mind that your reduced weight means you will have a lower calorie requirement now than before your weight loss. If you have lost 5 kilos your basic requirement will have dropped by about 60 calories per day and if you are a training moderately it will probably have dropped by 100. Remember that ginger nut at 50 calories.
A few more simple tips Count the calories you consume. There are two website that make this easy LiveStrong.com and MyFitnessPall.com. there is hardly any food be it cooked from fresh, frozen or pre-prepared for which they don’t have the nutritional content - and a means of making it easy to record. Counting the nutrition has 2 benefits 1. You can see exactly what you are eating and learn about the balance of nutrition in your usual diet. That way you can be sure you are getting the right calorie deficit. And the right balance of Carbs, Protein and Fat. 47
2. You are creating a feed-back loop which can encourage you to stick at the diet. One of the problems with sticking to a diet is that the pain is now – the gain is in the future. Psychologists tell us this is not a good way to train ourselves to adopt the right behaviour. But by being able to see you have been successful at achieving you daily deficit goal you can pat yourself on the back. Drink more – particularly before a meal Studies have shown that drinking soup or even water before a meal will help you eat up to 20% fewer calories without even thinking about it. Avoid alcohol – Not only are the calories (200 in a glass of wine) empty of any other nutritional use but alcohol interferes with two critical hormones; Leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin decreases hunger ghrelin increases it. Unfortunately, alcohol increases leptin and decreases ghrelin – which is why people fancy a take-away after having a skinful! Get enough sleep - Too little can increase appetite by 24%. What is too little varies but the ideal amount should see you waking without an alarm clock feeling refreshed. 7 – 8 hours a day is the norm, but some people are genuinely comfortable with less. Reduce the stress – Stress stimulates the production of the hormone cortisol which increases food cravings – particularly for sugar and other high GI foods and encourages the body to increase its fat stores. Either sort out your life or try “Mindfulness” or meditation. Which will help sort it out for you.
In a nutshell You did not put on the excess weight overnight – you did it over years. The same applies to losing it. But one less: • Ginger biscuit per day = 5 lbs • Slice of toast and marmalade = 31 lbs • Glass of wine = 20 lbs lost in a year.
Action Plan 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 48
Lose weight in the off-season i.e. now Do not Crash Diet Reduce Carb and in particular High GI Carbs Increase Protein intake Spread Protein consumption through the day Refuel properly with carbs after training Do “strength” training to protect muscles
8. Take care when you finish dieting
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