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2015-08-23 8:32 PM

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Subject: Personal Training Review
Hello,

I am pretty new to multi-sport and really got into the training about 8 weeks ago. Being an ex-college ice hockey player and now desk jockey I knew what my physical peak used to be for that sport. I also know that ice hockey isn't multi-sport. With this in mind I started off with about 3 weeks of running to get myself to a reasonable fitness level.

Once I felt comfortable with my fitness level I jumped right into doing "Simulated Sprint Triathlons". What I am referring to is swimming in the gyms pool, hitting the spinning bikes, and running on the treadmill at sprint triathlon distances or greater. I am doing about 3 of these a week with an off day here or there and single sport days in between where I will run the hills of Western, PA (as an example). The last few weeks I have been picking an event to extend further than sprint distance as my "push sport" for the brick (today I added a 10k at the end instead of doing a 5k).

I have also changed the way I have been eating, via 21 day fix, and have dropped from 180lbs to 170lbs. On a 5'10 frame I know I have some more weight to lose and am targeting around 163-165lbs.

For the swim:
I have been getting my volume up for the most part as it took me a few pool sessions to get comfortable in the water and really find my stroke and breathing rhythms. Lately I have been doing 300 yard springs to push my limits and lower my overall times. it seems to be working.

For the bike:
I have been building volume, doing interval training, and push-up pyramids. This is quickly becoming a strength for me. My FT Power seems to be in the 222-227 Watts range after documenting a few workouts with my buddy who is a spinning instructor. I have focused on Watts based training.

For the run:
I have been trying a style called chi-running. I came into this thinking it would be a strength for me but I am starting to see it as a real weakness. I am struggling breaking the 9 min mile mark after cycling.

Any input on what I can do to be more efficient with my workouts or diet is appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt


2015-08-24 9:01 AM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review

Originally posted by mal08368 ... Any input on what I can do to be more efficient with my workouts or diet is appreciated. Thanks, Matt

Welcome to BT!

A couple things to improve...

Stop doing so many bricks and race simulations.  They have value, but several sessions every week isn't the best use of time.

Stop running hard every time.  Most of your runs should be at an effort level that allows you to talk in short sentences.  After these easy runs, you should feel almost like you could do it over again right away.  Increase your total weekly volume (time - don't worry about distance.  That will increase as a function of time.) gradually (about 10% most weeks with the occasional decrease in volume for recovery when your body tells you it needs rest). 

I won't comment on the swimming, because you didn't provide enough information.  How many days / week are you swimming?  How far each session?  What do you do each session?  What are your paces for 300 yds?  100 yds?

I'm not sure what push-up pyramids are???  Ride 3-4 x per week.  1 x do the hardest intensity (power, since it sounds like you're riding on spin bikes with meters) you can hold for 3'-6' with a couple minutes of easy spinning rest between.  1 x do intervals at the hardest intensity you can sustain for 12-20 minutes with 3'-5' of easy spinning rest between.  If you discover that you can't hold the power the entire interval, then you started too hard.  Increase the total interval time for each of these sessions gradually week to week.  1-2 times per week do a ride with random intervals and intensities.

What you do over the course of a week is more important than what you do on any given day.  Consistency combined with smart training over weeks, months, and years is what will get you the results.

 



Edited by TriMyBest 2015-08-24 9:03 AM
2015-08-24 11:56 AM
in reply to: TriMyBest

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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
Don,
Thank you for your reply and advice. I will definitely take it to heart. My ultimate goal is to be doing a few events next year at the Sprint and Olympic distances (Ironman would be great too but I can be patient) and would like to join a Saturday/Sunday morning ride group around Pittsburgh to start tackling some hills (I would prefer a group that I will get dropped from, it’s the only way to get better. I probably should have mentioned that I have two young children and I am trying to work around that schedule (They are usually in bed by 7:30). But, here is my schedule:

Monday: Go to GYM and do a 3 sport Brick (2.5 hours available to spend in gym)

Tuesday: Recover

Wednesday: Go to GYM and do a 3 sport Brick (2.5 hours available to spend in gym)

Thursday: Run


Friday: Go to GYM and do a 3 sport Brick (2.5 hours available to spend in gym)
Saturday: Recover

Sunday: Ice Hockey & Run, Swim, or Bike at the gym (1-3 hours available depending on what the family has going on)

I can generally find 1-2 hours a night on the days I don’t go to the gym to go running or do something else.

With this in mind I am sure I could be working out more efficiently than I currently am. I am just already addicted to working out with high intensity all of the time! But my brain is telling me that this will lead to burnout and possibly injury, so I want to change it up.

Swim:

I am swimming 3-4 times per week and am swimming 700-1200 yards each session. My pace for 300 yards is about 2 min my pace for 100 yards is about 1:50 (1:46 is coming to mind for my last one). I am swimming free-style each session and trying to mix it up between swims with shorter distances and higher intensity and volume swims where I just got as far as I can in 20-25 min.

Push-up Pyramids:

5 min warm-up at a 6.5/10

2 min at a 9.5/10

Get off the bike and do as many push-ups as you can in 25 seconds

1 min on bike at a 9.5/10

Cool down for 1.5 min

Repeat from step two 4-6 times.

For the cool down you can get into a yoga position (chair pose) to try and push your limits a bit more.
2015-08-24 1:10 PM
in reply to: mal08368

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Pfafftown, NC
Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
I got tired just reading that

Here I am just looking to get 4 swims/2 bikes/4 runs in every week.........and likely 0 bricks (until the season rolls in). None of my sessions last much over an hour.....and some are 30 minutes. None of these workouts (less the occasional bike ride) are "hard". I don't have a race until next year (March). I likely won't do a hard run until January.
2015-08-25 11:12 AM
in reply to: nc452010

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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
So is this time of year more of a maintenance period for you? What distance triathlons are you entering?
2015-08-25 12:04 PM
in reply to: mal08368

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Pfafftown, NC
Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
I have 6-7 on my calendar for next year, culminating in a HIM in Sept. I'm considering a HM in January. Might do an OLY in April, and will definitely do one in July.


2015-08-25 9:37 PM
in reply to: nc452010

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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
That sounds like a full schedule. Do you do any criterion racing or running events to gear up for HIM's?
2015-08-26 9:56 AM
in reply to: mal08368

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Pfafftown, NC
Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
I'll do a 5K or 10K here and there. But, my plan is to keep the run volume after the HM and cut the frequency back to 3X/wk. until I build for the HIM.

I'll be 51 in Oct. I have NO interest in triathlon taking every bit of my free time. Including a couple gym workouts/wk....until I build for the HIM, I'm guessing 10hrs/wk. will kill it, and that's only true because I have to learn how to swim .
2015-08-26 10:05 AM
in reply to: mal08368

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Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
While one can certainly include single sport events to prepare for triathlons, it is by no means necessary. One can train very well for triathlon by simply training each of the three sports (not as regular race sims but following a structured plan) and an occasional workout where you put two or maybe all three sports together.

Shane
2015-08-27 12:39 PM
in reply to: gsmacleod

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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
Thank you everyone. You have helped me find the resource I need to put together a 4 month plan from Sept-Dec 2015. I will use the below links as a base for my plan.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=...

http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/mark-allen-s-12-best-stren...

I will be doing 2 swims, 2 bikes, 3 runs, and 2 strength training sessions each weak. I will use Sunday as my recovery day.
2015-08-28 10:43 PM
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Subject: RE: Personal Training Review
Hi Matt,

There is a phenomenon, the first plateau of which is easily achieved, which is really effective and a cool concept to understand. The basic concept is called 'base building' and is simply building one's aerobic capacity at a low exertion level, "zone 2", "slow", to the point that one can swim/bike/run faster at the same low heart rate.

I only relay this because it worked for me. Once a week I ran 2 miles, then 3 miles, on a track, at a very easy pace (for me 140 bpm) and over 2 months my pace, at the same heart rate, increased from 10 minutes, to 9:30's to 9:15's to 9's to 8:45's. This works.

Here's some old testament reading on the subject
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1...

Good luck.



Edited by AtlantaBill 2015-08-28 10:43 PM


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