Training Tip Archives
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
September 22, 2009
Training Tip #15: Swimming Smart & Fast!!
For many triathletes, the swim portion is the most frustrating & difficult to master. It’s no wonder, because in order to swim effortlessly & efficiently, you have to understand the complex interaction between two basic forces - the swimmer’s body & the water. To help ease your frustration, here are a few tips & tricks that can help you go faster!
1. Drafting
If you don’t do this already, you really should. Simply put – drafting equals better performance. If you’ve tried drafting, you may already know that, at any given effort level, you can swim faster when drafting versus swimming solo. This performance benefit occurs because the drafting swimmer experiences less water resistance than the lead swimmer.
Some studies have shown that blood lactate levels (an indicator of how hard you are working) can drop by 33% in drafting swimmers! For you triathletes out there, studies have also shown that swim drafting can then lead to a 5% increase in cycling efficiency! Like I said, if you don’t do this, you should. It’s FREE speed!!
When learning to draft, it’s important to understand your “draft zone” (the area within which you’ll receive drafting benefits). For the best draft you should be directly behind the lead swimmer (on the side of the swimmer also works, but not as well) & within a range of 1.5 feet - 16 feet.
Obviously, your best draft will occur when you are 1.5 feet away. The slower the swimming speeds, the closer you’ll need to be to get a “pull”. For most age group triathletes, significant drafting effects will be felt up to 10 feet away. Once you’ve moved beyond 16 feet, however, both swimmers experience the same drag forces and therefore, no drafting!
Now, what if you’re the lead swimmer? When someone drafts off of you, what can you do? Your kick can affect the benefit that the drafting swimmer gains. If you kick harder, you’ll create more turbulence in the water which actually increases the drag on the drafting swimmer. So, just by increasing your kicking you can decrease a drafting swimmer’s benefits by 50%!
2. Swim Suits
Although most triathletes around here wear wetsuits to race, if you ever do a non-wetsuit race, you’ll benefit tremendously from wearing a speed suit (like you’ve seen in the Olympics). These suits are not voodoo…they actually do make swimmers faster – about 2-4% faster in a full-body suit & about 2% faster in a legs-only suit. The reason these suits work so well is that they are designed to decrease drag effects by 4-6%!!
Another thought…if you’re a hairy athlete who doesn’t want to shave chest, leg, & back hair, you really should look into a suit that covers from neck to thighs. Seriously…hair creates drag…less drag means more speed!!
Happy swimming, folks! Look for the bubbles ahead of you!!
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by coach michelle
October 30, 2009
Training Tip #16: Healthy Athletes = Great 2010 Season!
As athletes we all think of ourselves as quite healthful & above the reaches of annoying illnesses like colds, coughs, etc. However, research has shown that high volume, high intensity training actually increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs - coughs,colds, flu, etc.).
As an endurance athlete, therefore, you are especially susceptible to URTIs. This susceptibility is due to post-exercise immunosuppression; essentially certainly parts of your immune system become temporarily depressed after heavy bouts of exercise thereby leaving you more vulnerable to all the germs.
Since this is the season for colds & flu, it’s in your best interest to stay as healthy as possible. So, what can you do to avoid the nasties?? Let’s take a look.
1. Build adequate recovery into your training program.
After long or hard training bouts, you need to ensure that you have enough recovery time. A standard periodized program of 2-3 wks of build followed by 1 wk of recovery should help in this matter. Additionally, you also need to encourage the deeper recovery that comes from longer blocks of recovery time. I always advocate for a recovery period of 2-4 wks at the end of every season to accomplish this. Without proper rest, overtraining becomes a very real problem & overtraining can easily lead to URTIs.
2. Focus on your overall diet as well as your training nutrition to maximize your resistance to URTIs.
Since even minor nutritional deficits can decrease your immunity, it is critically important to keep your diet as rich in nutrients as possible. Also, when training volumes are high it is essential that you consume ample carbohydrates before, during & after training. Why? Research has shown that training with low muscle glycogen (carb) stores is linked with lowered immunity & increased risk of infection & illness.
To keep your immune system functioning at its best, make sure your glycogen (carb) stores are topped up. Your everyday diet should be at least 60% carb (coming from unprocessed, whole grain breads, pasta, cereals, rice, corn, fruits, veges, beans, etc) - especially on the days you don’t train. Remember that training depletes your glycogen stores. It’s only on your recovery days that you can really replenish & top them up.
On training days, make sure to follow the carb replacement rules for exercise. After the 1st hour of training, you’ll need to take in 30-60g of carb per hour. FYI – 30g of carb equals: 16oz of sport drink, approx 1 gel, 1 banana, or 23 reduced fat Wheat Thins.
As a reminder, essential nutrients for immune health are:
- Vit A – Found in eggs, all orange/red fruits & veges such as carrots & sweet potatoes.
- Vit C – Found in citrus fruits like oranges & grapefruits, all berries, & tomatoes & peppers
- Zinc – Found in lean cuts of meat, fish, shellfish, whole grains, some nuts & seeds like walnuts & pumpkin seeds
- Essential Fatty Acids – Found in all fatty fish (trout, sardines, herring, salmon, mackerel), whole grains, nuts & seeds like hemp, flax, walnuts, & pumpkin seeds
Once the basics of nutrition are covered, is there anything else you can do boost your immunity? Several lesser known nutrients have begun to make headlines in this area. It should be noted, however, that these results are from initial studies & much more research is needed before broad generalizations can be made.
- Quercetin - A naturally occurring plant antioxidant found in many fruits & veges like red grapes, red wine, red apples, red onions, green tea, & broccoli. Recent research has shown interesting, if not seemingly contradictory results. Although quercetin supplementation in male cyclists did not raise immune function markers, the incidence of URTIs during the 2-wk post-exercise period was very significantly reduced.
- Cystine – An amino acid found in unprocessed whey proteins found in milk.
- Theanine – An amino acid derivative found in tea. When taken with caffeine, it has been shown to reduce mental & physical stress as well as improve cognition & mood.
Research has begun to show the possible immune-boosting effects of these two nutrients when taken together. Several studies have indicated that taking cystine & theanine helps to suppress the drop in immune functioning that follows heavy training bouts.
As a final note, the easiest way to maintain your health is to follow basic rules to keep your immune system functioning well. Get plenty of sleep, relax, minimize fatigue & emotional stress when possible, wash your hands frequently, & eat a well-balanced diet high in fresh fruits, veges, & carbohydrates.
Although supplementation may help, it isn’t free. So, before spending the big bucks make sure that all other factors that affect your immune system are up to par. Here’s to your continued good health!!
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
December 15, 2009
Snow Running - Great Technique Training!
With all the snow we've had the last few days, it's either head out into it or resign yourself to a treadmill. If you've avoided running in the snow, you've missed out on a great technique training opportunity!
Remember that solid run technique requires you to:
- Shorten your strides (90 per minute)
- Land with feet underneath you, not in front (mid- to forefoot landing)
- "Fall" forward by leaning the entire body forward from your ankles
- Lift your feet as soon as you've fallen forward enough to unweight them (minimal toe push-off behind you)
The fortunate thing is that snow running helps you achieve all these techniques!
TRY: Run on a snowy flat surface where you know there are no rocks or hidden objects (the Greenbelt BEFORE they plow is perfect).
DIAGNOSE: While running, notice when your foot slips back behind you and/or your foot loses traction with the ground. If you feel like you're taking 1-2 slides back for every 1 step forward, you're trying to push with your toes too much.
Understand that on slippery surfaces you simply can't "push" your body forward...traction must be maintained & to do that requires that your feet stay under your center of mass. Also, going faster or going uphill will require more body "falling" rather than more pushing.
SOLVE: Try shortening your strides & lifting your foot off the ground BEFORE it goes behind your body. The better you do this the less slipping you'll experience. To go faster, try moving your center of mass forward by "falling" from the ankles. Remember, no pushing!!
Once you've mastered these techniques on flat ground it's time to try them on a slight incline. Again, you'll see how useless the toe push-off is in this scenario.
So, get out there & practice, practice, practice! Improved technique is your key to better efficiency & greater overall speed. There's no better time than the present!!
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Brian
February 1, 2010
I read a great article on training volume and there was one piece of advice, in particular, worth passing on.
The time you have to train is a "box". There is no spreadsheet or training program that will help you reach your goals if it doesn't "fit" in that box. Sit down and figure out how big your training box is (include travel time, set-up, showering, etc.).
Our box of time is the final regulator of real world training volume. Now you can make your workouts count. It's better to do a quality one hour ride, rather than eating drive thru food and cutting your sleep to squeeze in a mediocre 2 hour ride.
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
February 8, 2010
What To Do About Stretching??
We all know that as athletes we’re supposed to stretch to reduce our injury risk. But…really…how many of you dedicate time regularly during your training week to improving flexibility? Well, let’s discuss stretching a bit & see if we can convince you to include it!
A good rule to remember is that you should strive for a normal ROM (range of motion) in all major muscle groups. This means that your hamstring are flexible enough to allow you 90o of straight leg flexion at the hip (in other words you should be able to sit on the ground with your hips pressed against a wall, flex your feet so that toes point straight up to the ceiling, & then be able to straighten your legs fully. For the shoulders, this means that you can do the following:
Abduction (bring arm up sideways) 180o
Adduction (bring arm towards midline of body) 45o
Horizontal Extension (arm moves horizontally backwards) 45o
Horizontal Flexion (arm moves horizontally forward) 130o
Vertical Extension (raise arm straight backward) 60o
Vertical Flexion (raise arm straight forward) 180o
Remember that these are NORMAL ROM’s. If your sport requires extra mobility (like gymnastics) then you’ll need to go beyond these ranges in order to decrease your injury risk.
There are two main types of stretching that are quite accessible to most athletes: Static (holding a stretched position without movement) & Dynamic (moving while stretching). The differences between these two are greater than just the method of stretching. Static stretching, while excellent for enhancing flexibility, has been shown to slow muscle activation for about an hour after the stretching session. This slowing effect may mean that static stretching is best used AFTER an exercise activity or race. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, increases heart rate, warms up the core temperature of the body, & improves joint ROM at sport-specific speeds. Therefore dynamic stretching is better suited for use BEFORE an exercise activity or race. Since both types of stretching do slightly different things, it is wise to incorporate both – dynamic at the beginning of workout & static at the end.
When adding a flexibility routine (either static, dynamic, or other) to your training, the single most important factor in stretching effectiveness is to ensure that your mechanics are correct. It does you little good to stretch with poor form &, in fact, may do damage to tissues that aren’t designed to stretch (like ligaments & tendons). Rather, you’ll get much more out of a short flexibility session when you stretch the muscle properly with perfect form. If you are unsure of your form, ask a trainer or physical therapist to take a look. They can often tweak little things that will make your stretching much more effective.
Since most of you are familiar with static stretches, let’s go through a few examples of dynamic stretches.
For swimming…
Arm Swings – Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent & the back straight at all times.
Overhead/Down & Back – Swing both arms continuously to an overhead position & then forward, down, & backwards – 6 to 10 reps.
Side/Front Crossover – Swing both arms out to your sides & then cross them in front of your chest – 6 to 10 reps.
For biking & running…
Leg Swings –
Flexion/Extension – Stand sideways onto the wall, weight on your left leg & right hand on the wall for balance. Swing your right leg forward & backward – 10 to 12 reps per leg.
Cross-Body Flexion/Abduction – Leaning slightly forward with both hands on a wall & weight on left leg, swing your right leg to the left in front of your body, pointing your toes upwards as your foot reaches its
furthest point of motion. Then swing the right leg back to the right as far as comfortable, again pointing your toes up as your foot reaches its final point of movement – 10 to 12 reps per leg.
For running…
Ankle Bounces –
Dougle Leg Bounce – Leaning forward with hands on the wall & weight on your toes, raise & lower both heels rapidly (bounce). Eac time, lift your heels 1-2 inches from the ground while maintaining ground
contact with balls of feet – 12 to 16 reps.
Single Leg Bounce – Lean forward with hands on the wall. With all weight on left foot, raise the right knee forward while pushing left heel towards the ground. Then lower right foot to the floor while raising
the left heel 1-2 inches. Repeat in a rapid, bouncy fashion – 12 to 16 reps per leg.
So, there you go! Hopefully you'll start to see better results from your stretching program. Often that's all it takes to become the "dedicated stretcher"!
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
March 10, 2010
Training Tip #5 - Performance and Sleep
Wake up to the negative performance effects of sleep deficiencies! If you, like many athletes, think that you need to get your workouts done no matter how tired you are, think again. Recently, a host of sleep studies have begun to show just how important adequate sleep is to sport performance.
We have all heard the dangers of falling asleep at the wheel or the mistakes made at work because of poor concentration. Additionally, poor quality sleep has been associated with serious health problems such as weight gain, insulin resistance, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. But, we haven’t heard much about how inadequate sleep impacts sport performance.
To begin, body hormone levels are dramatically affected by inadequate sleep. In as little as six days with sleep duration restricted to four hours per night, hormone profiles of healthy young adults have been shown to replicate those typically found in elderly or depressed individuals. Remember that if we are not mentally 100% ready to train, the benefits of our training may be seriously diminished.
Also, if you are sleep-deprived, your cardiovascular performance can be reduced by 11%. Along with that, your ability to use glucose (carbohydrate) is reduced by 30-40%. And interestingly enough, your cravings for calorie-dense high carb foods such as sweets, salty snacks, & starchy food can be increased by 33-45%! Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell us that decreasing carb usage while increasing carb cravings is not a good combination!!
So, if sleep is so important, how do we improve the amount and quality of our sleep? Proper “sleep” nutrition may provide the answer. One of the most important sleep nutrients is good ol’ tryptophan (yes, that chemical found in Thanksgiving turkey!). Tryptophan works by increasing the levels of sleep hormones melatonin and serotonin (both of which are lowered during poor sleep patterns).
Another important sleep nutrient is magnesium. If your sleep suffers because of “restless leg syndrome” or periodic limb movement, then you may have a magnesium deficiency. Also know that high training volumes and sleep deprivation may reduce your magnesium stores thereby making the problem worse!
So, how do we get the best sleep possible? Here are a few tips:
1. Avoid caffeine-containing drinks after 3p.m.
2. Avoid alcohol use in the 3-hr period before bedtime (it may help you fall asleep, but it often leads to disturbed sleep later on)
3. Don’t eat a large meal right before going to bed. Also, don’t go to bed hungry, especially if you’ve trained in the evening.
4. If you have sleep problems, increase your intake of magnesium-rich foods like beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, wholegrain breads & cereals, green leafy veges.
5. Make sure your bed and bedding are comfortable! Experiment with mattresses and pillows if necessary.
6. Keep your bedroom well ventilated, quiet, and cool.
7. Go to bed when you’re sleepy/tired, not when it’s “time to go to bed”.
8. Take time to wind down before bedtime. Keep anxiety-producing TV and reading to a minimum.
9. Try getting an extra hour of sleep every night for 2 weeks and see how your performance improves!!
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
March 11, 2010
The Latest In Food!
The great thing about endurance nutrition is just when you think you have it all figured out...it changes...again! Just to keep you on top of this very important topic, here are some of the updates I've seen in my latest batch of reading.
Old Idea: During exercise our bodies can only absorb carb at a rate of 1g per minute (hence the 30-60g of CHO per hour recommendations).
New Idea: You can increase the absorption rate to 1.2g per minute simply by altering the type of carb ingested. Instead of straight glucose, add fructose to achieve this benefit.
Old Idea: 2% body weight loss due to dehydration will impair athletic performance.
New Idea: Maybe not for endurance athletes. Recent research has suggested that up to 5% dehydration does not appear to negatively affect running performance. However, if your sport requires complex motor skills (i.e. basketball), you still need to drink up as 2% dehydration will significantly impair your abilities.
Old Idea: Athletes, because they breathe and utilize so much oxygen, need to supplement with large amounts of antioxidant nutrients (such as vit C & E) to offset the negative affects of that oxygen.
New Idea: It still is true that athletes need antioxidants. But you need to EAT your vitamins rather than take them in pill form. Recent research suggests that the antioxidants found in fruits & vege's work far better in the body than those found in supplements.
Recommended foods are (starting w/ highest antioxidant amounts):
- 70% cocoa solid dark chocolate (yum!!)
- pomegranates
- dried prunes
- red apples
- raisins
- blueberries
- garlic
- blackberries
- spinach
- brussels sprouts
- strawberries
- broccoli
- beets
- red beel pepper
- cherries
- onions
- cauliflower
- sweet potatoes
Taken from Peak Performance, #284
Training Tip
Share This Tip With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
April 29, 2010
"Sports" Drink Comparison
Coach Brian recently did a drink analysis. Here are some interesting findings!
Since Gatorade announced it will be changing the marketing on Gatorade Endurance Formula, I (Coach Brian) decided to do some research. First thing is the "new" product is exactly the same as the old, they just call it "G-Pro Endurance Formula" and charge 244% more for it. So here's a cost breakdown of a few drinks.
Amounts per 8oz
Perpetuem
Calories - 110
Calories from Maltodex.
Sodium - 89mg
Calcium - 32%
Iron - 6.5%
Potassium - 63mg
Magnesium - 4.5mg
Cost per 8oz - $0.57
New Gatorade
Calories - 110
Calories from Sucrose/Dex
Sodium - 400mg
Calcium - 0%
Iron - 0%
Potassium - 180mg
Magnesium - 0mg
Cost per 8oz - $0.61
"Formula X"
Calories - 110
Calories from Sweet Potatoes/Carrots/Apples/Grapes/Acai/Blueberries/Limes
Sodium - 70mg
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 2%
Potassium - 240mg
Magnesium - 13mg
Cost per 8oz - $0.43
So what is "Formula X"...? 100% Fruit & Vegetable juice "V8 Fusion". I bought the Acai Mixed Berry at Fred Meyer for $2.50 for 46oz. It's not thick and goes down well. I think I will try it on a run today.
And the 20 mile run on juice went well... 2mi warm up, 15mi @ 6:30 pace, 1 mile @ 7:00, 1mi increasing pace to finish last 1/4 at 6:00min pace, and 1mi cool down. 2hrs 15 min... Woo hoo.
Final thoughts from Coach Michelle: Read your labels & remember that it doesn't have to be labeled "sport" to work well! Thanks, Coach Brian!
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