Be the best performer you can be by Coach Tommaso @br_triathlon_coach_tc

We stopped, we cried, we trained indoor and we cried again! Racing season is here and a recurrent question I get from athletes is “can I do a sub 5 half distance?”, “can I do a sub 10 full distance?”.

Let me answer to this at the end of this blogpost.

When we train most of the time we should receive a briefing with the objectives of our workout, prescribed zones, pace, cadence, nutrition, recovery etc. etc..

A workout is normally a function of commensurable physiological metrics like Power, Heart Rate, Pace. We can then explicate Training Performance into a math function:

Training Performance =  ƒ (PWR, HR, Pace)  

Which gives us a positive number and (generically) a stress scores of that workout. Adding the values of all the workouts we build to a collective level of fitness.

Is that it?

When I think about Training, and so, a more limited in time effort, I tend to agree with what I just mentioned. But when I start looking at the Race Performance equation, it is there that I find a more complex scenario.

What does really affect my Race Performance?

99% of athletes start a race following diligently their Coaches’ instructions. “Stick to the plan!” they say.

But then, is it hotter or colder than your training day? Did you sleep well the night before? Did you eat well the night before? Are you properly hydrated? Did you follow the fuelling strategy?

And suddenly the Race equation becomes a mix of a mathematical expression and words which express incommensurable concepts.

Race Performance

=

ƒ (PWR, HR, Pace)

-

ƒ(adverse weather, bad sleep, poor nutrition, poor hydration, poor fuelling discipline)

Notice the minus sign to signify that those variables have a negative impact on athlete’s performance and only in hindsight is possible to measure how much they impacted.

So how do we race?

First “Stick to the plan” Yes! Always valid! Dealing with things that you can control reduces so many variables and, because with your neuro muscular training you have prepared so well, sticking to the plan allow you to rehost what your body has learned.

Second “Adapt!”.

If it is a hot day, it would not make any sense to keep sweating without cooling yourself. Part of your strategy and race understanding will be to use cold sponges to cool down your core.

If you didn’t sleep that much that night before, lower a “tick” your intensity.

If you are not confident in your hydration level, start your fuelling a little more consistently.

If you skip one aid stop, don’t skip the second.

Never give up, because half and full distance triathlons present various scenarios throughout the race itself. It happened to me in Roth 2017 that out of the water it was hot, but on the mountains it was windy, cold, rainy while on the run it was hot again (but not too hot, because having trained in Dubai summer I elected not to use cold sponges, but just water in the hat and that was a winning decision).  

In conclusion PREPARATION and ADAPTATION are characteristics of your racing style. They don’t come by talent, but it takes time to hack the mechanics of racing, creating an individual style. Which brings me to the initial questions, “can I do a sub 5 half distance?”, “can I do a sub 10 full distance?”.

The answer is yes, but as a coach I cannot guarantee a number. 

What I can guarantee is that if you have followed honestly your training plan you will be ready to achieve the best performance that your body will allow that day, which will be the consequence of that complex equation that we talked about.

1% better every day

Don’t skip fuelling stops! by Coach Tommaso @br_triathlon_coach_tc

You have heard it many times “Nutrition is the 4th discipline in Triathlon”, but regularly I have athletes telling me about their workouts or competitions...“I started strong and then I faded, I skipped a couple of fuelling stops... maybe that was the cause (?!?)”.

Apart from calories and energy calculation, first, I’d like to clarify my interpretation of the whole 4th discipline terminology.

Nutrition

It is a comprehensive term which I apply not only to the sport activities, but also to people lifestyle.

It includes meals and snacks, fuelling, hydration.

Meals and snacks

They are the timely pauses from your daily activities where human beings ingest the main amount of nutrients. 

Fuelling

It’s that part of nutrition, which is specific prior, during and after the activity (either workout or competition). It’s generally the ingestion of solid food even though the line between liquid and solid is nowadays very thin due to the type of products which are sold to athletes for the purpose.

Hydration

It’s that part of nutrition which considers the fluids and electrolytes needed prior, during and after the activity.

As mentioned, it’s nowadays difficult to distinguish what you eat and what you drink while you exercise, because fuelling products come into gel and a large number of calories and sodium can be loaded into fluids. For this reason, allow me to use the term “fuelling” for both solid and hydration products. I would also be curious to know if athletes look into what’s in the gels.

I’m not talking about specific brands, but what is on the label of nutrients (sometimes it is really blurry).

Let’s get back to our topic…

Don’t skip fuelling stops!

Why do fuelling stops matter?

We can agree or not on low carb, high carb, philosophies, but what is most important is the individuality of nutrition, hence fuelling.

Individuals get to triathlon from different paths that it doesn’t make sense, as a coach, to put all your athletes under the same umbrella of “1 gel per hour, 1 bottle of electrolytes per hour, 500 mg of sodium”. It does not work.

What works as a coach (and the athlete can follow for knowledge this process) is following three steps in planning and three steps in execution.

Planning

1. Execute a sweat test which will give the athlete an idea on the amounts of fluids, calories and sodium required to sustain intense and long workouts.
2. Take into account the athlete’s diet and lifestyle (vegan, paleo, omnivore, hi carb, low carb etc…).
3. Make a fuelling strategy.

Execution

1. Tailor fuelling strategy to specific workout or race (day temperature, humidity, distance)
2. Set up the alerts on your watch. Most of the multi-sport watches allow to set up alerts which remind you when and what you are required to ingest to fuel your workout or competitions.
3. Train like you race... fuel your workouts like you would fuel your race

Through the training cycles, athletes will test, assess and go back to Step 1 of planning if required.

Note: It’s very important during the planning to consider, not only the quantity and quality, but also the timing. Proper time space between the ingestion of our “fuel” is crucial to balance the intake and to avoid gastrointestinal issues.

Why do athletes skip their fuelling stops? Or better, was there a specific reason why athletes decided to skip their fuelling stops?

Unless something goes wrong and beyond our control (gastro issues, sudden weather change) there are no reasons why we shouldn’t pick up our bottle or stop for few extra moments at the aid station to collect what our body requires. Sticking to our fuelling strategy means effectively reducing the variables and making sure that we are in control.

So the answer to the previous question is “99% of the times, stick to the plan!”.

Remember though, that human beings are so creative and making a bullet proof strategy is based on knowledge and also a little bit of your coach’s magic!

1% better everyday

Disclaimer: I am not specifically trained in nutrition so what you read here is a general guidance, fruit of my experience in training and in racing, both as an athlete and a coach. For a full advice and meal plans it’s always best to look for a nutritionist.

David and Goliath by Coach Mohammed @mhmdhhafiz

You might wonder what does an old story like this have anything to do with sport. On the contrary this story has some important lessons to learn from. In sport there is always an underdog or some one less likely to succeed and someone who is most likely to win. I am going to explain what makes an underdog win and why on many occasions the most likely winner losses. We must first look into the story of David and Goliath to understand. There are many versions of this story but there is no dispute as to who won the fight.

My favourite version of the story is written by Malcom Gladwell, below are some extracts to explain the story:

“He was a giant, six foot nine at least, wearing a bronze helmet and full body armor. He carried a javelin, a spear, and a sword. An attendant preceded him, carrying a large shield. The giant faced the Israelites and shouted out: “Choose you a man and let him come down to me! If he prevail in battle against me and strike me down, we shall be slaves to you. But if I prevail and strike him down, you will be slaves to us and serve us.”

“In the Israelite camp, no one moved. Who could win against such a terrifying opponent? Then, a shepherd boy who had come down from Bethlehem to bring food to his brothers stepped forward and volunteered. Saul objected: “You cannot go against this Philistine to do battle with him, for you are a lad and he is a man of war from his youth.” But the shepherd was adamant. He had faced more ferocious opponents than this, he argued. “When the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the herd,” he told Saul, “I would go after him and strike him down and rescue it from his clutches.” Saul had no other options. He relented, and the shepherd boy ran down the hill toward the giant standing in the valley. “Come” to me, that I may give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field,” the giant cried out when he saw his opponent approach. Thus began one of history’s most famous battles. The giant’s name was Goliath. The shepherd boy’s name was David.

Then David appears. Saul tries to give him his own sword and armor so at least he’ll have a fighting chance. David refuses. “I cannot walk in these,” he says, “for I am unused to it.” Instead he reaches down and picks up five smooth stones, and puts them in his shoulder bag. Then he descends into the valley, carrying his shepherd’s staff. Goliath looks at the boy coming toward him and is insulted. He was expecting to do battle with a seasoned warrior. Instead he sees a shepherd—a boy from one of the lowliest of all professions—who seems to want to use his shepherd’s staff as a cudgel against Goliath’s sword. “Am I a dog,” Goliath says, gesturing at the staff, “that you should come to me with sticks?” What happens next is a matter of legend. David puts one of his stones into the leather pouch of a sling, and he fires at Goliath’s exposed forehead. Goliath falls, stunned. David runs toward him, seizes the giant’s sword, and cuts off his head. “The Philistines saw that their warrior was dead,” the biblical account reads, “and they fled.”

What can we learn from this story as triathletes? I believe that Goliath had too much pride in his ability. Goliath believed he can beat anyone in single combat. Just like many of us believe that we can do better than our fellow athletes. Goliath’s believe was muddled with pride. Pride is believing you have an innate ability that makes you better than others. On the other hand David had ability and confidence that came from true practice. He was an excellent sling shot. He practiced his craft. No one would dare to face Goliath! He did! When you practice your swim, bike and run you are building true confidence, you are perfecting your craft. Stay humble and don’t let your pride come in the way. You might have been a great runner in the past but that does not automatically make you always a great runner.  

Another important lesson to learn from this battle... No matter who you are, maybe you are overweight or have a disability, you will have a chance to overcome your fear. Actually, athletes who are unlikely to do well, generally surprise us the most, because everyone thinks they are unable to finish races or to even compete and have more of a reason to prove every one wrong. Just like the shepherd who came from nothing was able to beat the almighty Goliath. Don’t underestimate your capabilities.    

Final lesson, be courageous with any sport you might be involved in. Have your heart in it, be committed. Even if your slow, even if you are not the best swimmer or the strongest cyclist. Have the courage to accept who you are and work on your weaknesses. David stood up to Goliath only because he had the courage and commitment in his ability as a sling shot. After all he was only a shepherd. Courage came to him through difficult times. You will no doubt face difficulties. You will loose, you might even quit a race but that's when you need to look for your courage to carry you through.  

References:

"David and Goliath" by Malcom Gladwell

  

Return to SWIM! By Coach Melina @tk_melina

This week saw the news that a lot of us have been excitedly waiting for: Swimming pools are back open again! Amazing what you miss! As we all wait for final instructions on how the new swimming protocols will be implemented, this is a good chance to consider a few things before we make that eagerly anticipated jump back in the water. The majority of us have spent the last three months in some sort of lockdown, with certain restrictions to our movements and access to facilities. Pools and beaches were amongst the first to close and they are of the last to reopen. In terms of swimming, the only alternative we have had (apart from the lucky few with their own pools at home) was to implement dry-land swim programs using swim stretch cords, and strength equipment that we have at home. A typical expectation will be that once we jump back in the water that we’ll swim a few hundred meters (or our usual warm up routine) and that will be just about enough to shake off the three-month break and we’re good to go. Unfortunately the reality will be somewhat different. 

• Take it one day a time. Even though you have made a concerted effort to maintain your fitness, it’s hard to escape the fact that this has not been entirely swim specific. Its very hard to replicate the feel of the water on dry land. So be prepared: getting your pre-covid swim fitness could be slow going and frustrating. Try to avoid comparing your current swim fitness levels to what they were back in March. This will only add to that frustration so take each day as it comes. And I know this is a much harder ask in practice. Your coaches are in the same situation. Commit to the process of building back up again. Be realistic with what you can. Its been three months. That’s a long time to be out of the water. Your endurance and your pace in the water just won’t be the same. And that’s ok. And you’re not the only one facing this right now. So, its ok. 

• Focus primarily on volume and time in the pool rather than reintroducing any intensity. Not the easiest thing to do in practice, ultimately, we all just want to swim fast! However, your initial aim during the transition period back in the water, is all about good technique before intensity. 

• During this phase there will be days were your frustration will get the better of you. It will all of us. But there is one positive of this lockdown. Three months off swimming can mean that for all intents and purposes we are starting back with a relatively clean slate in terms of habits. So now is a chance to build a good foundation for when you reintroduce intensity. 

• Above all these next few weeks, be patient. It’s been a long break and we’re still not back to normal service yet either, so were not quite there physically nor mentally. There will be days when you’ll wonder how on earth you held the pace you did before lockdown. The pace of improvement will seem painstakingly slow and this could impact your confidence. But it WILL Come back. 1% better every day. That’s all we’re working towards. And with each session, you will be one step closer to your pre-lockdown swim fitness level. So, don’t be too hard on yourself as you come back.  

Structuring your first few weeks

The key to any swim re-entry program is to keep it gradual with a steady progression. Increasing the volume and or intensity too quickly could lead to overloading and ultimately injury. We are trying to reacquaint ourselves with the water, so focus is on technique and (re)building good habits as well as endurance. As fitness returns then depending on how many swims you can get in every week, you can increase duration and distance of swim sets on a weekly basis, or every 3-4 sessions.

• Emphasis on technique

• Low Load

• Low Intensity

• Focus on optimal swim position (use of swim toys is ok)

o Pull buoys can help with good body position

o Snorkel eliminates breathing, and allows athletes to focus on alignment

o Paddles can help with high elbow catch and slowing down the cadence

o Drill work can enhance stroke connection (between arm cadence and leg kick)

• Any speed work is recommended to be of short distance (this is great to jog our muscle memory on what fast swimming feels like, but don’t go long too soon, 25m to begin with is enough)

• Speed work intervals can progress to longer distances (e.g., 100-150m) only if embedded with drill work and low intensity endurance work.

• Emphasis on good form over higher intensity work.

After a few weeks of a careful reintroduction to swimming (this could 2-3 weeks depending on your frequency of swim sessions), you can start to reintroduce sessions with a pre-covid structure to them. However, maintain a comparatively low load. Use swim toys, keep the drill work volume high and progressively increase the intensity and distance of your speed intervals however only to a point where you can maintain your form. If your form starts to break down after 100-150m then a 200m fast interval for now is not included. Its better to swim a distance fast and on good form, than extend the interval distance but risk doing so with poor form which could ultimately encourage bad habits and possibly lead to injuries too.

Above all, enjoy being back in the water. Take it easy to begin and be patient as you refamiliarize yourself with swimming. 

The hidden element of your training: Rest and Recovery! @tk_melina

When we plan our weekly training, we tend to do so with particular focus on the key sessions! By that we mean, the really tough ones; where we’ll smash ourselves! We consider the logistics, what work looks like on a given day, do we have the time to fit it in, which day is best. We consider nutrition for that day and that session. Come on, hands up, and answer honestly…how many of us apply that same considered approach to our recovery? More often than not, this is the aspect of our plan that is compromised or even skipped altogether and ironically it’s because we don’t have the time! But here’s the thing: improving, getting better, becoming faster and stronger is about being able to consistently put our bodies under strain and stress (i.e. training). To maintain that consistency, we have to be able to recover. All the training adaptations and the subsequent gains happen during recovery, not during the training itself. To maintain consistency in our training we have to recover. Compromised recovery means compromised training. And that in turn means compromised performance. It’s that simple!

Before we look into the optimal ways that we can recover, here are a few reasons why we should. What is the purpose of recovery?

• As already mentioned, it allows for all the training adaptations to take place. Everything you are trying to achieve by training hard, actually happens during recovery, when your body has a chance to restore itself.
• As already highlighted, recovery is fundamental to maintaining consistency!
• When we train, we are damaging our muscles, so recovery allows our body the time to repair our muscles so they can continue to work hard
• When we train, and train hard, our immune system becomes suppressed. Which is why sometimes athletes appear to be more prone to illnesses. A recovery period allows our immune system to rejuvenate.
• During recovery we also have a chance to fully replenish our system nutritionally and balance out any short-term caloric deficits or electrolyte imbalances.
• And last but by no means least, recovery also allows athletes to mentally and emotionally recharge themselves.

When we talk about recovery, this does not mean a chance to slack off! It’s not about complete rest. Recovery is in itself a critical part of any training plan and taking an equally focused approach to your recovery as is done with training, will only enhance your training adaptations and your performance gains. Because ultimately, (and I know I’m repeating myself here) maximising and optimising your recovery extends your ability to train harder and longer! So, it’s not a chance to slack off! (I can hear the collective sigh of relief from all you goal oriented triathletes!) So, what is it then? Well, just like training, its multifaceted. It’s not just one thing but a combination of things put together carefully. Some aspects are related to lifestyle whilst others are more sport specific.

Let’s start with Lifestyle.

·       First and foremost: SLEEP! No, it’s not the fancy compression boots! Sleep is the number one way your body recovers and there is no substitute for it. Adequate and quality sleep. Sadly, for the amateur triathlete who’s juggling work, family and sport, sleep can be the first thing to be compromised. There are just not enough hours in the day sometimes to fit 9hrs sleep in! Sustained poor quality and insufficient sleep however will always compromise your training and subsequently your performance. Research has shown that ideally, we need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night. From a purely sport specific consideration (let alone functioning for normal day to day life), repeatedly achieving 6 hours or less can affect your time to exhaustion for example by 30%! You will tire quicker! You are also increasing your risk of injury significantly, as stability muscles are the first to fail under poor sleep patterns! Can you really afford not to sleep?

·       Nutrition. This is a whole field in and of itself. So many times, we see athletes fret about the best nutrition strategy for race day, and rightly so, it’s a critical part of it. However, there is an unequivocal need for a solid approach to nutrition on a daily basis. Proper fuelling both in terms of quality and quantity (are you eating enough?) as well as ensuring adequate hydration is fundamental to your training performance, your recovery and your race performance.

Sport Specific Recovery: this refers to your training plan and how its designed. An individualised plan that is tailor-made to your needs if the first step. We are all different, we all respond differently to training stimuli therefore our individual needs must be taken into account.

• Weekly Recovery Sessions: Some athletes and coaches tend to prescribe rest days. Whilst this is often a great way for emotional recovery and for also enabling some enhanced work/life/family/sport balance, complete rest from activity isn’t optimal. Maintaining low intensity short sessions can in fact aid recovery thereby supporting the challenging sessions that are scheduled in the week.
• Recovery blocks: An alternative approach is scheduling recovery blocks within the overall plan. For example, after 3-4 weeks of sustained structured work (which still includes easy sessions too!!) it can help an athlete to have a few days of lighter load. When to do this can depend on the athlete and how they generally respond to the harder blocks of work. The aim of this however is the same. To keep the athlete healthy, thereby maintaining consistency. During this time, it can also be worth considering a running break to allow muscles and joints to recover from the extra load running represents. Both anecdotally and empirically, it’s been shown that running injuries are the most common so having a controlled break from it every now and again is far more beneficial (and pro-active) than a potential enforced and extended break (on doctors’ orders!) which could be at a critical point in the season.
• End of season break: In addition to the above at the end of the season and usually following an athlete’s A-Race an extended break is a good idea. This can be 2 weeks, it can be 4 weeks, it can be longer. They key thing here is a complete break from all structured training. The aim is just as much to promote physical recovery as it is to encourage emotional rejuvenation too. Use this as a chance to do what you enjoy but may not always have time. Take it day by day. A complete day off here isn’t an issue!

Additional Recovery tools:

• Ice / Heat: The use of these two has been well documented for years and across all sports. We won’t delve into this one too much but consider that ice for example whilst it reduces inflammation, it also reduces blood circulation, which promotes healing. So, finding the right balance and what works for you if as always the deciding factor.
• Stretching / Foam Rolling / Massage: Again, this is a field in its own right and physiotherapists are far more equipped to discuss its merits. A few key points to consider: muscles need to be warmed up to work properly, this also applies to joints. So, they need to be appropriately mobilised before being put through the full strain and load of a hard set for example. Pushing your muscles to stretch before they are warmed up or after they have effectively been damaged (during training) can lead to injuries. Proceed with caution. Listen to your body. Be quite mindful of this: learn to interpret the cues and signals your body is sending you. Foam rolling and sports massage are also great additional tools that help release tightness and facilitate recovery.
• Compression: We’ve all looked rather longingly at those fancy compression boots at the race expo! But do they work? Research supports their use for recovery and for post-travel too. However, whether compression clothing is of any benefit during exercise is very inconclusive.
• Heart-rate Variability (HRV) monitoring: Heart-rate variability (HRV) refers to the time gap between your heart beats, which varies within each breath cycle. Research has consistently evidenced that high HRV is linked to good health and good levels of fitness, whereas conversely, low HRV has been linked to stress, fatigue, overtraining and indeed poor health. Monitoring HRV on a daily basis is a good indicator of your body’s current state of recovery and training readiness. So, a significant drop in HRV could call for an adjustment to the plan to allow for better recovery. Keep in mind that a small drop is expected as training is a stressor so that’s ok. However, sustained low HRV is of concern as it can indicate poor recovery, early signs of overtraining and requires closer evaluation of the current loads and the athlete’s response to it.

Yes, I know. It’s hard enough trying to fit training in, and now there’s an additional element to consider that also requires time! And this is precisely why focusing on lifestyle aspects such as sleep, and nutrition are critical. Don’t compromise on either. Focus on both, the same way you focus on training. Carefully considered recovery, alongside a well structure training program, will bring about consistency. Always! Keep it simple!

References:
Training Peaks Glossary
LDT102: Dan Plews, Course Notes
Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus Statement (Dec 2017) International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance (Kellman, et al)

"Mindset" By Coach Mohammed H. Hafiz @mhmdhhafiz

I have always wondered how our mindset can help us as athlete and coaches to achieve our goals. In this blog I will be looking into our mindset and how it can help as individuals, athletes and professionals to improve our lives.

Some athletes believe that they are born with a talent! They are just good swimmers or fast runners. I believe that this is false! No doubt that sometimes genes give you an advantage but not a massive one.  A great source for debunking the “talent theory” is Mathew Sayed’s book “Bounce” which I highly recommend you read before thinking that the athlete swimming next to you in the pool is faster because he is talented. In addition, labelling athletes by the word talent robes them of their hard work. Which brings me back to our mindset.

“Believing that your qualities are carved in stone” (the fixed mindset) is limiting your development. Why should you work hard if talent is given to a few of us? Which automatically means no matter how hard I work, I will never be fast in the pool! Because that guy next to you in the pool is TALENTED. This is the fixed mindset.

On the other hand, you can have the growth mindset. “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” 

You can instead think that if you stick to your training you will see improvement. God knows I am the worst swimmer by far! But I stuck to it, I worked hard, and I saw the fruits of my labour. 

Not sure which mindset you have?

Read each statement and decide whether you mostly agree with it or disagree with it. 

1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t change very much.
2. You can learn new things, but you can’t really change how intelligent you are.
3. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.
4. You can always substantially change how intelligent you are. 

Statements 1 and 2 are the fixed mindset. Statements 3 and 4 reflect the growth mindset.

These are good examples to make you think of the kind of mindset you have when approaching a sport or your personal growth.
Applying a growth mindset to triathlon will give you an edge over others. 

I have personally met athletes who found breaking 6 minutes mile running pace was a real struggle and felt that it was out of their reach. With some training and perseverance, they were able to break the 6 minutes mile pace barrier. They believed in themselves and I believe it’s because of their growth mindset. 

Persistence, perseverance and a growth mindset are what triathlon is all about. 

References

Mathew Sayed “Bounce”

Carol Dweck "Mindset"

"Intensity Vs Volume" By Coach Melina @tk_melina

The interplay between Intensity and Volume within your training plans, is one of the key variables that enables athletes to improve on key fitness and performance markers.

Volume is the cumulative measurement of both the duration of each individual session, as well as the frequency of the sessions. For example, training for a total of 10hours a week, which is spread over 7 sessions. It is usually a hotly debated topic amongst athletes and sometimes can be a bit of a golden chalice with some, who ensure that their desired volume is achieved every time. We all know of at least one person (we may even be that person) that will complete a run in 57mins and yet will continue running small laps near their home just to round off the time to 60mins cause that’s what on the schedule (you’re smiling now aren’t you?!?

Intensity is usually measured in terms of percentages of certain physiological parameters, such as FTP, HR, VO2 max etc, and it is also more difficult to provide a cumulative weekly measurement of it. Each high intensity session is designed with a specific goal in mind (e.g., peak power, FTP etc) and structured accordingly. Intensity is an equally hotly debated topic amongst athletes. We all know of at least one athlete, and yes again, we may even be that athlete, that sets out on an EASY ride, and somehow ends up focusing on power numbers or racing others (even if they don’t know that you are racing them) and never really doing any sessions easy. Go Hard or Go home! No Pain, no gain! Whilst these are true to an extent, intensity is a wide spectrum, from easy to hard and there is a time and place for sessions along the entire continuum.

The debate on which of the two is more important has been going on for decades, with traditionally, favouring greater volume over intensity for endurance athletes. That said, as advancements have been made in sport and coaching science, the arguments for intensity as well, have also been forthcoming.  It’s very difficult to provide a definitive answer either way. The reality in fairness, lies in the careful and considered interaction of both these factors, that enables an athlete to work to their abilities, experience, background, goals, and indeed the time available to them to train.  

In the case of new and inexperienced athletes, who are at the beginning of their training journey, volume alone would in fact yield some benefits. Starting from a low volume base, any increase almost irrespective of intensity, would bring about some benefits almost. As athletes progress and become fitter and stronger, volume alone will not induce major training effects.

Before we continue to explore the concepts of volume and intensity within triathlon training, we have to consider how volume is experienced as strain and load on the body. Running for example has a far greater load on the body than cycling, as it is completely weight bearing, whereas cycling the athletes weight is supported by the bicycle. So 200kms of running will have a far greater load than the equivalent 200kms of cycling. So specificity is key. Different sports, same volume in hours or mileage means different things. A 200km running week for example, could easily lead to running injuries! And staying healthy and injury free is also a key consideration in our training. For that, even beyond volume and intensity, Consistency is of utmost importance. The training stimulus needs to be consistent to primarily maximise the training adaptations and see the improvements we seek; but its also to help avoid any injuries.

In further exploring volume and intensity we also need to consider their effect at a more basic cellular level, and in the case of endurance training, or training in general, we look towards our muscle cells. The powerhouse of these muscles, is the mitochondria. This is where energy is produced within our muscle cells. And understanding how these are stimulated and developed by volume and intensity of training is key.

·       Volume effect on mitochondria: Total training volume increases the amount of mitochondria that we have and therefore are available for energy production. So if we train more, we have more mitochondria!

·       Intensity effect on mitochondria: Training intensity works more at the individual mitochondria level, and enhances mitochondrial protein function. So intensity makes them more efficient.

So to improve and get stronger, and faster, we need to increase our number of mini-powerhouses and make our engine bigger (so we need volume), but we also need to make sure this engine is working properly and efficiently (so we need intensity).

Staying briefly at this molecular level, in order to maximise the training adaptations and make the most of our sessions, we also need to consider another factor, closely tied into consistency and that is frequency of our sessions. So how we space them out to get the most out of the work we put in. Looking at our muscle cells, exercise induced adaptations peak at about 2-4 hours after a session, and they stay raised up to about 6 hours after the session. After that, they begin to drop, and they return to normal pre-session levels after about 24hrs. To maximise the benefits, if we offered our muscles an additional stimulus around the 6-8 hour mark after a session, we would elicit adaptations from a higher starting point. For this reason, (and of course assuming your schedule allows) its better to train twice a day. Just as those adaptations begin to return to baseline figures in the afternoon, following a morning sessions, you add another training stimulus thereby maximising the benefits. This is also why, active recovery days are better than complete rest days because they maintain the training stimulus.

However, going back to intensity, the average recovery time varies greatly depending on intensity level. Lower intensity workouts, below the aerobic threshold, only really take on average 24hrs. Sessions at anaerobic threshold can take up to 48hrs to recover and higher intensity VO2 max type sessions can take more than 3 days. So it's not always go hard or go home! It's sometimes, go hard first, go home rest, go easy and then come back!!

So remember:

·       Get your frequency sorted first, before you focus on volume and intensity. 2x45mins sessions spaced 6-8 hours apart, may give a better effect than one single 90minutes session.

·       If you cant do a long set, but have time for half of it, or even less than that, still do it. Best to do shorter sessions more frequently, than longer ones infrequently.

·       Plan, plan and plan. Be proactive and not reactive with your training. Your coaches are here to help with that.

·       Don’t forget Recovery! There’s place for easy sessions too. Sleep well, eat well, so you don’t undo your hard work!

References

P.B. Laursen (2010)

“Training for Intense Exercise Performance: high intensity or high volume training? “

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports  Vol. 20. issue s2 

D. Plews (2020) Fundamentals of Long Distance Triathlon Training (course notes) 

Granata, C., et al (2018)

“Training-Induced Changes in Mitochondrial Content and Respiratory Function in Human Skeletal Muscle”

Sports Medicine Vol 48. issue 8

Seiler, S. (2010) 

“What Is Best Practice for Training Intensity and Duration Distribution in Endurance Athletes?”

International Journal of Sports Physiology Performance

"Stress" by BR Head Coach Joao @joaoarteche

Heart rate is one of the ‘vital signs,’ and one of the most important indicators of health in the human body. It is the measurement of how many times per minute the heart contracts, called as beats or BPM (beats per minute).

Few notes on the cardiovascular system.

The heart and blood vessels are the two elements of the cardiovascular system they work together in providing nutrients and oxygen to the organs of the body. The synchronized actions between our heart and the blood circulation are mainly triggered to react from an external factor, that most of the times is called: Stress.

At this point we will break a bit the science and build our concept of the word STRESS, from the called vulgar Latin, strictia meaning tight, compressed, and drawn together.

Our society has been using this word to describe many different situations that are challenging or put us under pressure or even could be harmful. Those situations are most of the time uncontrollable and not necessarily negative, our system is designed to handle certain amount of stress as a mechanism of adaptation.

The response of our body to different stimulus is actually a chain of reactions that activate the “FIGHT” mode.

Now imagine this 3 massive Lions coming for you… running full speed, hungry and instinctively they see you as a meal…

Let’s try to think what are the changes that are going to happen in our body to react, first we will have a very quick release of many hormones called “stress hormones”, such as Cortisol also our blood pressure will increase, our digestion system slows down, Immune System “shut down” and because our system adapt to deliver quick energy into the muscles and organs we start to convert glycogen to glucose, and at the same time our HEART RATE increase.

So now we have our system “Ready to Fight”.

We all have to agree, that there is nothing wrong to run away from a Lion, and we are very thankful that we don’t have to think about to produce those reactions, they natural and part of our survival package.

Did you realise that the situation on the example required a physical reaction from us; in this case RUN AWAY from those lions is probably the only solution. All those reactions from our body are a preparation to allow us to run or act as fast as possible, and physically be able to save our life.

What is the difference when the solution is not physical?

Let’s bring another example, imagine now that you had big problem with your work or family, or are going through a hard time…

How does our body read this information?

Here is something interesting, for our body there is no difference between the 3 lions or our work problem, the way our system will react is related to the intensity of the situation, but the reactions are 99% the same. Trying to solve a big problem at work can have the same impact in our body as running away from lion, because our Central Nervous System does not differentiate the situation, as both impact our system the same way.

Both situations are called Acute Stress, meaning those episodes that happen once in a while, we react, adapt and once they are gone our body comes back to the normal state. However, there are some situations that are constantly generating stress in our lives.

Chronic stress, or a constant stress experienced over a prolonged period of time is considered one of the biggest problems of our modern society. The “hunting” for better position, the need of money plus the natural life situations can easily cause chronic diseases generated by the constant “alert” state of our body.

Many people these days can’t differentiate if they are under stress or not.

What are the signs that we should look then?

Using those physical reactions that I mentioned earlier such us:

-       Cortisol release: Stress Hormone

-       Slow down digestion system

-       Immune System “shut down”

-       Conversion of energy into glucose (quick energy release)

-       Increase of blood pressure

-       Increase of Heart Rate

Each one of those reactions will generate a different consequence in our body, and over time because a more serious health problem. In general, a chronic stress could reflect:

-       Irritability, which can be extreme

-       Fatigue

-       Headaches

-       Difficulty concentrating, or an inability to do so

-       Rapid, disorganized thoughts

-       Difficulty sleeping

-       Digestive problems

-       A perceived loss of control

It is important to understand also, that chronic stress is a process that is built over years and has very deep impact in our body, and some situations are probably impossible to control so the idea of trying to “Not get stresses” it is also one of the mistakes that our society have. As we saw, our system is prepared to overcome the stress, to fight and adapt, there is nothing wrong in having a hard time to solve a problem, to have a difficult conversation or to confront someone, this is normal and part of our live we can’t and we should not run away from that.

Some stressful situations are the foundation of our life and will create memories to be used in the future. Living those experiences, exploring with open mind, searching for the “learning” from each new moment. Our body doesn’t know if something is really a stress unless we consciously categorized as a harmful situation this is also important to understand. A situation become a stressful episode when we consciously perceive that moment as a pressure or complication, that is why each person has completely different perception of how stressful the same situation can be.

What can we do?

Of course the solution is not to escape from the situations because we will not be able to avoid things to happen around us, so the moment that we understand and accept that something is really happening and there is no way that we can escape, avoid or stop, we transform this situation in a positive experience in terms of learning.

To position ourselves one step back, trying to analyze from “outside” what is really what us creating the stress, allow our system to create a new pattern to the same episode that once was a stress, generating an enormous amount of reactions, now is a situation of our life, that is new; it will demand a new skills; it will take us out of our comfort zone; it will made us stronger, it will make us better…

Hope you enjoyed!