A [...]]]> Today’s tip is brought to you by the letters C and V.  As in Coach Chuckie V.
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Here’s one of my favorite exercises to do in the gym or at home. They’re called side steps. I’ve always tried to describe these in the written form but always struggled to do so. No more of that nonsense!

A few things regarding these…

1) Resistance is determined by the weight in each hand or by the height of the platform., or by both. You might even work up to wearing ten-pound ankle weights while carrying a giraffe on your back, for more resistance. I suggest sparing us all from the bravado and starting with just the movement at first, with the platform at a mid-shin level. Your knees may not take to these straight away (i.e., you’re weak).

2) Do the entire maneuver is done one slow-motion performance. Don’t pause at any point. As you become more adept you can practically fly over the platform and these take on the role of a plyometric exercise.

3) When your balance becomes rock solid challenge yourself by doing these barefooted. If you master that, try them with your eyes closed. If a ninja assails you right then, use the weights in your hand for self-defense. Remember: you are a warrior, a ninja nemesis.

4) Do this by time and not repetitions. Simply start on one side of the platform and finish on that same side after an amount of time that you deem appropriate. I have Angela do them for up to twenty minutes at a time, while I chat up the girl at the front desk or catch up on some table tennis.

5) If you can get them in sync with your legs, don’t be afraid to swing your arms as though you were running. This will help work that spindly upper body of yours.

6) If you’re narcissistic do these in front of a freshly-Windexed mirror. If you’re ugly do them in the dark, please. If you’re not sure whether you’re ugly just ask someone or shoot a picture my way and I’ll save you the trouble. If you’re ugly and narcissistic…well, welcome to the club!

7) Don’t come crying to me when you hurt two days later. These suckas hurt!

Training puts HUGE stress on all of [...]]]> Today’s tip is brought to you by a registered massage therepist, Adrienne Stedford.  She runs her practice, Hungry Triathlete, out of Penticton BC and is a therapist for various training camps.  If you’re a planning a training trip on the Ironman Canada course – you know who to call.


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Training puts HUGE stress on all of the soft tissues in our bodies.  When muscles work hard, they develop microscopic tears which your body has to repair.  Massage is great way to aid in repair of muscle tissue- breaking up scar tissue where it has formed and realigning fibers in their most functional directions.  There is nothing like going to a well-trained Massage Therapist to find your trouble areas and work them out.  Your body can use this type of care after every hard workout, though for most of us time and money limits that luxury.  So here is the hard part – inflicting self therapy on your own body.

What you will need

1) styrofoam roller
2) tennis ball
OR
Trigger Point Therapy Kit

The routine I call the “Self Blender”, works systematically from feet to neck.

1) Have a warm bath or shower to ensure your muscles are warm and pliable.  Fascial tissue   is believed to behave in a toffee-like manner – being more pliable when warm
2) Use the tennis ball to work the plantar fascia on the bottom of your feet.  Do this by sitting and rolling the ball under your foot.  Stand if you can apply more pressure.
3) Use the foam roller to roll your calves, hamstrings, quads, and shins (hit both the tibialis anterior and peroneal muscle groups!).  To do this, keep the foam roller underneath your body and roll on it.  Use your arms and opposite leg (of the one being worked), to shift and adjust your body weight.
4) Use the tennis ball to further “work” any areas that you couldn’t quite get with the foam roller.
5) Now use the tennis ball to work your glutes.  Lay on one side with the tennis ball underneath the side of your hip.  Roll and adjust to work out areas you feel tension.  Finish by rolling your glutes over the foam roller.
6) Do not attempt any self massage to your low back as it is difficult.  Do stretch your back or see a therapist about any pain you are having.  I recommend yoga’s Child’s Pose as a great position.
7) Use the tennis ball to apply pressure to tight areas between your shoulder blades.  You can do this by either laying on the ball or leaning against it on the wall.
8.) Next, use the tennis ball the tackle the muscles directly on your shoulder blades.  Make sure you get the area on the outside edge of the scapula.  This is the location of some rotator cuff muscle attachments and is a common site of origin for pain felt in the upper back, shoulders, arms, and hands.
9) Even though you may feel quite sore post a hard swim or tough bike session, arms are another area best left to a therapist.  First of all, they don’t have the weight to be effective rolling.  Secondly, nerves and blood vessels in the the arms are quite superficial and easy to come in contact with.  Anything beyond some simple muscles squeezing performed by your opposite hand, this is another area best left to a therapist.
10) Finally we come to the neck.  Again, it is delicate area and best left to treatment by a knowledgeable pair of hands.
11) Post a self massage treatment, doing some gentle stretching and cryotherapy (cold treatment) is of benefit.  Stand in some cold water, ice a specific location, or even have a cool shower.  The cold will help flush away inflammation as well as encourage the realigned fibers to stay in place.

Whether you apply it yourself or see a registered therapist, massage therapy is a great way to speed up recovery, prevent injuries, and get the most out of your hard work.

Your fastest race weight will always be slightly higher than you think optimal. When you are “just right”, you have gone too far. [...]]]> For this tip we’ re going to send you over to Gordo Byrn. It’s a great tip and worth reading the whole thing. Here’s an excerpt to wet your appetite – pun intended.

Your fastest race weight will always be slightly higher than you think optimal. When you are “just right”, you have gone too far.

Be strong to go fast.

So, here is what I do when I want to have my body running optimally.

• -I eliminate dairy from my diet. Personally, I love dairy products, but I have found that my digestion and body composition respond favorably to removing dairy.
• -Beers? Bad news, I’m afraid. I have found that alcohol slows my recovery and, I suspect, my metabolic rate. When I want to be firing on all cylinders, I drop it.
• -I eliminate as many processed foods as possible and base the majority of my nutrition on fresh fruits, veggies and lean protein. It’s pretty easy to do this if you only shop around the outside of the supermarket. When I venture up the aisles, it is only to purchase “recovery” foods.
• -During and following my long training sessions, I use a range of moderate to highly glycemic carbohydrate sources to provide the energy necessary for reloading my muscles. Examples of these sources are brown rice, quinoa, potatoes and wholegrain breads.
• -Within my main food groups (fruits, veggies and lean protein), I eat as wide a range of items as possible. I buy the highest quality ingredients that I can afford.
• -I eliminate all trans- and hydrogenated fats from my diet…read the full article at Gordo’s site.

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Why Camp?

For many of us, it’s that time of year when we are putting in some miles on the three T’s; trainer, treadmill and track. [...]]]> Today’s post comes to you from Chris Brown and Sara Gross. If you’ve thought about, but have yet to try a training camp, here’s some motivation to make it happen.

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Why Camp?

For many of us, it’s that time of year when we are putting in some miles on the three T’s; trainer, treadmill and track. I recently spent 3 ½ weeks in Calgary, Canada… burr…. I have to admit, I have become soft when it comes to cold weather. I forgot what its like to have your lungs burn on a long run when it’s -25! Enter the perfect solution: the warm weather training camp.

Taking part in a warm weather training camp is not only fun, but can help us get a competitive edge for the season. Here’s my list of top 5 reasons for attending a training camp:

5. Coaching: A good camp should have a variety of good coaches on hand to help you improve technically in all 3 sports… So much can be accomplished in a week dedicated solely to training.

4. Warmth and sunshine: Nothing can break up the winter blahs better than a little time in the sun. What better way to absorb some Vitamin E

3. Be a full-time athlete for a week: There is no way to improve faster than to focus solely on training and recovery. Most of us can’t do this every week, so why not do it for 1 week?

2. Bike miles and strength: There some things you simply can’t do on a trainer like multiple long rides (without going insane that is) and hills. Like Eddie Merxx once said, “Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.”

1. Camaraderie: I can honestly say that some of the most fun weeks of my life have involved long hard hours of swimming, biking and running in a camp situation. There is nothing sweeter than surviving tough training days with good friends.

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Sara and her partner Chris Brown are holding a training camp in Tucson, Arizona February 14th-22nd. They still have a few spots available.  If you want to get in on the fun, details can be found at http://www.saragross.ca/