Joe Friel on Training With Power

Joe Friel, author of The Triathlete's Training Bible and The Cyclist's Training Bible among many other endurance training books, explains the benefits on training with power in this 3-part video series.  Power is the preferred way to measure training intensity due to its immediate feedback, which is unaffected by external factors.  Heart rate can change due to arousal levels, caffeine, cardiac drift, etc.  Power output will always remain constant under these varying conditions.  Therefore, it provides a more accurate measurement of the amount of work an athlete is performing.

Changing a Flat

During my first year of triathlon racing I got a flat tire at one of my races and I was not carrying any tools to change it (not to mention I didn't even have a spare tube).  I was completely unprepared for this situation and I had to withdraw from the race.  Fortunately, it was a C-priority race and inexpensive.  If that were to happen to me during an A-priority race I would be furious, unless I was prepared.  Don't neglect to train in these skills which we hope not to need.  Changing a bike tube only takes a few minutes to practice and you'll be more comfortable in the event of a flat tire if you've practiced it several times.  We train for hours and hours in swimming, biking, and running just to save a few seconds.  All that training can be crushed by a flat, especially if you are not prepared.



I want to emphasize two things to remember before inflating the new tube. First, make sure the tube is not pinched between the rim and the tire. It's always a good idea to double-check, especially for beginners. It's easy to miss a pinched tube. Second, check for debris in the tire. Make sure that whatever punctured your original tube is not going to puncture your replacement. This happened to a friend of mine. He failed to remove a wire that was stuck in his tire. It resulted in two flats and a DNF.

Practicing this skill regularly will make you proficient at tube changes, which will result in a lower anxiety level in the event of a flat.  Here is a list of equipment you'll need to change a flat:
Tire Lever
Bike Tube
CO2 Cartridge
CO2 Inflator

The FITT Principle

Chances are if you've read any exercise book you've heard of the FITT principle, but if you haven't, I will be defining the FITT principle and applying it to triathlon training in this post.  The FITT principle is an acronym for Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.  It's purpose is to identify single domains of exercise that can be changed in order to provide overload--the act of stressing the body in order to gain results.  Without proper overload we can't get faster.  Let's examine how to apply the FITT principle to triathlon training.

Frequency

This refers to how often you train in a given time period (workout frequency).  For example, a triathlete might be on a weekly schedule that includes 3 swims, 4 bikes, and 2 runs.  When beginning a training program, frequency should be the first domain of the FITT principle that is increased.  Doing more workouts for a shorter duration is much better than doing fewer workouts for a longer duration.  Get the body used to training and don't try to do too much in a single session.

Intensity

This refers to how hard the body is working.  You can increase intensity by increasing speed, distance, and resistance (i.e. hills).  Intensity should be the final domain that is increased in your training program.  Depending on the distance you are training for, you may not increase intensity at all.  You should probably have 2 or 3 months of steady training under your belt before actively increasing intensity.

Time

More commonly known as "duration" of exercise, but the word "time" fits better with the acronym.  This domain should be increased after frequency and before intensity.  Duration should gradually increase from the beginning of the training program until you decide to begin increasing intensity.  Duration should remain steady (or even decrease) during the period of intensity increase.  Knowing how long you should train during each workout at the beginning of a program is determined individually.  For example, you may start each run at 20-minutes and add 5-minutes each week.  Safest thing is to start conservatively and gauge how your body reacts.  Then you can make adjustments as needed.  The purpose of this domain is to gradually increase the aerobic base.  This will prepare you for the intensity period.

Type

This part of the FITT principle refers to the type or mode of training.  This part is somewhat predetermined for multisport athletes.  We know that we are going to swim, bike, run, and strength train; casual exercisers may do other types of workouts.  Changing the type of training is also called cross-training and is popular for endurance athletes in a single sport (marathon runners, road cyclists, open water swimmers, etc. will often train in a different discipline for some of their workouts).  For triathletes, the cross-training is automatically built in to the program.

That's the FITT principle in a nutshell.  Increasing any one of these domains will apply overload, which is what we want.  Just remember not to increase too much too soon and it's only necessary to increase a single domain at a time.

Fit Your Bike To Your Body

It is important for athletes to adjust their bikes to fit their bodies; not the other way around. Bike fit specialist Rob Kaplan covers the critical elements to focus on while fitting your bike. The objectives of proper bike fitting is to be comfortable on the bike while maintaining an aero position.

Product Review: Strength Training For Triathletes

Strength Training for Triathletes is a book for multisport athletes who want to implement or improve the strength training portions of their overall training program.  The book was written by Dr. Patrick Hagerman.  Dr. Hagerman is the Director of Sport Skill Development for Quest Personal Training.  He is a USA Triathlon Coach as well as a USA Weightlifting-certified coach.  He as competed in triathlon, cycling, windsurfing, and adventure racing for over 25 years.

Part one of this book describes the components of a strength training program.  It includes descriptions of reps, sets, weight, and rest and how to progress within a program.  Part two of the book provides the tools needed to prepare and implement a strength training program.  A description of equipment and tools is provided along with choosing exercises and exercise order.  Sampling training programs are also provided.  Perhaps the best part of this book is part three, which includes a large list of exercises that are specific to the three triathlon disciplines.

Hagerman explains how to create a strength training program utilizing periodization.  Periodization is a type of training program that periodically switches from intense training phases to recuperation phases.  Periodization is very effective especially for endurance athletes.  However, the periodization suggested in this book would not align with most triathletes' training programs.  Hagerman gives many variations of 2-,3-,4-,5-, and 6-week periodized workout plans.  Most triathletes don't vary more that 3- or 4-week cycles.  Experienced triathletes will be able to make necessary changes to Hagerman's suggestions, but it may prove to be difficult for beginners.

A minor discrepancy I noticed for one of the workouts was Hagerman's claim that leg lifts do not workout the abdominal muscles because there is no flexion of the spine.  I am not a strength and conditioning expert, but I know that flexion is not required for muscle contraction.  If it were, then there would be no such thing as isometric exercises (exercises that contract muscles with no joint movement).

Another discrepancy I noticed was Hagerman's explanation of running in which he emphasized landing on the heel.  Not only is it inefficient to land on the heel due to deceleration, but it also is unhealthy for bones and joints due to high impact and shock absorption.  Proper foot placement would either be flat-footed or landing on the balls of the feet.  This will help ensure that the foot is not in front of the hips when landing as well as direct the shock into the calf (rather than the front of the shin, which is what happens during a heel strike landing).  This was the first book I have read that suggests a heel strike foot placement.  Most literature and experienced coaches would disagree.

The criticisms that I have written in this review are very critical.  Overall, this is a great book for aiding the development and implementation of a strength training program.  As I mentioned earlier, the workouts are thorough and specific to triathlon and all workouts are accompanied by great illustrations.  I would recommend this book to any triathlete wanting to improve in the area of strength training.  Just keep in mind the criticisms I have listed herein and the book will do you wonders.

Birth of the Blog: Paul Honnold on Swimming, Biking, and Running

I have decided to start a blog on my thoughts, comments, experiences, etc. on the sport of triathlon as well as its related sports (i.e., duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, and so on). This blog will contain information on training tips/techniques, product reviews, article references, and my personal experiences in the sport. I hope to provide some useful information to anyone who decides to read this blog as well as gain information for myself via readers' comments. I look forward to my active involvement with this new blog as well as the interaction with the blogging/multisport community. Thank you for reading!