Ernie's Group - Closed (Page 5)

I was interested in hearing how everyone's first month went.  What have you learned?  What changes are you going to make for the second month?  Has it been what you expected?

I had an ok month.  I think I've finally recovered from my IM and ready to get back into structured training. 

Ernie

Things have been going well for the most part.  I have lost a few pounds and have been fairly consistent with my M-W-F workouts.  What have I learned:

- Build the base

- Started to do some interval work on swims.  Spoke to a swimming friend of mine and he put it this way.... if all you do is long slow swims, all you will ever do are long slow swims.  I realize there is a balance between building the base and doing some intervals.  Both are important in their own respect.

- Nutrition will play a much bigger role in training and racing.  Need to practice and get experience in this arena as well.

- Went to a Multi-sport expo the other day, learned a lot. But don't sweat the small stuff.  Seems like there can be information overload on training, racing, equipment, etc.  Just do it.

- Having fun and looking forward for Spring when I can actually get outside and run/ride again. 

Greg

Ernie-

I think I've focused a bit more on endurance and stopped concerning myself, for now, on increasing speed, particulalry in my running.

The swim lessons and time in the pool has been a learning experience and one that is beginning to pay dividends in faster swim times.  Clearly more work to do there though.

 Like Greg, I'm anxious to get back outside particularly on the bike since I have been able to do some running outside.  Got to be realistic though. It's Maine. I won't be outside on my bike for another 21/2 months.

I'm jealous of you guys that grew up on swim teams or swam for work.  I think as an adult, you don't have the time to put in the yardage to be a top level swimmer.  I do well against the other people that "learned" to swim as an adult but I'll never be at the level of those that swam high school/college.

I agree with doing intervals with swimming.  I find that when I do long straight swims, my form breaks down and I start reinforcing bad habits.  Just cause you're doing intervals, doesn't mean you have to go hard the whole time.  One of my favorites, it to do 200/250/300s and cruise the first part and pick it up for the last 50. 

The never ending battle of time management is an issue for every one in triathlon.  Also, trying to figure out what type of training works for you can be issue.  Everyone has different things that works for them and it can be frustrating with the huge amount of information/toys/technology available.

I'm with you guys about wanting to get outside.  I'm sick of my trainer but at least I'm able to run outside.  I know it's probably not what you want to hear but the best thing you can do for yourself now is work on body composition (ie lose weight) and get into a schedule of consistent training.  It doesn't have the sexiness of an epic workout (those will come) and involves not doing something (eating poorly) rather than doing something.

Ernie

Congrats on the test! 

Ernie

I have been eating bad too and loosing weight through the sheer volume of the program. I need to dial it in this week now that I have time to make food at night.

My first month went good.

I am getting the bike this week. I need to dial in my training and get in the habit of morning workouts these run/swims at 11PM are killing me.

I am going to button down my diet starting tonight. I need to eat less crap and more good food as vague of a statement as that is.

Here's an email I received from Infinit nutrition.  Thought you may find it interesting.

Ernie  

Infinit Early Spring 2009 Update

Hello to all! We trust that you had a good New Year and that you're looking forward to 2009 as much as we are.

We are very humbled by our 2008 successes and know that it depends completely upon customers like you. Word of mouth referrals drive our business, and we owe you all the credit. We are grateful!

Here is what you can anticipate from INFINITnutrition in 2009:

FREE TECH T-SHIRT: February is the perfect time to work on your custom nutrition formulation. Please feel free to drop us your phone number at [email protected]. We will contact you to set up a nutrition program designed just for you. And, if you place an order of $50 or more by 3/20, well send you a free tech t-shirt. Just use promotional code BKE29TS during checkout or click here to auto-apply this discount before placing your order.

Finally, we have moved! If youre looking for our corporate headquarters you can find us at:

We hope that everyone has a great 2009. As always, feel free to call us at 513-791-3500 if we can help you in any way.

Thanks for helping to spread the word about Infinit; we appreciate it!

InfinitLoop Table of Contents

• Allen, Byrn, Friel Web-Seminar Registration Details
• Upcoming Events Schedule
• Strength Training for Triathletes by Scott Molina
• Gym Workout

Infinit LIVE! Web-Seminar featuring Mark Allen, Gordo Byrn, and Joe Friel

First of the series to be held on 2/22 @ 2pm EST, 7PM GMT Presented by Mark Allen, Gordo Byrn and Joe Friel, "IRON AID" will answer all of your Ironman questions from the comfort of your own living room.

Mark Allen: UNDEFEATED in 10 trips to Nice, World Champion, Worlds Fittest Man (1997 Outside Magazine). Quite simply the most successful triathlete of all time.

Gordo Byrn: Nobody worked harder than Gordo, transitioning from an obese office worker to 8:29 at Ironman Canada. Ultra Distance World Champion, co-author of Going Long. Nobody learns, shares, and teaches like Gordo.

Joe Friel: Holds a Masters Degree in exercise science and has been coaching endurance athletes since 1980. Joe has coached at the highest levels while helping tens of thousands of athletes with his ten books on endurance sports, training and diet.

IRON AID will broadcast from the web. You must have a ticket to attend; secure your FREE REGISTRATION now at www.INFINITnutrition.com. PLACES ARE LIMITED SO RESERVE YOUR TICKET TODAY.

INFINIT LIVE! with Allen, Byrn, Friel... Brought to you by Infinit Nutrition. Official Drink of

Upcoming Infinit US Events

Strength training for Triathletes

Consistent strength training builds a body that can withstand the stress of the increasingly difficult training that triathletes need in order to continue to improve.

My view that strength training helps avoid injury comes from observing many triathletes over the 28 years I've been involved in this sport along with working as personal trainer in a gym for eight years after my retirement as a professional triathlete in '95.

In my experience, most injuries are related to 3 things:

1. Irritation of the tendons from the repetitive stress of training - tendonitis. Strength training improves the strength, thickness and elasticity of the tendons to allow them to withstand higher loads of training. To accomplish this, strength training needs to use sufficient resistance and the movements must extend through a wide range of motion in order to adequately stretch and stimulate tendon and muscle development.
2. Micro adhesions in the muscles and fascia from training. Stretching, ART (active release technique) and massage address this problem.
3. Muscle imbalance, which causes some muscles/tendons to be over-worked. Strength training can help muscles learn to fire in the correct patterns and with adequate strength to avoid these imbalances from occurring. Physical therapy for the rehabilitation of an injury often centers on this concept, as patients find themselves with lots of strange exercises to help correct imbalances.

The past few years have seen a trend to move away from the traditional theory of isolation in strength training. The theory of isolation holds that if we isolate a muscle or two and recruit those fibers by using specific movements with resistance then we can improve that specific muscle's strength and elasticity. My experience and research certainly backs up the theory of isolation which has been used in strength training for centuries.

The more recent theory of functional strength uses movements that mimic the movements we do when we swim/bike/run but uses them in a more dynamic way with more resistance than we normally use when we s/b/r.

My view is we should remain focused on isolation training but add some s/b/r training that has this functional strength component built into it. So training regimes should include:

1. Using hills on the run and bike
2. Shifting into big gears on the bike
3. Using paddles and drag tools in the pool
4. Setting a faster-than-race pace

Doing additional functional strength in the gym should be fine, especially for those people who live in real winter environments and can't get outside to train as much as they'd like but I still think the priority in strength work is to rely upon the theory of isolation and use those exercises to strengthen and lengthen muscles and tendons.

For Northern hemisphere triathletes who have the time, energy, motivation and inclination to do some strength training, I have provided below a sample gym program for triathletes. If the athlete lives in a big city or real winter environment and is going to a gym to run and/or ride, or if the gym is right next to the pool they swim at, then I advise them to do upper body 2x/week and lower body 2x/week.

For athletes who are making a separate trip to the gym just to do strength training then I advise them to combine upper body and lower body in one session and do that 2x/week to reduce trips to the gym. Less travel time to train is better!

Howard / Group.

I recently received some nice spin bikes for my command fitness center.  I would like to hold some classes for my personnel.  By Navy instruction we have to workout 3 X per week, or provide the time for it!  I know I am lucky.  Anyway does anyone have a good spin class workout they could provide, be it interval, hill, combo, endurance, etc.  The goal would be a good entry level class, nothing to extreme as I want to encourage rather than discourage future participation.  My initial plan would be for some spinning with short duration intervals between 30 - 60 seconds. 

 Greg

Greg  - While I have had some instructors who have their routines written out and timed down to the second, that's not my style.  My classes all have the same basic structure. I use a standard set of drills mixed into each class and I focus on cadence, proper technique and balance.  For me, the music is the most important element of the routine because the tempo and style of the music dictates the cadence and intensity of the workout.  So I have over 30 diffferent playlists that I've put together since I started doing this a little over a year ago.

Basic workout - (warm-up, work out, cool-down and stretch):

1st song: Easy modest tempo. Spin at a light cadence to warm-up while doing some upper body and neck stretching. I stop at the end of the song to stretch calf muscles (pedals at 3 o'clock and 9 and drop your heels).

2nd song: Something with a little more tempo but not intense. Focus on getting a feel for cadence (I usually use 90-100 rpm on the flats) and add tension during the song to slowly bring HRs up.

Heart of the workout:  8-10 songs, mix of sprints (cadence 100-120 with high tempo, high energy songs), hills (cadence 60-85 lower tempo songs, maybe with heavier bass) and flats (cadence 85-100).  Song choice dictates which part of the road you are on. Mix in 2-3 of the drills below in each workout to add variety and focus on a specific skill.

Second to last song: Take the tension way down and spin at your base cadence and let the HR come down.  Do some more stretching on the bike in the second half of the song (the stretching video on the BT home page has some good ones).

Last song: Song should be something relaxing. Get off the bike and stretch -- hamstrings, hips, quads, etc.

Drills that I mix in to the heart of the workout.

Single leg isolations: Pedal with one leg only (other leg can be in or out of the clips). Done at a moderate resistance and hill tempo. Skill focus is on learning how to generate power in the pedal stroke through 360 degrees, rather than just on the downstroke.

Standing isolations: Out of the saddle in an upright position. Moderate to heavy tension and hill cadence. Pedal without moving your hips up and down. Skill focus is on balance and quad strength.

Jumps: In and out of the saddle to 8, 4 and 2 counts.  Standing position is upright. Tempo is 80-90. Skill focus is on balance and maintaining a smooth pedal stroke as you transition from seated to standing (This is difficult for beginners).

Rolling hills: Done while on a flat to add variety and intensity. Tempo 90-100. Increase resistance and maintain cadence for 15-30 seconds, recover for 15-30 seconds and repeat.

Paceline sprints: Similar to rolling hills, but rather than adding resistance, increase tempo 10%.  I often have the class do this in groups so that one group sprints for 15-30 seconds and the returns to the base flat and recovers for 30-60 seconds.

Standing climbs: Just so all the climbing isn't done in the saddle, mix in some time climbing out of the saddle.  2 basic positions are a more upright position (as in the jump and isolation drills above) and in a more aggressive power climbing position where the hands are forward, the hips are back and the back is nearly flat.

Downhill sprints: High candence and low resistance (up-tempo music) but focus on good pedaling technique.  Upper body should be quiet (not bouncing) when using proper technique.

Some other tips:

Balance is key when out of the saddle. Beginners have a tendency to bear a lot of their weight on their arms. Proper technique (and it's difficult until your legs get accustomed) is to bear 90+% of your weight in your legs. To do this you have to learn to be very balanced over the pedals.  Once you learn this, you can generate a lot more power when out of the saddle on a real bike.

Change resistance a lot.  Being at the same resistance and cadence for more than 60 seconds can get monotonous and (at least on rolling New England roads) never happens when you're on the road anyway. So whether your on a flat or a hill change it up every now and then.  On hills, I often start out moderate and increase resistance 2 or 3 times during the song so that the hill is "steep" at the end. On flats, the "rolling hills" and "paceline sprints" drills are a good way to break things up.

Its ok to throw a "recovery song" into the middle of the workout where you ride a nice easy flat, take a few deep breaths and get ready for another more intense segment of the workout.

After an intense segment, rather than taking all the resistance off and slowing down, encourage a light resistance high cadence recovery where each individual adds back in resistance (and returns to a flat) as their HR recovers. I think this is a good way to train around the tendency to want to bonk when we get to the top of a big climb.

If you're working with beginners you'll want to spend some time making sure they set up the bike correctly and going over a few safety items (i.e., it's a weighted flywheel, don't stop pedaling if you like your knees the way they are! If you not comfortable standing while pedaling, wait a few classes until your legs get conditioned before you try it; show them where the flywheel brake is; everybody should have water and hydrate; everybody controls their own level of effort with the resistance knob.)

It will take you some time to put together your playlists and to give some thought to how you will structure your first few classes.  Hope this helps.

Howard,

WOW!  Thanks for the advice, that is some awesome information.  You should consider teaching a class in the future  I have attended a few classes and I recognize a little of what you are referring to.  I do like your concept of being a little more free flowing with your class.  I have been in a class where the instructor is a slave to the stopwatch.  I will look to put together some playlists and see how it goes.  I wonder if any of my personnel will appreciate 80's rock/pop?  I did a short class yesterday, about 35 minutes, and mixed in a few simulated hill climbs and a couple attacks and intervals.  I did not want to over do it on the first day.  Thanks again for sharing your expertise, I now have some great reference material to build some spin workouts.

Greg 

Ernie's Group, I just got an interesting tip from the spin instructor at my gym.  He was talking about nutrition today and spoke about a couple of different things to include:

- Free Radicals, as your body breaks down oxygen for use as a fuel, it loses one electron which then seeks out another to join with.  Often this other electron is at the cellular level and this can cause damage to cells etc.  This is why you see so much push for eating anti-oxidents (sp) to help out with the free radical issue.  Please correct me if I am way off base here.  But this is what I picked up.

- The other tip, the one which applies more directly to me is the following.  When your body has burned through all of its carbohydrate fuel source it will switch to breaking down protein/muscle for energy.  The tip he provided is that when your sweat and clothes smell like amonia you body has been burning protein vice carbs.  This is not a good thing because my clothes do indeed smell like amonia after long workouts.  If this is the case ensure you recover with a protein meal quickly after your done exercising.  I think what is more important is ensuring I am taking in enough carbs before and during my longer workouts to prevent the situation from happening in the first case.  Your body prefers to break down the carbs for energy because they are easier to break down and a better fuel source.   Again let me know if I am way off base, but this is my understanding at a basic level.

 I had some basic knowledge on this before but found it quite interesting.  I thought you guys might as well.

Greg

I would take these theories with a grain of salt.  I've found that most of these theories don't have scientific studies behing them.  There are a lot of urban myths in the exercise field.  I haven't researched these two but the second one doesn't sound right. 

You normally carry about 2000 calories of glycogen (how carboydrates are stored in the body) in your body to be burned as fuel.  You also have millions of calories in fat.  The body burns both as fuel for energy and will use more glycogen the higher the intensity of the exercise.  It will usually take 3 to 4 hours to burn through all your glycogen, so I don't think that's what's happening to you.  In endurance sports it's called bonking and feels really bad.  You would know if you burned through all your carbohydrates.  You get dizzy, nauseaus and have no energy.  Your body only burns muscle as an absolute last resort and I don't think you've been exercising at this level.

I'm not sure about the amonia smell but I smell that when I wear tech clothing as it captures the sweat.  I agree about properly fueling and recovering.  You want to eat about 200 calories prior to exercising and taking in about 200 calories per hour during extended exercising (anything over 90 minutes).  For recovery, you want to get in 200-300 calories within 30 minutes of training.  This should be a ratio of 3 carbohydrates to 1 protein.  Coincidentally, low fat chocolate milk has this exact ratio.

Ernie

Ernie, thanks for shedding some light on this topic.  This is what is great about the mentor group, getting some straight advice.  The more I think about it the second tip does not seem entirely correct.  As you pointed out the body does have millions of fat cells storing energy.  I guess that is the whole premise behind the Atkins diet, people vastly reduce the amount of carbs, eat mainly protein and put the body into ketosis (sp) to burn fat calories due to a lack of carb energy stores.  I do wonder about the amonia smell thing though as this happens with both tech clothing and old school stuff.  Thanks for the sanity check.

Greg

I thought I would write some about transitions as I know a few of you have races coming up soon.  What I've learned about transitions: 

1.  Transitions are not a rest break.  Get in and out quickly.  You'll be amazed at how many people dilly dally in transition.

2.  Practice transitions - It takes practice to do something quickly when you're wet and out of breath.

3. Decide what you're going to do before the race.  A lot of people leave decisions, such as what to wear, until they are in transition.  This doesn't work well.

4.  Use the minimum amount of stuff.  You don't need a stool, a water bucket, big towel, table settings for 8, etc.  If you need a shoping cart to bring your stuff, it's too much. 

5.  Don't try to put on tight wet clothes when you're wet.  Trying to fit on a jersey or tight Underarmour shirt in T1 doesn't work.  It will stick and you'll be fighting it for a long time.  If it's cold, use a jacket or preferably arm warmers.  I swim in what I'm going to wear all day except in an IM, then I'll change shirts in T2.  I usually wear tri shorts and a tri top.  If I'm wearing a wet suit, I'll wear the top that's a little looser, if no wetsuit I'll wear my tightest top.  Don't worry no one cares what you look like. 

6.  If you want to keep your shoes on the bike, practice getting them on/off while you ride.  I don't do this as I have bike shoes with 3 straps.  It's hard to get them on/off on the bike. 

7.  If you're going to wear socks, stretch them out before the race.  It makes it easier to get them on.  I usually wear them for a few minutes.

8.  Know where your spot is and how to get in/out of transition.  Wandering around looking for your transition spot or you can't find your way out will lead to a long transition.

I'll post more later.

It's later now.

I find that grouping  things in transitions helps.  For instance I put my sunglasses in my helmet, so I don't forget them.  I rack my bike with all nutrition on board.  I use a bento box, http://trisports.com/tnitrzbentobox.html which lets me carry gels/bars on my bike.  I like to use a race belt for my number.  http://triathlon-gear.trisports.com/search?w=race+belt  I had a bad experience with pins and my nipples on a run.  Talk about red number 11   Most races don't require you to wear a number on the bike, so I put my race belt with my running shoes.  I wear a running hat and I put the race belt in the hat on the shoes.  For T2, I'll put on the shoes and then run with the hat & belt and put them on while I run. 

I use the following stuff for my transition.  I don't use a big towel as I'm not going to spend time drying off.  Beside my bike, I'll put my running shoes with hat/running belt and any special nutrition I want on the run.  I won't have any for a sprint/Oly but for a half or full I'll carry a gel flask.  In front of my running stuff, I'll put my bike shoes covered with a small hand towel.  I use the small hand towel to wipe my face and feet if needed.  I'll also have socks for a longer race.  I hang my helmet with my sunglasses on the bike so I don't forget to put my helmet on.  All my nutrition/water bottles are already on the bike.  As you see it's not a lot of stuff.  I can get all my stuff into a back pack, which makes it easy to carry.

Ernie

Here's an interesting article cited in another thread:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=tech/2008/features/jeffs_need_for_speed08

I think the article is pretty accurate but remember the test was done with a pro athlete with a perfectly fitted bike and the ability to hold that position.  Most beginners have a hard time moving to a triathlon bike/aero position because they don't have the core strength to hold the position or they have the bike set up too aggressively for their abilities.  Your flexiblity and core strength play a key role in cycling position and as you see from the article if you can stay aero you have a huge advantage.

Ernie

I don't know.  I've read different things on this.  The older tri bikes were set up with a steep angle, like 80 degrees.  I think most of the newer tri bikes are around 76.   I did read that a good bike fitter can setup a road bike with clip on bars close to the same balance and fit as a tri bike.  I would think even in these cases the handling would still be a little more sensitive than a tri bike as a road bike is not designed to have weight of the rider that far forward.

Here's a portion of an article from Bike Sports Michigan that talks to this point:  "Riders who install aerobars on a road geometry bike usually wind up with too much distance between the saddle and the handlebars. On a road bike this usually means the rider will slide forward on the saddle when using their aerobars, eventually sitting on the front 1/3 of the saddle. Riding in the aero position usually means rotating the pelvis farther forward and using the nose of the saddle on both a road bike and a triathlon bike, but a triathlon bike is built with the shorter top tube and slacker head angle to facilitate this posture more comfortably and with greater stability."

Here's a link to the whole article:  http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

Ernie