Build your base with bricks!

Brick sessions are excellent for practising transitions and an effective way to build your fitness up specifically for triathlon. This article, written by Lance Armstrong’s coach Chris Carmichael, will guide you through brick sessions suitable for laying the foundation for your fitness next season, how to build up to racing and also what Chris calls ’specialisation’ sessions. The specialisation section will be most useful to triathletes in the short term, perhaps use it to pep up your mid-season routine with some race preparation work-outs. The foundation sessions are probably best saved until you’ve had a rest after this season’s racing! This article is comprehensive enough to cover triathlons from sprint distance up to Ironman, and brick sessions themselves are applicable throughout the sport.

Source: ironman.com/training/21#axzz0upWCFo9j

What is your wattage? and why does it matter?

If you want to change the way you train on the bike for the better, check out Christopher Krautz’s introduction to using wattage as a guide. Wattage is an ideal way to gauge your effort and performance because it is independent of many factors such as the bike you are on, the tyres it has and the terrain. Not only does Krautz explain why feedback in the form of Watts is better than more traditional heart rate based training or simply guesstimating the workload you have given yourself, but he also goes into the nuts and bolts of how a power meter works.

Source: triathlon.competitor.com/2010/07/training/how-watt-based-training-can-improve-your-cycling_10395

First season? You need to find your feet.

Wonderhowto.com provide an excellent beginner’s guide to setting up your kit for transition. This video would be especially useful for those new to triathlon, but if you messed up the fourth discipline in your last race, it’s probably worth a look whatever your experience. After the splits, the biggest divide between the experienced triathlete and the novice are the way they attack transitions. As you progress through your first season and hopefully continue with triathlon, your gear may change each year, and throughout each season depending on weather. For this reason, it is vital that you are organised and have a thoughtful attitude towards setting up your transition area. Not only can poor transitions cost an elite athlete any hope of a podium spot, it is likely to add minutes on to your own hard-earned time, and could ruin your whole race. Imagine forgetting to bring your trainers for the run but not finding out until after you’d done the swim and the bike leg!

Source: www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-set-up-your-transition-area-for-triathlon-379678/

Let Yuri Feed You.

Yuri Elkaim captained his once under-achieving university football (soccer) team to a regional victory, and 4th place in the Canadian Nationals. Then he was scouted by Le LOSC (Lille Olympic Sporting Club), one of France’s top football teams. All the while he has pursued a fascination and passion for eating right for sport and studied Physical Health and Kinesiology at University. He is so keen to share his expertise that he runs an interactive sports nutrition blog. On Yuri’s site he encourages people to ask questions and inform him of their eating habits in relation to their training. In return, Yuri posts recipes and video blogs with a wealth of detail and friendly advice about what to eat when and why.

Source : www.yurielkaim.com/309/workout-nutrition-3-great-post-workout-recipes/

Ride cooler with your sleeves rolled down.

Zoot have produced an innovative cooling device. They look like arm warmers but in fact reflect solar radiation and lower skin temperature by several degrees. TriJuice have reviewed the product and have many positive things to say about the nifty garment that debuted at Kona Ironman 2009. They also provide a couple of tips on how to wear the arm coolers, even under a long-sleeved wetsuit or alongside a short-sleeved ‘wettie’.

Source: www.trijuice.com/2010/07/beat_the_heat_and_stay_cool_on_the_bike_and_run_with_zoot_arm_cooler_sleeves.htm

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