BPC's Blog

Pace Pace Pace

Ali Winslow - Monday, December 07, 2009

Pace was the name of the game this morning at our swim workout. So far the base period swim classes have been focused mainly on technique, about 95% drill work and 5% pace/effort work. This has been good for the BPC athletes, as no one likes to do drills for an hour, no one likes to focus on their weakness, ESPECIALLY in the pool. However, as we are nearing the end of our base period, today I wanted to give the athletes a little taste of the type of workouts we will be doing in the winter, as well as get them to really work with the pace clock. So the basic premise of the main set was a bunch of different 50yd efforts on 20sec rest. This was after about 1500yds of technique work, so they had to focus on incorporating technique along with their speed. What is really interesting is that athletes will work on technique and then usually it all falls apart when you ask them to do speedwork. However, I was really pleased and surprised with the result of todays workout- most, if not all, the athletes were able to do their flip turns as well as maintain consistent form with their intervals.

However, the most interesting part of the workout was the concept of pacing. Because we haven't spent any time on pacework, the athletes were able to put forth good hard efforts for the first few 50's and then their times crept up, even though their effort remained hard. I discussed this with a few athletes during the workout and they expressed frustration that they had no idea how to pace themselves in the pool.

Which brings me to my next point- pacing in the water. It's just like pacing on a track. However, for some reason so many athletes have no idea how to pace themselves in the pool. So their 50yd sprint effort is identical to their 100yd effort and so on. What is pretty interesting is that from "Go" the athletes were able to sprint out hard for about 15-20 yds and then they got slower through each 50. The key is to do intervals in the pool, just like you would for running (on a track) or riding. You have to work on going hard when you are supposed to and easy when you aren't. By breaking down your swimming intervals into 25's or 50's, you can really start to learn how to go fast, so that over time you will build speed for the longer swims. It's all practice. And most importantly? You have to get in...

Till next time...

Ali

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Cycling indoors 101

Ali Winslow - Thursday, December 03, 2009

I laugh when I think about class on Wednesday morning this week. It's 5:55am, there are a few quiet athletes roaming around Landry's and I am running around frantically getting everything set up so that we can start promptly at 6am.

At 5:58am the few stragglers turn into 14 aspiring and motivated athletes. The quiet morning is now churning with loud college music (thanks Borges), my "loud" voice talking through the workout and 14 pairs of eyes trying to stay open and focused on the tiny print that is the workout of the week.

Brr...it's barely 30 degrees out, it's nice and warm in our beds at this lovely hour, so why do we get up, especially in the "off" season and subject ourselves to tortuous workouts, with someone telling us what to do, and try to focus on our "goals?"

Well- I will tell you why. Because at the end of the day, at the end of each workout, you can check it off your list. We are multisport athletes, cyclists, runners and swimmers- we are super Type A, super motivated and always have to have something to focus on. Why do we do these group workouts? Because they are motivating, but most importantly they are specific coached workouts, each with a purpose and that purpose keeps us on task.

So, if you are feeling a bit lackluster right now in your training, if you are wondering why are you doing this? Come on out on a Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning to cycling class and see what the fuss is all about. If you dare....

Ali

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Cycling indoors 101

Ali Winslow - Thursday, December 03, 2009

I laugh when I think about class on Wednesday morning this week. It's 5:55am, there are a few quiet athletes roaming around Landry's and I am running around frantically getting everything set up so that we can start promptly at 6am.

At 5:58am the few stragglers turn into 14 aspiring and motivated athletes. The quiet morning is now churning with loud college music (thanks Borges), my "loud" voice talking through the workout and 14 pairs of eyes trying to stay open and focused on the tiny print that is the workout of the week.

Brr...it's barely 30 degrees out, it's nice and warm in our beds at this lovely hour, so why do we get up, especially in the "off" season and subject ourselves to tortuous workouts, with someone telling us what to do, and try to focus on our "goals?"

Well- I will tell you why. Because at the end of the day, at the end of each workout, you can check it off your list. We are multisport athletes, cyclists, runners and swimmers- we are super Type A, super motivated and always have to have something to focus on. Why do we do these group workouts? Because they are motivating, but most importantly they are specific coached workouts, each with a purpose and that purpose keeps us on task.

So, if you are feeling a bit lackluster right now in your training, if you are wondering why are you doing this? Come on out on a Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning to cycling class and see what the fuss is all about. If you dare....

Ali

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Fitness in the Fall

Ali Winslow - Monday, November 30, 2009

At this time of year athletes begin to think about anything other than their training. It's a nebulous time for us in New England, as the fall racing season is ending, and most people have not put together their next racing season. It's a great time to focus on your weaker sports as well as spending time doing other sports or activities of interest. If you read my article on limiters from the October newsletter, you are aware that every athlete needs to work on one sport at a time, that's it's very difficult to be good or to improve at all 3 sports at the same time.

However, watching the athletes swim this morning at the BPC Swim Class, I am truly impressed by the improvement in speed, technique and confidence of these participants. The biggest comment I have heard from participants is the change they feel by learning about breathing, using the wall and the fluidity of the flip turns. So many times athletes will complain about the swim, but I feel that it's really a fear. Why not learn how to flip turn and learn how to swim like a swimmer? That's how we improve-breaking out of the comfort zone and continually challenging ourselves. We have 2 more weeks of swim classes, and I look forward to seeing the weekly improvement and confidence from these athletes.

Cycling Classes have been great fun for us this fall. Instead of really killing folks with high intensity intervals, Vic and I have really broken down the skills for cycling and the classes are really focused on drills. Again, like the swim class, these athletes are truly learning how to improve their cycling technique. In the winter classes we will move away from the technique work and focus on a curriculum of VO2 work, LT intervals and strength work. I have taught indoor cycling classes for over 8 years now, and I feel really confident that this year the participants will reap the benefits of the fall classes and transition very well into the demands of the build phase.

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Cycling Efficiency: Single Leg Drill

Vic Brown - Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Our fall base period group training cycling class has been aimed at improving endurance, strength, and efficiency. Isolated leg training using single leg drills have been a staple in our programming. Elite Level USA Cycling Coach Thomas Chapple who has worked with Joe Friel's UltraFit.com discusses single leg pedaling. To perform the single leg drill, unclip one leg and pedal with the other leg only keeping the cadence between 60 and 70 rpm. We begin with work intervals of 30 seconds per leg and building to 1 minute of work. The goal of this drill is to teach your legs to make smooth full circles, eliminating the dead spots by concentrating on both the pull through the bottom of the stroke and the lift back over top. If you are working with a power meter, make sure power output is evenly balanced between both the left and right legs.
-Coach Vic Brown

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Review of Week #5

Ali Winslow - Friday, November 20, 2009

Review of Week #5

by Ali Winslow

Week 5 started with a bang on Monday morning at 6:30am. BPC athletes started in the pool, began their workouts and one at a time moved to a separate lane to learn how to flip turn. Remarkably, I didn't get any resistance from any athletes. No one told me that they didn't have to learn a flip turn or didn't need to learn how to do a flip turn. I couldn't believe it. Last year when I instructed all my privately coached athletes to learn how to flip turn, I was met with so much resistance. Hmm, are these athletes realizing the importance of learning this technique? Perhaps it was because I did warn them the week before. Flip turns are so important to learn. For 1 thing, once an athlete masters this simple technique, their swim times will automatically decrease-isn't that nice? The second point (and 3rd, 4th...) is that we are swimmers now, shouldn't we swim like swimmers? That means learning lane etiquette, learning to flip turn, perfecting balance and increasing lung volume. I don't think people realize how much extra breathe and wall time they get with open turns (regardless of how fast they are). If you aren't convinced, come try our workouts, learn how to flip turn. I am happy to say that after 1 hour of swim practice all 17 athletes were able to flip at each 50. We will continue to focus on learning this technique. 4 more weeks to go!

The cycling class saw their first VO2 intervals in the workouts this week. I am sure that came as a surprise, especially since we are in the base period of our sessions. However, even during the base period it is a good idea to pepper in a small amount of intensity, with plenty of recovery. Athletes like to think that this is the time to do only low intensity work, however, at the same time, you lose it if you don't use it. Most of the participants came into class with a fairly solid base in cycling or fitness. We are looking to maintain that fitness while focusing on technique and form at the same time.

The strength class continues to improve each week. The workouts are increasing in intensity and will continue to focus on building overall body conditioning. The biggest weakness in a triathlete is their strength. I hear from athletes that they are doing "strength" work while on the bike or out on a run or in the pool with paddles. However, there's NO substitute for purely picking up heavy items, moving them and putting them back down. Strength work increases not only your muscle strength, but also the integrity of your tendons and ligaments. I don't think athletes are aware that with every foot fall in running they are placing 2x times their body weight on one leg, the joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles all work together to support. Coach Vic has written several articles (check them out on the website) about how strength work has improved his athletes speed and power. Take a look and come try out a class!

Overall, our coached athletes are following their programs, and enjoying this base period. 3 more weeks to go in the base period, then a few short weeks off for a mental and physical break before the build period begins!

Ali

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

What Keeps You Motivated?

Vic Brown - Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Days are getting shorter. The sun is rising later and setting earlier. For many of us with full time jobs, this time of year begins to get challenging during the weekdays to get outdoors during the daylight to ride. Our base training cycling period just finished up it's 5th week of training today. Each Wednesday morning, we begin each session on our trainers looking out onto Comm Ave into the Boston darkness ((...we get to see the sunrise as well!)) But as I was leading this morning spin, I was looking around the room and began to think about what motivates each athlete to get up in the morning and carry on when the conditions are not ideal this time of year ((and they will only get worse...)). One of the reasons why BPC developed group training is because we feel athletes thrive in group settings. Think about the reasons why joined a sports team growing up or a triathlon club now. Chances are some part of the reasons are for commradarie and finding other people to train with. Upcoming races are always a motivating factor - because we all want to be fit to race. But we use each other to lean on - friends, a significant other, other athletes there training in general. We are all going through something together and having similar experiences. We all get up to the crackle of the alarm, start before the sun rises, do the workout together - there is something to be said for this. I think it builds a bond of sorts. And this puts people in position to succeed. The first time I took an indoor cycling class a couple years ago, it was to keep me honest. It was a self check to make sure that I did the intensity that I needed on the bike. I knew that if I signed up for a class, I would: (1) always show up, and (2) always put out a high effort. At that point in my training, I was OK with one class per week because the training plan I put together for myself called for one intense bike session per week. Three weeks of base work left. Keep getting it done BPCers! You keep me motivated!
- Coach Vic Brown

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Weekly Review, Base Period Week #4

Ali Winslow - Thursday, November 12, 2009

We are now right in the middle of our base period and I really see some major improvements from the athletes in all our classes. I know the base period is a difficult time to commit to classes and many athletes think they don't need to do it right now. However, it's been my experience both as an athlete and a coach that year round training is necessary not only to stay motivated and focused, but also to give your body a true period of time to experience "base", "build" and "preseason" and "inseason." Athletes love to train in their comfort zone, which is usually not too hard and not too easy. Well, you will never improve if you always train the same way. This is why we have "practice." The best athletes in the world will tell you that the most important time is the off season. Your body gets a chance to recover from the hard intensity and volume, but most importantly your mind gets to recover as well.

1. Swim- in the pool right now we are focusing ONLY on drill work. It may seem tedious, but this is why our athletes come to swim practice. They get to train with other athletes of equal ability, but they also get a chance to work on their weak aspects of the sport without the fear of competition. This week we really focused on breathing and the proper way to breathe underwater. Have you tried to work on breathing out your nose and emptying your lungs while you swim? Try it next time you are in the pool. Next week, we will begin to teach flip turns-breathing properly will be crucial!

2. Bike Classes- this was definitely a week of stepping it up. The challenge in class this week was the focus of cadence, pedaling efficiency and strength. I taught the morning class (which was a great group!) and we really focused hard on staying below the hard efforts on the heart rate zones, and instead played with different cadence drills, spin ups, and most importantly, muscle tension drills. In the past 4 weeks these athletes have learned a new way to pedal and we look forward to 4 more weeks of technique work!

3. Strength Class- the athletes really are learning about core conditioning, overall strength and endurance. Coach Vic has written a well rounded program to touch on all the tight areas, weak areas and help athletes learn more about how to strength train.

4. Run Class- Coach Vic is working closely with the small group of athletes on form, body positioning and pace. It is difficult to force yourself to truly work on technique when you run alone. Vic spends time with each athlete watching them run and guiding them towards better running efficiency.

In all, the first 4 weeks have been really fun and a test of patience, endurance, overall strength and technique. The next 4 weeks of base will continue to build upon what we have done thus far and start to truly challenge the athletes!

Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Cycling - Prep Now to Go Fast Later

Vic Brown - Wednesday, November 11, 2009

You'll hear me talk a lot this time of year about getting "stronger." Sometimes I'll hear clients talk amongst themselves or as a coach they come to me for guidance expressing concerns about their race plans, "I want to do ((insert race here)), but I need to get stronger on the bike." Sounds simple enough. What exactly does that mean? Bottom line is that they want to see improved times on the bike. This time of year, base training, their are 3 goals - Improve endurance, efficiency, and strength. The first 4 weeks of our base training cycling classes have been aimed at these goals. Here's how we achieve this.

Step 1: Strength Training Get in the weight room and do REAL work. It will improve you ability to ride through short 'punchy' climbs while time trialing and improve your recovery time - not just from day to day training, but your ability to climb during a race and settle back into into high intensity time trialing. In our next newsletter, I talk about the importance of and map out a general weekly microcycle of how to integrate strength training with swimming, biking, and running.

Step 2: Muscle Tension Work Intro strength work such as muscle tension intervals on the bike will help build local muscular endurance. This will let you up for high intensity work later. Without it, your ability to push heavy gears for time trial work may be compromised.

Step 3: Efficiency Training Economy can be described as the efficiency at which you pedal. With improved cycling form, you will be able to expend less energy at higher intensities. High cadence work, spin ups ((A.K.A. "puke ups" - thanks Michael)), and single leg drilling are all effective at refining form.

Novice athletes or athletes making the jump to long course may want to spend up to 12 weeks doing base work. 4 weeks down, 4 weeks to go! Ride on...