TRAINING PRIORITIES MADE SIMPLE

Even seasoned athletes can be overwhelmed by the vast sea of training theories, scientific data, coaching programs, innovative approaches, latest skills drills and cutting edge training tools.  In his program “ChiRunning”, Danny Dreyer presents a training pyramid that helps us to navigate that vast sea.  At the base is FORM, above it is DISTANCE, and at the pinnacle is SPEED.  In any endurance sport, developing efficient, graceful form is paramount to building distance, and both are essential for developing speed.  If we skip form to pursue distance, or skip them both to pursue speed, we will end up injured.

Most of us focus our athletic training in preparation for goal race performances.  The word “performance” is a combination of “perfection” and “form”.  Typically, our goal in racing is to endure a longer distance or improve our speed.  Developing efficient and graceful form in swimming, biking and running is the best way to improve triathlon performance, be it endurance, speed or both. 

In many of my writings, I emphasize Phil Maffetone’s tenet:  As athletes, we train three systems: muscular, metabolic and neurological.  Since they are inextricably connected, when we train one system, we train all three.  For example, strength training is not just muscular.  Appropriate strength training, that addresses sport-specific requirements, trains the metabolic and neurologic as well.  We build mitochondrial and capillary density in the muscle fibers, a metabolic improvement.  We increase our muscle fiber recruitment capacity, and we learn balance and stabilization through multi-planar exercises that include an element of instability.  Both of these improvements are based on neurological education and development.

Now, here’s the significant part of Maffetone’s tenet:  The neuro-system responds and improves the most to training and recovers the fastest, while the muscular responds and improves the least and is slowest to recover.  This tenet fits in perfectly with Danny’s training pyramid, emphasizing form.  Developing efficient and graceful form is predominantly neuro training.  Developing endurance is predominantly metabolic training.  Developing speed is predominantly muscular training.

A sound training program with an emphasis on form and neuro training applies to athletes of all abilities and ages, whether we are training for sprint or iron distance.  Breaking the tape first in a sprint race requires the ability to maintain efficient and graceful form at a high level of intensity.  Covering the 140.6 miles to cross the finish line of an Ironman requires the endurance to maintain efficient and graceful form for the duration.  Neurological strength and intelligence are the priority.

How do we apply this to our swim, bike and run training programs? It is appropriate that triathlons begin with swimming.  Of the three sports, the rewards of exceptional form and technique are greatest in swimming.  Biceps the size of tree trunks mean nothing in the water.  Great swimming performance starts with a “less is more” approach. 

Time to Get Wet:  What constitutes good swim form and technique?  First and foremost is hydrodynamic body alignment and position, followed by effective stroke mechanics that do not compromise the hydrodynamics.  Swim drills should focus on these two elements.  (Many kick drills are detrimental to hydrodynamics, so practice only those that also train correct body position, such as side-kicks.) 

What is true for swimming is also true for cycling and running: Graceful efficient form is comprised of body alignment/position and stroke/stride mechanics.  In all three sports, we strive to integrate these two elements.  Core strength is absolutely essential for this.

Saddle Up:  Perfect form on the bike begins with a good bike fit.  This assures the possibility for proper body positioning and alignment.  Let’s assume you are well matched to your bike.  That perfect match-up becomes a happy and functional marriage with good communication skills – in this case, an articulate vocabulary of body positions on the bike.  Just as you consciously and deliberately change gears in response to the terrain and wind conditions as you ride, so you must consciously and deliberately change riding positions.  In developing effective body positions, pelvic tilt will determine how well you engage your core muscles and glutes to deliver power to the pedals.  (For a detailed discussion of bike positioning, see my article “The Set-up”, Feb ’07 issue of Triathlete Magazine, or visit www.zendurance.net and click on “Essays”.)  As with swimming, we develop efficient stroke mechanics (in this case pedal strokes) through skills drills (single leg circles for example).  As a basis for pedal mechanics, be very attentive to the alignment of your hips, knees, ankles and feet.  This assures efficient transfer of power from the core to the pedals. 

Touch Down:  Once your feet touch the ground at T-2, you return to gravity.  The basis for ChiRunning is to lean forward and use the pull of gravity to move you forward as you run.  You must, once again, establish and maintain proper body position.  This includes an elongated spine and neutral pelvis, engaging the core muscles.  As with swimming and biking, practice skills drills regularly to develop and improve both body position and stride mechanics.  (See Joe Friel’s “Triathletes’ Training Bible” and Danny Dreyer’s “ChiRunning” for drills.)

Summary:  In all three sports, efficient and graceful form begins with body alignment and position.  Functional, articulate core strength is the most essential requisite for this, creating a stable “platform” from which to move the arms and legs in biomechanically efficient strokes and strides.

Basic Interval Guidelines:  Interval training in all three sports challenges our ability to maintain excellent form.  The purpose of short speed intervals is to maintain excellent form at progressively higher intensity levels.  Longer, less intense endurance intervals challenge our ability to maintain excellent form at a sustainable intensity for progressively longer durations.  Duration and intensity for all interval sets are determined by your ability to produce excellent form.  Recovery duration between intervals must be adequate so you can perform the next interval without compromising form.

If you focus primarily on form during your interval sessions, you will train your metabolic and muscular systems at appropriate levels.  You will enjoy the added benefit of enhanced mechanical efficiency and kinetic grace as well.  Keep in mind that interval duration and intensity can be orchestrated through periodization training so that you can reliably peak for that goal race performance.

Age and Experience:  Regardless of age or experience, the tireless pursuit of graceful, efficient form yields the greatest rewards.  We go farther and faster with less energy and less injury – and we look good doing it!  With patience as well as sound, consistent training we develop the metabolic capacity to endure our chosen distance.  Generally as athletes age, the body is better able to maintain metabolic capacity, but less able to maintain speed.  Unless we elect to extend the distance of our races, our final pursuit is graceful, efficient speed.  Ah, the joys of aging!

Life Lesson:  Danny’s form-distance-speed pyramid applies to life as well.  Form represents our health – mentally and emotionally, as well as physically.  It includes our attitude and our approach to life as well.  Distance represents our longevity and our ability to age gracefully.  Speed represents our intensity, our level of engagement in life.  Health is essential for longevity and intensity.

Golden Compass:  It’s easy to get disoriented by the complexities of training and racing.  An adamant and joyful focus on the perfection of form at all durations and intensities will provide orientation through the dense jungle and across the vast sea.  Be it swim, bike, run or strength training, be it long or short, hard or easy, breakthrough or recovery, every session is a performance, a quest for the perfect form.  This is truly the pursuit of excellence.