Triathlons

Should Triathletes Do Free-Weight Squats?

“They” say real men (and women) do free-weight squats.

“They” say those leg machines are for wimps.

In the weightlifting world, free-weight squats separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls. There’s a certain squat snobbery you find among serious weight lifters.

Putting all that aside, there may be good reason for you to be doing free-weight squats as a triathlete.

First off, hopefully you know the importance of strength training for a triathlete. We’ve discussed strength training for triathletes here before.

This post is specifically about evaluating free-weight squats for the triathlete...

Continue reading: Free-Weight Squats Or Not?

The Psychology And Physiology Of The Over-40 Triathlete

People in their 40s represent the fastest-growing segment in the sport of triathlon.

This is but one expression of the “fit after 40” time we live in. An increasing number of people are becoming involved in endurance sports in the second half of their life journey; maybe you are one of them.

Coach Don Nava, in his book Fit After 40: 3 Keys To Looking Good And Feeling Great, says there are 5 major questions people ask as they cross the line into the second half of their lives:

Will I ever feel young again?

Is my life going to make a difference?

Have I reached the pinnacle of my ability?

Is this all the happiness I can ever hope to have?

What will happen after I die?

Nava also defines true “fitness” to include 6 areas:

physical

directional

nutritional

emotional

mental

spiritual 

 

It’s no secret then why the sport of triathlon has become increasingly popular among the over-40 crowd. Training and competing in triathlons can help shape an answer to some of the above questions, and provides plenty of opportunity to grow in each of those 6 areas.

Continue reading: The Over-40 Triathlete

How Lance Armstrong Turned Endurance Training Into A Science

This is the third post in a 3-part series: 3 Things Every Triathlete Should Learn From Lance Armstrong. This final post of the series unpacks how Lance Armstrong turned endurance sport training into a discipline of applied science.

Applied science is the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems. When it comes to sports, this is often referred to as Sports Science, which is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance.

The study of Sports Science traditionally incorporates areas of physiology, psychology, motor control and biomechanics, but also includes other topics such as nutrition and diet, sports technology, anthropometry, kinanthropometry, and performance analysis.

Lance Armstrong was a master at applying scientific knowledge to the task of becoming a better cyclist and endurance athlete. To be the best triathlete you can be, you must do the same.

Endurance sports training such as triathlon training is an applied science or Sports Science.

Continue reading: Endurance Training Is A Science

What We Can Learn From Lance Armstrong - An Athlete Who Survived Cancer

This is the second post in a 3-part series: 3 Things Every Triathlete Should Learn From Lance Armstrong.

Today, I'll be focusing on “Lance the Survivor.” I chose the description based on Armstrong’s answer to a question about how he “beat cancer.” Lance responded, “First of all, I didn't “beat” cancer, I survived it.”

October 8, 1996, Lance Armstrong held a press conference, and gave a statement that rocked the international cycling community and entire sports world:

I would like to thank everyone for coming to hear what I have to say today. I have some news regarding my health to share with you. On Wednesday, October 2nd, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The CT-Scan revealed that my condition has spread into my lungs and abdomen. In terms of degrees of the disease, my condition is considered to be advanced and, thus, yesterday I began my first day of chemotherapy treatment. For now, I must focus on my treatment. However, I want you all to know that I intend to beat this disease, and further, I intend to ride again as a professional cyclist.  Source

Continue reading: Triathletes And Cancer

Lance Armstrong's Training Secret: Lactate Threshold Training

Triathlon is a multi-sport: swim, bike, run.

The longest leg of every triathlon is biking. If you aspire to do an Ironman, that means 112 miles on a bike. Become a first-rate cyclist and you are on your way to becoming a successful triathlete.

Do you want to bike like Lance? Sorry, I can’t help you there; there’s only one Lance Armstrong. But I can do the next best thing, which is to tell you the secret to Lance Armstrong’s training.

The Secret? Improve your ability to ride at your lactate threshold.

Here's how...

Continue reading: Improve Your Lactate Threshold

3 Things Every Triathlete Should Learn From Lance Armstrong

Lance is back!

In case you have forgotten, Lance Armstrong was Tour de France champion a record-breaking 7 consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005. He is the only individual to win the Tour 7 times.

Now Lance is set to make a full return to racing in 2009 with the Astana pro cycling team after retiring 3 years ago.

What does this have to do with you as a triathlete?

You are about to find out...

Continue reading: Lessons Learned From Lance Armstrong

New Year's Resolutions To Help You Become A Better Triathlete

A New Year’s Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.

The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned.

Statistics show that the most popular New Year’s Resolutions are:

Lose Weight

Pay Off Debts

Save Money

Get a Better Job

Get Fit

Eat Right

Get a Better Education

Drink less Alcohol

Quit Smoking

Reduce Stress Overall

Reduce Stress at Work

Take a Trip

Volunteer to Help Others

Resolutions Can Help You Achieve Your Goals

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a New Year's Resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals.

Two interesting things worth noting from this study:

1.  Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”)

2.  Women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.

Following are some tips for coming up with New Year's Resolutions that could help you to become a better triathlete...

Continue reading: Triathlete New Year's Resolutions

Can The 300 Workout Program Help Triathletes?

A fellow triathlete asked me the other day if I had ever tried doing the 300 Workout.

Huh?

Message to Jim: Check out The 300 Workout.
 

300 is a 2007 film adaptation of the novel with the same name by Frank Miller, and is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. The film is directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant. The film was shot mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique, to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book.

Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fight to the last man against Persian King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his army of more than one million soldiers. As the battle rages, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband.

The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios (David Wenham). Through this narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy.

The film broke box office records, although critics were divided over its look and style.

As the film opens, King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) bids farewell to his beautiful wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) as he heads out to lead the Battle of Thermopylae. Butler is dressed for war -- shirtless with a crimson cape flowing behind his broad, chiseled shoulders. Looking at Butler, you wonder how he got those 6-pack abs, whittled waist, and rock-hard thighs.

Well, the secret’s out.

The now not-so-secret training regimen, discussed all over the Internet (complete with how-to videos) is called the 300 Workout.

It’s the brainchild of Mark Twight, a self-taught exercise guru and former world-class mountain climber. At Gym Jones, his invitation-only, no-frills gym in downtown Salt Lake City (where he says there’s no air conditioning, no mirrors, and no place comfortable to sit), his mission was to whip the 300 actors and stuntmen into warrior-fighting shape -- most of them in 8 to 12 weeks.

Here's how it works...

Continue reading: The 300 Workout For Triathletes

Should Triathletes Eat Organic Foods?

Perhaps you are a relatively new triathlete. As a result, lots of things have changed for you.

Triathlon training is a part of your daily life, you are much healthier and fit, and you pay close attention to your dietary and nutrition needs.

As it relates to what you eat, the whole issue of organic foods has probably come up. Should you be eating organic foods as a triathlete? Could doing so help your cause in training and competing in triathlons?

This post is designed to help you sort through the pros and cons of eating organic foods for yourself...

Continue reading: Should Triathletes Eat Organic?

How To Remain A Triathlete Over The Long Haul

There is plenty of talk around the sport of triathlon about how popular it is has become, and all the newcomers fueling the sport.

But this past week I ran into two different people who said they, “used to do triathlons.” Which got me to wondering, is the sport of triathlon a revolving door? For every newbie, how many are tri leavers?

There are all sorts of reasons why a person might leave the sport of triathlon:

Time commitment – It’s a significant time commitment to train and compete in triathlons, especially the longer-distance triathlons. In terms of time and energy investment, training for an Ironman triathlon is the equivalent of a part-time, even full-time job.

Change of circumstances – Sometimes life circumstances affect your life at a level where you leave the sport of triathlon temporarily or permanently. Some life circumstances might change or re-order your life goals and priorities in a way that bumps triathlon commitments.

Injury – There are some who leave the sport of triathlon as a result of injury. Perhaps they had IB Band surgery, an injury caused by triathlon training, and so they have decided against getting back into it.

Burn out – Some people overdue it, perpetually push their body to the limit, have no off-season, and ignore the basic principles of rest and recovery. Add these people to the list of tri leavers.

Unfulfilled expectations – If your triathlon involvement was a strategy for achieving self-worth or finding a date or outdoing the neighbor you despise and this doesn’t pan out, you might pull the plug on triathlon.

Fear of open water swimming – Some percentage of wannabe triathletes go swim in a lake and say, “No frickin way!”

Family conflict – For some people, the time and energy investment in triathlon becomes a family conflict, and can cause resentment. The divorce rate among professional triathletes is a consideration.

Continue reading: Are You A Triathlete For Life?