March Newsletter from Wes Hobson

For more details, again go to weshobsonperformance.com/camps

Two new products: COMPEX SPORT & TRI ALL 3 SPORTS bike cases:

I had a calf strain Christmas week of 2003. It occurred because of stupidity on my part. I bought a pair of running shoes while at my parent's hometown in Kansas City. My orthotics didn't fit well in the shoes so I took them out and then I did a long run of 1:30 on the pavement. That night, while in bed, I pointed my toes and my calf went tight. I was planning on doing the Las Vegas Marathon January 25. My calf wasn't getting better as I was only able to run twice a week, in pain.

Finally, I went to 5 X World Triathlon Champion, Simon Lessing's for dinner and he had me use the Compex Sport unit. I used the unit four times the ten days before the race. I ended up doing the half marathon as I had lost a lot of running endurance. I had a great race for the amount of training and my calf strain was a non- factor. I truly believe the Compex Sport unit helped. The day I got home from Las Vegas, I called Compex to sell the product. The Compex Sport isn't just for Recovery, but it also has four other programs including Endurance and Strength.

Already, five of my athletes are using the Compex Sport and they are seeing quantitative gains. Using this in a Physical Therapist/Doctor setting would cost you or your insurance $75-$100 each visit. Why not use this as many times as you want while in the comfort of your own home. It is not just for use when you are injured, but it helps muscle recovery after strenuous workouts. Great while watching television or reading a book. Since the Compex Sport is in such high demand, I can't sell the product below retail, but I am offering all three of my films free in either DVD or VHS ($80) as well as free shipping ($15). Retail Price $899.

I competed in over 220 triathlons throughout my 17 year career and I raced in over 25 countries. The first two years of my career, I used a soft case bike. During a trip to Brazil, my bike got damaged during flight. In 1994, I changed to the hard case TRI ALL 3 SPORTS bike cases and I never changed.

This is the 15th year of the company. They have a wide range from a dual bike case to a UPS shippable bike case. Even if I get beat up flying, I know my bike will make it to a race or a WHP Camp undamaged. With your purchase of a TRI ALL 3 SPORTS bike case, you will receive a coupon for free bike travel one way of a round trip reservation when the reservation is made through Sports Express. The value of this coupon can be as much as $100.00. This promotion will last until Jan. 31st, 2005."

TRACK WORKOUTS ~ HOW HARD?

During the build phase of training and throughout the race season, going to the running track at least once a week is an excellent means to check your pace, better associate your heart rate with pace and to train with others of greater or lesser ability than you.

During Wes' high school X-country and track, the objective of the runner during track sessions was to go all out and "kill" themselves. Wes carried this mentality into triathlon for years. Eventually, he got to the point where he dreaded going to the track. Wes' philosophy changed in the mid-90s as he trained with other top pros such as Scott Molina and Mark Allen. Their mentality was not to go all out, but to create the endurance and speed needed for triathlon. A rule of thumb Wes followed was at the end of the track session, you should feel like you could do at least one more interval at that pace. This thinking allowed Wes to have a quicker recovery for future workouts and enjoy the track sessions more.

It is rare that we run "all-out" in a triathlon for an extended period. With the exception of Sprint triathlon races for the truly fit and at the pro level, draft legal races, where the bike pace may be even slower than an individual doing a 40 kilometer bike; you need to pace yourself throughout the contest. Even after pacing yourself through the swim and the bike, you will not be completely fresh for the run segment.

The goal of the track workout is to help you achieve a run split that is as close as possible to doing a run that distance on its own. To help determine what intensity you should execute at the track, you need to have a basis for determining your intensity.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

FEATURED COACH OF THE MONTH…..ANDY JOHNSON

Andy's coaching philosophy stems from his belief that "less is more." While racing as an elite triathlete, Andy had much success training 12 to 14 hours per week. Andy provides valuable insight into the integration of athletic pursuit and life commitments, such as job and family. Andy takes into account individual lifestyle, an athlete's ability and attitude to achieve a holistic training plan that is fun, diverse and progressive so you get the most value from your training. Start up fee $100 and $200 per month. E-mail Wes@weshobsonperformance.com for coaching inquiries.

QUICK QUESTION - TRAINING WITH POWER:

I have two questions for Adam Zucco (a WHP partner) pertaining to his article on "Power Training" for the bike. One thing he does not discuss in the article is heart rate when you are doing the "CP6" or "CP30" tests. (Editor's note: CP stands for Critical Power. For example, CP6 is how many average watts and athlete can sustain for six minutes.)

1) When calculating your CP6 or CP30 should you attempt to stay below your lactate threshold (LT)?
2) When calculating your CP6 or CP30 should you attempt to keep your power output constant throughout the timed test?

When I train athletes with power, I let the actual wattage be the main indicator for the workout. For example, since CP30 is most likely the same effort you would do to establish your LT heart rate, you could do a set such as 3 X 12 minute intervals @ CP30. You maintain effort for the complete 12 minutes, or until your HR exceeds LT+3 beats, at which point the interval is over. Recovery would be 25% of workload. If I am doing intervals based on wattage, I am more concerned with the watts. Your LT can fluctuate daily, your wattage will vary less. I think watts and HR are mutually exclusive when testing. If I am doing Ironman or half Ironman race and I choose to use a HR monitor, I simply use it to put a ceiling on my effort. I do not dictate my race based solely on HR.

To answer your second question, it is important to not have HUGE fluctuations in your test. For example, if you start out at 450 watts and by the end of the test you are doing 185 watts, it is most likely a bad test. You want to try to be as consistent as possible. http://weshobsonperformance.com/coaching/adam.htm.

A big thank you to the Steamboat Triathlon Club for inviting me to talk their club. It is great to see a tri club in a "ski" town.

About Wes:

Wes Hobson has competed in over 220 triathlons, from sprint- to Ironman-distance. He garnered 35 first places, 60 top-three finishes and 96 top-five finishes during his 12-year professional career that also included being selected "Triathlete of the Year" by the USOC. Wes co-authored Swim, Bike, Run, and created three triathlon and cycling related films.

In 2004, Wes has had articles published in magazines Inside Triathlon, American Tri, Lifetime Experience, Muscle & Fitness, Colorado Triathlete and Triathlon & Multisport (#1 read in Australia). He also has articles seen on web sites Triathlete.com, Active.com, ColoradoTriathlete.com, InsideTriathlon.com, AmericanTri.com, Ultrafit.com and several other triathlon coaching sites. Wes coaches multisport athletes, single-sport athletes and puts on the Wes Hobson Performance Triathlon Camps. To purchase any of his films or book, visit www.weshobsonperformance.com.

Contact: Wes Hobson