News and Tips
John K's Training Update!
Share This Article With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
March 8, 2010
PH athletes John K. has had some remarkable improvements in his training! Enjoy his report under Featured Athletes link.
Recap of USAT Art & Science Coaching Symposium's 3rd Day
Share This Article With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
February 23, 2010
And finally, Day 3. Here are the highights:
Sue Enquist
Enquist holds more national championships (11) in softball than anyone in it's history! She recently retired from UCLA softball's head coach position to enter the speaking realm.
Enquist spoke about becoming a better coach. She highlighted 3 components of preparing for "the game":
Preparation - Prep is anticipation of the ultimate goal (the game). The anticipation should be just as enjoyable as the end result.
Love - Coaches are servants of "the game"...we act as messaenger for what "the game" needs.
Honor - "The game" doesn't care how old, how young, how experienced or inexperienced you are. It treats everyone equally. Don't blame "the game" for your result.
Final Thought: Being "the best you can be" requires commitment - you're either committed or your not. It's like being pregnant...you're either pregnant or your not. You can't be "a little bit" pregnant!
Stephen McGregor
McGregor came back to speak on training myths. There was so much discussion of some of these that he didn't make it through his whole lecture!!
Myth 1 - Lactic Acid Myth
Lactic acid is not why you are sore the next day & it doesn't negatively effect your performance the day after. Lactic acid exits the bloodstream within 1hr of stopping exercise. In fact, lactate (precursor to lactic acid) can become a great fuel source for the muscles.
Myth 2 - Perfect Circles for Pedal Efficiency
This one really got folks riled up!! He quoted study results which compared elite cyclists to lesser cyclists. The elite cyclists pushed down harder on their pedals & pedaled LESS circles, but had greater efficiency (economy of movement). The lesser trained cyclists pedaled better circles, but were less efficient. Muscle efficiency comes from muscle fiber type - more Type 1 = greater efficiency.
Note - I asked what untrained cyclists spin scans looked like...were they more circles or squares? He didn't know this answer. My thought is that circle pedaling would greatly improve the efficiency of untrained cyclists whereas elite cyclists might not benefit from this pedal style. Also, the study used cyclists who do not have to run off the bike. Pedal style might need to adjust from cyclists to triathletes. You can see there is much study to be done yet!!
Myth 3 - Intensity in Base training will ruin aerobic fitness
This was another one that got the crowd going. Muscle fiber types come into play again here. Fast-twitch (FT) fibers don't recuite below LT whereas slow-twitch (ST) fibers activate at lower intensity & longer volumes. FT fibers can be trained to be more like ST fibers which is good for endurance athletes. The only way, however, to encourage FT to change is to train hard (30sec all-out efforts 3x per week).
My thought: I think this works great when you have athletes who are solid in technique & have a well-known training history. I would be hesitant to do these short, high intensity bouts with non-technically proficient athletes or with athletes with unknown training histories. The risk for injury increases pretty dramatically.
Final Thought: Training principles are constantly changing as research uncovers more detail about the body. As coaches we have to be willing to adjust...even if it means a complete 180degree turn from where we are now. That's what I love about sport!!
Tim Crowley
Crowley discussed the advent of training with power in swimming. He uses a swim bench with power to train his athletes better in less time.
He is a big advocate of dryland training to increase muscle balance, scapular (shoulder blade) & spinal mobility, & the connection of the core to upper body. Lots of pulling exercises to offset the inward roll on the shoulders that many of us have (from computer work & aerobar position).
Final Thought: Do the volume that will be in the race...just adjust the sets & reps.
And that was it!! Another great Arts & Science Symposium finished. I came home full of new ideas, new contacts, & new motivation for doing the best for my athletes. Now the trick is to implement & practice!! Remind me to do this, athletes!!
Recap of USAT Art & Science Coaching Symposium's 2nd Day
Share This Article With A FriendSubmitted by Coach Michelle
February 22, 2010
Well, I've been home for a week & finally getting to the recaps of Day 2 & 3. Amazing how setting foot inside your office will force a gear shift!!
Here are the highights from Day 2.
Accommodations
I have to say...the accommodations for the symposium were amazing! Although I chose not to stay in the $160/night Broadmoor (and that was the discounted rate!!), the food there was great. We had great breakfasts, lunches, & snacks! Thanks, USAT!
Erik Weihenmayer
This guy was AMAZING! Great keynote speaker! You may have heard Erik's name as he is the first & only blind climber to summit Mt. Everest. He has also recently completed his quest to complete the "Seven Summits" - the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents.
Erik's talk was unbelievable & incredibly inspirational. He spoke of his day-to-day challenges, his climbing trips with other blind climbers, & his perspective on "when things go differently than you expected". He was a great speaker & had exceptional video clips to augment his stories.
Great Quotes:
"The natureo of the mind is like water. If you do not disturb it, it will become clear." Tibetan saying
"Seeing is believing...or rather believing is seeing."
Final Thought: Square off with adversity. Walk into the storm & harness the energy to propell you forward. Adversity is the pathway to success.
Youth Specific - Camps, Clinics, Races
This session was lead by several folks deeply involved in youth development. They discussed how to run a youth camp/clinic, how to put on a youth race, & the specifics of USAT's youth focus. All of this info will come in handy as I begin to plan the youth clinics & camps we have lined up for spring & summer.
Final Thought: My June youth camp has been named USAT's Northwest Regional Camp! We have our work cut out for us!!
Vern Gambetta
Gambetta followed up his 1st talk with a more detailed talk on functional movement. He emphasized again that athletes must increase flexibility, body awareness, & movements in all directions before they can truly improve their sport performance.
Gambetta suggests that "warm-up" should be about increasing flexibility & movement with lots of rotation for linear sports such as triathlon. Warm-up is not about getting your HR up, but about increasing mobility.
Great Quote: "You can get your HR up watching TV!!"
Final Thought: You can spend 2, 4, 6 hrs per day on training. However, it's the rest of the hrs in that 24-hr day that make the difference!!
Stephen McGregor
McGregor brought the technical research side of things to the conference. He has created a method of measuring training stress in running (much like power or wattage in cycling).
Using speed-distance devices (like GPS), he can determine how much training load & fatigue the runner has accumulated. This leads to a measurable way to evaluate running work & performance.
Final Thought: This technology gives us a way to evaluate performance. HR monitors simply can't do that.
Joe Friel
Friel is so well-known that no bio is necessary!! Always known for his technical bent to training, he spoke on the use of Training Stress Scores (TSS) as a way to measure training load. To determine these scores, power meters for cycling & speed-distance devises for running are necessary.
TSS scores allow you to target your A races even more specifically. To do this you determine the TSS score for your A race & then design training sessions with similar TSS scores. By doing so you work specifically in the needs of the upcoming race.
Final Thought: Athletes come in three types: Scientist, Accountant, & Artist. The way a coach approaches each athlete is dependent upon which type of athlete they are!
As you can see, we had some great speakers. Mark Allen also spoke, but since I'd seen him speak before I chose Gambetta instead.
The day wrapped up with the Hall of Fame Banquet. This lovely event was given to induct five people who have molded & shaped the sport of
triathlon. We heard great stories from:
Jim Curl - He started the USTS Bud Light Race Series. My 1st tris were from this series!
Carl Thomas - He had the brilliant idea that, if triathlon was ever going to be taken seriously it needed a governing body. He started TriFed which then went on to become USAT. Also he set the official distance of an Olympic race. I had a TriFed sticker on my Honda for the longest time!!
Paula Newby-Frazer - She is one of the greatest triathletes ever winning more Ironmans that any other athlete! She is my hero & I am honored to finally meet her!
Barb Lindquist - She has a long & successful career which was capped off by her participation in the Olympic Games. Currently she coaches Under-23 National Team & is the USAT College Recruitment Coordinator.
Valerie Silk - For where Ironman is now, we can thank Valerie Silk. She was owner, president, CEO, & race director for Hawaiian Triathlon Corporation (now the World Triathlon Corporation) in the 80's.
Whew! Another great day!! Gotta love this sport!
Training Tip
Share This Article With A FriendSubmitted by What To Do About Stretching??
February 8, 2010
We all know that as athletes we’re supposed to stretch to reduce our injury risk. But…really…how many of you dedicate time regularly during your training week to improving flexibility? Well, let’s discuss stretching a bit & see if we can convince you to include it!
A good rule to remember is that you should strive for a normal ROM (range of motion) in all major muscle groups. This means that your hamstring are flexible enough to allow you 90o of straight leg flexion at the hip (in other words you should be able to sit on the ground with your hips pressed against a wall, flex your feet so that toes point straight up to the ceiling, & then be able to straighten your legs fully. For the shoulders, this means that you can do the following:
Abduction (bring arm up sideways) 180o
Adduction (bring arm towards midline of body) 45o
Horizontal Extension (arm moves horizontally backwards) 45o
Horizontal Flexion (arm moves horizontally forward) 130o
Vertical Extension (raise arm straight backward) 60o
Vertical Flexion (raise arm straight forward) 180o
Remember that these are NORMAL ROM’s. If your sport requires extra mobility (like gymnastics) then you’ll need to go beyond these ranges in order to decrease your injury risk.
There are two main types of stretching that are quite accessible to most athletes: Static (holding a stretched position without movement) & Dynamic (moving while stretching). The differences between these two are greater than just the method of stretching. Static stretching, while excellent for enhancing flexibility, has been shown to slow muscle activation for about an hour after the stretching session. This slowing effect may mean that static stretching is best used AFTER an exercise activity or race. Dynamic stretching, on the other hand, increases heart rate, warms up the core temperature of the body, & improves joint ROM at sport-specific speeds. Therefore dynamic stretching is better suited for use BEFORE an exercise activity or race. Since both types of stretching do slightly different things, it is wise to incorporate both – dynamic at the beginning of workout & static at the end.
When adding a flexibility routine (either static, dynamic, or other) to your training, the single most important factor in stretching effectiveness is to ensure that your mechanics are correct. It does you little good to stretch with poor form &, in fact, may do damage to tissues that aren’t designed to stretch (like ligaments & tendons). Rather, you’ll get much more out of a short flexibility session when you stretch the muscle properly with perfect form. If you are unsure of your form, ask a trainer or physical therapist to take a look. They can often tweak little things that will make your stretching much more effective.
Since most of you are familiar with static stretches, let’s go through a few examples of dynamic stretches.
For swimming…
Arm Swings – Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent & the back straight at all times.
Overhead/Down & Back – Swing both arms continuously to an overhead position & then forward, down, & backwards – 6 to 10 reps.
Side/Front Crossover – Swing both arms out to your sides & then cross them in front of your chest – 6 to 10 reps.
For biking & running…
Leg Swings –
Flexion/Extension – Stand sideways onto the wall, weight on your left leg & right hand on the wall for balance. Swing your right leg forward & backward – 10 to 12 reps per leg.
Cross-Body Flexion/Abduction – Leaning slightly forward with both hands on a wall & weight on left leg, swing your right leg to the left in front of your body, pointing your toes upwards as your foot reaches its
furthest point of motion. Then swing the right leg back to the right as far as comfortable, again pointing your toes up as your foot reaches its final point of movement – 10 to 12 reps per leg.
For running…
Ankle Bounces –
Dougle Leg Bounce – Leaning forward with hands on the wall & weight on your toes, raise & lower both heels rapidly (bounce). Eac time, lift your heels 1-2 inches from the ground while maintaining ground
contact with balls of feet – 12 to 16 reps.
Single Leg Bounce – Lean forward with hands on the wall. With all weight on left foot, raise the right knee forward while pushing left heel towards the ground. Then lower right foot to the floor while raising
the left heel 1-2 inches. Repeat in a rapid, bouncy fashion – 12 to 16 reps per leg.
So, there you go! Hopefully you'll start to see better results from your stretching program. Often that's all it takes to become the "dedicated stretcher"!
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