Monthly Archives: July 2012

July 26, 2012 · 12:09 PM

Finis to Sponsor Triability Coaching


Triability Coaching is proud and excited to announce our new sponsorship agreement with Finis, a leader in swim equipment and apparel.  Finis is an innovator and driving force in the development and advancement of  swimming equipment technology,  helping triathletes and swimmers of all abilities improve their performance.

Finis equipment is nothing new at Triability Coaching. The Finis Tempo Trainer, paddles,  fins, and innovative  center mounted snorkel  have been on our pool deck for years.  We will continue to use Finis equipment not only because they are our sponsors, but because we believe in the results they allow our athletes to achieve.

Triability Coaching coaches, advise, and trains amateur endurance athletes competing in triathlon, marathon, century rides, and open-water swims. 

Visit the Triability Coaching website @ http://www.triabilitycoaching.com

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July 19, 2012 · 11:15 AM

Don’t Win your Training

Successful professional coaches and athletes know the secret; racing success begins with preparation: your training. The athlete defines his or her own definition of racing success — for some, it might simply be finishing while for others it may mean winning an age group, while still other look for an overall win or podium finish. Regardless, having a great coach, training plan, and enthusiasm are often not enough to achieve your race goals. In fact, some of these important tools might work against you if you do not know and practice the secret I mentioned earlier. The secret: do not race your training. Others say it differently: Do not win your training. Either way, the message is clear and should be part of your training doctrine.

Easy Means Easy

Most have heard this phrase before but few practice it successfully. As a coach and athlete I can say that most of my athletes are guilty of training too hard on easy days – heck, I do it myself. The reason easy days are so important is simple. Going easy on your easy days allows you to go hard on your hard days – it is that simple.

Pick your Friends Wisely

We all know fellow athletes that go all out, all of the time. They seem to only have this one gear. As athletes, it is our tendency to want to race, so when the swimmer in the next lane zooms by, it is likely that you will instinctively go into race mode, even if you are on your warm-up or cool-down lap. This is also common while out training on the bike, especially if you train within a group. Therefore, it is so critically important to choose training partners or groups that support, not derail your training. Be sure not to train with or around others that want to train at an intensity level that is above what your training plan requires.

Conclusion

Intensity levels required by your training plan, especially if prepared by a certified triathlon coach, on any given day, and your strict adherence to them have everything to do with your success, or lack thereof, on race day. Taking appropriate rest when required by your training plan allows your body, mind, and soul some needed repair and recuperation allowing you to go hard when you need to, often on the following day. Remind yourself of this before you set out the door on your easy workouts; the rewards will be apparent when crossing the finish line on race.

About the Author

Gregg S. Seltzer is the lead coach of Triability Coaching, based in Southern California. He is USAT, USAC, USATF, and ASCA certified.  He may be reached at gregg@triabilitycoaching.com, or 800.884.2194. Visit Triability Coaching at http://www.triabilitycoaching.com for training arrangements, questions, or comments.

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July 17, 2012 · 10:29 AM

The Fog-of-Training

A fuzzy brain while training can impact performance and be dangerous.

As an endurance athlete and coach people often ask what I think about while swimming, cycling, or running for long periods of time. I often say that I am monitoring my bodies systems, as a pilot does while fly a plane. These systems, depending on the activity are different, but some are relevant regardless the sport — such as cadence. I also pay close attention to if my mind seems sharp and alert, or hazy. This is important in during long, hard training sessions or hard training cycles, found during the build phase of a training cycle.

A recent French study which appeared this past April in the Journal of medicine of Science in Sport — a Scandinavian publication, looked at 11 male athletes participating in endurance sports and increased their training volume for a two-week period by 100-percent. Researchers then cut the training volume in half the third week. Tests performed on the 11-athletes after the three-week training cycle concluded the cognitive performance declined, meaning they were not in the fog-of-war, but rather the fog-of- training. This would seem to suggest that over-training impacts an athlete’s ability to think clearly

Therefore, you can conclude from this study, and perhaps from your own experiences that if you have an unusually hard time focusing throughout the day, or even during a difficult training session, you may be pushing the limits of your physical ability and heading towards over-training, injury or burnout. Dial it back a notch or two, and take note of the results. As always, make notes in your training log, and share this information with your coach.

About the Author

Gregg Seltzer is the founder and coach of Triability Coaching based in the Chino Valley of Southern California. Triability Coaching specializing in coaching, advising, and training amateur athletes competing in triathlon, marathon, century rides, and open-water swims. He is a USAT, USAC, USATF, and ASCA certified coach. Gregg competes in a plethora of triathlon and endurance races of various distances annually, and is a crazed trail racer in the off-season. Reach Gregg at http://www.triabilitycoaching.com or Email at mailto:gregg@triabilitycoaching.com for customized training, comment, feedback, or questions. You can also follow at Twitter.com/triabilitycoach. Our phone number at Triability Coaching is 800.884.2194. 

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July 16, 2012 · 4:06 PM

Bi-Lateral Breathing and Swimming

Swimming any of the four competitive strokes well requires practice and commitment to technical detail—especially the front crawl or freestyle stroke. The front crawl is the only stroke that requires the swimmer to rotate his body and head in unison to breath. Breathing incorrectly will cause problems with stroke mechanics. In swimming terms, bi-lateral breathing refers to a swimmer breathing on both sides, alternating every three or five strokes cycles.

The Importance of Bi-Lateral Swimming

Being able to swim bi-laterally has both technical and real world benefits making it a worthy skill to master. Bi-lateral swimming keeps your stroke symmetrical–extremely important in swimming. Bi-lateral swimming allows you to roll an equal amount to your right and left sides, allowing you to breathe, and flutter kick more efficiently and effectively. Competitive swimmers can check on their competition on either side of the pool. Open water swimmers can avoid bright sun light in their eyes and waves in their mouths.

One Arm Drill

This exercise will help you practice the correct body position to your weak side without the stroke. If your flutter kick is weak, use fins to keep you moving. Push off the wall and rotate your body to the right keeping your left hand extended to the front—your right hand back on your outer thigh. Take a breath, and return to looking down at the bottom of the pool. Exhale into the water and repeat for one pool length. Repeat the drill rotating to the left until you have completed one lap. Complete a total of 200 yards or meters.

Vary Your Breathing

Perform this exercise as part of your warm-up routine. Begin swimming the first length breathing only to your right side; swim the return length breathing only to your left side. On the third length, breathe every third stroke alternating from one side to the other. On the fourth length, breath every fourth stroke focusing on exhaling into the water, your hand entry, and the catch. On the fifth length, breathe every fifth stroke still focused on relaxed exhales into the water, hand entry, and your catch. On the sixth length, breathe twice to your weak side, than twice to your strong side. On the seventh length, breathe on each stroke focusing on quick rotation from side to side. Varying your breathing pattern will help you become more comfortable with bilateral breathing.

Conclusion

Bi-lateral breathing will improve your swimming over time if you consistency include bi-lateral drills into the warm up or cool down sets of your training. Many swim coaches agree that you will begin feeling more comfortable with bi-lateral breathing. One key element to focus on is fully exhaling into the water before going to air, especially on the weak side rotation.

About the Author

Gregg Seltzer is the founder and coach of Triability Coaching based in the Chino Valley of Southern California. Triability Coaching specializing in coaching, advising, and training amateur athletes competing in triathlon, marathon, century rides, and open-water swims. He is a USAT, USAC, USATF, and ASCA certified coach. Gregg competes in a triathlon races of various distances annually, and is a crazed trail racer in the off-season. Reach Gregg at mailto:gregg@triabilitycoaching.com for comment, feedback, questions, or for training arrangements. You can also follow him at Twitter.com/triabilitycoach. Our phone number at Triability Coach is 800.884.2194. 

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July 2, 2012 · 9:41 AM

Happy Independence Day

As you know, Independence Day is around the corner, and I wanted to take a moment to wish all of my fellow Americans a safe, happy, and restful July4, 2012. There is no day of the year I feel represents the best of our American lifestyle than this day.

I have taken a poll of the athletes we coach at Triability Coaching and found that 90% are planning to participate in some sort of athletic event — mostly fun runs. I myself am bonding with members of my family in a 10k, the same one we do every 4th of July.

So relax, enjoy, and be safe; remember what the day is really about, and be thankful that we live here and not there — where ever there maybe. Although we have our flaws, we still rule the school.

Gregg S. Seltzer

 

 

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