I lost a few seconds putting gloves on, but they were essential given the low temperature and worth the time to don. I had been warned that the cycle was challenging in places and the hill out of Gala is certainly a wake up to legs not yet warmed up for the bike – it is the closest I have come to pushing the bike, but I dug in and made it up out of the town using the granny ring – hardly ever use the front easy ring on the bike but I did need it.

The rest of the cycle is undulating and seems to go on forever, but the scenery is stunning and I even had time to realise that I was really enjoying myself. The run was tougher than I thought as it was an off road route which was a bit of a surprise. It was also two laps of a 2.5km route which would have been beautiful if I was in any state to take any notice of it at all. My husband was cheering me on and at the halfway point was encouraging me. I just had time to point out that if I could feel my legs they would really be hurting!! In the end I did an ok time for me of 1:37:05. Also, I was 87th out of 91 competitors so not last, and I have room to improve.

The second event this year for me (I skipped Selkirk tri as I am not up to a standard distance yet) was the Tweedbank duathlon. This is my first ever competitive duathlon so I was not too sure how it would go. As everyone starts together I know it is important to keep to your own pace and not let the others push me too hard to start with. I also wanted to make sure I kept enough in the tank for the second run.

According to my Garmin, the run is really 4.55km not 5km, but they add the distance to the cycle to make the total distance to 30km. The first run was 24:03 – I knew it was an ok time, and then I set off on the bike, but something was immediately wrong – the rear tyre was totally flat even though I had pumped it up at home and double checked it at the start. I pumped up the tyre and hoped it would hold – which it did. I think the valve is faulty so new inner tube next week before Stirling.

 I had not done a run to bike very much before, only once in training, so was not completely familiar with the feeling. The route is not too bad, just one hill into Newton St Boswells, but the 5mile secton on the A68 (out and back) are not fun – far too much traffic even though most of it tries to give you room I did get badly cut up and honked at by a camper van halfway up the hill. Also, as I turned and went back down the hill I had just worked hard up, the wind was in my face so there was no easy ride back to the start! The cycle took me 52:37 officially, and I know I lost 2mins with the tyre so if that had been ok then my time was not terrible but I am sure I have a lot of room for improvement here.

The final run started with the familiar feeling of heavy legs, there seems to be no way to really ever get used to it, but after the first 1k the route dips down the hill and gives you chance to stretch out the legs a bit, and I got into an ok rhythm. The second run time of 24:54 was not too far off the first, I did pass two male runners so felt good about that and came 34th out of 39, so not last as I had thought I would be. I am enjoying the series, I am finding all of the other athletes really friendly, kind and helpful even though most of them are in a different league to me.

They seem genuinely pleased that I turn up and take part, and I am starting to recognise a few faces. Getting encouragement from those who are clearly way ahead of me is such a lift – to be cheered home by the winner as he puts his bike into his car is good even if it does emphasise that I am a long way back. For me, it is about personal achievement and completing a challenge. That is what I think is so great about triathlon – anyone can do it and get a lot out of it. Next event is Stirling, not part of the series, but this is the first ever tri I did last year so am keen to see how I am doing, and the following week is the next Border series event, the Peebles tri. Should be an interesting couple of weeks.

Denise

I’d stayed with my strategy of using a swim time I could achieve comfortably (14:48 to be precise) and, having performed better than 14 minutes two weeks previously at Tranent, I was doubly confident that I should be first or second out of my lane. There were seven heats in total (number seven being the fastest), with heats 1 and 2 being reserved for the novice event running alongside the sprint. For those of you that remember our former colleagues that went off to form GRC Tri I was surprised to see Robert Ovens taking part in the novice event; apparently he was too late for a place in the sprint.

As I had hoped I was second out of my lane in heat 4 ( swim time 13:47, ranked 70 overall), having sat comfortably on the lead swimmers feet for the last eight lengths, and fourth out of the pool and into transition.

Transition was a little slower than it should have been as I was using a new bike helmet and it didn’t want to clip on. Never use new/untried equipment in a race situation! So out of T1 in 57 seconds and onto the bike. Apart from the first 400m, which were on a cinder track, the bike course was a relatively tame, if undulating, two lap affair. Towards the end of lap one the excitement increased as my bottle cage detached itself and fell, along with my water bottle, into the cranks and nearly threw me off. I probably lost a minute pulling the debris clear but soon got on my way. My bike time was 39:07 (ranked 81st) and as such was my poorest leg. That “lost minute” would have delivered 60th position on the bike leg.

I’d done a fair amount of brick training prior to the start of the season so I was hoping to avoid “jelly legs” as I arrived back in T2. A faster transition (50 seconds) but still not fast enough! I pushed out on the run harder than I had two weeks ago at Tranent but the run was a three lap affair with a pretty tough hill out of the start so breathing was strained early on. I’d settled my pace on the second lap and about half way around the last lap I spotted another of our friends from GRC Tri, Colin Black. I really wanted to catch him if I could, I knew historically I should be able to but he was a long way ahead. I caught Colin with about 400m to go and crossed the line in 21:58 (ranked 57),

23 second faster than Tranent. I turned to see Colin come around the last bend and was ready to welcome him across the line. Sadly, he still had a lap to go!

I was pleased with my overall time of 1:16:41 (an improvement on

Tranent) but disappointed to finish 5th in my category. I felt that I’d lost 40 seconds in transition overall and a minute on the bike so a sub 1:14:00 overall time was well within my grasp, as was third place in my category!

There is always the next time! Midlothian Sprint, 2nd May 2010 and all to play for….

This was the first year for this race and will be on the calendar for next year. The run was out and back around Strathclyde Park quite tricky course with a few hills.

 Bike section was three times around the park again quite technical hilly at bits and fast at others. This race was organized by Shona from Glasgow tri club as you know she is a GB athlete and was a great success with many top triathletes and cyclists I would certainly recommend it.

 I was very anxious about doing this race as it was the first in five years but felt good as the race went on. My run was slower than I did before but I felt very strong on the bike having passed about ten athletes going onto the second run. I finished 10th overall in a time of 1hr 25 minutes 10 seconds 1st super vet.

At the same time I have been trying to learn to swim front crawl. My first attempts were interesting, to say the least. Having had the usual school tuition for training – get in the water and get to the other side of the pool without swallowing all of it – I didn’t really have much idea of what I was supposed to be doing. As a consequence I tended to avoid swimming crawl as it involved an awful lot of splashing, not much forward movement and an ever present danger of a lifeguard jumping in to rescue me!! In fact I was so bad that when a friend tried to teach me to swim her first suggestion was that I use a float and kick for a pool length. The result was that I went backwards, then couldn’t swim for laughing.

So, I obviously needed help. This came first from Andrea, a colleague and friend who as an open water swimmer who has swum the English Channel knows lots about swimming technique. She very patiently watched my efforts, gave me great advice and spent time helping me get a reasonable technique. Then I joined the TOD team, and one of the huge benefits has been regular training sessions in the pool. For the first session I almost turned up with a rubber ring and arm bands, but wasn’t sure that wouldn’t get me into more trouble than I was already in. When Brian asked me to swim a length of crawl it was the last thing I wanted to do as I knew my technique was still very iffy, but I knew it had to be done. He was very kind (well, he didn’t laugh) and from that first session has given me great advice and tips. In addition, he gave me a couple of tough swim sessions to do regularly. When I first saw them and realised the sessions were 80 and 100 lengths I nearly died. The warm up session of 30 lengths was about my total swim distance at the time, but swimming the longer distance regularly has really helped my swim fitness.

My main goal has been to swim the full sprint race distance front crawl without stopping. It has taken me some time to get my breathing together and relax enough in the pool to string a number of lengths together, but a couple of weeks back I managed two sets of 10 lengths in my local 20m pool. Then it all seemed to come together, I did twenty lengths in one go last week, then yesterday for the first time I completed forty lengths without stopping. That last length was amazing, it was a bit tricky to swim with a broad grin on my face and the guy in the Jacuzzi did wonder why the lone swimmer was whooping at the end of the length, but the feeling of finally getting the rhythm and having the strength to get the distance is amazing. At 800m this is slightly over the sprint race distance, and at over 23mins it is 4mins slower than my breaststroke time, but I know it will get quicker. I can now call myself a swimmer at last!!

 Denise

I’d spoken to Brian a couple of weeks ago to express my concern that I wasn’t “swim fit” owing to a variety of reasons one of them being overtraining, which I didnt realise until I had my yearly plan talk with Brian, so I had a couple of weeks focussing on swimming. In the end this paid off. I entered a swim time of 14:48 and managed to come in at 14:37, including T1, so probably nearer to 13:37 for the swim itself. That had felt impossible two weeks ago.

The bike course ran out through the housing scheme and into the countryside. It was a fairly tough first 10km; the first 5km climbing 160m and the first 10km all into a steady head wind. On the plus side the wind was mostly at my back during the second 10km. I completed the 20km in 39:28 and felt that I could have taken another two minutes off the time if I’d known the course better. Lesson learned; go and check out the route!

I managed a fast (for me!) T2 in 39 seconds but was suffering with signs of cramp during the first 1km of the run. This wasn’t helped by the fact that this section was up hill. The run was a two lap affair and I tried to pick up the pace during the second lap as my leg cramps dissipated. I pushed the pace up further in the last km and finished the run in 22:21. I’m still trying to break the 20 minute barrier on the run so this time was a disappointing.

I finished 45th overall in a time of 1:17:05. I secured third place in my age group, Super Vet., and left for home feeling that I still have scope to do better. My next event is the East Fife Sprint Triathlon and this takes place in less than three weeks so training continues!

Paul

Coaches and trainers will give you different answers, and scientific proof that one way is better than the other.  Some do not advocate strength training at all, so there is no easy answer to this as many ways have been tried and tested and all coaches have a preferred method of strength and conditioning.

Owing to the nature of triathlon predominantly slow muscle twitch fibres are used, with some training incorporating fast muscle twitch fibres. To be honest both should be used and are utilised in training and competing.

Bodyweight is very advantages to endurance athletes as it builds, strength, flexibility, mobility, endurance and allows the athlete to maintain an athletic look rather than a bulked up look.

Most athletes are told to follow more traditional methods of weight training where the body works as individual units to strengthen the muscles, much the same as a body builder or power lifter.

A lot of time is spent on clean and jerks, snatches, hang cleans, all great if you have time to perfect the technique, access to the proper equipment and really want to compete in weight or power lifting events.

Many of the programmes given to athletes are specific to one discipline with a little crossover in some areas if the coach understands the physiology and body requirements of the sport.

Having coached athletes both for general preparedness and sport specificity, one thing I have noticed is a lack of posterior strength in many triathletes, mainly owing to poor training programmes or lack of knowledge concerning the anatomy of the body and the requirements of the sport.

This is where I believe and have proved it to my athletes that kettlebell training will aid and compliment there existing training. Firstly lets look at the anatomical position in order to correct the PKC (posterior kinetic chain)

Anatomical Position

What is the anatomical position?

The anatomical position is a position used as a reference when describing parts of the body in relation to each other. Used in conjunction with terms of relationship, terms of comparison and terms of movement, the anatomical position allows a standard way of documenting where one part of the body is in relation to another, regardless of whether the body is standing, lying down, or in any other position.

When looking at an individual it is important to understand the basics of Optimal Posture/Alignment.

Basically a line or plumb line can be held against the side view of the individual and the poinths that should line up starting from the bottom are

1. Ankle–neutral, planter or dorsiflex position. LOG (Line of Gravity) slightly forward of the lateral malleolus of the ankle
2. Knee-full extension LOG falls anterior to the knee but just posterior of the patella
3. Hip and Pelvis- both in neutral the posterior superior Iliac spines should be below 10 degrees for male and 15 for female
4. Spine should curve naturally and be neutral The LOG falls slightly posterior of the cervical spine
5. Shoulders- Scapula retracted and depressed
6. Head- Ear LOG should fall through the centre of the ear.

The optimal posture/alignment may not be correct in most individuals; this is owing to genetics, activity, injury, inactivity. By ensuring we check and compare our alignments we can ensure what corrective work may be required to correct our alignment.

Now for the posterior kinetic chain which in basic form propels you forward! And is used in all three disciplines.

This is a collection of muscles that are responsible for lower back stability and hip extension.

These muscle groups are possibly the weakest in most humans in today’s society, resulting in poorer physiques owing to lower and upper back problems which develop owing to the fact most of the workforce today are in seated positions most of the day.

Muscles that make up the posterior chain include

• Erector spinae
• Gluteus maximus
• Hamstrings
• Bicep femoris
• Semitendonosis
• Semimembranosus

 To understand the PKC fully we need to also look Elastic Potential Energy (EPE)

Definition of EPE

Elastic Potential Energy called “EPE”
is a measure of the restoring force when an object changes its shape.

EPE is similar to GPE (Gravitational Potential Energy) except that the restoring force
depends on the substance of the material and not due to gravity.

The force which returns the spring to its original shape
is called the restoring force.
The size of the restoring force depends on the stiffness of the spring
and the amount it has been stretched.
The more stiff the spring and the further it has been stretched,
the more EPE it has gained.

Anything elastic will gain EPE when its shape is forced to change.
Other examples are.
1. A catapult pulled back to launch a stone.
2. A crossbow primed to fire an arrow. When the shape is restored,

EPE is transferred to Kinetic Energy (+ Heat)

In western society for many centuries we have been great abdicators of the squat, ensuring we never bypass our knee line with our buttocks, this is in part owing to our way of life, most item’s we have which we can sit on is at right angles to the ground, e.g chairs, toilets, car seats, benches.

We have lost the ability to use our hamstrings properly and engage them in sport or daily lives, hence the reason most sport or fitness related injuries are the hamstrings.

What do we mean by elastic potential, quick examples would be Olympic power lifters and the depth they go to for power squats and lifts, Asian communities where if you observe them at a local roadside café they are all hunkered down with there bottoms close to the ground feet flat leaning slightly forward.

As they get up as do power lifters they explode ensuring the hips, glutes, back, hamstrings and quads all fire nearly in unison so as to drive them up to a standing position.

Using the above example and a liking the hamstring to a spring; if we stretch a spring and then let go, it will return to its original shape (provided it has not been stretched beyond its elastic limit).

This is why we need to improve elasticity in the hamstrings to prevent injury and to release EPE within the muscle group.

Types of Contraction and Elastic Potential

Isometric

Isometric exercise or “isometrics” are a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called dynamic/isotonic movements). Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion. The joint and muscle are either worked against an immovable force (overcoming isometric) or are held in a static position while opposed by resistance (yielding isometric).

Concentric

Muscle fiber generates tension through the action of actin and myosin cross-bridge cycling. While under tension, the muscle may lengthen, shorten or remain the same. Though the term ‘contraction’ implies shortening, when referring to the muscular system it means muscle fibers generating tension with the help of motor neurons (the terms twitch tension, twitch force and fiber contraction are also used).

Eccentric

Muscle fiber generates tension through the action of actin and myosin cross-bridge cycling. While under tension, the muscle may lengthen, shorten or remain the same. …
The tensioning of a muscle as it is being lengthened
Contraction of a muscle, involving lengthening of the muscle as in lowering a weight to the ground; a muscle contraction, in which the contracted muscle lengthens.

Integration of the Kettlebell
Kettlebell training is not new it is not magic, although some may have you believe it. The Russians who are at the front of kettlebell sport have used tried and tested techniques for years.
Since the collapse of the cold war, this amazing little weight has once again exploded onto the fitness scene.
The major benefit that you will experience once you start training with kettlebells is the fact your whole body works in unison.
You will feel the burn in your hamstrings, glutes, quads, back, shoulders and arms and that’s just from the basic techniques such as the KB swing.
Even bodybuilders have come to appreciate and understand the need to train with kettlebells and add them into there training regimes, no longer do they work muscle groups in isolation of each other.

What does this mean for you the individual and what does KB training do for you

· Teaches your body how to work as a single unit (it integrates the whole body together)

 
· Allows for high repetition work which is phenomenal for fat loss conditioning

· Emphasizes the use of the glutes, hamstrings, spinal muscles and abdominal muscles for maximum power and speed enhancement.

· Simultaneously improves both strength and cardiovascular endurance (known as incidental cardio)

· Improves flexibility (this happens as a by product of training)

· Boosts your metabolism thus burning more fat

· Develops incredible hand, grip and finger strength

· Improves full body stability and balance due the dynamic nature of the exercises

If used correctly and it is worth attending a reputable workshop with a qualified instructor, which  will ensure that you understand the basic mechanics and swings of Kettlebells and start to incorporate them into your training programme you will see and feel a difference

So get swinging!

Editors note:

Brian Fernie is a certified strength and conditioning coach, triathlon coach, master personal trainer, extreme kettebell instructor and sports conditioning coach.

He is the founder and training director for T.O.D Coaching, K8 bells and Team T.O.D (triathlon or duathlon) race team.

www.tod-coaching.co.uk

www.teamtod.co.uk

www.k8bells.com

This article can be used in any format providing it is used in its entirety and  that full accreditation is given to its author and all hyperlinks(clickable) are used.

Hope fully by now you will have read and digested some of part 1 and why kettlebell training should be an integral part of your strength and conditioning for endurance events.

In part 2 we will cover selection of a kettlebell and weight, and cover further exercises which will aid you in your strength training.

Kettlebell selection

When choosing a KB it comes down to an individual’s choice and much has been written covering this subject.

The KB should fit comfortably in the hand and easy to grip, with the handle being smooth, the horns rounded not angular and the distance from the bell to the handle around 6cm’s.

I personally use KB’s provided by optimal life fitness or Jordan’s as these fit the above criteria and are averagely priced. Whether you want cast iron, solid, rubber, vinyl dipped is entirely your choice.

Weight wise it is widely recognised that female’s starting out should use between an 8kg – 12kg KB and med 16kg-20kg KB. Again this is down to experience with KB’s and current fitness levels.

The main point to remember is that the KB will work your body as an entire unit and not isolate muscle groups (unless used for this purpose) so starting with the above suggested weights until the technique is mastered is sound advice. Please don’t purchase any of the so called fitness belles which range from about 2.5kg to 7kg as you will quickly find that these are of no use to you in any capacity apart from a doorstop.

Conventional exercises

These can be used as part of your training and are widely used by athletes with Kb’s.

The basic’s are

Tricep extension

Bicep curl

One arm row

And are utilised the same way as a normal dumbbell, beware though that the KB does hang as dead weight and is harder to control compared to a balanced Dumbbell. We will add some more isolation exercises later.

The swing

Once you have mastered the basic Kb techniques, you can look to progress onto other exercises; one thing that I as a coach and KB user advocate is the turn method of swinging.

Many people use the standard version (American) which places a lot of pressure onto the front deltoid and users/athletes tend to try and lift rather than swing the KB.

The thumb method basically is turning your thumb to the rear (thumb to bum) as the Kb swings through your legs. This method allows for better control and utilises the rotator cuff muscles, triceps and deltoids to be incorporated more and ensures that the athlete “snaps out” from the hips utilising the PKC (posterior kinetic chain) and ensures the bell swings rather than being lifted.

Most Kb movements start from the swing and can be completed using one or two Kb’s below is some of the basic exercises.

Fundamentals.

1. Double handed swing
2. Single hand swing
3. Alternate hand swing
4. The clean (rack)
5. The High Pull
6. The swing  snatch
7. Military Press
8. See Saws.
9. Front Squat
10. Conventional dead lift

These exercises must be practiced and perfected before moving onto additional exercises, I have tried to include what I feel are the better versions for triathletes, and have tried many and varied versions with Team T.O.D over the past year.

Progression

1. Arrowhead swing (double swing to overheard)
2. Saxon side bends
3. Diagonal snatch
4. Reaching Lunge (front, side, rear)
5. Stair Squat
6. One arm Scot’s press (squat press)
7. Windmill
8. Turkish get up (lunge style)
9. Split jerk
10. Push Press

The above list is not exhaustive either are the different types or amounts of KB exercises out there,

However the above and the exercises listed in this blog are as I said what I as a coach and triathletes from Team T.O.D who have used the KB’s as an integral part of there training consider to be the better ones.

If there are any out there we have missed or are considered to be better than those listed please let me know and I will try them out.

Conventional exercises have briefly been covered but we will add some more to the list which can be beneficial to your strength programme and should e incorporate as part of it and not used as stand alone exercises.

1. Bench press
2. Calf raise
3. Thumbs up press up
4. The Fly
5. Straight arm pull over
6. Bent arm pull over
7. Front arm raise
8. Jowett tricep kickback
9. Side press
10. Bent press

When it comes down to sets and reps for any of the exercises listed, this again is down to specifics and what the outcome of your session is to be.

Predominantly we as a team tended to opt for between 12-15 reps of a set, and also conducted timed circuits of 5 minutes with 30 seconds of an exercise and fifteen seconds rest, completing as many reps as possible in that time for each exercise, this also lends the body to metabolic conditioning which is a another subject in its entirety.

 Looking forward to part three we will cover more complex moves for the triathlete.

The Strathclyde 5k Santa run is certainly one of the more surreal events I have taken part in. I was persuaded by my jog Scotland pals to join them this year. Arriving at the registration and chip pick up area (yes, they do provide chip timing for Santas) we were greeted by the largest collection of Santas, Rudolphs and Snowmen I have ever seen. The atmosphere was great, with (almost) everyone taking part in the spirit of the event, and the weather was perfect – a bit cold and cloudy but dry and not much wind. After the mass warm up, we all walked along the edge of the loch to the start. The first K was tricky as there were almost 500 runners on the loch path, but once we had sorted ourselves out a bit it got easier. Eileen and I ran together for the first 2K, then I decided I was actually doing ok and started to speed up a bit. Most of the route is flat, the path around the loch is pretty easy to run on and even the ‘undulations’ are pretty short and easy to negotiate.
Running past Santas and Snowmen is a bit odd, and I should apologise to Frosty – I think I splashed him as I ran through a deeper than expected puddle – I just hope his leg did not melt too much! The last K was great, running along the end of the loch and all I could see in front and behind me were a long line of Christmas characters – lots of fun. My final time was 26:28, a PB for a Santa run (well it was also my first Santa run) and actually a pretty good time for me for 5K, especially since I really was not thinking about a time at all for the first 2k.
Finlay also did extremely well, finishing first in the 50+ male category, although with his St Trinian’s style Santa outfit (red elf suit, tie, blonde wig with bunches and Santa hat) he could have got put into the wrong category!
I would certainly do it again and I now feel like Christmas has started. I do feel, however, that if you are not wearing at least a token Santa hat then you should not be allowed to win!

 After my brick session on Saturday I had enlisted myself for the swim technique class at Clifton Hall on Sunday.  I really enjoy swimming and I can usually push myself in the pool although having not done any pool training for about 7 months perhaps that would be different now.

At poolside there were 4 of us.  2 advanced swimmers and 2 people who could swim but just needed to hone their technique.  Joe swims with the Livingston Dolphins and you can tell, he is fast, efficient and the one thing he has on his side that we didn’t … age.

10 lengths warm up for me and then the inevitable happens.  “Angela, your arms are coming across your body again” That sentence is not music to my ears.  I knew from that moment on I would be doing stuff that would make me correct that really bad habit and I wasn’t wrong; long doggy paddle, short doggy paddle, pull only, tap, short catch up and long catch up.    All designed to ensure my arms are where they should be and I am as efficient in the water as I can be.  Does it work?  Yes it absolutely does work and you do notice an incredible difference in your speed through the water.  My problem is when I get tired I go back to what comes naturally as I loose focus and stop concentrating on my technique.

One and a half hours later I was feeling really good, I was tired but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Today my triceps hurt, my biceps hurt, my shoulders hurt and my neck hurts but I would be up for it all over again.

Angela