That is understandable amidst the sea of opinions and cultural pressures. It’s so hard to know what weight to aim for and still maintain a healthy body image. We get so focused on the number on a scale that we can lose sight of what really matters at the end of the day—being healthy and able to lead a full life.

One of the most common questions I am asked when I sit down with a client to establish a plan is, “What should I weigh?”

That is understandable amidst the sea of opinions and cultural pressures. It’s so hard to know what weight to aim for and still maintain a healthy body image. We get so focused on the number on a scale that we can lose sight of what really matters at the end of the day—being healthy and able to lead a full life.

That number we so often dread on the scale is only a part of the bigger picture. An ideal and healthy weight is very individual and needs to be treated as such.

The Body Mass Index

One of the most simple (but by no means best) ways of looking at ideal weight is BMI, which is based solely on height and weight. As a formula it looks like this:

You can take the result of this formula and place it into one of four categories: Underweight (BMI <18.5), Normal (18.5-25), Overweight (25-30), and Obese (> 30). You can also use a graph like the one below:

BMI is incredibly simple and easy for the individual to calculate in the comfort and ease of their home, which is why it is so popular. Being simple and well-adopted, however, does not make it the best or most useful way to look at the concept of ideal weight.

The Problem with BMI

While it gives you a rough idea of how you fare and what you should aim for, there is one area where BMI falls terribly short: it fails to take body composition into account.

What this means is that you can have very muscular people (think football players) that, although they have a completely healthy composition, end up in the “overweight” category. You may also find people who have a “normal” BMI, but their composition is less muscular than is healthy, and that alone can lead to cardiovascular health problems.

There are a lot of different sizes and shapes of bodies out there; fitting into a statistical model doesn’t always work. Don’t get me wrong, BMI is a good model to use in a lot of cases, but if you are looking to set specific goals that are unique to you and your body, there is a better method available.

Determine Fat by Measuring It

I’ve hinted at it already. When looking at an “ideal weight” for someone, what we’re really talking about is body composition. It is easy to talk about only weight, as it typically moves in step with composition, but sometimes it doesn’t.

Such is the case with the skinny-fat person, who may look totally skinny but are a little softer on the edges instead of being lean and muscular underneath the clothes. Their weight is good, but their body fat is actually a little high. You have to take composition into account, especially in endurance athletes where catabolic hormones can get out of control at times and cause more fat storage.

So we turn our eyes away from the scale and over to body composition as the starting point. That means, for most people, having a skin-fold analysis done, or using a bioelectrical impedance (BEI) device to measure their composition (less accurate, more finicky). For those with the means and the access, there are several other methods available that are more accurate, but we’ll skip over that for now.

The goal of using composition as a guide lies in finding out two things: lean mass and percentage of body fat.

As an example, let’s say we weigh a typical male, and he comes in at 200lb and we calculate his body composition and his body fat percentage comes in at 30%. That means our two numbers are as follows:

1. His lean mass is 140lb. This would be considered all non-fat tissue in the body (muscles, organs, etc.).
2. His body fat accounts for 60lb of that weight.

Unless he loses some muscle, this guy just isn’t going to get under 140lb because that would be literally zero percent body fat. In fact, he will probably add a couple pounds of lean muscle along the path depending on how he handles his weight loss approach. That being said, we have the most important part of our calculation figured out: lean mass. This is the absolute starting point and the basis for making ideal weight so much more user-friendly to the individual.

Your total lean mass is the real starting point for finding your ideal weight. [Photo courtesy of: J Perez Imagery]

Finding Your Ideal Weight: The Formula

You can find your ideal weight by figuring out your lean mass, then decide on a body fat percentage or range of percentages that you’d like to be at within the above guidelines. Once you have your range in mind, it is as simple as using the following formula to kick out a goal weight:

Lean body mass (lbs) x (1 + target body fat percentage, as a decimal) = ideal weight

In the case of our 200lb guy, let’s say he wants to be between 12-17% body fat (BF). His situation would look like this:

140 lbs X 1.12 = 156.8 lbs or 140 lbs X 1.17 = 163.8 lbs

So, following the formula, his target “ideal” weight would be 156.8-163.8 pounds.

But how do you decide what percentage(s) to use for this formula? This is where it gets fun. At this point, the idea of an ideal weight often takes different paths depending on your unique perspective. The everyday person just trying to get healthy and look better will have a very different set of goals, at least initially, than someone more athletic looking to push the envelope on performance. Ultimately, it is personal preference.

What Composition Should I Aim to Achieve?

The first step in establishing your unique target weight or weight range is to honestly ask yourself several questions:

1. What is most important to me? Health? Performance? Eating what I want when I want?
2. How do I want to look and feel?
3. Do I like my current amount of muscle mass? Do I have too much or too little for my specific goals? Worded another way: Am I strong enough? Do I have extra muscle mass that doesn’t help with my goals?
4. Do I want to put in the effort and be super disciplined to hit really low body composition numbers?

Once you have spent some time with those questions and have some idea of what is valuable to you, you can use several resources to start drafting your specific ideal weight formula. One great, straightforward resource is ACE’s body composition guidelines.

[Chart courtesy of ACE]

The information ACE provides is simple and straightforward. It also pulls out the category of “essential fat” which is the bare minimum needed to maintain health—a great thing to keep in mind. There are very few people who should be aiming for that level of leanness. For most people looking to be healthy and feel good, the “fitness” category is a great place to aim.

One thing the ACE chart does not account for, though, is the changes in our bodies as we age. Our acceptable body fat ranges tend to increase slightly with age. Why is this, you ask? There are three types of fat on the human body. While the subcutaneous (under the skin; what we measure with skin folds) may remain the same, the visceral (around the organs; unmeasured), and intramuscular fats (in between muscle, like a marbled steak; unmeasured) tend to increase as we age, altering the overall body density and adding to the percentage body fat.

To take aging into account, I’d recommend using one of two resources. Keep in mind that in the first, it is still a statistical model, just like BMI, so some older, athletic individuals, might not fit the assumptions as their body density may be underestimated.

The first resource I’d recommend is from the American College of Sports Medicine’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (8th Ed.). This resource breaks the numbers down into percentiles as well as ranges (very lean, excellent, good, fair, poor, very poor). You can see that represented in the charts below.

[Chart obtained from the American College of Sports Medicine]

The final resource worth mentioning is something much more intuitive: photo charts. These are selections of body images that are correlated to specific body compositions. You can use these to get a much better idea of what your body will look like at various levels of body fat. BuiltLean.com has excellent photo charts available for both men and women as well as detailed explanations. I highly recommend checking it out if you are a more visual person.

A Note for the Athletes

With different sports and levels of competition come different demands and body types that excel. This is why you see competitive runners and cyclists that are so stinkin’ skinny. Gravity punishes any extra weight that they carry. A football player, on the other hand, requires more mass to survive the regular beating placed on the body. Different bodies for different needs. This is a whole topic in and of itself.

Putting It All Together

You have all the pieces of the puzzle. You found your ideal weight or weight range. Now what? You have to work on getting there! It would be nice to think that we just lose fat when we lose weight, or that we just gain muscle when we add bulk. But the reality is that both lean and fat mass are changing together, making the whole process more complicated. That’s why measuring regularly is so important.

Measuring on a regular basis (both weight on the scale and percentage body fat) ensures you are meeting both your fat and lean mass goals. You don’t want to be in that situation where you want to lose weight from fat while keeping your lean muscle and find out you are losing both.

It is also hard to be in the position where you are trying to lose weight, but are adding muscle mass simultaneously, resulting in a scale that reads higher than expected despite looking and feeling better. That can really play with your head. That’s why we measure. Objective data is good, and what gets measured tends to get managed, which leads to better and quicker results.

All this being said, ideal weight is kind of up to you, and will depend on your personal goals. There is no magic number or perfect body type. You need to pick the healthy route, what is best for you, and go after it full bore. Don’t let popular opinion tell you what is best for you.

More on body composition and diet: How the Western Diet Triggers Weight Gain

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What is it you feel whenever you fall off the wagon? It’s usually disappointment, discouragement, and perhaps a touch of self-loathing. These emotions are like quicksand to forward progress unless you know how to work through them.

What is important to understand is that it is human nature to avoid pain (of any kind) like the plague, and that these emotions carry some degree of mental pain with them that can make it difficult to (want to) try again. This is why we fail so hard sometimes. The most important question to ask amidst these emotions is this: why do I feel this way? The answer lies with our expectations.

The Truths About the Wagon

First truth: falling off the wagon now and again is a totally natural, and necessary part of the process of making any kind of lifestyle change.

Second truth: real progress comes from the learning that happens (if you let it), and getting back on the horse. The key is to glean insights from your mistakes and incorporate them so you fall off less often.

Third truth: a little understanding up front about what “falling of the wagon” really is can empower you to avoid some missteps, keep your spirits higher overall, and ultimately help you become more successful at reaching your goals.

The Heart of the Issue

Disappointment and discouragement at their cores are simply a (negative) disconnect between what what we expect and what actually happens.

• Disappointment/Discouragement = the (negative) disconnect between expected results and actual results

What’s nice about taking this step in your thinking is that it begins to empower you. There are aspects of this formula that you can actually control to improve your odds of success. Let’s take a quick look.

What we can control:

• Our expectations and how we go about setting them. The due diligence we put into determining what we expect and whether or not it is reasonable.
• Our efforts towards our results, at least to some degree.
• Our attitude towards any form of resistance that may present itself.
• How flexible we are with our ambitions and expectations.

We cannot control:

• Outside factors that weigh-in on our outcomes. This could be a whole slew of things. For example, bad weather that keeps you from going to the gym, sickness, or needing to take care of an ailing family member.

This is great news! You have a say in the matter. Taking it one step further, falling off the wagon, then, tends to fall into two main pitfalls: poor expectation (goal) setting, and inflexible (all-or-nothing) mindsets. Here’s what you can do to improve on both fronts and minimize the chances you’ll fall all the way off the wagon.

Sharpen the Axe

Before you create any kind of specific goal or expectation, do your research. You need to know that what you are trying to accomplish is both reasonable and achievable within the timeframe you have in mind. If you cannot confidently qualify your expectations as such, then you need to adjust some variables (timeframe is a big one).

An excellent example of this is the all-too-common weight-loss scenario. There are hundreds of diets, products, and programs out there promising quick results. Lose 20 pounds in a month, they say. They prey on your emotions and insecurities and cause you to jump in before doing your homework. Here’s the thing, you can probably lose 20 pounds in a month if you wanted to. The real question is what are you losing exactly (hint: it’s probably not all fat loss) and how sustainable is the weight loss. Most of these programs rely on extraordinary measures to provide these results, and often a lot of the weight lost initially is only water weight that comes right back on with the reintroduction of more carbohydrates and saltier foods.

That being said, dig in, build your understanding, then set your goals and expectations.

Consider Outside Help

Sometimes, it can make the process a whole lot smoother (and quicker) if you seek out some help from a friend, mentor, or professional who has experience you are lacking. Seeking guidance can save you tons of time on the research side of things and help you dodge the common pitfalls many make.

Also, we are not great at judging our own ability, so it can be incredibly insightful to have an accurate, outside opinion to help you shape your expectations.

Set Milestones (Intermediate Goals)

When we build something up in our minds, such as our “ultimate” goal, it can begin to feel overwhelmingly big. Sometimes, especially with your eyes on something that will take some doing, you can get so focused on the end goal that you think you are completely off track with a minor setback that, in reality, is just a curve in the winding road. To fight overwhelming feelings and make yourself more embracing of the inevitable curves in your journey, try breaking your goals down into bite-sized chunks. Creating these milestones to aim for along the way will keep you far more engaged, in the moment, and mentally strong.

Embrace the Middle Ground

Building off of the the idea of milestones, an easy way to derail your success is to have an inflexible mindset that doesn’t allow for mistakes or missteps. Expecting perfection or an unrealistic level of excellence is a formula for disaster. Instead, plan up front to make mistakes at least 20% of the time. When you goof up? Chalk it up to your 20% and choose to do better the next day. It is not a reflection of who you are or how you’re doing overall (unless you let it be).

Also, realize that our actions and choices exist on a spectrum. They are not black and white, best and worst, all or nothing. If you struggle with this, consider the following continuum and how it relates to your current situation or decision:

• What would you say is the absolute best choice in your scenario?
• What about the worst?
• Now think about a choice you have made or your current situation. How does it fall on the spectrum?
• Finally, take a moment to consider two more choices: one that is slightly better than what you did, and one that is slightly worse.

Go Forth and Be Awesome

Photo by Bev Childress

Treat these ideas as tools you added to your toolbox for any lifestyle change you may want to make (or are making). Remember, you will stumble from time to time—but that’s okay. You are prepared, resilient, and ready to conquer whatever you have in front of you. Now, go get it!

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FitShit Is Built to Endure

Any product you’re going to be throwing around in the gym on the regular had better be well-built, and FitShit delivers. Probably one of the first things you’ll notice upon opening your new gear is the zipper. I know it sounds odd, but the zipper itself is double-sewn, and just to be sure, it also has a second layer of snaps to ensure that everything inside the bag stays there.

As you continue to scan the sandbag, you’ll run your fingers over the high quality canvas, and webbing. Again, first impression is that it is spot on, and seems more than capable to handle many a gym beating. Then, you’ll dive into the inner bags that hold the sand. The velcro on the upper flap of these things is no joke. These bags are made out of the same canvas-type material and look plenty stout. Combine that with the super strong Velcro and that sand will stay where it belongs. While I haven’t yet put it through months and months of training, the first impressions for the quality of this sandbag are great.

Give Your Workout Lots of Options

I think this is the best part about the sandbags—they are incredibly versatile and well-designed. One thing that I really love is the scalability you get in a nice, compact package. You get three inner bags that you can fill to your desired weight, which makes it easy to set up different options for your workout. The outer bag itself is listed at 50-110 pounds, and my impression is that it seems more than capable of handling those weights. And the best part? When you are all done, it all fits back into the main tote for easy transport or storage.

What really got me excited, though, are the handles. There are six in all, and their placement makes it easy to do anything from squats and deadlifts to rows and curls. You can do just about any lift you would typically imagine with these bags. It’s essentially a total body workout wrapped up in an easy to handle bag.

Don’t Leave It To Chance

Saving the best for last, FitShit has an actual lifetime warranty behind it. The creator strongly believes in his product and stands behind it for the entire time you own it, no hidden stipulations or anything. If you’re going to spend good money on a product to beat up in the gym, having a lifetime warranty to stand behind its quality is not only reassuring, but also a confirmation of the care that went into its creation. Two thumbs up from me. FitShit sandbags are available at Amazon.

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Gearing Up to Run

Running is the easiest of the disciplines when it comes to gear. Ultimately, you only need a good pair of shoes, the rest is bonus. Regardless, let’s take a moment to walk through some gear that will set you up for success.

Shoes

Shoes are undoubtedly the most important aspect of running gear and this section could truly be its own article. In an internet era, I strongly suggest you go against the flow and head to your local running store to get some assistance. The professionals there will be able to analyze your gait and put you in the shoe that best fits your needs. Running shoes typically fall into one of three categories depending on your biomechanics: neutral, stability/motion control, and maximum support/cushioning. Sorting that out on your own, while doable, can be a total pain.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Running shoes are usually good for around 300 miles of running. While you can continue running in them past that point, and some shoes last longer than others, it is common for pain and tightness to start to creep in. It’s better to change them before they sneak up on you and cause problems.
• Use your running shoes solely for the purpose of running and workouts. This helps you better track the mileage on the shoe and get more miles out of them. Everyday use wears them down more quickly and sets you up for overuse injuries.
• Rotate your shoes (if it’s in the budget). A study noted that rotating your shoes may reduce your overuse injury risk by up to 39%. Plus, spreading the love over several pairs of shoes likely helps your shoes last a little longer, too.

Socks

It might seem like an unimportant area, but arming yourself with great socks makes a world of difference. As I said in my article for weak cyclists, Swiftwick socks (I am not associated with Swiftwick socks in any way other than absolutely loving their product) are some of the best out there. They are incredibly comfortable, last forever, and go a long way in the battle against unwanted friction and blisters. Outside of that, as you consider socks, look for non-cotton socks that will wick well and buffer any hot spots.

Run Shorts

If I would deem any one item essential other than shoes and socks, it would be a good pair (or two) of run shorts. Run-specific shorts can make your life a whole lot easier. The biggest difference from regular athletic shorts? They tend to be lighter weight, shorter length, and have a built in liner so you can skip the underwear which, while it might seem odd, helps eliminate any chaffing issues you may have. A definite win if you ask me.

Run Tights

These, again, are not an essential but tights are incredibly helpful in the colder months. If you dread the treadmill (or “dreadmill” as some of my clients like to call it), they can be a total life saver. Look for a pair that has fleece on the inside as these will tend to keep you warmer.

Tops

Another non-essential, getting some good running shirts can save you some headaches. While there certainly are plenty of run specific shirts (sleeveless in particular), you don’t have to go all out here. Try to find a synthetic (non-cotton) shirt that is lightweight and will wick well. Fabrics that wick will keep you cool and not hold onto as much moisture, keeping them lighter throughout a run. If chaffing is a concern, look for shirts without any screen printing on the chest as it can lead to painful nipples.

Coats

For the colder, rainier months, a good coat can keep you running outside. Typically a lightweight shell will go a long way (down to 30 degrees), whereas heavier weight soft-shell jacket will take you beyond that (but may hold more moisture).

Hat and Sunglasses

Keeping the sun off your head and out of your eyes is important, especially in the middle of the summer. You don’t need anything fancy here, but for the gear enthusiast in the audience there are plenty of run-specific options to whet your appetite. Again, wicking fabrics reign supreme for hats, as well.

GPS Watch with Heart Rate

For those who like to track their training so they can get the most out of what they put in, a good GPS watch that tracks (at least) heart rate and pace is crucial. I have a couple recommendations here:

1. Go with a chest-based heart rate strap instead of a wrist-based monitor. It will prove more accurate.
2. Check out Garmin. While there are plenty of competing options, I think Garmin does it best (again, not affiliated). They have plenty of options to fit a wide range of budgets, too.

Improve Your Running Technique

Now let’s move on from gear to the actual act of running. Focusing on your form is, by far, one of the easiest ways to get better quickly and reduce injury. Smooth, efficient, forward motion is the name of the game. As you think about running and look through the drills below, I encourage you to search for the areas of your stride that inhibit effective forward motion. Let’s start with where your foot is landing in relation to your body—misalignment here is one of the most common pitfalls for newer runners.

“Putting on the brakes” is the term that applies to your foot landing in front of your center of gravity (COG), and often shows up as a heel strike (but not always). This wreaks havoc on your forward motion. Putting on the brakes works against your forward momentum because there is a slight resistance to the forward motion that resumes once you roll onto your toes and begin to move forward again. You don’t want that. Instead of landing out in front, you want to aim to land underneath your center of gravity. Easier said than done, especially if you have years of ingrained running habits. Let’s talk about how to shift away from a reaching stride to one that falls beneath your COG.

Lean

Your lean is the cornerstone. Without it the right lean, you’ll struggle to find your form. It is ever so slight, but good running technique features a forward lean that allows your feet to land underneath of you. It creates this concept of a continuously controlled fall that you will often hear about. This controlled falling is what allows your body to take the vertical forces from gravity and convert some of it into forward motion. If you are too upright, it is very difficult to do this and you end up fighting gravity instead of working with it.

There are a few ways to practice what the lean feels like. The first, and easiest, is to find an open area that gives you at least 10 yards of space. Stand tall on both feet and lean, from the ankles not the hips, until you have to pick up a leg to catch yourself. This is typically pretty close to the kind of lean that will get you that “controlled fall” action in your run.

Another option is to practice the lean by running in place with an exercise band attached to your waist (see video below). All you have to do is lean into it slightly as you run in place. Again, do not bend at the hip. This is a great drill to focus on picking up your foot, as opposed to reaching out in front for your stride.

Finally, in similar fashion to the band drill, you can grab a friend and have them do the same kind of function by standing in front of you with their hands on your shoulders. Just lean into them gently and run in place to get a feel for it. Keep a tight core and bend from the ankles to ensure proper technique.

Cadence

How quickly you turn over your legs (cadence) plays a huge role in running well. Low cadences and over-striding go hand in hand. Conversely, increasing your cadence up to 170-180 rpm makes it much easier to land under your COG and much more difficult to over-stride. If you need help with this, many Garmin watches have a metronome feature built it, or you can grab a free metronome app for your phone to help you get the timing down.

Head Over Foot

These next two points interrelate. Running is essentially alternating single leg hops. With that in mind, try to pick up one leg without shifting your head overtop of your weighted foot. What happens? You fall over! Your head naturally slides over to balance you, and that’s a wonderful thing. This counterbalancing opens up your body to use some bigger muscle groups in your torso which can help you run more powerfully, and efficiently. Better yet, you can take the head over foot concept and use it in your strength training.

Rolling Rib Cage

The last piece is something I like to refer to as rolling rib cage. An often heard bit of advice for runners is to “drive with your arms,” which is entirely counter-productive unless you are all-out sprinting. As mentioned above, the real beauty of landing head over foot is that it creates the opportunity for you to bring the lats and obliques into your form. Including these big muscle groups not only opens the door for more power, it also helps you stay balanced throughout the gait cycle, and it efficiently spreads the work out over more muscle.

To practice this, stand on one leg and hop forward 2-3 feet, landing on the same foot. What happened? You coiled your spine to generate more power before you leaped. Repeat this several times, and switch legs. Then, once you have a sense of what it feels like to use the rotational power to hop, try it out on a run. Instead of focusing on driving your arms, think of rolling your rib cage forward on your unweighted side. Alternatively, you can think of driving the elbow back on the weighted side (side note for the sprinters out there, this is a better cue for you, too).

Drills for Success

Try incorporating some or all of the drills/exercises below to work on your run game.

Engage your arms while doing the drills below as if you were running (so opposite arm moves with the opposite leg). Also, it’s easiest to get your feel for a midfoot strike by practicing in your bare feet initially.

Pony Drill

Start in a normal standing position with good posture. Then, bend your knees slightly and come up onto your toes/front portion of your foot on one leg. The other foot remains flat. After that, switch positions with the flat foot transition into the upright position with the other foot returning to flat. Do this for 20-30 seconds, being mindful of the sensations of the front portion of your foot contacting the ground first, followed by the heel.

Single Leg Hops

After you do the pony drill, shift your weight over onto one foot, unweighting the other leg and lifting your foot from the ground. Don’t lift or drive your knee forward so much as pull your foot towards your butt with your hamstrings (this is key). In this moment, pay attention to how your weight has shifted to the loaded leg. Notice how your head is over your foot to create balance. This is the position we are drilling. From here, hop gently on your weighted foot, paying attention, again, to the sensations of landing on your fore or midfoot with the heel following. Experiment with this on each side. Try to do 30-60 seconds on each leg before progressing to the next drill.

Alternating Single Leg Hops

Take the last drill and begin to alternate between legs. Start with 4-6 hops on each side before switching. Gradually decrease it down to two hops between transitions, and finally try alternating every time. Keep your hops quick (set a metronome to 180 beats per minute if you want) and focus on picking up the foot and having a quick contact with the ground. Do this for 30-60 seconds (more if you like).

Add the Lean/Running

This is really a continuation of the last drill. Once you are alternating every hop, lean forward slightly and let yourself “fall” forward, being mindful of picking up the foot with your hamstrings as you hop. This will cause you to start moving forward in a slow run. Keep it going from here, focusing on a quick turnover. As you gain momentum, notice how you are not driving your legs out in front of you, or reaching out in long strides. Instead, you should feel the length of your stride extending behind you.

Take It to the Grass

Now that you’ve got a feel for it, either take your shoes off and go to a grassy area or put on some minimally cushioned shoes and hit a softer surface like a track or a running trail. Running barefoot on grass is a great way to reinforce what you just practiced. All the wonderful nerves in your feet will light up and you will be able to feel your foot strike exceptionally well. You’ll find that it’s hard to heel strike like this. Run like this for short bouts of 50-100 yards for 3-5 minutes to better reinforce all these new habits.

If you are doing this as a pre-workout or a warm up for your strength routine, try minimalist shoes on a treadmill for 3-5 minutes for a similar effect.

How to Build Your Run Fitness (and Not Get Injured)

So, you’ve done some drills and have a feel for how to run with good form, now what? This is the part where many folks go wrong. It’s natural to be excited about running better and set some goals for yourself. The problem is that most people set too big of a goal too soon. Trying to ramp up running miles too quickly is the number one reason for injuries, and I would attribute that primarily to two things:

1. Your muscles develop more quickly than your bones and connective tissues (tendons, and ligaments). This means your muscles may feel good after a tough week of running, but your other tissues may need more recovery before jumping up into increasing mileage. In a sense, your motor is too strong for it’s frame. This is especially relevant to those moving towards more minimal shoes. Give those little bones and tissues in your feet time to adjust to more impact.
2. Most of us are starting of with imbalances and mobility restrictions that need some work. Jumping into a big running volume before working on how you move can just lead to poor motor patterns, and exacerbation of your existing imbalances. Movement is a skill, and it’s easy to gloss over the skill aspects of running because we “feel fine” and running is just something we know how to do. The trouble is that we lose touch with correct running from all the time we spend sitting. And these problems aren’t something we typically notice upfront unless we know where to look. They don’t crop up quickly, they tend to happen over months and years before we are stuck with an annoying injury.

Build Gradually

This won’t be you, though. You’ll be a healthy, durable runner. All you need is a few tools in your toolbox to approach running in a smart, intentional manner.

Form First

We worked on this above. Practice a lot up front. Nail the form. Then, work on stretching out the distance gradually. Your number one goal and focus is on keeping good form for the entirety of your runs.

Work On Flexibility and Mobility

Moving well starts with ensuring that your tissues are sliding correctly across each other. When they aren’t, you end up with tight, stiff areas that may even cause pain some pain. Worst yet, your movement quality will begin to suffer, and you can begin to ingrain poor habits unless you take some action. To counteract this, make sure you have some mobility and flexibility work in your routine. Running can especially do a number on your muscles, so try to make time for your mobility practice 3-4 days each week. It doesn’t have to be much. In fact, if you focus on the common troublemakers for runners, you can get a lot done in 5-10 minutes, which fits nicely before a workout.

If you’re new to the idea of mobility, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of Ready to Run or Becoming a Supple Leopard written by Kelly Starrett. These two resources are both incredibly thorough, and great places to start.

If you need some specific stretches for runners, try this flexibility flow to hit some of the common culprits (hips, hip flexors, hamstrings, calves, IT bands, low back):

Get Strong and Durable

This part pairs nicely with your mobility work. Once you have worked to get your muscles moving well, it’s time to strengthen them. For runners, try to spend the majority of your time doing unilateral work (e.g. single leg exercises). This helps uncover, and correct weaknesses and imbalances. Bilateral movements (squats, deadlifts, etc.) have their place as well, and are great for building overall strength and power.

Slowly Increase Your Mileage

This section is especially important if you are switching to more minimal, zero drop shoes. This point should be ringing through pretty clearly by now: moving well is your number one priority. This means you need to start as small as necessary. If you are coming off the couch, that may mean you are running for 2-3 minutes at a time, alternating with some walking. If you are relearning your running form, it may mean you start out at 1-2 mile runs and build from there. Take it slow, and try to be mindful of how it feels relative to the drills you’ve been doing.

The process takes time, but it is worth it and it gives your body ample time to adjust. When I changed my running form years ago it took me nearly six months to transition down to more minimal shoes and build my runs up to 6-7 miles (from 1-2). The old adage of increasing by no more than 10% each week is a great rule of thumb both for your longest run and your total volume (the number of miles/time you are running each week).

Turn Off the Tunes

I know, I know—that’s half the fun, right? It makes it way less boring to be running to your jam, but here’s the thing, it disconnects you from what’s going on. Being mindful of the sensations of running, especially as you are learning, or adjusting, is one of the most helpful tools you can have. It will literally accelerate your progress to dial into how your body is feeling as you run. You don’t have to disconnect for every run, and you don’t have to do this forever; just try it out for the first few months as you learn.

Determine the Appropriate Training Load

So what is reasonable in order to reach your goals? It all depends on what you’re training for. Within triathlon, you can use the guidelines below to get you started:

• Sprint– regular runs: 1-2 miles – long runs: 3-4 miles
• Olympic – regular runs: 2-3 miles – long runs: 5-7 miles
• Half – regular runs: 3-7 miles – long runs 8-12 miles
• Full – regular runs: 3-10 miles – long runs: 12-20 miles

Don’t Run Every Day

Take days off during the week. You will need 1-2 days, maybe even 3, to recover and benefit from your efforts. Also, consider swapping out a run day for strength day as an alternative to all the impact.

Take Recovery Weeks

Last, but certainly not least, make sure you are taking regularly scheduled recovery weeks. It is during these weeks of less running that your body actually recovers and better adapts to allow you to improve. If you are younger, or fairly fit, try doing one every three weeks or so. If you are older, or just getting started, you may want to try a recovery week every two weeks.

The post The Weak Runner’s Guide to Starting Triathlon appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This set works on two key areas that will help you to be a smooth, powerful runner: effective body lean, and efficient ground contact (the quicker it is, the less you slow your forward momentum = going further with less effort).

This set works on two key areas that will help you to be a smooth, powerful runner: effective body lean, and efficient ground contact (the quicker it is, the less you slow your forward momentum = going further with less effort).

Developing Smooth and Efficient Running

These drills help you develop a feel for the sensations of smooth and efficient running. Focusing of specific aspects of run form helps your nervous system internalize it part by part so it becomes automatic and effortless as you go out on your runs.

Instructions

Banded Body Lean – Grab a band, attach it to something sturdy, and hop inside of it, placing the band just above your hips. From here, lean as one whole unit, bending at the ankles, NOT at the hips (see video). Then, find your running pose, lean into it, and run in place. Focus on the feeling of picking up your foot (lifting with the hamstring) as you begin to fall. Repeat as much as needed to internalize the feeling.

Jump Rope, Single Unders – Grab a jump rope and do 60 seconds of single-unders, focusing on quick, crisp ground contact. Then do 30 seconds on each foot, again focusing on control and quickness.

Jump Rope, Double Unders – Finally, do 10-15 double-unders. The aim here is to add a small plyometric stimulus to your training which helps you not only become more explosive but also develops foot quickness.

You might also like Under 5 Minutes Drill To Improve Running Performance.

The post A 5 Minute Set to Improve Your Run Technique appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This set of drills is a quick and easy supplement to any run, warm-up or strength workout you may have on your schedule. You can do them just about anywhere without any special equipment or much space at all. In fact shoes are even optional!

This set of drills is a quick and easy supplement to any run, warm-up or strength workout you may have on your schedule. You can do them just about anywhere without any special equipment or much space at all. In fact shoes are even optional!

What’s the Benefit of Running Drills?

In a word? Efficiency. Running will come to you far more quickly and easily when you spend time mastering the technique. Efficient running helps you run faster, improves endurance, and reduces injury risks.

These drills are designed to develop your sensation of an efficient foot strike. They progressively take you through the sensations of a forefoot or midfoot strike so that your body knows what to feel for as you mix it into your actual running.

Landing on your mid or forefoot with a forward lean and a high leg turnover (about 90 repetitions per leg per minute) is the easiest way to keep you foot strike underneath your center of gravity which reduces  landings that hinder your forward movement. In fact, it is a very effective way to take the vertical energy of gravity and translate it into forward motion (a controlled fall). Running is essentially a transition from a good position on one leg to the same position on the other. These drills help reinforce and drill into your nervous system these positions on each leg.

How to Perform Foot Strike Running Drills

Quick note upfront – try to engage your arms in these drills as if you were running (so opposite arm moves with the opposite leg). See the video to clarify.

Pony Drill

Start in a normal standing position with good posture. Then, bend your knees slightly and come up onto your toes/front portion of your foot on one leg. The other foot remains flat. After that, switch positions with the flat foot transition into the upright position, and the other foot returning to flat. Do this for 20-30 seconds, being mindful of the sensations of the front portion of your foot contacting the ground first, followed by the heel.

Single Leg Hops

After you do the Pony Drill, shift your weight over onto one foot, unweighting the other leg and lifting your foot from the ground. Don’t lift or drive your knee forward so much as pull your foot towards your butt with your hamstrings (this is key). In this moment, pay attention to how your weight has shifted to the loaded leg. Notice how your head is over your foot to create balance. This is the position we are drilling. From here, hop gently on your weighted foot, paying attention, again, to the sensations of landing on your fore or midfoot with the heel following. Experiment with this on each side. Try to do 30-60 seconds on each leg before progressing to the next drill.

Alternating Single Leg Hops

take the last drill and begin to alternate between legs. Start with 4-6 hops on each side before switching. Gradually decrease it down to 2 hops between transitions, and finally try alternating every time. Keep your hops quick (set a metronome to 180 beats per minute if you want) and focus on picking up the foot and having a quick contact with the ground. Do this for 30-60 seconds (more if you like).

Add the Lean/Running

This is really a continuation of the last drill. Once you are alternating every hop, lean forward slightly and let yourself “fall” forward, being mindful of picking up the foot with your hamstrings as you hop. This will cause you to start moving forward in a slow run. Keep it going from here, focusing on a quick turnover. As you gain momentum, notice how you are not driving your legs out in front of you, or reaching out in long strides. Instead, you should feel the length of your stride extending behind you.

Take it to the Grass (Optional)

Now that you’ve got a feel for it, either take your shoes off and go to a grassy area or put on some minimally cushioned shoes and hit a softer surface like a track or a running trail. Running barefoot on grass is a great way to reinforce what you just practiced. All the wonderful nerves in your feet will light up and you will be able to feel your foot strike exceptionally well. You’ll find that it’s hard to heel strike like this. Run like this for short bouts of 50-100 yards for 3-5 minutes to better reinforce all these new habits.

If you are doing this as a pre-workout or a warm-up for your strength routine, try minimalist shoes on a treadmill for 3-5 minutes for a similar effect.

You might also like A 5 Minute Set to Improve Your Run Technique.

The post Under 5 Minutes Drill to Improve Running Performance appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 8: Getting Closer, 6-1-6 to 6-3-6

Welcome to your second week of the challenge! Today we take a big step towards actual freestyle swimming. We’re going to build from the 6-1-6 drill that you did last week and add more stroking with the 6-3-6 drill. Everything will be with fins today so you can comfortably get a feel for the drill. The 6-3-6 will start to put all the things together: feel for water, body position, kicking, body roll, and actual stroking. The journey just got pretty exciting!

Gear Needed: Fins and pull buoy

Drills for today:

• Scull 8×50, scull down, kick back w/fins & buoy.
• Side kick, without fins, 4 x 25
• 6-1-6, w/ fins, 10 x 25.
• 6-3-6, w/ fins, 10 x 25

Sculling

Grab a pull buoy, put some fins on, and push off the wall with you face just out of the water. With your arms extended in front of you, move them so that your finger tips are below your wrist, and your wrist is below your elbow. Then, move your hands side-to-side 2-3 feet, experimenting with the angle of and shape of your hand. If done correctly, this will propel you forward (slowly). There is no kicking in this drill. Take your time and play with it until you find what causes you to move down the pool most efficiently. Do eight laps (a lap is one length down and one length back). For each lap, scull down for one length, turn and kick back holding the buoy out in front of you.

Side Kick With Fins

Push off the wall and begin kicking from a prone position. As you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your belly button begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall.

6-1-6 With Fins

Start out as you would for the side kick drill. Count to six, then pull back with your extended arm using it to rotate you to side kicking on the other side. While you’re doing this, bring your relaxed arm up and around to enter the water and extend in front of you, replacing the other arm. Make sure you are exhaling through all of this and rotate to a breath before you take a stroke. As you start the stroke with your extended arm, think about tipping your fingertips down first. Your palm should face the wall behind you. As you start to pull back try to get your palm and forearm vertical as soon as possible so that they are both parallel to the wall behind you. This gives you the biggest possible “paddle” to propel you forward. Avoid dropping your arm and pushing water down instead of back as this will cause your legs to sink.

6-3-6 With Fins

Treat this like the 6-1-6 drill with one major change: instead of one stroke to switch sides, you will do three before returning to your 6-count. The trickiest part of this drill is choosing when to breathe. It is typically easiest to do it right before you take your three strokes. Doing it after the strokes can be a touch long and cause discomfort if you really need some air.

Day 9: Dry Land Drills and Strength

Today’s dry land work will look very similar to day two, but will focus more on strength exercises for developing your core.

Drills:

• Wall extension
• Side stroke Drill
• Plank 3 x 30-60 seconds
• Single Leg Bridge, 2 x 20-60 seconds

Wall Extension

Good swimmers are “long swimmers.” Extension causes rotation, and rotation makes you slice through the water. This drill is a good way to practice and visualize the cue “reach for the wall” and emphasize why it matters. Face a wall with both arms extended overhead. Then, drop one arm to your side and reach as high as you can with the other. What happens? As you reach, your whole body rotates. This more sideways position reduces the surface area visible to the water, making you more hydrodynamic. Better hydrodynamics mean you will go further with less effort – you want that! Swimming efficiently is all about switching from side to side smoothly, not about plowing through on your stomach.

Side Stroke Drill

This drill is another low risk way to work on your stroke mechanics, more specifically the arm portions. Lie on your side with your bottom arm extended in front of you. Then, “stroke” with your other arm. A couple key pieces to focus on are:

• getting your stroke hand to face the wall behind you as you pull towards your toes
• recovering by pulling your elbow to a high position with your hand coming up to your armpit
• practicing an entry that is between the elbow and wrist of your extended arm.

Plank

Lie face down on a mat with elbows resting on the floor next to your chest. Your palms should be flat on the floor or in a fist position. Feet should be together. Then, push your body up off the floor into a pushup position with your body resting on your elbows and hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Hold this for 30-60 seconds before returning to the starting position.

Single Leg Bridge

Lie on floor or mat. Place one leg straight and bend the other leg with foot flat on floor or mat. Place arms down on mat to each side of hips. Then, raise body by extending hip of bent leg, keeping extended leg and hip straight. Hold for 20-60 seconds. Return to original position by lowering body with extended leg and hip straight. Repeat on opposite side.

Day 10:  Game Time! 6-3-6 to Hand Swapping

This is a game changing day. Today you will do a drill that brings you about as close to actual swimming as possible. The big difference from what you will see in the hand swapping drill versus swimming is a slower stroke rhythm and the use of a pull buoy. Other than that, you will actually be swimming! We’ll build on what we’ve practiced so far, reviewing side kicking, and the 6-3-6 before letting you bust out a full-on stroke.

Gear Needed: Fins and pull buoy

Drills for today:

• Scull 8×50, scull down,  6-1-6 back
• Side kick, with fins, 4 x 25
• 6-3-6, w/fins, 10 x 25
• Hand swapping, 10 x 25 w/buoy

Sculling

Grab a pull buoy, and push off the wall with you face just out of the water. With your arms extended in front of you, move them so that your finger tips are below your wrist and your wrist is below your elbow. Then, move your hands side-to-side 2-3 feet, experimenting with the angle of and shape of your hand. If done correctly, this will propel you forward (slowly). There is no kicking in this drill. Take your time and play with it until you find what causes you to move down the pool most efficiently. Do eight laps (a lap is one length down and one length back). For each lap, scull down for one length, turn and do 6-1-6 back with the pull buoy.

Side Kick With Fins

Push of the wall and begin kicking from a prone position. As you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your bellybutton begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall.

6-1-6 With Fins

Start out as you would for the side kick drill. Count to six, then pull back with your extended arm using it to rotate you to side kicking on the other side. While you’re doing this, bring your relaxed arm up and around to enter the water and extend in front of you, replacing the other arm. Make sure you are exhaling through all of this and rotate to a breath before you take a stroke. As you start the stroke with your extended arm, think about tipping your finger tips down first. Your palm should face the wall behind you. As you start to pull back try to get your palm and forearm vertical as soon as possible so that they are both parallel to the wall behind you. This gives you the biggest possible “paddle” to propel you forward. Avoid dropping your arm and pushing water down instead of back as this will cause your legs to sink.

6-3-6 With Fins

Treat this like the 6-1-6 drill with one major change: instead of one stroke to switch sides, you will do three before returning to your 6-count. The trickiest part about this drill is choosing when to breathe. It is typically easiest to do it right before you take your three strokes. Doing it after the strokes can be a touch long and cause discomfort if you really need some air.

Hand Swapping (With Pull Buoy)

In your first few attempts, push off the wall and proceed as if doing the 6-3-6 drill. Once you settle in, keep stroking instead of side-kicking on a 6-count. The key here is to “swap your hands” which will be a little bit slower than the actual swim stroke. To do this, make sure both hands are extended out in front of you before stroking your other arm. It’s just for a split second. In the real stroke, you start to stroke slightly before you recovering arm enters in front of you. With a lot of new things to tackle here, I’d recommend choosing to breathe on whatever side is easiest and stick to that side, breathing every other stroke. As an example, you could breathe every time you are extending your left arm and pulling underneath with your right arm (or vise versa). This gives you the most breaths and will help you be comfortable until you are ready to tackle bilateral breathing (to both sides, usually every three strokes).

Day 11:  Practice Makes Perfect – More 6-3-6 & Hand Swapping

Practice makes perfect, so today we will spend time refining what we already know. There are no new drills today, only changes to some of the variables within those drills. Today we will start to take away training aids to prepare you for full-out swimming on day 13. You’re familiarity with these drills should help you be able to relax and absorb more, even without training aids. Enough chatter – get out there and practice!

Gear Needed: Fins and pull buoy

Drills for today:

Scull (with bouy) 4×50: scull down, kick back without fins.
6-1-6, without fins, 6 x 25.
6-3-6, w/fins, 10 x 25
6-3-6, without fins, 6 x 25
Hand swapping, 10 x 25 w/buoy

Sculling (Without Fins)

Grab a pull buoy, and push off the wall with you face just out of the water. With your arms extended in front of you, move them so that your finger tips are below your wrist and your wrist is below your elbow. Then, move your hands side to side 2-3 feet, experimenting with the angle of and shape of your hand. If done correctly, this will propel you forward (slowly). There is no kicking in this drill. Take your time and play with it until you find what causes you to move down the pool most efficiently. Do eight laps (a lap is one length down and one length back). For each lap, scull down for one length, turn and kick back holding the buoy out in front of you.

Side Kick (Without Fins)

Push of the wall and begin kicking from a prone position. As you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your bellybutton begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall.

6-1-6 (Without Fins)

Start out as you would for the side kick drill. Count to six, then pull back with your extended arm and, using it to rotate you to side kicking on the other side. While you’re doing this, bring your relaxed arm up and around to enter the water and extend in front of you, replacing the other arm. Make sure you are exhaling through all of this and rotate to a breath before you take a stroke. As you start the stroke with your extended arm, think about tipping your finger tips down first. Your palm should face the wall behind you. As you start to pull back try to get your palm and forearm vertical as soon as possible so that they are both parallel to the wall behind you. This gives you the biggest possible “paddle” to propel you forward. Avoid dropping your arm and pushing water down instead of back as this will cause your legs to sink.

6-3-6 (With and Without Fins)

Treat this like the 6-1-6 drill with one major change: instead of one stroke to switch sides, you will do three before returning to your 6-count. The trickiest part about this drill is choosing when to breathe. It is typically easiest to do it right before you take your three strokes. Doing it after the strokes can be a touch long and cause some discomfort if you really need some air.

Hand Swapping (With Pull Buoy)

In your first few attempts, push off the wall and proceed as if doing the 6-3-6 drill. Once you settle in, keep stroking instead of side-kicking on a 6-count. The key here is to “swap your hands” which will be a little bit slower than the actual swim stroke. To do this, make sure both hands are extended out in front of you before stroking your other arm. It’s just for a split second. In the real stroke, you start to stroke slightly before you recovering arm enters in front of you. With a lot of new things to tackle here, I’d recommend choosing to breathe on whatever side is easiest and stick to that side, breathing every other stroke. As an example, you could breathe every time you are extending your left arm and pulling underneath with your right arm (or vise versa). This gives you the most breaths and will help you be comfortable until you are ready to tackle bilateral breathing (to both sides, usually every three strokes).

Day 12: Dry Land Drills and Strength

This is your last dry land day which means you’ve almost made it to the end of the challenge! Well done. Today is primarily about core strength with a splash of low back and rotational work to support the movements you’re doing in the pool on a regular basis.

Drills for today:

• Russian Twist, 2 x 50 seconds
• Superman, 3 x 30-60 seconds
• Plank w/ Twist 3 x 30-60 seconds
• Cobra + Camel Flow

Russian Twist

Lie down on the floor placing your feet flat on the floor. Your legs should be bent at the knees. Elevate your upper body so that it creates an imaginary V-shape with your thighs. Clasp your hands together and hold them in front of you near your belly button. If you desire more of a challenge hold a plate or dumbbell. Twist your torso to the right side until your hands touch the floor, breathing out. Hold the contraction for a second and move back to the starting position while breathing out. Now move to the opposite side performing the same techniques you applied to the right side. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Superman

To begin, lie straight and face down on the floor or exercise mat. Your arms should be fully extended in front of you. Then, simultaneously raise your arms, legs, and chest off of the floor and hold this contraction for 30-60 seconds. Squeeze your lower back to get the best results from this exercise. Remember to exhale during this movement.

Plank with Twist

Lie face down on a mat with elbows resting on the floor next to your chest. Your palms should be flat on the floor or in a fist position. Feet should be together. Then, push your body off the floor into a pushup position with your body resting on your elbows and hands. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes. Then, rotate your hips to one side, come back to center, and rotate to the opposite side. Do this for 30-60 seconds.

Cobra + Camel Flow

These two stretches are excellent for improving flexibility in the abdominals and chest, both of which will see a lot of work when you swim. To do them, lie face down on a mat with elbows resting on the floor next to your chest and hands flat. Then, push up so that your chest comes off the mat and your hips remain on the ground. Hold for 20-30 seconds. Then move to a kneeling position and lean back so that you rest your hands on your heels. Squeeze your glutes, driving your hips forward and rotating your chest up and out. Hold this for 20-30 seconds. See video for demonstration.

Day 13:  Real Swimming, Day One

It’s finally time to put it all together! Today we’ll progress from the 6-3-6 drill that you are familiar with and move to hand swapping with the buoy. From there, you’ll take away the buoy and keep the stroke rhythm. Once you get comfortable essentially swimming without any aids at all (yay!), we’ll just slightly tweak your stroke rate, add the buoy back in and let you do some real-deal swimming. Exciting stuff!

Drills for today:

• 6-3-6 with fins, 10 x 25
• Hand swapping with buoy, 10 x 25, 2 x 50
• Hand swapping without buoy, 6 x 25,  1 x 50
• Swimming, with buoy, 4 x 25, 2 x 50

6-3-6 (With Fins)

Treat this like the 6-1-6 drill with one major change: instead of one stroke to switch sides, you will do three before returning to your 6-count. The trickiest part about this drill is choosing when to breathe. It is typically easiest to do it right before you take your three strokes. Doing it after the strokes can be a touch long and cause some discomfort if you really need some air.

Hand Swapping (With and Without Pull Buoy)

In your first few attempts, push off the wall and proceed as if doing the 6-3-6 drill. Once you settle in, keep stroking instead of side-kicking on a 6-count. The key here is to “swap your hands” which will be a little bit slower than the actual swim stroke. To do this, make sure both hands are extended out in front of you before stroking your other arm. It’s just for a split second. In the real stroke, you start to stroke slightly before you recovering arm enters in front of you. With a lot of new things to tackle here, I’d recommend choosing to breathe on whatever side is easiest and stick to that side, breathing every other stroke. As an example, you could breathe every time you are extending your left arm and pulling underneath with your right arm (or vise versa). This gives you the most breaths and will help you be comfortable until you are ready to tackle bilateral breathing (to both sides, usually every three strokes).

Swimming (With Pull Buoy)

Treat this just like you have the hand swapping drill. The only thing different is that you won’t be matching your hands any more. The trick is in finding a stroke rate that works for you. Make sure you are still reaching for the wall and keeping the extended arm high. Don’t your elbow drop prematurely, especially as you breathe. Begin to stroke with your extended arm slightly before your recovering arm enters the water. Experiment with it by slowly changing your rhythm away from matching your hands. How does it feel? Can you feel any “dead spots” in your stroke where you lose momentum? If so, where are you losing it? Are you moving water the whole time with your arms?

Day 14:  Real Swimming, Day Two

You’ve made it! Today is the final day of the 14 Day Swim Challenge and will see you removing all training aids and breaking out some legit freestyle swimming for a few laps. The goal of this challenge was to get you to a point where you can put it all together and continue to use your own feedback to gradually refine it. Enjoy today! Soak it in. We’ve covered a lot in a short time and being able to do laps without any training aids should feel great. Before you know it, you’ll be able to swim continuously for far more than a lap or two. Fun! Let’s jump in for today. Much like yesterday, we’re going to progress from the things we know to the brand new. Great work these past two weeks – good luck out there!

Drills for today:

• Hand swapping with buoy, 10 x 25
• Hand swapping without buoy, 6 x 25
• Swimming, with buoy, 4 x 25, 4 x 50
• Swimming, without buoy 4 x 25, 2 x 50

Hand Swapping (With and Without Pull Buoy)

In your first few attempts, push off the wall and proceed as if doing the 6-3-6 drill. Once you settle in, keep stroking instead of side-kicking on a 6-count. The key here is to “swap your hands” which will be a little bit slower than the actual swim stroke. To do this, make sure both hands are extended out in front of you before stroking your other arm. It’s just for a split second. In the real stroke, you start to stroke slightly before you recovering arm enters in front of you. With a lot of new things to tackle here, I’d recommend choosing to breathe on whatever side is easiest and stick to that side, breathing every other stroke. As an example, you could breathe every time you are extending your left arm and pulling underneath with your right arm (or vise versa). This gives you the most breaths and will help you be comfortable until you are ready to tackle bilateral breathing (to both sides, usually every three strokes).

Swimming (With and Without Pull Buoy)

Treat this just like you have the hand swapping drill. The only thing different is that you won’t be matching your hands anymore. The trick is in finding a stroke rate that works for you. Make sure you are still reaching for the wall and keeping the extended arm high. Don’t your elbow drop prematurely, especially as you breathe. Begin to stroke with your extended arm before your recovering arm enters the water. Experiment with it by slowly changing your rhythm away from matching your hands. How does it feel? Can you feel any “dead spots” in your stroke where you lose momentum? If so, where are you losing it? Are you moving water the whole time with your arms?

Congratulations on completing this challenge!

Go to Week 1 of the 14 Day Swim Challenge for more background on the workouts or if you just want to start at the beginning.

The post 14 Day Swim Challenge – Week 2 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day one is all about comfort and may seem laughably simplistic. Trust me, a lot of this will feel that way at first. It will all come together with the further you get in the challenge. Learning to swim is first about developing comfort so you can relax, focus, and learn. Once you are comfortable, it is about drilling the nervous system skill by skill to develop movement patterns that become subconscious and automatic. As each part of the stroke becomes more habitual, it opens up brain space to focus on the next piece. Before you know it, all of those moving pieces will come together as the freestyle stroke.

Before we dive into this challenge, make sure you have access to the necessary gear. You won’t need much outside of your regular swim attire and goggles. The only additional things you’ll need are some fins and a pull buoy. If you don’t have access to them, you can easily pick some up from a swim store, online, or from a friend.

If at the end of this challenge you feel like you are ready for bigger and better things, try TriStrong, my 16-week training and workout program to get you triathlon fitness ready for competition or just for fun.

Day 1: Comfort in the Water (In the Shallows)

Okay, let’s get started! Areas of focus for today are comfort, breathing, and kicking. Working on these three up front establishes a strong foundation for you to build on later. Do the following drills in the shallow end of your pool so you feel as comfortable as possible (demos in the video and instructions below):

• Feel for the water drill
• Sink drill (3-in-a-row, blowing bubbles)
• Kick practice (on-deck)
• Kicking on wall, 10 x 0:15

Feel for the Water

Think of this as some light play time in the water. The aim here is only to develop a familiarity with the sensations of the water and the effects that your movement has on it. You can do this drill with your head above water or submerged – up to you. I’d recommend keeping it out to start, especially if you are brand new to swimming. Take 3-5 minutes to experiment with your hands, arms and legs. Be mindful of how the water feels and what happens when you make certain movements.

Sink Drill

Breathing while swimming is nearly always the biggest obstacle for new swimmers. Breathing well keeps you calm, and relaxed. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least intuitive things to learn – we are land animals after all. Holding your breath, even for a split second, is a critical sin you need to avoid as you learn to swim. This drill is a low risk, low key way to get your feet wet. Get in the shallow end, inhale a solid breathe, then begin to exhale steadily as you lower yourself into the water. As your face gets to the water, keep exhaling through your mouth, blowing bubbles. Let yourself sink as you exhale further. As air exits your lungs your body becomes less and less buoyant. Before you get too uncomfortable, stand back up, continuing to exhale, and inhale as your mouth reaches air again. Do this at least 3 times in a row. Again, spend 3-5 minutes here. As you progress, feel free to try blowing bubbles out your nose as well as your mouth.

Kick Practice

Kicking is an aspect of the stroke that can really help you to better stay balanced and afloat. Conversely, doing it wrong can make for some serious headaches. See the video demonstration here. All you need to do is sit on the side of the pool (often called “the deck”) and practice. Good kicking is from the hip with pointed toes. You want to limit flexion of the knee. Try to avoid kicking like you are trying to pedal a bicycle. Spend 2-3 minutes practicing this. If needed, add more.

Kicking on the Wall

Now the rubber meets the road! Jump in the water and face the wall. Place both hands on it and let your legs float out behind you (or extend them physically if you have sinkier legs). Then, take what you just practiced and kick, from the hip. You can do this with your head out of the water for now. As you progress we’ll get it submerged. If done correctly, you should feel your kicking driving you towards the wall and keeping your butt and legs afloat.

Day 2: Yoga and Dry Land Drills

Today we take a break from the pool to work on comfort in a very different setting. These dryland drills and stretches will prepare your mind and body for what’s to come.

Your drills for today will focus on visualizing the stroke while practicing movement skills to use in coming lessons. These can be done just about anywhere and will help you to feel more comfortable as we continue to add layers to the learning.

Drills:

• Wall extension
• Side stroke Drill
• Sitting kick practice
• Child’s Pose + Twist

Wall Extension

Good swimmers are “long swimmers.” Extension causes rotation, and rotation makes you slice through the water. This drill is a good way to practice and visualize the cue “reach for the wall” and emphasize why it matters. Face a wall with both arms extended overhead. Then, drop one arm to your side and reach as high as you can with the other. What happens? As you reach, your whole body rotates. This more sideways position reduces the surface area visible to the water, making you more hydrodynamic. Better hydrodynamics mean you will go further with less effort – you want that! Swimming efficiently is all about switching from side to side smoothly, not about plowing through on your stomach.

Side Stroke Drill

This drill is another low risk way to work on your stroke mechanics, more specifically the arm portions. Lie on your side with your bottom arm extended in front of you. Then, “stroke” with your other arm. A couple key pieces to focus on are:

• getting your stroke hand to face the wall behind you as you pull towards your toes
• recovering by pulling your elbow to a high position with your hand coming up to your armpit
• practicing an entry that is between the elbow and wrist of your extended arm.

Kick Practice

We’re bringing this back from yesterday. Find a chair or bench and practice kicking from the hip with pointed toes. Minimizes flexion at the knee. Just a minute or two is fine.

Child’s Pose + Twist

This stretch is a great way to relax and stretch out the back and shoulders. Start by sitting on your knees. Then sit back onto your heels and fold forward, extending your arms out in front of you. Try to relax your back and shoulders and extend as far as possible. If you want, anchor your hands and pull back to stretch your lats. After 20-30 seconds here, take one arm and thread it through the other (underneath your armpit). If possible, turn your head the opposite way. This will work on your neck and shoulders more specifically. After 20-30 seconds, switch to the other side.

Day 3: More Comfort and Kicking (In the Shallows)

We’re back in the water today! For today we have some review mixed in with more specific breathing and kicking drills. We’ll also start to work on the idea of balance and finding what it feels like to be level in the water and keep the hips and legs high.

Gear Needed: Fins

Drills for today:

• Sink drill + feel for the water
• Bubble – bubble – breathe (on the wall), 10 x 0:15
• Kick drill from push-off, with fins *body position*, 10-15x

Sink Drill + Feel for the Water

This is a combo of what we worked on in day one. As you exhale underwater to practice the sink drill, add in movement with your arms and legs to develop a feel for the water while breathing. Do this for 3-5 minutes.

Bubble – Bubble – Breathe

This is a low key way to practice the breathing pattern you’ll do with freestyle. Again, do this is the shallow end so your feet can touch and you can be in total control. First, get in the water, facing the wall. Then take a breath and begin to exhale as you place your face in the water. As you are in the water say to yourself “bubble – bubble – breathe.” As you say breathe rotate only your head so that your mouth comes out of the water. Inhale and return to face-down, exhaling. Through this, repeat the bubble-bubble-breathe mantra. Practice rotating to both sides and work towards just barely getting your mouth out of the water and keeping the crown of your head semi-submerged. You should get about half a goggle out of the water.

Kick Drill from Push-Off

This is the first time we’ll work our way out from the wall. Grab some fins and get ready to practice all the things you’ve been working on so far! When you’re ready, take a good breath, push off hard from the wall and start blowing bubbles as you kick lightly. When you start to feel the need for air, stand up and turn around. Starting out you’ll probably kick for about 10-15 feet. As you get more comfortable, try to go further. This is a great drill for working on body position. Think of your body as a see-saw. To balance your heavy legs you will have to shift some weight towards your head and torso which will pop your hips up. Experiment with this. You will likely feel like you are swimming downhill. Your butt and heels should just break the surface of the water when you get it right. You will likely go far in both directions before finding balance – that’s okay! Play with it. You’re doing this in the shallows so you can stand up as needed. Do this 10-15 times until you feel good about it.

Day 4: Breathing, Kicking, Side Kicking

Time to add some more layers! Today we continue our work on comfort, breathing, and body position, and add in practice of the side position we visualized on day 2.

Gear Needed: Fins

Drills for today:

• Kicking on wall, breathing to sides, 10 x 0:15
• Kicking w/ fins, 10 x 25
• Side kick w/ fins, 5 x 25

Kicking on Wall Breathing to Sides

This is a combination of drills from the past few days (kicking on the wall and bubble-bubble-breathe). Start by kicking into the wall with your head out of the water. Once you feel comfortable, inhale and put your head in the water like you did with the bubble-bubble-breathe drill. As needed, rotate your head to breathe while continuing to kick. Do this ten times for about 15 seconds each round.

Kicking With Fins

This is the same as the kick drill from push off only you will extend it the length of the pool (one length equals 25 yards or meters) and mix in breathing. To start, just to a little breaststroke/doggy paddle to bring your head up for a breath. If you feel confident, try rotating your head to breathe instead of breaststroking to it. This better simulates the actual freestyle motion. Do this for 10 lengths of the pool, resting on the wall as needed.

Side Kick With Fins

This drill is very similar to the kicking drill above only now we are going to rotate to the side. First, as you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your belly button begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall. Make sure you continue to kick while you breathe. If you don’t, you’ll have what we call a “scissor kick” which causes a ton of drag and makes your bottom half very sinky. Feel free to rotate your shoulder a little if needed to get your mouth out of the water. Finding balance in the side position is similar to the prone position. Instead of placing weight/pressure on your head and chest, it will feel more like you are leaning onto your armpit. You may want to try placing your extended hand at different depths to help with this, too. Experiment with the position until you can breathe comfortably from the side kicking position without inhaling any water or feeling rushed. Beware of holding your breath at this stage.

Day 5: Yoga + Strength + Dry Land Drills

4 days in and it’s time to hop out of the water and do some work in the gym. Today’s workout focuses more on strength and flexibility while bringing in elements of review from our last dryland day. These movements will build swim-specific strength and improve flexibility in your back and spine. For the strength work, do 2-3 sets of 20-30 reps of a weight that is doable but challenging by the end. For the flexibility, aim for 20-30 seconds in each position. See the video for demonstrations of each exercise.

Today’s work features:

• Child’s pose flow + cat/cow
• Spinal rotation, lying
• Push up
• Narrow push up
• Pull up
• Cable row
• Side stroke drill (review from day 2)

Day 6: Trying it Without Fins & Sculling

We’re almost a week in and making some great progress! Today features two new wrinkles: we’re going to try some drills without fins and we’re going to introduce sculling, which is an extension of feeling for the water.

Gear Needed: Fins and pull buoy

Drills for today:

• Kick w/ fins, 8×25
• Kick w/o fins, 4×25
• Side kick w/ fins, 8×25
• Side kick w/o fins, 4×25
• Scull (with pull buoy), 4×25

Kicking With and Without Fins

Push off hard from the wall and start blowing bubbles as you kick from the hip. Either leave your hands at your side or extend them out in front of you (as demonstrated in the video). When you start to feel the need for air, take a little breast stroke to pop your head up for a breathe, then return (or rotate your head to the side to breath). Think of your body as a see-saw. To balance you will have to shift some weight towards your head and chest which will bring your bottom half up. Experiment with this until your butt and heels just break the surface of the water.

Side Kick With and Without Fins

Push of the wall as if doing the drill above. As you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your bellybutton begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall.

Sculling

This drill is active practice of feeling for the water with your palms, and forearms. Grab a pull buoy, and push off the wall with you face just out of the water. With your arms extended in front of you, move them so that your finger tips are below your wrist, and your wrist is below your elbow. Then, move your hands side-to-side 2-3 feet, experimenting with the angle of and shape of your hand. If done correctly, this will propel you forward (slowly). There is no kicking in this drill. Take your time and play with it until you find what causes you to move down the pool most efficiently. Do four lengths, resting on the wall as needed.

Day 7: Time to Stroke – The 6-1-6 Drill

This is an exciting day! Today will be the first time we start to put it all together and work on rolling from one side to the other with a stroke. There is a lot of review in this day with only one new drill: the 6-1-6.

Gear Needed: Fins and pull buoy

Drills for today:

• Scull 8×50, scull down, kick back w/fins & buoy.
• Side kick, with fins, 8 x 25
• 6-1-6, w/ fins, 10 x 25.

Sculling

Grab a pull buoy, put some fins on, and push off the wall with you face just out of the water. With your arms extended in front of you, move them so that your finger tips are below your wrist, and your wrist is below your elbow. Then, move your hands side-to-side 2-3 feet, experimenting with the angle of and shape of your hand. If done correctly, this will propel you forward (slowly). There is no kicking in this drill. Take your time and play with it until you find what causes you to move down the pool most efficiently. Do eight laps (a lap is one length down and one length back). For each lap, scull down for one length, turn and kick back holding the buoy out in front of you.

Side Kick With Fins

Push of the wall and begin kicking from a prone position. As you kick extend one arm out in front of you, reaching for the wall while leaving the other arm relaxed at your side. This will pull your torso around so that your bellybutton begins to face the side wall. Aim to kick at about a 45 degree angle. Your face should be close to your arm with your eyes looking either straight down or 2-3 feet ahead. As needed, rotate your head to breathe on the side facing the side wall.

6-1-6 with Fins

Start out as you would for the side kick drill. Count to six, then pull back with your extended arm using it to rotate you to side kicking on the other side. While you’re doing this, bring your relaxed arm up and around to enter the water and extend in front of you, replacing the other arm. Make sure you are exhaling through all of this and rotate to a breath before you take a stroke. As you start the stroke with your extended arm, think about tipping your finger tips down first. Your palm should face the wall behind you. As you start to pull back try to get your palm and forearm vertical as soon as possible so that they are both parallel to the wall behind you. This gives you the biggest possible “paddle” to propel you forward. Avoid dropping your arm and pushing water down instead of back as this will cause your legs to sink.

For further reading try The Weak Swimmers Guide to Triathlon.

If you’ve got this far then you’re ready for Week 2 of the 14 Day Swim Challenge.

The post 14 Day Swim Challenge – Week 1 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Gearing Up: The Essentials

Cycling is the gear heavy sport of the bunch. Here are what I would deem the essentials to have in your arsenal, with an explanation down below:

• Bike
• Helmet
• Cycling/Triathlon Shorts
• Jerseys
• Shoes
• Socks
• Water Bottles
• Sunglasses
• Gear bag and tools

Let’s start with the obvious first: the bike. You can start with whatever bike you have and are comfortable with. Don’t let the bike be a hurdle that stops you from trying triathlon. There are lots of choices out there, some of which will make life easier, so let’s dive into the options you will likely see.

Mountain Bikes

Knobby tires, shocks, and disc brakes make these bikes ideal for off-road conditions or hopping on and off of curbs as you speed around town. Unfortunately, those aggressive tires and upright position don’t do you any favors for speed out on the pavement. Lots of people do their first race on a mountain bike but trade it in for a road or tri bike once they realize how much speed they’re leaving on the table.

Comfort Bikes

This is a very general classification for a wide range of bikes. The defining feature here is body position. Comfort for the recreational rider is all about being more upright, which takes pressure off your hands and neck and puts you spine closer to it’s natural position. If you want to picture this bike, think of a “beach cruiser” style bike with wide tires, a plush seat, and swept back handlebars. Much like its mountain bike counterpart, this bike will not be very quick, but it will be more comfortable.

Road Bikes

These are the heart and soul of cycling enthusiasts and are one of the most common styles of bike you will see at a triathlon. The defining features here are skinny tires, a smaller seat, and a more aggressive position. The slim tires reduce rolling resistance, and the body position makes you more aerodynamic, and both mean more speed with less work.

There are always subcategories to consider. There are “comfort” road bikes that place you slightly more upright and have more forgiving frames (less road feel). There are aero frames that tend to cut through the wind better and can be a nice “do-it-all” kind of bike for the triathlete that only wants one bike. And finally, there are the more traditional road frames which are stiffer (more road feel) and place your torso in a more horizontal position. Everyone is different so try each kind out to see what’s for you.

Triathlon Bikes

Triathlon bikes (or time trial bikes) take performance to the next level. These bikes feature deeper aerodynamic frames, very aggressive geometry, and fairly stiff frames. The name of the game here is efficiency and that is why you see so many triathletes get into one eventually. Tri bikes allow you to go faster and farther with less effort so you have more energy for a good run (and race). While the efficiency is great, the more horizontal position changes how the bike handles significantly. This isn’t a starter bike if you’re new to the sport and have your doubts or concerns. Keep it in mind for down the road.

Helmets

There are a ridiculous number of helmets available at a wide range of prices. Fit is the most important factor so be sure to try them on. Other things to consider are how ventilated the helmet is and its weight. You can also consider a triathlon-specific helmet which will get you even more time gains from the aerodynamic design. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to visit your local bike shop for help.

Cycling/Triathlon Shorts

These will be your biggest ally. Many people look at a bike seat and say, “I can’t ride on that!” Well, let me tell you, I couldn’t either without bike shorts. The extra padding goes a long way to making you comfortable and helps to reduce chaffing. Pro tip: Do not wear anything between you and your cycling shorts. They aren’t designed for it. It’s a chaffing nightmare waiting to happen.

Tri shorts are similar to cycling shorts but are far less padded. This helps them to dry after coming out of a swim. Tri shorts are great, but less padding may not be a big turn off if you’re struggling with comfort. It’s 100% okay to start with cycling shorts.

Cycling Jerseys/Tri Tops

Cycling jerseys feature performance-oriented fabrics that help you stay dry, cool, and comfortable. They also have three big pockets on the back, which are great for stuffing things like a vest, snacks, or your phone.

Tri-specific tops are similar, but without the sleeves and less/smaller pockets. Sleeveless is nice, not only because it can help you stay cooler, but also because it dries fast out of the water. If you’re doing shorter races, the limited pockets won’t be terrible. It becomes more of an issue as you go longer and need to carry more.

Shoes

Cycling shoes and pedals connect you to the bike throughout the whole pedal stroke. This means you are creating power both when you push down and when you pull up. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but it helps a ton. It allow you to use more muscles to do the same amount of work (or more), which makes you more efficient and powerful.

Triathlon-specific shoes are a nice upgrade. Their design makes transitions a breeze. They have a bigger opening and different straps that allow you to hop into them while you’re moving. They also are designed to dry out quickly, which you definitely want after you get done swimming.

Socks

Like the jerseys, good socks wick well and help you stay comfortable longer. By no means are they a necessity, but they are very nice. My personal recommendation is Swiftwick. Their socks are beyond fantastic and take a beating. I have several pair that are five years old and going strong.

Water bottles

They’re handy, and not only for cycling. Stock up on a few. You need to stay hydrated.

Sunglasses

A shield for the sun, wind, and bugs is nice. Extravagant sunglasses are not necessary. To start find something that you like and is comfortable.

Gear Bag and Tools

This handy little bag goes behind your saddle and holds all kinds of things. Consider grabbing an extra tube, tire levers, a multi-tool for emergencies, a CO2 cartridge, and an inflator to go in your bag.  Don’t skip out on this, stuff happens out there and having an insurance policy with you is wonderful.

Get Comfortable: The Bike Fit

Cycling is the most time intensive discipline in triathlon. Once you lock down your gear, it is worth spending the time to think about how you interact with your bike. You have three points of contact (hands, butt, and feet) that always interface with the bike. The term “bike fit” refers to how these three points are setup. You can do a lot of adjusting on your own. Try out these suggestions to see if your bike is, or even can be, in the ballpark for fitting you well.

Seat Height

Sit on the saddle and put one of the pedals down at 6 o’clock. Then, move your foot so your heel rests on the pedal. Your extended leg should be straight or very close to it. Alternatively, if you place the pedal mid to forefoot like you would ride in your cycling shoes, you should have a slight bend in your knee.

Saddle Fore/Aft

Next, move the crank arm so it is horizontal. Then, either have a friend take a picture from the side or use a plumb line hanging from below your knee cap (on the forward leg) to see where it falls in relation to the pedal. If you were to draw a vertical line from below your knee cap (technically your tibial tuberosity), it should intersect with the center of the pedal. In some cases it may be slightly ahead of it, too. Some fitters may approach this differently for a myriad of reasons, but this is a great place to start.

Saddle Angle

This part can be a bit tricky. As a general rule, start by making the nose of the saddle (the front ⅓ to ½ of the saddle) level or 1-degree downhill. Adjust in small increments from there. Hint: you can use your iPhone to do this with the built in compass app, which includes a digital level. You should feel stable. It should not feel like you’re sliding off towards the handlebars or like your hips tilt backwards.

Handlebars

Finally, you can move on to the cockpit (always do your adjustments for the hips down first). If you have your hands on the tops of the handlebars (on the “hoods” for road bikes, not the “drops”), the handlebars should obstruct your view of the hub on the front wheel. Adjusting this is harder because you may need a new stem to change the positioning.

When adjusting your cockpit pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel stretched out? Cramped? Have a friend look. Do your upper arms make a 90-degree angle with your torso? They should be close to perpendicular in relation to your upper body as a starting point.

A Professional Opinion May Be Worth It

Using the above guidelines will get you close, and, at the very least, give you an idea if your existing bike will work for you. If you’re unsure, then I’d recommend getting a second opinion. Consider heading over to your local bike shop to get some help or pick out a bike that will better suit you.

While it is an investment in both time and money, I’d also recommend a professional bike fit if you want to nail down all the details of how your bike fits you. It is one of the absolute best ways to spend your money to get the most comfort and performance out of your ride. They usually take anywhere from two to three hours and cost upwards of $175. It’s worth every bit of the investment.

Know Your Skills: Bike Handling

Once your bike fit is good to go, it’s time to think about bike handling as another means of building confidence. Bike handling skills—what are those? Think of things like riding one (or no) handed, bunny hoping, and riding in packs. Descending and cornering are biggies, too. To those of us who grew up riding (and wrecking) bikes, this may already be pretty natural to you. If you didn’t grow up on a bike, though, you will probably need to spend the time here developing your foundational skills.

What’s the best way to do it? Break it down into bite-size chunks with drills. Drills are nice because you can start small and progress your skills as you improve. If you have any fear or trepidation that comes with riding, drills are great a way to gradually take steps towards feeling more in control on a bike. For a list of drills, broken down by what you want to work on, head here.

Plan two or three mini sessions a week where you solely work on your bike handling. You don’t need more than 15-20 minutes to practice. It can be as easy as adding a little extension to your already scheduled rides.

Build Your Engine – Strategies for Building Fitness

The last area to focus on is getting strong. If you are starting from square one, plan to spend two to three weeks acclimating to being on the bike and building some endurance. These initial weeks are an excellent time to prioritize consistency. The habit of riding two to three days per week will really carry you as you develop your bike legs. Keep the intensity low up front (less than 5 out of 10 for effort) before moving on to anything more intense.

Once you have some legs under you, or if you’ve already been riding awhile, you can consider interval work. Intervals are one of the best ways to build fitness. They are time efficient, and can help you to train specific aspects of your fitness. Try one or two sessions per week to start and be sure to get 48 hours of recovery (active recovery is okay). Not sure what kind of intervals to start with? Try one of these two from my TriStrong training plan:

10-15 x 1 BSE Intervals

Goal: To improve strength, power, muscular endurance, and to boost VO2 max.

Description:

• 15:00 warm-up, from RPE 3/Zone 1&2 (up to RPE 7/Zone 3 &4 by the end)
• 3:00 RPE 3

Then, 10-15x:

• 1:00 Best Sustained Effort, 1:00 recovery

Followed with:

• 5:00 cool down

Best sustained effort (BSE) is the strongest consistent effort you can hold for the interval. Stated another way, it is the hardest you can go without the effort exploding and falling off towards the end. Try to be a little stronger in the last ten seconds.

6-9 x 3 Threshold Intervals

Goal: To improve muscular endurance and power at threshold.

Description:

Take 15-20 minutes to warm-up well, then do 6-9x:

• 3:00 at RPE 7-8 (might feel like a 9-10 by the end), zone 4

Use a 2:00 easy spin to recover, then take 10-15 minutes to continue to easily spin and cool down. Stretch.

Single Leg Drills

Consider adding some single leg pedaling drills into the mix. These are most easily performed on an indoor trainer. It’s as simple as unclipping one foot then pedaling as smoothly as possible (at a normal cadence) for 30-60 seconds at a time. Try to apply power all the way around the pedal stroke. It’s hard. These will really help you to pedal efficiently once you bring both legs back into the picture.

Gear and Strategies to Go Beyond

As you progress you may start to wonder what kind of tools and strategies will help you take it to the next level. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Get an Indoor Trainer

Trainers are great for so many reasons, not least of which is the quality of workout you can get on them. Without hills and wind to contend with, your efforts become far more consistent which means you will get more out of the work you put in. This can be such a time-saver. Trainers are also nice when you need to sneak in workout but can’t get out of the house (because of kids, weather, time, etc.).

Train with Heart Rate

Moving from training with perceived effort to using heart rate will give you a better understanding of your body and help you train more specifically. This also helps you get the most out of your training time. As you get more advanced you can use HR to help you sniff out dehydration or over-training before they bite you in the butt.

Upgrade to a Power Meter

Power meters take training specificity to a whole new level. Power meters tell you how much force you are generating in any given moment (moment being the key word here). While heart rate will lag behind shorter efforts, power will not. It is brutally objective and instantaneous. You will know right away if you are hitting your targets or not. For many, it is a total game changer.

Ride With a Group

While it’s fine to start out riding a lot of your miles solo or with trusted friends, taking the leap to join a group ride will reap dividends. Often groups are broken into tiers so you can find a bunch that will match your current skill level. Inevitably, you will build better bike handling skills and meet cyclists who will challenge you to be better.

Challenge Yourself

Whenever possible, choose something outside of your comfort zone to work towards. Curvy descents not your thing? Work up to it. Hate climbing? Find a local hill to conquer. Don’t rest on your laurels.

Don’t Forget to Play

Look, I love training hard as much as anyone, but burn out is a real thing. Make sure you integrate some fun into the mix on regular basis so cycling doesn’t become a chore. For me, that has looked like leisure rides with friends or solo rides where I try to get lost a little bit so it feels like an adventure. How it will look for you exactly? Only you can decide.

Get Some Coaching

Nothing beats the accountability and outside feedback of a coach. Some folks can self-coach well, but for many, having a coach pushes them to a whole new level of training and performance. Having a coach is worth considering if you want to take your game to the next level.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but should get you well on your way. What additional questions do you have as a newer cyclist? If you’d like me to cover a topic in an upcoming piece just shoot an email over to info@breakingmuscle.com and put Coach Gerber in the subject line.

The post The Weak Cyclist’s Guide to Starting Triathlon appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If swimming is your kryptonite and you’re trying to get into triathlon, this article will show you the way to become adept at swimming in the shortest time possible. The right gear, mental preparation, and focused practice will go a long way toward your mastery in the water.

Get the Right Gear

Swimming is a simple sport when it comes to gear. You don’t need much, but having the right stuff will help you learn and enjoy it better. Men, I’m going to speak to you specifically up front: don’t wear board shorts or regular trunks to do your swim workouts. It’s like swimming with a parachute.

Instead, find some good jammers from brands like TYR, Roka, or Finis, and you will be far happier in the water. Although they look similar, don’t try to use compression shorts to do the job. The chlorine will tear them apart, and you will be showing people your butt before you know it (ask me how I know).

Once you have your suit squared away, spend some time finding goggles that you will love. If swimming is not your thing, you want to give yourself every reason to succeed, and having comfortable eyewear really helps. Goggles come in so many shapes and sizes that the best approach is to head to a store and try some out. Don’t settle for anything less than comfortable and leak-free. You may want to pick out more than one pair: a more clear-colored pair for pool swimming, and another with some shading or mirroring for outdoor swimming. This will help you get the most out of both environments.

Finally, snag a swim cap if you want one. Most guys can get away without one, depending on their hair situation. Ladies, you will almost certainly want one, unless you don’t mind hair in your face all the time. There are two main types to consider: latex and silicone. Latex swim caps are cheap, thin, and come in all kinds of designs. They aren’t the most fun to put on or the most comfortable to wear, however. Silicone caps are slightly thicker, still have many designs, but are easier to put on, are more comfortable, and last longer.

Training Aids

Your suit, goggles, and swim cap are the bare necessities. If you want to speed your learning process along, or are interested in better focusing on specific aspects of your stroke, then training aids are something to strongly consider.

There are four training aids that I highly recommend for aspiring swimmers: fins, a pull buoy, a tempo trainer, and paddles. These aids will help you get comfortable with the water and make it easier to figure out drills or break out specific aspects of your stroke.

Fins are helpful in several ways. First and foremost, they make it easier to cover some distance while getting in some practice. The added propulsion hides some flaws in the back half of your stroke, allowing you to make progress down the lane while better focusing on what you want to work on. Fins are incredibly helpful in learning new drills, as the extra momentum they give you helps you stay comfortable as you try out new things. Feeling like you won’t drown is a big win when you’re trying out weird new drills.

Pull buoys are similar, but without the propulsion. They keep your butt and legs from sinking, so you can spend your time focused on the toughest parts, like breathing and figuring out what your arms are supposed to be doing. Without the added propulsion, swimming with a buoy will feel a lot more like regular swimming, and translates well as you get closer to putting your whole stroke together.

A tempo trainer is essentially an underwater metronome that you place beneath your swim cap. It is very helpful when you get to the point in your training where you need to work on rhythm, timing (stroke rate), and stroke length.

Paddles serve two main purposes. Primarily, they help you to develop strength and a punchiness to your stroke. They also help you develop a longer pull, which is something that sometimes gets lost as you focus on all the other pieces you are trying to tie together.

As a bonus, paddles like the Agility Paddle from Finis also help you to develop correct entry and catch technique, as they will actually fall off your hands if you aren’t moving correctly through the stroke.

Set Yourself Up For Success

Once you have the right gear, swimming progress becomes all about mental preparation, and spending your time in the areas that will get you the biggest gains in the shortest time span.

I came into triathlon as a weak swimmer, and the biggest mistakes I made up front were mainly mental. I didn’t know anything about swimming, and I did not respect it. I thought I “knew how to swim,” and was athletic enough that it would come easily—it did not. Don’t make my mistake. Meet yourself where you’re at, and your time in the water will go far more smoothly than mine.

The biggest key to feeling competent in the water begins with seeing consistent improvement, which is all about knowing where to focus your efforts. The first question you have to ask yourself is, “Do I really know how to swim, or do I just think I do?” As a coach, I have run across a lot of folks that think they do, which leads to them focusing on the wrong things, not improving, and ending up incredibly frustrated.

As a novice swimmer, 80% of seeing steady improvement comes from focusing on a small handful of areas. I will get into the details in a minute, but first, let’s ask a couple questions to figure out what this handful of areas should be.

Start From Square One

If this is you:

• Cannot swim with your face in the water

• Cannot make it more than a length or two without feeling tired and winded

• Don’t feel like you get enough air

• Think that you may drown if you try to swim more than a length or two

Then you need to start at square one. In the very beginning, expect to spend almost all of your time on getting comfortable, and on drills. It will likely be 5-10 sessions before you are ready to try your hand at a complete freestyle stroke. Patience pays off.

The main areas to focus on in the very beginning are comfort, breathing, and balance, which is the ability to stay horizontal and near the surface of the water. To get comfortable, you may need to spend some time in the shallow end just practicing exhaling (blowing bubbles) and letting yourself sink. Move your hands around while you do, playing with different movements to get more familiar with the feel of the water.

As you get more comfortable, you may want to practice breathing as you kick against the wall, or doing kick drills so you can experiment with balance and head position. Once you feel good about your comfort, breathing, and have some semblance of balance, you can move on to drills that look more like an actual swim stroke (next section).

If you want more details on these drills, including video demonstrations, read the article Triathlon Training: Find Your Breath In The Water.

Technique Troubleshooting

If this is you:

• Can swim with your face in the water, but feel still feel a little uncomfortable or slow

• Feel sink-y, or like you can’t stay horizontal and near the surface of the water

• Feel like you don’t have any timing or rhythm, or like your stroke isn’t getting you anywhere

Then you have some idea of what you’re doing, and just need to clean things up a bit. This usually comes after 5-10 sessions of swimming. At this stage, a lot of athletes are still making a lot of mistakes around the breaths. Take a moment to double-check your breathing technique. Are you exhaling completely? Are you holding your breath at all, even if it is just for a split second?

Outside of breathing, you can start to focus on cleaning up your actual stroke. Drills like single arm side swimming, 6-1-6 or 6-3-6 are great to isolate a side and clean up your arm mechanics and breathing technique. Once you feel good with those, try hand swapping (a.k.a. the catch-up drill). As you practice the whole stroke, be mindful of any dead spots. Look for areas where you aren’t creating forward momentum. Pay special attention to what’s happening when you breathe. You don’t want to pause here to make more time to breathe, which is a very common mistake. This only slows you down. Instead, try to be moving water at all times.

After that, double check your kick. Are you kicking from the hip with pointed toes (correct), or are you kicking from the knee (incorrect)? It’s still worth doing kick drills at this stage if it needs to be cleaned up.

If your kick is solid and your arm mechanics are okay, the last and most crucial area to focus on is the catch. The catch is the portion of the stroke that comes right after your hand enters the water and reaches full extension. When done correctly, it feels almost like you are grabbing the water and pulling it back. The catch is something that takes time to truly master, but you can make yours effective in short order with deliberate practice.

Most people don’t actually grab the water at all, so much as push it down with a straight arm. This creates upward propulsion instead of forward, and causes your torso to rise, and feet to sink.

Rather than push the water down, focus on keeping your fingertips below your wrist, and your wrist below your elbow on extension. Then, drop your fingertips, bend your hand down from the wrist, grab the water with your palm, bend your elbow, and pull straight back toward the wall behind you. It should almost feel like you are lying on your belly on a conveyor belt, and you’re pulling yourself forward with your arms down beside the belt.

The catch is the hardest part of the stroke to get a good feel for. Drills like sculling or any single arm variations help to break it out so you can focus on it. Once you start to develop a strong catch, you will start to feel a nice “punch” to your stroke that will pay huge dividends in open water conditions.

Open Water Swimming and Race Selection

That brings me to my last point for aspiring swimmers: spend time practicing open water skills, like sighting, bilateral breathing, and drafting. And you have to get out in the open water itself. There is no substitute for experience when it comes to swimming outside, and with other people around you. The more you do it, the better and more comfortable it becomes.

If you are just getting into triathlon as a weak or beginning swimmer, choose your races carefully. Do not make my mistake and try to swim in Lake Erie after two “lessons” with a friend. A bad experience will mentally hang with you a lot longer than a good one. There are lots of races that feature indoor pool swims, or smaller lake swims. Both will have calmer, more controlled conditions that will help you build some mental momentum for yourself.

Coached or Self-Coached: Should You Get Help?

Learning to swim, especially as an adult, is a uniquely challenging undertaking. Do you have to have lessons or a coach to do it? No. But having a trained eye to guide your efforts can save you a lot of time and effort. A coach can also help get you out of your head, and keep you motivated and focused on practicing the right things. In short, there is far less guesswork.

If you don’t use a coach, I’d encourage you to either grab a friend who is an experienced swimmer, or find someone with a GoPro or waterproof camera to snag some video of you. Being able to actually see what you are doing with relation to how it feels can help you connect the dots.

14 Day Swim Challenge

Do you want day-by-day guidance and challenges to get your swim game started? Be sure to check out my upcoming 14-Day Swim Challenge. It will feature videos of all the drills and exercise you need to do each day to go from absolute beginner to swimming freestyle in two weeks. All you have to do is follow along and put in the work. Look for details soon on the Breaking Muscle Facebook Page.

The post The Weak Swimmer’s Guide to Starting Triathlon appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you’re considering giving the sport a shot, great! It may seem daunting to get started, but today I’m going to lay out your go-to guide for your first few steps into the sport. I’ll help you understand how to best spend your time (and money), and what you can expect. Feel free to read it all, or use the links to click ahead to the sections you find most relevant.

1. Why Triathlon
2. Getting Connected 
3. Getting the Right Gear 
4. Couch to Triathlon 
5. The Past Athlete
6. The Endurance Junkie 

Why Triathlon Should Be Your New Sport

Physically, triathlon is an excellent way to develop total fitness, especially if you are diligent about including strength work in your training. Practicing three sports will help you stay injury-free, or help you to stay active despite injury.

If body composition is important to you (read: how you look naked), then triathlon is an excellent choice. It will help you reach a balanced body composition, and won’t leave you looking hyper-skinny like many competitive runners and cyclists, or too bulky like some strength-only athletes.

Mentally, triathlon can do a world of good for you, too. My own progression from sprint distance to Ironman (in a year) did nothing but fortify my mental strength, and prove to me that just about anything is possible with the right attitude and consistent, hard work.

While many people think of Ironman events when you say triathlon, the sport is not just about big distances. I remember how I felt after my very first tri: happy to be alive after the swim (seriously, I needed so much more work), and totally awesome for having completed the whole distance. A sprint triathlon felt so hard at that point in my career that and conquering it felt incredible!

The people that fill the sport are probably the best part. The tri crowd is such a fun and encouraging group, with a very accepting attitude that makes it easy for anyone to get into the sport. This is the biggest reason I keep coming back for more, year after year. Making friends and tackling big challenges with them creates an incredibly strong bond and provides the accountability you will need to push through on days when you do not feel like training.

Getting Connected

In fact, I think the social aspect of the sport is so important that I suggest your very first step should be finding others to join you. Tri clubs abound in just about every city, and are a great starting point. USA Triathlon and Trifind both have great tools to help you find and contact a club near you.

If you like having a place to log your workouts and want a Facebook-like community to share in your success, make sure you check out Strava. They also have clubs you can join.

Another great option is to simply reach out to your friends and family to let them know what you are doing. Inevitably, there will be someone near you that would love to help you get started.

If you need help finding a good place to swim or people to swim with, the US Master’s Swimming website can help.

The Gear

Once you’ve found yourself some training buddies, it’s time to gear up and get out there! Three sports-worth of gear to figure out can feel pretty overwhelming at first, but the truth is you don’t have to go crazy just to give the sport a try. That’s why I’ve broken the gear portion of this guide into two categories: essentials, and non-essentials. This should give you an idea of what you need to just get started, and what you may want to add as you spend more time in the sport.

The Gear: Essentials

To get started, you just need the bare minimum. There really is no need to chase any of the fancy toys if you’re just dipping your toes in the water.

• Swimsuit: Any will do, no need for anything fancy.
• Goggles: I have seen people race without them, but it is far better with them.
• Swim cap
• Active wear for the bike and run: I would recommend wicking fabrics over cotton. Padded bike shorts can be a life-saver!
• Socks: Go with athletic socks to avoid blisters.
• A bicycle: Any bike will do; lots of folks ride a cheap mountain bike their first time around.
• A helmet
• Sunglasses
• Shoes: Any athletic shoe will do to start/
• Hat or visor for the run

The Gear: Non-Essentials

These items can improve your experience, and are more specific to the sport.

General Items:

• A coach
• Heart rate monitor
• GPS watch
• Training log: I highly recommend TrainingPeaks or Strava.
• Transition bag for all your gear
• Nutrition products
• Hydration Systems for your bike or for running
• Number Belts
• Triathlon-specific shorts and top, or a tri suit if you’re cool with onesies.

For the Swim:

• Swimming tools: pull buoy, kick boards, paddles, fins.
• Swim-specific suit: Go with proper swim attire, guys especially. Baggy shorts are just going to make you work harder! Get some swim jammers so you can glide through the water.
• Several kinds of goggles, so you can adjust for different sun conditions.
• A wetsuit: Sleeveless is fine for warmer climates.
• Swim shorts: These are like a wetsuit, but just from your waist to your knees.

For the Bike:

• A road or triathlon-specific bicycle. They are lighter, more aerodynamic, and have less rolling resistance, which means it take less effort to go faster.
• Flat kit bag secured to your bike, with an extra tube, a pump, and tire levers.
• Cycling shoes: These allow you to apply power through the whole pedal stroke, which helps you pedal more efficiently and go faster. Triathlon specific shoes are a nice touch, too.
• A helmet, perhaps an aero helmet, as it does help significantly in an aero position.
• Power meter
• An indoor trainer or rollers

For the Run:

• Quality running shoes. It’s a great idea to have several pairs of good running shoes, so you can rotate them.
• Lock laces so you can transition quickly.

You might want to get a rack for all the medals you’re going to earn, too.

The Three Pathways

In my time racing and coaching, I have noticed that there tend to be three paths that almost everyone follows when coming into the sport. These pathways form a spectrum, from the total beginner to the fairly experienced with endurance sports. These pathways will serve as the foundation for the rest of this guide.

Couch to Triathlete

This is a very common inroad to triathlon. Typically, this bunch comes to the sport because of some other primary motivation, such as weight loss or improving their health. Performance is not really the fire in their bellies.

Most of the time, these folks will either see an ad for a mini triathlon, or find out about one through a friend, and decide to dust of the ol’ bike, running shoes, and swim shorts and give it a go. Perhaps they may even take it on as a bet (like I did)! To them, the idea of finishing a race with three different legs is very challenging, but doable. It is a concrete goal that is representative of their desire for a better body or overall wellness.

Your First Race: Shorter is better here. Aim for a Mini or Super-Sprint (400m swim, 6.2mi bike, 1.6mi run) or Sprint (750m swim, 12.4mi bike, 3.1mi run) distance race to get your feet wet. The shorter distances will provide plenty of challenge, but still allow you ample room for the learning curve.

How to Set Goals: At this stage, how you set goals really matters, but probably not in the sense that you are thinking. For beginners, overreaching with goals and falling short can do more harm than good. That’s why it’s better to set very attainable goals. Doing this upfront takes unnecessary pressure out of the equation so you can enjoy the whole process as much as possible.

Your number one goal in this group is to have fun. If you don’t have fun, you won’t keep doing it, so make sure to look for ways to enjoy what you are doing. Developing a love for the sport will carry you a long way toward achieving your goals as they become more complex.

Outside of having fun, the most important thing to focus on as a beginner is consistency. You don’t need big, hard miles at this stage; you just need to be out doing work more days of the week than not. Set a goal to work out 4-5 days a week, and aim to work on each sport 1-2 times each week.

Past that, finishing your race is a great goal as a beginner. Get your first race under your belt before you entertain any serious thoughts of setting a time goal.

• Weeks to Train: 16-24 depending on initial fitness.
• Training per Week: 4-6 hours
• Initial Swim Training: 300-400m, broken up into smaller chunks of 25-50. 400m longest continuous swim.
• Initial Bike Training: 3-4mi, build up to 12-15mi rides.
• Initial Run Training: 0.5-1mi, alternating between running and walking if necessary. Try starting with 2min running and 3 min walking, at first. Build up to running 2-3 miles continuously.

How to Start Training:

I’d suggest laying a good foundation on the things you already love. Make sure you are getting enough time in each week for the sport(s) you enjoy.

From there, take an honest look at what you don’t enjoy and your weak areas (oftentimes swimming), and plan to spend extra time there. For your weak sport, you probably want to spend an extra session on it each week to get it up to speed.

On that note, allow yourself some time to learn if something is very new. I made this mistake with swimming and it made it miserable on race day. Leave time for the process. If you’re lucky and your training buddy is strong in your weak sport, have him or her give you some honest feedback.

Also, start slow and keep it short. There is no need to try and go fast or long as you ease into triathlon. Build a little each week, and plan to make every fourth week a lighter and easier recovery week. This will allow your body to adapt for more work.

What to Pay Attention To: Don’t try to build your fitness too quickly. You need to take a very gradual approach, especially as it pertains to running. The impact involved in running requires time for your bones and ligaments to adjust. It’s much like building a house brick by brick. Take your time, and don’t increase the duration of your longest efforts more than 10% week to week.

The Past Athlete

This is another common thread amongst triathletes. Almost every multisport athlete you talk to will tell you a story that involves one sport morphing into all three over time. It nearly always involves some element of searching for a new or different hobby as they move through adulthood. It’s common to hear something like: “I used to play [insert team sport here] in high school and college, but didn’t know what to do after I graduated and got a job. I started running for fun, then biking, and before I knew it, triathlon seemed like something worth trying.”

These folks are often ambitious and competitive, but sometimes you will also find the more laid-back individual just looking for something new to try. About half of the people in this crowd are in it just to finish, while the other half want to figure out how to do it as well as possible.

Your First Race: Having an athletic background opens up more race options for the Past Athlete. Most often the Sprint (750m swim, 12.4mi bike, 3.1mi run), and Olympic (1500m swim, 25mi bike, 6.2mi run) distance races are a great choice, as they tend to be easily doable with several blocks of training and don’t require any specialized equipment. If you’re aerobically strong and want a big challenge, a Half Ironman (1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, 13.1mi run) could be on your radar, too.

How to Set Goals: Since you have an athletic foundation, it should be fairly easy for you to get a feel for what you can do in each sport. This will allow you to set initial goals beyond just finishing, if you want to (although finishing is still a great goal as you get started). I still highly recommend you keep fun at the forefront as a goal before setting specific performance goals. The more you love this, the better you will do when you hit rough patches in training.

If you do want to set more concrete goals for yourself, I suggest including some fitness tests in your plan at various intervals. This will allow you to dial in to what your body is capable of. If you are fit, do them up front. If not, give yourself 2-4 weeks of consistent training before testing. Either way, continue to test each discipline every 4-6 weeks, so you can get a good feel for how your training is progressing.

What kind of tests should you do? For swimming, take a look at the CSS test to help you determine your pacing. For running and cycling, aim to do a 20 minute threshold test, using whatever measuring equipment you have (heart rate monitor, power meter, etc.). You can also look into the MAF test to get a feel for your aerobic abilities. From here, you can use these results to find training zones and predicted race efforts.

• Weeks to Train: 16-18 depending on initial fitness.
• Training per Week: 6-8 hours for Sprint/Olympic distances, 8-15 hours for Half Ironman.
• Initial Swim Training: 500-1000m, broken up into smaller chunks. 1600-2000m longest continuous swim.
• Initial Bike Training: 5-10mi, build up to 20-25mi rides. For Half Ironman, start at 20-25mi rides and build to 50-60mi.
• Initial Run Training: 1-2mi for your shorter runs, and 3-4mi for your long runs. Build up to 5-7mi for the shorter races, and at least 12-13mi for Half Ironman.

How to Start Training:

Up front, it is important to do two things: figure out which discipline(s) you are weakest in, and hatch a plan for addressing it. As a past athlete, it can be easy to stay in your comfort zone and not work on your weaker skills. Making a plan, even if it is not hyper-specific, helps.

To lay out your training week, the best place to start is with a balanced approach that you tweak to your weakness. Aim for six workouts spread over 5-6 days each week. If you are fairly balanced, try for two workouts per sport each week. If you need work in an area, bump it up to three workouts for that discipline, and drop a workout in an area where you are stronger. For example, if you need to build up your running and are a strong cyclist, do three days of shorter runs until you have more miles under your belt, and drop a ride each week.

Once you get a consistent training habit going after 2-3 weeks, try throwing in some two-a-days (morning and evening sessions) and doing 2-3 workouts per sport each week.

While you acclimate to training for three sports, I recommend keeping your workouts at a fairly low intensity. Once you get 3-4 weeks under your belt, start mixing in some higher intensity workouts if you feel comfortable (no more than two per week).

If you want a ready-made plan to follow that goes deeper into all the aspects of what triathlon looks life amidst a normal, busy life, check out my program, TriStrong. It is perfect for the Sprint and Olympic distances, and will give you all the tools you need to self-coach your way to great success.

What to Pay Attention To: There are two areas where the past athlete may struggle. With their previous experience, they may assume that they are more ready for triathlon than they really are. All too often, I hear stories like this one:

Me: “So, do you know how to swim?”

Athlete: “Oh yeah! I know how to swim. I took lessons as a kid. This should be no problem!”

Then we get in the pool, and suddenly swimming more than two or three lengths seems next to impossible.

An honest assessment up front will help the past athlete avoid painful learning experiences like the one above. Whether you work with a trusted friend or a coach, take some time to dig into your abilities before planning out your training.

The other common thread I see from past athletes is that of the over-zealous individual who takes on too much training too quickly and ends up injured. Even if you are reasonably fit, or used to be in outstanding shape, it’s still wise to pay attention to how quickly you progress. You probably want to start with fairly conservative distances with each of your workouts, and add about 10% a week to the distance of your longest efforts. Your body will thank you!

Horsing around with the kids in the local pool isn’t quite the same thing as swimming in a tri.

The Endurance Junkie

These are the vagabonds of the endurance world. They have been there and done that in some form of endurance sport, and aren’t afraid to change gears in the name of whetting their appetite for completing audacious challenges. You may hear them say something like: “I started as runner, did a few marathons, then tried cycling for a bit to help with recovery, and loved it. At some point, I decided I’d learn how to swim, and give triathlon a go.”

The endurance junkie is almost guaranteed to be on ambitious side of the spectrum, even if they have a laid-back air about them. This bunch thrives on a challenge, and for them the idea of putting together three sports over a longer distance (like an Ironman) is enthralling. To them, finishing is just one of several goals. They will almost certainly have specific performance goals in mind that go far past finishing.

Your First Race: The options are pretty much all on the table for the endurance junkie. Their experience in the endurance world will make the transition over to triathlon fairly easy, and doing a lot of structured training for a big goal will be nothing new for them. For the Endurance Junkie, it is still probably a good idea to get in a shorter race or two before tackling a big goal like Ironman (2.4mi swim, 112mi bike, 26.2mi run) or Half Ironman (1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, 13.1mi run). Olympic distance races (1500m swim, 25mi bike, 6.2mi run) are great for this, and will help you to not only get a feel for the sport, but also work on details like your transitions, and figuring out nutrition.

How to Set Goals: Since you are coming from another endurance sport to triathlon, you will almost certainly want to figure out what you specifically want to accomplish within each discipline, and overall. Thankfully, all you have to do is take your familiarity with endurance sports and translate it over to the new sports you are adding to the mix.

The recipe for setting your goals should not be terribly new to you. Just as with the Past Athlete, I’d suggest starting with performance tests and continuing them at various intervals (roughly every 4-6 weeks) so you have an idea of what you’re capable of. Tests you can do include:

Swimming:

• CSS test
• 1000m time trial

Running or cycling:

• 20min threshold or functional threshold power (FTP) test
• Ramp test
• MAF Test

Once you have some results from these tests, you can plug them into a race calculator to give you a feel for some reasonable race times. QT2 Systems has a great one that I’d recommend.

I’d also encourage you to set multiple goals for yourself, and prioritize them according to how meaningful they are to you (e.g. just finish, finish in 10 hours, break an hour in the swim, etc.). But don’t be too serious! Try to keep things light and enjoyable to avoid burning out.

• Weeks to Train: 16-18 depending on initial fitness.
• Training per Week: 6-8 hours for Olympic distances, 8-15 hours for Half Ironman, 10-20 hours for Ironman.
• Initial Swim Training: 800-1500m, broken up into smaller chunks. 1600-2000m longest continuous swim for Half Ironman and under. Up to 4000m for Ironman.
• Initial Bike Training: 10-15mi, build up to 20-25mi rides. For Half Ironman, start at 20-25mi rides and build to 50-60mi. For Ironman, start with 20-30mi rides and build up to at least several 100mi rides.
• Initial Run Training: 2-3mi for your shorter runs and 3-4mi for your long runs. Build up to 5-7mil for the shorter races, and at least 12-13mi for Half Ironman. For Ironman, build up to 18-20mi.

How to Start Training: A decent starting point for the Endurance Junkie is to take your current training volume (total hours of training per week) and keep it the same, but split it up between the sports. For example, let’s say you are a cyclist who rides 10 hours a week over six workouts. Plan to ride more like 3-5 hours a week, run 2-3 hours, and swim 2-3 hours. Timewise it won’t work out perfectly, because swimming takes the least time and cycling the most.

The number of workouts per sport each week will divide up more evenly. Start with two workouts for each sport each week with one rest day. Do this until you feel good about your skill level in all three disciplines. Once you feel confident, try moving into two-a-day workouts, where you can aim for closer to three workouts in each sport per week.

You are also probably no stranger to higher intensity workouts. As you start, keep it to only 1-2 intense (speed or power-focused) workouts per week. Further into your training, you can push it up to 2-3 workouts, as long as you’re recovering well.

If you want an easy route to setting up a plan for your first Sprint or Olympic race that will help you make the most of your performance, be sure to check out my program, TriStrong. It is perfect for those who want to self-coach and make the most of their abilities, even with a challenging schedule. It will set you up with a flexible plan, all the tools and instructions you need to tweak the plan and self-coach successfully, and a guide for including the right kind of strength work to prepare you for the longer distance races in your future.

What to Pay Attention To: This bunch tends to be pretty driven, so resting and recovering appropriately can be a struggle. Give yourself 7.5-9 hours or sleep a night as often as possible, and make sure to take a complete rest day every 7-10 days.

Two-a-days may be a new challenge for you as well. Be sure to pay attention to your body and how well it is recovering from a morning session. Don’t be afraid to modify an evening workout when your body is giving you appropriate feedback to do so. Need help with that? Find a quality coach, so you can have an experienced outside opinion.

The post The Total Newbie’s Guide to Triathlon appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Below are three workouts (one for each sport) that will help you get the most out of your fitness and save you valuable time. These workouts come from the 16-week TriStrong Premium Training Plan, which is a great way to dip your toes into triathlon and work on building your total-body fitness. Each of these workouts should easily fit into an hour or less of your time, and will boost your fitness while honing the skills you need out on the course.

Before jumping into the workouts, it is helpful to have an understanding of how to gauge your efforts. “RPE” refers to rate of perceived effort, which works on a scale of 1-10. 1 is essentially lying on the couch, 4-5 is an all-day, conversational pace, 7-8 is an intensity you can only hold for about an hour at best, and 9-10 is close to all-out over shorter efforts (think 3 minutes or less).

3 TriStrong Workouts

Ready to get started? We’ll go in the typical order of events here:

Swim: Fartleks

This quick little swim workout is an excellent way to get in some speed work while also practicing elements you will see in open water swimming.

Goal: Improve the skill of dealing with changes of pace, or having to recover under pressure from something unexpected in open water conditions.

Workout:

• 400m warm up (swim with a pull buoy if possible)
• 8x50m fast (RPE 6-8), 50m recover.
• 4x100m fast (RPE 6-8), 100m recover

Do not rest between the fast and the recovery sections. For example, you should swim continuously through 50m fast, right into 50m recovery. You can recover after that, or string them together. Your choice.

Bike: Over-Unders

This tough bike workout will challenge you to the core, while helping you build power and speed. It is also great for getting you more accustomed to dealing with changes in pace.

Goal: To help you better maintain efforts at and above threshold for extended times.

Workout: 

• 10min warm up
• 3min zone 4/RPE 8
• 3min recovery

Then 5x:

• 1min just above lactic threshold/FTP
• 1min just below lactic threshold/FTP

Recover 5min, then repeat the over-unders. Cool down for 5min.

Run: 400s and 800s

This workout is tough, but does a really great job of building speed, power, and the higher leg turnover you need to kill the run on race day. Do this workout on a track or a course measured out with a GPS device. Either is fine, as long as you nail the distances.

Goal: To work on quick leg turnover and increasing running speed at threshold.

Workout: 

Warm up:

• 1 mile. Include several 30 second bursts in the second half to get your heart rate up.

Then 3x:

• 400m best effort, 200m recovery
• 800m best effort, 400m recovery

Cool down:

Easy 800m and stretch.

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