Swim Bike Run

Unfortunately, a warm up is not something that you can simply gloss over when it comes to preparing for a triathlon. This two part series seeks to look at why.

We were talking about abnormal ECG changes, right? These abnormal changes in the ECG were not related to fitness level or age – So they definitely had something to do with warming up, or a lack thereof.

To examine the benefit behind warming up, twenty two of the men that had abnormal results did a moderate intensity jog in place for two minutes before they returned to the treadmill to undergo another high intensity running test. With that small warm up of only two minutes, now ten of the men suddenly began to show completely normal tracings on their ECG, and another 10 of those men showed an improvement in their ECG tracings. Only two out of the original twenty two men continued to show abnormalities on a significant level.

It is not yet known if a more thorough type of warm up would have made even more improvements. Still, it would definitely be interesting to see these results, had the scientists gone another step forward with this experiment.

Warming up is also good for mental preparedness. It allows you to really get your head ready for whatever activity is coming up. Mentally preparing yourself for your workout or your upcoming event is thought to be capable of improving your technique, your skill and your overall coordination as well. This mental warm up is also capable of preparing athletes for discomfort when they are dealing with tough intervals during a race. If your mind is prepared to endure this type of discomfort, then the body is going to be capable of producing higher speeds. If your mind is not in a willing place when it comes to enduring discomfort, then your physical performance is certainly going to be limited.

There is no cut or dry answer when it comes to how often you should be warming up. Most recommendations, however, do fall into the 10 minute to 20 minute range. Some athletes even warm up more than this to make sure that their bodies and their minds are properly conditioned for the upcoming workout or the upcoming race. Athletes that have higher levels of fitness are generally going to require longer periods of warm up where as lower levels of fitness generally require shorter warm up periods of time. In most cases, when it comes to choosing a warm up duration period for your own needs, longer is going to be better, but it is important that you do what feels comfortable for you.

Photo credits: lululemon athletica

Originally posted 2009-10-02 03:14:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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In our athletic careers, many of us have experienced injuries. Some of these setbacks only seem to sideline us for a couple of days or a couple of weeks while others are capable of ending our careers. It is important that you learn how to listen to your body before you end up injured beyond repair. Never take your health for granted, and make sure that you are always behaving defensively when it comes to preventing injury.

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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There are a number of really important considerations to make when it comes to preparing yourself for your triathlon. Fitness and strength are two of the most important factors that are going to influence your performance as a triathlete, but the next important area where improvements are capable of being made is your triathlon equipment. You are obviously going to complete your race a lot faster when you have a bicycle that is specialized for your triathlon. If you want to go faster and move further, no matter what your level of expertise is, a triathlon specific type of bicycle is going to benefit you significantly.

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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