About The Off-Season
On October 19, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
As triathletes and runners, do we have such a thing as an “off-season”? We may look forward to less training, in volume and intensity, but can we afford to take “any” time off?
For me the answer is no. Not that I can’t afford to take the time off because I sure I could, but I don’t really want to sit around and do nothing. After I finished Ironman Louisville I took what seemed to be just a few days off. Mostly to rest my mind and refuel my spirit, to ponder and enjoy the immensity of what I had just gone through. Yes, they were tired.
When the time came to get back to training I asked my coach to train me to run a sub 2 hour half marathon. For those of you wondering what the big deal is… well, for me it’s huge in two ways. One, I have never trained or raced for time. It has always been to “finish” doing the very best I could. And second I ran a 1:57:something three years ago and have not come close since.
I have three half marathons on my schedule already, but I have given up the idea of a sub 2 hr for a couple of reasons. One… my heels are killing me. This is the first time ever I have to deal with pain, not discomfort but pure, intense pain. Self diagnosis: Plantar Fascitis. I have a doctors appointment but… Read the rest
On July 15, 2011,
in Yesterday’s swim included a 10 x 50y set on 50 second intervals. I had never been asked to do that and I knew it would be tough. I was nervous and thinking maybe my coach had confused me with someone else. But I realized he wouldn’t have included it if he didn’t believe I could do it. He believed I COULD do it.
And I did it! On the last few I barely had time to press “lap” on the watch and head off again, but I kept coming back to the fact that he believed I could do it.
Maybe it’s seen as a shortcoming that I don’t have all that “belief” in myself. Or maybe it shows courage to use someone else’s belief in me to bolster my own.
This morning I worked out with Kurt and hit chest and arms and it’s the same thing with him. He challenges me with things I sometimes shake my head at. Today’s 40 lb incline dumbbell press might fall in that category, but I figured if he thought I could do it, I must be able to, and I did 
It’s important to believe in others too as I’ve witnessed how that tiny seed can grow into tremendous things! It may only take a few words.
I look for opportunities to tell others I believe in them. Sometimes it just takes suggesting a 5K race (or marathon) to light a fire in a person! So many people sell… Read the rest
Kurt introduced me to the power clean and push press a few weeks ago. It requires explosive strength and coordination…not my strongest suits. It’s a useful compound movement involving lots of muscle groups and core strength.
Explosive power is useful for a triathlete – think climbs and surges. My first attempts at the power clean and push press were pretty sketchy. I do like a challenge though (translation: I don’t like being bad at something!) so today I took some video to try to figure this out.
There’s still not enough trap involvement and it’s coming too far in front of my face on the press part. I remember being told to tuck my chin. I could drop lower too. It will take practice-practice-practice and not overthinking it. (I remind myself of Gumby in this)
I believe this is what it’s supposed to look like (I’m not sure why the guy is in khaki shorts with a belt….but anyway)
It was a solid back/shoulder workout. I left the gym a sweaty mess, which is a pretty good indicator
- Kettlebell Swings (3 x 30 x 35 lbs)
- Barbell power clean and push press (45 – 65 lbs)
- Wide grip pullups (8, 7, 6)
- Hammer Strength shoulder press (20 – 35 lb/side)
- Seated T-bar row (45-55 lbs/side)
- Seated cable rear delts (60 lbs)
- Supinated grip pulldown (90 – 120 lbs)
- Triset of Dumbbell Lateral raise / Front Raise / Row
JUST RELEASED: Kurt has a series of nutrition and meal planning videos on
With limited time for strength workouts during race season, compound movements such as squats and deadlifts are a cornerstone of my re-tooled strength training program. Kurt’s suggested approach, which makes sense, is that I can hit a lot of muscle groups at once making these types of exercises efficient and effective.
I’ve just started adding squats back into my routine. Squats primarily hit quads, hams, glutes, back, and abs but lower legs, shoulders, and arms also factor in. I am rusty and have some chronic bad habits to address. I’ve always had a tendency to fold a bit at the bottom of my squat, I think in part because of my individual biomechanics, but certainly there are things I can do with bar placement and stance to help.
I wanted to see how I was doing on form so I shot some video. (I also need to shoot from the back to look for L-R imbalances.) I was curious if I was hitting anywhere near a competition-legal depth, in which the “top surface of the leg at the hip joint must descend until it is below the top of the knees” (USA Powerlifting) Even though I’m not competing in powerlifting at the moment, I still want a legit squat, and won’t settle for sloppy form on any exercise in the gym. (Neither will Kurt, so it’s really not an option!) Video confirms that the upper… Read the rest
It’s vitally important for kids to find their athletic niche, the thing that really excites them, and for Spencer, it’s clearly things that require power and strength. When he did the track league last year, he was drawn to the shot put. On the summer river camping trips, he most looks forward to hauling huge rocks to build a dam. It’s not to say we don’t encourage the cardio end of things (swim team, CrossFit, and maybe someday triathlon), but without a hook, kids will never be excited to move their bodies and test their limits. Not every kid is destined for soccer or baseball. Spencer has always loved the gym!
Our summer schedule doesn’t work with CrossFit so this summer I want to take Spencer to the gym myself. We went yesterday while Grant had Karate and worked a little on deadlift form since that exercise is a staple when he returns to CrossFit. We hit some box jumps, roman chair, bench dips, jacknives, and other primarily bodyweight type moves. And in case you buy into the myth that kids should never set foot into the gym or lift anything heavier than a pencil, read this. And think about all the big heavy stuff you probably lugged around playing outside as a kid!!
Spencer when he was 9….he’s always been drawn to feats of strength!
Spencer comes by it all honestly, it’s probably in his genes. I spent several years in my early 20′s as a competitive powerlifter,… Read the rest
Now that I’m writing 2/3 of my own gym workouts I have no one to blame but myself when they end up being a bit much. I should have adjusted this morning’s leg workout knowing I did a back and shoulder workout with Kurt just last night (single arm clean + press, close grip pulldown with PR @ 140 lbs, pronated grip cable row, cable rope rear delts, DB lateral raises with triple drop, oblique leg raises, superset of upright row and bent over row). Plus I swam and ran yesterday morning. Yup, he warned me that my training plan was a bit “ambitious” this week.
This morning’s 36-set leg workout took me 90+ minutes. I admit, a bit of extra talking might have been an issue
Squats with medicine ball vertical wall toss: 3 sets x 15 reps @ 12 lb MB
Sumo deadlifts: 20 @ 90 lbs, 15 @ 135 lbs, 10 @ 165 lbs, 8 @ 185 lbs, 5 @ 205 lbs, 5 @ 225 lbs, 12 @ 185 lbs
Bear Squat
Bear Squats: 20 @ 110 lbs, 20 @ 140 lbs, 20 @ 170 lbs, 12/12/12 @ 190, 140, 90 lbs (double drop)
Jacknives with hands on Bosu, feet on stability ball: 3 sets x 20 reps
Bicycles on Bosu: 3 sets x 20
Lunges: 4 sets x 40 steps @ 50… Read the rest
Now that I’m writing 2/3 of my own gym workouts I have no one to blame but myself when they end up being a bit much. I should have adjusted this morning’s leg workout knowing I did a back and shoulder workout with Kurt just last night (single arm clean + press, close grip pulldown with PR @ 140 lbs, pronated grip cable row, cable rope rear delts, DB lateral raises with triple drop, oblique leg raises, superset of upright row and bent over row). Plus I swam and ran yesterday morning. Yup, he warned me that my training plan was a bit “ambitious” this week.
This morning’s 36-set leg workout took me 90+ minutes. I admit, a bit of extra talking might have been an issue
Squats with medicine ball vertical wall toss: 3 sets x 15 reps @ 12 lb MB
Sumo deadlifts: 20 @ 90 lbs, 15 @ 135 lbs, 10 @ 165 lbs, 8 @ 185 lbs, 5 @ 205 lbs, 5 @ 225 lbs, 12 @ 185 lbs
Bear Squat
Bear Squats: 20 @ 110 lbs, 20 @ 140 lbs, 20 @ 170 lbs, 12/12/12 @ 190, 140, 90 lbs (double drop)
Jacknives with hands on Bosu, feet on stability ball: 3 sets x 20 reps
Bicycles on Bosu: 3 sets x 20
Lunges: 4 sets x 40 steps @ 50… Read the rest
I started to write a training update and it bored even me. So here it is in random stream-of-consciousness style. I was shooting for ten, but it got way too long, and you know…boring.
1. I miss the 4 swims a week I did during my winter swim block/injury timeout but there are only so many days in the week and hours in the day. I’m down to 2 or maybe 3 swims a week and it feels like an eternity between. Our outdoor pool opens in 2 weeks and I’ll go on summer work schedule so the frequency will go back up. PLUS, just today I just got the waterproof iPod shuffle from H20 Friendly!!! Just waiting on the waterproof earbuds to come and I’ll be back to groovin’ in the pool. My old waterproof system finally gave out so I’ve been tuneless for a while.
2. Gone are the days when I can ignore (nearly) every pain and strain. Given my ridiculous injury history, and my over-40-ness, anything from the knees down gets TWO red flags. Thanks to my triathlete/physical therapist friend TJ for seeing me today and reassuring me that I can work through my most current nagging issue. (Bummed to find out my orthopedic doc is moving out of state….Now I’ll have to stay healthy!)
I started to write a training update and it bored even me. So here it is in random stream-of-consciousness style. I was shooting for ten, but it got way too long, and you know…boring.
1. I miss the 4 swims a week I did during my winter swim block/injury timeout but there are only so many days in the week and hours in the day. I’m down to 2 or maybe 3 swims a week and it feels like an eternity between. Our outdoor pool opens in 2 weeks and I’ll go on summer work schedule so the frequency will go back up. PLUS, just today I just got the waterproof iPod shuffle from H20 Friendly!!! Just waiting on the waterproof earbuds to come and I’ll be back to groovin’ in the pool. My old waterproof system finally gave out so I’ve been tuneless for a while.
2. Gone are the days when I can ignore (nearly) every pain and strain. Given my ridiculous injury history, and my over-40-ness, anything from the knees down gets TWO red flags. Thanks to my triathlete/physical therapist friend TJ for seeing me today and reassuring me that I can work through my most current nagging issue. (Bummed to find out my orthopedic doc is moving out of state….Now I’ll have to stay healthy!)
On April 6, 2011,
in 
Functional fitness is all the craze lately, but rightly so as it is highly beneficial for triathletes and a necessity in the off season. Strength training is an important part of triathlon training for many reasons, as previously described in Intro to Strength Training for Triathletes, but it is the type of strength training that matters and can lead to the most gains. Functional Fitness/Strength training is ideal for the triathlete looking to maximize their time spent in the gym, and what triathlete isn’t looking to do that? Within each workout the athlete’s goal, strategy and results are the primary focus of each single exercise and movement applied to the body.
By definition Functional Fitness/Strength Training is the ability to utilize your own body weight resistance to carry out an action, while adding balance and multi-joint movement variables as you progress. A simplified single movement on a flat, stable surface doesn’t translate into a triathlete’s training and racing lifestyle where they are in constant movement through various mediums such as water or air. Triathletes see much bigger benefits when strength training in a way that is consistent with racing (i.e. by incorporating movement), as opposed to traditional uni-directional weight lifting.
Traditional strength exercises include push ups, squats, lunges, etc. – moves we are all familiar with in the weight room. A Functional Fitness/Strength Program adds balance or movement challenges to these traditional moves to increases the difficulty and create a constantly changing state in which the athlete is… Read the rest
