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.
BREAKIN’
THROUGH
MAY, 2008
Volume 1, Issue 4
In This Issue:
Summer Training Camps
Weight Training
Periodization for
Endurance Athletes
Sponsor of the Month
Meal Timing for
Endurance Athletes
New Chicago Partnership
Brick Weekend in Madison, WI
Meal Timing for Endurance Athletes
By Dina Aburmishan
Weight Training Periodization for Endurance Athletes
By Ryan Riell
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUMMER TRAINING CAMPS ANNOUNCED
Spend a long weekend training for the Steelhead 70.3 and/or Ironman Wisconsin with Break Through Multisport, training with like-minded athletes in a friendly environment! Whether this is your first long course triathlon or your 10th, this camp is for you. Between, during and after workouts, we will teach you what you need to know in order to accomplish your long course triathlon goals!
These training camps fit perfectly into the peak phase, the perfect time for your last hard training weekend leading into a perfect taper.
In addition to a great weekend of long course specific peak workouts, these packages includes a 14-week Power Based Half-Ironman training plan (retail value of $99) or 18-week Power Based Half-Ironman training plan (retail value of $119) that will be set up to accommodate your racing schedule for the summer. This training plan will set you up with your own Training Peaks account in order for you to receive and track your training progress.
Each camp is all setup and conducted on the actual race site. Training Camp packages include all workouts, lectures, meals, accommodations (optional), support vehicle(s) and nutrition.
The camp will consist of several key Ironman specific workouts (with a wide variety of options if want more or less)
-3000-5000 yard swim workout (pool)
-Ride the actual race course
-Run the actual race course
-Open water swim on swim course
-Walk through actual transitions
Between workouts, athletes will attend lectures on:
-Race course and venue familiarization
-Nutrition (training and race day)
-Open Water Swimming
-Bike Maintenance 101
-Self Massage (Trigger Point Therapy)
-Strength Training for Endurance Athletes
-Psychological Triathlon (training and racing)
- Planning your pre-race training and race day
July 11-13th in Benton Harbor, MI
When triathletes and endurance athletes hear about weight training, they tend to run the other direction as fast as possible. For too many years, weight training has had a bad reputation in the endurance community. To often, we are bombarded with images of muscle bound people cruising around the gym. Why should triathletes and endurance athletes be the slightly bit interested in getting into the gym? The bottom line is, with the amount of cardio based work that triathletes do, the chances of you adding 10 pounds of muscle are slim at best!
The main benefits of strength training, other than the obvious increase in muscular strength (the ability to produce muscle force), it will also produce an increase muscular endurance (the ability of a muscle to contract repeatedly or continuously) as well as muscular power (the ability to exert a force explosively, to bring about sudden acceleration), it will also serve to increase bone density, joint health, tendon elasticity, decrease the risk of injury and improved biomechanics.
When we talk about muscular strength, a general increase will have a positive effect on us as triathletes. The basis of all improvements is overloading the muscle- stressing a muscle in a fashion that is more than it is used to and with the proper amount of recovery will lead to a stronger and more fatigue resistant muscle.
Specificity of training is a principle that boils down to- whatever we are doing in training, whether that is swim/bike/run or in the weight room needs to mimic as closely as possible to what we are going to be doing while racing. That being said, we should lift weights in a manner that correlates to specific sports (swim/bike/run), the time of the season you are in and what you are trying to achieve.
As triathletes, there are usually three different cycles in the year- recovery (Sep/Oct-Nov/Dec), pre-season (Jan-March/April) and competition (April-September) with the line between the pre-season and the competition phases being hard to define. At some point in the pre-season maintenance program, you will shift into a “base” phase which is preparing your for the competition phase.
The recovery cycle will usually start when the season ends. This time is just as important to an endurance athlete as any peak phase. You have just spent an entire pre-season and season training and racing- it NEEDS to heal, as well as your mind needs time away from triathlon. This is a great time of year for non-triathlon sports and activities in addition to spending some quality time with your family and friends. For each individual, the amount of working out and food choices will vary during the recovery phase. It is essential that you keep your body moving in this phase and weight training is a great change of pace. After a few weeks to a month off, I recommend that my athletes resume swim/bike/run, but on a much reduced scale. An average week would consist of 1-2 runs, 1-2 rides and 1-2 swims (based off each athletes limiters). I would at this point, add in 3-4 strength training session designed around the weight room (depending upon availability and the athletes schedule). During this phase, I would start to incorporate a lot of muscular strength sets into the exercises that the athlete has already been doing. A muscular strength set would look something like 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. The weight should be enough to be challenging, but still easy to move around (40-60% of your maximum weight) with 1-2 different exercises per muscle group using slow and controlled motions throughout the exercise with the rest interval equal to the work. This type of strength training three times a week will assist in developing a solid level of muscular strength for you to build upon.
The pre-season usually will start 2-3 months after you started your recovery phase or 8-12 weeks from your first A-race. This is a great time to add in a few focused blocks of training (swim, bike or run) and it is also the time to start shifting the focus of strength training. At this point, I increase the weight (intensity) so that it is more challenging to finish the exercises (60-75% of max) and increase the rest intervals between sets. This type of strength training is preparing muscles to do longer durations of work.
The competition phase can be broken down into three separate phases itself- the base, build and peak phases. As endurance athletes, we are going to want to modify the types of strength training or “periodize” the strength training along with the swim/bike/run training during each phase. Once my athletes transition from the pre-season phase into the base phase, we stay with the muscular strength sets, but transition to 3-5 sets of 5-8 repetitions with weight that is tough to complete the sets, yet doable at the same time (70-85% of their max weight), with a rest interval of 90 seconds between sets, maintaining the slow and controlled motions throughout the exercise. When we transition into the build phase, that is when I transition to power-based strength training in favor of endurance based sets. The power sets are focusing on short and explosive motions, looking like 3-5 sets of 4-8 repetitions with an amount of weight that is hard to finish the repetitions and sets (75-90% of their max weight). The rest intervals are 2-3 minutes between sets in order to fully recover, while using explosive motions throughout the exercise. Once we move into the peak phase, I transition their power training to muscular endurance sets, looking like 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions with a weight that challenging yet light enough to comfortable enough to complete (40-60% of their max weight), focusing on steady, slow and consistent motions with rest interval equal. In general, the weight lifting sessions should be strategically placed throughout your schedule as to not interfere with a key swim/bike/run workout.
Some of the key strength training exercises for triathletes are:
1.Dumbbell or barbell squat
2.Hamstring Curls
3.Quadriceps extensions
4.Walking lunges
5.4-way lunges
6.Leg Press
7.Triceps extensions
8.Dumbbell chest press
9.Lat Pull Downs
10.Biceps curls
11.Seated Row
12.Power clean*
In general, when adding a weight lifting regimen to your exercise schedule, you need to strategically place them in the schedule. You can set up your schedule so that you work all of the muscle groups in one session, or break it up so that you are working the upper body one day and the lower body the next. Depending on the time of season, that will dictate the number of workouts which will dictate how the exercises are broken down.
In the recovery phase, it’s feasible to get in the gym 3-4 times a week, allowing us to break up the muscle groups on separate days. While in the pre-season, we might reduce the number of days in the weight room down to 2-3 times a week, where we might want to split up the muscle groups (2 days on the lower body and 1 day on the upper body) or simply accomplish all of the workouts in the same session 2 times a week. When we get into the competition phase and start into an actual plan, the number of times per week in the gym is determined by the athletes available time. At a minimum, athletes need to get into the gym at least once a week, preferable 2-3 times.
Weight Training Periodization for Endurance Athletes
By Ryan Riell
During this phase of the training, if you are only able to get into the gym once a week, you will have to accomplish all the exercises in one session. If you are able to get into the gym two times a week, you will have the option of breaking up the work over the two sessions or accomplishing all the exercises in one session.
A sample lower body workout for the base phase of the competition cycle would look like:
3 sets of 8 repetitions (3x8) dumb bell squats with 90 seconds (90’’) rest between sets
3x10 walking lunges with dumb bells, 90” rest
3x8 4-way lunges, 90” rest
3x8 leg press
3x8 hamstring curls, 90” rest
3x8 quad extension, 90” rest
There would be 2 minutes rest while changing exercises. Add in some core and ab work and call it a great day in the gym.
As you can see, this is an intense leg workout. It needs to be scheduled as a lower body workout in the same fashion that you would schedule a run or ride.
It is highly recommended that for juniors and novice weight lifters seek professional assistance when starting a weight training plan. Determining a max weight that an athlete can lift can be a dangerous process if the athlete is new to weight lifting. *The power clean is a complex exercise that if done properly, will provide tremendous gains in strength and power, but if done incorrectly, can lead to injury. When looking for a personal trainer to start you down the correct path for weight lifting, make sure that you do your research and find a qualified trainer (ACE, NASM, NSCA or CSCS).
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.
Weight Training Periodization for Endurance Athletes
By Ryan Riell
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What to eat and when to eat it, that’s the question. When preparing for a long endurance race such as the Ironman fueling your body in a timely manner can greatly enhance your performance come race day. Your body and muscles may carry you physically do the work, but it is your nutrients and vitamins that are what provide you the energy to do the work. Proper timing and nutrient composition of your meals can allow you to have a powerful training session, recover faster, and prevent fatigue.
Am workout:
Your dinner the previous night will do double duty, first is will replenish your nutrients that you used through out the day, and provide all the energy to fuel your early morning workout. Your dinner should have plenty of high carbohydrates (brown rice, wheat pasta, wild rice, sweet potatoes, beans, etc.), a 4-6 ounces of lean protein (chicken, fish, meat, beans, tofu, etc), and a source of healthy fat (olive oil, non-hydrogenated butter, etc). A carbohydrate snack in the evening about 1-2 hours before bed will ensure your body replenishes your glycogen stores. A healthy bed time snack can be graham crackers and a glass of milk or fruit with pudding. Try to stay away from high sugar, very sweet snacks, they will raise and drop your blood sugar quickly, not providing you with the proper carbohydrate stores that your body will need to fuel a morning session.
In the morning have a quick high carb snack such as handful of grapes or a glass of cranberry juice. This will provide your body with enough carbs to start your ‘metabolic engines’ while the glycogen stores work on releasing your nutrients from the previous night.
Mid Morning workout:
Dinner will again play a double role by restoring your nutrients and providing you with the late morning workout. Your dinner should contain a moderate amount of carbohydrates (brown rice, wheat pasta, wild rice, sweet potatoes, beans, etc.), a 4-5 ounces of lean protein (chicken, fish, meat, beans, tofu, etc), and a source of healthy fat (olive oil, non-hydrogenated butter, etc).
Breakfast should be 3 before your workout. If you wake up with enough time to have breakfast make it should consist of a mix of carbohydrates and protein such as oatmeal with a glass of milk and a banana or 2 slices of turkey bacon or 1 poached eggs with a couple slices of toast and a large glass of juice, or a bagel with cream cheese and a piece of fruit.
Your lunch should be no more than 2 hours after your workout. Also, it should contain a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat to replenish the nutrients your body just used. A whole-wheat bagel sandwich with low-fat ham and a slice of cheese with fruit, or a large green salad with chicken and a couple of rolls or a few slices of bread on the side, leftovers from the night before always work well.
Mid Afternoon workout:
Your breakfast should have a high amount of nutrient dense carbohydrates and a source of protein. A good example would be 1 ½ cup oatmeal with a large banana and 8 ounce glass of milk. However, you should continue to feed through out the day with fruit and low-fat yogurt as snacks. Lunch should be light but substantial such as a whole-wheat turkey sandwich with pretzels for lunch.
Your dinner should be no more than 2 hours after your workout. Also, it should contain a good mix of carbs, protein, and fat to replenish the nutrients your body just used.
Meal Timing for Endurance Athletes
By Dina Aburmishan
Evening workout:
If you are choosing to do your workout after dinner, then your dinner meal should look more like a small lunch. A lean piece of protein and a good amount of carbohydrates An example would be turkey bagel sandwich with a large piece of fruit. In order to provide your body with sufficient energy you should then make sure your lunch is a full well balanced meal that resembles dinner, with plenty of complex carbs, moderate amount of protein and make sure you throw in some vegetables. Breakfast and lunch should be your largest and most nutritious meals of the day.
After your workouts make sure you have a snack with plenty of carbohydrates, such as a low-fat yogurt with granola and a piece of fruit.
Immediately post workout:
Your body needs 50-75 grams of carbohydrates with in 15 minutes of your workout. This will help your minimize your recover time. A great snack would be 16 ounces of milk or skim milk, a large bagel with a piece of fruit, 16 ounces of juice, 10 crackers and a banana, a low-fat yogurt with an apple, etc. This should be done regardless of when your workout is or your next meal time. Your enzymes for re-storing glycogen are highest from 0-15 minutes of a workout. Be sure to replenish with in enough time.
Tips for any time workouts:
™Low/No Carb, High-fat proteins they provide no carbohydrates and will cause too much gastric distress. They are digested very slowly. You will not get the energy you need at the appropriate time.
™Stay away from high sugar foods, they will spike your blood sugar and drop as quickly leaving you unable to finish a 60 minute run. Soft drinks, maple syrup, sport drinks, jelly beans.
™. Sugar alcohols can greatly distress your GI tracks, be sure to watch your sugar free gums, drinks, and candies. These foods have the most sugar free alcohols.
Applying these strategies wont take long to master and the changes you make with your diet will show up in your performance. Take a few minutes to plan out your day and eat accordingly. Be sure to give your self enough time to practice eating this way, your body should get used to these changes sooner rather than later. Your body needs more than a week to get used to the nutritional changes you might make. Remember do not try anything new on competition day!! That might just be the one food that doesn’t sit well with you.
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.
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Break Through Multisport Inc.
1235 North Clyborn, #192
Chicago, IL 60610
(931) 220-7050