30 NO EXCUSES home exercises for beginners

Now you have no more excuses! Here are 30 great exercises that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment!

Walking – If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while you exercise. However, if the weather has other ideas, you can just as easily get an effective walking workout at home. If you have a flight of stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times – it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job!

Jumping Jacks – These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.

Pushups – These are probably not the most favourite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area. Lie face-down on the floor, with the hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing inwards. Now, push up your body until the arms are straight. Lower the body and repeat the process. To raise the level of difficulty, place your toes on an elevated bench, while your hands are on the floor. Lower your body until your chest touches the floor, before going back to the original position.

Dips - For this exercise, you need to place yourself between two sturdy surfaces (chairs would be a fine option). Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. Start by lowering yourself, until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs. Hold the position and then push up to the top, until your arms are fully extended again. Make sure you look straight while doing this exercise. Dips are a great workout

Chair Dips - Chair dips are a simple way to get a good workout for the triceps. Sit on the edge of a chair and grip the edge of the chair beside your glutes. Ease yourself off the chair so that your hands are supporting you. Bend your arms and dip your body down, but do not sit on the floor. Push yourself back up and repeat the exercise.

Leg Lifts – These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.

Crunches – The best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.

Squats – These are wonderful exercises for your legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your body.

Light Weight Lifting – No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive weights for this! Just use whatever you can find in your house. Start out with something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.

Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.

Step Exercises – Using the steps in your home, you can do repetitions which will tone your leg muscles. (Just remember to be careful!) A great aerobic workout can be achieved at home by walking up and down the stairs. Stair stepping is also a good exercise for the lower body. Taking two steps at a time increases the intensity of this at-home exercise. Walk up and down the stairs for several minutes in order to get a decent calorie burn.

Fidget while you watch your shows. Science has proven that people who fidget even while sitting down can burn up to 350 more calories per day. If your body’s in motion, it’s burning calories.

Move your exercise equipment in front of the TV. If you have a treadmill stuck in the corner doubling as a clothing hanger, now is the time to dust it off and move it right in front of the TV. You can’t see around it, so you’ll be forced to get on and walk while your favourite shows are on.
 Set up a circuit training route in front of your TV. If your living room is large enough, you can set up “stations” that you go to in order to perform cardio routines while your shows are on. You can jump rope, walk in place, or use equipment like dumbbells, exercise balls or steps to get your heart rate up.


See how many pushups you can do during a show or commercial. If you’re just starting out, then you might start with commercial pushups, but once you become more adept at exercising, see how many you can do during a half hour or hour long show! (Always within reason of course!)


Do lunges while you watch TV. You can do lunges in place or walking lunges around the room while your shows are on.


Walk / Jog on the spot as you catch up on your favourite show. Walking / jogging on the spot requires no special equipment and it won’t put a strain on your body while you do it. Just march your legs up and down and rest during commercials.


See how many squats you can do. Squats can be done in place or up against a wall in a sitting position. See how long you can hold it. Can you reach a certain number of squats before the next commercial?


Become a commercial crunch Queen (or King)!
Crunches take less effort than a full sit up, but they help tone your abs a lot better. See how many crunches you can do during commercials or if you’re brave – during the length of the show itself!

Watch exercise shows on TV and move along with them. You don’t have to invest in a lot of pricey exercise videos if your budget is strapped. There are tons of free channels that have daily exercise shows on them for all levels – beginner through advanced.

Switch up your exercise routines with your TV watching habits. You don’t watch the same TV show over and over every hour, do you? No – you switch it up between the news, a reality TV show, and maybe a sitcom or police drama. So do the same with your exercise routines, too. Switch it up so that you don’t get bored and are more likely to stick to it for the long haul.

Wall Push-ups An easy way to do push-ups at home is to do them against a wall. To practice wall push-ups, stand a couple feet away from a wall and place your hands on the wall at about shoulder-width apart. Bend your arms and lower yourself toward the wall. Push back off the wall to starting position and repeat. Do traditional push-ups on the floor to make this exercise more difficult.

Wall Sits Another easy exercise to do on the wall is wall sits. Stand with your back against a wall and slowly lower yourself into a seated position. Your hips should be parallel with your knees and your knees should be directly above your ankles. It should appear that you are sitting on an invisible chair against the wall. Hold the wall sit for at least a minute to get a good lower body workout.

Standing Calf Raises The calves are often overlooked during exercise routines, but there is an easy way to work the calves at home. Find a telephone book and stand on the edge of the book with the balls of your feet. Lower your heels toward the floor and then raise your heels up as high off the floor as you can. Repeat this exercise until you feel a good burn in the calves. Keep your legs straight while performing the calf raises.

Ball sitting (if you have one) several at-home exercises can be done on an exercise ball. One of the easiest things to do is to simply sit on the ball while you are watching television or surfing the Internet. Sit on the ball and your core muscles will go to work to help you keep your balance. The exercise ball also forces you to keep good posture while sitting on it.

Squats For this exercise, you need to first position your feet about shoulder-width apart, keeping the back straight and the head up. Now, squat down i.e. sit on your heels, with the top of your thighs parallel to the floor. Hold the position for a second and then stand up, exhaling your breath as you come up. Squats help build the thighs and shape the buttocks, apart from improving the endurance. 

Lunges You need to stand upright. Now, spread the legs, one forward and the other backward. The distance between your feet should not be more than two feet. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest high; lower your upper body, while bending your leg. At the time of bending, do not allow your knees to go beyond your toes. Repeat the exercise with the other leg as well.

   

Bent Over Row For doing this exercise, position your right hand and right knee on a sturdy flat surface that provides good support. Now, pick a dumbbell or something that is heavy in your left hand. Thinking your arms to be hooks, bring the dumbbell or the heavy object up to the side of your chest. Keeping your back in a straight position; lower the weight back down to arm’s length. Repeat the whole process using the right arm.  

Couch Kicks You can work out your thigh and gluteus muscles by using your couch as a piece of exercise equipment. Stand up facing the couch, with one of the couch arms in front of you. Bend forward, supporting your weight on the arm of the couch. Keep your head down so that you do not put stress on your neck muscles. Kick your right leg back, so that the bottom of your foot is parallel to the ceiling, and then bring it back down. When you are doing the exercise properly, you should feel it in your thigh and butt. Do fifteen repetitions on your right leg, and then repeat with your left leg. Continue switching back and forth between your legs until you feel like you have to stop. You will get results after a few weeks of this “uplifting” workout.

 Laundry Lifts A laundry basket full of clothes can be more than a household chore – it can be an arm sculpting piece of exercise apparatus! Hold the basket above you head, and lift upwards and back down. Do at least three repetitions of fifteen lifts each. If it is too heavy for you, all you have to do is take out some clothes. This exercise will work your shoulders, upper arms, and upper back muscles. Vary this workout by laying flat on your back, and lifting the basket up and down from your chest.

Running speed and body fat, how are they related?

Having had a long term friendly argument with my coach over body weight (yes I’m happy with my weight, I don’t understand why you aren’t?!) I decided to do some research into how exactly body weight affects performance.

As far as I understand, body weight has little effect on swimming performance; in fact, I read that excess weight can in fact aid buoyancy. Seems logical, and it certainly would explain why that rather large man in my local pool can swim at least as fast as I can!

When it comes to running and cycling, body weight has a lot of influence. In cycling, power to weight ratio is what you will hear everyone saying. On the flat, it may not matter as much, but on an incline, there is a LOT to be gained if you are a lighter athlete. For example, I found this on an internet forum:

‘I've been cycling for several months now and saw some modest speed improvement when tackling hills. However the biggest boost in performance only began when I started dieting and shedding a lot of weight.’

Logical really if you think about it, take two riders. Equal power output, matched exactly in flat track speed, but if one was heavier than the other, then dragging that excess weight up the hill would make them slower, Right?

If you want a more exact formula, take a look here: http://www2.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/01/climbing-power-formula.html

The bit I was interested in more than anything though, was the running. Where is the science to support the logic that leaner is better?

So I went to look for it.

THE RESEARCH FINDINGS

A lot of research on this topic can be flawed. It is difficult to isolate all the variables. In a test situation, the leaner people are likely to be fitter anyway, and therefore probably train more. So finding reliable research is tricky. One measure of running fitness is VO2 Max, or the maximum amount of oxygen a given runner can use per unit time per unit body mass. More simply, the lighter a runner is at a given fitness level, the higher her VO2 Max and--at least in theory--the faster she will be. Not all "excess" weight, however, is created equal; fat for example, is merely dead weight, whereas muscle, at least to a point, can contribute to performance in distance running despite its high density.

So just how much can you expect to benefit from being lighter? Joe Henderson, the author of various books on running, has this to offer: "The loss of a single pound doesn't mean much for a single mile, but the effect multiplies nicely. Ten pounds equals 20 seconds per mile, which grows to a minute-plus in a 5K, more than two minutes in a 10K, nearly 4.5 minutes in a half-marathon and almost nine minutes in a marathon."

An article written by Ron Maughan is professor of sport and exercise sciences at Loughborough University had this to offer:

An excess of body fat, however, serves no useful function for the endurance athlete. It can help the sumo wrestlers, and perhaps may not even be a disadvantage for the shot putter, but not the runner. Extra fat adds to the weight that has to be carried, and thus increases the energy cost of running. Even in an event as long as the marathon, the total amount of fat that is needed for energy supply does not exceed about 200g for the average runner.

‘In a study of a group of runners with very different levels of training status and athletic ability, scientists observed a significant relationship between body fat levels and the best time that these runners could achieve over a distance of 2 miles(3). Although these results indicated that leaner individuals seem to perform better in races at this distance, some complicating factors have to be taken into account.

Although there’s an intimate link between body fat levels and running performance, it’s important to remember that reducing fat levels will not automatically guarantee success and may even be counter-productive. If you reduce fat by a combination of training and restricting diet, you are walking a fine tightrope. While a reduction in body fat may well boost running performance, cut down food intake too drastically and not only will training quality suffer, but the risk of illness and injury also increases dramatically.’

This is all very nice, but I need evidence. Statistics!

THE SCIENCE BIT

CURETON and SPARLING did some research in this field which seemed much more controlled.

Metabolic responses to running in was tested with a treadmill (TM) running (12-min run performance). 10 female and 10 male adults who regularly engaged in distance running were used. They were testing differences in % body fat, and differences between men and women.

The males were studied under two conditions: (1) with normal body weight and (2) with external weight added to the trunk so that the total percent excess weight (% EW) was equal to the % fat of a matched female. Under the added-weight condition, % excess weight of the males was increased by an average of 7.5%.

TM run time was reduced by 1.3 min (32%) and in 12-min run performance by 173 m (30%).

It was concluded that the greater sex-specific, essential body fat of women is one determinant of the sex difference in metabolic responses to running and distance running performance. Because of her greater body fatness, the average woman will utilize more oxygen per unit FFW to run at any given submaximal speed, will have a lower Vo2max expressed relative to body weight and, as a result, will maintain a speed on the 12-min run or other similar distance running event which is slower than her male counterpart. Since the sex-specific, essential fat of women cannot be eliminated by diet or training, it provides part of a biological justification for separate distance running performance standards and expectations for men and women.

Read more about this study here http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/1980/24000/Distance_running_performance_and_metabolic.11.aspx

Although they are not testing body fat / speed directly, they do show quite clearly that the extra % body fat of women is directly related to the difference in performance between the sexes. Therefore it may be correct to conclude this result would be extended to include excess fat carried in runners, and its relation to decreased speed and power.

My conclusions:

·       There’s no getting away from it, being leaner will make it LESS EFFORT!

·       Being leaner will definitely give you the opportunity to be faster

·       Being leaner does not necessarily automatically mean you will be faster, there is still an element of fitness involved, but you’re increasing your chances for sure!

Just as a matter of interest, since I gave up on the argument and did lose that weight as coach instructed, I have noticed my run performances improve. I know it’s difficult to isolate all the factors, but I believe lean mass is something at least in part, to do with it.

Snow running - Why you SHOULD do it!!

I tried my first attempt at snow running tonight. I have to be honest, it didnt fill me with thrills for many reasons:

• I'm rubbish on uneven surfaces as it is and sprain my ankle at the drop of a hat!
• I still have a cold, and sitting here is much more preferable, its cold out there!
• I had been ordered to run the whole run in zone 1 because I am still ill, which sounds BOOOOORING!

But, chickening out never got anyone anywhere, and the run is the area I can ill afford to chicken out on so, I donned my many layers (full thermals, running tights, fleece running top, coat, neck roll, hat and gloves!) put on my trail shoes, (innov8 flyroc) grabbed my ipod and off I went.

I teeter tottered down the street (nun-necessarily I expect!) and when I rounded the corner, decided I had better start running at some point, this was after all a run, not a walk!

I found myself tottering in a jog kinda style down the hill. I thought to myself, it'll be fine when I get to the path at the bottom (which goes through a park). I'm sure i looked comical, wrapped up to the nines and all.

Once I got onto the path, which was thick compacted snow (thick enough not to have turned to ice) I found that actually, if I ignored for a moment that I was surrounded by the white stuff, then the trail shoes on the snow behaved rather like they did on their usual terrain, fields and mud. Actually, it was fine, and once I stopped tensing up, worrying about whether I'd slip or not, and actually ran like I normally did, lengthened the stride again, put my shoulders back down, and looked ahead and not down at the floor (after all, what was the snow going to do that looking at it would help me with!?) then actually, it was just like any other run. I was amazed at how easy this was compared to my perceptions! So, go ahead, try it. Honestly, its just like cross country running, and it will do wonders for your leg and core strength!!! (Not to mention the beautiful snowy wonderland you get to look at!)

There are a few things I would suggest you are mindful of though:

• try and run on thicker snow. it doesn't matter if its compacted down by feet, you will still be fine!!
• Dont run on snow if you have only got a thin covering, its likely to be too thin and with just be icy
• Be careful near bridges, underpasses, etc, where water may have melted and dripped off. I almost went flying when coming out of an underpass because the drips had formed into ice.
• Dont assume that hopping onto the road will be better, it will often be worse!
• try and run on snow that is less trodden, be careful if you are running on paths close to buildings, look out for ice, also be careful when crossing roads and driveways
• slushy and melting snow will be tougher to run on, so expect that. Keep running with confidence, and remember its all making you a stronger athlete!!

What is base training and why do it?

When I first started out as a triathlete, I remember going for regular winter runs round the local reservoir (a 6 mile loop) and to keep up with the crowd, my heart rate was in the high 170’s and it felt like hard hard work yet I really wasn’t moving that quickly. The people I was running with always used to go on about how they were running ‘aerobically’ today, and keep their heart rate around 145. WHAT!!!!??? I experimented with this. I was going so slow it was almost a walk, before I could ‘run’ if you could call it that, with mine that low. Nah, I thought, far too boring, and went back to the bust a gut plan I had been working on before. No pain no gain, right? That’s what they sad wasn’t it? I really had no idea how they did it. When asked they said ‘lots of long slow runs will sort you out’. I tried that too. Seemed to make no difference.

My performances that first year were mediocre, and at the end of the next season I got a coach during the winter. On the programmes I was sent, there were always long runs. I was regularly running 7 miles home from work twice a week, ordered to go slower, within certain heart rate zones. Ok, I thought, long slow must just be what you do in winter, no?  But I still wasn’t sure why, because I still couldn’t run round the reservoir at that pace they set, and have a heart rate of 145. It just was NOT possible!! I’d need to be walking!!

What I didn’t understand at the time, is what was lacking from my fitness and my training. Aerobic work. So I completed the winters training in that fashion, as ordered by my coach. I thought nothing more of it.

I then began competing at GB level (so something must have been going right!). Still in the back of my mind, running was always my weakness, so I decided to get a run coach too after hearing that Alistair Brownlee had a triathlon and a run coach. My triathlon coach wasn’t sure about this at first, and to be honest neither was I! BUT, if Ali Brownlee can make it work, then surely so could I? So this winter, I got the plans, and suddenly the long 7 mile runs home from work were missing. I thought the coach had made a mistake! I asked where they had gone and was told I didn’t need them. How did he know that? I needed proof, which came when I did the metabolic assessments in November. Aerobic capacity in running according to the test, was excellent, a vast improvement on previous tests. What happened there?!? It seemed to have sneaked up on me without realising! But what it did show me is this:

·        Developing base fitness in running, took years, not months!

·        Don’t expect the effects of base training to be immediately noticable, but be persistent, it takes time

·        It maybe took me longer because I was starting from scratch?

·        Don’t stop once you have the base fitness, too much at the top end and you will soon lose it!

So what exactly is the benefit for me then? So what, I can now run around that reservoir with a low heart rate and the run now feels much easier, but so? Why is that beneficial? My coach says that without the base fitness you would be more tired when racing. How does that work? Here’s the science:

‘Whether you compete in sprint triathlons or the Ironman, building a monster aerobic system will serve you best. Aerobic training will develop your ability to produce more power (speed) while burning fats, which are in abundant supply, and thus sparing the limited stores of carbohydrates in your body.’

‘The second metabolic adaptation necessary in Base Training is an increase of the muscle cells aerobic energy production factories called mitochondria. These small powerhouse structures use fats and oxygen to make energy while not producing fatigue causing lactic acid and waste.’

From ‘the science of base training’ http://www.phase-iv.net/resources/science-of-baase-training

‘Research from around the world has confirmed that development of substantial physiological infrastructure must precede the hard work of the competitive phase. Without the necessary infrastructure developed through Base Training, the hard work to prepare for competition will not be as effective and in fact may not be tolerated at all but instead lead to injury or illness’

From ‘base training’ by Robert Forster http://sports.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/scarabs/message/4883

So, last winter, I did the base, now I can maintain the base and work on the speed, with the new run coach? No? Everyone I talk to says ‘noooooooo, you don’t do speed work till spring!’ To be honest I have been ignoring ‘everybody else’ and doing it this way anyway! Jodie Swallow told me a while back that she continued to do fartlek throughout the year. Brett Sutton in his interview on IM talk http://melanieryding.blogspot.com/2010/12/brett-sutton-interview-part1-im-talk.html says periodisation is rubbish! Well, he would know, he has the athlete results to prove it!!

When I went searching for the theory behind periodisation on the internet, to be honest, I struggled to find anything that wasn’t in favour of it. One article I read http://mytriathlontraining.com/category/wordpress-tag/periodization seemed to actually suggest the problem was actually based on triathletes overtraining, or training too much in the ‘grey zone’ as Brett Sutton calls it. So, with this in mind, I interpret periodisation in many ways, and can perhaps see everyone’s view point.

·        Is periodisation not just a term that describes how you organise your training into chunks?

·        Is there not benefits to working on both base and speed in winter, and simply altering the balance slightly depending on the time of year?

There is many definitions of ‘periodisation’ some of which can be found here: http://www.bodyactive-online.co.uk/training/resistance/methods/periodisation/periodisationtraining.asp however I believe anything that is structure could come under the term, therefore, Brett Sutton structures his athletes training (I’m sure it has some kind of structure?!) therefore you could argue we all periodise, it’s just a case of how YOU organise yours different to HIM?

So, what do I conclude from all this?

·        Base fitness may take you more than just a few months to build up but it’s a vital foundation for speed work, not to mention keeping you injury free!

·        Without base fitness, you will tire faster in race conditions

·        Periodisation is just a term, you need to organise your training in the way that suits You and YOUR needs best

Brett Sutton IM talk interview (part2) IM talk, episode 241

Brett: I have great athletes that have ironman bodies and short course heads. You need the mentality. An athlete he trained said ironman was the most boring thing he had ever done in his life. He stopped and sat on the side of the road! You also have the other people who are the other way round, they can’t do the distance physically but like doing longer stuff slower. Ironman is a psychological makeup.

e.g. swimming grp 6 x 100s flat out 1 every 10 mins, or 300m swim and get out. Distance swimmers would run you over to get to the flat out training side! The distance swimmers hate that pain.

How do you decide who comes into the programme?: Brett gets wannabes looking  for a miracle, lots of girl enquiries (they are more intelligent!) the guys (who don’t like an old guy like macca winning Hawaii) Brett uses the same fundamentals. Winning doesn’t change, the fundamentals do but the mentality stays the same.

‘Successful coaches have one thing in common, they have spent time in his group – Ben Bright. He teaches coaches to be self sufficient. Athletes have to get a feel at what works for them and why. Most important thing from an age group point of view, you can do a good ironman on back of good long training. Trouble comes when you start measuring everything all the time. Some times you’re tired, so people don’t do it, rather than just go a bit slower. Many people bore away in the gray area, either not going fast enough or not slow enough,’

which my coach calls JUNK MILES!!!

‘If you are a data freak, then you won’t get on with Brett at all!! Your confidence will be undermined!! Run like nature intended!! Learn to feel it, feel the technique that suits your body. E.g. if you are inflexible, you won’t be swimming with high elbows!! Instead of doing pilates to correct it, find a stroke that suits you better! How much flexibility do we need in triathlon? None! ‘We spend too much time on the fluff and not enough time on the meat and potatoes!’

If you aren’t a good runner, it’s not about speed, it’s about how much distance you can cover.

Running: how long do you ask your athletes to run? 'It depends on the athlete. Its different for each person, depends on their physiology.'

People are invited onto team TBB, given 2 years to see if they can make the jump up performance wise after training his way. Without this, there would be no Chrissie Wellington! They are very proud of the team ethic, their heart is in the right place, to look after the athletes. He goes on to discuss the prize pot, and how this affects TV coverage, and interest. He says in real term, triathlon is still an amateur sport, if you compare it to other major sports in the world. People need to ask themselves, how are we going to make this sport big? There are millions of people with MDOT on their leg. How many people do you see with coca-cola on themselves!! It’s a great brand, they need to market it as such, with a prize pot to suit. Team TBB are now looking at new ways to continue their development angles, they want to continue to create career paths for people. There are so many people that deserve a shot, and money doesn’t allow you the ability to give them all a shot.

LISTENERS QUESTIONS:

You haven’t got the guys coming through, is this because of the psychology, you are a hard coach?

‘I am very competitive. That’s why people don’t like me. It’s important for people to realise that in ironman, men argue that the men’s race is harder, but Chrissie is already beating them!? But the men don’t beat his door down to try it his way.’ The men come in TELLING HIM what they need to do. Triathletes see being beaten as a bad thing, Brett also teaches them HOW to win, and HOW to overcome. I came 5^th? That’s just a sign that you need to train harder! I do know the way to the top, if THEY have got what it takes.

When you first met Chrissie, did you imagine she would be where she is now?

They argues on day 2! It was obvious from the start that she was extraordinary. He tested her on day 2 on the run. She said that she never ran more than an hour. He sent someone out to run with her telling them to run till she couldn’t run any more, and she ran for 2 hours 40 before he came back because he was bored! Chrissie can push herself hard, on her own. Not all people can.

Team TBB have a saying  - there is no handcuffs. Its fine if they then want to go and try something different.

My thoughts:

·        My coach always talks about ‘junk miles’ and recently I have too been ordered to ‘slow down’ in certain areas. He said that if you train in that ‘grey zone’ as Brett calls it, all the time, eventually you will burn yourself out. You can’t sustain that kind of training and expect improvement.

·        I confess I am a data freak, however I am much better these days at not freaking out completely if I have an off day, and my run coach is working on teaching me to ‘feel’ pace, and often steals my watch, or orders me to take the stop watch screen off! It seems to be working, I often glance at the pace and think ‘jeez I can’t run that fast!’ .. er... Mel, YOU ARE ALREADY!!

You can listen to the interview on IM talk, here http://www.imtalk.me/ 

Brett Sutton interview (Part1), IM talk episode 240

This is a LONG LONG interview, so I decided to try and summarise the main points that Brett makes in this interview. Please remember he is talking from a long course triathlon point of view, in the most part.

Brett Sutton is lead coach with team TBB.

Has coached (amongst others)

Chrissie Wellington

Sarah Linley

Nicola Spirig

Tim Don

INTRODUCTION: Brett Sutton has coached from age of 15. Left and trained horses, returned. Doesn’t have a stopwatch, doesn’t time anyone. What he tries to do is a little bit different. Has done short and long course, worked with Ben bright and Tim Don for a while. Trained Chrissy Wellington and Nicola Spirig.

Brett believes few know how to coach triathlon well, he says triathlon is unique. The way he organises training very similar, it’s how he puts the mix together that is different. Often athletes overtrain in his opinion, and often athletes trained harder when they were doing their own thing before they hooked up with him. E.g. Chrissie – doesn’t run / bike long, its broken up and switched around. He uses 10 day training cycles not 7. What most jam into 7 they spread into 10. He then gives athletes 2 wild card days where they can put their rest in where they want.

How does he organise it? Training camp situation, loose outline, what do they want to achieve, then – refine – how to achieve it.

Brett insists training is consistent and NOT periodised. He says compared to horses, humans tend to tell u lies. E.g. overtrain. He mentioned Loretta Harrop, who was always injured. When she said she has a bit of a niggle, he called the ambulance! Her idea of backing off was only running 80k a week! As a coach, it is his job is to protect. He then mentioned Darren Smith, premier short course coach. Brett says he doesn’t bark orders, he runs around slowing everyone down!

He watched Chrissie race at Roth, saw her last 5k, knew it hurt her lots. He knew that would cost her. She would not be going that fast if he was still her coach. He then mentioned the fact that she was then not at Hawaii. Breaking records just to make people happy, what’s the point? – it will just shorten your career.

Brett does not agree at all with periodisation! He says we are in an aerobic sport. He saya athletes tend to build up long course miles early in season, then they go on to sharpen them up, at which point they all break! Its 3 sports in one, you must train it as a triathlon. They are not separate sports. Everything is done dependent on what will come next training wise. Its different training for triathlon. NO huge amounts of crazy mileage early season. Certain level of volume is established, which is then held through the year. No taper for races, no stop watch.

Cadence: Doesn’t suit the majority. Likens this to running styles, everyone is different in what works best. Chrissie – 76 cadence, Belinda Granger 92. It’s what suits you. He doesn’t change what suits them best. E.g. Chrissie is more efficient in a big gear.’ I don’t train cycling, I train triathlon’ says Brett. The bike set up in a way that will allow them to run at best efficiency. Test at certain cadences, look at athlete physiology. Chrissie, v strong from hips down. Jodie Swallow, always had ability, but people didn’t understand that triathlon is Not swimming biking and running.

You can’t train triathletes like swimmers. It will affect the way they run. Test training theories out on slower athletes first. E.g. 4 anaerobic sessions a week, one in each sport, DOES NOT WORK!

Technique: Brett says ‘I am the technique guru, but I don’t watch all the top runners, and try and make my athletes like that’. One size fits all programme – DOESNT WORK. He got the sack at one stage for that. Everyone needs to be treated like an individual. Janet Evans – greatest ever distance swimmer – swim immersion man will roll in his grave!! She does none of that!! Need incredible endurance but also incredible strength. If you train too much in one area you will suffer in another area. No one teaches athletes how to ‘play defence’ – how to deal with things when the wheels come off.

How do age groupers be successful? Find good advice. No point in mirroring the technique of the pro’s when you can’t go at that pace. In ironman, everyone will collapse; it’s he who collapses least goes fastest. Stand up, nice cadence, don’t be worried about landing on your forefoot. Swim faster by doing more weights, this is rubbish!

Who cares about technique, if your body can’t handle it you will struggle, no matter how good your technique is. 40 x 100’s... 3.8k, so this is what you train. All sets are overdistance, (compared to race distance) and he says he does not care about the speed.

Brett talked about what athletes USUALLY do in the gym: Super compensation power work, 4-8 reps... endurance training... 3 x 25 reps. Seems a little odd he says 3800 arm movements in the race yet you only do 25..?

Most of his athletes have to go slow, teach them how to be efficient running with low HR. 10bmp above your race HR.

When u get off bike at HR140 training at 170 won’t help you.

The presenters thoughts.

He has the results to prove it.

They don’t believe there is only one way

A lot of people do overtrain

Mental aspect is important, team culture, total faith in your coach

My thoughts:

The one thing that I take away from this interview so far, is the message that Brett shouts loud and clear, that triathlon is not swimming, biking and running, it is triathlon. Therefore the whole approach has to be different.

My coach is ALWAYS telling me this, and I don’t think I listen enough. We all worry so much about our data, the splits, how fast do I cycle a TT, how fast do I run a 5k. But if I reflect for a moment, Phil Graves, outstanding cyclist, is yet to find the correct balance to be successful in triathlon. Take Jodie Swallow, I believe that she has always had talent, but look at the AMAZING results Brett has got working with her this year, she’s now 70.3 world champion!

On a more personal note, I have a friend who I have ALWAYS been chasing as far as running is concerned. She has always had the edge on me. In a running race, I have NEVER beaten her. Yet, in a triathlon, she has never beaten me.

It’s not swimming, cycling and running, its triathlon, and that’s UNIQUE.

you can listen to IM talk podcasts here http://www.imtalk.me/home/author/imtalkpodcast

Opticians helps athlete with sight on success

AN OPTICIANS in Wellingborough is sponsoring local triathlete Melanie Ryding as she represents Great Britain at international level.

Specsavers in Swansgate Shopping Centre, Wellingborough is making sure Mrs Ryding has her eyes firmly fixed on the sporting challenges ahead by supplying her with free contact lenses and glasses for the next two years.

After being inspired to take up the triathlon challenge in 2006, Melanie progressed from novice level to representing her country in little more than two years – only learning to swim front crawl a mere 18 months before gaining her first GB qualification. Since then, she has represented team GB at championships at a European and International level in Australia, Budapest and Athlone, and will go on to represent GB in Spain next year.

Peter Cunningham, store director at Specsavers in Wellingborough, says: ‘Melanie’s success is so inspiring and shows what can be achieved through hard work and determination. We’re really pleased to be sponsoring her and hopefully helping her to stay ‘focused’ on future successes!’

Mrs Ryding says: ‘I’m absolutely thrilled with this kind donation from Specsavers and I’d like to thank them for their generosity. I’m entirely self-funded so to be sponsored by the store is a massive help and a huge weight off my mind.

‘I’ve worn glasses for the past six years, but obviously they’re not very practical when taking part in a triathlon! The store has been great in helping me find the right contact lenses, especially as many others I have tried tend to dry out before I reach the finish line. My new lenses are perfect and I simply couldn’t race without them.’

For more information or to book an eye examination, please visit Specsavers at 26 Spring Lane, Swansgate Shopping Centre, Wellingborough, NN8 1EY, call 01933 228600 or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/wellingborough

Even I am not invincible!

I learned a few valuable things this week. It’s been a tough tough week, both work, training, and socially. I also have had my boiler break down – big financial stress, throughout this week I have come to learn a few things (through reflection, at the time I was NOT seeing it this way!)

1.      If I do not manage the sessions prescribed, coach will NOT kill me, it will not kill me. Listen to your body. On Friday I was absolutely exhausted. I felt like cr@p because I did not do the run that I was meant to do. Hubby reminded me this is NOT my occupation, it’s a hobby. Sometimes @nuuutymel can be just a little bit too nutty! I think I need to get a grip, and get things back in perspective. It was only 1 hour. The last time I failed to complete a prescribed session was September 15^th (and only then because I was just back from the Worlds! The time before that that I missed a session was 24 July!)

2.      In times of stress, 3-2-1 or not, I must NOT eat cr@p! Don’t buy any, therefore the craving does not get satisfied, and you don’t finish up feeling guilty!

3.      I CAN manage without visiting the scales all the time! Hubby didn’t believe me that I wouldn’t get obsessive when I asked for digital scales for Christmas. I haven’t been to weightwatchers since they launched pro points. I stepped on a scale in the gym the other day. Nothing to fear. Believe in yourself. Believe in how you feel, how the clothes fit. Numbers don’t matter. Lifestyle matters more.

4.      3-2-1 is STILL working! I have not given weight loss a thought at all. I am, however well into the habit of training after meals. It now seems normal. As does the 3-2-1 portion sizes. I don’t have to obsess about counting calories, points, or any other thing. Weight loss and 3-2-1 go hand in hand now. And I still have the strength to train, and can have the odd slip up without it causing mayhem in the scales department!

5.      There is a life outside triathlon! Sometimes I get all consumed by training, always wanting to do better, train better, but I discovered (because I was forced this week!) that non triathlon socialising IS ok!! I am not a full time athlete, and I must remember that! When training encroaches on your social life, it’s time to back off a bit.

The philosophy behind Strength and conditioning

This is based on a seminar I attended recently by David Sutton, UKSCA Accredited Strength Conditioning Coach and Sport Science consultant. This is my interpretation on the information I received. It’s certainly worth a read, I was surprised how interesting and engaging he was. He backed up all this theory with scientific research and practical demonstration. It’s kind of hard to get it all in, so I will summarise.

He started by explaining exactly how difficult it is to be an accredited strength and conditioning coach. He very cleverly applied all the theory across all sports, focussing particularly on triathlon.

Strength;

Is key, however research shows that there is no point at all in lifting weights for 12 or more reps. There is much more to be gained by way of performance by limiting reps and loading up the weight. His presentation quotes research papers to support this theory.

·        1-6 reps – 3-8 sets, (recovery 2-6 mins) effect is max strength.

·        8-12 reps, 2-4 sets, (recovery 30-90 secs)  effect is strength, hypertrophy, metabolic changes

·        12-15 reps, 1-3 sets, 9recovery 60 secs) effect – muscular endurance.

Therefore, heavier weights result in less reps, more strength, less fatigue, less time spent.

Running: Research states that runners who performed 3-5 reps of heavy weight significantly improved speed and V02. Resistance and endurance training in this way = significantly reduced 5k run time.

Cycling: effect of heavy strength work on thigh muscle size – similar Vo2 max improvements, 21% improvement on leg strength, no change in body weight, increased power output. 1 session of 2 x 6 heavy weights resulted in 14% performance gains in only 13 weeks.

Swimming: research shows that ankle flexibility significantly increases kick capability

Ankle flexion test was demonstrated - good flexion measured by how well you can bend your knee forward of your toe, while keeping your heel down on the floor. This was measured against at chair.

Drop in muscle mass = over training. It means you have a lack of calorie intake and a lack of recovery.

Loss of power = over training. (Strength – slower controlled load, power is more rapid a movement)

Transferrable exercises:

Transfer them all into a useful movement!! (add heavy load once the technique has been mastered)

Squats holding a pole above your head, strengthens core, and is directly transferrable into swim posture. I already did this exercise, however I didn’t know that it also had a core conditioning benefit also, but if you think about it logically, of course it would have, you are not using a machine to aid you!

Deadlift / squat – better core strength because it is the whole body approach

Straight arm pull down – relates directly to a swim movement

Split squat – make sure both feet are truly parallel and you are straight aligned throughout your body

Jump, hop and stick – on one leg – and hold. This is harder thatn you think without developing a wobble!

Single leg squats – we run one leg at a time!! – enhance ham string engagement by raising toes.

Seated row – you use arms in this action for running !!

Squats (incl triple extension, Olympic lifts)

Vertical and horizontal push / pull

Isometric stabalising – still important in cycling when you are aero for example!

Note: ageing results in muscle loss. There is no preventing it, all you can do is strengthen up so your high point before the drop off in your 40’s plus will be higher than your average peer. Nutrition is key, and so is rest.

Core strength myth:

We should not train muscles in isolation, and that goes for core training too. We use muscles dynamically in a whole body movement, so that is how we should train them.

Core x  Stability√

Power all comes from the hip; this is the best way for max power. Any other technique results in compensation and therefore loss of performance.

Core strength training should be done on stable ground; there will be no loss of performance. It should also encompass the whole body approach. Isolating muscles will not help and in fact may result in loss of performance.

I was told that 1 min plus timed planks were pointless. He made me do 6 x 10 sec side planks, the rest gap was merely touch the hip down between sets very briefly. He also added load weight.

To see the full presentation powerpoint too, go here:
http://www.melanieryding.co.uk/#/strength-and-conditioning/4546299698 

My thoughts:

·        I have recently moved away from machines in favour of free weights. I do a lot of the exercises he listed, however not for core strength. I did not realise that they had so many other benefits!

·        I have heard more than one source say that runners need a strong engine and that means heavy weights. I was always a bit wary. I am in the 10-12 reps area currently, but UK athletics tell their coaches in training that runners need to be lifting very heavy weights.  Wasn’t sure when I first read that. I have already seen performance gains from adding strength work. I guess this is logical... stronger engine = faster car? What I didn’t know is that to get truly great improvements I need to jack on EVEN more weight and cut the reps! Sounds good to me, might get less bored!

·        Stability theory also makes sense. I found out the importance of stability when I tore a cruciate ligament!

·        There is some good research to prove the points here. I will definitely be trying the lower reps very heavy weight approach. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain as far as I can see!

·        I never used machines to isolate muscles anyway, so I am glad I was right on that one!!