Triathlon Blog

Ben Greenfield wrote an article called How to Get the Most Out of Your Triathlete Training Program:

1. Baseline Measurements

No training program should be designed without first determining proper training zones and intensities. The more specific the better. Raise your eyebrow when a training program simply instructs you to go at “race pace”, or “long easy effort”. Instead, each recommended intensity needs to include quantitative values. This means that your cycling hill interval workout should not just be “6-8 long hill repeats”, but should also prescribe power or heart rate training zones; such as “6-8 hill intervals of 4 minutes at an average of 300 watts”, or “6-8 hill intervals of 4 minutes at a heart rate of 154-165″. In order for a training program to prescribe such intensities, it is necessary for you to take baseline measurements.

The most common baseline measurement is a series of time trials that allow you to determine your approximate anaerobic or lactate threshold, or what is sometimes called the “maximum lactate steady state” effort. Basically, this just means that before designing your training program, you must spend 20-30 minutes in each of your sports (i.e. swimming, cycling, and running) determining what your maximum *sustainable* pace is. Generally, this corresponds well with the point at which your body is removing lactate as fast as it is accumulating, and you are beginning to breath rapidly to “blow off” carbon dioxide in the bloodstream. Your training program’s intensities, or zones, are then based off the heart rate or wattage at which this state occurs. If there are no baseline measurements, the success of your training program will be sub-optimal, at best. During the first two to three weeks of taking on a new athlete, I run them through a battery of tests that help determine these training zones, so that I can write their workouts to be biologically specific.

2. Periodization

Periodization is the process of breaking a training program year into smaller periods, or units of time duirng which the training occurs at specific volumes and intensities. By arranging these periods in the correct sequence leading up to your races, peak performance can be achieved without overtraining or injury. A training program that has you at the identical training intensities and volumes, week in and week out, is not a periodized training program. A very basic example of periodization would be “base training”, during which you build your aerobic system and teach the body the work more efficiently in the presence of lactic acid; followed by a “build” in training intensity and volume as you become fitter and stronger; then a “taper” as you approach race season, where your body absorbs the benefits of the “build” cycle; and finally a “recovery” period after racing season, in which you joints heal and your body recovers from the season. There is no perfect periodization scheme, but any good training program needs to lay the groundwork for training in a structured and periodized format, as opposed to training the same way the entire year, then “laying off” for a week or so before the race. Periodizing a training program is difficult and time consuming. During the first week that I take on a new athlete and design their annual training plan, I’ll spend 4-5 hours ensuring that just the basic periodization is “perfect” - and it usually still needs changes as the season progresses!

3. Training Specificity

Your training must be race specific. If you’re preparing for a marathon with 3 weekly tempo sessions, 1 weekly speed-work track session, and 1 long weekend run, you’re spending way too much time in an anaerobic, carbohydrate burning zone, and your body is not learning how to work in an efficient aerobic manner. This means you’re going to be full of lactic acid and high blood acid during your marathon and have a very uncomfortable race, if you even finish. Beware of any training program that doesn’t have you “training like you race”. This means lots of practice with race specific fueling, race specific intensities, and race specific courses or topography. If you have a flat, fast race approaching in three weeks, you shouldn’t be wasting much time with hill intervals, and vice versa. All my athletes must provide me with a complete list of their planned and desired races, so that I can ensure their training actually is race specific.

4. Holistic Philosophy

Your training program can’t just prescribe workouts and nutrition. It must take into consideration stress levels, amount of sleep, resting heart rate, weight, fatigue levels, etc. Your training program must listen to your body. If you try to “push” through a prescribed workout, just to follow the rules, this may not be the best idea. It’s also nice to be able to look back and see how the resting heart rate was leading up to a bad race, versus a good race, or how the weight fluctuates before signs and symptoms of overtraining occur. All the athletes I train are recommended to keep track of these variables on their daily training log.

5. R&R

Rest and recovery must occur! While for those of us with busy lives, this may mean that your rest week takes place during the visit to the in-laws at the end of one month, and happens during your long week of deskwork in the middle of another month, your must decrease training intensity and volume at regular periods throughout the training year. Some training programs might include every 4 weeks and some every 3 weeks, but all programs must allow your body to stop, then soak up like a sponge all the benefits of your hard work. Otherwise, you’re just chipping away at yourself until sickness or overtraining forces you to stop.

I hope this information helps you in choosing your training program. If you’re interested in coaching with Pacific Elite Fitness, just shoot me an e-mail at elite@pacificfit.net. I’ll help you choose a plan that works for you from a scheduling and affordability standpoint, then have you set-up within a few days. Don’t wait too long to plan, and as always, train smart!

Ben Greenfield runs Pacific Elite Fitness at http://www.pacificfit.net, an online portal for personal training, triathlete coaching, and free fitness and multi-sport advice. He resides in Liberty Lake, WA, where he works as director of sports performance for Champion Sports Medicine, a training and testing lab for athletes. Ben graduated from University of Idaho with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sports science and exercise physiology, and is certified as a personal trainer and coach by the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Ben also offers individualized personal training, multi-sport coaching, training program design for athletes, lifestyle wellness and diet advising, and corporate consulting for workplace fitness programs. To learn more, visit http://www.pacificfit.net or e-mail Ben at elite@pacificfit.net

Low Jeremy gives advice for a triathlon training program:

Training program is largely dependent on the character of the person undergoing it. The type will be dictated by the experiences the trainee has had, the level of performance he gives and can give, the body physique and a number of others.

It will definitely start with a comprehensive plan that will focus on your strength and weakness to develop both of them, one to avoidance and the other to ways that will maximize it.

A good plan is never good enough if it cannot even start. You have to visit first your physician to know the general applications you might do with your body. The adjustments in diet, habits and lifestyles and the extent of use you can endure.

Once a check-up is done, the next best thing you can do is to seek the intervention of a professional trainer (if you are planning to take triathlon a lifestyle). If you’ re not, you can always become a weekend warrior and train whenever it pleases you.

Train on your weak sports and give your best shots on your forte. Training must be gradual and so you must expect a gradual change. No winners won because they sacrificed overnight. In fact, the best triathlon athletes train years before they achieve the Iron Man title. It is always that way, there are no quick fixes to achievements.

Training on any of the fields is recommended to be performed by joining a crowd. This practice won’t only help you gather helpful tips and first hand information but will also adapt you to the similar environment during the race.

The equipments need not always be top of the line. The technology used in developing them will surely help you gain your advantages yet these don’t always tell it all. Often, everything lies on your skills and the products of your hard works as produced from your training program.

When off training, making situations like those that resemble your training periods would prove to be good extensions of your training momentum. This will help optimize your race-like attitude. You may also practice transitions and brick training in here to create an environment for your body to get used to.

A training program does not only include training for the race itself. It also integrates plans after the competition. Usually, this involves recovery period that should be planned systematically since most competitors receive muscle injuries due to rigid training and harsh experiences during the competition

This content is provided by Low Jeremy and may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more info on Triathlons, please visit http://triathlon.articlekeep.com

Kevin Koskella writes about tapering for a triathlon:

You may have been training for weeks or months already, but now it is 2 weeks before your race and it’s time to think about resting. Many triathletes find this more difficult than swimming 5,000 yards, biking the hills, or running a half marathon!

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are beginning your taper or rest period before your race.

1. Do longer warmups and warmdowns. You can keep your distance up, but start to add more to the beginning and end portion of your workout. This ‘active rest’ will assure that you are well rested for your race but not out of shape.

2. Avoid big meals and sugar. Tapering is an adjustment for your body, and your immune system may not be as strong during this time. Big meals and carbohydrates like sugar will wear your immune system and leave you susceptible to colds and flus. Keep in mind that as your workout intensity decreases, you must decrease calorie intake accordingly.

3. Get as much sleep as you can before midnight. Ideally, get to bed by 10:30. The sleep you get before midnight is the most crucial to your recovery. You will feel more rested if you can do this for at least 2 weeks before your event.

4. Lay off the strength training. This is more of an individual call (some people feel better if they are doing some strength work all the way up until the event, others will be too broken down unless they take a good 2 weeks off), but at the minimum, you should go lighter in the weeks leading up to your event.

5. Avoid caffeine. It may be tough if you are a coffee addict, but 2 weeks of not having that morning cup will give you more natural energy for your race. Take it from 6-time Ironman champion Mark Allen- he practiced this for every race and it worked pretty well for him!

6. Increase your meditation or yoga. Less time working out means more time to prepare mentally! If you don’t do yoga already, don’t start now. However, find some quiet time during the day to get away from work and working out to clear your mind. Think about how easy that swim will be since you are well-prepared with Tri Swim Coach!

7. You will have more energy during your rest or taper period. Don’t be tempted to use it! Save it for your event and you will be glad you did.

Have a great race!

About the Author: Kevin operates the website http://www.triswimcoach.com/, a resource for beginning through intermediate level triathletes looking for help with swimming. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled “The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming” which is sold on his website in downloadable form at http://www.triswimcoach.com/.

Doug Wilson writes about triathlon training with a heart rate monitor:

Training with a heart rate monitor is one of the most important things you can do for several reasons. First and foremost, your primary goal should be to train safely. Never begin a training regimen without first getting clearance from your physician. You don’t want to put yourself in a dangerous situation and compromise your health or your life by elevating your heart rate into dangerous levels. Training with a heart rate monitor will help you stay within safe limits.

Second, most people tend to over train. They may think that they need to have the “no pain, no gain” philosophy. This actually impedes your ability to achieve greater gains in your performance. If you consistently over train, you are setting yourself up for injury or at least burnout. If you get injured, then you will have to stop training to allow yourself time to heal and you will end up at square one anyway.

Also, as your heart rate elevates, your body will transition from a primarily aerobic fat-burning mode into a cardiovascular mode and then into an anaerobic mode. Once you are into the anaerobic mode, your body will begin to draw on the energy stores in your muscles (glycogen). Not only are those energy stores limited, but you will also create lactic acid buildup in your muscles (which causes that soreness and burning after a workout).

There are a number of ways to calculate your maximum heart rate. The simplest formula is (220 – your age). For example, if you are 30 years old, your maximum heart rate would be (220 – 30) = 190. You should never exceed your maximum heart rate.

Generally speaking, if you train at a level that is between 55% to 65% of your maximum heart rate, then you will be training in a primarily fat burning aerobic mode. Between 65% and 75%, you’ll be in a primarily cardiovascular mode. Between 75% and 90%, you’ll be in a primarily high-intensity or anaerobic mode.

You’ll probably be surprised to know that you can actually train at a lot lower (easier) level and have incredible gains. It may initially feel weird to train at an easier heart rate level, but here’s what happens. First, you can go a lot longer in your training. Your body will adjust so that your metabolism increases over time. Your body will become very efficient at burning your body’s fat stores, which will enable you to feel like you can go forever. Your cardiovascular system will improve and you will probably have less joint and muscle pain.

Over time, your speed will continue to improve, but your heart rate will stay roughly the same. For example, let’s say you begin to train in a heart rate range of 127-134. When you begin training in this range, you might be just fast-walking or jogging lightly in order to stay in the range. You might be running a 12:00 mile. Over time, though, (a few months, maybe) you’ll find that you work down to a 9:00 mile and still stay within the same heart rate range. Eventually, your performance gains will level out. Once your pace levels out consistently for a month or two, it will be time to alter your workouts to intensify and do some harder intervals and anaerobic sprints for a few months. For example, you might need to train in a range of 134-152. (Again, your actual ranges will vary based on your age, your level of fitness and the advice of your physician).

You’ll find that as you work through the more intense phase of workouts for a few months, your performance will show similar improvement until it eventually flattens out. Once it does, you’ll then need to transition back to the easier aerobic phase. The difference is, you’ll be running at a much faster pace. You might be running a 7:00 mile now at the original heart rate range of 127-134.

If you keep working out using this training methodology, you can eventually run (or bike) very fast for sustained periods of time at a relatively low perceived level of difficulty. Your race times will dramatically improve.

There are a number of heart rate models and brands on the market (see our reviews of heart rate monitors). Most of them have a chest strap that is worn around the torso. The strap has electrodes that contact the skin just below the chest/breast area. The one I use has flexible electrodes and is very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Usually they transmit your heart rate to a wristwatch unit. The watch will display your heart rate and most will provide audible beeps if your heart rate falls outside of a programmed range. Some units will also transmit heart rate data to your computer to use with various software programs.

I use some training software when I train. The software allows me to enter information about myself such as age, gender, fitness level, the amount of time I have to train each week and the type of race I want to train for. It then calculates workouts in blocks of 3 weeks at a time. At the end of each 3 week period, there is a fitness test where I run a very specific distance at a very specific heart rate. This data is plotted over time so that once the software detects that the time to run the specified distance is no longer improving, it then switches the workouts into the anaerobic mode and it includes intervals and higher intensity workouts. The software lets me download the heart rate information from my heart rate monitor after each workout. Each workout is given with a specific heart rate range and a specific time frame. It doesn’t matter how far you run or bike – it only matters how long you do the workout in the heart rate range. For example, it might say to warm up for 15 minutes in a range of 108-127 BPM (beats per minute) and then do 40 minutes in a range of 127-136 BPM and then cool down for 15 minutes in a range of 137 to 80 BPM.

The bottom line is, you really can’t (and shouldn’t) train without a heart rate monitor. The benefits far outweigh the dollar cost of the monitor and you will have a much better training experience and help yourself to avoid injury and safely improve your performance.

Doug Wilson Triathlon Gear- How to Train with a Heart Rate Monitor

Mike Herman writes about triathlon training for beginner athletes:

If you are new to the wonderful sport and are a triathlon training beginner, welcome to a new and exciting chapter in your life!

This competitive sport is a thrilling road race, bicycle tour, and swim meet all in one.

Whatever your reasons for beginning the sport, you will soon find there are a few critical steps when starting your triathlon training for beginner athletes.

Steps for the Triathlon Training Beginner to Work On

The first key step is to develop a realistic training plan.

Know your strengths and weaknesses.

The emphasis on realistic should be noticed, as many individuals push themselves too quickly and end up injured.

The second key step is to ensure you are healthy and in shape before tackling your first triathlon.

If you are interested in triathlon training and are a beginner , look into options available in the community.

Plan a trip to your local gym and check out if they have any triathlon training for beginner triathletes.

Most gyms have programs developed for introducing this sport to interested individuals and provide the expertise and training necessary.

Also, contact a group or organization that sponsors triathlons.

These groups are great resources for information for developing a training schedule as well as information on the sport.

Once you have practiced and believe yourself to be ready, look into participating in your first triathlon.

Check out an event schedule online or through your local contacts.

The World Wide Web is an excellent tool when searching for triathlons for participating in as well as techniques and plans for developing your skills.

Even after you consider yourself a triathlete, remember that training never stops.

Work diligently towards honing your skills and strengths while minimizing your weaknesses.

Develop a strategy for tackling the sport and begin to compete in events outside your local area.

Participating in a triathlon is an excellent way to complete any goals and improve on your personal health.

Find more at Triathalon Racing. Do you have what you need to improve your workouts and your races?

Kevin Koskella says to count strokes for a better triathlon swim:

You may have had coaches that make you count strokes throughout the workout, either by mixing it into drill sets, the main set, or at the end of workout. Some coaches recommend making a habit of always keeping track of your stroke count. As a coach of distance swimmers and triathletes, I believe stroke counting is a necessary part of most swimming workouts.

If you stick with it and do it on a consistent basis, stroke counting in swimming is an excellent way to increase your DPS (Distance Per Stroke). The world’s best swimmers are faster than you because they travel further with each stroke, not because they are moving their arms faster. Keeping track of the number of strokes you take per length will allow you to begin to lengthen out your stroke, as well as add more speed and distance while keeping your heart rate down and allowing you to save your energy for later in the swim or race.

The goal should be to bring down your average stroke count per length. Great swimmers like Alexander Popov or Ian Thorpe may be able to scoot through the water at record speed while taking 30 strokes per length (50 meters), but this low stroke count does not have to be your golden number for improving your stroke. First, determine what your range is. Try to swim most of the time at the low end of your range or below your lowest stroke count. Don’t worry about speed at first- you can influence this later, perhaps as you begin to learn what your “ideal” stroke count is. Here is an example of a set that can help lengthen your stroke, as well as build endurance:

50+100+150+200+200+150+100+50

-Take 10-30 seconds between swims

-Count your strokes each length on the way up.

-Try to maintain or lower your stroke count on the way down while keeping the same pace.

Another fun set that you can play with is free golf. For example: 6×50’s Free on 1:05. For each 50, count your strokes AND check your time. Add these 2 numbers together to get your golf score. Try to lower this score through the set. The tricky part is, trying to add speed without adding strokes, or subtracting strokes without sacrificing speed.

Consistently incorporating stroke counting into your workouts will, over time, help you to swim longer (or “taller”) in the water, and use less energy to go the same speed or even faster. And for those that don’t consider swimming to be their strength in a triathlon, this saved energy is sure to translate into a better bike and run!

About the Author: Kevin coaches masters and triathlete swimmers in San Diego, CA. He operates the website www.triswimcoach.com/, a resource for future or current triathletes needing help with the swim. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled “The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming” which is sold on his website www.triswimcoach.com/ in downloadable form.

We started a mix of running and walking on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I still swim Tuesdays and Thursdays, but an article by Terese Luikens says to swim a minimum of three times a week:

Swimming three times a week is the minimum amount of time you will need to set aside if you are hoping to swim in a sprint triathlon. Three times a week allows you to vary your practices.

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Low Jeremy provides the following article about the importance of training for a triathlon:

A plan remains to be a plan not until some action pushes it to realize its potentials. All of us are capable of making a good start and see our start to its end with each plan that we do. However, our greatest fear is not that we cannot make them. It is the fear that we know our capacities yet we never maximize them nor use parts of them.

In a game of endurance, we have to understand that we should optimize our full strengths and work on our failures as we flex our physical and mental muscles to work.

Proper training may help you gather majority of their benefits yet there are always some things that you inertly have which largely contribute to your mastery of the sports.

It all starts with a plan, a goal that is workable. Achievable goals are more likely to lead you to success than those placed beyond your reach. Triathlon training will not only accustom your physical body to the risk of joining the game, it will also recreate your willingness to continue despite the fatigue and the ever-present negative voice that tells you “you wont make it, quit it now or race in vain”.

Triathlon trainings vary in length. A few months may move you through a short sprint triathlon but stuffs like Iron Man Triathlon competitions must be taken seriously as to take a minimum of 1 year training period.

Considering that the event covers three endurance sports, it is no wonder why even professionals takes years before they can actually master the techniques to win the title.

Anyone has his or her weak sport. And as a rule in triathlon training, one must focus more on the weak sport and save the latter training on your forte.

Someone said if you train on a slow mode, you’ll get a slow result. If you however modify your training towards the fast mode then the result will also be fast. There must be some truths on this. The sad part though is that we normally can’t train consistently.

Your training must not only include routines that will facilitate improvements on the sports involved. You must also get enough practice on adapting yourself on the transition stages.

Having the edge on any of the sport would never be enough if all the distance you gathered are bargained with tripping on your swim-run transition. Switching from one momentum to another is not inertly equipped within our system. We must teach our bodies to adjust.

About the Author: For more info from Low Jeremy on Triathlon, please visit triathlon.articlekeep.com.

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Low Jeremy provides the following information about knowing your triathlon training schedule:

For a plan to become feasible, it must be definitely defined and the time table must be properly set, that way, the trainee will be able to adjust well on the transitions of each training modes.

The Triathlon Training

The onset of the training for a triathlon must be set months or even a year before the actual race. It would be good to lay the foundations early than spread them late. If you are serious with making triathlon competitions your lifestyle, then you must atleast be properly acquainted to the fundamentals years before your decision to join.

Why does it have to take that long you ask. Triathlon is simply a game of endurance made from three endurance sports, which create thrice the effects. If you fail to train on due time for one field then the domino effect of late training is likely to occur.

Training does not only include the development of the physical muscles but also the mental prowess that will determine your mind set during the game. Attitude can still create the difference, especially once the muscles start to give way on the final leg. It will be attitude that will flicker the encouragement to keep on running.

The Triathlon Race

Most athletes don’t get enough sleep the night before the race. This must not be the case since lack of sleep might spoil your investments on training months (and even years!) before the scheduled date.

All things must be prepared days before the race. The worse things that you might do is to forget to do an essential thing just before the race and find out that it’s too late to start again. Your gears must be in good order, your suits, your equipments and most especially yourself.

An hour before the competition, competitors will be given time to arrange their stuffs. Be sure to put these in strategic positions. Afterwhich, try to gather yourself and release tension, from the crowd and from yourself. A good joke will do or start day dreaming. But never loose sight of your goal, work towards your visualization.

During the race, it would be best if you will focus on the activity itself but don’t be too rigid. Try to relax even while you swim. That way, pressure will be lessened.

After the Triathlon

Normally, because of overwork or overstrain during the competition, athletes experience muscle injuries. After the race would be the best time to relax and enjoy the experiences.

About the Author: For more info from Low Jeremy on Triathlon, please visit triathlon.articlekeep.com.

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Munyaradzi Chinongoza wrote an article about how to get triathlon swim training right. She writes:

Dating back to ancient Greek times, a triathlon tests the skills of athletes in a competition comprised of three different events. The most common triathlon involves swimming, cycling and running. In this order, it is the swimming portion of this competition that sets the tone for the rest of the contest. Athletes participating in modern triathlons usually tackle all three events back-to-back. The official time received by athletes is a combination of their overall performance, including clothing changes and transition times from one event to another.

Training for these individual events includes learning techniques that help to preserve the energy and endurance of an athlete. There are various strategies and training approaches that both amateur and professional triathlon athletes adhere to. Not all triathlons are the same in distance or details. For example, the Ultraman Triathlon, held every year in Hawaii, takes three days to complete, including 320 miles of total distance.

Triathlon Swimming

The start of the triathlon begins with the swimming portion of the competition. Athletes prepare for the swim by changing into appropriate swim gear. Different starts are used for various races. This will depend on the number of people in the race or how much distance will be covered. Traditional Iron-distance races use a mass start, where all athletes enter the water at the same time. Another approach is the wave start, which allows athletes to begin the race in intervals. This is a common practice used in amateur competitions.

Athletes swim around numerous marked buoys, completing the race at the same place where they started. Once the athletes are out of the water, the next phase of the triathlon begins that requires a change of clothes into cycling gear.

Triathlon Strategies

When preparing your game plan for the competition, you should aim for going long, easy and fast. This takes a lot of practice to master. Most cyclists and runners believe that the endurance they already possess will make them a better swimmer, but this is not always true. Cyclists and runners need to strengthen different muscles for the swim.

Triathlon Training Tips

1) Start your training early for best results.

2) Always take heed of the importance of proper breathing, have a relaxed state of mind and body, maintaining good body position and having a positive attitude.

3) While training, avoid movements by any part of your body that may slow down your forward movement. This includes no deep kicking and minimal head movement.

4) To increase the speed of your swimming, interval training is a must. Rotate timed trials using very short, medium and long rests. A popular training exercise is the 2000 ladder, which consists of 400, 4×100; 300, 4×75; 200, 4×50; 100 and 4×25.

5) Join an organized group to swim with that will eventually push you towards a higher level of competition, filled with an extra boost of confidence and encouragement.

6) Consider the use of fins during training to burn calories, strengthen legs, increase speed and improve stroke.

About the Author: For more information on triathlon swim training please visit my site triathlon swim training or more information on triathlon wet suits.

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