Learn Triathlon from the best (DVDs)
beginner triathlon
Physiology of tapering - in brief
Submitted by admin on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 14:28 It's about that time of year where you will be racing soon if you haven't already. Leading up to your race, you will probably want to know or learn about tapering. This excerpt from Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance is reprinted with permission by Human Kinetics.
"The main aim of the taper is to reduce the negative physiological and psychological impact of daily training. In other words, a taper should eliminate accumulated or residual fatigue, which translates into additional fitness gains. To test this assumption, Mujika and colleagues (1996a) analyzed the responses to three taper segments in a group of national- and international-level swimmers by means of a mathematical model, which computed fatigue and fitness indicators from the combined effects of a negative and a positive function representing, respectively, the negative and positive influence of training on performance (figure 1.1). As can be observed in figure 1.1, NI (negative influence) represents the initial decay in performance taking place after a training bout and PI (positive influence) a subsequent phase of supercompensation. 
The mathematical model indicated that performance gains during the tapering segments were mainly related to marked reductions in the negative influence of training, coupled with slight increases in the positive influence of training (figure 1.2). The investigators suggested that athletes should have achieved most or all of the expected physiological adaptations by the time they start tapering, eliciting improved performance levels as soon as accumulated fatigue fades away and performance-enhancing adaptations become apparent. The conclusions of Mujika and colleagues (1996a), drawn from real training and competition data from elite athletes but attained by mathematical procedures, were supported by several biological and psychological findings extracted from the scientific literature on tapering. For instance, in a subsequent study on competitive swimmers, Mujika and colleagues (1996d) reported a significant correlation between the percentage change in the testosterone-cortisol ratio and the percentage performance improvement during a 4-week taper. Plasma concentrations of androgens and cortisol have been used in the past as indexes of anabolic and catabolic tissue activities, respectively (Adlercreutz et al. 1986). Given that the balance between anabolic and catabolic hormones may have important implications for recovery processes after intense training bouts, the testosterone-cortisol ratio has been proposed and used as a marker of training stress (Adlercreutz et al. 1986, Kuoppasalmi and Adlercreutz 1985). Accordingly, the observed increase in the testosterone-cortisol ratio during the taper would indicate enhanced recovery and elimination of accumulated fatigue. This would be the case regardless of whether the increase in the testosterone-cortisol ratio was the result of a decreased cortisol concentration (Bonifazi et al. 2000, Mujika et al. 1996c) or an increased testosterone concentration subsequent to an enhanced pituitary response to the preceding time of intensive training (Busso et al. 1992, Mujika et al. 1996d, Mujika et al. 2002a)." |
Transitions are key for triathlon success
Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:54 If you've raced more than once, you know you easily can spend too mush time in the transition area. This is a good quick article from the authors of "Championship Triathlon Training", where you can learn how to save time in the transition area. It's the easiest time you'll make in the race. It is reprinted with permission by Human Kinetics.
The secrets to mastering bricks
Experienced triathletes know that quick transitions are necessary for low race times. But, according to George Dallam, PhD, USA Traithlon’s first national team coach, transitions are often difficult to master because rapid changes in movement put stress on the body. "When you stop doing one activity and begin doing another very soon afterward, your body must make adjustments in blood flow, nervous system regulation, and muscular tension," Dallam says.The bike-to-run transition, or brick, is the most difficult to master, making the body change from a static and crouched position on the bike to an upright and dynamic position on the run. In his new book, Championship Triathlon Training, Dallam offers tips for mastering bricks.
- Prepare for the bike-to-run transition by flexing and extending your back on the bike and maintaining or increasing cadence to run-stride rate or above.
- Pull your feet out of your shoes while riding and then dismount at speed, leaving your shoes clipped into your pedals.
- Run with your bike.
- Minimize equipment you will need to put on in the transition area for the run (that is, put on only your shoes in this area).
- Put on your running shoes while standing.
- Put on any other equipment-hat, glasses, and race belt-while running.
"Once these basic skills have been established, specific transition training sessions can be instituted for continued improvement in a race-specific environment," Dallam says. "These sessions can then be timed as intervals from entry to exit and can be used as a baseline for improving performance."
Triathlon basic swim technique
Submitted by admin on Mon, 02/25/2008 - 01:27Three years ago I started swimming after back surgery for a low impact aerobic activity. When I was young, I swam around lakes and pools but never on a swim team and was never coached.
After several months of swimming on my own, I joined a US Masters swim team. The US Masters Swimming is a terrific way to learn swimming or get back into it. It is a coached practice for all levels of ability. They divide you into lanes based on your ability. As you progress, you move "up a lane." I started in lane one and watched in amazement at some of the swimmers in the "fast lane." They were former college swimmers, a former professional triathlete, and people who had worked their way up and were just plain fast.
