Listen to your body.

The best thing you can do to prevent injury is listen to your body. If you can recognize signs of overuse, fatigue, tendonitis, strain, etc. and make changes before it becomes a big problem, you are way ahead of the game. I hear many triathletes talk about “running through the pain”. I would say there are times that are uncomfortable during the sport of triathlon and there is pain of giving full effort. However, true pain is a sign your body is giving you that something is wrong. Why ignore it?

I like to use an analogy of comparing people to cars when thinking of listening to your body. Some cars have temperature gauges with a red line. Other cars just have an “idiot light” that comes on when the engine is already overheated. Most people do not listen to their internal gauges, and instead wait until the “idiot light” comes on telling them they overdid it. This “idiot light” is pain. If you can listen to your internal gauge that is more subtle, you can back off before you hurt yourself. These more subtle signs might come as tightness in the muscles or joints, aching, an increase in effort to maintain the same pace, resting heart rate being elevated, etc. If you are working out you should not go full bore blindly without checking your gauges. Don’t workout through the pain to pay the price later. Don’t wait until the “idiot light” comes on, as it is probably too late. Think back to the last time you had pain during a workout. Chances are there were some signs prior to the onset of pain. It might have been achiness, soreness, stiffness, fatigue, or a change in your efficiency or form. Remember this for future workouts, as that is probably your “heat gauge” telling you to back off before you “redline” and get injured.

Do not increase any training variable by more than 10% per week.

This is a commonly broken rule among athletes, but breaking it usually comes at a price. The price might be paid as injury or breakdown weeks down the line. The more often you break this rule, and the higher percentage increase you break it by will increase your chances of injury or breakdown. For the best chances to avoid injury, do not increase more than one variable per week. For instance, do not increase the distance on your long run AND your total running distance in the same week. When you go long on one particular run, back off on other runs/workouts during the week to allow for rest/recovery before or after.

Common training variables to assess for the 10% rule:

Longest run/bike/swim

Total weekly distance

Terrain type (flats versus hills or asphalt versus dirt)

Total workout time per week including cross-training

Stretch frequently.

Stretching the muscles in the body frequently can help lower the risk of injury. Most stretches should be held with a very light sensation of stretch. I now tell my patients and athletes to change their thoughts on stretching to think more of it as “posing” in order to decrease their intensity. Contrary to some thought, stretches should not hurt! The longer you hold a stretch, the more flexibility you will gain. You don’t need to stretch vigorously, just often. Try to stretch four times per day when in intense training. Generally stretches should be held 30-60 seconds.

Alternate hard/easy workouts and feel free to skip some workouts.

Too often I hear of athletes trying to squeeze in missed workouts either due to time constraints or after taking a break due to injury. This is one of the easiest ways to over-train – by adding workload in a short amount of time. If you are doing a majority of your workouts, it is OK to skip a workout. That is so important I need to repeat it. It is OK to skip a workout. Chances are, after skipping a workout, or making a hard workout into an easy workout, you will feel better prepared for your next hard workout. Your body adapts to stress and will become stronger, but it needs time. Each body is different also, and we all tend to need more time to recover as we age. So feel OK about skipping or lightening a workout. You will be better off in the long run. I often aim for hitting 75% of my scheduled workouts in a program and feel really good about the results on race day.

Seek early intervention if you are having a body ache or pain.

Getting early help from a healthcare professional for your aches and pains will allow them to be treated with less expensive and less invasive interventions. We want you to meet your goals for getting fit, and the first step is getting to the starting line of your event injury-free. You won’t be likely to meet your goals if an injury is holding you back. The longer you wait to get treated, the longer you are likely to need to reduce or stop your workouts.

Do not skip your “core” exercises.

Core exercises are designed to target muscles that are not isolated with traditional exercises. Your “core” is made up of the muscles in your abdominals, lower back, pelvic floor, and diaphragm (breathing muscle). Contrary to popular belief, just doing sit-ups and crunches is not the best way to emphasize the core. The best core muscles are the deepest, most subtle, and hardest to isolate. I tell my patients that if they feel like they are doing nothing, they have it right. If they feel like they are getting a good “burn”, they are working too hard and missing the best layers of the core.

The core muscles help you absorb shock and transmit power from upper to lower body appropriately. These muscles are the foundation of your athletic body. Don’t neglect them. I feel the best methods to isolate the deepest and most important part of the core are Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga. More aggressive core exercises do not translate into better results for beginner and intermediate athletes and should be reserved for elite athletes only.

Matt Booth is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Certified Specialist with a clinical practice in Boise, Idaho. He started in triathlon at the Olympic distance in the late 80’s with recent significant finishes at Ironman Coeur D’Alene 2005 as well as the Age Group National Championships in Portland in 2007. He is currently training for Ironman Boise 70.3 with Performance High.

Matt Booth, DPT, OCS

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Orthopedic Certified Specialist

Clinic Director – Therapeutic Associates Boise Physical Therapy

(208)433-9211

mbooth@taiweb.com

www.therapeuticassociates.com/Boise

Popularity: 55% [?]

As I meet potential clients, one of the questions on my intake form is “how many hours per week are you able to dedicate to training for the sport of triathlon?” Some say 5 hours, some say 10 hours while some even say 15-20 hours. This is always one of my main concerns regarding the sport. How many hours does it really take? Well, it is my goal to have my athletes train “smart” and avoid “over-training.” The sport should be enjoyable not only to the athlete, but by family of the athlete as well.

So how does one balance a complicated sport like triathlon while working full-time, or being a full-time student, or being a stay at home mom, etc? It is all about priorities. First and foremost, family should always come first….right? Sure, the job is important, but there are no “do-overs” at being a good parent or spouse. I like to schedule most of my training in the early morning hours, meaning, before anyone else even wakes up. That way I have trained and am ready to take on the day without taking away any “kid-time” from my little ankle biters. Others might train later in the evening when their kids have gone to bed….whatever works.

Now, how long should you train for each race distance? I will give you a quick break down for each race distance starting with Sprints. For Sprint training, you are looking at about 5-7 hours per week. That is it. If you train much more than that then you are over-training. For Olympic distance, 8-10 hours per week should suffice. Half Ironman will require you to train for about 10-13 hours per week.

However, Ironman is a completely different beast, and this is really where the tri-time versus family-time gets tricky. For the most part, you begin your Ironman training about six months out. But the good news is that the first three months is base training and it does not consume your life until about the last three months before the race. For the first three months, you can plan about 10+/- hours per week. But the last three months will consume about 15-20 hours per week of training. Ouch…that really does cut into family-time! But there are ways of making it work, not only physically, but emotionally.

Here is how. “Before” you sign up for an Ironman, have a family meeting. Discuss how you will be taking on the toughest endurance race in the world and how you can only succeed if you have everyone’s love and support. It is about sacrifice, and your family needs to know that there are going to be days and weekends that you could be training for up to 8-hours straight. Now the good news is that a lot of your training is done in the early weekday morning hours, say 2+/- hours per morning. The weekends are where you will do your long training sessions. So that means a Saturday and even Sunday will be consumed with a long bike and/or run. Depending on the season, you can get an early start and be done by around noon’ish or 1 p.m., leaving the rest of the day for an ice bath (burr) and time with your family. For those of you racing an early season race like Ironman Arizona, a lot of your training will be indoors. Take advantage of a stationary trainer on Saturday morning and watch cartoons with your midgets while spinning for a few hours….it actually is not all that bad since they can fetch you some fresh Gatorade and PBJ’s.

What I will advise some of you on is biting off more than you can chew. Don’t take advantage of your family’s kindness for too long. Meaning, while Ironman is awesome, don’t go all crazy and sign up for consecutive Ironman races. You can only push the envelope so far when your spouse finally snaps…seriously, I’ve seen it. I have triathlete friends that race one or two Ironman races a year, for several years straight, with small kids at home. It can be a selfish act on the athlete’s part. As wrapped up as we can get in the sport, do not sacrifice your marriage or neglect your kids because of it. It is just not worth it in the long run!

Happy (and smart) Training,

David Pruetz, C.F.T.

USA Triathlon Certified Coach

Owner/Coach, In Training LLC

www.intraining.biz

Popularity: 27% [?]

Ah, the triathlon racing season is over – at least for most of us. Regardless of how you placed at the races, I hope the season has been personally rewarding for everyone.

At some level, I’m certain all of you already have some goals for next season. Perhaps you noticed one of your skills is significantly less developed than the other two and you’ve decided you are going to do something about it next season. Maybe you’ve made it a goal of yours to get some help improving your swimming, or getting more comfortable and more confident on your bike or working on your running technique so you you’ll be able to get off the bike and really run rather than just survive. However, a lot of you are probably thinking of tying these goals into your New Year’s Resolutions, right?

You may feel a little tired, a little burned out right now. It’s darker longer, it’s getting cold outside, your body has regeneration on its mind – it’s hibernation time! You might be thinking “Hey, I worked hard all season, I’m looking forward to November and December and the holidays – they are my reward. I finally get to take some time off, enjoy the holidays and eat lots of good food.” Well, many people tend to acquire some, ah, “energy reserves” during this time of year from the decrease in training and the increase in the availability of tasty food. Instead, why not acquire a reserve of efficiency that will become your armor for the next racing season?

But why wait until January to begin tackling your 2008 goals? Why not start now? I’m not suggesting you jump back into your structured training with the intense intervals, the long workouts, the difficult strength sessions. I’m asking, why not just put an hour or so a week toward improving one facet of your triathlon “game?” You’ll still be able to take time off from training, enjoy the holidays and eat tasty food. So, why now, you ask? Well, I’ll gladly explain.

Your body is fatigued to some degree after a season of training and racing. It wants and needs to regenerate for a while before you ask it to start up again with a structured, intense, workout regimen. Your mind needs a bit of a break from the many hours of training and the discomfort some of the tougher training created. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a tremendous improvement in any of the skills over the next two months. In fact, this is the PERFECT time of year to create the efficient technique you’ve always wanted! When, during your in-season training, do you actually take the time or have the patience to devote your effort solely to improving your efficiency? Probably never. That’s why now, precisely when you aren’t doing any structured training, is the best time of all. There is no pressure to go out and do any tough workouts. You aren’t at the mercy of the clock and the second hand - which always moves more quickly than you want it to. Now is the time to keep the body moving gently so you are still active but actively recovering.

So, what would be more gentle than a quick dip in the pool to do some drills and hone or even re-create your swimming technique? How about a gentle 25 minute jog including some really short, focused drills to work on perfect form? Why not go out with a few friends on an easy spin, stop off at the soccer fields and do a couple biking drills to really sharpen your skills and gain some confidence?

Efficient technique is the foundation of success in every sport there is! Why do we ignore this in workouts and won’t take a few minutes to work on our technique? We should all be spending more time creating and developing better technique and spending less time on miles and workouts that don’t, in some way, contribute to improving our efficiency.

If you spend just 20-30 minutes a few times a week over the next two months, you’ll be amazed by what you can achieve. Focusing on technique drills for just those few minutes, over the course of two months, can carve more minutes off your triathlon time than an entire season of training and racing!!!

Let’s talk about some specific things you can do to put this time of the year to great use.

If your Achilles heel is the swim, ask your masters swim coach, your current triathlon coach or a friend who is a good swimmer to critique your swimming form and give you just three aspects of your swimming to work on - the entry, the catch, the kick, breathing, the recovery phase, the pull phase, your body position – whatever! (Of course, the best scenario would be for them to video you and show you exactly what they see so you can see it as well!) Ask them to show you a few drills you can practice for each of the things they mention. Then, a few times a week, work it into your schedule to stop by the pool either before work, on your lunch break, on your way home, between weekend errands or chores. You aren’t going there to do a workout – you are simply going to swim a couple minutes to loosen up and then practice, with great focus, a few of the drills you were shown. You also don’t need to work on all three things every time – mix it up a little. Alternate doing a drill or two for each aspect of your swimming you wish to improve with doing several drills for just one aspect of your swimming. When you’re done with your few minutes of drills, just swim an easy few minutes (or 50s) with a keen emphasis on just one of the things you were working on.

I guarantee, if you practice consistently for just a few minutes a few times a week for two months, you will see a very nice improvement in your technique – something you can carry into your next season of training. And won’t it feel great to put in all those thousands of yards of swimming next year practicing your improved technique rather than ingraining your old, in-efficient technique?

If your biking lacks confidence, if you don’t feel comfortable on the bike, this would be the perfect time to seek some assistance improving any aspect of your cycling. The foundation for cycling is a really comfortable position. If you aren’t comfortable on the bike, you aren’t going to be producing the power output you are potentially capable of. You’ll be too distracted by the discomfort of the position. So, go to your local bike shop and ask around for a bike fitting expert – someone who works with triathletes or time-trialists. They’ll surely be able to recommend someone. Or, if you want to pull out all the stops, go see Dr. Massimo Testa at TOSH in Salt Lake City. He probably has more experience fitting people to their trusty racing bikes than anyone in Utah (or the United States, for that matter).

One way or the other, have the expert tinker with your position while you are riding your bike on a trainer and work at it until you are comfortable – not until they say you look good but until YOU feel comfortable. The aerodynamics of your position on the bike are irrelevant if you aren’t comfortable. When you’re pleased with the fit, it is time to learn how to trust your new position and gain some confidence in your ability to handle the bike properly.

Go out for a short, easy ride with at least one other person. Ride around for about 10-15 minutes and finish at a park or a soccer field – anywhere you can ride on a flat length of grass. Start by riding side by side as slowly as you can in a straight line on the grass – slowest person wins. Then, ride up and back a few times and each time ride a little closer to the person or people you are with – until you are almost touching. Then, still riding slowly on the grass in a straight line, while riding in your drops, bullhorns or hoods, gently flare your elbow so you touch the elbow of the person riding next to you. After a few lengths of this, try touching shoulders together – not bumping, touching. When you’ve tried that for a few lengths, still on the grass with your hands on your bars, try leaning on each other. Last but not least, as you ride side by side, take turns trying to “herd” each other off the straight line with as much arm and shoulder contact as possible – remember, no tackling. It is no fun to fall on a bike even if it is on grass.

When you are finished with these drills you can end the session by riding slowly behind each other and bumping your front wheel into their back wheel – both side on and straight on so you can feel what happens to your control wheel when you touch wheels with the person in front of you. This will teach you how to react without over-reacting – potentially saving you from a bad fall. The entire drill session only takes 15-20 minutes and you can always add or substitute different drills. You will be astounded by the boost in your biking confidence after just one session. Imagine how you’ll feel if you do this even once a week for a couple months?

Last but certainly not least, if your running is holding you back from a solid race performance, this is the best time of the season to tweak or even re-create your running technique. You will benefit a great deal from spending just thirty minutes with a running expert who can take a look at your form (or, better yet, video it so you can see it too!). A running coach, bio-mechanist or exercise physiologist with some background in kinesiology will do nicely. TOSH (in SLC or up in Park City) has the skilled staff and the equipment to get all of this done in a matter of minutes. The running expert will give you several aspects of your running technique to work on to gain greater efficiency and give you a few drills to achieve greater efficiency in these areas. Things as subtle as the way you hold your hands, the way you swing your arms, the curve of your lower back, how you hold your head, the angle of your chin, how your foot impacts the ground – can all have a dramatic effect on the way you run.

Armed with the drills and the knowledge of what you can work on to improve your efficiency, it would only take about 15 minutes a few times a week (outdoors or on a treadmill any time of day or night) to warm up and gently practice a few of these drills with a high degree of focus for a very short period of time. This consistent, focused, repetitious practice will ingrain a more effective, more relaxed, more efficient neuromuscular firing pattern which will result in faster speeds at a lower energy cost. Any time you can go faster while expending less energy than you did in the past, you are becoming more efficient!

I hope you’ll invest a few hours in yourself over the next couple months and give efficiency a chance to happen. Remember, it only takes a very small improvement in efficiency to drastically improve your triathlon performance. Have a great, productive autumn! - Marcel (www.MarcelVifian.com)

Thanks to Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition for the use of this artcle.

(www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com )

Popularity: 38% [?]

Achilles tendonitis, plantar fascitis, patellar tendonitis, IT Band syndrome, p-femoral syndrome, SI Joint dislocation, stress fractures, torn Meniscus, and Piriformis pain. No, this is not a list of poorly made horror films in the last decade. Instead, it’s a list of common maladies that plague runners everywhere. Any of them sound familiar? For me, there were some items on this list that I can personally attest to after completing ACL reconstruction in 00’. Thanks to Paula and Lloyd Eldredge’s referral to Dr. Nicholas Romanov, I was led onto the POSE Method© in early 2001. I had a choice. I could either run with extreme pain compounded with extremely slow running or opening my mind to new ideas with regards to this sport. Well, this swimmer cracked open her mind and let the principles of the POSE Method flow in.

Thanks to Dr. Eisenman’s approval at of the University of Utah, I was able to complete my coaching certification through Dr. Romanov. The principles were relatively simple. They involve increasing efficiency through improving muscle elasticity, decreasing ground reaction time (not to be confused with ground reaction force), involving core strength, and decreasing vertical oscillation (up and down movement common in some runners). These ideas seemed foreign to most “running experts” I had spoken to previously. Most coaches would take one look at my six foot frame and repeatedly suggest that improving stride length would be my ticket to faster running. Unfortunately, increasing my stride length only seemed to further aggravate my already existing pains and didn’t improve my speed. From what little I remembered from my early college Physics class, I remembered one equation; SPEED = STRIDE LENGTH X STRIDE FREQUENCY. Since changing the stride length didn’t improve much of anything, the main focus was stride frequency. Once frequency was introduced, it was necessary to also involve technique work that would minimize and even eliminate pains and injuries. It is logical to conclude that if someone were to improve technique and eliminate pain that they would also run faster. For me and many clients since then, this was indeed the case.

In a society that seems to crave “quick fixes”, the POSE Method© showed me huge improvements in speed immediately. Sound enticing? Read on. One must first adopt strong posture. This means finding a somewhat neutral spine when running. This will enable you to more efficiently recruit your hip flexors and hamstrings when in motion. From that point, the runner is asked to change their strike zone from ahead of their general center of mass (GCM) to under it. This somewhat mimics a swinging gate. By doing this, one minimizes both vertical oscillation and stopping force (the result of the foot landing in front of your GCM). Once you have tried this, you may notice that your foot strike zone has also changed. This is where runners need to be careful. It has often been a criticism of some people who have not looked into the POSE Method© thoroughly that Dr. Romanov was suggesting that people run on their toes. This is a misrepresentation. Dr. Romanov suggests a mid-foot strike zone. Running on one’s toes begins to cause various problems relative to the Achilles tendon as well as the tendons on the bottom of the foot. The mid-foot refers to the base of the ball of the foot (BOF).

Now, the next thing to remember is that old habits die hard. One must remember that changing one’s running form may result in fatigue of underused muscle groups. By implementing just a few drills into your running program each day you exercise, you can make the transition a bit smoother. Each day you grow stronger, muscle elasticity will improve. Before long, your times will be dropping and your pains diminishing.

Shannon Mulder is a level 1 USAT triathlon coach. Shannon can be contacted at 801-865-6269.

Popularity: 24% [?]

In Part 1 of this article, I focused on the primary “time points” related to sports nutrition – those being what to eat Before, During, and After exercise. In Part 2, I’d like to look at another useful way to categorize sports nutrition products – by their primary effect or mode of action. Using this method, sports nutrition products fall primarily into 3 categories (but there is some overlap between categories):

• Muscle strength and Mass

• Endurance and Energy

• Post-exercise Recovery

As the “off-season” approaches for most triathletes and other endurance athletes, it is often helpful to employ specific nutrition regimens to help you build strength, base endurance, and injury protection for next season.

Muscle Strength and Mass

Although bodybuilders may be tempted to experiment with prohormones, steroid precursors, and related enhancers of muscle mass, endurance athletes will be most interested in developing muscular strength without a lot of added bulk. A strategic use of creatine, protein, and specific amino acids can help to enhance your body’s adaptation to off-season strength training.

Creatine is stored primarily in skeletal muscle as creatine phosphate (CP), where its main role is to restore adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which can then be used as an energy source to support muscle contractions and possibly to help reduce lactic acid accumulation. Creatine can also cause muscle cells to “swell” due to an influx of fluid. This “swelling” effect of creatine leads to a muscle cell with an increased cell volume and cross-sectional area, as well as higher glycogen content – each of which may stimulate protein synthesis and lead to increased muscle size and strength.

Much speculation has associated creatine use with several adverse side effects such as muscle cramping and strained muscles – effects which are now thought to be less due to creatine itself than to athletes exceeding their capabilities and trying to do more work than their muscles are ready to do (”too much too soon”). A real concern may be the possibility of dehydration (due to retained fluid inside the muscle cell) – but an increased intake of fluids easily remedies this situation.

Protein powders are available from virtually every supplement manufacturer – with claims for everything from increasing muscle mass and strength and to losing or gaining weight. The most common sources of protein come from milk (casein and whey), egg, and soy.

Aside from their use in weight loss and muscle building applications, protein supplements are also being used in some of the newer “recovery” formulations. Because the body’s protein needs increase dramatically (and disproportionately to caloric needs) during physical trauma and injury, supplemental amounts of protein added to the diet can not only enhance recovery from exercise, but may also boost immunity and help prevent injuries from repeated training (and overtraining).

Protein sources are often classed based on their “biological value” (BV) – a term that refers to the amount of protein deposited in tissues per gram of protein absorbed. In general, the higher the BV, the more effective the protein will be its utilization in the body. Whey protein is often considered to be the protein source with the highest BV (100), but using a more precise calculation of protein “quality” (the PDCAAS), other concentrated sources of protein such as egg, casein (milk) and soy now rival whey proteins. Depending on how soy protein is processed, it may also retain various antioxidant compounds, known as isoflavones (genistein and daidzein).

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein – so most protein supplements provide a full complement of amino acids. In some cases, however, the use of higher levels of specific amino acids may provide an additional benefit. For example, the three “branched-chain amino acids” (BCAA = leucine, isoleucine and valine) are “essential” amino acids, meaning the body is not able to synthesize them and they need to be supplied in the diet. The BCAAs are believed to be important in delaying “central” fatigue during exercise, which originates in the central nervous system (as opposed to “peripheral” fatigue that results from biochemical events within the muscles). BCAA supplementation can help delay the production of serotonin in the brain and result in a longer duration of exercise before fatigue sets in. BCAA supplementation may also decrease protein breakdown and maintain immune function during strenuous exercise.

Endurance and Energy

I see a lot of “energy” drink these days, which are little more than different combinations of sugar and caffeine (often listed as Kola nut, Guarana, Yerba Mate, or other “natural” source of caffeine). Undoubtedly, these drinks will give you a short-term “charge” but they’ll fail to give you, as an endurance athlete, the particular kind of sustained energy that you’re looking for. Some people can use caffeine-based energy drinks with no side effects, while others experience elevated heart rate and blood pressure, as well as insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and heart palpitations.

I have written about some effective herbal options for improving stamina and endurance (cordyceps, rhodiola, eurycoma, eleuthero, ashwagandha) in previous editions of TriHive and at SupplementWatch (www.supplementwatch.com). Many other supplement ingredients promoted as “energy” products overlap with popular weight loss or “thermogenic” products, including B-complex vitamins, Bee pollen, Blue-green algae, and numerous others – BUT, it is important to choose your energy product based on available research evidence rather than on its marketing hype or athlete endorsements.

Post-Exercise Recovery

In previous articles for TriHive and at SupplementWatch (www.supplementwatch.com), I have written about effective strategies for enhancing post-exercise recovery – including the timing of carbohydrate and protein intake, the inclusion of BCAAs and glutamine for tissue repair and immune system maintenance, the tissue-repairing benefits of proteolytic enzymes, and the protective effects of antioxidants. One additional area of significant interest to endurance athletes, particularly triathletes, is joint protection and the rebuilding to joint cartilage.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements are used with outstanding benefit by arthritis sufferers – and biochemical evidence suggests that endurance athletes may also derive joint protecting effects from these supplements. Glucosamine, whether used alone, or in combination with chondroitin, appears to be quite effective in alleviating the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis – while also leading to enhanced rebuilding of damaged cartilage in large joints such as the knee. As such, many sports supplements are beginning to include these ingredients in recovery formulas designed to help repair and prevent damage to muscles, joints and other connective tissue structures.

Summary

Endurance athletes, and triathletes in particular, can strategically use sports nutrition supplements to promote improvements in muscle mass & strength, energy & endurance, and recovery after exercise. Using these products the right way, in the right amounts, and in the right situations can help improve exercise performance, bolster adaptations to training and promote optimal recovery from exercise training.

About the author: Shawn Talbott, PhD is a Nutritional Biochemist, author of 7 books about nutrition and health, and a 10-time Ironman finisher. He is Research Director at SupplementWatch (www.supplementwatch.com) and Chief Scientific Officer of Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition (www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com). Dr. Talbott is continually tweaking his own nutrition regimen in Draper, Utah where he lives with his wife and 2 kids.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Popularity: 21% [?]

Almost everywhere you look these days, you see advertisements for sports nutrition products – from Powerbars and Clif bars to Gatorade and Accelerade to all sorts of Gu-type gels products and myriad powders and capsules. The US market for sports supplements is about $5 billion annually – that’s a LOT of Powerbars! The main problem with selecting a sports supplement, however, is that most people simply have no idea how to use them the right way. There are certainly some very useful products on the market – but using correctly means that you’ll have to do more than scarf down an energy bar while watching the Ironman on TV.

When it comes to sports nutrition, it’s quite helpful to break things down into 3 distinct periods of time – BEFORE exercise, DURING exercise and AFTER exercise. Another way is to categorize products by their main mode of action – such as General Nutrition, Muscle Building, Endurance or Recovery. Part 1 of this article will consider the before/during/after approach, while Part 2 will focus on the different benefits within each category.

For a lot of people, especially triathletes, sports nutrition may seem like a “no-brainer” – eat some carbs before your work out, drink some water during exercise and get a good night’s sleep to help your body recover – Right? WRONG! What to consume before, during and after an exercise bout is FAR from being an easy question to answer. As we dig into the complexity of sports nutrition, we see that there are many variables which affect what our bodies need. Is this a maximal effort exercise, a long endurance run, or a series of repetitive maximal bouts? Is our goal to sustain our speed/performance, or to reduce muscle soreness and improve recovery? Have we been training using a specific drink or food prior to the exercise bout? For each athletic event, training session and individual athlete, there will be unique nutrition needs which have to be satisfied in order to promote optimal performance. What follows is a breakdown of physiology, nutrient needs and “real world” recommendations to satisfy nutrient needs Before, During and After exercise.

Before Exercise

Your Body Physiology: If you’ve been training for awhile for a specific race, your body has gone through some adaptations which affect you both physiologically and nutritionally. With endurance training, your body now has increased mitochondria, myoglobin, vascularization and oxygen transport mechanisms among a long list of physiological changes. Due to these changes, your muscle cells are capable of holding more water and more glycogen than when you were untrained. Think about it, your body now has a larger fuel tank for its endurance workout – but realize that a larger fuel tank does you no good, unless you fill it to the top with premium fuel!

What your body needs: Starting 48 hours prior to your exercise bout, be sure to increase both your water intake and your carbohydrate ratio. Your body is capable of holding a lot of water, which is ultimately necessary for maximum performance. Your muscle cells also crave fuel! Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel for intense activity (protein is not, no matter what you read in the ads), whether aerobic or anaerobic, so an increase in the amount of carbs that you consume prior to an intense effort will give your muscles the fuel that they need. Note: You do not want to increase your total calories above what you are normally used to, or you will simply gain weight.

Recommendation: Starting 48 hours prior to your event, minimize the amount of fat and protein in your diet. In the same ratio, substitute carbohydrates for protein and fat into each meal. Be sure not to consume any carbohydrates or supplements which you are not used to digesting (stick to things that you’ve already had experience with in training) as this will only increase the risk of gastric distress. Your daily caloric intake should consist of at least 60% carbohydrates and more preferably up to 70-75% during these 48 hours). It is very hard to drink too much water! The more water you drink (up to 64-128 ounces daily for these 2 days) will also maximize your ability to store glycogen in your muscles. Minimize, or even better, eliminate any diuretics including caffeine.

Example: Let’s say your “standard” dinner includes a chicken breast with rice, salad, and a glass of wine. Before your big race, try adding a cup of pasta and 2 large glasses of water (keep the chicken, salad and rice, and feel free to salt your meals liberally for these 2 days).

During Exercise (and 2 hours prior)

Your Body Physiology: As you begin a long, low-intensity exercise bout, your heart rate increases and your body starts burning both carbohydrates and fat. As long as the intensity is low, you can expect your body to burn primarily fat as it conserves carbohydrates. When intensity increases (as in a race situation), the body looks for a more efficient fuel to keep up with demand, and begins burning more carbohydrates. If you go “too long,” your body will run out of stored carbohydrates (glycogen) and you’ll need to supply additional carbs orally in order to keep your “machine” running. Without ingesting carbohydrates, at the right time and in the right amounts, you can expect a drastic decrease in performance – a nasty situation referred to as “hitting the wall” (when you run out of muscle glycogen) or “bonking” (when you run out of liver glycogen) – certainly NOT a situation in which your want to be.

What your body needs: Hopefully you have taken the “BEFORE exercise” recommendations above and fueled your body properly with carbohydrates and water. If you did not, you can minimize your losses with the following recommendations, but realize that it is too late to optimize your fuel stores.

Prior to exercise your body is capable of storing, within the muscle cell, high levels of glycogen and water. Two hours prior to exercise you may want to ‘top off’ those levels to assure maximum performance (at this point be sure to only use carbohydrates with a Low Glycemic Index (LGI) - see definition of Glycemic Index below). Consuming LGI carbohydrates immediately before exercise will help stabilize blood sugar, so that your body burns

fat instead of glucose or glycogen. This allows your body to spare its carbohydrates so you can exercise longer before you bonk or hit the wall! Note: Antioxidants prior to exercise can also reduce delayed onset muscle soreness from exhaustive exercise (See the previous issue of TriHive for a discussion of antioxidants).

Recommendation: Two hours prior to exercise consume about 1 gram of LGI carbs per kilogram of body weight (1kg = 2.2 lbs., so about 0.45 grams are needed per pound of body weight). In addition consume 8oz water for every 50 pounds body weight. About 30 minutes prior to exercise, again consume LGI carbs and water – but only at about 1 gram of carbs and 1oz of water per 10 pounds of body weight. Some athletes like to snack on LGI foods and water for the entire 2 hours before the race.

For the first hour into the race be sure to consume at least 4oz of water every 15 minutes or so (a standard 20-ounce water bottle should last you for about an hour). If you can stomach it, and have been training like this, you can go ahead and use your carbohydrate drink (such as Cytomax, Gatorade, etc…) instead of plain water. After about an hour into the race, be sure to switch exclusively to a carbohydrate-based drink. At this point you are trying to spare your stored muscle glycogen, by offering your body some oral carbohydrates. A combination of high glycemic and low glycemic carbohydrates (50/50 split) works best at a concentration of less than 7%. Concentrations higher than 7% can delay gastric emptying. In other words, you cannot digest the carbohydrates and water quick enough, and it becomes a detriment to your performance – sitting in your stomach and leading to the dreaded “swish gut” where the fluid will not empty. Be sure that the sports drink that you consume contains adequate levels of sodium, calcium, potassium and chloride which help to replace electrolyte losses and provide energy, but they’ll also help your gut to absorb the fluid and carbs faster.

Example: 2 hours prior: Eat ½ cup blueberries, 1 cup of low fat yogurt, and ½ cup of granola or oatmeal with 24oz of water.

During your race, use the carb-drink that you have been training with! There are dozens of suitable drinks out there and the only way to find out which one is for you is to give them a try. See which one tastes best to you and which one you tolerate best in the late stages of your hardest workouts. There is no “best” sports nutrition product – but you can find the “best one for you” – and when you do, then stick with it.

After Exercise

Your Body Physiology: Congratulations! You have now depleted your body of glycogen, electrolytes, and water. In order to “survive,” your body has a built-in defense mechanism – a high affinity for each these nutrients. Your body also needs to repair all the torn muscle fibers and is seeking protein to do so. The good news is that your body is very sensitive to these nutrients for about 30 minutes following exercise and has a relatively high sensitivity for two hours after. As such, it is vitally important to feed your body’s needs as soon as possible after crossing the finish line or rolling up your driveway.

What your body needs: Upon completion of your exercise, you can expect your body to be depleted of glycogen, sodium, chloride, potassium, water and a whole lot more. As the body hungers for these nutrients, insulin sensitivity is increased and water and glycogen resynthesis is in demand! It could take 48 to 72 hours to replenish these stores optimally (if not done properly) so do what it takes to optimize nutrients after exercise. Adding protein to this mix also helps with the repair of muscle fibers and helps reduce muscle soreness.

Recommendation: Immediately following exercise, consume a drink containing High Glycemic Carbohydrates (HGI carbs rush sugar into the blood) with a little bit of added protein. It really does not matter much if you’re adhering to the popular “4:1 ratio” of carbs to protein – the important part is that a bit of protein added to your carbs will maximize glycogen re-synthesis more so than carbohydrates or protein alone. Make sure the drink contains high levels of sodium, chloride, and potassium. Added levels of specific amino acids such as, glutamine, leucine, valine, and isoleucine can work synergistically with the protein and glucose to improve recovery time even more.

Example: Within 20 minutes after exercise, consume a small meal comprised of HGI carbs and protein. A fast option might be some instant rice with a baked potato and some tuna fish (2 HGI carbs plus some protein) of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread (2 HGI carbs plus some protein and fat) – but many athletes prefer a “recovery-focused” post-exercise beverage which are formulated specifically with these recovery criteria in mind (there are many to choose from).

Factors to consider

There are a number of factors to keep in mind when choosing the specific nutrients to fuel your body and develop your BEFORE, DURING and AFTER exercise nutrition regimen, including:

• How long is my race or exercise bout? Races under an hour may not need any oral glucose or much water. This is also dependent on your training state.

• Will I be doing repeated bouts or only one? Repeated bouts of exercise throughout the day have entirely different needs than a long aerobic exercise bout. Consider a “mini-recovery regimen” between each workout if you’re doubling up.

• At what intensity will I be working out? Lower intensity burns a higher percentage of calories from fat and conserves carbohydrates, while high intensity exercise burns more calories from carbs and will necessitate a refueling strategy during exercise to avoid bonking.

• What is the purpose of the drink I am about to consume? Am I trying to increase carb intake or fluid/electrolyte intake or reduce muscle soreness?

• How well trained am I? A highly-trained athlete has more physiological adaptations to training than a poorly-trained individual and may be able to race for nearly two hours without ingesting glucose.

• Have I used any specific nutrients during my training? Do not attempt to use something foreign to your digestive system on the day of the race. Practice all these recommendations during training.

Summary

Trying to wade through all of the many sports nutrition choices can be a daunting task – but if you keep in mind that your objective should be a trial-and-error search to find out what works best for YOU, then

it can actually be a fun journey. Don’t worry too much about which product your favorite Tour rider or Kona finisher is supposedly using – but use the guidelines above to narrow down the choices that make the most sense for you and your unique physiology. When you are able to “dial in” the nutrition regimen that works best for you, your performance and enjoyment of triathlon will soar.

About the author: Shawn Talbott, PhD is a Nutritional Biochemist, author of 7 books about nutrition and health, and a 10-time Ironman finisher. He is Research Director at SupplementWatch (www.supplementwatch.com) and Chief Scientific Officer of Wicked Fast Sports Nutrition (www.wickedfastsportsnutrition.com). Dr. Talbott is continually tweaking his own nutrition regimen in Draper, Utah where he lives with his wife and 2 kids

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Many triathletes are familiar with the term “antioxidant” and understand that it refers to nutrients such as vitamins C and E (and many others) that help to protect your body from “free radicals” (highly-reactive oxygen molecules) created during exercise. Unchecked free radical activity is what leads to the cellular damage known as “oxidation” and the cycle of inflammation and tissue dysfunction that follows. If you’re training hard more than a few times weekly, and your diet is less than optimal, then it is almost certain that you could benefit from a daily antioxidant supplement.

In the case of triathletes or other avid exercisers, oxidative damage may be elevated due to increased production of free radicals during intense activity. Although the body increases its production of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase), supplemental levels of exogenous or dietary antioxidants may be warranted to prevent excessive oxidative damage to muscles, mitochondria, lungs, and other tissues.

When it comes to antioxidant nutrition, your best approach is to eat five to ten servings of brightly colored fruits and veggies throughout the day. In general, brighter is better, with each color group representing a major class of antioxidants from red tomatoes (lycopene), orange carrots (beta-carotene), blueberries (flavonoids) and purple grapes (anthocyanins). You want to try to get a few servings of each color group everyday. If you have trouble consuming all the fruits and veggies that you need, and you choose to supplement your diet to boost your antioxidant levels, then keep in mind that it’s the overall collection of several antioxidants that is important, rather than any single “super” antioxidant. Often, you’ll see advertisements touting the “best” or “most powerful” antioxidant nutrient, but recent research clearly shows us that supplementing with too many isolated or unbalanced antioxidants may be even worse for long-term health than getting too few antioxidants. Excessive levels of antioxidant supplementation (for example, too much isolated vitamin E or beta-carotene), can actually lead to more oxidation and tissue damage rather than a protection from oxidation.

Networking Your Nutrition

This concept of antioxidant balance – not too many and not too few – is what scientists refer to as the “Antioxidant Network” - that network being made up of five major classes of antioxidants: Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Carotenoids, Bioflavonoids, and Thiols - and your cells need representatives from each and every one of these categories in order to mount the strongest antioxidant defense.

Think of it in triathlon terms – even if you were the best swimmer in the world (say, Michael Phelps), you’re not going to win the Ironman without also having a strong bike and run. The mainstream-sports analogy of baseball works as well - if you had the best home run hitter in the world, but poor pitching and fielding, then your baseball team would not be the best team. Same thing with your antioxidant defenses - green tea, or vitamin E, or astaxanthin, or beta-carotene are all wonderful antioxidants on their own - but combining them to create a network that performs together in different parts of the body and against different types of free radicals is the most effective way to go.

Some of the top picks among antioxidant supplements are: beta-carotene (natural), lycopene, lutein, vitamin E (natural), vitamin C, alpha-lipoic acid, green tea, selenium, zinc, grape seed, and pine bark - but there are many other choices of nutrients and herbal extracts and plant extracts that possess wonderful antioxidant properties. Just as with your training regimen, if you keep the concept of “balance” in mind when it comes to your antioxidant nutrition, then your body will be healthier and stronger and more able to respond to the demands of living and working and “playing” at the highest level possible.

For more detailed information on the pros, cons, safety, and dosage recommendations for specific antioxidant nutrients (and hundreds of other supplements), visit Supplement Watch at www.supplementwatch.com.

About the Author: Shawn Talbott holds a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry (Rutgers) and MS in Exercise Science (Massachusetts). He trains for iron-distance triathlons in Draper Utah – and is always sure to keep his antioxidant defenses topped off. He can be reached at smtalbott@supplementwatch.com

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Running fast can lead to an optimum performance and it may be easier to get faster than you think. Implementing just a few speed workouts into your monthly training can shave off a lot from even your best running times.

To run faster you must train faster and smarter. Effective speed work is carefully designed and calibrated to increase your muscles ability to utilize oxygen more efficiently. While speed work is challenging it trains your body to perform at a higher intensity for longer and prolong fatigue. Interval training, fartleks, and racing are a few of the many ways to incorporate speed work into your training. As always, remember to warm-up and stretch well before attempting any speed work.

Interval Training

Most serious athletes realize that timed interval work on the track helps build speed for optimum performance. Typically this type of speed work is done on a 400 meter track. The most common forms of interval training are repeats, pyramids, and ladders, all containing three very specific elements: interval length, pace and recovery time. A classic repeat workout includes 12 x 400 meters at 5 sec./mile faster than 5K race pace with a 200 meters recovery. Recovery time should not exceed the time it takes to run the 400. Or try a pyramid starting and finishing with 2 x 400 @ 5K pace - 200 meters recovery. Do 4 x 800 with 400 meters recovery @ 15 sec. faster than 5 K race pace in the middle of the 400’s. Or try a ladder 1,600 meters (60 second recovery) - 1,200 (45) - 1,000 (40) – 800 (30) - 600 (20) - 400 (15) – 200 (5). These workouts are tough, but rewarding when you see your racing times improve.

Fartleks

Running fartleks is the easiest way for a beginner to inject speed into a run. Fartlek is a Swedish word meaning “speed play” and it is simply done by adding random bursts of speed into a moderate run. It is free form running designed to mimic the unpredictable surges that occur during competition. Give it a try.

Racing

Challenge your pace through road racing. Road running season is fast approaching and soon we will be able to choose from an assortment of races every weekend. From trail runs to hilly road races you are sure to find a challenge. Introducing periodic racing into your training gives you that competitive edge which drives for optimum performance. Even a small local 5K can give you the challenge to push the pace and excel in running. Remember to get faster you need to train faster.

Other methods to increase speed are tempo runs, plyometric drills, strength and core conditioning. Becoming a leaner and stronger runner will only make you a faster runner. What about joining a running club or running with a friend that challenges you to run faster?

Lora Erickson is a local triathlete and certified running coach since 1996. As one of Colorado’s top high school runners she ran on scholarship for the “U” and Utah State University graduating with a B.S. Health Education minors: Nutrition and Chemistry. She is also a certified personal trainer and owner of Optimum Health Services located in Bountiful. To comment about this article email blonderunner@netzero.net or call her direct at 299-1601. Custom running programs are available. She will be teaching a four week Running Camp in the month of July through the Bountiful South Davis Recreation Center. On-line sign-up available www.southdavisrecreation.com or call 298-6220 for more information.

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