News & Tips
Conquering the Dreaded Bike/Run Transition in Triathlon
Anyone who has tried a triathlon knows that the hardest transition by far is the bike-to-run. Science backs this up by showing that, in the early stages of running after biking, running economy is decreased by 2-12% when compared with running in a fresh state. Also, breathing discomfort is increased during the early stages of the run phase. The obvious reason for these deteriorations is a slightly forward leaning posture thought to be caused by the inability of the neurosensory system to adjust quickly to the sudden posture change from cycling to running. New research suggests, however, that there may be some less obvious reasons as well. Swimming research has shown that freestyle or front-crawl swimming of 200m at 90-95% of race pace produces a staggering 29% decrease in inspiratory muscle (i.e. breathing muscles) strength. Oddly enough, however, triathlon research has shown little or no inspiratory muscle fatigue (IMF) after the swim phase, but significant IMF after the bike & run phases. Additionally, this IMF did not worsen between the bike & run phases (the run did not increase the IMF seen after biking). It is thought that triathletes’ pacing strategies caused the absence of IMF following the swim. One study found that the slowest 50% of swimmers were significantly faster at the beginning of the bike phase. Another study determined that athletes finished an event faster when they swam at 80% of their maximal swim trial speed when compared with 100% of maximal swim trial speed. But what of the bike-to-run transition? A French study comparing biking to running found that biking caused the greatest amount of IMF. It is thought that the crouched body position along with aerobar use creates a very inefficient breathing pattern which then puts greater stress on the breathing muscles. A forward-leaning position forces the contents of the abdomen (stomach, liver, gut) upward thereby constricting the movement of the diaphragm. This constriction causes a higher breathing frequency which fatigues breathing muscles at a faster rate. So, what can be done to overcome these effects? Simply spending more time in aerobar position helps the breathing muscles adapt & improve (the worst fatigue was seen in athletes new to aerobar usage). Of greater benefit, however, is specific resistance training of the breathing muscles. An inspiratory muscle training (IMT) program takes about 4min per day & can produce a 4.6% improvement in 40km cycling time trial performance!! Compare that with hard interval sessions at 100% V02max that take 53min twice per week to produce a 5% increase in 40km time trial performance! You do the math: to produce at least a 4.5% 40km TT improvement, it’s 1.8hrs of IMT versus 7hrs of hard intervals. Here is an IMT program using an IMT device: 1 set of 30 breaths, twice daily (takes about 2min) Here are a few links: http://www.powerbreathe.com/homep.html Taken from Peak Performance, Number 247
Cycling & Resistance Training
A recent study on the effects of resistance training on cycling performance compared an endurance-only training group & an endurance + resistance training group. Results found that long-term endurance capacity increased by around 8% when 16wks of resistance training was added to regular bike training. This increase in endurance capacity did not occur in the endurance-only training group. Additionally, an increase in type 2A muscle fibers was also seen (these fibers can generate large amounts of power, but also have good endurance characteristics). Taken from Peak Performance, Number 247
Guide to Solid Preventative Care
Make sure that you are on top of your own preventative health care. The following is a list of vaccinations & preventative screening tests that you should know about. Vaccinations: a checklist for adults Influenza (every fall): Those 50yrs & over; younger people with certain chronic disorders such as asthma, lung or heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or HIV; women in 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy; health-care workers. Pneumococcal (pneumonia): Those 65yrs & over; younger people with certain chronic disorders (same as for influenza) Tetanus with diphtheria booster: Everyone, every 10yr for life. If you’re 65yr+, get the Tdap vaccine which includes pertussis Chickenpox: Anyone who has never had chickenpox Shingles: People 60yr & over Rubella: Woman of child-bearing age, but not during pregnancy HPV (human papilloma virus): Women 26 & younger to prevent cervical cancer Hepatitis A: Travelers to most parts of Latin America, Africa, Asia, or other areas where Hep A is common; those with chronic liver disease, anyone who wants to be protected. The CDC can answer any questions about vaccinations for traveling abroad. Hepatitis B: Sexually active gay men; heterosexuals with multiple partners; health-care workers; frequent travelers to high-risk areas; partners of infected people; drug users who share needles; certain other groups. Hep A & B can be combined into a single vaccine. Preventative Screening Tests for Healthy Adults Blood pressure measurement: To detect hypertension (high blood pressure). All adults, every 2yrs. If over 60yrs & a reading over 120/80, more frequently. Cholesterol measurement: Should include HDL, LDL, & triglycerides. All adults, once every 5yrs. More often if any results are abnormal or there are other risk factors. Pap test: For early detection of cervical cancer. All women, starting within 3yrs of becoming sexually active, no later than 21yrs old. Should be done every year until 30yrs old. If, after 30yrs old, you have 3 consecutive tests that are normal, once every 2-3yrs, unless you smoke or have multiple sex partners or other risk factors. Breast cancer screening (mammography): Annually for all women 50yrs & over. Those at higher risk need to start earlier. Colorectal cancer screening: Everyone 50yrs & over. Earlier for those at high risk. Occult blood test annually plus sigmoidoscopy every 5yrs. Preferably colonoscopy every 10yrs. Prostate cancer screening: Black men & those with family history of prostate cancer, starting at 40yrs old. For others, starting at 50yrs old. Digital rectal exam annually with prostate specific antigen (PSA) on professional advice. Diabetes screening: Everyone 45yr & over, every 2-3 yrs. Earlier for those at high risk. Thyroid disease screening: Women 50yrs & over, those with high cholesterol, family history, or other risk factors. Done on professional advice. Bone-density testing: Women 65yrs & over, younger women at high risk for bone loss, men at high risk. Done on professional advice. Chlamydia screening: Sexually active women 24yr & younger, older women at increased risk (such as multiple partners). Should be done annually or more often. Glaucoma screening: People at high risk (those over 65yrs old, very nearsighted, diabetic, blacks over 40yrs old, those with family history of glaucoma). Done on professional advice. Abdominal aortic aneurysm: One time for men 65-75yrs old who ever smoked (at least 100 cigarettes lifetime). Dental checkup: Add adults, every 6mo or on professional advice. Taken from University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, Vol. 24, Issue 1
Training Tip #6 - Base Training & Going Slow
We’ve all heard about the importance of Base Training & that you’re supposed to go “low & slow”. But, do you really understand why spending some time at a slower pace is critical to your performance? Base Phase is commonly known as the time in training when you are building volume at low intensity (usually Levels 1 & 2). For endurance athletes, the need to build volume is pretty obvious. If you don’t train adequately for the distances that will race, then your performance greatly suffers (usually in the form of injury). But, what about this low intensity part? In my experience, most athletes go through Base Training with a mixture of frustration & boredom. Frustration because they feel that the slow paces they are supposed to use simply don’t “do anything for their fitness” & boredom because they’re supposed to go long distances at this ridiculously slow pace! Let’s see if we can change these ideas a bit. First off, the aerobic paces (i.e. slower paces) recommended in Base Training are there to “build the foundation of fitness”. Think of it this way – if you build a big, beautiful, expensive house on a rough-shod foundation, ultimately the house starts to fall apart. Our bodies are the same way. These slower paces are used to encourage the body to create a better, more efficient cardiovascular system, to increase the number of blood vessels to/from the muscles, to strengthen the ligaments & tendons, & to improve the neuromuscular connections by way of improved technique. Once the body’s foundation has been solidified, then the body is ready to accept harder & more intense training with a lessened injury risk. Second, these slower paces are critical for improving the body’s respond to harder training later on. Look at it this way – the body responds best when variations are used. Variety is the key to improving overall fitness simply because they body never gets fully used to one thing. We all know that harder intervals are a great way of improving speed & performance. However, if we always try to go “hard”, then we enter the law of diminishing returns. At first, the hard stuff encourages big improvements in the body. But, as the athlete continues with this hard training, the results begin to decrease while the injury risks rise dramatically. This is not a good combination for superior performance later down the road! So, the idea is that we go slow now so that we can go hard later on. The slower paces now allow us to reap huge rewards from the harder training that comes a little closer to peak races. Remember, we’re training to RACE, not training to train! Good luck!