Triathlon Clinic Outline & Additional Notes€¦ · Triathlon swim training techniques Introduction to swim interval training MUTLI SPORT TRAINING Transition tips Recovery Techniques

Triathlon Clinic Outline & Additional Notes Cozumel September 2016

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COZUMEL TRIATHLON CLINIC: BRIEF OUTLINE RUN Running explained Running economy Introduction to Interval Training

BIKE Bike aerodynamics Bike positioning and efficiency Introduction to TT techniques

SWIM Stroke explained Triathlon swim training techniques Introduction to swim interval training

MUTLI SPORT TRAINING Transition tips Recovery Techniques Stretching S&C brief explanation – triathlon functional specificity

Q&A Bring any questions along for Emma to answer!

CLINIC CONCLUSION PLEASE BRING: RUN GEAR SWIM GEAR – INCL TRAINING EQUIPMENT (GOGGLES ,CAP) ANY EQUIPMENT YOU NEED ADVICE WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ANY SNACKS YOU MAY PREFER TO USE SUNSCREEN THIS BOOKLET PRINTED + PEN


TECHNICAL: THE FREESTYLE STROKE

ENTRY Phase: HAND ENTRY • Hand should enter with a flat palm • Palm should be facing the water and the wrist flat and neutral • Arm and hand entry should be in line with the shoulder • Arm should be extended 2/3 to ¾ total length

ENTRY Phase: EXTENSION Once the hand enters the water the scapular protracts and aids the arm to extend, lengthening the swimmers reach

• The arm should stay inline with the shoulder • As the arm extends, the swimmers bodyweight should be shifter to the side of the extending

arm. Trunk and hips are rotated to the opposite side of the entry arm • Head should be neutral (unless breathing)

Technical issues • Avoid crossing midline of body • Avoid inward rotation of hand

CATCH Phase: ‘FEEL’ AND ‘HOLD’ THE WATER The catch phase begins at the end of the extension phase, with the hand 5-10cm below the water surface.

• The swimmers elbow should remain high • The wrist should not bend • During the catch the swimmer should flex the elbow and slightly rotate the shoulder while

pointing the fingertips downward • The elbow should remain higher than the hand

Technical issues • Avoid allowing the fingers to point forward • Avoid dropping the elbow

PULL-PUSH Phase: PROPULSION The pull through phase consists of pulling and pushing. During this phase, the pull and kick should be a connected movement linked through the trunk that begins to rotate to the same side of the pull arm.

SWIM Swimming can be a daunting discipline to learn. In order to move forward an athlete needs ‘propulsion’ and minimal ‘drag’ (the resistance of movement). There are 3 types of ‘drag’ affect forward ‘propulsion’ in swimming –

1. Frictional drag – occurs when water passes over a rough surface (eg bathers/swimmers and hair)

2. Form Drag – caused by the shape of the swimmer (poor streamline position means increased form drag)

3. Wave drag – occurs when the swimmer creates waves & turbulence by bouncing, by lifting head on breathing or by excessive sideways kicking. Also occurs in choppy water.


• At the start of the pull, the fingers should point downward with the elbow above the hand. The palm should remain facing the back wall

• During the push, the hand moves past the navel, the triceps contract extending the elbow which moves the hand towards the hip

• The exit begins as the hand passes under the belly button. The SPEED of the hand while exiting will affect the forward propulsion of the swimmer. A faster powerful exit increases propulsion and the rate of arm recovery back to the front of the stroke

• During the pull the hips are extended and the ankles plantar flexed. The head should remain neutral, unless the swimmer needs the breathe

• When breathing the swimmers head should move in alignment with the rotation of the torso towards the breathing side.

Technical issues • Avoid fingers pointing forwards rather than down during pull • No power on exit, thereby reducing propulsion • Too much body rotation during pull

RECOVERY Phase Final phase of the freestyle stroke is the recovery. The mechanics of this phase does depend on coaching philosophy, swimmers speed and experience and the swimming conditions. The recovery phase is initiated by lifting the shoulder and elbow together out of the water

• The swimmers hand exits the water past the hip, with little finger first & the elbow almost fully extended. The hip on the side of the exiting hand should be rotated up as the hand exits

• The elbow and hand should not go above or behind the body after it exits the water, but should stay slightly outside the bodyline to allow gravity to begin the rotation back to the other side

BREATHING Poor breathing technique increases drag and can cause other biomechanical issues with a swimmers stroke.

• Unless breathing, the swimmers head should be in a neutral position, looking down and slightly forward. While the swimmers face is in the water, the swimmer should exhale with the majority of the air. Before rotating to breathe, the swimmer should forcefully exhale the remaining air into the water.

• When breathing the swimmer should keep the head in alignment with the rotation of the torso towards the breathing side. The extending (non-recovery arm) should not drop while taking a breath and the head should not lift.

• When the recovery arm is exiting the water, the swimmer should quickly inhale through the mouth. The eyes should look towards the back. To avoid over rotation, the swimmer should keep 1 goggle lens in the water while inhaling.

• After inhaling the swimmer should rotate the head in alignment with the torso so the entire face is in the water when the recovery arm enters the water. The swimmer should return their head to the neutral position (eyes looking down and slightly forward)

Technical Issues • Over rotation • Lifting head • Exhaling outside water • Taking too long breathe (lingering while extending arm) • Dropping extended arm or elbow while inhaling • Breathing more than every 2nd stroke

COORDINATION OF PULL AND KICK The leg and the arm movement must work together throughout all the phases of the freestyle stroke. The functional movements of the arm and legs depend on the core’s large muscle groups.


The timing of the kick and arms is one of the most difficult skills for novice swimmers. There are a number of variations of the number of kicks in a stroke cycle – 2, 4, 6 – depending on the athlete and coaching philosophy. Regardless of coaching philosophy, the swimmer should time the downward kick with the recovery of the opposite arm as it moves from entry to extension.

PROPULSION • Propulsive pull, stroke rate, muscular endurance and power all help swimmers create

propulsion • The pull should provide as much propulsion as the swimmer is able to generate • A high stroke rate increases propulsion • Developing muscular endurance and strength allows the swimmer to maintain muscular

power for longer periods of time. Specific training sessions must be designed to improve biomechanics as well as to increase muscular endurance and strength.

TRAINING TECHNIQUES

• Beginner swimmers should break training sessions down into smaller sets to minimize technique break down

• Swim tools such as pool buoys, fins, paddles are useful for a swimmer to use to isolate certain aspects of their stroke and work on particular areas

• Swim improvements will be best done with a skilled swim coach, and working with a swim squad

• Pool swimming techniques should be adopted by triathlon and open water swimmers to maximize swim improvements.


FORCE: aerodynamic drag and posit ioning An athlete’s position on their bike can help to reduce aerodynamic drag. An athlete creates 80% of aerodynamic drag so by adopting a more aerodynamic position an athlete can vastly reduce their aerodynamic drag. NOTE – the most aerodynamic position is only useful if it also maximized the athlete’s power and cycling efficiency.

FORCE: aerodynamic drag and clothing • To minimize aerodynamic drag, clothing, gear and the bike should minimize air disruption • Tight fitting clothing and using TT style helmet can act to reduce the drag.

FORCE: Body Mass and Gravity The amount of power required to ride uphill increases with mass, so a heavier bike and athlete will increase the amount of power required & energy needed to overcome the resistance. This is often referred to as power-to-weight ration.

FORCE: propulsion • An athlete is fastest in a position where he or she can produce power • Propulsion occurs when force is applied to the pedals, turning the cranks and powering the

bike • Propulsion is a positive force, combating drag as the athlete propels forward • Propulsion is a smooth combination of downward push (power) and upward pull (torque).

Biomechanics of the Pedal Stroke The forces applied to the pedals by an athlete vary throughout the pedal stroke. 0 degrees of the stroke phase is at the top of the stroke (or 12 O’clock)

STROKE PHASE: Downstroke 0-180’ • Generates the most power • Foot motion forward and downward • As the toe comes over the top, the heel should drop so that it is parallel to the ground • There should be about 10-15 degrees of flexion of the knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke • Greatest propulsion is at 90 degrees, peak pedal force occurs a few degrees later

STROKE PHASE: Backstroke 135’-225’ (bottom) • Pedals should be pulled backwards and upwards from approx. 120-225 degrees

• Opposite foot and pedal begins to enter downstroke • At the beginning of this phase, toes slightly pointed

BIKE Efficient bike training requires correct biomechanics and efficient force created by an athletes movements.

FORCE: Aerodynamic Drag

• Aerodynamic drag is a product of air density, velocity, drag and surface area (drag increases with higher air density, velocity, and also the amount of ‘frontal’ area)


• Towards end of the backstroke, the toes will be slightly pointed

STROKE PHASE: UPSTROKE 180-360’ • This phase is from 180-270 degrees • By the top stroke the athletes foot should be neutral

STROKE PHASE: Overstroke 315’-0’ (top) • The foot should be pressing forward over the top from approx. 320-20 degrees

Pedal Stroke Biomechanics: Stabil isation To achieve effective power transfers from body to bike and efficient energy expenditure during the entire pedal stroke, the athlete must maintain constant stabilization of the hips, pelvis, trunk and upper body. Excessive movement of imbalance can also lead to injury.

• Maintain a relaxed, stable upper body • Maintain a slight flexion at the lumbar spine with anterior tilt of pelvis while in the seated

position to stabilise the trunk and pelvis. • Maintain glute power to minimizing knees rolling in • Maintain slightly bent elbows

NOTE: while standing and pedaling, muscle recruitment is increased.

SKILLS and TECHNIQUES Key skills and techniques are cornering, braking, turning and passing.

TECHNIQUES: Hil ls Cl imbing • Key improvements will come with technical climbing improvements and improvements in

strength-weight ratio • Seated climbing – maintain a low flat back and bent elbow position to engage the core, create

stability and better distribution of muscular force. • Standing/Seated climbing – standing climbing uses more energy, but creates more power.

The main reason to stand is to maintain forward momentum. A Cyclist may choose to go back and forth to seated and standing climbing to conserve energy. During standing climbing, the cyclist should focus on pulling on the handlebars while pushing through with the leg on the same side. Core muscles should be engaged and the cyclist should work to balance weight and center of gravity based on the hill’s steepness.

Changing Gears on a Climb • Maintain a smooth speed with an efficient cadence to avoid overloading muscles • Change gears before the hill gradient is causing a ‘struggle’ • Change 1 gear at a time • Avoid letting cadence drop before changing to maximize forward momentum

TECHNIQUES: Descending • Remain seated to help with braking and cornering • Position the upper body so that the center of gravity is low • Remain on smooth line through corners, taking apex • Brake before corners not during • Inside pedal up through a corner • Watch for wet conditions, and obstacles • Be mindful of other athletes positions and leave room for error. • Avoid sudden movements and sudden braking

TECHNIQUES: Cycl ing in the Wind

• Cycling into headwinds is physically demanding


• Be mindful of headwind negative impact on the athletes mind • Aim to maintain a steady cadence and power output through gearing and positioning on the

bike

TECHNIQUES: GROUP RIDING • See group riding techniques doc


GROUND CONTACT TIME Posit ive Impact: Decreasing Ground Contact Time The shorted the ground contact time, the less time the athlete is decelerating and the key to decreasing ground contact time is to increase speed and enhance running economy. Deceleration occurs when and athletes foot makes contact with the ground because the forward propulsion is momentarily slowed.

• To reduce ground contact time focus on – o Increased cadence o Foot strike below or just in front of body’s center of mass o Avoid movement patterns that increase braking forces (over striding) o Lean slightly (3-5 degrees) o Incorporate drills and hills to improve neuromuscular responsiveness in your training o Incorporate run-specific strength and stability drills and exercises to improve glute

strength and stability

Negative Impact: Deceleration (Braking) during init ial contact

• During initial contact, the runner’s hip, knee and ankle flex. • Excessive and overly long prolonged braking forces (due to over striding) can have a negative

impact of running economy

RUN Forward movement (propulsion) with minimal ‘bounce’ (vertical oscillation) will improve running economy. This may be achieved by:

• Increased cadence to reduce ground contact time • Reduced ground contact time through improved

landing technique • Shorten stride (ONLY if over striding – or taking too

large a step) • Lean 3-5 degrees (for maximum horizontal

propulsion)


CADENCE • Cadence is the rate leg turnover occurs, or how many strides are taken in a minute. • A quick cadence can be more economical because it tends to minimize ground contact time • Beginner runners tend to have a cadence of 80 (or 160 steps) and more experienced runner

has a cadence of around 90-95. • To improve cadence use drills and specific interval training

STRIDE LENGTH • Stride length varies amongst runners, based on anatomical characteristics and form • Over striding occurs when the stride is too long and the runners foot is too far out ahead of

the body at impact with the around

KEYS TO IMPROVING RUNNING: INTERVAL TRAINING • Key to running economy improvements • Key to pace development and understanding • Key to cadence improvements • Key to physiological improvements • 2-3 interval training sessions a week in run discipline (depending on athletes ability and

training phase) • Key to improvements in run discipline!!

STRETCHING Dynamic stretching and drills should be performed prior to training. Below are some suggested static stretches which should be performed after a training session. Often, as triathlon training requires a lot of time training, a 30minute period can be allocated to stretching at the end of each day, rather than every workout. It is sometimes recommended on lower volume training days you add a stretch workout (typically Mondays and Fridays suit this).

PRE WORKOUT: DYNAMIC STRETCHING Dynamic stretching should be performed prior to every workout. A dynamic stretch generally follows a movement pattern the athlete is about to train. Dynamic stretches also involve technique drills, fine skill refinement and plyometrics. Examples of dynamic stretches include – SWIM – are swings, swim drills RUN – high knees, leg swings, bounding, box jumps BIKE – squats, leg swings POST WORKOUT: STATIC STRETCHING Static stretches should typically be held for 20seconds, you should never bounce a stretch and never stretch through pain (stretching through discomfort is fine, but sharp pain must always be avoided). A very common stretching mistake I see almost daily is stretching the calf and/or Achilles off a step. I do not recommend this stretch, and I believe it leads to a lot of lower leg injuries. Calf and Achilles stretches should be performed on a stable surface.



NOTES

Documents

Triathlon Clinic Outline & Additional Notes€¦ · Triathlon swim training techniques Introduction to swim interval training MUTLI SPORT TRAINING Transition tips Recovery Techniques