Posts Tagged ‘Triathlon Training - General’

Looking in the mirror is the quickest and simplest way to see if you are too fat by everyday standards, but this alone will not give you the accurate information that you need as competitive athletes. Carrying around excess weight in any sport has got to be a distinct disadvantage as it can adversely affect strength, speed and endurance. Carrying around this extra weight is not only unnecessary, but also costly in terms of energy expenditure. In endurance sports surplus fat can reduce speed and increase fatigue. It’s like carrying a shopping bag with you as you run, it’ll make it harder for you to get up speed, slow you down as cause you to tire quickly.

Muscle is stronger and more powerful than fat although I’m sure you’ll agree it‘s much harder to acquire! If two athletes weighed 100kg, but one comprised 90 kg lean (10 kg fat) mass and the other 70 kg lean (30kg fat) mass, the leaner one would obviously have the advantage. Possibly the only sport where fat could be considered an advantage is sumo wrestling!

A fat free body however would not survive. It is important to realise that a certain amount of body fat is absolutely vital. In fact, there are two components of body fat: essential fat and storage fat. Essential fat includes the fat which forms part of your cell membranes, brain tissue, nerve sheaths, bone marrow and the fat surrounding your organs (e.g. heart, liver, kidneys). Here it provides insulation, protection and cushioning against physical damage. In a healthy person this accounts for about 3% body weight. Unfortunately for the ladies there’s additional essential fat which is sex-specific and is mostly stored in the breasts and the hips. This fat accounts for a further 5-9% a women’s body weight.

The second component of body fat is storage fat and is an important energy reserve that takes the form of fat (adipose) cells under the skin and around the organs. Fat is used virtually all the time during any aerobic activity; while sleeping, sitting, walking and in most forms of exercise. The body generally uses fat from all sites and an average person has enough fat stores for three days and nights of continuous running. In practise you’d ‘blow’ way before your stores ran out!

In terms of health risks associated with fat you can use a measurement called the Body mass Index (BMI), which classifies different grades of body weight. The BMI of a person can be calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in Kg) by the square of his or her height in metres. My BMI calculation would look like:

85 / (1.87×1.87) = 24.2

BMI Less than 20 — Under Weight

BMI 20-25 — Normal Weight (Grade 0)

BMI 25-30 — Over Weight (Grade 1)

BMI 30-40 — Obese (Grade 2)

BMI Over 40 — Severely Obese (Grade 3)

Doctors use this chart to assess a persons risk of acquiring certain health related conditions, such as heart disease.

The thing here is that when you stand on the scales you weigh everything; bone, muscle, water and fat. Therefore, you don’t know how ‘fat’ you actually are. Someone with a lot of muscle and little fat could be classed as overweight and vice versa. This is where ‘body composition’ comes into play.

The body is composed of two elements; lean body tissue (muscles, organs, bones and blood) and body fat. The proportion of these two components is called body composition. This is more important than total weight.

For example, two people may weigh the same, but have different body composition. Athletes usually have a smaller percentage of body fat and a higher percentage of lean weight than those who are less physically active. Lean body tissue is functional (useful) weight, whereas fat is non-functional in terms of sports performance.

There are various methods you could use to measure your percentage body fat however the most popular methods are with skinfold callipers or bio electrical impedance.

As a personal trainer you’re taught how to measure percentage body fat using these methods however all methods come with a certain degree of inaccuracy. Skin capllipers measure the folds of fat at various measurement points throughout the body and convert to an overall figure, however this relies on a great deal or accuracy when re-evaluating clients. I tend to use bio electrical impedance testers due to the tests being much quicker to conduct. These are electrical devices that pass a mild electrical current throughout the body to measure it’s conductivity. They can be either hand-held or small boxes with wires that attach to the body via pads.

You’re local gym should be able to provide you with a body composition test should you wish find out how you fare. Again there are guidelines as to your results based on your age group. The table below will give you some idea of where you score.

MALE
AGE    EXCELLENT  GOOD     FAIR     POOR
19-24   10.8%          14.9%     19.0%   23.3%
25-29   12.8%          16.5%     20.3%   24.4%
30-34   14.5%          18.0%     21.5%   25.2%
35-39   16.1%          19.4%     22.6%   26.1%
40-44   17.5%          20.5%     23.6%   26.9%
45-49   18.6%          21.5%     24.5%   27.6%
50-54   19.8%          22.7%     25.6%   28.7%
55-59   20.2%          23.2%     26.2%   29.3%
60+      20.3%          23.5%     26.7%   29.8%

FEMALE
AGE   EXCELLENT  GOOD    FAIR     POOR
19-24    18.9%        22.1%    25.0%   29.6%
25-29    18.9%       22.0%     25.4%   29.8%
30-34    19.7%       22.7%     26.4%   30.5%
35-39    21.0%       24.0%     27.7%   31.5%
40-44    22.6%       25.6%     29.3%   32.8%
45-49    24.3%       27.3%     30.9%   34.1%
50-54    26.6%       29.7%     33.1%   36.2%
55-59    27.4%      30.7%      34.0%   37.3%
60+       27.6%       31.0%     34.4%   38.0%

With most multi-sport events (and the associated disciplines of) being endurance based you’d expect the pro’s to be in the ranges of 6-12% for males and 8-18% for females. The minimum recommended percentages for men and women is 5% and 12% respectively.

Clearly, there is no ideal body fat percentage for any particular sport. Each individual athlete has an optimal fat range at which their performance improves yet there health does not suffer. Each of us are also genetically different which has a direct impact on our body composition and ultimately performance.

Don’t get too hung up on your own percentage body fat calculations because no matter how hard you try to change how you are now, it may just be impossible due to how we’ve been built as individuals!

Happy Training!!

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When it comes to making a training plan and keeping a log it really is no use keeping it all in your head. A training plan or log should be either of the paper variety or logged on a computer. That way you’ll always have a reference to what you should be doing next week and what you actually did last week.

The training log/diary I’ve produced is a simple PC version written in excel. What it does above that of the paper variety is automatically calculate individual weekly statistics as well as yearly totals for all your training sessions.

It really is very easy to use. Simply enter detail into the necessary fields and the excel formulas will do the calculations. I’ve also added a template to the file with some relevant notes.

The main ‘training summary’ tab is the sheet where the calculations are presented, so you can view all individual weekly statistics as well as the statistics for that year. You don’t need to alter these values as they’re all automated and doing so could alter the displayed stats. I’ve protected this sheet for this reason, however you can un-protect the sheet with the password ‘training’.

All of the ‘Wk #’ tabs are where you should enter the relevant detail such as swim, bike and run distances and times as well as text entry for route, session and weather. Don’t alter the ‘Total Daily Training Time’ fields for each day or the ‘Weekly Total’ fields at the top of the sheet as these are again formulas to give you the automated calculations on the ‘training summary’.

If you have a future training schedule in mind or you’re currently mid schedule you can quite easily transfer your data into the log. If you prefer your training plan ‘schedule based’ and not based around training dates, simply change the day and date fields accordingly to phases, cycles and week numbers.

I’ve also added a couple of other fitness related fields in too, including weight, resting heart rate and BMI (or % body fat). These are a good guide as to how your training is progressing. With endurance type training you should hopefully see your resting heart rate, % body fat and weight reduce as the schedule/log/plan progresses.

Working to a plan or scheduled log is a great way to give structure, organisation and direction to your training which will ultimately lead to a direct and positive impact on your competitive results.

Download your free training log (courtesy of Trispace) right here. You can do as you wish with the log. Rip it into you own design, make modifications or not use it at all. The choice is yours!

Happy Training……and logging!!

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Now you might think of ‘hard core’ endurance athletes as being solid to the core. But I bet there are very few that actually are, ‘solid to the core’. Some of you may include abdominal/core type exercises into your dry land training, however how effective these are at developing your core is another debate. As multi-sport athletes have you ever thought of incorporating Pilates into your training to enhance your core stability?…. Thought not!!

Once the word Pilates is mentioned, people tend to envisage of group of women lying about on spongy mats not looking like they’re doing much. Well think again, as a growing number of athletes across the widest range of sports now use Pilates for everything from injury prevention to developing core strength, flexibility, suppleness, co-ordination and longer, stronger muscles. More and more sports coaches now employ structural fitness exercises based on Pilates principles.

What is Pilates?
Pilates is a body conditioning technique designed to create inner strength and flexibility without building muscles. It concentrates on strengthening the core postural muscles, namely the transversus abdominus and internal obliques (corset muscles) and multifudus (muscles of the lower back). By learning to keep these muscles stabilised while executing slow, controlled, flowing movements, tight over strained muscles will learn to relax and lengthen and weak muscles will be strengthened. In short, Pilates concentrates on strengthening the core postural muscles to achieve stability in the trunk.

Pilates has been around for many years and was originally developed by a German man called Joseph Pilates. He opened his first Pilates studio in America in 1926 and since then the form of exercise has been taught throughout the world (albeit in slightly different forms) by many, but the one thing that remains consistant are the same principles of developing inner strength and flexibility without bulk. It may take a while to get the hang of Pilates and, at first, may seem like you are doing very little, however the long term gains of Pilates in general, not just in sport, are immense.

What are the benefits of Pilates?
The ability to stabilise the core, while at the same time being able to move the limbs effortlessly, not only reduces the risk of injury (especially to the spine and supporting muscles) but improves posture.

The direct benefits of Pilates for multi-sport athletes can potentially be vast. In swimming a leaner, longer and stronger core will enable you to hold your streamline body position in the water without dropping the legs for a greater length of time. A stronger core on the bike will ensure that you get maximum power transfer to the pedals and that you are able to hold your body position without tiring. On the run, a strong core will able you to maintain your run posture with ease instead of reducing form and placing greater stresses on the body

Most of all, Pilates lengthens and stretches the muscles of the body whilst strengthening them. Lengthening and stretching our muscles is something I’ve gone on about before and is sadly lacking from most of our training plans. However it still remains one the most important elements of training if you are serious about achieving your results, as it greatly reduces the risk of injury form tight or injured muscles.

Injuries do of course happen. After a sidelining injury, gentle and careful Pilates exercises remobilise the body, easing the damaged muscles, tendons and joints back into activity. The rebalancing effects of Pilates can also help to prevent the distortions caused when you try to compensate for the part of the body that has been out of use.

Correctly executed Pilates exercises not only aid in injury rehabilitation but are themselves so controlled and low impact that they are extremely safe. What’s more, the awareness of your body that they develop enables you to avoid the same injuries or problems recurring in the future.

Remember though that Pilates is non-cardiovascular and non-fat burning exercise so we still need to engage in all the other elements of multi-sport training that enable us to achieve. If you don’t believe me that Pilates can make a difference, try it, and as Joseph Pilates once said “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 you will see the difference, and in 30 you will have a whole new body.”

Happy Training!!

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Let’s take a look at one of my favourite topics, relating to muscle growth and adaptation. As a personal trainer the basis of this topic is something I try to get across to all of my clients in order to understand why they train in a certain way. This is only a brief skip though a few relevant elements of benefit to you as multi-sport athletes, however discussions relating to this could be endless!

When you work a muscle the stimulus or force acting on it causes a breaking down of muscle proteins and forms tiny tears in the muscle fibre and connective tissue. During the rest period between workouts new proteins are built up and the connective tissues repaired. This causes the muscle fibres to grow back thicker and stronger. This increase in size is a result in an increase in the number of filaments within the muscle fibre bundle and an increase of muscle proteins. This increase of cross sectional muscle size is called hypertrophy.

Hypertrophy depends on many factors including the type of training, diet, rest periods and the genetics of the person in question.

When training a muscle or muscle group you should do so with the desired outcome in mind. There’s no point having huge biceps, lats, shoulders and chest if you’re attempting to be a competitive triathlete. As triathletes we should be looking to enhance the muscular endurance of our muscles rather than pure muscular strength. Muscular endurance is the ability or capacity of a muscle to repeat a movement continuously before it tires, whereas muscular strength is the force required by the muscle to overcome a resistance.

In order for a muscle to respond successfully, whether to achieve endurance benefits or gains in strength and/or size, the overload or resistance placed upon it has to continually challenge the muscle. As the muscle responds, it gets stronger and/or has better endurance, so if the overload remains the same the muscle will not be stimulated optimally. This is why the amount of resistance used or the duration of the exercise needs to be continually increased in order to provide a suitable overload for the muscle. This form of continual intensity change is classed as progressive overload.

With my personal training clients I always encourage change and alter exercise and/or duration they are completing every 10-12 week period. This means the muscles and body have to adapt and respond to a fresh set of requests and challenges.

When the brain has to learn a new task or skill, such as a new exercise, the nerve pathways that tell the muscle to contract need to be developed. Depending on the complexity of the movement, this motor unit development might require some practice. This is known as neuro-muscular adaptation.

When introducing new exercises into your workout routine, the number of exercises to incorporate, together with the frequency with which they are to be performed, will vary from person to person as we all have different goals, time restraints and fitness levels. As with any form of training, the most important thing is to blend new exercises into your current workout when you are ready, remember not to introduce too many too soon or increase the intensity of any drill before you are fully able to progress.

Happy Training!!

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Choosing the right clothes makes all the difference to your cycling. Wear suitable kit and you’ll be more comfortable on the bike and will ultimately have a more enjoyable ride.

Trouble is, we can never be sure what weather we’re going to get at this time of year. My morning commute at 7am this time of year can be quite fresh, yet on the ride home the temperature’s 17 degrees! You need to be prepared with clothing that’s as versatile as possible. Then whatever the forecast, you can take control of your own personal micro-climate.

Layering is the key as the weather gets cooler. Choose a wicking base layer to go next to your skin and then other layers that’ll go on top and control your temperature. Look for high close fitting necks, extended backs and long sleeves to keep the wind out, but also for zips and vents that can be opened for maximum air-conditioning on the climbs. A dependable waterproof is also a must.

Anything that can be stowed in a pocket is really valuable in our changeable climate. A sleeveless gilet keeps the cold air off our core, yet it’s easy enough to take off when the sun comes out. Arm and leg warmers are also brilliant for autumn riding, they’ll keep the chill out when you set off first thing and you can whip them off in seconds when you warm up during the ride.

Even if you’ve been cycling for a while it’s easy to get caught out by the shortening autumn days, and that first sheepish ride home without lights after a later than normal finish at work is easy enough to remind you that it’s time to get kitted out for autumn and winter riding.

On the roads the most important thing is that you’re seen. Get a decent set of lights and give a bit of side visibility so that cars will notice you when you’re pulling out of side roads etc.

If your ride takes you on unlit roads then pick a light that’s bright enough for you to see your way. Reflective gear will also help you stand out at night and there’s a huge range available from stickers for your frame, waistcoats and rucksack covers. Throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions, I always use my ‘Hump’ high-vis waterproof rucksack cover. It lets everyone know that I’m on the road and with a handy external mesh pocket it means I can throw on light for that extra ‘I’m here’ pointer!

You’ve spent most of the summer building up your fitness, getting rides in at the weekend and commuting to work. So why let all the hard work go to waste throughout the autumn and winter?

Provided you’re prepared for the elements, autumn and winter riding can be equally as enjoyable. If you want to keep you bike fitness high why not try out a local sportive event. Most have a choice of a short, medium or long route and will be suitable for most levels of ability. Or if you fancy adding a bit of mud to your diet, there’s no harm in getting the mountain bike out and having some fun in the hills.

If you’re prepared for the conditions you can still train as hard during the autumn and winter months as you can during the summer. So get out there and enjoy it!

Happy Training!!

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Sometimes the language used to describe the elements of effort can be confusing, especially if you’re new to the world of exercise, fitness or sport. Let’s take a minute and run through some of the most common concepts and try to make sense of them.

Maximum Heart Rate (MaxHR)
Your maximum heart rate is the fastest your heart will beat under any circumstances. Your max isn’t related to what you are doing. Your max will be the same whether you are running, cycling or disco dancing.

Your max is at its highest the day you’re born. For most male babies it’s about 220 beats per minute and for female babies it’s closer to 226. Year by year over the course of your lifetime your max heart rate goes down and there’s not much you can do about it.

The old formula, the one where you subtract your age from 220 doesn’t necessarily work exactly. Firstly that formula assumes that you’re loosing one heart beat per year off your max. It turns out that chronically fit people loose closer to one beat every 2 years. Secondly the formulae doesn’t take into consideration your resting heart rate, i.e. those that are extremely fit will have a lower resting heart rate (RHR) and when this is added to the calculation it will alter the final figures.

An example of this would be;

a) Standard measure for max heart rate is 220 – age (35) = 185. Working at 75% of my max HR would be 138.75 BPM (beats per minute).

b) Measure taking into account your RHR is 220 – age (35) – RHR (48) = 140. Working at 75% of my max HR using this calculation would be (140 x 75%= 105) + 48 (RHR)= 153 BPM.

You can immediately see from calculation b) that my target HR zone of 75% becomes much more specific in relation to my RHR and allows me to exercise harder at a higher HR.

Determining your honest maximum heart rate involves a very strenuous physical test. You really have to be able to place as much demand on your heart to get it to beat as fast as it can. I’ve done this before and it does take a huge amount of effort and energy.

The easiest way to find out your own maximum heart rate is to purchase a heart rate monitor and hit the roads. Sign up for a local 5K, strap on your heart rate monitor and conduct your own experiment.

Warm up prior to the race with a few easy and slow minutes, take the 1st mile at a moderate pace and the second at a challenging pace and finish the last 1 mile (ish) at a pace you can’t wait to stop.

Watch your monitor and keep track of the highest number throughout the entire race. This will be your maximum heart rate. Most heart rate monitors these days will give you your max HR once you’ve finished the race and stopped the watch. It may not be as accurate as the tests completed in a clinic but it is a lot more valid than dropping your age into a formula.

Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Your resting heart rate, also known as your basal heart rate, is the minimum numbers of beats per minute that your heart has to make just to keep you alive.

It’s also the best indicator of your overall fitness. In general, people who are fitter will have lower resting heart rates. The stronger the heart is the stronger it beats. The stronger your heart beats, the higher volume of blood your heart pumps per beat. The more blood your heart pumps per beat, the fewer beats your heart must do to complete its job.

Whatever you resting heart rate is today, the chances are, as you get fitter it will drop.
Your resting heart rate is also the best indicator of whether you have recovered from a hard workout or if you’re coming down with an illness.

The easiest method I use to obtain my RHR is to take the reading first thing in the morning whilst still in bed. The night before I leave my HR monitor and chest strap by my bedside and once I wake (naturally, without an alarm clock going off) the following morning I sling on the chest strap and start my stop watch. I usually leave this ticking away for about 5 minutes in order to get a good average resting heart rate. The benefit of using this method is that you are more than likely in your most relaxed state as you wake in the morning.

Cardiac Reserve
Your cardiac reserve (also known as heart rate reserve) is the difference between your maximum heart rate and you resting heart rate. So, if your max is 180 PBM and your resting is 80 BPM then your Cardiac reserve is 100 beats per minute.

What’s important about your cardiac reserve is that it represents the amount of your heart beat that you get to use for training. Since you max is fixed the only way to increase your cardiac reserve is to lower your resting heart rate.

Aerobic Zone
Aerobic means ‘in the presence of oxygen’. When your heart is beating below about 80% of your max, you are in the aerobic zone. This is the zone where all the great fat burning takes place, great if you’re looking towards loosing a few pounds. This is also the zone in which you can maintain effort over a longer period of time.

Anaerobic Zone
The opposite of aerobic, anaerobic, is ‘not in the presence of oxygen’. For most of us, this is when your heart is beating over 80% max. You know this zone, as this is where you start to suck air, your sentences get shorter and you find it harder to breathe and talk.
In the anaerobic zone, your body switches from using a higher percentage of fat and begins to burn those precious stores of glycogen (energy).

Lactic Acid
This is the exhaust that your muscles produce when the engage. The muscles work hard and produce a toxic by-product called lactic acid. The harder and faster your muscles work, the more lactic acid they produce. Long distance, or endurance athletes, train and race at an intensity that allows their body to filter through and remove most of the lactic acid. Whereas sprinters build up a high percentage of lactic acid in a short period of time because of their dynamic intensity.

Anaerobic Threshold
This is the point of exertion, or heart rate, at which your body can no longer exhaust the lactic acid out of your muscles. At about 80% of max, that lactic starts to pool in the muscles. As your muscles fill, they get harder and harder to move, and before you know it, it feels like you’re running through treacle. Your anaerobic threshold is not constant. Therefore you can improve it with the right training. Improving your anaerobic threshold will allow you to progress from running 3 miles in 30 minutes while being able to chat, to completing the same distance in 25 minutes while holding the same conversation.

Happy Training!!

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Taking care of the most important piece of kit you own - Some handy tips to keep your feet in tip top condition throughout the season, useful for new comers to multi-sport and the seasoned age-groupers. Remember, the more frequent you train the more apparent some points may be.

If you are new to triathlon, socks are your best defence against blisters, but struggling to get them onto wet feet can waste valuable time. Roll your sock so they are easier to put on when you enter the first transition.

Blitz blisters as soon as possible. Blisters left too long can become infected. If you are unfortunate enough to develop a blister, wash your hands thoroughly before using a sterilised needle to puncture and drain it, before patting it dry.

Be wary of under or over pronation. The way you feet hit the ground can have an impact on you legs leading to tight muscles and problems in the ITB (illiotibial band), but can easily by corrected by choosing the right kind of running shoe to suit your running style. Overpronators should choose motion control shoes, while underpronators should choose a cushioned shoe to enhance foot motion.

Change your socks and shoes regularly. Not just every day but between training sessions. Throw away cotton socks. Synthetic is best when it comes to socks; Coolmax or Drifit socks are made of artificial fibres that will wick away sweat and prevent fungal infections like athletes foot.

Don’t overstride on the run. Running with an un-naturally long stride will stretch your calf muscles and tendons in your feet, which can lead to severe pain in the heel and foot, known as plantar fasciitis.

Have your shoes properly fitted. Your feet have the potential to swell by another fill-shoe size when competing in a triathlon. If you shoes are too tight on the bike or run, pressure can lead to blister under the toe nails and even numbness in the toes. It’s important to make sure your shoes have some room for manoeuvre.

If you cycle and run without socks, use bodyglide or a similar lubricant over your heels and toes. This will lubricate your feet and avoid chafing against your shoes that could lead to blisters.

This may sound obvious, but wear racing shoes to race. Performance shoes tend to feature softer inners than regular running shoes, so when you’re racing without socks they’re often the most comfortable option.

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I’d decided that this year was going to be a little different from the usual for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I’d been talking to this guy I work with back in October, who kept going on and on about being accepted to run the Edinburgh marathon. Now I’d just been dumped from the London Marathon ballot for what feels about the 10th consecutive year, so you can appreciate me feeling a little frustrated. So during a short period of frustration, disappointment and reflection, I thought ‘what the heck’ and also decided to participate in this historic Scottish marathon.

The second change to alter my training cycle is that my wife is entering her 1st half-marathon this year as she’s been accepted for this September’s Great North Run, so I intend to part train and race with her.

This changes my usual training schedule for this season, not that I’m complaining too much as it feels quite good to be going back to my running roots! I already have a schedule planned which has been in place since the turn of the year to cater for my marathon on 31st May. I’m aiming for 3hrs 15 mins (or better) come race day, albeit being able to train injury free for the training period.

I only intend to run train every other day and have longer rest periods where necessary following my harder sessions. Included within the schedule will also be the odd road race (and duathlon) to keep me race sharp. Interspersed between my runs will be cross training bike sessions (either ‘the commute’ or endurance rides) to maintain my cardio fitness and leg strength. I may even throw in the odd swim session to keep ticking over. There was me saying that I was looking forward getting back to ‘just running’ again!

Once the marathon is over I’ll start to pick up the training with my wife, however I will revert some of ‘my own’ run focus back to swimming in order to participate in a couple of triathlons August and September. That will take me up to the Great North Run and just about another year done!

I intend to log as much of this years training and racing activities as possible here so you can see how I’m getting on.

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Post run and cycle stretching is something we all mean to do when we ‘remember’ and ‘have the time’. The trouble is, many of us only find the time once every few months.

There are three very good reasons why you should stretch, and they are;

1. Tight muscles, tendons and ligaments restrict motion, particularly in the ankle and hip. This will shorten your run stride and restrict the full pedal revolution range of movement when cycling so that you use more energy when overcoming the stiffness to maintain a given speed. Regular stretching will counter act that improving running efficiency and cadence technique.

2. It’s quite obvious that regular post exercise stretching can be linked to a reduced chance of injury, particularly in the knees, hips and ankles.

3. Research indicates that stretching stimulates the passage of amino acids into muscles and speeds up repair. So stretching after training will help your muscles repair themselves quicker.

In recent years one particular type of stretching has been hailed as very effective, yet it’s one many people have never heard of . Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) has been shown to improve flexibility by 10-15% more than normal stretching and despite its complex name, PNF stretching is simple to do. In fact, PNF stretching is made even easier to do because its best done with a partner.

Your four step guide to performing a PNF stretch
1. Relax and let you partner gently push you into a stretch as far as is comfortable.
2. Stay in this position for 10-20 seconds – don’t bounce or tense up.
3. Push back gently (approx 10-15% effort) against the pressure of your partners weight for 10 seconds.
4. Relax again and let you partner re-apply the stretch for 30 seconds (and increase it if you feel comfortable).

An example PNF stretch on the Hamstrings.
Stretcher – Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Lift one leg off the floor as far as you can, keeping the knee as is comfortable.

Partner – Kneel behind your partners raised leg with the back of their calf against your shoulder. Place one hand on the thigh, above the knee. Gently lean forward so your weight increases the stretch on the hamstring. Perform the PNF sequence as above, then repeat on the other leg. Try to complete three full rounds of the stretch.

How not to stretch.
1. Don’t stretch cold muscles. Stretching before a run has been shown to increase the risk of injury. Perform a few functional movements such as gentle ‘walking lunges’ or ease into every run with about 5-10 minutes of walking/jogging.
2. Don’t over-stretch. Extreme flexibility is no real use to triathletes, so there’s no need to force a stretch. Over doing a stretch to the point of pain, shaking or extreme tension can cause injury just as easily as twisting your ankle.
3. Don’t bounce. It might be what you see certain professional footballers do, but trust me, it’s a sure route to damaged muscles.
4. Don’t just stretch. If you hurt yourself whilst out training, stretching will not make a bad muscle good. It’s a preventative measure not a quick cure.

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To enable our body to perform a specific task to the best of its ability, in this case the individual disciplines associated with mulit-sport events, the body must function as an entire kinetic chain. The most important link in this chain is the core.

Core stability can be defined as where the human body’s centre of gravity is located and where all movement begins. The human core can be likened to the ‘hub of a wheel’. If the structure and function of a wheel is to remain healthy the spokes of the wheel need to provide appropriate and adequate support. A correctly designed triathlon/multi-sport conditioning core training program will enable an individual to gain strength, maintain neutral control, increase power and muscle endurance providing balance in the lower back and pelvic/hip areas.

Stability is the ability of the body to control an entire range of movement of a joint (or group of joints) under load during specific movements. Stability of the lumbar spine (lower back) refers to controlling the position of the lumbar spine by maintaining correct or ‘neutral’ alignment. Instability may result in pain and disability in the lumbar spine (lower back).

Core stability is primarily initiated by the deep transverse abdominal muscle (Fig a). This wraps around the abdomen and on contraction the muscle acts as a corset, stabilising the core structure. To maintain complete core stability of the spine three inter-related systems need to operate effectively and efficiently. Failure of one of these systems, namely Passive support (joints & ligaments), Active support (muscles) and Sensory input (nerves) will reduce core stability and inevitably reduce the strength, power and control of an individual to execute the correct technique associated to a specific body action.

The overall aim whilst performing fitness conditioning exercises and indeed throughout our daily lives is to maintain a ‘neutral’ spine or correct posture. The neutral position of the lumbar spine (lower back) not only ensures that the spinal tissues are aligned at their normal correct length but that the spine is upright and the lumbar region is comfortably curved. However this is not to say that we must not flex and extend the spine, indeed this is equally important and the human body is set to cope with such actions.

To find your own neutral position, stand with your back to a wall. Your buttocks and shoulders should touch the wall. Place the flat of your hand between the wall and the small of your back. Try to tilt your pelvis so you flatten your back and then tilt your pelvis the other way so you increase the hollow in the lower back. Your neutral position is halfway between the flat and hollow positions. You should just be able to place the flat of your hand between your back and the wall. If you can only place your fingers through, your back is too flat, if your whole hand up to your wrist can pass through the space, your back is too hollow (fig b illustrates the varying postural deviations).

Postural problems can be corrected through prescribed flexibility and strength training exercises specific to the postural problem.

If you incorporate core stability and trunk exercises into your triathlon or multi-sport training you will be more likely to retain greater body control (core stability) which will enhance the technical performance of each discipline in your training sessions and race events.

The core exercises detailed below are only the basics of what is a complete training session in itself. To achieve greater core stability both flexibility and strength exercises should be completed. For further information regarding core stability, posture, or sports specific conditioning please contact Body Charge on 0870 855 4111 (UK).

Before implementing the following exercises or any other fitness exercises into your multi-sport preparation, it is recommended that you consult your GP. If you feel dizzy or disorientated during the exercises stop the exercise immediately. Gradually build confidence before progressing the exercise.

Core Stability & Trunk Exercises
Basic Trunk Curl (Exercise targets Rectus Abdominis)

   
Start Position                     Finish Position

Exercise Points

• Lie flat on your back on an exercise mat with knees bent at 45 degrees and feet hip width apart.
• Ensure that the lower back remains fixed to the floor slowly flex your spine so the shoulders are raised off the floor as pictured. Remembering to breathe out as the shoulders are raised.
• Hands should be placed by the side of the head throughout the exercise and not behind the neck or head.
• Gently lower the trunk back to the starting position.
• Repeat 10 – 15 times for 2 sets.
• After your complete exercise routine please ensure to stretch as illustrated. Not only will this prevent post exercise soreness it will also increase muscle flexibility.

Lower Back Extension Exercise (Exercise targets Errector Spinae (Lower Back), Transverse Abdominis)

  
Start Position                    Finish Position

Exercise Points

• Lie flat on your stomach on an exercise mat with your arms resting by your side with the palms of your hands facing the ceiling.
• Raise the back within a comfortable range, remembering to breathe out as you raise the back. Hold in the raised position for 1-2 seconds
• Gently lower the trunk back to the start position.
• Repeat 10 – 15 times for 2 sets.

Full Body Plank (Exercise targets Obliques, Transverse Abdominis, Rectus Abdominis)

  
Start Position                    Finish Position

Exercise Points

• Start the exercise in a kneeling position with your forearms on the floor, elbows bent and in line with the shoulders.
• Extend the legs to adopt a press up type position, keeping the arms and upper body fixed from the starting position. Distal balance is maintained from the balls of the feet.
• Hold the position whilst maintaining a neutral spine and keeping the elbows in line with the shoulders. Maintenance of a neutral spine throughout the exercise is essential, also remembering to breathe as normal.
• Duration of the exercise is variable dependant on an individuals existing core strength. Repeat 3 times for the same duration of 20 seconds to start with.

Ball Twist (Exercise targets Obliques, Transversus Abdominis, Rectus Abdominis)

  
Start Position                   Finish Position

Exercise Points

• Stand with feet firmly fixed on the floor, shoulder width apart.
• Hold a medicine ball (or weighted object) out to the front at chest height.
• Maintain an upright posture (to allow pure rotation of the spine and shoulders during the exercise) and rotate as far as you can to your left, keeping your hips stable.
• Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise on the same side 10 – 15 repetitions.
• Change sides rotate to the right 10 – 15 repetitions, repeat for 2 sets.

Trunk Stretch

• After your complete exercise routine please ensure to stretch as illustrated. Not only will this prevent post exercise soreness it will also increase muscle flexibility.
• Hold for 10 – 30 seconds per stretch for 3 repetitions remembering to breathe as normal.

Lower Back Stretch

• After your complete exercise routine please ensure to stretch as illustrated. Not only will this prevent post exercise soreness it will also increase muscle flexibility.
• Hold for 10 – 30 seconds per stretch for 3 repetitions remembering to breathe as normal.

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