100 Essential Triathlon Sessions E-Book

Steve Trew

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Triathlon has seen huge changes in the past few decades; it has grown in popularity; been recognised as an Olympic sport; and witnessed a rapid increase in standards of performance at all levels. These changes have been accompanied by major developments in training principles and methods. Two of the UK's top triathlon coaches, Steve Trew and Dan Bullock, have teamed up to write 100 Essential Triathlon Sessions, the definitive training programme for all serious triathletes. These 100 sessions - 30 swim, 30 bike, 30 run and 10 Brick - have been developed and honed over many years and have proved effective in improving performance.

Leseprobe

100 ESSENTIAL TRIATHLON SESSIONS

THE DEFINITIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR ALL SERIOUS TRIATHLETES

STEVE TREW AND DAN BULLOCK

FOREWORD BY DARREN SMITH AND JODIE STIMPSON

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2014 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

© Steve Trew and Dan Bullock 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 673 4

CONTENTS

Foreword by Darren Smith and Jodie Stimpson

Introduction

PART I:

SWIMMING

1

Swimming Technique

2

Training Terminology and Explanations

3

The Swim Sessions

PART II:

CYCLING

4

Cycling Technique and Equipment

5

The Cycle Sessions

PART III:

RUNNING

6

Running Technique

7

The Run Sessions

PART IV:

COMBINATION AND PROGRESSION

8

The Brick Sessions

9

Progression in Training

Index

FOREWORD

Few people inspire others for decades. Steve Trew inspired me when I was a young coach a good few years ago now, and continues to support the development of athletes and coaches alike to this day.

This book provides an insight into the accumulated knowledge of an educator at the top of his game, and will help you with the ‘juggling’ of the different demands of sport and life. Bravo, Steve! I took notes when I read these training suggestions and they got me thinking deeply now as it did back then! Thanks once again, coach

Darren is regarded as the number one Olympic distance triathlon coach in the world. He coached six triathletes to the 2012 London Olympic Games; Sarah Groff of USA, Anne Haug of Germany, Lisa Norden of Sweden, Kate Roberts of South Africa, Barbara Riveros Diaz of Chile, and Vicky Holland of Great Britain.

Darren Smith

During my time in triathlon, I’ve learned that every single training session must have meaning, purpose and aim. It’s vitally important to never waste time and to make use of every single session. ‘What’s the reason for this session?’ ‘Why am I doing this?’ ‘What do I get out of this?’ My coach always has an answer!

The sessions in this book are absolutely spot-on; there’s a reason why you should be doing them, a time, and a scale so you can fit in with your level of fitness and aspirations. Great book, highly recommended!

Jodie finished runner-up in the World Triathlon Series in 2013.

Jodie Stimpson

I have been fortunate during my career to have worked with some amazing coaches as well as amazing athletes. In the coaching world, Dan Bullock is up there with the very best. His technical knowledge and analysis of stroke is superb. Dan has improved times and technique with swimmers and triathletes of all abilities from absolute beginner to World medallists. It has been a privilege to have worked alongside and learned so much from him.

Co-author Steve Trew

INTRODUCTION

Triathlon has been a huge part of my life for the last thirty years, and the changes I have seen in the sport during that time have been astounding, in particular the rapid increase in standard of performance at all levels and the massive changes in training. Back in the 1980s, triathlon was seen as a total endurance sport with little or no room for quality training.

The rate of improvement has been hugely impressive, and in long-distance triathlon, the rate of performance improvement has been even more remarkable, from that first Ironman® in 1978, won by Gordon Haller in 11hr 46min 58sec, to the current times of sub 8hr for men and the astonishing 8hr 18min for Chrissie Wellington (GB) in the women’s event. This time decrease of over 33 per cent cannot be matched by any other sport.

Of course, any new sport will see tremendous changes as it reaches out to more and more competitors, and this has been reflected in training for triathlon. There have been different phases of training as ‘new’ (actually often old reinvented) methods have come into vogue. There has, at various times, been a different emphasis on a particular discipline. But it’s triathlon, isn’t it? So every discipline is important. What is equally important is how the training for those three disciplines fits together, and how they relate and impinge upon each other.

At one time every single training session had to be a ‘back to back’, or ‘brick’. It works for some athletes; for others it is just extremely tiring. And that’s what’s important: each athlete needs to ask: What training do I need? What works for me? What is going to make me a better athlete? The bottom line for us is to find the sessions that make us improve.

We hope this book will help. It contains 100 sessions that Dan and I have used over the years and which have been effective in improving performance. There are no short cuts, but knowing what works and what doesn’t, and choosing the crucial sessions to make those gains, is going to save time and avoid a lot of frustration.

An essential skill for all competitive triathletes at whatever level is juggling – time, sessions and real life! Without that skill, life becomes rushed and less enjoyable.

Steve Trew

CHAPTER 1

SWIMMING TECHNIQUE

Effective swimming is one of the most biomechanically difficult sports to measure in terms of recognizing and calculating what is happening when it is done well. Élite swimmers can hit the same number of strokes for length after length, but there will be subtle variations in terms of the pathway that each arm revolution takes. The more stable the foundation that these movements are based on, the greater the likelihood of more similar movements being repeated.

When attending training camps with swimmers and triathletes, it is hard not to see some key patterns develop. Issues with stroke stability and key inaccuracies are always apparent time and time again as we work with adults to improve their front crawl technique. It is always rewarding to see some significant breakthroughs in terms of getting faster from performing just a few key drills. I have relied on these ‘basics’ for many years now, and while they are quite simple in their appearance, the essentials of technique are there. I was pleased but not surprised when I also finally found footage of some Olympians doing these same drills in their recovery swims at a top US university.

You will see that the basic extension position and torpedo drills are referred to continually throughout the fitness sessions, such is their importance. It is not a matter of drills being performed for learning and then forgotten: drills are repeated over and over again, just as a golfer will have their swing looked at from time to time and sometimes rebuilt.

The Leg Kick

It is imperative to change your approach to swim technique in order to break through to more economical swimming. Working from the legs up may seem strange, but they do cause most issues. Improving your leg kick is possibly the biggest breakthrough you can make to your front crawl stroke. A perfect leg kick with a less-than-perfect front crawl arm pull is better than a bad kick and a perfect pull/catch position. With a good leg kick the act of swimming should be less tiring.

A wetsuit will not cure a bad leg kick, and continually pulling will not help solve the issues that are slowing your full stroke front crawl. Adding fins will generally make a bad leg kick faster, but it will not stop it from tiring you out if the kick is incorrect. Wearing a band around the ankles will reduce a bad kick but not teach you what a good leg kick is.

The kick should not be engaged to the point that it is overly propulsive. We need the kick to hold the body in position, to help initiate rotation. It is not about propulsion. It is absolutely necessary to have an efficient front crawl leg kick to swim faster. The bike and run are still to come once the swim is complete, but a good front crawl leg kick will not overtire your leg muscles.

Remember the concept of ‘hiding’ to maintain a streamlined position:

•

Hide the toes behind the feet

•

Hide the feet behind the legs

•

Hide the legs behind the body

•

Look forwards but do not face forwards, hide the neck behind the head

•

Hide the upper shoulder behind the head, seal up the gap between the lower shoulder and chin as the lead arm extends forwards

•

Hide the arm (as it extends forwards) behind the hand

•

Keep the head still, unless turning to breathe

What we want to avoid is the kick being too big – that is, kicking outside the profile of the body and creating drag. The disparity between how you imagine you kick and what actually happens can be huge. Frequently when people see their video playback they are amazed to see the width and depth of their kick compared to just how small a good kick is: they cannot believe ‘that’s all it is!’

It is easy to see how this happens: on dry land strong leg movements do create speed, and the bigger and faster movements usually dictate big, fast returns. The skill when it comes to swimming is limiting the range of movement. The leg kick even while mechanically accurate in terms of a relatively straight movement from the hip can still be quite big.

Using the ‘plank’ position as well as the Pilates ‘swimmer’ movement will supplement and accelerate an accurate small kick. If the leg kick is likened to the movement of a pendulum, then it is easy to see how a small movement at the hip can generate such large unwanted positions down at the feet. Core exercises will add rhythm to create a good small kick, and the core strength to control it and keep it small. It is also necessary to have flexible ankle mobility so that the feet can turn inwards and improve ‘usable surface area’. Feel the big toes tapping as a constant reminder of this aspect of the kick. This will also stop the feet splaying too far apart if you maintain a fast rhythm.

If all the above fall into place and your kick mechanics improve, then the kick will add traction to the stroke (rather than propulsion). You will then stand a better chance of creating rotation around the long axis internally: the legs, core and hips generate the ability to get the upper body rotated, and it then becomes sustainable and symmetrical. The movement is repeated over and over again.

Breathing and Head Position

Often the breathing initiates and promotes rotation as the head lifts aggressively, and it is easy to assume that you are not rotating when you are not breathing. The other detrimental impact of this movement is how the arm is usually needed to help this upward movement of the head. Similarly, if the arm is pushing down, then it is not setting a good pulling position where the body should be pulled over the hand and forearm by getting the fingertips pointing to the bottom of the pool, the palm of the hand facing the wall you are swimming away from, and the forearm moving into a vertical position.

Body Position and the Torpedo Drill

Ideally we look to create the FC body positions without the arms involved, so it continually happens regardless of whether you are breathing or not – hence the torpedo drill.

Torpedo drill.

•

Arms by your side, front crawl legs only, head still; ideally use a central snorkel

•

Rotate the upper body, allowing the rest of the body to follow

•

Aim to bring the shoulder around to the chin alternately, do not move the chin to the shoulder. Avoid shrugging the shoulder up to the ear

•

The head must remain still at all times. Using a central snorkel will allow more of this to drill to be performed without tiring

Swimming this drill for 5m from each wall with no breathing will really help. Finish the length on full stroke, and the movement of the drill will gradually enter into your full stroke.

In the torpedo position the legs are kicking, the hips rotating, and the core is involved in lifting the shoulders and getting the upper body partially on to its side. The kick needs to do this so that rotation is delivered equally and continuously. If lifting the head when breathing during full stroke drives your rotation, then it often needs a wide push down of the arm to help prop the head up. To stop this wide sweep of the arm from unbalancing you, it often needs a wide leg kick to counterbalance you. These faults will create very poor streamlining and rotation, and with each breath there will be a sharp drop in speed due to the increase in surface area to your profile.

A narrower hand recovery will keep the kick smaller.

An unbalanced body position needs stabilizing.

Once the shoulders start to lift above the surface from practising the drill without the arms involved, then there is a much better opportunity of making bilateral breathing a lot easier within the full stroke. The shoulders are no longer in the way – that is, low as you attempt to breathe. As the shoulders lift, the elbow is then taken higher and so the trajectory of the hands can be improved. Without rotation the shoulders are lower in the water, and in turn the elbows are kept lower as the arms recover wide.

Internal rotation means that the rotating continues even when not breathing. If the rotation originates externally from an aggressive breathing movement, from the lead arm pushing down and so not catching, coupled with the head lifting into the breath, swimming will become almost one-armed and the body will run the risk of injury as the shoulder takes a lot of the pressure.

The Extension Position

The role of the extension position is to help you hold the arm outstretched, and to learn to breathe off the outstretched arm without it falling away, so the head is supported when breathing.

Extension position.

•

The lead arm is outstretched and submerged; this should lift the trail shoulder above the surface

•

As the head looks down, tuck the submerged shoulder into the chin

•

The trailing arm lies along your side. The surface shoulder aims to remain still

•

Initially use a snorkel to perfect the body position. Gradually dispense with the snorkel so that you can practise breathing to the side

•

It is advisable to use fins initially

If the torpedo position promotes the rotation to come from within, then the extension position is the drill that teaches a leg kick that is sufficient to hold you on your side. Overkicking will lead to a more tiring kick that is trying to work to create propulsion. If the leg kick is under control and stabilizes, then we should be able to hold the surface shoulder steady and stable in this position; if the kick is out of control then it will be reflected in vigorous movements in the surface shoulder. Extension is sometimes referred to as the ‘Superman’ position.

Adding a central snorkel to the full front crawl stroke will allow breathing to take care of itself. As skills are developed to perform better hand pathways under the body, there will be a reduction in the negative forces that would otherwise throw the legs around. It is important to work on the body position, leg kick and rotation before moving on to ‘the catch’ and ‘the feel of the stroke’.

When the negatives of poor technique are removed and the body position improved, swimming speed will improve because many of the finer movements will become more intuitive. The sensation of moving forwards will become more apparent, as the front crawl stroke technique improves.

An efficient leg kick will help the upper body rotate, which will in turn allow the arms to start to engage correctly. While standing on the poolside the ‘torpedo’ position is quite straightforward to perform. With the feet on the floor there is a strong foundation for rotation. In the water that basic foundation is lost and we rely on the kick to recreate it. Without that, even a good arm pull (balanced and symmetrical) will suffer if it has to pull a bad leg kick through the water. The upper body and arms do most of the work and the legs far less, but it is essential that all areas work together.

Triathletes should not be able to pull (swim arms only with a pull buoy to lift the legs) faster than they can swim, but many do! Most good long distance front crawl swimmers can ‘pull’ long-distances at a fast speed, but it is hard work. It should be possible to swim full stroke front crawl at the same ‘pull’ speeds, but it should be a much easier overall effort.

Efficiency of Technique

One definition of swim efficiency is the number of strokes taken over any distance. An élite swimmer of average height may swim one length of 25m in thirteen strokes, though many triathletes will take between twenty and twenty-five strokes. Lowering the number of strokes taken will decrease the effort needed and will keep the stroke rate relaxed and efficient.

What is it that chips away at your efficiency to make it possible to reduce your distance per stroke down in the 1.20m range, rather than closer to 1.60m? If we follow all the negatives that are possible in front crawl, it is easy to see how they add up; the following are the most common mistakes:

•

If you are trying to pull the body over the hand, and yet the hand is pushing water down to the bottom of the pool, then you are not going forwards

•

If the fingers are wide apart, and not the 3mm ideally recommended, then the hands are going to slip under the body without the body moving forwards

•

If you are facing forwards with the head up, then more drag occurs

•

If through a lack of rotation both shoulders remain submerged, then you will not move forwards as easily

•

Swinging the arms wide of the body on recovery and crossing the centre line on entry means you are moving sideways, not forwards

•

If a strong two-way pivot at the knee hampers your kick, you will send yourself backwards

All these mistakes in technique will limit your forward movement to well under 1.60m per stroke. Even the toes pointing to the bottom of the pool are going to hold you back and slow your progress.

A sure sign that power and strength beat technique in the short term is how most people are able to maintain the pace needed to swim 25min for 1,500m, but only for a short distance. Eventually drag increases as streamlining decreases, water is pushed in the wrong direction, more surface area than necessary is exposed, and so your length of stroke decreases and speed decreases as well.

How do we keep the stroke count low?

•

Think – Smallest body profile through the water

•

Think – Push every drop of water backwards towards the feet, but with as little effort as possible

•

Think – Repeat it over and over again

•

Think – Whole body, and not just arms

Streamline your stroke, iron out as many flaws as possible, and work on as many of these good habits as possible until they are ingrained. Continued, repeated, accurate practice will ensure that good technique becomes a habit. Have the full body contribute to your stroke to keep it as relaxed as possible. Keeping an eye on stroke count within your main sets will help check efficiency, but think of your stroke count not as an absolute minimum to strive for, but as an alarm bell sounding a warning if it goes too high in the middle of a fitness training session.

Fitness

How long should each swimming session be? A 90min key fitness session will allow 20min warm-up including drills, then a 50min main set plus a warm-down. It can be helpful not to bike or run earlier in the day ahead of a key session: resting the legs a little is critical to keep cramping at bay and avoid ‘pulling’ rather than swimming ‘full stroke’. The mechanics of the leg kick alone are quite stressful, in particular to the calf and the arch of the foot. The quality and length of your session will improve if you can approach it slightly rested, and arrive hydrated and with some nutrition. You may be depleted from an earlier session and will need the energy. Gels tend to ‘sit’ better than bars, but it is quite individual and you will work out your own preference.

Your swim progress will accelerate if you make use of fins, paddles and a central snorkel. A kickboard is handy but not necessary; the extension position provides plenty of kicking practice.

Time spent learning to breathe bilaterally will even out your pull, promote symmetry in your body position, and stop any one side or arm recovery becoming too dominant. With fewer breaths taken per length, it will not be easy, so don’t rush it. Most athletes breathe to one side on race day, but it is good to be able to choose which side.

The single biggest factor that will help your swim improve will be adding a session to your routine each week. The fewer days spent not in the water each week ‘unlearning technique’ will massively help. Aim to count your sessions per month, rather than per week, to get a more realistic idea of the amount of swimming training that you are doing.

BAD HABITS TO AVOID IN TRAINING

Don’t glide into the wall.

Don’t stop 2m short at the end of any repeat; that will really add up over a season. 20 × 100m becoming just 98m each time due to some congestion at the wall each swim will be worth thousands of metres missed out by the end of the year.

Keep 5sec (or more if possible) behind the swimmer in front.

Don’t draft all the time in training: you will create a false sense of faster swimming, which may lead to disappointment on race day.

Do lead a slower lane. You will work harder as a result.

Do wear drag-trunks occasionally.