YOUR OFF-SEASON PRIORITIES
What skill will you improve during the coming off-season? Tell us what you’ll focus on by completing this 1-minute survey.
Your answers are appreciated and will shape our upcoming content.
KEEP IT DRY
A well-designed dryland strength training program is proven to increase the force and propulsion needed for faster open water freestyle.
That’s partly due to its ability to enhance the work capacity of specific muscles, while also improving the range-of-motion of critical joints.
Master coach and accomplished endurance swimmer Craig Lewin spells out his 5 favorite dryland exercises for better endurance, strength and swim speed.
You’ll notice a predictable emphasis on shoulder stability and pulling power, but he also offers some unexpected drills for breathing technique, kicking power and hip strength.
FASTER IN 4
Long distance triathletes can succeed with just 4 days of run training per week. Research shows that volume greater than 40 miles per week typically results in only marginal improvement in performance while increasing the chance of injury.
The trick to making low mileage training work is to be brutally intentional with each session.
Running coach Sandro Sket explains his methodology and outlines a plan for how to get the greatest gains from a minimal number of weekly runs.
It includes race pace efforts, over-distance, zone 2 work and VO2 intervals… everything you need to advance in your triathlon running.
WHY AREN’T YOU LIFTING?
The research is clear: weightlifting enhances cycling speed. So why aren’t you doing it?
In this video coach Dylan Johnson discusses how strength training improves lactate threshold, anaerobic capacity, exercise efficiency and overall endurance performance.
He outlines how to integrate it with your interval sessions and explains why lifting heavy produces the best adaptations.
According to Johnson, 2 months of lifting this winter will lay the groundwork for measurable improvements next season.
STRONGER WITH FINIS
FINIS recognizes the unique needs of triathletes, and has developed a line of innovative products that will make you a better, faster and more efficient triathlon swimmer.
We love their Slide Dryland Trainer stretch cords. Its clever design provides constant (not variable) resistance throughout the swim stroke cycle.
These are perfect for the dryland training we describe above, and are ideal for pre-event warmup at races.
TriathlonWire readers get a 20% discount by using the coupon code TRIWIRE at checkout.
BREAK IT UP
From warm up to warm down, your swim training should be built on intervals. But why?
According to Coach TJ Fry if you do nothing but long, steady swims then, as you fatigue, your speed and technique deteriorate. By plowing along in this suboptimal state, bad habits are reinforced that become increasingly difficult to correct.
In contrast with intervals you can maintain good technique at the desired speed for the entire effort. By repeating these over and over, you engrain proper technique at pace while developing strength and endurance.
Learn more about why 20x 100m are better than swimming 2,000m straight, and apply some of Fry’s advice to your own swim program.
ZONE SCIENCE
Many triathletes who are pressed for time think they should train hard all the time to get the most from their limited workouts.
This is wrong and counter-productive.
Long distance triathletes should spend 60-75% of their entire training time at a Zone 2 pace to build aerobic capacity.
Dr. Iñigo San Millán, Ph.D., director of exercise physiology at Colorado University, explains some of the science behind why Zone 2 training is so essential. Much of it has to do with enhancing Type 1 muscle fibers, which increases your lactate clearance capacity and improves your fat-burning efficiency.
QUICK HIITS:
- New Sheriff in Town?
When 70.3 world champ Gustav Iden decided to tackle his first full-distance IRONMAN last week, he posted the fastest-ever debut performance (7:42:57) and broke the Florida course record, punctuated by a 2:34:51 marathon. We’re already looking ahead in anticipation to next season’s full-distance battles in St. George and Kona.
- Rivs Runs Through It
Grit. Tenacity. Mental toughness. Traits common among endurance athletes were on full display as champion ultrarunner – and now cancer survivor — Tommy “Rivs” Puzey completed the New York City Marathon in 9 hours and 19 minutes. Read his shocking story and you might agree that this was his greatest performance yet.
- Robot Referees?
Can race officials use electronics to police drafting violations in triathlon? The folks at RaceRanger think so. Using a combination of state-of-the-art proximity technologies, a pair of small modules on each bike use flashing lights to signal athletes if they’re too close or if a penalty has been assessed. RaceRanger just partnered with World Triathlon and will test the devices at races in NZL this summer. Keep your distance!
