If you are not sure what ankle band swimming is, then I can assure you you have not done a set of freestyle with the nast little band around you ankles.

What makes this drill so effective, is the fact that the athlete must exhibit proper body position, a high stroke rate and effective propulsion all at the same time. This is exactly what needs to happen if you plan to swim fast in a triathlon.

Many athletes work on these three aspects of freestyle swimming independently, and then expect them to all come together when it counts.

So what is an ankle band? you can but premade rubber bands or ankle cuffs that velcro from many popular swim vendor. An inexpensive verion can be made from an 18 inch length of old bike tube tied in a knot. The band is placed around the ankle so that it is snug and prevents you from kicking.

ankle band swimming

Begin with 4-6x 25 with the ankle band with 20-30 sec rest interval. You will quickly learn if if some aspect is lacking.
1. Over glide and you will lose momentun and sink.
2. swim with a low stroke rate and you will sink.
3. Maintain poor body position, and you will sink.
4. Do not obtain a good hold on the water or VF ( vertical forearm)and you will sink.

The great thing about ankle band swimming, is that if you are able to make it across the pool, you are doing something right. Its self correcting execise/ drill.

Think if it as the swim equivolent of hill running.

Another critical benefit of ABS ( ankle band swimming)is fatigue resistance. This is the ability to maintain body position, stroke rate and pulling power as fatigue sets in.

Here is a sample set progression
1. Begin with 4-6x 25 y/m with a 1:1 work to rest ratio twice a week
2. Add 2 reps per week.
3. I like to build to 10x 50 on 1 min send off or 5x 100 on 2 min. send off.

It is important to work at ABS. At first, you will not like it, but with persistance, it can really make you a better more powerful swimmer.

If you are like my athletes, you may have some choice words following your first set of ABS. but it will work!

Coach Tim

I saw this quote the other day “Discipline naturally follows passion and commitment. Where there’s a lack of discipline there’s something else in the way: fear.”, and it got me thinking.

You see this is the time of year when I spend lots of time reviewing all the data, graphs, charts and race results for the athletes I coach. It’s also the time of year when we begin to make plans for 2012.

2011 marks close of my 25th consecutive triathlon season. I ended the season with a sprint race and finishing 6th overall. The discipline to train hard and have the passion to continue is something I try to instill in my athletes.

As I pondered the quote above during a recent long run, I think I came up with the proper sequence to continued progress and athletic success.

Proper goal setting leads to passion for training and racing, which in turn leads to the discipline to do the work required to get a result.

The goal setting piece is a topic onto itself. So begin thinking about what gets you excited to train today when your next race or goal is 4 to 6 months away? Its good to take a few weeks following you final event of the year to set your goals.

That will be the topic for the next installment. Enjoy tha fall training.</div>

Coming soon! Triathlon Strength Coach. Your personalized Strength and Conditioning Site for Endurance athletes. This site will feature training plans, weekly video blogs, and custimized trainin plans.

you can also follow us on face book at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Triathlon-Strength-Coach/228873693836236?ref=ts

As the triathlon season comes to a close, it’s very tempting to put your bike away for several weeks or months. The sun is going down earlier n, and the next triathlon is four to six months away, so there is a loss less urgency. WRONG. Several weeks of inactivity can require 8-to 12 weeks to regain your fitness. And if you haven’t noticed, if you are a master’s athlete, it’s easier to stay in shape than to get into shape. The transition phase is the link between this and next season. A properly planned phase will allow you to begin next year rested, and at a higher level of fitness.

So what is a weary triathlete to do? Well if you don’t take your foot off the accelerator after the season ends, you will become a “Christmas Star”. We all know someone who is a Christmas Star, someone who is hammering everyone on December, only to burnout by March.

The goal is to stay active during the 4-6 week transition period between the end of the last race, and the commencement of next year’s base training. It is important to allow your body and mind recover from the rigors of tri training, keeping your workouts unstructured will help you remain flexible in your planning.

Workouts should include plenty of cross training and alternate activities. Hiking, mountain biking, cyclocross racing, nordic skiing, inline skating are just a few. Soccer basketball and hockey can be added for a change of pace, and fun group workouts.

The transition phase is also the time to reintroduce strength training, in order to prepare you for the more intense strength work to come during the foundation phase of training. Since you will be regularly visiting the gym, you can include indoor cross training alternatives, such as spinning or yoga classes, elliptical trainer and stair climbers.

Below are some ideas to guide you through the transition phase.

• Swim/ bike/ run training should comprise about 50% of training time

• Ride off road to improve handling

• Take up a new activity (ex. X-C ski, roller ski, hiking)

• Do run drills once a week

• Take one full week off in each sport (swim, bike, run, just not at the same time)

• Keep workouts short but frequent

• Include flexibility training

• Strength train 2 to 3 times per week

So as you begin to enjoy a well deserved rest following your last race, don’t let it become prolonged. Set up a well thought out plan so that you enter the foundation phase ready to go.

©TC2coaching 2011

Part of Lance’s TdF success was due in part to his attention to detail on major mountain stages. Months before the July event, Lance and several teammates would ride the key mountain stages as part of their climbing camps. It has been reported that Lance rode Alpe d’ Huez several times in the same day so that he’d know every aspect of the climb in preparation for a key time trial.

There are two basic categories of race course “recon”. The first is when you can actually ride the course weeks or months before the race. The information and data collected will prove invaluable come race day.

The second method of race course reconnaissance involves learning as much about the course without ever riding it. This is where you can take advantage of modern technology, to maximize training and mental preparation.

Obviously, the best way to dial in the bike course is to familiarize yourself with the course by riding it (several times if possible). By riding a course multiple times, you can test and compare different wheel setups, cassette combinations as well as race and fueling strategies.

By riding the course, you can collect valuable data via a power meter, HR monitor with altimeter, or GPS system. This information can be downloaded and sent to your coach, so that specific training plans can be designed to optimally prepare you for any course.

Information obtained through a power meters such as average and norm power output, power to weight ratios, will allow you to replicate the muscular demands of the race course. Armed with this information, race simulations can be conducted on local roads, or on a stationary trainer. The power meter can also calculate Kilojoules, enabling you to plan accurate caloric intake strategies for a specific course.

Many heart rate monitors and GPS systems have altimeters, which when downloaded, will give you a course profile. Couple this with heartrate, and you have powerful data from which you can optimize cycling efficiency and pacing.
You can still prepare well if you can not pre ride the course prior to race day. Many races post course profiles on their websites. From this information, athletes can view the terrain, the number of climbs as well as the % grade of the hills.

Stationary trainers such as Computrainer have many popular race courses available in their software. If you live in a flat area, doing stationary trainer sessions which involve climbing repeats can be very effective and time efficient. By knowing the length and steepness of the climbing, you can simulate the race course no matter where you live.

There are other effective ways to get familiar with the race course. Google Earth software can be downloaded to allow you a bird’s eye view of the course. This can be used effectively in an athlete’s mental preparation in the weeks and months leading up to an event. I frequently use this to study the bike course that my athletes will race on, and has been useful in allowing me to get a good feel for the course.

Many races have forums on their websites, which can be a valuable source of information from others who have raced and trained on a course. Things such as wheel selection, winds, cassette size, and road conditions can all be found with a few targeted searches.

Once at the race site, try to ride as much of the course as feasible and prudent. If you can’t ride the course, then at least drive it to allow you to get a feel for the course and remove the stress of not knowing what is around the corner.

The saying “Knowledge is power”, is true when it comes to bike course preparation. Gathering as much information as possible, then using that data to help you create a course specific training plan, and race strategy. Proper physical and mental preparation will give you an edge come race day, and help in reducing pre race anxiety. Preparation and race day execution will allow you to have a great day when it counts the most.

This article first appeared on Xtri.com

We all know that maintaining flexibility is good for us, and we are often diligent about doing it when we are injured, or just coming off an injury. But all too often, once the injury is gone, we soon forget to keep working at it. It’s not surprising, since scheduling swim, bike, run, and strength sessions into our already busy lives. Something has to give, and flexibility is often one of the first to go.

In this article, I will outline a simple 6 minute plan to address some of the common trouble spots for triathletes as well as how you can easily incorporate them into your daily training regime.

First, make post workout flexibility part of your training. If you plan on doing a 90 minute ride, then ride for one hour and twenty- four minutes, so that you can add in the 6 for stretching. This makes it part of the workout, not something that is added in. Doing your flexibility exercises immediately after riding or running will increase the likelihood of actually doing it. Once you change clothes or take a shower, you are less likely to begin something new.

Below are outlined four flexibility exercises. This may be the most valuable six minutes of your training day.

• Eccentric calf raise- Don’t think of this as a strength exercise, but an active stretch to maintain function of the muscles that make up the lower leg. During cycling, the large muscles that make up the posterior aspect of the lower leg (calf, soleus, and posterior tibialis) are performing relative isometric contractions in order to transfer the power generated from the hip and knee during the down phase of the peal stroke. Then we jump off the bike and ask the same muscles to yield eccentrically as we land with 7 to 8 times our body weight with each running stride. This can often lead to Achilles tendon injuries, as well as tight and strained lower legs muscles.

The remedy is quite simple. Following a ride or run, perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 single leg heel raises with the ball of your foot on a step. Rise up on the toes for one second, lower for a three second count. This will provide eccentric strength, which in turn will fortify your muscles and tendons. Holding a dumbbell can be added for additional resistance.

• Kneeling hip flexor stretch- Triathletes have tight hip flexors. Sitting, cycling and driving contribute to this problem. Tight hip flexors can also cause you to over stride, which is a major contributor to running related injuries.
  Kneel on one knee, with the other foot out in front of you with the knee at a right angle. Contract your glutes and hamstrings of the kneeling leg as you gently move your hips forward until you feel a stretch. Hold for 5 seconds then release the stretch, and repeat 2 more times before switching to the other leg.
• Foam roll upper back- Cycling and sitting caused your thoracic spine flex. This has been associated with to shoulder impingement injuries as well as lumber injuries in endurance athletes.
  By lying on the floor, place the 6 inch diameter roll on the shoulder blades. Roll your thoracic spine and scapula atop a foam roll, you will help create balance in the spine and associated muscles while allowing the thoracic sine to extend. You will also roll out the knots in the upper back.
  Roll for 30 seconds with your hands behind your head. With elbow pointing to the side, place your forearms together in front your face, and complete another 30 seconds.
• Foam roll IT band- This may be the most unpleasant exercise you will complete, but the most effective. The IT band take a lot of abuse from both running and cycling. This tightness will typically show up as pain on the lateral side of the knee.

Lying on your side, place the foam roll in the middle of your thigh with your elbow and forearm on the floor, and top leg bent to stabilize your body on the roller. Gently roll from the hip to the knee. You will encounter many sore “spots” along the way. Stop on them and relax for 15-30 seconds, and you will feel them dissipate. If this is very painful, then you should repeat this process before and after training sessions.

The flexibility exercises outlined above are simple effective and time efficient. Make them a part of you training daily, and you will increase your chances of making it to the starting line healthy and happy.