IN THIS EDITION…

  • Why you need to know your CSS
  • Workout inspiration from the pros
  • It’s time to recalculate your FTP
  • Running in times of high stress
  • How to attain a healthy racing weight

WEIGHTY ISSUES

We all have an optimal range of body weight that, when reached, gives us a better chance for a great performance.

However, the topic of racing weight is tricky, and fraught with potential pitfalls.  To help you navigate this complex subject, coach Laura Norris discusses 4 myths that prevent us from reaching an effective racing weight.

While weight does make a difference, it’s important to be strong, not just light.  Her emphasis on healthy eating and strength training provides a framework that’s well-suited for triathletes and will help get you to the starting line lean, strong, healthy and fast.

RECALIBRATE

As we plan our emergence from the off-season, now’s the ideal time to re-establish our baselines of current fitness.  For cycling that means retesting our FTP.

FTP – or Functional threshold Power — is the highest average power a cyclist can sustain for an hour.  FTP is used to calculate the training intensities in most zone-based training programs, so knowing your current FTP is important for getting the most from your training plan.

With the growth in popularity of indoor training, we’ve never had more options for measuring our FTP.  Check out Chris Carmichael’s pros and cons of 3 popular FTP tests and choose the one that’s best for you.

FTP is trainable and will vary at different times throughout the year.  By retesting every 6 weeks, you can adjust your training zones as your FTP improves.

EVEN STEVEN

One of our greatest challenges as triathletes is how to blend quality training with our hectic daily lives.

When life occasionally gets in the way, coach Greg McMillan has a powerful session that challenges your speed and endurance, but will leave you feeling energized and refreshed. He calls it the Even Steven Workout.

What makes this workout different is that you perform the intervals by effort, not pace.  In fact, McMillan wants you to ditch all external data and run this workout by feel. It will encourage you to naturally tune-in to your effort and get into the flow of each interval.

Deploy the Even Steven Workout when faced with a particularly stressful week, and quickly regain your mental and physical balance.

YOU CAN’T OUT-TRAIN YOUR FORK

Thinking about how to reach your ideal racing weight and having your best-ever year in triathlon?

Well, it’s time to ditch the detox teas, meal replacement shakes, and fad diets. The proven way to lose weight — and actually keep it off — is to change your mindset with Noom.

Its science-based approach gives you the tools and support you need to make better food choices, helping you change your behavior to reach your fitness goals.

Remember: optimal racing weight is a byproduct of doing many things right.  Noom ensures you lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way through behavioral change psychology.

If you want long-lasting changes and overall better health, try Noom today.

15 FAVORITES

Do you need a source of inspiration to spice up your training?  Then look no further than this collection of 15 IRONMAN workouts from the pros.

What you’ll notice first is that most of these are monster sessions, so you’d be well-advised to downscale them to suit your fitness and ability.

It’s fascinating to learn how many of these workouts are repeated frequently throughout the year.  When a session works, the pros stick with it.

Choose your favorites, modify their duration and intensity as needed, and begin introducing them into your program.  These workouts will pay off once race season commences.

CRITICAL

Just as FTP is a key metric for tracking our cycling progress, Critical Swim Speed (CSS) can be used to accelerate our improvement in endurance swimming.

Defined as the fastest speed a swimmer can sustain for a given distance without getting tired, and expressed in seconds/100m, CSS is akin to your aerobic swimming threshold.

For an introduction on how to calculate CSS and use it in your training, check out this informative article by Michael Botyarov.

To learn how to use CSS to set your swim training zones, follow these useful instructions by coach Jonathan Melville.

Understanding Critical Swim Speed and regularly performing CSS intervals will improve your endurance and lower your race splits.

QUICK HIITS:

  • Meet Me In Oceanside
    Although sold out for months, you can still secure an entry into the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside by joining CAF’s Team Operation Rebound.  Participants receive a stunning VIP benefits package, plus you’ll be supporting one of our sport’s most deserving charities.
  • And the Winner Is…
    On January 20 Nice, FRA will host the inaugural Global Triathlon Awards.  A collaboration between World Triathlon, Super League Triathlon and the PTO, this international gala will recognize 2022’s outstanding triathlon performances and personalities.  The festivities will be livestreamed over TriathlonLive.tv