The Money Dilemma

These days, entering even a running race can cost upward of $60-100, especially if we are talking about some of the trendier runs. You also see obstacle races closer to the $150-200 price point, yet these races still sell out.

“With the average monthly fee being $160, it’s tough to justify paying for coaching when you are just starting out.”

As a coach, I hate seeing this because it means less disposable income available for individuals to purchase better or faster gear or pay for coaching. In 2012, Training Peaks sent a survey out to all its coaches. With just over 600 responses, these coaches reported the average cost to train with them as $162 per month. My fee is only $129. I refuse to raise my fees at this point in time because I believe it isn’t fair to that thirty percent of individuals who may not make anywhere close to $126,000 a year.

Save Money on Event Expenses

Typically, Ironman races cost anywhere from $500-1,000 to enter, and that doesn’t include the cost to travel to these races. Students probably can’t afford that, yet they are the future of endurance athletes.

To bring down event costs, consider racing locally or making up your own races with friends. Let’s be honest, that does sound fun, right? For my local athletes, I set aside a day to run a mock triathlon. I even drive them from the pool to the “transition”(normally their house). But they get to race.

Save Money on Gear Expenses

The cost of equipment can be steep, but if you spend wisely, it won’t be as much as you’d think. A regular road bike, basic wetsuit, and decent running shoes should only cost around $1,500-2,000. While that sounds like a lot, the most expensive purchase will be your bike, bike shoes, running shoes, and tri-suit. If you have all the other gear or get used gear then the overall cost comes down significantly.

ADD IT ALL UP: The Hidden Costs of Pursuing a Passion

Purchasing used gear or beginner gear will enable you to stretch your dollar, but I have an additional secret that most don’t ever consider. If you want to do a triathlon, consider participating with a friend or training partner in a relay and doing the swimming and running portions. If you compete this way, you get the experience of racing an endurance event without the need to invest in a bike.

Save Money on Coaching Expenses

Of course, the last expense involved with triathlon training is coaching. Coaching fees increase year after year. And while the endurance coaching market becomes saturated with mediocre coaches with no educational background, paying for a coach becomes much harder.

My fee is $129 per month for online coaching and higher for in-person coaching. I have restrained myself from raising these rates because I don’t want to exclude someone from the sport just because he or she can’t afford a coach. With the average monthly fee being $160, it’s tough to justify paying for coaching when you are just starting out.

RELATED: 5 Things to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Coach

To save on a coach, look into group coaching or joining a bike club. Also look for a local masters swimming program. These are much cheaper ways to get coaching, though not as effective or personal as having your own coach. But they are still effective when it comes to what you are trying to achieve, which is participating in the sport of triathlon and bettering yourself and your performance.

These are just a few suggestions on how to bring down the price of endurance sports. But this is not a complete list. I am sure there are tons of nuggets I left out or don’t know about. How have you found ways to save money when it comes to running, swimming, and cycling? Post your ideas to the comments below.

References:

1. USA Triathlon, 2013 Membership Report, June 2014.

2. USA Triathlon, & TribeGroup, LLC. The Mind of the Triathlete Market Research Report. June 2014.

3. Training Peaks. Report on the State of Endurance Coaching, 2013.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post How to Save Money on Endurance Events, Gear, and Coaching appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The off-season should be a time of less intensity, but for many triathletes it becomes another layer of stress. It can be hard after a year of intense training to adjust to the off-season mindset.

To all you athletes, you are done. You should be congratulating yourself on all the accomplishments you achieved this year. Maybe you didn’t actually cross all your goals off your list, but now that you don’t have any events on your immediate radar, it’s still time to sit back and relax.

But don’t think that being in the off-season means you entirely stop what you are doing. That is far from the truth.

Defining the Off-Season

The off-season means different things to different people, but the most widely used approach for endurance athletes is making it a time to work on their weakest sport. That approach isn’t necessarily wrong, but it doesn’t mean that if you are a weak swimmer you need to spend the next three months only swimming.

RELATED: 5 Essential Points of Preparation for Your Triathlon Swim

Working on your weakest sport means you need to get more specific training to improve on what has been bogging you down on race day. Maybe in running you have the endurance, but your form goes to crap halfway through your race. That would mean in the off-season you need to work on drills and strength, building your body to better meet the demands of the sport.

“Cross-training means finding sports that give you a mental break from swim/bike/run, but still benefit those sports and keep you in shape.”

Conversely, when I tell my athletes that it’s the off-season and they need to chill out with the intensity, it does not mean to be lazy and do nothing. It means to enjoy the time you’ve earned, but to move your intensity into something positive.

What athletes fail to recognize at times is that cross training in the off-season can have many more benefits than constantly working sport-specific skills. Cross training could include sports like rock climbing (which actually helps with swimming), cross-country skiing, or even water polo. Cross-training means finding sports that give you a mental break from swim/bike/run, but still benefit those sports and keep you in shape.

Off-Season Blues

My athletes don’t experience this because when off-season approaches for them, because I plant a seed about what to look for in the future. You see athletes get down more if they don’t have a support system. But if they have a family and friends they can surround themselves with, then you don’t see the off-season blues. So make sure your off-season includes the company and support of others.

“The family takes a big hit when training begins, so actively thanking them can do wonders for a relationship…. this could mean helping plan a meal, cooking dinner, or finding a nice place for a vacation.”

Off-Season Length

At minimum, your off-season should last two to three weeks, but how long it lasts depends on the date of your first A-race of the upcoming season. If athletes don’t have an A-race coming up, then the off-season may be slightly longer. But we still have some structured training thrown in, which is why I prefer to call the off-season a transition period.

Other Activities to Consider

Running races, cyclocross, hiking, yoga, and swim training (especially if the children are part of a swim team) are all possibilities. But my favorite activity for my athletes is to sit down and think about their season, their goals, and why they love the sport.

The other big activity I make a point to include is to connect back with their spouses, partners, or loved ones. The family takes a big hit when training begins, so actively thanking them can do wonders for a relationship. I sometimes send thank you cards to these loved ones because of how supportive they are. This could mean helping plan a meal, cooking dinner, or finding a nice place for a vacation. This list goes on and it’s an important activity to include in your off-season transition period.

RELATED: Speed Racer: How to Get Faster at Running, Cycling, and Swimming

Final Thoughts

An athlete needs to remember that the off-season is not just about letting the body recover. The off-season is about letting your mind take a break from the beat-down of the racing season.

Work on your weak sports, but focus also on cross training and having fun. Thank those in your life who make this activity possible for you. And remember again why you fell in love with the sport so you start your next season on the best path.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post How to Create the Most Useful Triathlon Off-Season appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I have been coaching adults for quite a while, but the last time I coached kids (that is, anyone under eighteen), was back in 2004. <strong”>While the idea of swimming doesn’t change, the difference is in how you teach kids.

Establish a Baseline

When we first got the kids in the pool, the coaching staff (along with myself) determined who was fast and who would need extra work. While I was assigned the faster kids, I still started them out by establishing a baseline of where they all were. While I knew most of these kids were on a swim team, I thought I would start out with something a bit more fun, instead of doing the norm of working on their technique.

We began with swimming in a mass group start of two to four kids in one lane swimming at once. They learned about having to fight for position in the pool, but also that it’s okay to let someone go who might be faster. They also learned that stopping to catch your breath is important and completely okay during a race, but to still keep moving forward.

From there another coach stepped in and suggested that we back up and work on body position. We bounced ideas off each other and helped guide the kids successfully in a progressive drill set. While this is something I do normally with adults without thinking, working through this with kids made me focus more on the best progression for them.

Our progressive drills began with kicking, moved into balancing in the water on their side, into one-arm strokes, and then full-fledged swimming. While we hit on the progressive drills, we still failed the kids in one aspect, especially for triathlon swims – how to deal with emergencies. We should have first addressed floating on your back and emergency procedures before we ever had them get in the water.

Lesson Learned: This training sequence may not have been the best idea at first, but it taught me something in the end. Always start with mechanics first, progress from there, and then work to a fun, but important skill. While I can test this type of thing on adults, it’s easier with kids. Kids are always at least absorbing the information and skill set being given to them, whereas that is much harder for adults.

Positive Reinforcement

Sometimes as coaches we are so wrapped up in getting the perfect stroke or technique for our athlete, that we forget to give positive reinforcement. While I wouldn’t say that I struggle with giving feedback to athletes, sometimes I forget to do it on an individual level when we are in groups.

Lesson Learned: Look within your training group and find the quiet one or the person who hasn’t had so much attention and give him or her some praise. You never know what or how that will make someone feel.

Patience

I never have a problem with patience with adults because they are willing to listen and learn, but with kids itcan be much tougher. Throw in the parent paying for a camp or maybe a learning disability, and as a coach you can get frustrated pretty quickly.

I learned this while teaching a kid how to brake properly on a bicycle. While it’s an easy skill for an adult, it can be hard to teach even such simple skills to a child. It makes you think twice on how you approach an athlete before allowing any preconceived notions to set in. It forces you to be creative in your coaching, rather than succumb to the frustration (which isn’t fun or productive for anyone involved).

Lesson Learned: If you can teach a child a simple skill that was once difficult, you can learn much in the process regarding word choice and how you demonstrate skills. This type of hands-on learning is great for all coaches and is something to consider when moving up to teaching adults.

Remembering the Basics

After all of this, I have realized that even if I am just at a camp to assist, I should still always come prepared with a plan or agenda, because you never know what could happen. While I always have a plan for one-on-one sessions, this week is teaching me to reset and go back to the grassroots of coaching.

Lesson Learned: I am going to work on learning, listening, giving instruction, and teaching those who will add to the progress and are the future of the sport I so dearly love.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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One of my athlete’s just signed up for Ironman Wisconsin. I have been working with her one-on-one for the past year or so, and I am so happy for her.

While we have a limited amount of time until race day, there are some things we can do to prepare her for completing the swim portion without missing the cutoff. FYI: an Ironman swim is 2.4 miles or 3,800 meters (3.8km).

1. Endurance Build-Up

2.4 miles or 3,800 meters is a long time to be swimming. The average age-group swimmer takes roughly eighty minutes to swim this distance without stopping. And of course you’re going to follow that with a bike ride and full marathon run. So, this means you need to build up your endurance to swim that well for that long.

Your goal should be swim 60-75 minutes a session at least three to four times per week (more if you are not a great swimmer). For my athlete, I will have her swim four to five times a week to prepare for this event. More if time permits, but I know that it isn’t ideal with what is going on in her life. This idea of “more” applies to everyone. If you want to get better swimming, then you need to swim more, swim often, and build your endurance up.

2. Technique and Strength Training

Since we have limited time, fitness is going to be hard to build this quickly, so the big focus will be on strength training and technique. When I mention strength training, I mean working on the stabilizer muscles as well as your upper back. There are plenty of articles on Breaking Muscle that talk about specific exercises for these areas. I will let you determine which is the most appropriate among them, but they all do the same thing – build your muscular endurance.

When we look toward technique, the necessary changes are going to be individual. Just because something works for one person does not mean it will work for you. Everyone is different, which is why working with a coach is the best approach.

But since working with a coach isn’t always possible, the first thing for the average person to focus on is hand entry. Hand entry should be pretty close to the water with a slightly bent wrist that should lead right into what we call early vertical forearm. The idea is to get your forearm as vertical (basically perpendicular to the water line) as quickly as possible. This creates a huge amount of force production to help you move quickly and efficiently through the water.

From there you can work on your hand or arm recovery, but because so much drag is taking place in front of your head, hand entry is the best place to start.

3. Rhythm and Relaxation

The final two pieces of advice I give my athletes is to find a rhythm and relax. These things are linked to both cadence and breathing in a way that can make or break your swimming.

You need to find a rhythm in regards to your cadence in the water, as well as the breathing pattern you select. Different people find different patterns work best. If you find one that works for you, then that is the one you need to stick with. If you change up your rhythm, your body will not like you and you will lose control of your breathing. This will cause you to get into a deficit of breathing (trying to both expel and intake oxygen at the same time).

Getting into a rhythm will also help you relax in the water. Relaxation is key and is related to your cadence in the water. If you feel relaxed with a certain cadence, but it might feel like you look terrible, you need to stop that thinking. If you feel relaxed, then you will look relaxed, and you can stop thinking about what is going on around you. Being relaxed allows you to focus on your race and sets you up for success throughout the day. Just like being relaxed on the bike and on the run.

4. Pre-Race Swimming

I am going to suggest to my client that she plan out the pre-race week in advance. You need to get yourself in the mindset that you will do great in the swim. Being able to swim the actual course the day or two days before the event will also do wonders for you.

The week of Ironman should be shorter repeats of 100-200 yards or meters with about two minutes rest between. You only need to do around 2,000-2,500 distance-wise the week of your Ironman. But in the weeks prior, I would keep the distance up above 3,000.

And that’s it!

Well, that is easier said then done, but hard work and dedication is not something to take lightly. To do well at the longer distance races, you need to train and take care of yourself. I wish you the best and good luck at your Ironman race!

Are you signed up for an Ironman? Which one and when? Post to the comments below.

Click Here to Try Our Free Swimming Workouts

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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You signed up for a triathlon – congratulations! Whether you signed up for your first sprint triathlon or your tenth Ironman, you need to train properly to get ready for the best race of your life. I tend to use a checklist and I’m going to share it with you today as you consider what your next step is after registering for your race.

For those of you who are experienced endurance athletes, you might have an urge to skip a few of these points, but consider stopping to read them all as they may help change a few thoughts about your training.

1. Find a Pool

Your first step is to find a pool that is fifty meters in length. You’d be surprised how much a fifty-meter Olympic sized pool does for your training for long distance. You can’t rely so much on the walls every 25 yards, so it forces you to focus on being efficient.

I tell athletes to look for a fifty-meter pool, but if they can’t find one then look for a 25-meter pool. The most common pool length you will find is 25 yards, which is not ideal (but it is still a pool).

2. Find a Pool With a Masters Swim Program

The best type of pool to find is a fifty-meter pool that has a masters swimming program. The U.S. Masters Swimming website has a great page to help you locate and determine where and how to get started with a masters swimming program.

Finding a swimming program is an excellent way to meet other athletes. And masters programs normally have a coach who can help guide you and get you in the right direction if you are starting out. But even if you are an advanced swimmer, the coach can typically give you small tips to improve your swimming, as well.

3. Choose the Right Equipment

First you need a good pair of goggles. I recommend the Speedo Vanquishers. I am not sponsored by them and do not receive any financial backing from them. They are simply the only goggles I highly recommend for any athlete.

I also suggest you consider what wetsuit and skin suit to purchase for your triathlon race. My choice used to be 2XU, but now I go to Roka Sports for my swim gear. Roka is owned by a great group of guys who seem to have reinvented the space of wetsuits for endurance athletes.

In addition, consider preparing for cold water. Choosing the right equipment is important when the temperature drops in the ocean or lake where your event will take place.

4. Do the Right Workouts

You have all the gear and have chosen a pool, but now it’s time to actually train. And yes, you do need to train. You can’t show up on race day and think it won’t be that big of a deal. People die in triathlons. That’s a fact and the situation isn’t helped if you don’t train. Swimming is something I take seriously when training my athletes, so that they are prepared.

When determining how to create your training plan, you can always refer to my previous article regarding how to structure a workout. But it’s important that your workouts be specific and periodized. I have my athletes focus on three things: speed, endurance, and technique. Every workout should have one main focus and slightly touch on the other two.

I typically focus on speed and technique, more then endurance, but that is due to primarily coaching elite short-course athletes. Your swimming workouts, as a beginner or advanced athlete, need to be specific and planned according to where you are in your season and what race you are choosing to do.

5. Prepare Yourself Mentally

Mental preparation is something you need to focus on when it comes to open water swimming. You will be dealing with a bunch of athletes in a small space where physical contact is expected. I tell my athletes to swim defensively to help change their mindset about swimming in a close proximity to others.

The other aspect you need to prepare for mentally is the temperature of the water.Jumping into cold water can send a wave of shock through your body, but if you mentally prepare for the experience, you may not psych yourself out as you would have otherwise.

This is not my complete checklist, as it will be ever changing as I learn new things. But the point I want to make is that you should have a plan and way of thinking when it comes to your swim training. Whether you are a beginner or an elite athlete, you need to think about what it is you want from your training and race experience, and pursue that to the best of your ability.

Click Here to Start Our Free Triathlon Training Program

Photos 1 and 3 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 2 courtesy of Roka Sports.

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1. Getting Faster

The best reason you should join a club is to swim faster. This outcome results from coached sessions, other athletes pushing you to your limit, and a quality swim workout that isn’t the same as swimming by yourself. Getting up early for a swim practice can be daunting at times, but putting in the time and effort with a swimming club will pay huge dividends come race season, as well as helping out with reason number five.

2. Meet New Athletes

Triathletes tend to train alone, which often means swim-workout torture. When you don’t have anyone to talk to at the pool, your swimming starts to feel like a chore. Joining a master’s practice will surely guarantee that you meet new athletes. Top college swimmers, All-Americans, and Olympic swimmers might just be in the next lane, but if you aren’t training together, how would you know? Going to practices will help you learn more about other athletes and might just score you training advice from a high-caliber swimmer for free.

3. Learn to Swim With Better Technique

Swimming programs will increase the number of swim sessions you have during the week. With an increase in distance and speed, one thing that will start to improve drastically is your technique. With coached sessions and other athletes watching you, you’ll begin to identify areas of your swim technique that need work. Paying for video analysis can be quite expensive, but receiving personal attention from a coach or a handful of athletes looking at you might just fix that terrible head position you have in the water.

4. Coaching and Accountability

5:00am swim practices are never fun. I never liked them and they only got harder when I joined the Navy. The one thing that always kept me coming back, though, was my coach and accountability I felt to my fellow rescue swimmers and team. After you meet a new coach and athletes, they tend to notice when you miss a practice or cut a warm up or cool down short.

Do you want to let your new teammates or coach down? Do you want to make everyone wait on you in the morning before the practice starts? Having that accountability can help you become a better swimmer by forcing you to break out of old or bad habits.

5. Competing

When swimming with an adult program, there are actually meets in which you can compete. Running and road cycling races are easy to find with a quick online search, but how often do you hear about a mile or 500m swimming competition? This type of competition can give your season a new focus and provide you the confidence you need to crush your next race.

6. Patience

I don’t think I can actually count on all toes and fingers the number of athletes I have coached over the years who have had to learn patience when it comes to swimming. We live in an instant gratification society and I find it hard for triathletes to fully get that swimming is long-term development. Not. Short. Term. You need to develop and have the patience to know that the time spent working on proper form now will give you enormous rewards come the future.

In addition to these top six reasons above, there are plenty of other benefits from swimming with a group such as new friends, increase in stamina, and more. Don’t be left behind while your competition surges ahead of you during the swim. Take the extra time to find a program that suits you and just have fun! You never know what you may learn or discover.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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This is not the best way to train, but not everyone can afford a personal coach to provide specific workouts designed to meet certain goals and time demands. So, to help you, I put together a set of guidelines to help you make the most out of every segment of your swim workout.

How to Warm Up for Your Swim Workout

When you get to the pool deck and get situated (kickboard, water bottle, and gear set out), do a few quick arm rotations and dry-land swimming drills. Even some exercises with elastic bands can help get your upper body prepped and ready for your swim workout. You wouldn’t think of going for a hard run without a warm-up and dynamic stretch, so why should swimming be any different?

Personally, I like to do about ten shoulder shrugs and some imitation swimming with my arms to get my upper body going. Then, to get my lower body geared up, I’ll do ten knee bends and then flex, stretch, and loosen my ankles. After that, I’m sufficiently warmed up and ready to swim.

Once you’re in the pool, you should start out with some in-water, warm-up work that is easy. Some examples are:

• 200m swim, 200m kick, 200m pull, 200m swim
• 400-500m swim
• 2-4 x (150m free, 50m non-free)
• 2-4 x 400m (150 free, 50 non-free – repeated twice)
• 400m swim, 300m pull, 200m kick, 100m drill choice
• Or an easy 10-15 minute choice of whatever you feel like doing

How to Add Drills to Your Swim Workout

After you have done a thorough warm-up and ingested some fluids, it is time to move on quickly to a drill set to get your arms moving and heart rate up. A drill set will be a bit faster than your warm-up, but not as hard as your main set. The primary goal is to focus on good swim technique before fatigue sets in.

I like to give my athletes pretty standard drill sets by only changing up the number of repeats or distance in the set. The drill set rest/recovery period should be no longer than fifteen seconds. Here are a few examples:

• 4-10 x 75m with 15 sec rest (kick, drill, swim by 25m; could also be pull, kick, swim or drill swim, drill, etc.)
• 3 x (100m pull, 50m swim)
• 2-4 x 150m (25m drill, 50m swim)

The Main Set of Your Swim Workout

After your drill set is complete, a quick one-minute break is all you need to determine your main set, the goal of your workout. Your swim workout goal can be broken into three types:

1. Speed/sprinting/lactate threshold sets
2. Technique/strength sets
3. Distance/endurance sets

Each workout should focus on one of these three goal types, which will determine your main set. Below are some examples of how to structure your main set:

Speed Day:

3 x (100m swim HARD, 50m easy)

10 x 100m at lactate threshold effort

2 x (5 x 100m FAST at descending effort, 100m easy)

Distance Day:

4 x 300m at moderate effort with :20 rest

6 x 200m

Odds: Max distance per stroke with focus on good technique

Evens: Moderate effort for 4 x 400m

Technique/Strength Day :

4 x (100m pull, 50m one-arm drill, 250m pull)

3 x (4 x 50m band training with :10 rest, 300m pull with :15 rest, 50m easy) at moderate effort

2 x (4 x 100m with :15 rest, breathing every 3/4/5/6 by 25m)

#1 – Pulling

#2 – Swim

How to Cool Down After Your Workout

After completing your main set, perform a quick cool down to end your swim workout. It’s easy to finish your main set and hop out of the pool to leave, but I would highly advise against this. A cool down can be short, no longer than 300m, and will help prevent injury. For my athletes, I generally advise a 100-300m of easy freestyle with emphasis on good technique.

To make for an effective workout, once you’re done swimming, do some quick core work. I tell my athletes to do this either right on the pool deck or right when they get home:

• 3 x :30 of holding plank position
• 3 x :20 of side plank
• 2-3 sets of your favorite core exercises

The workouts I’ve provided above should be used as a guide to help you learn more about how and what you could be doing at the pool. Staring at the black line can get boring, but if you take charge of your workout, getting bored and losing focus don’t have to be excuses anymore. Now you know how to properly structure your swim workout. So stop doing 30 x 50 or 100 free repeats all day and make a new plan.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Structuring Your Swim Workout appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Increasing NO Through Supplementation

I originally started looking into NO after reading some reviews on a particular supplement. This product was designed to increase nitric oxide by combining 3,000mg of L-arginine, 100mg L-citrulline, and 50mg of alpha lipoic acid. The supplement came in tablets that you take one to two times daily. It is recommended that you take between 3-5 grams of L-arginine three times a day (for a total of 15g per day) to best support the NO. Together these ingredients provide a quality dietary supplement for anyone wishing to increase NO levels. Other NO supplements are also available in powders and convenient on-the-go drinks.

Increasing NO Through Nutrition

Recently, I have focused on increasing my nitric oxide levels through diet. I enjoy juicing a variety of fruits and vegetables. Lately my go-to vegetable has been spinach. Spinach is a nutritionally dense super food that contains nitrates. In addition to spinach, kale is also high in nitrates, which makes it a good NO booster.

Another NO-dense plants is beetroot. A study done in 2010 at the University of Exeter stated, “Drinking beetroot juice boosts your stamina and could help you exercise for up to 16% longer.” This study suggests that nitrate turning into nitric oxide in the body could aid in performance as well as lower resting blood pressure. Some other foods that will increase nitric oxide levels include pomegranate, watermelon, cranberries, oranges, walnuts, pistachios, salmon, and shrimp.

The Athletic Benefits of an NO-Rich Diet

Increasing NO in your food intake could be beneficial, as it will cause an increase in blood flow and oxygen to the skeletal muscles, which then increases strength and endurance. The general theory behind NO is that the increased blood flow helps to transport blood and nutrients better to these working muscles.

An article published in 2012 by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism showed the improvement of twelve trained cyclists in a 10km time trial. The six-day dietary nitrate supplementation in these cyclists was reported to reduce pulmonary oxygen uptake during submaximal exercise. Participants were also reported to have increased tolerance to high-intensity work rates.

Nitric oxide has also been shown to be important in several cellular activities. Some of these activities include helping memory and behavior by transmitting information between nerve cells in the brain, assisting the immune system, regulating blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and improving sleep quality.

Buyer Beware of NO Supplements

Many of these supplements that contain NO are blends of multiple ingredients including creatine and caffeine. Many supplements do not list the amount of these ingredients, which can become tricky for athletes involved in professional organizations. American swimmer Jessica Hardy broke two world records, but stepped down from the 2008 USA Olympic Swim Team after she tested positive for clenbuterol, an asthma medication. Turns out she was taking a supplement that did not list clenbuterol on the label, but it did, in fact, contain it.

Conclusion: Why to Focus on Your NO

One the biggest advantages of NO is that you can naturally produce it in your body. By following a solid workout routine combined with foods naturally rich in nitric oxide, many athletes will experience performance benefits, and many other people will experience greater heart health in general.

But one of the disadvantages when it comes to NO is the uncertainty of supplements, especially if you are competing for professional leagues like the Olympics or NCAA. This is an issue I hope to see change in the future with more companies labeling the amounts of ingredients in their products. In the meantime, keep reading your supplement labels and consider bolstering your diet with nitric-oxide-rich foods.

References:

1. “Silent Ischemia and Ischemic Heart Disease.” American Heart Association. Last modified November 12, 2012.

2. “Nitric Oxide.” ExRx. Accessed May 28, 2014.

3. Jones, Andy. “Beetroot juice could help people live more active lives.” Research news, University of Exeter, 2010.

4. “Athletes, Stop Taking Supplements.” Medical Examiner. Last modified July 26, 2012.

5. Murad, Ferid. “Discovery of Some of the Biological Effects of Nitric Oxide and its Role in Cell Signaling.” Bioscience Reports 24 (2004): 452-474. Accessed May 28, 2012. doi:10.1007/s10540-005-2741-8

6. “NO Way: Nitric Oxide Boosters.” Muscle & Fitness. Accessed May 28, 2014.

7. Naomi M. Cermak, Martin J. Gibala, and Luc J.C. van Loon, “Nitrate Supplementation’s Improvement of 10-km Time-Trial Performance in Trained Cyclists,” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 22 (2012):64-71. Accessed May 28, 2014. doi: unavailable 

8. Nutrition Express. “What is nitric oxide and how does it work?” Accessed May 28, 2014.

9. One Result. “Are Pre-Workout Supplements NCAA Legal?” Last modified September 27, 2011.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Fast forward to now: I have learned a lot when it comes to coaching, due to both my successes and my failures. Here are some of the things I have learned, though it is not and will never be a comprehensive list. Just as others before me would agree, you can never stop learning.

Strength on the Bike Carries Over to the Run (and Vice Versa)

This doesn’t mean that if you only bike train that you will be a great runner. What I am saying is that when you do a lot of strength-type work on the bike, it builds you up mentally and can carry over to the run. I actually prefer to say the opposite works better: doing aerobic or lower-intensity style training with a focus on strength (hills or fartlek) helps build bike strength and endurance.

I learned this firsthand while I was on deployment since I never had access to a bike. I ran, and ran, and ran some more, because that is all I had available. I was training for a half-Ironman and once I got off deployment, I discovered I was in the best bike shape I had ever been in. While aerobic and speed workouts are great, it was the strength building workouts I added in while running that made the difference.

The Ethical and Scientific Dilemma of Helmets

I am ethically and scientifically torn when it comes to recommending helmets for athletes. Data proves that aero helmets are faster. This is great for all athletes. But when we look at the safety data and the reduction of body temperature, we see that regular road helmets are safer.

Aero helmets have been shown to possibly result in snapping the neck and causing severe paralysis in a crash. This scenario is something you don’t see in road helmets. Regular road helmet wouldn’t snap your neck in the way an aero helmet will. This is where my ethical dilemma exists. I want my athletes to go as fast as possible, but I also want them to be as safe as possible. To this day I tell my athletes to wear road helmets and that’s what I advise you to do, as well.

The Rules of Some Races Make Me Question Racing Organizations

Really, this comes down to Ironman. I have done race officiating for USA Triathlon and Ironman and have had my share of complaints and disagreements with the rules that I am bound to enforce. But the one rule I struggle with the most is why they don’t allow participants of events to run across the finish line with their kids. I think every athlete should be able to celebrate a race such as a Ironman with their family, due to the struggles and commitment they all faced to get there.

My suggestion? Don’t race an event where they limit you on silly small things, because in the end, you may just end up inspiring your son or daughter toward a healthier lifestyle because he or she saw your struggles and triumphs and was able to experience that final accomplishment with you.

The Ever-Changing Nature of Sports Nutrition

I love sports nutrition, and while I may not always follow the best nutrition myself, I certainly do try. I also try to help others when questions arise, but the sports nutrition guidelines seem to always be changing. That makes it frustrating for coaches, but also pushes us to get the best available information to give to our athletes.

What have I found to work the best for athletes? Periodization of nutrition should follow phases of training. Periodization of nutrition means that you focus more on veggies and whole foods in the off-season, but when your racing season and training starts to ramp up, you can then introduce more pasta and grains. But most important of all is generally sticking to the healthier options at all meals and eating when you’re hungry – not when you think you’re hungry.

Longer Fins Are Better

Longer fins focus on leg strength. While everyone will argue with me until the sun goes down about why smaller fins are better, I have to disagree, and mainly because of being a rescue swimmer. I grew up swimming and have a terrible kick. My coach would give me shorter fins to help me with my kick, and guess what? They didn’t help!

When I became a rescue swimmer, we were forced to use longer and more rigid fins because you need more force production to be able to carry or drag people in the ocean – and the longer and more rigid fins help. Because of this I took that philosophy to the swimming world and only recommend long fins to athletes. Yes, it slows them down at first, but over time they develop a stronger kick that will help them in open water during a triathlon race.

These are some of the things I have learned so far as an athlete and a coach. No doubt this list will evolve over time. I am a human and want what is best for my athletes, but things will change and new data will develop better techniques and philosophies that we can choose to adapt or ignore.

Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 3 courtesy of Karl Buchholtz Photography.

The post 5 Lessons I’ve Learned About Triathlon Since I Began Coaching appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Don’t Try Anything New

While some athletes actually say don’t try anything new, I completely agree, but I always think that you end up trying something new anyway. But really don’t try something new at a big race. If what you were planning doesn’t go as planned, it can derail your mind and screw up the entire day. And this is all because you should have known better to not try something new on race day.

Don’t Go to A Race With No Plan

Racing plans have a purpose, just like new parents have a birthing plan. It’s a schedule of exactly how you want the day to go. A good racing plan has contingencies included regarding problems that may or may not occur on the event day.

If the plan is written down, you can continually rehearse and refine it so you know it by memory. We do this in the military by having a briefing before a mission so that everyone is on the same page. A coach should help develop your plan, but you should never go to a race without one. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure

Don’t Train Too Much

Don’t give in to the voices telling you to get in more training the week of your race because you don’t feel ready. I have to constantly remind my athletes to stay relaxed and convince them that the training has been accomplished and it will all play out on race day. It’s not that they aren’t actually ready, but they feel unready usually due to their friends or training partners continuing to train hard before the same or different race.

An athlete can be his or her own worst enemy, and doing tough workouts the week of your big race can completely ruin everything you have worked for. Tapering is a challenge for most athletes, so you’re not alone. But knowing you should try to focus on not training too much the week of your race is key. I constantly tell my athletes that it is better to be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained. You can make up that 10% on race day, but once you are overtrained, it takes time to recover back to your normal self.

Don’t Think You Can Race Well Without Warming Up

Some athletes think they can just show up and do well. Wrong. You need to warm up if you expect to do well. I realize you may not be able to swim prior to your race, but bringing stretch cords is a way to mimic the swimming motion. If you feel that you don’t have time, doing some dynamic stretches ahead of time is a great and quick to get the blood moving.

Getting your muscles ready for race day can help get you great results. That means warming up when you are running anything from a 5km to a marathon-distance race. Your marathon warm up may not be long, but it’s better than feeling stiff, slow, and sluggish when you start. If you don’t warm up for your race, then you can expect crappy results.

Don’t Quit

You may be having of the worst days of your athletic career, but if you aren’t being carried off on a stretcher or your bike isn’t completely broken in half, there isn’t any real reason to quit a race early. Even for you professional athletes, all endurance events should be finished even if you have to walk to the finish.

You’d be surprised what you can learn about yourself, about others, and more when you take a different perspective on a day that you just want to quit. I am guilty of this and it wouldn’t be right of me if I didn’t say that I haven’t quit, because I have. At the event in question, I was sick with food poisoning and made it through the swim and bike, but I was just three miles into the run when I quit. Looking back I regret that decision. I wish I had stuck it out and to this day I still think about it.

So don’t just quit unless you have some serious reason as to why you can’t continue. It’s the tough days at your race that will help define your character and motivate you in the future to push through the temporary pain.

These are my essentials to not do prior to your race, but this can’t be an all-encompassing list, so I challenge you, the reader. I want you to comment or repost this article with some of your pre-race don’ts. I know I missed some, so let me know your thoughts.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post What Not to Do Before Your Triathlon Race appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

But what does really work? Here are some of my suggestions for pre-race “rituals” that can be helpful. I would suggest you try them out and see if they do or do not do the trick for you.

Do: Figure Out Your Race Day Nutrition Plan

If perfect practice makes perfect, how can you expect to perform your best on race day if you don’t practice what you would actually do on race day? You may have this “sound and solid” nutrition plan, but if you don’t practice it, then how would you know it is the best for you? Someone else may have suggested you eat this way, but it doesn’t mean it will work for you.

I tell my athletes to begin practicing what they would eat and drink on race day at least four to six months in advance. Being able to comfortably say what you will be having the day of the race can be quite calming, especially when compared to the athlete purchasing race day nutrition at the race expo.

Do: Plan Out Your Outfit and Bike Setup Before the Race

The day of or day before your race is not the time to figure out how you will set up your bike. This causes headaches, stress, and unneeded worry going into your event. You’ve trained hard and put in the long and dedicated work, so why would you leave this part of race day up to chance and figure it out at 11:00pm when you should be in bed?

One to two months out from your race you should be planning and prepping what you will wear and how you will set up your gear. This goes for running events, cycling events, and triathlon events. Each has it’s own way to set up needed equipment. From the correct running shoes, to your tires being pumped up, as well as your personal hydration needed for a triathlon – figure out how you will be setting up your gear and practice this before race day.

Do: Have a Race Day Checklist

Make a checklist. There are hundreds of them out there already if you do a quick search on Google – and there is a reason for this. Checklists work and they force you to not forget anything. I have created a checklist on my website which is pretty in-depth and most of the time the athletes that use it won’t actually need half of the stuff on the list, but it gets them thinking about things they might need. Make a checklist and stick to it. Don’t be like me and forget a helmet on race day.

Do: Mentally Prepare

Athletes all physically prepare and understand the emotional turmoil they will go through, but how many do the psychological preparation needed for success? Olympic athletes are starting to see the benefit and are seeking qualified sports therapists to help them build the mental toughness and mindset needed for victory.

So, if Olympians are doing this, why aren’t you? While I am not an expert in mental preparation, I know that biggest tool is visualizing your race. Visualize your race. Include every small detail, down to how the water will feel when you jump in and how tightly your shoes will be when you put them on. Think about your perfect race and it will prepare you significantly on race day.

Do: Warm Up

Something I absolutely believe you need to do before race day is practice a pre-race warm-up. For my athletes, I let their first race be a smaller or less competitive race where they should can try everything and see what works and what doesn’t. The biggest reason why I say this to my athletes is because I also want them to discover their perfect warm-up so they are not figuring out what they should do on a truly meaningful race day. Practice your warm-up at a smaller race to determine if it will work for your biggest race of the year. Warming up is important and needs to be addressed prior to getting to the start line.

This is part one of the pre-race dos and don’ts. In the next installment, we’ll talk about what you should avoid doing on race day. These are all simple ideas, but can set you up for a fantastic race day regardless if you are swimming, biking, or running, or all three.

What do you do before a race that you think makes a difference? Post your thoughts to the comments below.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post How to Perfect Your Pre-Race Ritual Before Race Day appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

1. Wake Up Early

It’s been said that some of the most successful people wake up early. I feel like this is certainly true, but mostly due to the fact you are up before everyone else and can accomplish a lot. Waking up early also allows you to train early. Morning runs or swims are my favorite to give to athletes or to participate in myself. There is something refreshing about training in the morning that can invigorate the rest of your day.

2. Schedule Training Around Your Life

Family, work, friends, and life obligations get in the way of training, but you already knew that. To be able to stay successful at your sport or to prepare to enter the endurance sports, you must face one of the biggest challenges – finding balance between your training and the rest of your life. Because there are only so many hours within the day, you know that you have to get your training and work done at certain times. This in turn causes you to be more focused at the task at hand, leading you to get more done during the allotted time. So, getting your training in and fitting it into your schedule is another way to balance your life and increase productivity.

3. Work Smarter and Harder, But Not Longer

Long slow distance works when you have time, but we all feel like we never have time. When endurance athletes start training, having a good base is key to long-term success and injury prevention. That advice is vital for beginners to the sport, as well. I can’t stress enough how important endurance and aerobic sessions are when first getting into the sport, or even if you don’t have one or two years of solid training under your belt. However, for the rest of us, aerobic endurance sessions can detract from the long-term goal. If you are training for an Ironman or marathon, a long run has its part in your training. But I have seen that strength workouts such as hills and fartlek training build up the capacity for a longer race, while also giving you the mental strength needed for your event. So, instead of going out for a sixty-minute slow run, try going out for a forty-minute hilly run. It will do more for your training than running slowly if you just don’t have the time for a long run.

4. Training Partners Make a Difference

You are sitting at work and you have to finish a report, but you are rushing to do so since you have three other training partners waiting on you. A non-athlete may just call it a day and take the work home and finish it there. But because you have training partners, you have others who are counting on you to show up – and in turn, they are showing up since you are counting on them.

5. Forced Recovery Means More Time at Home

The last thing we learn in triathlon training that actually increases our productivity involves the recovery that athletes need to take. Some athletes take a recovery day on Sunday, Monday, or Friday. Whichever day works for you that would allow you a day off is the right day. The stress not only of training, but also of daily life can lead to serious burnout for anyone. Burnout in training can start to affect your work and your balance of life at home. Stress is constant in our lives, but exercise allows us to reduce it, but too much exercise stress breaks down the body and can make your life hell. If you are trying to recover form overuse injuries because you didn’t take time to rest and recover, your productivity is going to suffer. But on the flip side, taking a recovery day can help you increase productivity in other areas of your life.

As you can see, triathlon and endurance sports (we can even say exercise in general) can easily force you to be more productive. Getting out there and meeting new people could even lead to some big things in your career, but you won’t know until you lace up those shoes, pump up those tires, or put on some goggles and go out your front door.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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