Training Hub
The 13th Beach Health Services 'Barwon Heads Triathlon' training hub has everything you need to get you to the starting line in tip top condition!
In the hub you will find weekly training tips including strength and conditioning, weekly exercise program and advice, maintenance and how to ensure you stay injury free.
Picturesque Barwon Heads makes this the “Destination Race” of the season. This is a race that you cannot afford to miss on the Events Calendar.
At 13th Beach Health Services, we love supporting local events which promote the health and fitness of our great community. We are very proud to be the naming rights sponsor again of the 2021
13th Beach Health Services “Barwon Heads Triathlon”.
13th Beach Health Services have an experienced team of practitioners treating a wide range of conditions as well as treating pain, injuries and dysfunction caused by work, sport and general activity. Offering services in Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Podiatry, Remedial Massage and Myotherapy to the Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove community.
We look forward to spotting you out on the training track or in our clinic to help you best manage your body in the lead up to this great event!
WEEK 1
Introduction
Introducing the 13th Beach Health Services Barwon Heads Triathlon
We hope you had an amazing Christmas and New Year and you’re all motivated to jump into our 8 week program for the 13th Beach Health Services Barwon Heads Triathlon on the 28th of February!! STAY TUNED…
For any further information or guidance, you can make an appointment with your physiotherapist or osteopath at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or make an online booking by clicking the button below.
WEEK 2
Train Harder AND Smarter
Triathlon training by nature is more complex than other sports, as it comprises of three different sports in one. The inevitable training load to prepare your body for triathlon events can be 5+ days per week for some people. The most common injuries seen in triathletes are overuse injuries. This is frequently caused by training error; under or overtraining.
Why do we train?
Most high-performance coaches would agree that optimal athletic performance requires
adequate quality preparation as well as athletes to remain injury and illness free. Sounds simple, doesn’t it. Training at consistent, resilience building levels can be protective against injury. However, training errors are frequently met during the course of pushing athletes to their limits in order to gain peak athletic performance.
There are some easy metrics used to quantify your training workloads and these are used to feedback information on how to train most effectively. Workloads are broken down into external and internal load. External load describes the work performed by an athlete that is quantified externally. For example, distance, duration, intensity (Watts, RPM). Internal load describes measurements of the athlete’s perception of effort for a given external stress.
The most common method to quantify internal load is a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) or heart rate response to a stimulus (the training impulse score, TRIMP).
A simple equation to give each training session a score is the sessions duration multiplied by the sessional RPE.
How do we balance preparing our bodies for events whilst mitigating risk of developing an injury? We will break down some of the tips that may help to reduce your risk of developing an injury and enhance your recovery and performance on race day.
1. Establish moderate chronic training loads – consistent moderate to hard training* loads can protect against injury if achieved in a safe manner
2. Avoiding spikes in your training load, for example, large increases in your training volumes in a week. This can lead to injuries even four weeks after the change in training. Be careful not to increase weekly training loads by more than 10% each week if in a building phase
3. Be specific to your training history and goals – there is not a one size fits all and each person often responds differently. Seek guidance from a coach or your allied health practitioner if uncertain of how to tackle your training loads
4. Do not be afraid to adjust your weekly schedule and intensity depending on how
your body is responding to your training sessions. Use technology and fitness apps (Strava, fitbit, Garmin etc) to measure your external and internal loads and a training diary to document your weekly schedule.
For any further information or guidance, you can make an appointment with your physiotherapist or osteopath at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or make an online booking by clicking the button below.
WEEK 3
Recovery
Recovery is defined as the process of psychological, physiological and social re- establishment of athletic performance abilities. The scope of recovery has received copious amounts of attention in the last 15 years and has broadened towards a more holistic whole person approach. It very much focuses on the person’s response to stress physically and mentally.
Adequate recovery will optimise the effect of your training into positive adaptations and enhance your athletic performance.
The flip side of neglecting your body and mind results in overtraining, illness, injury and poor performance. Recovery does include non-sport specific activities, for example, work stresses, social relationships, financial or health stresses.
There are several reported strategies and approaches pertaining to stress monitoring outside of training specific monitoring (see our blog post on training workloads for more details).
– Muscle soreness pain
– Positive social interactions (friends, family, spouse/partner)
– Sleep quantity and quality
– Degree of enjoyment with training and competitions
– Mood
– Training monotony
There have been many links between poor sleep amount/quality and illness, underperformance, injury and poor training outcomes. The science of sleep demonstrates the physiological recovery our body undergoes each night. It is the time when our body repairs and adapts from the effect of our training activities.
Total sleep need (quantity) and sleep quality are critical in optimising post-exercise recovery.
A simple sleep hygiene routine can be a useful strategy to maximise the benefits of sleep;
1. Minimise phone/white light 1 hour before bed
2. Setting a bedtime – assist your circadian rhythm and ensure you are getting your optimal sleep needs
3. Cool, well-ventilated bedroom
4. Meditation, journal or fill in your training diary to quieten those worrying thoughts,
let go of the day and debrief on your training performance
5. 5-10 minutes of stretching before bed
6. Reading something that you enjoy
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online by clicking the button below.
WEEK 4
Thoracic Mobility
Today our Physiotherapist Briony is taking us though a few exercises to help thoracic mobility, this is important for the swim leg of the Triathlon as it will help you achieve full range through your strokes.
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online by clicking the button below.
WEEk 5
Lower Back and Hip Mobility
Today our Physiotherapist Briony is taking us though a few exercises and stretches to help with the cycle leg. She will be working on some lower back and hip mobility stretches with you.
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online by clicking the button below.
WEEk 6
Benefits of Gluteal Strengthening.
The gluteal muscles are your powerhouse muscles to generate speed and power. They are important for both the sprinter and the distance runner. The benefits of improving your gluteal strength include:
• stabilising across your hip and pelvis, allowing for more efficient muscle activation
• improved speed and performance
• reducing ground reaction force (impact) on the joints
When prescribing exercise for the purpose of building strength you should aim for 8-12 repetitions (x2-3 rounds) at an intensity level 60-70% at the end of each exercise. It should feel medium to hard intensity to be induce a muscle strengthening effect.
I have demonstrated my top 3 running gluteal strengthening and activation exercises.
I would recommend completing two rounds of these exercises before your running session to maximise the effect and feedforward into your running biomechanics.
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online www.13thbeachhealthservices.com.au
WEEk 7
Ankle and Calf Strengthening.
Today our Physiotherapist Briony is taking us through a few exercises and stretches to help with the run leg. She will be working on some ankle and calf strengthening stretches with you.
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online www.13thbeachhealthservices.com.au
WEEk 8
Pre-Race Load Tapering.
The focus as you move into your last training week is to optimise your competitive readiness. This encapsulates feeling at your peak performance, training should feel at a good intensity and minimising any form of fatigue, illness or stress in the lead up to race day.
Specifically, for a sprint triathlon, load tapering can be planned for 3-7 days before your event. For the most effective training, research has demonstrated that intensity is the key training attribute to focus on in your last training week. Short, high intensity sessions are advised over long, high volume, fatiguing sessions.
Overall, training volume (km’s) should aim to be reduced between 41-60% (swimming) and 20-60% (cycling and running). This still induces positive physiological, psychological and performances adaptations in highly trained triathletes.
However, this is highly individual and athletes/competitors should aim to maintain their “feel” with training whilst staying fresh and energised. Evidence suggests there is no benefit from reducing training frequency.
Sessions for this week should include at least 3-4 of the following sessions.
One session in each discipline plus or minus a BRICK set:
BRICK sessions (change over practice)
Interval sessions
Tempo sessions
PRE RACE PREP:
1. It would be great to fill your cup with whatever makes you happy. Whether that be getting a massage or treatment (at least 48hours before the event ideally), yin yoga session, meditation, a walk on the beach etc.
2. Maintaining adequate hydration during the taper and especially during the 48hrs preceding a triathlon competition is key to ensure that work capacity is not diminished at the beginning of the race (Casa et al., 2010). Urine colour is an inexpensive and reliable indicator of hydration status (Armstrong et al., 1994), and it may provide a valid means for triathletes to self-assess hydration level, notably during the taper period.
3. Care with Carb Loading – Carbohydrate loading can optimise muscle glycogen stores but not all carbs were created equal. One person may digest and feel fantastic with a bowl of favourite pasta but not everyone. Focus on a tried and tested feel-good, balanced meal in the 24hours before race day. This will avoid bloating, sluggishness and maximise energy levels.
If you have any niggles or concerns, please feel free to contact us at 13th Beach Health Services on 03 5254 2668 or book online www.13thbeachhealthservices.com.au