Studying pictures is a great way to improve your own form. Find someone who does it well and compare your own photos or video. They don’t have to be triathlon specific. What does Michael Phelps or Inge De Bruijn do that you don’t? Or, what COULD you do that [...]
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When going for your long rides it’s a good idea to limit your sugary drink intake ’til after the first hour. Staying with water for that period, or longer, will help teach your body to burn stored fuel in place of going directly to the readily available sugars. This [...] GasX is an Ironman race saver. Take one before the race starts, have another couple at your disposal on the bike, and force some down on the run. Keeping your digestion moving is a big part of having a successful race day experience. A bloated belly is a [...] Swimming fast is all about technique so drills should be incorporated into all workouts, even if just in your warm up or cool down. A good drill for those of us with imperfect catches is to swim with clenched fists. By decreasing the surface area of your hand you [...] Okay, we’ve all heard this before, but it is good to be reminded. Dark green leafy vegetables, calorie for calorie, are one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. They are an excellent source of several minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as vitamins K, C, E, [...]
Don’t dwell on higher PSI, it’s not always better. If your tire is too hard it won’t absorb the little bumps inherent in most paved roads. Small bumps send micro vibrations up your bike frame, wasting forward momentum into the vertical vibrations. It’s a small amount of forward moving energy that is wasted, but over 180 kilometers you can bet it will add up. Time aside, your body will thank you with the slightly decreased pressure and reduced vibrations. You can, however, go too low. Not enough air pressure in your tires leaves you open to pinch flats and a higher rolling resistance. So, no matter what type of tire you’re running, max out the pressure at 125 PSI and don’t go lower than 100 PSI. That’s the perfect range for speed and comfort – keeping in mind that going to 160 PSI does not equal less rolling resistance nor a faster bike.
First, get your Heart Rate Monitor on and know your aerobic HR limit. You can get a very good approximation using the Maffetone formula. We put this up in an earlier post but there are many indepth methods for getting your precise number. The actual workout is about 1.5hrs. It consists of a short warm up, then 4 x 15 minute efforts with a 5 minute rest interval. You’ll have to play with wattages and effort levels based on your ability and current fitness. Ideally, if wattage isn’t an option, you should hook up an old speedometer or some sort of cadence meter. You need something to keep track of effort aside from just Perceived Effort. Pick a wattage that will bring your heart rate just below your Aerobic limit over the course of 15 minutes. On your first couple tries you may overshoot or undershoot the mark, but adjust accordingly for future intervals. If you get close to overshooting you will want to adjust the effort during the interval. Do not go over you aerobic HR limit for this workout, you’re trying to keep a consistent HR cap so you can have an accurate comparison point for a later in the year. After 15 minutes take a 5 min spin break (keep riding, but easily), then do another 15 minutes at the same wattage, speed, or cadence. If you’re using speed or cadence on a trainer you also have to take note of the gear you were using. If it’s a 53 x 18 and 90 RPM – make it the same on the second interval and for future sessions. Continue reading Computrainer or Mag-trainer example workout
Saving time in transition can make a big difference to your overall day, but not if comes with the cost of discomfort later in the run. Elastic quick tie laces can help you get your shoes on very quickly. However, in order for the elastic laces to feel ‘normal’, [...] Sometimes, the hardest part of a workout is getting out the door in the first place. Once that step is overcome it almost always goes better than expected. One trick if you are feeling particularly un-motivated is to simply get your kit on. Just commit to pulling on those [...] |
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