You can finally see the end in site, no more 5:00 am workouts, no more cutting out personal time for your long workouts, and most importantly no more structure. You can get up when you want to and eat when and what you want too, right? Sort of. While there are no specific times to eat and amounts of macronutrients that you must have, it is still very important to keep an eye on your nutritional intake. Why? Because the recovery period or transition period from one race season to the next is notorious for weight gain. Weight gain will just make it even harder for you to get back into training season. While its not expected to not gain any weight it is expected to keep weight gain to a moderate 5-7% of body weight.  Here are a few guidelines to help keep the weight gain at a minimum.

1.Allow your self a limited amount of time after your race cycle to indulge, but do this at a moderate amount. Meaning give your self 1 week to indulge and only to a meal a day, otherwise your 5-7% of body weight will add that week alone.

2.This is the obvious recommendation…lower your caloric intake. Because you aren’t expending the same amount of energy you should not be taking in the same amount of energy. You do this you will gain weight. While all nutrition recommendations should be individualized its best to follow the macronutrients recommendations for athletes in the active recovery phase.

Carbohydrate 5-6 g/kg of body weight

Protein1.2-1.4 g/kg of body weight

Fat0.8-1.0 g/kg of body weight

Fluids remain the same, keep urine a very light yellow color.

3.Decrease the nutritional supplements. Switch your power bar for whole foods. Gatorade should only be used if you are participating in exercise over 90 minutes indoors or 60 minutes outdoors (in heat). You don’t need the extra energy that the supplements will give because you are not participating in that extra activity.

4.Try new foods that you were too afraid to try before. Begin adding them to your daily diet. Reintroduce whole foods from all of the food groups to increase and balance into your diet.

5.Until your weight stabilized keep a 3-5 day food log to see exactly where and what you are eating. Decrease where you think is necessary.

6.Keep your high antioxidant foods in your diet. While you aren’t emitting the same amount of power as you were training, your body still needs those extra antioxidants to stay healthy. Make sure your getting enough beta carotene (carrots & sweet potatoes), vitamin C (cantaloupe & broccoli), vitamin E (canola oil & sunflower seeds), and zinc (red meat and fish).

After the end of a race cycle enjoy your performance and accomplishments. Then remind your self to stay in the mind set of your goals for next race and training period. If one of your goals is to reduce body fat your active recovery cycle should be the time to do it, not the training period. Reducing body fat during your training cycle will only inhibit your performance and training. It is during this time where you will have the time and energy to focus on body fat reduction.

Dina Aburmishan RD, LDN is a registered dietitian who works with several endurance athletes. Dina owns DMA Nutrition Inc. a private practice nutrition consulting company. You can reach Dina at dmanutrition@gmail.com or www.dmanutrition.com or call her at 847-581-1160.

The information contained in this newsletter is the opinion of Ryan Riell and Break Through Multisport on endurance training, racing, and nutrition. These points are suggestions on how to train and not recommendations for athletes. Any article on the Break Through Multisport website may be reprinted into a paper or online newsletter for your NON-PROFIT club or organization, so long as Ryan Riell and www.BreakThroughMultisport.com are credited.  If you do reprint or link to any Break Through Multisport material, please send a courtesy email to ryan@BreakThroughMultisport.com. For medical advice, and before starting a strenuous training program, consult with a physician.

SEPTEMBER, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 8

In This Issue:

BTMS Athletes at the Races

Transition Phase

Swimming Power

Nutritional Recommendations for the Transition Phase

BTMS Yoga Instructor and Yoga Class

Making the Most of the Winter

SPONSOR of the Month-

10% OFF at Mission Bay Multisport

Fall/Winter Coaching Special

Cycling Development Program- Virtual Reality Trainers

Ride To Empower

CYCLING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM-

Are you paying more than $10 for a cycling class? Do you feel that you are not getting any coaching during the workout? If so, the Cycling Development Program is for YOU!

The cycling development program will start up again in October, meeting every Wednesday night from 7:00-8:00 pm at Mission Bay Multisport. This is not your gyms “spin class”- this is a full fledge cycling workout. Right now, we are basing our workouts off “Rate of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) and/or Heart Rate (HR).

COMING THIS FALL, we will introduce Virtual Reality Trainers that will not only operate off of Power (watts), they will allow us to utilize Functional Threshold Power (FTP). Once we’ve determined your FTP, we will be able to set training zones that are as accurate as possible, allowing you to get the most out of every training session! This class provides a workout that is unparalleled for triathletes and cyclists!

Right now, each workout costs only $10. You can either pay as you go or purchase a 5 class punch card and receive a BTMS t-shirt. Make sure you get in on the less expensive punch cards. When the VR trainers arrive, the cost per class will go up. All punch cards will be accepted when the VR trainers arrive, regardless of the price that was paid.

For more information, contact Coach Ryan.

INTERVAL/TRACK WORKOUTS-

This class has been meeting on Monday evenings at 6:00 pm since May of 2008 and has provided great results for triathletes and runners. This class will run through October 6th, the week before the Chicago Marathon.

At any given time, we have had up to 4 different workouts taking place at the same time- Ironman distance intervals, ½ Ironman distance intervals, intervals for the Chicago Marathon and intervals for the Chicago Triathlon. Whether you are a triathlete or a runner, this class is for you!

For more information, contact Coach Ryan.

As endurance athletes, we spend most of the year in some sort of training plan or regiment, but what happens when the races are over? This is normally the time of year that is the most difficult for endurance athletes… what are we supposed to be doing, or more importantly… what are we NOT supposed to be doing?

Most endurance athletes start their training programs sometime in the spring (Feb-Apr) and go hard through August. Training for endurance events requires a lot of time, effort and devotion which takes a toll on your body as well as other parts of your life. We NEED some downtime to let our bodies absorb a seasons worth of training and our minds to get away from our sport(s).

The “transition phase” is the time of year between the end of the race season and the start of the preparation phase, which normally lasts 2-6 weeks depending upon the person. This is the time of year where endurance athletes will take it to an extreme- either taking a week off and then hitting the training harder than they did in the peak phase prior to their A race or simply not doing anything for 6-8 weeks.

We NEED to make some changes to our outlook on training during this transition phase… below are some key tips to making the transition phase a productive one!

1. Eating Habits:

As endurance athletes, when we are training every day, sometimes twice a day, we are used to burning between 500 and 4000 (10,000 if  you are Michael Phelps) calories a day. Our diets tend to reflect these needs for energy… we eat A LOT! Now that we are entering the transition phase, we are transitioning our bodies from a metabolic furnace to something resembling more of a normal human. We need to adjust the number of calories we take in during each meal in order to maintain a weight that we are comfortable with.

2. Reduced Training Load:

When we hit the transition phase, we need to reduce the training load that we are accustomed to. Even the top level professional athletes reduce the intensity of their training regimens. In general, you need to stay active, but without the intensity. You can live without the mile repeats and the VO2 max intervals for 2-6 weeks…your body will thank you. Stick with the base building sets- either foundation work or Long Slow Distance work.

3. Technique:

The transition phase is a GREAT time to add in a LOT of technique work. Replace the intensity with solid work on technique.

4. Strength Training/Yoga:

The transition phase is a great opportunity to incorporate strength training and yoga into your training. Strength training is a great way to stay in shape, maintain weight and to simply add strength. Yoga has many benefits for triathletes, swimmers, cyclists and runners alike. Yoga can and will increase your flexibility and core strength.

5. Cross Training:

The transition phase is the ideal time to add in some cross training without having to feel guilty about playing basketball or football instead of getting in another ride.

By incorporating these five tips into your transition phase, you will allow your body and mind to recover from a full season of training and racing, preparing you for an even better preparation phase this winter and regular season in 2009!

Coach Ryan is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling Certified coach, the Founder and Head Coach of Break Through Multisport Inc. You can reach Coach Ryan at  Ryan@BreakThroughMultisport.com with any questions, comments or for all of your coaching needs.

Developing power while swimming is the key to decreasing your swim splits. Considering that nobody has a perfect swim stroke, once you have the basic fundamentals of the swim stroke down, you are then able to add power.

There are two main parts of the swim stroke that we are able to focus in on in order to generate power- the push and the pull.

The push is the last part of your swim stroke, when you are essentially pushing water from your abdomen to your hip. The major muscle group involved in this motion are the triceps, which are relatively small muscles in which lactic acid can accumulate very quickly leading to muscle fatigue and a slowing of the swim stroke length.

The pull is the part of your stroke that starts as soon as your hand has completed the catch and starts coming back to your body. The major muscle group involved in the pull are the latissimus dorsi (lats), which are giant slabs of muscle on your back. Due to their size, they are able to recruit more muscle fibers to get the job done in longer events.

While the push phase of the stroke is important, the pull phase will over time, generate more power for a longer sustained period of time.

A great drill for working on your pull is to start out by pushing off the wall directly into a good tight streamlined position. When you feel your momentum starting to slow, transition  into a swim stroke with your left arm forward and your right arm along your right side while initiating a gentle kick that is maintaining propulsion. Now, with each swim stroke, simply focus in on the pull portion of the stroke. After each pull, go into a glide while continuing to kick. This is allowing you to really feel the pull and the glide that is created by it.

Coach Ryan is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling Certified coach, the Founder and Head Coach of Break Through Multisport Inc. You can reach Coach Ryan at  Ryan@BreakThroughMultisport.com with any questions, comments or for all of your coaching needs.

Break Through Multisport Inc.

1235 North Clyborn, #192

Chicago, IL 60610

(931) 220-7050

www.BreakThroughMultisport.com

Ryan@BreakThroughMultisport.com

This time of year, most triathletes are winding their seasons down.  For the most part, your racing season has ended, and the smart athletes are taking a significant break from training to recharge their bodies for next year.  What else can an athlete do during the next few months to improve next year’s performance?

This is the first article in a 4-part series making sure that you are set up for success!

How about assessing your body and it’s condition!!  Evaluate how your body responded to this season of training.  Were you constantly battling injuries?  Do you still have a nagging injury even during easy workouts?  Though many athletes believe either that an injury is just a normal part of training or an unfortunate random event, the frequency of injuries may be dramatically reduced by an winter prevention program that develops strength, flexibility, and elasticity in tissues that are at high risk for injuries. 

The winter is also the time to make changes in your technique or form.  Optimizing technique in each of the three legs will reduce injuries dramatically, and there is no better time than the winter to work on these changes.  The winter is a time of reduced training volume and intensity and without the pressure of competition.

STRENGTH:

I’ve touched on the importance of strength in several of my other articles.  Triathletes shy away from strengthening workouts for fear of “bulking up” or just pure lack of time.  Well, use this winter to prepare your body fully for the high-volume, high-intensity training that will come later in the season.  Since both running and cycling actions occur primarily in a single plane, the tissues that act in that plane become disproportionately strong while those that act side-to-side atrophy. Programs developed only for performance enhancement usually neglect tissues that act laterally, therefore increasing the risk of injury. Several muscles that are generally neglected in strength training programs:

Hip Abductors: The tissues along the outside of the hip and thigh are stressed every time a runner's foot lands. Weaknesses may cause serious injuries. Lay on your right side with legs straight and an ankle weight on the left leg. Keeping the knee straight, lift the leg upward (sideways) to about 30 degrees. Lower and repeat.

External Shoulder Rotators: The internal rotator muscles are strengthened by the catch and pull, but the external rotators are not. This strength imbalance stresses the connective tissues of the joint. Lay on your right side holding a dumbbell with your left hand. The left elbow should lay against the torso with the elbow just above the hip and bent to 90 degrees. Slowly rotate the upper arm to raise the dumbbell. The elbow should not move and the upper arm should only rotate.
Calves: Stand with the ball of one foot on the edge of a step and the rest of your foot hanging off the edge. Slowly push upward to full extension on your toes, lower your body to the fully stretched position with the heel well below the edge of the step, and repeat. You can also perform another set in the same way, but this time maintain a bent knee during the raising and lowering.

Ankle Flexors: Strengthening the muscles that lift the foot will reduce a number of shin and foot injuries. Sit on the edge of a chair and hold a weight on your toes. Flex the foot upward, lower, and repeat.

FLEXIBILITY:

While an effective stretching program may reduce injuries significantly, many athletes look to stretching as the answer to injuries. Be consistent with your stretching, but don't go to extremes and don't look to it as the injury cure-all.

Hamstring: Lay in a doorway with your hips even to the threshold.  Raise your outside leg and prop it up and on an angle across the door frame.  Make sure your knee remains straight, and your outside hip remains in contact with the floor.  If you cannot keep your knee straight, you may need to move further outside the door frame.  This hamstring stretch also incorporates aspects of the sciatic nerve into the stretch. Hold for a moderate 45 seconds, switch legs and repeat.

Gluteus Maximus: Lie on the floor on your back. Pull one knee into your chest, and across towards it’s opposite side shoulder.  You should feel the stretch in the glute muscle, and back side of your hip.  Hold for a moderate 45 seconds, switch legs and repeat.

Hip Flexor/Psoas: Go down on one knee with your opposite leg bent in front of you in a half kneeling position.  Line up your two front hip bones straight ahead, tuck your hips underneath you, and lean forward keeping your chest upright until you feel a stretch in the front of your hip and thigh.  Hold for a moderate 45 seconds, switch legs and repeat.

Calves: Stand with the ball of one foot on the edge of a step and the rest of your foot hanging off the edge. Lower your body to the fully stretched position with the heel well below the edge of the step, repeat the above technique with a bent knee as well.  Hold for a moderate 45 seconds, switch legs and repeat on the other side.

Pectorals: Stand arm's length from a wall. Brace your right hand against the wall and rotate your torso to the left, stretching the chest and front-shoulder muscle. You should feel this across your chest and front of your shoulder, be sure not to overstretch this muscle.  Hold for a moderate 45-second stretch, switch arms, and repeat.

TECHNIQUE

Swimming: Many swimming injuries are cause by incorrect arm recovery and entry. Learning to recover the arm with a bent elbow while keeping the arm above the body on the midline will reduce shoulder stress.

Cycling: A biomechanically correct position on the bike is critical for minimizing injuries. Check especially that your hip, ankle, and knee remain in plane during the pedal stroke. Many athletes ride with the knees bowed out, placing lateral stress on the hip and knee.

Running: Develop a stride with minimal vertical displacement and a footstrike with the heel unweighted will dramatically reduce impact stress. Most athletes rely far too much on their shoes for cushioning and bypass the body's natural shock absorption system. Landing on the heel sends impact stress up through the ankle, lower leg, knee, upper leg, hips, and low back, none of which has significant shock absorption.
Keeping the heel unweighted also reduces injuries caused by lateral stability problems due to overpronation or underpronation, so keeping them unweighted solves most of those issues.  Just remember though, that this technique may not be appropriate for all runners, especially slower paced runner who have a hard time landing on the midfoot to forefoot during landing.

Most importantly, the winter is the time to get professional advice.  Whether it be from hiring coach to improve your fitness, speed and technical ability, or a physical therapist to biomechanically assess you doing your sport. It’s the time when you can do some “trial and error” without majorly impacting your overall training, and quite possibly enhancing your performance for the next season. 

Liz Yerly, MPT, ATC, CSCS, cART  is a licensed physical therapist and athletic trainer who has experience working with the highly trained athlete, as well as the weekend warrior She is the facility manager of the South Loop Occusport Physical Therapy clinic, as well as a treating therapist specializing in advanced certifications such as Active Release Technique and Graston Technique. She uses her manual skills to successfully rehabilitate her patients and quickly get them back to where they need to be. You can reach Liz at: lyerly@occusport.com or call her at (312) 588-0508

Break Through Multisport is proud to announce a new partnership with one of the premier yoga instructors in the Chicago area, Molly Kavanaugh.

Molly is a Certified Yoga Teacher who is an enthusiastic practitioner of all kinds of yoga for the last eight years, Molly teaches Vinyasa yoga as a tool to heal, balance and center the body and mind.  As a lifelong athlete, competitive triathlete and, spinning instructor, she aims to introduce poses that pinpoint the parts of the athlete’s body that are imbalanced and in need of strengthening, stretching, or rest while bringing lightness and calm to students through teaching asana in an accessible and light-hearted way.

When Molly was asked “Why do yoga?” her reply was:

When asking this question to a group of yoga practitioners, you are apt to get a slough of different answers.  The answers might range from yoga as a tool for spiritual upliftment to relieving stress and tension to getting those buff arms ala the Reigning Pop Queen, Madonna.  In truth, yoga gives a little bit of everything, and can tend to give you just what you need.  It brings the mind and body together and provides a forum for the two to chat, and if you pay attention to that dialogue, yoga can provide useful insight into how to best take care of both the body and the mind.  For an athlete who is already working with their body, yoga can provide that balance, that means of connection with the mind, so that we are reminded of where we need to stretch, where we need to strengthen, and when we need to slow down and rest so we don’t end up limping through a race or watching from the sidelines when we want to be competing.  In short, yoga has the potential to make the training process more balanced and less painful and (let’s admit, here’s what the bottom line is for most of us) to drop minutes off your race.

Molly Kavanaugh is a certified yoga instructor who works with endurance athletes. You can reach Molly at molly.kavanaugh@gmail.com.

COMING THIS FALL: Yoga for Endurance Athletes

Yoga for Endurance Athletes is the newest class that has been added to the list of available classes. The class will be a 4-week session meeting one day each weekend.  The class size will be limited to maximize the instructor-to-student ratio. More information is coming soon.

10%

OFF

Redeem this ad at Mission Bay Multisport Inc and receive 10% off anything in the store!

Limit one coupon per customer. Restrictions apply, see manager for details. Coupon Expires October 1st, 2008

This month, we are running a Fall and Winter Coaching Special (cyclists, triathletes and runners).

Sign up for 2 months of personal coaching (level 2 or 3), you will automatically receive ½ off the 3rd month. Each athlete has the ability to sign up for up to 12 months of training.

Take advantage of this special offer and meet all of your goals. To date, every BTMS athlete has met their goals and/or set a new personal record!

For more information, contact Coach Ryan!

Coming this Fall-

Tacx Virtual Reality Trainers!

Are you paying too much for an “computrainer” workout? Do you feel that you are not receiving the proper amount of coaching while on the virtual reality trainer? Are the instructors running your class certified by USA Triathlon or USA Cycling?

If you are tired of getting shot off the back of the group ride or having riders go flying by you on climbs, this class is for you!

Coming this fall, Break Through Multisport Inc. will take your training to the next level with virtual reality trainers! By using the VR trainer as a training platform, it allows the average rider to train using power (watts).

After an initial testing session to determine your Functional Threshold Power (FTP), we are able to set precise training zones that will maximize every single pedal stroke you take at the CDP.

The CDP will improve:

Cycling Efficiency

Aerobic Capacity (FTP)

Anaerobic Capacity (VO2 Max)

With the Tacx VR trainers, not only will we be able to train using power, but we will be able to simulate any course in the world by letting the computer control the tension on the back wheel, giving  you the real instantaneous adjustments as if  you were riding up a mountain!

For more information, please contact Coach Ryan.

Ride To Empower

Break Through Multisport is proud to announce its partnership with Breast Cancer Network of Strength-Illinois!

Coach Ryan has been named as the Head Coach for the Ride To Empower, an all expense paid 100 mile ride this coming October in California!

The Ride to Empower is a destination bike ride, with fully-supported route lengths ranging from a 100-mile century to less than 32 miles.  The Ride will take place during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Solvang, Calif., October 23-26, 2008, with the 1-day ride on October 25.  This area is a prominent training ground for professional cycling teams and serves as host for the Discovery Channel pro-cycling team’s first training camp of the year. All of this will make Breast Cancer Network of Strength's Ride to Empower an event you won’t want to miss.

The Ride to Empower offers the challenge to complete a long-distance cycling event, the opportunity to pay tribute to friends and loved ones touched by breast cancer, and an empowering and memorable 3-night and 4-day experience.  Once registered, riders receive access to an expert training program, provided by a USA Cycling certified coach, to help guide both interested and avid cyclists to success.

All-inclusive riders are required to raise a minimum of $4,000, and in exchange for successful fundraising efforts, riders will receive airfare (from within the contiguous U.S.), accommodations at a 3-star hotel and all meals.

Network of Strength also offers a reduced fundraising package for riders opting to coordinate and fund their travel and bike transportation to the Ride to Empower location.

“This is normally the time of year that is the most difficult for endurance athletes… what are we supposed to be doing, or more importantly… what are we NOT supposed to be doing?”

“Be consistent with your stretching, but don't go to extremes and don't look to it as the injury cure-all.”