While the swim portion of the ironman may only represent 10 percent of the race, it does play a significant role in the outcome. The time taken to exit the water is just a fraction of the whole picture of performance— the state in which we exit the water and how much energy is expended during the swim is critical to the overall performance at the end of the day. Continue reading
Member’s only live video Spreecast!
Come ask Ben and Kerry all your triathlon related questions live via video and chat Monday, 2/25 at 9PM EST / 6PM PST
Attend live or enter your triathlon training and nutrition questions in the player below…this is your chance to take advantage of the live coaching that comes with your Rock Star Triathlete Academy membership…
Earlier in my life I worked in a big city, took the train to work everyday, and trained for triathlon about 6 hours per week. My job was stressful and my commute was long; about 3 hours per day. I lived in the Northeast, where the weather was very seasonal and the winters were cold, dark and wet. I didn’t know it at the time but I was training by what I now call ‘Sport Rotation’.
Danny Duncan: The accident you were involved in was horrible to hear about let alone go through. What key principles did you learn from this experience? Also, what advice can you give to someone who may suffer a similar accident in the future?
Lukas Verzbicas: ”I learned too much to list in a few sentences but primarily I learned to appreciate life more knowing how quickly and unexpectedly it could be taken away from you. I also learned and would pass this along to someone who is also going through an injury is to believe in themselves and have faith no matter what the circumstances or others say. My doctors said I wouldn’t walk after seeing my first x-rays and now I’m back to training full time. I didn’t let all that get to me and believed the entire time I will be back.”
The American Athletic Institute (AAI) is a sport consulting firm that does research on Olympic-caliber athletes. They have worked with organizations ranging from youth hockey teams to the Boston Celtics to the U.S. Navy Seals. Their main focus is determining how drugs and alcohol affect athletic performance.
Dennis O’Sullivan spent 6 years playing in the NFL, mostly with the New York Jets. He also worked as the New York City Director of Government Affairs for the NY State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
How does alcohol affect athletic performance?
Alcohol will affect power, speed, endurance, hand-eye coordination, reaction time, heart and lung function, reflexes, judgment, the ability to focus and many other areas important to athletic performance. There are many misconceptions about alcohol. One is that alcohol only affects the athlete when he or she is drunk or hung-over. However, alcohol’s affects last much longer after the physical side effects have subsided. Studies have shown that for up to 96 hours after drinking, hormones are diminished. This is important because hormones affect many things such as muscle growth and repair, mental toughness, pain tolerance, fatigue perception, training effect and recovery. Diminished hormones cause the athlete to feel tired and feel more pain. The athlete will not build power, speed and endurance as effectively as he or she should. In short, the athlete loses both the mental and physical edge. One prominent study conducted by the American Athletic Institute is their analysis of enzymes. The AAI took a winter sport athlete and conducted a muscle biopsy. They then analyzed the athlete’s slow, intermediate and fast twitch muscle fibers. This provided 12 base numbers for analysis. The athlete then endured a two week training session that focused on power and speed training. After 2 weeks, the AAI conducted a second muscle biopsy on the athlete. 10 of the 12 enzymes increased with some doubling and even tripling. The training was designed to make the athlete bigger and stronger. This is exactly what happened. The athlete began a second 2 week training session immediately after. The AAI attempted to keep the same parameters with the same eating and sleeping habits and patterns. The major exception was the athlete drank alcohol once a week, on the 4th and 10th days. 4 days after the last drink, they took another muscle biopsy. This time 9 out of 12 enzymes had decreased with some going back to where they were one month prior. This essentially means that drinking ONCE can negate 2 weeks worth of quality training. The injury rate for drinkers is around 54% and the appetite for non-drinkers is about 23%. Someone that drinks is twice as likely to get hurt as someone that does not drink. Dennis can personally attest to this.
How can you measure how alcohol negatively affects performance?
The AAI tracked 60 Olympic-caliber athletes (runners, high jumpers and swimmers). These particular sports were picked because there are no ball or object variables involved; the pool, track and jumping pits do not change. The AAI tracked all performances and drinking occasions of these athletes. They found that performances the day after they had been drinking the athletes performances’ declined by approximately 11.4%. Keep in mind these were Olympic-caliber athletes. The losses of a college or high school athlete might be substantially greater than 11.4%.
How does marijuana affect athletic performance?
Marijuana Marijuana affects athletic performance in many ways. THC is the chemical component in marijuana. It’s what gets the smoker high and causes the damage. Marijuana today is about 10 times more dangerous than it was 35 years ago because of THC levels. In the 1970s, THC levels were between 1 – 4 % and today these levels are between 24 – 40 %. THC collects in the brain and affects functions such as vision, memory, movement, coordination, reflexes and judgment. Marijuana and, specifically, THC can stay in your system for up to 60 days.
Does alcohol affect females differently than males?
Yes… and the difference is quite dramatic. Many factors affect how an individual reacts and/or processes alcohol. These include: height, weight, genetics, body fat composition and gender. Alcohol passes through the digestive tract and is dispersed in the water in the body. The more water available, the more diluted the alcohol. Men, in general, weigh more than women. Women, in general, have less water and more fat in their bodies than men. Therefore, a woman’s brain and other organs are exposed to more alcohol and the resultant toxic byproducts. Women also have smaller quantities of the protective enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down alcohol in the stomach. The result is women absorb about 30% more alcohol into their bloodstreams than men do.
By USA Hockey http://www.usahockey.com/
With the changing weather, shorter days and holidays, training through the winter months is more art than science. Many athletes see the winter as a time to get ahead and start building a base for next season. However, with the obstacle mentioned above, that can be very difficult, but it’s not impossible. Here are some strategies you can use to avoid winter burn out and come into the spring feeling stronger than ever.
Duane Dobko has 17 years of competitive swimming experience. He was the former school record holder for the University of Minnesota in the 100 yard backstroke and was a Canadian National champion in the 50 meter backstroke in 1994. Duane was a 2003 Hawaii Ironman qualifier, finishing 26th in 2002 at Ironman Wisconsin, with the 3rd fastest overall swim split (49:03). Duane is currentlyswim coaching professional triathlete David Thompson, and competes for the Gear West Elite team out of Minnesota.
Duane has competed and set records in several Minnesota Masters Swimming meets. Duane recently competed at the2008 USMS Short Course National Championships in Austin Texas where he beat a national record in the 200 Yard Backstroke with a time of 1:49.93.
There is a lot of talk within the strength and conditioning world about training the “core” of the body. Many triathletes question if they really do need to train the core and question if it is even important.
In this live workshop, Ben & Kerry will be sharing with you all you need to know about the core and how to train it specifically for triathlon performance.
To listen now, just keep reading.
triathletes fueling
An athlete races at peak performance by making sure the body is fueled correctly. This is not just about the morning of the start, but also approaching race day as well. Eat softer foods leading up to race. Eating foods that are high in fiber and protein can make your stomach hurt on race day. Since it takes quite a while for food to move through your system, you should start limiting these items starting about two days out. Look for softer, easier to eat foods and snacks instead, such as pasta. Eggs are a great source of protein that are easy to digest as well. A bad idea would be to eat a kale salad and steak the night before race day.
This Monday, January 13th at 6:00pm Pacific/ 9:00pm Eastern Time Coach Kerry and Newest Rock Star Triathlete Coach Brad will discuss the base phase of training and will answer any question you have in a live tele-seminar.
Base training isn’t just a time to put in endless hours of training. During this phase you should focus on skills & drills, addressing limiters, muscle adaptation, and building your aerobic engine.
Listen to the replay here: