>> First and foremost, you need to become comfortable within the water and what this is going to take is swimming, swimming and more swimming. There is absolutely no other way to get comfortable with the water than to get into the water and simply to make it happen. The more comfortable that you are in the water, the better you will perform when training for and acting in your first triathlon. There is nothing wrong with being a little nervous when swimming, but you must overcome this in order for you to succeed.

>> Know specifically what it takes to train for the swimming you will be expected to perform. You must get the most out of every swimming workout that you participate in, so that you can learn where to place your focus and how to win.

>> While swimming style is purely a matter of preference in some situations, the best swimming stroke that you should be prepared to use is the freestyle, which is ideal for covering a great deal of distance in a small amount of time. While you can combine a variety of different strokes, the best stroke to begin with when training for a triathlon is the freestyle stroke.

>> When you are swimming in the freestyle position in the pool, you should do the ladder, which means that you should be pretending that you are climbing a ladder as you are moving through the water. This is a powerful move for when you are learning to swim for a triathlon. This will help you develop your reach and your down stroke, because efficiency truly is key when it comes to your triathlon swimming training. If you are swimming inefficiently, then you are forcing your body to go through more work than is necessary, and this forces you to tire out more quickly as a result. Keep your body close to the imaginary ladder, elbows high as you pull yourself through the water and practice this often for good results. If you pull through the water and your arms are extended fully, then your stroke is inefficient and you will never win the race.

Photo Credits: Michael Lokner

Originally posted 2009-05-27 16:58:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Preventing Injuries When Swimming

Proper technique is vitally important not only for swimming more efficiently but also for preventing injuries as well. Making stroke changes can be really difficult, and so getting injured and ending up having to change your stroke can be really difficult. Here are some tips to improve your technique so that you can prevent injuries while you are swimming:

1. Join up with a masters team, because having a coach on deck is going to work wonders when it comes to making improvements in your stroke.
2. Ask someone to videotape your swimming, because looking at a moving image of your stroke habits is going to help you visualize the proper technique while you are working your way through the pool.
3. Consider attending either a swim camp or a triathlon clinic.
4. Consider spending some time alone in the pool so that you can better focus on your technique by spending time in a pool sans a pace clock and the competition that comes with being in the pool with other swimmers. Pick a day that you can spend on your own, swim easy, and concentrate on improving your stroke above all else.
5. If you are feeling pain or feeling tired, or if your stroke appears to be falling apart, simply get out of the pool. Any and all of these three symptoms are capable of creating bad habits in your stroke that are more than capable of leading to an eventual injury.

Preventing Injuries when Cycling

Being bike fit is absolutely important when it comes to maximizing your strength and decreasing your chance of sustaining and injury. If your bike is off by a simple millimeter, it can create an ache in your body that you were not expecting. Here are some tips to improve your technique so that you can prevent injuries while you are cycling:

1. Ask an expert to take a look at your position to make sure that everything is correct, including your crank length, your stem length, your seat height and the fore and aft position of your seat.
2. Once you have determined your optimal position, you should mark everything down using black electrical tape or something similar. This way if something slips or your bike has to come apart, you can easily adjust everything back into the proper positioning later.
3. Never ignore your cleats, as they too are capable of becoming loose and shifting, and this is capable of causing alterations in your position. Make sure that all bolts are tightened down properly.

Photo credits: jurvetson

Originally posted 2009-09-22 03:05:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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The final issue that you are going to want to consider when it comes to bikes is whether you want a bike that has a classic road geometry to it, or to choose one that is more specifically triathlon oriented or forward oriented in nature. The difference that plays an important role in this decision is where your center of gravity is going to end up being in relation to the bottom bracket on your bike.

A road frame bicycle is going to put it further back. On the other hand, the standard triathlon frame is going to move you forward instead. The justification for this is that being more forward is going to make it simpler for you to get into the right position for aero bar, as well as saving some of the power from your legs so that the run, which comes after the bicycling portion of the race, is not as overwhelming and arduous as it would have been if you would have had to pedal harder or with more power.

Generally speaking, if you are more flexible, then you are going to want to go for a position that is more relaxed in nature. This is where you are going to be able to generate the biggest amount of power. If on the other hand you are older and more stiff, especially in your glutes, then you might want to be considering the forward option that the triathlon geometry bike is going to provide. This is because this is where someone with less flexibility is going to be capable of generating the biggest amount of power. Some bicycles will allow you to opt for both, and this is going to allow you to test drive different positions until you have figured out which one is going to work out for you the best over a period of time.

The biggest and most important investment that you can ever make when it comes to bicycling gear is to have a good set of wheels. Make sure that you are relying upon your bike expert to guide you through the right wheel options based on your weight, your frame size and the conditions of the race. Make sure that you are choosing aero rims and a minimum number of spokes. Do not sacrifice the integrity of your wheels for the sake of speed. Choose the right wheels for your bike, the right bike for your body, and you will do just find in the end.

Photo Credits: kisocci

Originally posted 2009-09-18 03:20:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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There’s a common misconception that endurance is the name of the game. This is totally wrong. Given that, if you’re enrolling in bike tournaments or races, you need to take a lot of breaks. This is to eat and stretch. Even if it’s just for the day or during a multi-day cycle tour, you need to consume calories and energy. Also, if you don’t stretch, you body will give out later on. Think of this as stretching out parts of your body that are super tense from all of the exercise it’s getting and fueling your body with the necessary nutrients is essential. Eat really nutrient dense foods like fruits, hard-boiled eggs, and nuts. It’s a great way to keep your electrolyte levels high so you don’t burn out on your trek.

Make sure you’re using the proper equipment. This is half the battle. By using cycling shoes and a good bike seat, you can greatly reduce the strain on your body overall. Also, getting your bicycle tuned-up regularly does a world of good. You might not notice the difference but an un-tuned bike runs roughly and ends up working against the rider and can end up greatly subtracting from their overall performance. You want to put as little strain on your body as possible to get the best performance out of your body that you can. That’s why it’s a good idea to take yoga classes and use chairs for lower back pain. Use these tips to reduce the stress on your body and increase your endurance.

Get your bike “fit” for performance. This isn’t just getting a tune up. It’s kind of like retooling your bike to maximize its performance and make it fine-tuned to your body’s shape and contours. This is a big deal in the cycling community and many people who just think of a bike is something to jump on and go often regret not having this done sooner. You can get this done at your local bike shop.

So in order to maximize you’re riding efficiency, use some of these steps and training techniques to ensure that you’re able to perform at your peak. Even if you’re not a serious rider, you can still do some of these things to lower the stress that’s placed on your body just as a recreational biker. You might not feel it now but down the road you could end up with arthritis or joint issues that were exacerbated by your biking excursions.

Photo Credits: M.V. Jantzen

Originally posted 2011-05-16 12:14:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2009-09-15 06:20:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Once you have figured out the budget end of things, the main issue at hand is going to be to find the right fit and the right comfort of your ride. The most popular today is going to be carbon fiber when it comes to providing you with comfort of ride as well as solid power delivery between the foot and the pedals and right onto the wheels. You will find that aluminum is going to be slightly stiffer, and in theory this is going to offer a much more responsive feel when it comes to pedaling as well as handling, but there is a downside: There is less shock absorbing power coming from the frame when you are on a rough road, and there are plenty of rough roads involved in triathlon bicycling.

Steel is generally perceived to be the original standby, but steel is most often heavier than carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium. Still, with steel you will generally be looking at a much more palatable price. If you are going to attempt a much longer race, then you should be thinking about shock absorbing capabilities. If you only plan on doing short jaunts, then you might actually want to consider the tighter feel that aluminum and steel afford you. Even at its very worst, aluminum is more than capable of being an excellent bicycle material, so don’t discount it.

Next you are going to want to consider the fit, as this is really the most vitally important aspect of choosing your bike. The bike that you choose absolutely has to be able to fit your body. Some frames come like running shorts, in small size, medium size and large size, but these are extremely limited selections and they are not going to fit people that are long and lean or that have long and lean legs. At this point, it truly becomes a matter of choosing and relying on the right bicycle specialist to help you find a frame size and shape that is going to give you the characteristics that you need to meet your triathlon goals while not surpassing your budget.

Photo credits: KevinSaunders

Originally posted 2009-09-15 03:16:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Today there are a wide variety of different tools that an athlete will be able to use in order to get stronger and benefit themselves in other ways. There are also a number of things that you can reasonably avoid because they will not help you maximize your gains in training for your triathlon. Most machines that you find in a gym, for example, are an example of this concept. Triathletes are going to need to learn how to support and coordinate their own body in an effective manner in order to maximize their gains come race day.

The best way for you to maximize your triathlon training capabilities is to simulate the conditions of the race as much as you can. There are plenty of machines as well as contraptions out there but none of them are going to effectively train you for your triathlon because they are not simulating the race or benefiting your race training in any way. Here are three things that you should be focusing on instead:

1 – First and foremost, as a triathlete your number one focus should be on multiple joint, whole body types of exercises. Multiple joint exercises mean that you should be getting more than just a single joint involved one at a time in every exercise movement that you make. Squats and lunges are both excellent examples of multiple joint exercises because they simultaneously work the knees, the ankles and the hips all together when movement is produced. Multiple joint movements are the best thing that triathletes can do to train because these are things that triathletes do when they swim, bike and run during competition.

2 – Bands and free weights tend to be much more practical for a triathlete in comparison to machine workouts. When it comes to using these tools for the purpose of strength training you should be stabilizing the movement of your body more than if you were using a work out machine. This, in turn, will build more strength specific to planning and preparing for race day.

3 – Supporting your entire body while you are doing the exercises should be one of your main focuses. Sitting on a stable surface such as a machine is going to take away from the specificity of training for race day rather than contributing to it. Keep this in mind when it comes to choosing strength training workout options and varieties for your needs.

Photo Credits: jonnystiles

Originally posted 2009-09-10 03:54:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Unlike with other types of sports, if you do every single workout at the maximum level of intensity as well as duration, then you are going to end up overtraining your body to the point of fatigue, injury and sickness. Do not get me wrong, there are times for maximum intensity in detailed triathlon training programs, but never all the time, no matter what.

Here are some of the common distances for triathlons:

Swimming:

• Sprint – 0.5 Mile
• Olympic – 0.93 Mile
• Half Ironman – 1.2 Mile
• Full Ironman – 2.4 Mile

Biking:

• Sprint – 13 Mile
• Olympic – 24.8 Mile
• Half Ironman – 56 Mile
• Full Ironman – 112 Mile

Running:

• Sprint – 3.2 Mile
• Olympic – 6.2 Mile
• Half Ironman – 13.1 Mile
• Full Ironman – 26.2 Mile

When you look at these common distances for triathlon competitions, you should see that the next levels double in distance, then you should make the assumption that you should only be covering two different consecutive distances in a single season. The rationale here is that we cannot simply continue to build on our endurance base unless we are giving ourselves the proper level of rest and maintenance as well.

If you are a total beginner, then you should begin training for a sprint race. Progress to Olympic at the end of the same year if you have no injuries upon re-evaluation.

If you are established an endurance base at the Olympic level in the first year, and maintained that endurance base over the winter, then you can progress to the half ironman in the next year. You my even be able to progress to the full ironman, but you need to be careful that you are not overdoing things and possibly putting yourself in danger of getting hurt in the process.

Building and maintaining a truly solid base over a long period of time is going to be vitally important for you to achieve before you build yourself up to the next level. When you build up a deep base like this, you will be drastically reducing your risk of sustaining an injury. You cannot keep building yourself up without some time for maintenance, no matter how strong or tough you think that you are. Strong and solid foundations are what is truly going to get you to the ironman distance, or whatever other goals you happen to have at the time. Keep in mind: There is no hurry, and Triathlete training is all about maintenance and patience, so do things the right way if you want to achieve your goals.

Photo Credits: LumenOpera

Originally posted 2009-09-07 03:49:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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When it comes to money, you need to understand that a triathlon bike is going to require a larger investment from you. In general on average, the power that is produced in order to pedal a bike on a flat road will involve 60 percent worth of rider drag. This is a place where you can gain some truly awesome performance gains. If you are really serious about performing in a triathlon, then you are going to need to choose the right type of equipment, which should be the best and the most efficient and effective equipment that you can possibly afford for the purpose of your triathlon cycling needs.

Road bikes or road bicycles are typically going to be designed to allow for comfort for cyclists that want to compete over longer distances. The triathlon bicycle on the other hand is generally designed to suit other distances that are relatively shorter in nature, meaning that comfort is capable of being compromised in exchange for an increase in speed. This is one of the most fundamental differences that exists between bikes intended for triathlons and those that are intended for the road.

The shorter that the distance of the triathlon is, the more aerodynamics and weight will come into play. For a sprint triathlon, for example, or a 20k, comfort is going to be far less of a factor than if you are dealing with an Ironman which is significantly longer in terms of distance. When it comes to an Ironman triathlon, comfort is going to become significantly more important to offering you continual high quality performance over a longer period of time.

When you are looking for a bicycle to serve your triathlon needs, you should be considering the distances that you are going to be competing for and then correlate this number with the budget that you think you have available for this purpose. It is highly recommended that you consider purchasing a used bike for your triathlon needs if your budget is tight. You can choose a higher quality bike and buy it used, and get it for a much better deal. If you scrimp on a new bike you may end up with a bad choice, and a bike that simply is not meeting your needs on the course.

Photo Credits: jimmyharris

Originally posted 2009-09-03 03:46:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Consider the following questions when it comes to choosing a training plan for your triathlon aspirations:

• Are you coming from a background of purely one sport, such as purely cycling, purely swimming or purely running, and you are looking to minimize your injuries while adding additional flavor to your training program?
• Are you coming directly from the couch, and are looking for a way to lose weight while making positive impacts and changes in your life?
• Have you spend time training in all three of these disciplines in the past, or have you performed in triathlons casually in the past but are looking for more structure or an improvement in your performance?
• Are you looking to become a triathlete just to pad your resume?

If you are just coming off of the couch, then you are probably still in the determining process where you are not sure if you want to make this lifestyle change or not. The concept of a triathlon is a bit intimidating, but it is worthwhile if you are serious about finding a new fitness endeavor. You are going to need a program that will make you feel motivated and give you some pride and a feeling of achievement. There are a lot of things to learn and get used to when it comes to training in these sports, but rest assured there is no reason why you have to train in all three sports all at once – Just take your time and improve your capabilities in each sport one by one instead.

What are your goals? Most people are starting at a sprint level, even if they have not done another type of fitness sport in a good long while. A sprint plan will help you try out the training regimen and see if this is what you are really looking for. Sprints are a good start because they get you physically active without requiring long distance running in the process. Generally you should progress like this:

1. Sprint
2. Olympic
3. Half Ironman
4. Full Ironman

Though it is useful to note that not everyone progresses to step four – And you should stop whenever you are comfortable.

Photo Credits: Diamondduste

Originally posted 2009-08-31 03:42:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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