Tri Club Marin Bi-Weekly Bulletin

TCM Newsletter: Wednesday September 19, 2007

Club Events – Mark your Calendars

September Social – BOWLING in San Rafael – September 28, 2007

Country Club Bowl
88 Vivian Way (across from Celia's Mexican Restaurant)
San Rafael

$5/game, $3 shoe rental

Please RSVP to Lisa (dolci_sf@yahoo.com) with 9/28 BOWL in the subject line.

Also the end of year party planning is steaming ahead – if you would like to help out, send an email to info@triclubmarin.org. Thanks!

Races

Mark M recently completed in a Florida sprint triathlon and a 5k the next day! Talk about keen! Next up is Escape to Miami tri! Go Mark – representing TCM on the East Coast for awhile.

Brian W had a strong showing at the ½ IM, Big Kahuna in Santa Cruz recently. Congrats to him.

Are there any other members with results they would like to share?

TCM Kits

Now available at Fleet Feet Sports in San Anselmo. Stop buy and see Charles and pick up your sexy TCM kit.

New Product

We’re not turning the newsletter into a product placement vehicle but this might be of interest to members:

Polar has introduced a new HRM product the RS800 with G3 GPS. So now you can monitor your speed and distance across multiple sports and multiple terrains.

Find out more about the RS800 training system with new G3 at http://www.polar.fi/multisport_campaign

Training Tips

Inside Triathlon Exclusive: What To Do In The Weight Room

Neal Henderson, MS CSCS

About this time of year, many multisport athletes think "I think I'll add weight training to my workout schedule".   For long distance triathletes, the goal of weight training is not to make you look like a bodybuilder, but to make you stronger...and faster.   The key to translating increased strength into faster racing is in the application of that strength.   To achieve this goal, your weight training must be specific and functional.   Ironman racing does not require massive feats of strength per se, but some level of strength that will help you stay injury free and be able to train effectively and reach your goals. 

First off, you must use proper technique when performing any strength training exercises.   Failure to do so can result in serious injury.   The first 2 weeks of your training you should not focus on how much weight you use, but how well you perform the exercise.   If you are new to weight training, you should seek the advice of a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist or other certified and qualified professional.   When looking for a strength training specialist or personal trainer, be sure that they are also familiar with the demands of triathlon training.    

Strength training consists of many different types of exercises including (but not limited to) weight lifting, running and cycling uphill, plyometric exercises, and swimming with paddles.   The goal of strength training is to increase force production.   In a very basic sense, going fast is a result of doing the most work in the shortest amount of time.   In physics, work is force multiplied by distance.   Since the distance is the same for everyone on race day, performance will be dictated by the average forces applied while swimming, cycling, and running.    

Whether improved force production gained in a gym will make you faster is debatable.   Some research studies support this idea, some refute it.   Even if you don't directly gain raw speed through strength training, there are some reasons to incorporate strength training in your training schedule.   First, strength training can also help you avoid overuse injuries by increasing the integrity of your entire musculoskeletal system (bones, tendons, and muscles).   Also, a stronger athlete may be less likely to sustain serious injuries in the event of a fall or a crash.    

One key factor to keep in mind is that your strength training needs to be specific to your sport(s).   Keep in mind that other valuable types of strength training are part of a well-rounded training program.   Forms of functional training like Yoga and Pilates have become more popular recently, and are effective for developing core strength and stability.   Core training focuses on the muscles involved with central stability - especially abdominal and back muscles.   All properly designed resistance training programs should include several specific core exercises, but don't stop there.   A strong core is necessary, but will not provide all of the strength that you will need out on the race course.    

Functional strength training uses activities that mimic actual sports movements while using some type of added resistance.   Use of stretch cords and paddles or a Vasa trainer to duplicate the underwater pull of your swim stroke, or staying seated while climbing up a hill in a bigger gear than normal on your bike would be examples of functional strength training.   Also, plyometric drills that exaggerate your running stride are excellent functional strength training exercises.  

Since endurance is still the most important aspect of your training, resistance training exercise should be considered a supplementary workout.   If you spend too much energy on your strength workouts, your endurance workouts will suffer.   You need to find a balance.   For most endurance athletes, two strength training sessions per week is enough. In these two sessions, you should perform exercises that will stress your entire body - not just your upper body or lower body.   Split routines are great for body building, but are unnecessary for endurance athletes.   Simple, functional strength training routines shouldn't take more than 30 minutes per session to complete.   If your strength workouts take longer than that, you're either talking too much or resting too much.    

Neal Henderson is the Sport Science Manager at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He is also a retired professional triathlete and USA Triathlon certified Elite coach.

Links and Other Stuff

Don’t forget our fab website – www.triclubmarin.org – for workouts, events, links to our sponsors and other interesting items about the Club.

Here’s a cool triathlon related website:

http://www.veoh.com/channel/triathletetv  triathlon on web video!

We are always looking for suggestions/content for the newsletter. If you have any ideas, links, articles you want to contribute email me at: seacap@netscape.com before Thursday.

TriClub Marin
PO Box 829
San Anselmo , CA 94979
www.triclubmarin. org

Previous Newsletters:
March 30, 2007
April 12, 2007
May 1, 2007
May 21, 2007
June 5, 2007
June 27, 2007
July 10, 2007
July 31, 2007
August 31, 2007
September 19, 2007