Category Archives: Swim

Off-Season: Start With The Most Important Step

At ironguides, our whole philosophy is based upon improving one step at a time or, as we like to call it, brick by brick. As coaches we are here to guide you in your fitness journey and take you to where you want to go.

The first thing we need to know from an athlete, though, is where it is that you want to go—what do you want to achieve? Once an athlete, and her coach, knows the key goal we are aiming for, it is time to get to work.

As we head into the off-season, now is the perfect time for novice and experienced athletes alike to sit down with their coaches, family and friends, or simply by themselves, to determine the goals for the coming year.

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Speed up your Ironman Racing with Neuromuscular Resets

At ironguides we emphasize developing motor patterns in training, instead of the traditional focus on endurance development. We approach training this way to ensure specificity and reduce the risk of injury. The endurance element of training is still developed on the side – it’s just no longer the sole focus.

When I say motor pattern development I am talking about the brain’s control of movement. Every movement we make is controlled by the brain (motor). It must assign a portion (pattern) of our muscle fibres to perform the action we want, for example a pedal revolution in cycling. Continue reading →

Swimming Technique

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 →

Rotating Through A Plateau

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’.

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Winter Training For A Triathelte

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.

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Off Season Swimming

Swim Drills

The off-season should be your favorite time of year to get into the pool and work on your stroke. If you have technical elements that need attention, the early off-season is the perfect time to work on them. Check your ego at the door and swim slowly. That’s right, drop a lane or two at your masters workout and give yourself permission to swim slowly on your own. Following are drills that will make you more efficient come springtime if you’re willing to make the investment now. If you want to make significant improvement, get in the water as often as you can. Aim for 4-6 swims each week if you want to make major changes. Even a 20 minute session will be helpful.

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Winter Hydration

Winter Hydration

Cold weather is upon us and as you begin to bundle up for your outdoor exercise please make sure you don’t become dehydrated! You might think – dehydration, in cold weather, really? Yes – really. Basically, you do not feel as thirsty as the temperatures drop. So when you don’t feel thirsty you won’t consume as much fluids which will then cause dehydration. Continue reading →

Studies Display the Effectiveness Of Ice Baths

Long a practice of elites, post-run ice baths have come under a bit of–mixed metaphor alert!–fire lately, on two grounds: that regularly taking ice baths blunts some of the desired effects of training, and that there’s little evidence to support proponents’ claims that they speed recovery.

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Enjoying Your Off Season

This time of year is all about change.

Summer is well and truly behind us and we are now deep into autumn with winter on the horizon. The racing season is pretty much done with the last one or two big races about to take place. I love this time of year as it signals a break from the demands of training and racing along with the excitement and planning for next year.

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