Triathlon: Serious About Your Sport E-Book

Adam Dickson

• Herausgeber: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 173

Beschreibung

A comprehensive handbook for athletes interested in pursuing the growing and popular sport of triathlon. Experts in all three disciplines, plus specialist triathletes, will guide you through all aspects of improving your technique in all sports and at the all important transitions, as well as fine-tuning your race tactics. A sports psychologist will help get your mind right for the huge challenge ahead, while a physical trainer and sports nutritionist set out plans for improving your overall fitness and health. Finally, specialist programs will guide you as you balance your training between all disciplines to maximize your race performance. Few events will challenge you as much mentally and physically as a triathlon. This handbook will guide you through the minefield of questions. Do you work harder at improving the times of your best discipline or sacrifice your precious training time on getting your weakest discipline up to scratch? How can you avoid sickness and injury in such a demanding event? How can you teach your muscles to work in the different ways each discipline demands? How do you find the time to train around a busy work and social life? What equipment do you need? All these questions and more are answered as you seek to get serious about your sport.

Leseprobe

About the authors

Adam Dickson is a writer of fiction and non-fiction and is a lifetime fitness enthusiast. In 2004 he was hospitalized following brain seizures that cut off the circulation to his legs, leaving him permanently disabled. Since then he has competed in many triathlons, aquathlons and a gruelling off-road duathlon. After finishing the London Marathon in 2006 he took part in the inaugural Half-ironman distance triathlon in the New Forest, England. He was part of the volunteer race crew for Ironman UK in August 2006 and the following year a competitor in the same race, finishing in a time of 14 hours and 50 minutes. He has co-authored a book on mental health and is currently writing his second novel. He is editorial consultant to Brilliant Fish PR & Marketing Ltd.

Dutch-born Remmert Wielinga is a former professional cyclist who has competed in numerous international races since he started cycling at the age of 12, including the Tour de France. In 1999 he won the Dutch national championships time trial. The following year he joined the Rabobank Continental Team and repeated his victory in the national championships. In 2001 Remmert signed his first professional contract with the Italian cycling team De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa where he learned the revolutionary methods on effective physical training and conditioning. During his professional career he raced for world-famous teams including Rabobank, Quick-Step and Saunier Duval, where he trained and competed side-by-side with world-renowned cyclists. In 2003 Remmert won two races in Spain and in 2006 finished first in the GP Chiasso in Switzerland after an impressive breakaway of 150 kilometres (93 miles). Remmert is based in Monaco where he runs his company, Cycling Promotions (www.cyclingpromotions.mc) that provides specialized personal coaching services.

Running expert Paul Cowcher has been working in the health and fitness industry since 2001 after a career as a professional dancer (musicals in London’s West End and touring). When his dancing career was over he recognized there were many similarities between dancing and sports and science. He has trained as an advanced instructor (CYQ), Pilates mat work (More Fitness) and has over 10 other teaching qualifications in fitness and dance (ISTD.) He now works as a personal trainer, has run numerous marathons and trained many others to running success at various distances.

Even breaking his neck, aged 16, in the pool could not put Nic Newell off swimming. Shortly afterwards he turned up at a swimming carnival, took off his neck brace, won his race and calmly put the brace back on. A year later he was a three-time gold medallist in the Pacific School Games in Perth to add to his many achievements at state, regional and national level.

Dan Cross is the assistant National Age group coach at Guildford City High Performance Swimming Club. He has been coaching for 10 years after competing as a national standard swimmer for a number of years himself. He has coached age group, youth, senior and masters swimmers during his career, with many of the swimmers going on to achieve success at national level. He has coached at a number of different clubs and worked alongside many top international coaches. He has a degree in Sport and Exercise Science and a strong interest in sport science research.

Tommaso Bernabei is a television and non-fiction writer who graduated from the Metropolitan University of London. His experience in television led him to collaborate with Italian food shows, introducing him into the world of sports nutrition. He is currently the diet planner for an Italian swimming club and writing a book of sports nutrition recipes.

Sports psychologist Russell Murphy runs Personalmindtrainer (www.personalmindtrainer.com) and works regularly with different sportspeople, including advising triathletes, duathletes, marathon runners, golfers and footballers among others. A member of the World Federation of Hypnotherapists, he also gives talks on motivation to major corporations and runs smoking cessation, weight management, confidence, phobias and other treatment programmes.

Photo Credits

iStockphoto.com and p13, P65 David Ritter – www.sxc.hu. p13 Luz Maria Espinoza – www.sxc.hu. P13 Iwan Beijes – www.beijesweb.nlwww.sxc.hu. p14 Jocilyn Pope – www.sxc.hu. p14 Pontus Edenberg – www.newsoffuture.comwww.sxc.hu. p17 Lisa Ghaith – www.sxc.hu. p37 Manfred Werner – www.wikimedia.org. P45 Thanks to Kees Wielinga. p49 Horemu – www.wikimedia.org. p55 Becky Brandt – http://brandt-photography.com, www.sxc.hu. P67 Lusi www.sxc.hu. P80 Qw345 – www.wikimedia.org. p99 Galeria fotografii – rang.plwww.sxc.hu. p99 Scott Moore – www.typer.ca/~sgm, www.sxc.hu. P99 Jonnyberg – www.sxc.hu. p123 Jonathan Ruchti, Switzerland – www.sxc.hu. p119 Lukas – www.blogonade.de – www.sxc.hu. p123 Jonathan Ruchti, Switzerland – www.sxc.hu. p125 Pedro Simao – www.editae.com.br, www.sxc.hu. p125 Rob Owen-Wahl – www.LockStockPhotography.com, www.sxc.hu. p125 Agata Urbaniak – www.xero.prv.pl, www.sxc.hu. p127 Ove Tøpfer – www.pixelmaster.no, www.sxc.hu. p127 Ove Tøpfer – www.pixelmaster.no, www.sxc.hu. p127 Emre Nacigil – www.atolyekusadasi.com, www.sxc.hu. p129 Anna H-G – www.sxc.hu. p129 Alaa Hamed – users2.titanichost.com/alaasafei, www.sxc.hu. p129 Gunnar Brink – www.sxc.hu. p135 Rob Owen-Wahl – www.LockStockPhotography.com, www.sxc.hu. P138-139 Said-w www.sxu.hu. Notepad graphic Davide Guglielmo – www.broken-arts.com, www.sxc.hu.

Adam Dickson, Remmert Wielinga, Paul Cowcher and Tommaso Bernabei

Additional writing by Russell Murphy, Nic Newell, Dan Cross, Daniel Ford and Adam Hathaway

Contents

Introduction

The basics

Getting started

The principles of training

Sleep, food and fluid

Equipment: swimming

Equipment: cycling

Equipment: running

Technique & tactics

The basics

Swimming pool

Open water

The stroke

Transition – swim to bike

Smooth pedal stroke

Drafting

Cornering

Downhill

Transition – bike to run

Upper body

Lower body

Foot strike

Cadence

Uphill

Downhill

Fitness & training

Training zones

Over-training and over-reaching

Building endurance: swimming

Building endurance: cycling

Building endurance:running

Mental strength

Cross training

The basics

Legs – squats

Legs – lunges

Legs – single leg squats

Legs – single leg hops

Legs – bench steps

Legs – lunges with one foot on ball

Back – dead lift

Shoulders – bent-over rowing

Chest – lateral pull down

Chest – press-ups

Arms – bicep curls

Arms – tricep dips

Core – hip abductor

Core – front plank

Core – side plank

Core – leg raises

Core – back raises

Workout programme – beginners

Workout programme – intermediate

Workout programme – advanced

Nutrition

The basics

Assess your diet

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Fats

Liquids

Pre- and post-competition

Training programmes

The basics

Training plans and training zones

Sprint distance – unfit beginner

Sprint distance – fit beginner

Sprint distance – intermediate

Sprint distance – advanced

Olympic distance – unfit beginner

Olympic distance – fit beginner

Olympic distance – intermediate

Olympic distance – advanced

Half-Ironman – novice

Half-Ironman – intermediate

Half-Ironman – advanced

Ironman – to finish

Introduction

Following two massive brain seizures in April 2004, the Orthopaedic Consultant at Royal Bournemouth Hospital in England informed me I needed an operation to remove dead muscle in my legs, caused by the trauma. The significance of this didn’t register at first, as I had already spent several weeks in hospital. Only after the operation did reality sink in and I realized the full extent of my injuries.

The seizures had cut off the circulation to my lower legs, causing a condition called Compartment Syndrome. The tendons in both ankles had been severed, leaving me with Drop Foot, an inability to raise my feet using the normal ankle reflex. From then on I had to rely on crutches and uncomfortable plastic ankle supports to get from A to B.

As a lifelong runner and fitness enthusiast, I was now facing the future as a cripple. Determined not to let my disability affect my overall quality of life, I began a gentle exercise regime of cycling and swimming. My dad had been a member of the British Army Water Polo Team and had taught me to swim early on, so at least I had this to fall back on.

The crutches and ankle supports soon went and I found that with a little effort I could walk unaided. One morning, out walking along one of my old running tracks, I decided to test my progress and broke into a light jog. That moment was the turning point in my rehabilitation and proved that, in spite of my injuries, I could still run, even if it was only to the end of the road.

My fitness improved and soon I was running, cycling and swimming on a regular basis. The owner of a local running shop suggested I take part in a triathlon and, with some trepidation, I agreed. I loved the sport from the start and entered as many events as I could, gaining experience and learning to overcome the fears I had around my disability.

After running the London Marathon in 2006, I set my sights a little higher and entered what many regard as the toughest one-day sporting event in the world. In August the following year, after 14 hours and 50 minutes, I crossed the finish line at Ironman UK.

Triathlon: Serious About Your Sport is aimed at anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of triathlon and explore their potential. Whether you are swimmer, cyclist or runner looking to branch out from your specialist sport or a triathlete looking for improvement, this book will guide you through the process.

The basics section, which sets out what lies ahead in terms of training and conditioning for this sport, is followed by a comprehensive look at Technique & tactics, which focuses on the individual skills needed for each discipline and how to combine them in training and in races.

Sections on Fitness & training and Cross Training look at ways of fine-tuning your body using sport specific workouts and strengthening exercises that are geared to the demands of triathlon.

Nutrition and fuelling are crucial to success, particularly in long-distance triathlons. Getting to know your body’s needs in training will help you maintain a good, healthy diet and improve your energy levels.

The Training programmes cover four triathlon distances: Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman and Ironman for four levels of ability ranging from unfit beginner to advanced.

Triathlon is a wonderful, life-affirming sport that will both challenge and enhance your current exercise regime. It is my sincere wish that you use the contents of this book to enjoy many seasons of swimming, cycling and running.

Adam Dickson (July 2011)

Getting started

Triathlon combines swimming, cycling and running in a single event. As the timer runs from start to finish, with no breaks in-between, all your training will need to be geared specifically for this. Most newcomers find the transition from one discipline to the next the hardest aspect to cope with, so the more you practise in training, the better prepared you will be on the day of the race. Writing out a checklist of what you need to do at each transition will help you familiarize yourself with the process and the various items you will need at each transition.

Take time to learn the basic techniques associated with each discipline. Lessons from a qualified swimming instructor will help improve things like stroke, breathing and streamlining, although these will need to be adapted if your race starts in open water. Combined cycling and running workouts will prepare your leg muscles for transition, so practise a smooth pedal stroke on your bike, while a sound, economical running style will keep fatigue at bay and increase your performance overall.

The key element in any triathlon is endurance. Race distances vary depending on the event (see chart on Triathlon distances), meaning you could be racing from anything from two to 17 hours. Structure your training accordingly and use one session per week in each discipline to build endurance specifically for the length of the race you’ve entered. These longer workouts should be performed at a moderate pace that doesn’t overtax your aerobic system and leave you exhausted.

Triathlon distancesSprint

750 metres (0.46 miles)*

Swim

20 km (12.42 miles)

Cycle

5 km (3.1 miles)

Run

Olympic

1.5 km (0.93 miles)

Swim

40 km (24.8 miles)

Cycle

10 km (6.2 miles)

Run

Half-Ironman

1.9 km (1.2 miles)

Swim

90 km (56 miles)

Cycle

21.1 km (13.1 miles)

Run

Ironman

3.86 km (2.4 miles)

Swim

180.25 km (112 miles)

Cycle

42.2 km (26.2 miles)

Run

Note: these are the standard accepted race distances but you will find triathlons of varying distances. Ironman is a brand name owned by the World Triathlon Corporation. Although other triathlons are competed over this distance they are not Ironman races.

* For indoor water swims this distance is usually 400 metres (0.25 miles).

Success in triathlon means pacing yourself correctly throughout. Work on your fuelling needs early on, but to safeguard your digestive system, only experiment with new products in training and not on race day. Keep the twin factors of pacing and fuelling uppermost in your mind, as this could mean the difference between success and failure on the big day. Ask yourselves questions in training, such as, “Could I run on these legs?” especially during long bike rides where you may be pushing too big a gear and wasting vital energy.

And last of all, that word often quoted but much ignored – rest. You can have the best coaches, the best equipment and the best training environment in the world, but skip this part of the programme and you’ll pay heavily. Learn to train smart and enjoy many long and healthy seasons, in and out of the saddle. Remember too that rest also means relaxation, so find ways to unwind, that don’t include physical pursuits such as gardening or painting the house. Most of all enjoy the thrill of taking part in a tough but rewarding experience that you’ll probably want to repeat again and again.

The principles of training

The SPORT principles of training are aimed at helping you understand the training process and allowing you to plan your training so you see a steady upward progression in results.

Specificity – making sure your training is specific to what you are hoping to achieve. Simply put, don’t spend all your time doing sprint training sets if you want to improve your long-distance running!

Progression – the body adapts to increased training loads and this will result in improved fitness levels and competitive performance.

Overload – training at a level that will push you. If you are always training at the same intensity and at the same speed you will not see the progression you would hope for. You need to be constantly overloading your muscles and cardio respiratory system to improve your strength and fitness level.

Reversibility – if you don’t train or you decrease your intensity then you will see your fitness levels drop and as a consequence so will your overall performance. If you are unwell and are unable to train for an extended period then you will notice a reduced performance level when you start training again.

Tedium – keeping the training interesting. If you find yourself getting bored then you are less likely to want to train and your motivation levels will automatically drop, which can lead to a reduced effort level and even the likelihood of skipping training sessions. This will lead to Reversibility occurring.

When you start to plan your training programme you can use the FITT principles to work towards SPORT. For instance, to make sure that the SPORT principles of Progression and Overload are always occurring you can increase the Frequency of your training sessions, the Intensity of each session or the Time you spend training. To stop Reversibility occurring rapidly you reduce Intensity if feeling sick. To avoid the SPORT principle of Tedium you can change the Type of training methods you are using. It is advisable that you only change one aspect of the training at a time rather than changing everything otherwise it can be too much for your body and may lead to an injury occurring.

Frequency – how often you train.

Intensity – intensity you train at.

Time – how long you train for.

Type – which training methods you are using.

Sleep, food and fluid

Getting your work-to-rest ratio right is crucial, as an imbalance will lead to over-training, which may result in a decreased performance in training and racing, as well as an increased chance of injury. Put simply: rest is as important as the training itself. As you get fitter you will be able to train longer as long as you keep getting quality rest.

•  Set a schedule: be strict in your sleep regime. Sleep and wake at the same time every day including weekends and try to get at least eight hours of rest. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. ‘Catching up’ by sleeping extra on weekends makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles.

•  Exercise: daily exercise will help you sleep, although a workout too close to your bedtime may disrupt your sleep. For maximum benefit try to get your exercise about five to six hours before going to bed.

•  Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Don’t take these stimulants close to your bedtime. Remember there is caffeine in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs and some pain relievers. Don’t smoke a cigarette before going to bed as nicotine goes straight to the sleep centres of your brain and will result in a bad night’s rest. Alcohol can decrease the time required to fall asleep. However, too much alcohol consumed within an hour of bedtime will deprive you of deep sleep and REM sleep (the sleep that rejuvenates your body the best) and it will keep you in the lighter stages of sleep.

•  Relax before bed: reading, listening to music, having sex, taking a warm bath, can all make it easier to fall asleep. You can train yourself to associate certain activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual. If you can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed – relax and do something else (like the previously mentioned activities) until you feel tired.

•  Control your room temperature: make sure that you sleep in a room that is cool – 18-19 °C (64-66 °F) with 65 per cent of humidity is ideal – as well as dark and quiet.

So train hard and rest well. Nutrition can help supplement your training by giving you the right balance of energy to train and the proteins, vitamins and minerals to help you recover. If you are not getting the right levels of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins you will quickly feel tired in training and will fail to recover properly, which can lead to fatigue and maybe illness and injury. Hydration is critical, as the body has to be topped up to perform at its peak. Even a one per cent drop in hydration levels will impair your performance. Get used to taking on fluids.

Equipment

Swimming

That’ll be a costume and some water then. It can be as simple as that but using the right equipment can make your swimming training a lot more effective and enjoyable and it also allows for you to add variety to each training session. The basics are a suitable swimming costume (you’ll need a decent wetsuit if you are swimming in open water), a pair of goggles, a swimming cap and a drinks bottle. Some people don’t like swimming caps but they do aid streamlining and for safety reasons increase your visibility in open water.

Other pieces of training equipment include a kick board and a pull buoy. These items allow you to isolate areas of each stroke and work them on their own. You can use a kick board to work on your leg kick to perfect technique. Remember that for triathletes the aim is an economical leg kick to conserve energy for what is ahead. A pull buoy is used to work on the arm-stroke technique. By isolating parts of your stroke you can make your training more challenging as you are trying to propel yourself through the water with only half the usual power.

If you want to make your training even more challenging you can wear hand paddles; these will allow you to put greater pressure on the water and therefore greater pressure on the arms and shoulders. Paddles should only be worn if you are already achieving good stroke technique and you need to take your training to the next level. You must also make sure that you build up gradually to avoid any shoulder injuries. When using paddles you should select the right paddles for your experience level as they come in different shapes and sizes, with the bigger paddles putting more pressure on the stroke.