The goal for a coach is to identify the work to be carried out to achieve agreed objectives. The plan the coach puts together should be drawn up to identify long-term (2-4 years) objectives as well as to create short-term plans or annual plan for the forthcoming season. In its simplest form, the annual plan should identify the overall plan for the year, and more detailed weekly plans identifying for the specific activities the athlete is to carry out.
The Training Year
The start of the training year will depend upon the athlete’s circumstances and objectives, but this would generally be around October November for most triathletes.
Information Gathering:
The first stage of preparing a plan is to gather background information about the athlete and the objectives for the forthcoming season. The information I collect is as follows:
- Personal details
- Name, address, date of birth, telephone numbers…etc
- Objectives for the season
- Technical (How time has been spent on development of technique)
- Indoor and/or outdoor training
- Experience (physical and mental)
- Personal best (PB’s)
- Competition experience (local, prov., national, international)
- Equipment (Have or Need)
- Competition
- Date of main competition
- Required qualification for competitions
- Competitors
- Who are the competition and what are their PB’s?
- Recent competition results
- Competition behaviour
- Athlete’s other Commitments
- School, work, part-time jobs
- Family, partner, kids
- Hobbies and other sports
- Time available for training
- Planned holidays
- Medical History
- Previous injuries or illness
- Current problems (diabetes, asthma etc.)
- Access to medical support
- Physiotherapy support
- On any medication?
- Using asthma inhaler
- Training facilities
- Pools
- Trainer type
- Type of Roads
- Track
- Trails
- Climate
- Last season
- What can be learnt from last season – good and bad aspects
- Key questions for the athlete
- How serious are you about your sport?
- What do expect from your coach?
Analysis of the last program
If I have worked with a client for more then an year, then an important activity to conduct is a SWOT analysis of the last training program:
- Strengths
- What were the best aspects of the program and why?
- What did we do well and why?
- Weaknesses
- Are there gaps in the program?
- What did we not do very well and why?
- Opportunities
- How can we enhance the program for the benefit of the athlete?
- Threats
- What may prevent us from achieving the short- and long-term objectives?
Athlete Assessment
Before I can start to create a training program I need to analyze the athlete to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The first step is to identify the ideal attributes (e.g. strength, endurance, speed, flexibility etc) that will allow the athlete to achieve their agreed goals. The next step is to assess the athlete against our ideal athlete to identify their strengths and weaknesses (gap analysis). Addressing the gaps may require me to think in terms of long-term planning (2-4 years) but for this macrocycle, we can set realistic but challenging goals to start to address the gaps.
Periodization
Periodization is the method of organizing the training year into phases where each phase has its specific aims for the development of the athlete. These phase don’t always go in the same order if specific goals need to be met and extra times is needed on one phase more then another.
The phases of a training year
The training year is divided into 6 phases as follows:
- Phase 1 – 16 weeks
- Phase 2 – 8 weeks
- Phase 3 – 8 weeks
- Phase 4 – 8 weeks
- Phase 5 – 4-8 weeks
- Phase 6 – 4-8 weeks
Objectives of each phase
The objectives of each phase is as follows:
- Phase 1 – General development of strength, mobility, endurance and basic technique
- Phase 2 – Development of specific fitness and advanced technical skills
- Phase 3 – Race experience – achievement of objectives
- Phase 4 – Adjustment of the technical model, preparation for the main competition
- Phase 5 – Race experience and achievement of objectives
- Phase 6 – Active recovery – planning preparation for next season
Activities of each Phase
The athlete’s physical needs that require development are:
- Basic body Conditioning
- General and Specific Strength
- General and Specific Technique
- General and Specific Mobility
- General and Specific Endurance
- Speed
Each of these needs should be seen as a building block, where specific blocks need to be in place before you progress to the next. Failure to do this may result in injury. How you allocate the blocks to each phase depends upon the athlete’s weaknesses and strengths and is for you as the coach to decide with the athlete.
One approach is to progress the building blocks as follows:
- basic body conditioning
- general strength, endurance, mobility and technique
- specific strength, endurance, mobility and technique
- speed
When progressing from one block to the next, remember to fade one out as the other comes in and not to switch from one block to the next overnight. Some blocks once started may continue to the end of the season but at a less intense level e.g. mobility. Other blocks to consider are relaxation, visualization and psychology (mental attitude).
Preparing a plan
The steps in producing a Training Plan are as follows:
- Gathering information
- Produce an overall plan template and identify the months/weeks of the year
- Identify on the plan at the appropriate period
- the main competition
- qualification competitions
- local races
- the 6 phases based on the main competition in phase 5
- Identify on the plan
- the blocks (e.g. strength, endurance) to be developed in each phase
- the period of development for each block
- the intensity (TSS) of training week by week
- number of training sessions per week
- evaluation points to monitor progress
- Identify appropriate training units for each block as appropriate to the phase of development.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is a simple, yet often misused motivational technique that can provide some structure for your training and competition program. Goals give a focus, and there are two acronyms to guide goal setting.
SMARTER
- S – goals must be Specific
- M – training targets should be Measurable
- A – goals should be Adjustable
- R – goals must be Realistic
- T – training targets should be Time based
- E – goals should be challenging and Exciting
- R – goals should be Recorded
SCCAMP
- S – goals must be Specific
- C – within the Control of the athlete
- C – goals are Challenging
- A – goals must be Attainable
- M – training targets should be Measurable
- P – goals are Personal
FITT Principles
The basic principles of fitness training can be summed up in the acronym FITT
- F – Frequency – how often
- I – Intensity – how hard
- T – Time – how long
- T – Type – the type of training (strength, endurance etc.)
RAMP
The basic principles of a warm-up can be summed up in the acronym RAMP
- R – Raise the body’s temperature and heart rate
- A – Activate key muscle groups
- M – Mobilise joints
- P – Potentiate/prepare the body for the maximal intensities it will be required to produce in the session/competition
SORAR
The basic principles of fitness training can be summed up in the acronym SORAR
- S – Specificity
- O – Overload
- R – Rest
- A – Adaption
- R – Reversibility
RETURN TO SWIMMING: HR Swim Clinics
/0 Comments/in Clinics, Event, Home Feature /by rpadyHealthy Results Swim Correction Clinic is the very best way available to improve your freestyle swimming using Richard Pady’s coaching methods and full video analysis.
Richard will teach you the latest, most effective methods to develop your stroke, specific to your needs, your ability and your body type.
The Structure of the Clinic
Dates: April 22, 29, May 6, 13, 27 June 3, 10
Time: 2:15pm – 3:15pm
Location: Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre – 6 Northmen Way, Orangeville
Note: Limited to 10 athletes contact us now to book your spot.
Email – rpady@healthyresults.ca
COST:
Training and Racing In The Heat
/0 Comments/in Athlete Resources, news /by rpadyBy HRT Coach Alex VanderLinden
With the Ontario heat and humidity turned up here are a few tips to keep you performing at your best in training and racing.
1. Acclimate – We have all heard the saying “nothing new on race day,” and this goes for weather conditions as well. If you are preparing for a hot destination race early in the season or preparing for the mid-summer heat wave be sure to train in similar conditions before hand. Riding on the trainer or running on a treadmill indoors can allow you to crank the temperatures up. If those are not available wearing extra clothing to increase core temperature will have a similar effect. If the heat has already hit train outside in it. If you are doing a full-distance race and will be running a marathon at the hottest time of day do some of your training runs in the afternoon instead of the early morning when temperatures are cooler.
2. Fluids – Fluids and nutrition can make or break your race or training, especially when going longer distance. Hydrate early and often! Hydrating starts before you head out the door for the day, and do not let yourself fall behind. I will often hear athletes say they don’t drink much at the start of the long ride, but once you fall behind it is hard to catch up. The research on just how much to drink is controversial, but with an attention to detail during training and talking with your coach you can derive a strategy that will work for you. If you are training more than once a day make sure to replace lost fluids between workouts or you will be continuously digging a deeper hole. When riding outside we often don’t realize just how much we sweat as the wind is drying you and keeping you cooler.
3. Nutrition – The body’s number one way to cool itself is via sweating, and when we are sweating electrolytes are lost. Think about increasing your salt intake during hot workouts and races to replace the extra electrolytes you are loosing.
4. Cooling yourself – Cooling yourself with ice, water, sponges, etc will help in some conditions, as the water will evaporate off your skin in the same way sweat will. Above certain temperatures dumping water on yourself won’t help because the heat loss via evaporation isn’t happening fast enough, this is really when you want ice to put in your clothes or a hat to help cool yourself
5. Adjust Pace – The first couple of workouts you do in hotter temperatures you will want to adjust your paces on the bike and run. The faster you go the more heat you are creating (on the flip side if you are ever cold don’t coast keep riding). Because you are producing more heat at higher speeds your body will actually be working harder than if the temperatures outside were cooler. Slow down a bit, and after about 2 weeks training in the heat your body will be more prepared to go faster in the warmer temperatures.
Extreme weather is just another part of triathlon that we must train for. Whether it is heat, cold, rain, or snow you must practice just like swimming, cycling, and running. There are very few surprises on race day, and paying attention to even the smallest of details will help you conquer your goals.
How HR coach approach your program.
/in news, News and Events /by rpadyThe Training Year
The start of the training year will depend upon the athlete’s circumstances and objectives, but this would generally be around October November for most triathletes.
Information Gathering:
The first stage of preparing a plan is to gather background information about the athlete and the objectives for the forthcoming season. The information I collect is as follows:
Analysis of the last program
If I have worked with a client for more then an year, then an important activity to conduct is a SWOT analysis of the last training program:
Athlete Assessment
Before I can start to create a training program I need to analyze the athlete to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The first step is to identify the ideal attributes (e.g. strength, endurance, speed, flexibility etc) that will allow the athlete to achieve their agreed goals. The next step is to assess the athlete against our ideal athlete to identify their strengths and weaknesses (gap analysis). Addressing the gaps may require me to think in terms of long-term planning (2-4 years) but for this macrocycle, we can set realistic but challenging goals to start to address the gaps.
Periodization
Periodization is the method of organizing the training year into phases where each phase has its specific aims for the development of the athlete. These phase don’t always go in the same order if specific goals need to be met and extra times is needed on one phase more then another.
The phases of a training year
The training year is divided into 6 phases as follows:
Objectives of each phase
The objectives of each phase is as follows:
Activities of each Phase
The athlete’s physical needs that require development are:
Each of these needs should be seen as a building block, where specific blocks need to be in place before you progress to the next. Failure to do this may result in injury. How you allocate the blocks to each phase depends upon the athlete’s weaknesses and strengths and is for you as the coach to decide with the athlete.
One approach is to progress the building blocks as follows:
When progressing from one block to the next, remember to fade one out as the other comes in and not to switch from one block to the next overnight. Some blocks once started may continue to the end of the season but at a less intense level e.g. mobility. Other blocks to consider are relaxation, visualization and psychology (mental attitude).
Preparing a plan
The steps in producing a Training Plan are as follows:
Goal Setting
Goal setting is a simple, yet often misused motivational technique that can provide some structure for your training and competition program. Goals give a focus, and there are two acronyms to guide goal setting.
SMARTER
SCCAMP
FITT Principles
The basic principles of fitness training can be summed up in the acronym FITT
RAMP
The basic principles of a warm-up can be summed up in the acronym RAMP
SORAR
The basic principles of fitness training can be summed up in the acronym SORAR
Triathletes and Injury
/0 Comments/in news, News and Events, news landing page /by rpadyBy Coach and Dr. Cindy
Because of the three sports, and therefore the decreased volume in a particular sport as compared to a single sport athlete, triathletes tend to experience injuries that put them on the sidelines less often than those who do only one sport. However, based on my experience in practice as a Chiropractor treating primarily endurance athletes, triathletes often present with nagging chronic issues that they can work through but which ultimately set them back in terms of how much quality training they are able to do – and therefore how fast they can go come race day.
Some of the most common injuries that I see in Triathletes include:
1. Piriformis Syndrome – Presents as a nagging pain in the glute area, often as an “ache” that just won’t go away. Often worse with sitting and occasionally sends some ache down the back of the thigh. Most often related to weakness in the glutes and/or hip flexors that changes the biomechanics of the hip, increasing the workload of the piriformis.
2. Hip Flexor Tendinitis – Local pain at the front of the hip. Pain that you can put your finger on and that can be reproduced with hip flexion and often with stabilization required to stand on one leg. This can be chronic and can be difficult to go away because of the many structures around the hip joint that can be involved in causing this problem in the first place – including weakness in the glutes and/or hip flexors.
3. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome – Presents as diffuse pain around or under the knee cap, rather than pain you can point to with one finger. Achey pain that can occasionally be sharp pain with activity. The pain is related to tightness or dysfunction in the quads, hamstrings, adductors and/or glutes that causes a problem with tracking of the patella (knee cap) when the knee flexes
4. Iliotibial Band Syndrome – Presents most often as pain located lateral to the patella that you can put a finger on. Often presents at a specific/predictable duration during a workout and makes it difficult to continue the activity. Most often related to weakness in the glutes and/or hip flexors that causes the tensor fascia latae muscle to increase it’s pull on the IT band.
5. Plantar Fasciitis – Presents as pain on the bottom of the foot, most often at the anteromedial portion of the heel. Caused by the plantar fascia pulling too hard at that insertion point. Most often presents as pain first thing in the morning and after a period of rest that gets a little bit better once it is warmed up. Plantar Fasciitis can be related to hypertonicity in the calf muscles, flat feet or overpronation, improper footwear and/or dysfunction of the ankle joint. The important thing for triathletes is to make sure we stay healthy and injury free by staying strong and balanced – so we can prevent these issues from occurring in the first place. A proper strength and prehab program is important to make sure our bodies can withstand the constant stress and repetition of swimming, cycling and running. A program should include exercises that focus on hip and core strength – both of which will help make sure undue stress is not placed on other structures throughout
Coach Cindy is a Chiropractor and Personal Trainer as well as a Triathlon, Cycling and Running Coach with HRT.
She coaches athletes around North America and also works with athletes in Toronto and the Burlington/Oakville area as a Chiropractor and one-on-one trainer to keep them healthy and strong! You can contact her at cindylewis600@hotmail.com.
Tips – Training Balance
/0 Comments/in news, News and Events, news landing page /by rpadyHRT’s three steps to a balanced swimming program in 2015.
As you develop your triathlon training it’s important to appreciate there are key steps to take to reach your potential in the water:
No one step outweighs the other. To drop time in 2015 you need to work on all three steps. Don’t try to gain everything from one step, instead work year round in a balanced program combining all three steps, gaining performance from each. In the week there will be workouts focused more on one of the steps then another, when you look at the week as a whole it should be balanced in percentage of time spend at each step.
Tips – Three Things To Remember This Year
/0 Comments/in news, News and Events, news landing page /by cpickeriHere are three things that will totally make sense to you, but that I see athlete forget to do each year.
1. If you are not coached make sure that you build your program from your “A” race back to present day (not the other way around) so that you don’t have yourself doing too much mileage in the off season.
2. Don’t wait until you already feel an injury to start your stretching or strength program. Be proactive, learn about which areas of your body lack mobility and which areas lack stability. Focus on these areas, and it will make the biggest difference come race day
.
3. No Mystery. This year in your training make sure you have workout that will simulate your race so that on race day you KNOW what you can do, rather then HOPE you can do. There are a lot of simulation or test workout online you can read about that will give you the confidence or knowledge of where your fitness level is at and if you are on track to reaching your goals.
Training Tips – Test Protocols and Benchmark Workouts
/0 Comments/in news, News and Events, news landing page /by rpadyTest Protocols and Benchmark Workouts
It’s around this time of year that athlete start to line of their season ahead. A great way to start is to do a workout that gives you a starting point from which you want to build. Three simple examples could be in the swim a 1000m TT, on the bike a standard 20 or 30 minute threshold test, and on the run a 1 mile or 5k hard effort on the track or local race. There are however some key things you should keep in mind when setting up either a test or benchmark workout. Write down (or better yet have our coach write down) every detail about your performance test. Get all the numbers written down: body weight, watts (if bike), heart rate data, what you ate in the 24hrs before, when you ate last, hydration, etc. It is also worth taking note of the weather conditions if you are planning outdoor performance tests (If inside record temperature and if you had a fan on you). The more details you get written down about the test, the easier it will be to reproduce it next time. Too often the results of later tests are controlled by things other then your performance.
Happy Training
Coach Pady
Training Tip – Run FASTER To Run FAST
/0 Comments/in Home Feature, news, News and Events, news landing page /by rpadyHow well can you shift gears?