Category : off season

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New Year resolutions: key to success

January 6, 2022

Another year has flown by—we are heading into the new year and all the challenges it will bring. Making New Year’s resolutions can be very rewarding and actually lead to significant change—however, for 99 percent of us it is just a thought that lasts a day and then is forgotten as we go about our daily lives.

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Gain Weight for Improved Performance

November 10, 2017

We seem to have a non stop stream of articles in the triathlon media regarding weight loss and getting down to race weight, how to plan your year to be lean and light for race day. Having worked with athletes of all levels from beginner to ironman winning pro athletes i have to ask the question is lightest and leanest always the best solution for race day?

Performance is the goal of coaching and body weight is a huge factor in performance, but when we look at long distance triathlon and typically ironman then i really do not think lightest is best.

Lets look at the individual sports to see how this works, there is no question that to run a stand alone fast marathon the top athletes are ultra lean and light but when we take runners and introduce them to triathlon we tend to see very poor swim and bike performance and then the run performance is nothing like we would expect.

If we then look at swimmers we see long distance swimmers are strong and powerful and hold a little more body fat than runners, if we then look at long distance open water swimmers this becomes even more apparent. History has shown us that swimmers move to triathlon well and are powerful on the bike while struggle a little on the run as they move to the sport.

If we then look at cycling and in particular the top time trial athletes we see the bigger stronger riders are dominant, Fabian Cancellera being a prime example of this. In Ironman there is no question the race tends to be dominated by strong cyclists, not only does this strength lead to great cycling times but also a strong athlete will have more in reserve to use on the run!

Over the years we have seen time and time again in ironman that the big strong looking cyclist who should not be able to run i our eyes have great runs and the skinny smaller athletes who should be flying on the run suffer and run slower than expected.

While there will always be exceptions to the rule for longer distance races having a little more muscle and weight is going to lead to better results and in my opinion better overall health which is something we should always look at. While the extra weight may have an impact on run performance the benefits to the swim and bike will far outweigh this impact.

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Within endurance sports i think we have a culture of restricting calories and always tend to be a little underfed versus overfed and to gain muscle this is the hardest obstacle we have to overcome. In order to gain muscle our bodies need to be in a constantly fed state. This is not going to make us fat so long as we are training appropriately, so how to do we train for gaining muscle?

Gaining muscle is really all about 2 main factors, hormone stimulation and feeding. We need to switch the correct hormones on for growth and then we need to feed the muscles in order for this growth to occur.

As endurance athletes we have a major stumbling block in place that prevents this occurring and that is cardio exercise. Cardiovascular exercise breaks down muscle and prevents this growth taking place, in particular running has the biggest effect on this. So if weight gain is the goal for improved performance then the best time to start this process is the winter when large run volume is not of prime importance. Taking a period of time off from running or with significantly reduced run volume will enhance your ability to gain muscle mass. Once that muscle mass has been added it will be possible to maintain once the run volume increases later in the season.

How to switch the hormones on,

Strength training is how we switch the hormones on for optimal muscle mass development, we can do this to some extent with sport specific strength training such as low cadence high resistance work on the bike or swimming with paddles for increased resistance on the pull but some weight training added into your program will speed up this process. With the goal of gaining mass we need to be lifting heavy but not near our 1 rep max level, more in the 70-80% range and looking to perform 3-5 sets of 8-10 repetitions on each of the following exercises.

  • Deadlifts
  • Squats
  • Bench Press
  • Pull Ups

These exercises are the big bang exercises in weight lifting and deliver the biggest gains. When i say we want to switch growth hormones on we need to stimulate the central nervous system for this to occur and the instability element of these exercises and the fact they work a large range of muscles in each movement lead to this result.

These exercises especially the squats and deadlift need to be performed with good technique and i would recommend you consult a professional coach for advice and guidance when you get started into any weight lifting exercise.

In order to get the results we want from this program the lifting would need to be added to your program 2-3 times per week and the time commitment should not be much with each session taking approximately 20-30 minutes, important to remember at this time of year the sessions are in place of regular triathlon sessions not alongside. These sessions also need to be scheduled in your week away from the longer endurance sessions, no point in doing these directly before a long run for example so make sure you work with your coach when planing strength into your week, better the next after a long season so you have the positive hormones flowing for longer!

So now we have the hormones switched on its time to eat, assuming all is good with your diet then you need to add approximately 500 calories to your daily nutrition to start seeing some gains. We all hear of body builders eating tons of protein for weight gain and while protein is important carbohydrates are also very important and without them you are going to feel drained in your regular triathlon training. Make sure post training you are consuming a large meal that has a good balance of both carbohydrates and protein, if you are time crunched then a recovery drink containing both protein and carbohydrates is a good alternative until you can eat. Always aim to get this first nutrition in within 30minutes of the session – you can even start drinking this if you decide to go with this option during your session.

We always hear the saying do the same thing expect the same results yet as triathletes we are so set in our ways and the only way we think about to get faster is to train harder and push ourselves more each year with more intensity or volume. Instead make this radical change, reduce your regular triathlon training for a period or time to focus on gaining muscle, the time benefits you experience will outweigh any gain you can make from simply pushing harder in your triathlon specific training and you might find this new focus improves general health and boosts your motivation for the season ahead.

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Starting Back – Strength

November 6, 2017

By Alun “Woody” Woodward, coach, ironguides.net

Many of you will have recently been enjoying an end of season break, be it a total rest from any endurance training or just a period of time with some unstructured training sessions. As we head towards November its a good time to start thinking about stepping back into a plan and starting the process of preparing for your 2018 season.
So when putting together that first training plan starting back the focus should always be strength, always remember a strong body is a healthy body and being strong is going to greatly reduce your risk of injury as the intensity and volume of your training program ramps up.
So when i say strength we can look at hitting the gym for some conventional strength training but i am also talking a lot of sport specific strength work, paddles in the pool, hills on the bike and run for example. Lets have a look at how we can hit strength in many different ways to make you a stronger better athlete in 2018.
To start off lets look at a core routine, you can search the internet and find many examples of core exercises and it would be very easy to overcomplicate any program with a variety of exercises. What we want ideally is something very simple and easy to add to our program. Kettlebells are continuing to grow in popularity and are a great piece of equipment for providing pure strength and core strength at home. Adding kettlebell swings into your weekly program 2-3 times per week will see you develop a range of benefits from increased hip power, stronger abs and a functional posterior chain, an area that tends to be particularly weak in triathletes.
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As a coach one of the most common problems i see in athletes is weak and non functional glutes also known as gluteal amnesia, kettlebell swings have been shown in a study by Dr Stuart Mcgill to lead to significant gluteal activation and power development. We have seen many gluteal exercises using bands and tubes come to popularity over the last years but can something as simple as the swing replace all these tedious exercises with much bigger results, it is definitely worth giving this a go.
Another problem we face as triathletes is the postural problems that occur from spending hours on the bike and especially in the TT position, this leads to tight hips which can lead to loss of our normal functional movement patterns. By this i mean tightness in the hips alters posture and the body gets around this by finding different ways to move using muscles not designed for those movements. This is not something we will not really notice at first but is like a ticking time bomb in terms of injury. When looking at a strength program we want to be looking at getting back to functional movements and as the core exercises we want something simple in order to achieve this rather than a large list of exercises. Again using the kettlebell we have a great excursive called the Turkish Get Up, this exercise teaches the body to move once more the way it was designed to move, tracing the movement patterns we use in childhood development. This is definitely not a exercise to just try alone and i would recommend you search an instructor for some technique lessons before adding this to your exercise routine. The get up has a great added bonus that it works on developing shoulder stability which is always a good thing for our swimming.
So above we have 2 basic strength exercises that added to your program 2-3 times per week will see a significant development of strength and while this will enhance performance it will also go a long way towards preventing injuries and at a very minimal time commitment, a basic program of 5×20 swings with a 1 minutes rest between and then 3-5 get ups each side should take no more than 15 minutes.
Lets have a look at sport specific strength now, and swimming is a great place to start, swimming is non weight bearing and so a great place to add sport specific strength as there is very little injury risk associated. In the swim we have many tools for adding strength such as the pull buoy, band tied around ankles and of course paddles to increase the resistance of every pull.
Sticking with the simple theme of this article paddles have to give the best benefits of strength to the swimmer, the paddles do not need to be large to have an effect and you should be starting out with small paddles, at ironguides we recommend the TYR Catalyst paddles. When we swim with paddles we force more muscle fibres to be activated during the pull and have to work harder to pull the hand through the water. Not only do paddles increase strength but they also work on improving technique without us having to think – aways a bonus! The way this works is due to the bigger area we have to pull through the water we slow down the pull and have a greater awareness of hand position during the pull. A big mistake a lot of swimmers do is pull the hand too fast through the water, this causes the hand to snake during the pull and water to slip off the hand, by pulling slower with more awareness on the hand due to the paddles we tend to pull back in a straighter line and keep the water fixed on the hand all the way back. As you start back i would recommend adding some paddle work to the last half of your swim sessions.
Biking in triathlon i see as the strength sport, when racing ironman we need to be strong on the bike and use our power as we want to be saving our cardiovascular system as much as possible for the swim and run sections. As with the swim biking is a fairly safe sport to do sport specific strength work and riding hills is the perfect way to do this.
Power hill riding is a great session for strength development and used correctly in your program will lead to some big strength gains and performance gains on the bike. The idea of power hill riding is not to get to the top of every hill as fast as possible, in fact it is the complete opposite. What we want from this session is to go as slowly as possible up the hill, turning a big gear with max resistance on the pedals the whole time. Interval length should be very short for this type of session due to the demands on your legs, starting at 1 minute and working up to a maximum of 5 minutes at a time. Cadence is key here and we are looking for a cadence under 50, this will ensure the exercise is more strength than cardiovascular dominated.
Adding at least 1 power hill session into your weekly program is key at this time of year. That leads us to running and the most risky of the 3 sports when it comes to sport specific strength work, due to range of motion when running and terrain variations any strength work on the run comes with a risk so should be very minimal and come at a time in your week when you are not heavily fatigued. With running the strength work needs to slowly come into your program as your fitness develops, to start with hill running is great for strength development but i am not talking about running hard intervals uphill rather just adding some hill running into your easy runs is enough to start developing your run specific strength. We leave any hill intervals until we have gained a good level of fitness.
Starting this year lay the foundation of strength as you start training and you will reap the benefits through the winter and into your next racing season.
Enjoy your training,

Coach Alun “Woody” Woodward

Alun Woodward

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Switching Off And Tuning In

November 3, 2017
Its that time of year again, the race season is pretty much wrapped up and it’s time to take a little downtime and refresh the body and mind for the new challenges ahead.
I like to look at this time of year as a time to switch off and tune in, by this i mean switch off the noise, the digital media and all the distractions its brings and tune in to how your body is really doing.
Our world is changing rapidly and digital media is becoming more and more part of our everyday life, now thanks to applications such as Flipboard we can have a daily newspaper that features only stories we would be interested in and these are collected from all over the world creating a never ending stream of information. In a typical day we wake up and now the first thing people do is check in with social media or applications such as Flipboard to make sure we are not missing out on anything. The same tends to go for any free time in the day, instead of relaxing we immediately turn to digital media.
I have athletes who are sending emails and reports during their warm up on the trainer, a time when you should be listening to your body and seeing how the muscles feel ahead of the main session.
Last thing at night we are no longer reading books or winding down but having one last check online before the lights go out, a situation that is leading to many sleep disturbances.
This state of being constantly on and up to date has created a situation where we are becoming less and less aware of what is going on in our bodies and how we are responding to training and other life stresses. When i ask an athlete or anyone how they are the most common answer is busier than ever, never seem to have a moment to themselves! If you are honest though how much of that busy is now a result of digital media and the need to be constantly up to date? How many times do you just quickly check in to Facebook or a newspaper app during a typical day, how many times do you get distracted by emails arriving as your email app is set to update you on every new email? – i would bet a lot more than you may think!
As we enter the off season this is a perfect time to start looking at how you schedule the day and making some changes to tune back into how your body is feeling.
I am not saying don’t use digital media rather just schedule it at certain times in the day so we can get back to a more relaxed body that you are in touch with.
Waking up every morning resist that urge to go online straight away, rather add in some gentle body calisthenics to wake the body up and tune in to how the body moves and how the muscles are functioning, not only will this have you feeling more awake but will have the body functioning optimally and you will feel more alive. If you have been suffering during the season with postural problems make this time in the morning the time to do any corrective exercises. Modern life has led to most of us having various postural problems and very basic exercises that may take just 30 seconds to complete are rarely done as we put off and put off during the day and then forget about – putting these exercises into a morning routine after waking up will make a big difference.
An example of such a routine may be going through the following exercises 5 times each
  • Arm swings/ circles – this will open up your shoulders and add range to movements
  • T-Spine rotations – adding mobility to your thoracic spine is something we all could use
  • Side twists to mobilise Sacro-illiac joins
  • Body weight squats
  • Push ups
Go through this routine twice and then get on with your day – you will notice a big difference in how you feel and move within 10 days.
Listen to your body when training, if you always have music playing while working out then try some sessions or warm ups without and just focus on how your feeling and moving. Turn off your phone or notifications at least while you train so you are not distracted during training time – amazing how much calmer your body will be and how much more you will enjoy your sessions.
As its off season adding something new to your schedule for a change and mental refresh is always good and think about adding in activities such as Yoga or Pilates which not only will aid your relaxation but will provide positive feedback that you can take into your triathlon training.
Full body relaxation techniques are another great tool that used to be common practice at schools and sports clubs but has become rare practice today. Again this is about getting in touch with your body relaxing without any other distractions. To do this you need to lie in a dark place with no distractions – in bed before sleep is a perfect place to do this. Now lie down and the idea it to start at your toes and work up to the head systematically relaxing all the muscles in your body, to do this we can first create tension within the muscle and then relax the area, so if your working on your hands make a fist and squeeze hard this will make the muscles in your hand and forearm contract and then open and relax the hand and feel the tension disappear – breath deeply for 3 breaths and then move onto the next area. Spending 10 minutes at night going through this routine will lead to improved sleep quality and can help if you are finding it hard to fall asleep in the first place.
Finally as in the morning try to have a period of time before bed where you are not checking in with digital media, instead read a book or a newspaper if you wish and then go to bed and go through the relaxation method i describe above.
This off season make a change and get back in touch with your body, learn to switch your brain off and stop the over thinking that is leading to much of our daily stress. We always say at ironguides that we have to balance the stresses of life, if you reduce the noise of digital media and have a more relaxed body you will be able to cope with more training stress and see some good gains in your performance.
Enjoy your training,

Coach Alun “Woody” Woodward

Alun Woodward

ironguides is the leading Lifestyle Facilitation company for athletes of all abilities. We provide coaching and training services, plans and programs, as well training education, health and fitness products to help you learn and live a healthy lifestyle. Come get fit with one of our monthly training subscriptions, event-specific training plans, coaching services, or a triathlon training camp in an exotic location! ironguides also provides Corporate Health services including Corporate Triathlons, Healthy Living retreats and speaking engagements. At ironguides, your best is our business!

Train with ironguides!

Personalized Online Coaching:  Starting at USD190/month

Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months

Event based training plans:

Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)

Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)

Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)

Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)

X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)

Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)

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New Year resolutions: key to success

December 20, 2016

By Alun Woodward, Online Triathlon Coach, ironguides.net

Another year has flown by—we are heading into 2013 and all the challenges it will bring. Making New Year’s resolutions can be very rewarding and actually lead to significant change—however, for 99 percent of us it is just a thought that lasts a day and then is forgotten as we go about our daily lives.

Read more »

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