* Three WHP Camps in June - ONE MONTH AWAY!:
 |
The goals of the camps are not to excessively train, anyone can do that at home. We want you to learn and be more confident with your training and racing as well as improve your technique.
June 3-6 Newbie Camp - limited to 20
June 10-13 Experienced Camp - limited to 20
June 20-26 Ironman Camp - limited to 8
For more details such as staff, schedule of events, cost and previous camper responses, go to: www.weshobsonperformance.com/camps
|
* Triathletes - We Are Type A Personalities
I race announced the Spring Chill Triathlon two weekends ago in Loveland, Colorado. The Spring Chill holds true to its namesake as it is the first outdoor triathlon of the season in the Front Range of Colorado. On the Thursday and Friday before the race, it SNOWED a few inches in the area. The clouds broke and the sun was shining on Sunday as 70 degree temperatures graced the 400 triathletes who prepared for the Olympic and Sprint distance events. What is so unordinary about the race is that the water temperature in Boyd Lake was 53 degrees!!! For 98.6% (you get the pun?) of the population, individuals wouldn't even think twice of putting their toes in this cold of water. In addition, the race entry form states the average water temperature at Boyd Lake during this time of year is 57 degrees, yet 400 individuals signed up. So what does this make us? Sadistic, determined and itching to race no matter what the circumstances come to mind.
I have done Escape From Alcatraz six times and the water temperatures for those races were between 52 and 60 degrees. 1500 people, willingly sign up for Alcatraz in less than an hour and half from when registration opens on midnight of December 31 and PAY over $150 for entry. The coldest swim I ever did in a triathlon was an Olympic distance event in Grenoble, France where the water temperature was 47 degrees. When the gun sounded, 52 pros rushed into the water and I was ready to quit immediately. I was getting thrashed by others and my head was searing with pins of numbing cold going straight to the core of my brain and cryogenically freezing my brain cells. This was day four of four triathlons in four days and I was ready to give up my overall standing immediately. I did persevere and it is, as you can tell, a race I will never forget.
The day before the Spring Chill, I mentioned to the race director that I bet 10% of the registrants won't show up race morning and another 15% will not race once they feel the water. I gave a little pep talk to the triathletes at the morning pre-race briefing saying the first three to four minutes of the swim, they will feel like getting out and then their face, hands and feet will be so numb, they will be fine. A few minutes later, I proceeded to walk a hundred yards to the swim start and I see people in the water warming up!
After the waves went off, I noticed no one on the beach who had backed out. Of the 400 participants, only two were pulled from the water. One lost an eye contact and the other do to the cold. He was taken to the hospital for observation as his body temperature was 94 degrees.
Once again, I am amazed at the abilities of the amateur triathlete. They aren't pros trying to make a living through the sport, but rather those competing for enjoyment and self satisfaction. The Olympic swim segment was even two loops. These warriors came out of the water, went around the cone and threw themselves back into the icy water.
Enough said, my admiration grows even greater for those of you who work full time, raise a family and successfully complete and compete in triathlons! My hat goes off to you.
* Congrats To WHP Athletes
Several WHP Athletes competed two weekends ago, including:
* Developing Force On The Bike
While you are designing your triathlon training plan, consider this mantra; maintain your strengths while working on your weaknesses. This may sound simple, but it is rarely carried out since most people train in the discipline they enjoy most, not the discipline they need to work on most. If they like to swim, then they swim more, neglecting the area they should be concentrating on most to improve their triathlon time for next season, their weakness. For this article, we will concentrate on how to improve your bike performance.
Being more specific, I want to provide you with ideas for developing one of the two major shortcomings triathletes have with the bike, developing force. After endurance, the most fundamental fitness component for the cyclist to develop is force, or the ability to produce a forceful muscle contraction. Being specific to force, I use the motto "hills make you strong for the flats, but flats don't make you strong for the hills." Force training on the bike is even more important if you are not lifting weights throughout your base and build phases.
Force is the ability to overcome resistance such as a rider applying power on the pedals. If you develop force on the bike, you will not only be a faster rider, but you will also be able to ride longer and push bigger gears. Improving your force will make you a more powerful rider; thus a faster rider, provided you do not lose leg speed. For example, if you pedal at a cadence of 90 rpm with a 53x17 gear, then you improve your force to be able to push a 53x16 with the same cadence, your speed will jump from 35.6 km/h to 37.8 km/h. That can be a lot of places improved in an international distance triathlon!
The idea behind force training is not to improve the force a fiber can generate, but to recruit more fibers when pedaling. In order to achieve this, body-builders lift heavy weights very slowly to induce a near maximum contraction for a relatively long time. For triathletes, the same principle is applied, but it relates to the specificity of cycling. The best way to generate a near maximum contraction for a long period is to push very big gears at a slow cadence. While staying seated in the saddle when climbing, you will be able to develop even more muscular contraction.
As you start training again after a rest period, depending on the length of your rest period, you want to allow several weeks to build your endurance. During this time, athletes should do rides in their small change ring only to get their muscles and tendons used to the cycling motion. After this time period, you should begin introducing force sessions. At some combination of force and low cadence such as a cadence between 55-60 rpm, the bike transforms from a mode of transportation to a most effective strength training tool for the cyclist. Sport specific strength work such as force sessions on the bike is most advantageous for the constrained cyclist who doesn't have time for weight lifting sessions. Some of my favorite sessions to give triathletes are:
Big Gear / Low Heart Rate: Do 3-4 X 5:00 in big gear while maintaining a heart rate in zone 2 (of 5). Sit during the intervals as that best develops the fibers. As with your training, progress the intervals up to 6 X 5:00 depending on your fitness level and the amount of these sessions you have done previously. The objective is to tax the muscle fibers, not the heart; thus keeping the heart rate relatively low. This session is also a good indicator to see how disciplined you are when cycling with a group. Don't feel like you have to keep up with others, do your planned session now so that you will beat the others come race day! As you get into the build phase of training, this session will progress to taxing both the muscles fibers and heart rate such as: 4-5 X 6:00 in a biggest gear possible with a cadence of 75-80 reps per minute (rpm) on a flat to rolling course. Do each interval to exhaustion with five minutes easy spinning recovery.
The 3, 3, 3: Warm up 20:00. On a climb (preferably long), do a continuous 3:00 stand in big gear, 3:00 sit big gear, 3:00 easy spin in small gear. Don't let your heart rate get above zone 3 at any time. Do this up to 6 times through for a total of 54:00, depending on length of the ride. Keep your cadence at 65-70 rpm with the exception of the easy spinning segment. Again, build to 6 times through. Also, as the season progresses, the intensity will increase.
Rep It: Warm-up 10:00. There are no prescribed zones as the heart rate is not important. In your big chain ring and a gear giving you a cadence of 50-60 rpm, every 3:00 do 15-20 revolutions of MAX EFFORT. Complete 6-10. Cool down 5-10:00. This can be done with other force workouts depending on the length of the ride.
Force Build: Warm-up 10:00. Maintain 70 rpm throughout as you do 8-12 X :30/at a rate of perceived effort (rpe) of 15 out of 20, then for :30 shift to a bigger gear at an rpe of 17 with a recovery of 1:30. During recovery of all of these sessions, try to maintain a cadence of 100 rpm or more to stimulate your fast twitch fibers.
Indoor Force: Hills: Raise the front wheel of the floor 4-6 inches. Warm up 10:00, then in zone 4-5 effort with an rpe of 16-19, do 6:00, 5:00 and 4:00 while attacking the last :30 with an all-out effort. Recovery is half of the interval time. Raising the front wheel helps simulate your position while climbing a hill. Again, the intensity progresses as you become more fit.
Unless you are the equivalent of a pro caliber cyclist/triathlete and you don't have training hills in your area, most likely you will be able to do these sessions on flats at the prescribed cadence. If you can't create enough resistance to generate a high load on the muscles to achieve the big gear cadence prescribed, then either obtain a bigger front chain ring such as a 54 tooth or a smaller rear cog such as an 11. You can also do these sessions into the wind. This will remind you that the wind is your friend!!!
Do not attempt any of these sessions if you have knee problems. When doing these sets, focus on maintaining proper form, avoiding excessive upper body movement. Concentrate on efficient pedal stroke technique from what you learn with your isolated leg and dominant leg training drills (another topic). Don't fall into the realm of mashing the big gears. Developing force will make you a more powerful rider, and therefore a faster rider. It will also make you more economical on the bike, as at a given intensity, you will need a lower percentage of your maximal strength. Eventually, because the bike leg of the triathlon will be easier, you will have more energy when running off the bike, and indirectly, your improved bike strength will also be beneficial to your run.
* Real Estate Division Of WHP
 |
Wes Hobson Performance has diversified into Real Estate. If you are interested in buying a home or selling a house in the Boulder County area, please contact Wes. Wes considers living in Boulder like taking a vacation. Let him show you why as well as help you find the right location for your needs. |
* Come Join Us At The Track
For those of you in the Boulder area, come join Wes and some of the WHP athletes for a complimentary track session, Tuesday, May 11 at Boulder High School track at 7 AM. The session starts at 7 so be warmed up before then. Sessions are not always at the track as sometimes Tuesdays are hill workout days.
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
