Dave Elger on Running, Racing and Training: Distance Running Tip- Intervals and When to Shut i...

Dave Elger on Running, Racing and Training: Distance Running Tip- Intervals and When to Shut i...: "The benefits of interval training are anything but secret, so I'm wondering why so few runners take advantage? More on that later, but to..."

Utilizing a Fitness Center

If you have access to a fitness center, use it!  Some individuals have free access, others have paid access.  Either way, don't let it go to waste.  A common reason for not using a fitness center to its full potential is a person's lack of knowledge on weight training.  Let's go over some basics about weight room training.

Basics and terminology.  Common to all weight lifters are the methods of weight lifting.  Two basic terms are sets and reps (short for repetitions).  A single rep usually refers to a single lift of a weight.  A set refers to the number of reps completed before resting.  There are different programs describing different ways to organize sets and reps.  The basic set includes 8~12 reps.  Choose a weight that is heavy enough to make it difficult to complete more than 12 reps and light enough to complete at least 8 reps.  If you are not in this range, adjust weight accordingly.  The number of sets should be kept at 2~3.  Then move on to another workout.

Workout Types.  Choose a workout based on what muscle you want to strengthen.  The best way to do this is to locate machines that utilize movements similar to swimming, biking, or running.  Keep in mind, each leg of triathlon has several motions.  For example, in swimming there is a catch phase, power phase, and recovery phase; three different motions to enhance swimming.  Use machines with these motions.  Cycling and running can also be broken down similarly.  I recommend using the cable machines.  This machine can be modified for several different workouts.  Pictures of suggested workouts are often illustrated on the machines.  Look for the ones that complement triathlon, but don't limit yourself to the suggested workouts.  Cables allow for imagination.  If there is motion you want to strengthen, you are most likely able to complete it using cables.

Core Strengthening.  Most exercises that complement triathlon motions do not increase core strength.  So it is important to mention that core strength must not be forgotten.  Core strength loosely refers to the strength of the hips, abs, and lower back.  There are several ways to increase core strength with or without access to a weight room.  Specific workouts are beyond the scope of this post.  You can easily find good workouts by Googling "core workouts" or "core strengthening".  Again, allow for imagination and vary your workouts.

The ideas given in this post are very basic and vague.  The truth is you can do almost anything in a weight room and it will improve your strength.  But our goal is to increase strength to help us swim, bike, and run faster.  Do this by strengthening those muscles specific to the sport of triathlon.  The book Strength Training for Triathletes is a great resource for workouts specific to triathlon training, but the internet is also a great place to find good workouts.

Book Review: The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training

Training and racing in the run segment of a triathlon is thoroughly covered in Ken Mierke's The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training.  Run training requires proper planning and preparation as any sport discipline.  Mierke explains how to maximize run performance in order have a prime triathlon season.


Ken Mierke is the president of Fitness Concepts, a multisport coaching company.  He is also a regular contributor to Inside Triathlon, VeloNews, and Rocky Mountain Sports.  Mierke is most known for his popular running technique, Evolution Running.  He is an important name and coach in the multisport community.  The Triathlete's Guide to Run Training was divided into four parts: technique, training, additional preparation factors, and racing.  At 305 pages in length, this book thoroughly covers run training and racing.

The technique section of this book is an explanation of Evolution Running.  There is a DVD on Evolution Running that is in my recommended buys.  It is safe to say that this technique is revolutionary.  Mierke has implemented it in all of this training programs for the athletes he coaches with great success.  The book provides illustrations of proper technique along with easy-to-understand descriptions.

The second section is run training.  Mierke goes into the details of planning for a triathlon season and how the run training fits in.  Although it is not the main focus of this book, swimming, cycling, and strength training is also mentioned to some degree.

Additional preparation factors such as nutrition, mental skills, injuries, and many others are covered in the third section of the book.  This section focuses on many aspects of triathlon training that are overlooked by many athletes.  Mierke makes a point to include all preparation factors in order to have great performance on race day.

The final section is devoted to racing.  This is where the importance of a good taper is discussed as well as running on race day.  What to do before, during, and after the race is what Mierke teaches us in this section of the book.

This book was written for triathletes.  However, it gives such a great explanation on running and training, in general, it is a good read for anyone that runs, not just triathletes.  An appendix in the back of the book contains a large menu of run workouts that can be used by triathletes, duathletes, or even athletes that run exclusively.  I highly recommend this book to all runners and encourage you to learn more about Evolution Running.

Principles of Training

There are several principles discussed among personal trainers and coaches in regards to training and exercise.  These common principles are used in order to maximize performance gains.  It is important to apply these training principles to triathlon in order to race faster and more efficiently.  This post includes a short summary of the following principles: overload, progression, specificity, recovery, and reversibility.

Principle of Overload
Overload refers to increasing stress to the systems of the body as a means of increasing fitness.  We add stress by doing activities that we do not do in our normal activities of daily living.  The bench press is not a common activity of daily living and can be considered an overload.  However, without sufficient weight, it would not be overload.  Bench pressing 10-pounds would be no more stressful than pushing open a door.  The added stress must make you work your muscles harder than they are normally used to working.  In triathlon, we do this be swimming, biking, and running harder, faster,  and longer.  In the weight room, we add resistance to add overload to our training program.

Principle of Progression
Progression is the application of overload over time.  For example, increasing the duration of your long ride each week by 10% is using the principle of progression.  Likewise,  increasing the number of 800-meter repeats on the track each week is also an application of progression.  Most personal trainers and coaches would recommend an increase of 10% each week.  Some can increase more, some less, but doing some type of increase weekly is the key to utilizing the principle of progression.

Principle of Specificity
Very simply, to get better at "something" you must practice that "something".  To be a faster swimmer, you must swim.  To be a faster cyclist, you must ride.  To be a faster runner, you must run.  The principle of specificity states that training must be specific to those muscles involved in the activity.  This is the most efficient way to increase strength, skill, or efficiency at a task; practice that task.   Of course we do things that compliment those specific training sessions.  Triathletes will go to the gym to do lat pull downs to increase swim power.  They will do squats to increase cycling power.  But doing biceps curls will not increase running strength.  Biceps are not "specific" to the muscles used in running.  This principle is most important when weight training.  Make sure your workouts can transfer to swimming, biking, and/or running.  If not, then you may need to change things up.

Principle of Recovery
Possibly the most important principle of all.  I say most important, because it is most often neglected by endurance athletes.  The recovery period is the time spent after applying overload to rebuild damaged muscle and connective tissues.  Many triathletes make the mistake of beginning their next workout before they are completed recovered from the previous workout.  This can lead to overtraining, a condition of extreme fatigue caused by inadequate rest/recovery.  It is important to remember that our bodies do not actually get stronger during a workout.  The body gets stronger during the time after the workout, during the recovery period, but only if you take the time to rest and consume the proper nutrients (carbs and protein) to rebuild muscles.

Principle of Reversibility
Regular strength training will lead to hypertrophy, an increase in muscle size.  Discontinuing a strength training program will lead to atrophy, a decrease in muscle size.  This is an example of reversibility.  Utilizing all previous principles will help an athlete become stronger, faster, and more efficient.  Discontinuing the use of those principles will result in that athlete becoming weaker, slower, and less efficient.  This is the principle of reversibility.

Having a knowledge of these principles of exercise and training will help triathletes in creating their training program.  Be sure to take into consideration all principles for efficient use of training time.  Do not neglect or ignore any principle, especially the principle of recovery as this is the time the body gets stronger.

Book Review: The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training

The bike training book of the Multisport Training Series written by Lynda Wallenfels, The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training.  The purpose of the book is to specifically improve the bike leg of triathlon through equipment selection, bike set-up, and training strategies/techniques.

Lynda Wallenfels is an elite-level USA Cycling coach, USA Triathlon Level II coach, and an Ultrafit Associate.    Wallenfels has been racing professionally since 1994.  In 2004, she won the U.S. 100-mile mountain bike national championships.  Her passion for triathlon and cycling is expressed through her regular contributions to VeloNews, Inside Triathlon, Active.com, Ultrafit e-tips, and her online site www.lwcoaching.com.

The book begins with a description of cycling equipment and position setup.  Items are described in different categories such as frame/geometry, components, monitors, etc.  Each essential item is explained in a simple but thorough manner.  Wallenfels then goes into the details of bike fit and how to get the most out of your position.  The descriptions and instructions are easy to follow.

The rest of the book is about training and training plans.  The types of training are grouped into flexibility, core strength, technique/skills/tactics, exercise physiology, training principles, and intensity.  Each topic is explained in a such a way to keep even a non-athlete interested (a lay-reader) in the subject.  Wallenfels description of a training plan is congruent with the popular periodization techniques set forth by Joe Friel, The Triathlete's Training Bible.

The book ends with a menu of bike workouts.  Workouts are categorized by endurance, force, speed skills, muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance, and power.  Several workouts in each category are offered to keep training fresh and enjoyable.

Similar to the swim training book, I was surprised at the length of Wallenfels' book on bike training.  The book finishes off at 208 pages.  I was expecting it to lengthier.  To my surprise, all essential topics were covered from equipment selection to writing a training plan to proper transitioning with a bike.  The book is an enjoyable read and very easy to understand.  Definitely a good read for beginning and intermediate athletes.  Even advanced athletes would benefit from reading this book.  Wallenfels mentions very little on bike maintenance.  Need-to-know topics are covered, such as changing a flat.  I am not bitter about leaving out bike maintenance as it would make the book much longer and  unenjoyable to read.  There are plenty of books that are devoted to bike maintenance and no need to repeat the information here.  I am glad to have The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training as part of my book collection.  I'm sure you would be, too.

Wallenfels, Lynda. The Triathlete's Guide to Bike Training. VeloPress. Boulder, CO: 2004.

Antioxidant Supplementation For Triathletes

A recent study in Denmark examined the the effects of combined vitamin C and E supplementation to healthy individuals on different measures of exercise performance after endurance training.  The study used a double-blinded placebo-controlled design.  Participants were 21 moderately trained young men.  11 of them received oral supplementation with vitamins C and E while the other 10 received a placebo before and during a 12 week supervised bicycle exercise training.  The training was strenuous and occurred with a frequency of 5 days per week.

After one month, vitamin C and E concentration was evaluated in both groups.  An increase in concentration was found in both groups in both vitamins.  There was no difference in the plasma vitamin levels over time.  Maximal oxygen consumption, workload at lactate threshold, and maximal power output increased in both groups in response to training.  There were no differences between the two groups concerning any of the variables.  Muscle glycogen concentration, metabolic enzymic activity, and protein content also increased in both groups with no differences between the two groups concerning any of the variables.

Supplementing antioxidants such as vitamins C and E seemed to have no effect, positive or negative, on endurance training in healthy individuals.  This study did not include older individuals, sedentary individuals, or individuals with a deficiency in vitamins.  Applying this information to triathletes, as long as you are eating healthy there is no need to supplement your diet with antioxidants.  Eating colorful foods will ensure you are getting your recommended daily allowance in necessary vitamins.

Reference
Yfanti, C., T. Akerstrom, S. Nielsen, A. R. Nielsen, R. Mounier, O. H. Mortensen, J. Lykkesfeldt, A. J. Rose, C. P. Fischer, and B. K. Pedersen. "Antioxidant Supplementation Does Not Alter Endurance Training Adaptation." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Vol. 42, No. 7, pp. 1388-1395, 2010.

Book Review: The Triathlete's Guide to Swim Training

The swimming installment of the Multisport Training Series, The Triathlete's Guide to Swim Training by Steve Tarpinian.  The Multisport Training Series is a book series on triathlon training edited by Joe Friel.  Friel has recruited experts to write about swim training, bike training, run training, mental training, and off-season training.  I will be reviewing all five books and posting on my blog.  Steve Tarpinian was recruited to write the book on swim training.

Steve Tarpinian is the president of Total Training, Inc., a fitness consulting company that specializes in triathlon workshops.  He is a certified USA Triathlon Level II coach and is a member of the USA Triathlon National Coaching Committee.  Tarpinian has written other books about swimming and contributed to several magazines such as Men's Health, Fitness Swimmer, Swim, Triathlete, and Inside Triathlon.

I was surprised to find this book to be only 171 pages long.  Seems a little short for a book on swim training, which is the most technically challenging of all three disciplines (in my opinion).  I expected the book to be a little longer and more in-depth.  Although it was shorter than expected, I was pleased with the easy read and was able to finish it in a single sitting.  Tarpinian covers a wide range of topics to include pool training, open-water swimming, freestyle technique, dry-land training, as well as mentioning the other competitive strokes (backstroke, butterfly, and breaststroke), which are not often used in triathlon, but good to train in every once in a while.

In short, this book was written for beginners.  When I say beginners, I mean as fresh as they come.  Most of the information covered in the book can be learned within two months of training with a masters swim group.  With some added effort, athletes can gather all the same information by searching the internet or reading some magazines about swimming and triathlon.  If you are not a true beginner in the sport of triathlon, then this book may not benefit you.

The book contained good information and great illustrations.  However, there are some things Tarpinian said that I disagree with (reluctantly).  I do not like disagreeing with well-respected coaches.  I have much respect for Steve Tarpinian.   He is a well-known coach writer in the multisport community.  He has been swimming nearly all his life.  However, I must mention a couple things.  Tarpinian has a list of "crutches", items for swimmers that are damaging rather than helpful.  This list includes nose clips, kickboards, pull buoys, hand paddles, and fist gloves.  I agree with the first, nose clip, for reasons I won't go in to.  I am indifferent about kickboards.  I understand the reasons: unnatural buoyancy, no rotation, body alignment, etc.  I do not believe pull buoys and hand paddles to be crutches.  Using pull buoys and hand paddles (correctly) will enable swimmers to feel a proper catch versus an improper catch.  The paddles will increase resistance to work on muscular endurance, helpful for those long triathlon swims.  Swimmers that learn to train with paddles properly can increase their swimming efficiency.  Finally, I agree with Tarpinian on the fist gloves.  Perform fist drill by making a fist and swimming, not by wrapping your fist in a latex glove.  You want to be able to open and close your fist at anytime to feel the immediate difference in resistance.

I realize my comments sound more negative than positive.  I have read better books on swim training, but this book is great for beginners.  If a novice swimmer does everything in this book, they will be on the perfect track to becoming an efficient triathlete.  The crutches mentioned may have been focused toward beginners who may use equipment incorrectly, which can be detrimental to your training.  So I say again, novice and beginners read this book; moderately to highly experienced athletes, you already know all the information presented in this book.