TRIATHLON TRAINING Greg Parkin

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TRIATHLON TRAININGGreg Parkin
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HOW WE TRAIN

• There are various components that need to be
  considered to improve fitness, and therefore
  performance within triathlon

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• HOW WE TRAIN
• OVERLOAD PRINCIPLE
• AEROBIC ENDURANCE
• STRENGTH
• SPEED
• POWER
• RECOVERY
• SPECIFICITY
• PERIODISATION

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OVERLOAD THE BODY OR ENERGY SYSTEMS NEED TO
BE OVERLOADED TO IMPROVE
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OVERLOAD The GREEK athlete Milon was the
first competitor who, perhaps unwittingly,
implemented the principles of periodisation and
overload as early as the 6th Century.He
determined the training cycles by carrying a bull
calf on his back each day until it reached
maturity.The bull got slightly heavier every
day, and he of course got slightly stronger!
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OVERLOAD WE OVERLOAD THE BODY BY INCREASING
THE LOAD, INTENSITY, FREQUENCY OR DURATION.ONCE
TRAINING HAS TAKEN PLACE, THE BODY WILL ADAPT
(ADAPTATION) TO THE NEW TRAINING LOAD (DURING
REST PERIOD)- IT IS THEN READY FOR INCREASED
LOADDO NOT OVER-TRAIN!!!REVERSIBILITY IF YOU
DONT USE IT, YOU LOSE IT!
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OVERLOAD Increase your overall time on the
bike each weekIncrease the number of sprints
that you do during a rideIncrease the number of
hill climbs that you do during a rideRide in a
higher gear during a hill or sprintRide for a
longer period of time in Heart Rate zones 4 and 5
(only after base completed)Increase your top
speed, heart rate, or power on a regular route.
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OVERLOAD Always remember that the goal of
overload is to allow your body to overcompensate,
which can only happen during the rest and
recovery mode. Always plan in easy days into
your week and easy weeks into each month. Do not
be tempted to shorten up this rest! Do not feel
guilty that you're not working hard! Enjoy it.
Allow your body to become stronger. Allow your
immune system to stay healthy. If you only push,
push, push, you will become tired, sick, injured,
unmotivated, and frustrated.
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AEROBIC ENDURANCE

• TRIATHLON IS 90 AEROBIC, 10 ANAEROBIC
• LONG SLOW DISTANCE (LSD)
• INTERVALS
• SESSIONS

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LONG SLOW DISTANCE

• LONG DISTANCE AT BELOW 75 MAX HR FOR THAT SPORT
• HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU BE DOING?
• MAX 100 OF ALL TRAINING
• MIN 70 OF ALL TRAINING
• TIME TO PRACTICE TECHNIQUE

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LONG SLOW DISTANCE

• THE ZONE 2 DEBATE!!!!
• BENEFITS- personal well-being, technique.
• IMPROVING TIME TAKEN USING LESS ENERGY
• EFFICIENCY- increase in speed
• IRONMAN EXAMPLE

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LONG SLOW DISTANCE-Phil Maffetone

• I was warned that his methods were probably
  going to sound crazy at first, but assured that
  they really worked. That was 1984. And, yes, at
  the time his philosophy on training was almost
  completely opposite from my do more, faster
  approach. Now its a new millennium, and his
  training techniques that once seemed crazy are
  almost universally accepted as the only method
  that will allow you to reach your peak
  performance year after year. Using Phils
  training program and consulting with him over the
  years, I have been able to rack up a long list of
  international triathlon victories, including six
  Hawaiian Ironman titles, the last of which came
  at age thirty-seven! Mark Allen

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INTERVAL TRAINING

• SET DISTANCES HARD FOLLOWED BY A RECOVERY PERIOD
• BETWEEN 3 TO 15 MINS
• RATIO OF 11 FOR AEROBIC TRAINING
• BETWEEN 75 TO 90 MAX HR

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INTERVALS

• SHORT INTERVALS- in strength phase
• LONGER INTERVALS- at set speed for set
  distance/time
• HILL INTERVALS- hit a hill at a low HR and climb
  for set time.
• DECREASING/ INCREASING- Russian steps.

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AEROBIC SESSIONS

• OVER WINTER- LONG EASY RIDES, LONG EASY RUNS,
  SWIMS LONG BUT AS A SESSION
• TRY AND DO 1 LONG BIKE/RUN PER WEEK
• TOWARDS SEASON- BRICK SESSIONS AT RACE PACE
  (alternate)

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STRENGTHTHE MAXIMUM FORCE A MUSCLE OR MUSCLE
GROUP CAN CONTRACT IN ONE SINGLE MUSCLE
CONTRACTION- of more relevance in Triathlon is
Local Muscular Endurance
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STRENGTH-LOCAL MUSCULAR ENDURANCETHIS IS THE
NUMBER OF CONTRACTIONS A MUSCLE OR MUSCLE GROUP
CAN DO USING A CERTAIN FORCE WITHOUT UNDUE
FATIGUE
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STRENGTH-LOCAL MUSCULAR ENDURANCE

• SWIMMING
• PADDLES, FEET CROSSED, HANDS AS FISTS, ANYTHING
  THAT MAKES SWIMMING HARDER WILL IMPROVE YOUR LME
• CYCLING
• TURBO TRAINING
• SINGLE LEG CYCLING
• BIG GEAR INTERVALS
• HILL REPS 30 SEC UP TO 10 MINS
• RUNNING
• LONG HILL REPS
• STRIDES UP HILL
• LONG DISTANCE RUNNING DOWN HILL
• FELL RUNNING
• LONGER INTERVALS AT VO2 MAX?

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SPEED INFLUENCES THE TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE A
SET DISTANCE
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SPEED

• REDUCES THE TIME IT TAKES TO DO 1500M SWIM, 40KM
  BIKE, 10KM RUN OR THE DISTANCE YOU CHOOSE
• BREAK EACH DISCIPLINE DOWN INTO SMALLER CHUNKS
• E.G 1500M IN 20MINS 1.20MINS PER 100
• SO DOING REPS SLIGHTLY QUICKER WITH SHORT REST
  WILL INCREASE YOUR SPEED?

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SPEED

• 10 X 200mt race pace with 1 min rest
• Run 10x 1km at your time for 10km and shorten the
  rest period. Stop as soon as you drop below the
  chosen pace
• Ride a 10mile TT- increase pace towards end
• Ride easy for 15mins into 5min flat out run

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POWER COMBINATION OF STRENGTH AND SPEED
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• POWER
• POWER FORCE X VELOCITY
• OR
• STRENGTH X SPEED
• SO TO INCREASE YOUR POWER
• YOU NEED TO EITHER INCREASE YOU STRENGTH OR YOUR
  SPEED
• OR BETTER STILL BOTH

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POWER IN TRIATHLON

• SWIMMING
  
• ½ LENGTH SPRINTS WITH OUT USING THE WALL TO
  PUSH OFF IDEAL FOR SWIM START PRACTICE
• RUNNING
• DOWN HILL RUNNING
• EXPLOSIVE STRIDES
• SHORT UP HILL SPRINTS 10 SEC MAX
• CYCLING
• SHORT UP HILL SPRINTS OF 15 SEC
• SPRINTS FROM A STAND STILL FOR 15 SEC
• SIGN SPRINT AS A GROUP

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POWER AND WEIGHT?ON THE BIKE AT THRESHOLD YOU
CAN HOLD SAY 350 WATTS BUT YOU WEIGH 100KG THIS
WOULD MEAN YOUR POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO WOULD BE
3.5 WATT/KGIF YOU LOST 20KG YOU WOULD HAVE A
POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO OF 4.37 WATT PER KG
THEREFORE YOU WOULD GO QUICKERHAS AN EVEN
BIGGER EFFECT ON RUNNING!
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RECOVERY

• DOES NOT JUST MEAN SITTING ON THE SOFA OR THE BED
• ACTIVE RECOVERY IS UP TO 1 HR AT BELOW 70 MAX
  HR- will reduce lactic 30 faster than complete
  rest.
• THIS IS WHEN ALL ADAPTATION TAKES PLACE

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RECOVERY

• EASY MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE
• SWIM 1500MTS EASY
• REST FROM THE DISCIPLINE (of training sessions as
  well as food etc)
• RESTING HEART RATE EXAMPLE

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OVERTRAINING?

• Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of
  energy
• Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Sudden drop in performance
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Decreased immunity- colds, sore throats
• Decrease in training capacity/intensity
• Moodiness and irritability
• Depression
• Loss of Enthusiasm
• Decreased Appetite
• Increased Incidence of Injuries
• A compulsive or obsessive need to train

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Heikki Rusko REST TEST

• Lay down and rest comfortably for 10 minutes the
  same time each day (morning is best).
• At the end of 10 minutes, record your heart rate
  in beats per minute.
• Then stand up
• After 15 seconds, take a second heart rate in
  beats per minute.
• After 90 seconds, take a third heart rate in
  beats per minute.
• After 120 seconds, take a fourth heart rate in
  beats per minute.
• Well rested athletes will show a consistent heart
  rate between measurements, but Rusko found a
  marked increase (10 beats/minutes or more) in the
  120 second-post-standing measurement of athletes
  on the verge of overtraining. Such a change may
  indicate that you have not recovered from a
  previous workout, are fatigued, or otherwise
  stressed and it may be helpful to reduce training
  or rest another day before performing another
  workout.

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SPECIFICITYWHEN THE TRAINING YOU DO IS
SPECIFIC TO YOUR SPORT
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SPECIFICITY

• SWIM, RUN AND CYCLE AT RACE PACE
• BRICK SESSIONS-
• BIKE- RUN
• SWIM- BIKE
• BIKE-RUN-BIKE-RUN

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SPECIFICITY

• WHAT RACE YOU DOING?
• DOES TRAINING MATCH THIS?
• WHEN TO DO (next part)
• HOW LONG FOR?

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WHAT IS PERIODISATION?

• Periodisation is a training programme over a set
  length of time, based around key competition
  events.
• Training is arranged into blocks of time, which
  vary throughout the training plan on a weekly,
  monthly and even yearly basis.
• These blocks of time, will target particular
  elements of physical performance (ie-
  fitness/endurance, strength and technique)
• The biggest benefit of this principal is the
  amount of rest/ recovery and the FOCUS.

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HOW?

• THE PLAN NEEDS A MAIN FOCUS OR TARGET EVENT.
• YOU WOULD USUALLY HAVE 2 OR 3 OF THESE PER
  SEASON.
• TRAINING IS ALSO SPLIT INTO CYCLES
• TRAINING IS SPLIT INTO PHASES.
• THERE ARE 3 FITNESS ELEMENTS TO TARGET, WHEN WE
  INCLUDE TECHNIQUE.

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FOCUS- TARGET.

• WE MUST PLAN AROUND A FOCUS- may be Worlds, may
  be a favourite event.
• PRIORITISE RACES INTO A, B and C RACES.
• A RACE- THIS WILL BE MAIN EVENT FOR SEASON-
  Could have 2 close together, or 2 to 3 over
  season.
• B RACE- STILL IMPORTANT, but may be in building
  stage. Time to try heart rate zones and pacing.
• C RACE- No taper- use as training- enjoy it- do
  things you are worried may not work.

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CYCLES

• MACRO-CYCLE- could last 2months to 2 years
• MESOCYCLE- last up to about 8 weeks- shown as
  Phases
• MICROCYCLES- Usually a week.

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THE PHASES.

• GENERAL PREPARATION- low intensity- building
  foundations- preparation for harder efforts-
  technique.
• SPECIFIC PREPARATION- increase intensity
  slightly, and introduce strength sessions- more
  technique.
• PRE-COMPETITIVE- increase intensity to maximum
  levels but decrease volume- start specifics
• COMPETITIVE- much less volume but very specific.
  Includes taper for main event.
• TRANSITION- active rest and recovery.

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PHYSICAL FITNESS ELEMENTS.

• AEROBIC ENDURANCE- obvious benefits for Triathlon
  which is an Aerobic sport, even at Sprint
  distance.
• STRENGTH- very important in all three
  disciplines. Bike strengthpower, run
  strengthleg speed and distance, swim
  strengthpull phase speed.
• TECHNIQUE- thats why we are all here!!
  Continual, but mainly in earlier phases, then we
  work on specifics.

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THE PLAN
  Oct Oct Nov Nov Dec Dec Jan Jan Feb Feb Mar Mar Apr Apr May May June June July July
Weeks 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 9 (1 week ez) 4 4 6 6 6 6    
Phase General Prep General Prep General Prep General Prep Specific Preparation Specific Preparation Specific Preparation Specific Preparation pre-competitive pre-competitive pre-competitive pre-competitive specifics specifics competitive Taper competitive Taper competitive Taper competitive Taper transition transition
stage Foundation of endurance Foundation of endurance Foundation of endurance Foundation of endurance Foundation of endurance Foundation of endurance Introduction of specific endurance Introduction of specific endurance Introduction of specific endurance Introduction of specific endurance Introduction of specific endurance Introduction of specific endurance Specific Endurance Specific Endurance Specific Endurance Specific Endurance Specific Endurance Specific Endurance    
hrs/week 6-7-8-9-9 6-7-8-9-9 10-10-11-6 10-10-11-6 9-10-10-11-11 9-10-10-11-11 12-12-12-6 12-12-12-6                        
intensity   Z2   Z2   Z2/3   Z2/3   Z3   Z3/4 TO Z5   Z4   Z4    
strength Anatomical Adaptations Anatomical Adaptations Anatomical Adaptations Anatomical Adaptations Maximum Strength Maximum Strength Maximum Strength Maximum Strength Strength, Endurance Power Strength, Endurance Power Strength, Endurance Power Strength, Endurance Power Maintenance and specific strength Maintenance and specific strength Maintenance and specific strength Maintenance and specific strength Maintenance and specific strength Maintenance and specific strength    
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CONCLUSION.

• CAN ONLY DEVELOP A PLAN WITH A FOCUS- categorise
  your events.
• PLAN YOUR TRAINING- Winter Champions- dont go
  any faster in summer.
• PLAN YOUR LIFE AROUND TRAINING?
• TAPER- Always taper for main events.
• REST AND RECOVERY ARE IMPORTANT.

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TESTING

• SET DISTANCE
• SET EFFORT (HR)
• EXTERNAL FORCES
• SWIM TEST- BIKE TEST- RUN TEST

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TESTING

• SWIM TEST- 20min swim- 15x100mts
• BIKE TEST- TT, specific to event, same course
• RUN TEST- Maffetone, 5km at set HR
• RACES- Silkstone shuffle, Winter and Summer
  series.

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CLUB TRAINING SESSIONS

• RUN-
• Technique, group runs, off road runs, hill
  sessions
• BIKE-
• Technique, group rides, off road rides, spin
  sessions, turbo sessions
• SWIM-
• 2 swims per week, open water swims

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FUTURE WORKSHOPS SESSIONS

• RUN-
• How to increase run speed through technique,
• BIKE-
• Descending, cornering, group riding, transitions,
  increasing power
• SWIM-
• Technique, technique.
• GENERAL-
• Nutrition, IRONMAN TRAINING

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TRIATHLON TRAININGGreg Parkin