May 19, 2013

How to Run Faster by Charlene Ragsdale

May 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

So you’ve been running for awhile and even have a few races on your athletic resume, but how do you increase speed? Running faster takes a specific approach as well as specific training. Get back to the basics of running faster specifics with these three expert tips:

Choose the right race, for fastest times
This may seem like common sense, but if you want to run a faster pace choose your race wisely. Participate in a race that is known for being a fast course, at the right time of year for weather and conditions.  Stay clear of races that have hills, extreme weather (cold or hot) or many corners. The straighter the better.

Do more training at your race pace
Beginners tend to run their long runs at a slow pace, which makes them good at running long, slow miles. But if you’re shooting for a certain race time, you’ll need to focus more on your goal race pace.  Every distance has it’s own requirements.  Focus on the race requirement to complete a 5k, 10k, Half or Full.

Do speedwork
Do track work, sprints, or even fartlek’s.  Until you engage your fast-twitch muscles, your legs will not know how to react when you need to run fast.  Just as you are building endurance, you have to build your fast twitch muscles for speed.

Charlene Ragsdale is a RRCA Certified Running Coach, IFA Certified Sports Nutritionist and member of the USATF Master’s All-American Team. She can often be seen at on the podium as a frequent Age Division & Overall Winner in several distances. She lives with her Chef husband, two sons and two dogs in Las Vegas, NV. You can follow her at her blog: www.FABRunning.com

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Triathon Tip: Running fast off the bike by Mark Kleanthous

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Competing in triathlon takes specific training.

See listed 4 of my best tips for running fast off the bike:

1.  A back-to-back session is your best way to stimulate running fast and effortlessly straight after a cycle ride.
A threshold bike which should be very hard @ 95%+ and take 30-55 minutes on the same course each time to compare changes in fitness. Choose flat courses where you will not need to stop and keep your heart rate high all the time, on hilly courses your heart rate goes high then drops too low on the downhill’s for this type of session. Many people run faster after these sessions. By running very fast for 400 after the bike it should make the actual race pace seem a lot easier.

Ironmate suggests 2×400 2×600 1×800 2×600 2×500 2×400 = 5,800 m

Short recovery between each interval should only be 20-30 seconds so you only partially recover to simulate race conditions.

2. Pushing a slightly bigger in training also helps. The idea is when you run off the bike in a triathlon it is much easier. However, this should not be done at the end of a bike to run session during a race.

3. Cadence running also helps. What stops you running fast after the bike is length of stride so to overcome this increase your stride with a shorter cadence. Part of your drills should include shuffle cadence high leg turnover but short strides, it takes a while to get good at them, but not many people do them, just like one legged riding on the turbo to improve economy.

4. Refrain from drinking fluid the last 5 minutes of the bike. Another problem with not being able to run fast straight after the bike is drinking in the last 5 minutes of the bike or in the first few minutes of that run, this only puts more stress on your body resulting in you slowing down or taking a lot longer to get going. Another quick note: don’t drink unless you are thirsty in the final 10 minutes of the run because this fluid will not be absorbed until you have crossed the finish line and can slow you down.

Mark Kleanthous has competed in more than 450 triathlons and has competed as an elite and recorded some of the fastest T1 & T2 transition times overall. Mark Kleanthous has competed in triathlons for 30 consecutive seasons and crossed the finish line in more than 450 triathlons including 35 ironman events. He is the author of The Complete Book of Triathlon Training and is a full time sports and nutrition coach. Mark can be contacted via his web site www.ironmate.co.uk

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Weight Loss Do’s and Don’ts by Lori Rosenthal, MS, RD, CDN

May 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Four Infallible Weight Loss Dos & Don’ts

Plan Ahead - In the game of life, when we have a plan we are more successful. So, why would it be any different when it comes to weight loss? Meal planning gives us the opportunity to make healthy choices before life gets in our way (which it often does.) When we are already hungry, our judgment becomes clouded, often leading us to opt for what’s convenient instead of healthy. Planning ahead takes this out of the equation, which allows us to make smarter decisions that won’t leave us feeling guilty and dis-empowered. Need added incentive to plan ahead? Meal planning has also been found to decrease stress and save money.

Be Mindful - Eating mindfully means being aware of why, what and how much we are eating. Begin by asking, “Am I really hungry?” It sounds simple, but it is an effective way to avoid emotional eating, eating out of boredom and grazing (for example, snacking throughout the day.) During meals, focus on the meal. Turn off the TV. Put away your phone. Close the laptop. Studies show that when we take the time to chew, taste and savor our food, we naturally eat less and enjoy more.

Eat Your Calories, Don’t Drink Them - Sugary drinks have been a hot topic over the past year and rightly so. Eating and drinking are two different sensations. Calories from drinks, including fresh juice, add up very quickly, yet do nothing to curb our appetite. By swapping out juice and soda for sugar-free drinks, we can cut out hundreds of unwanted calories. As with eating, we must enjoy what we are drinking for the change to stick. To add flavor, but not calories try infusing water with fruits, vegetables or even ginger.

Don’t Skip Meals– Despite popular belief, we need to eat to lose weight. Skipping meals slows our metabolism, causing our body to hold on tight to every calorie we put in our mouth. This is often referred to as “starvation mode.”  Eating three meals and two to three snacks picks up our metabolism, facilitating weight loss. Meal skipping also leads to poor decision making, fast eating and larger portions. Three weight loss no-nos. If we never skip meals, we never get to the point of “starving,” enabling us to make smarter choices and control our portion sizes.

Lori Rosenthal, MS, RD, CDN
Bariatric Dietitian
Department of Surgery
Montefiore Medical Center
Follow Lori on Twitter via @LoRoRD

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5 Tips to Better Racing by Kristie Cranford, CPT

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Knowing how to race is just as important as logging all your training. There are specific actions to take, and just as important, specific actions to avoid before you toe the line. Here are your 5 expert tips to better racing:

Do train within your ability

If you truly want to exceed in racing, do train within your ability.  Find the race distance and estimated time that fits within your current or achievable ability.  Training for a pace you cannot realistically achieve can lead to burnout and injury.  Training for a distance your life schedule does not allow time for can lead to burnout and unnecessary stress.  You want to enjoy the training process, not stress about it.  Set yourself up for success, not failure.

Don’t do anything new race day

Experiment with food, drink, clothing, shoes, and everything well before race day.  Have it all down to a science.  You want to be a practiced well-oiled machine race day and not risk digestive, energy or clothing issues.

Don’t start out too fast

Don’t burst out of the gate with all you have, once that energy is expelled you will never get it back.  On the back end of the race you’ll come up short with the extra energy burned during an over exuberant start.

Do pick the right race for you

If you have a specific goal in mind, find a race that will help you to reach your goal.  Find one with an optimal course and entrant size to assist you.  A race that is too crowded or has a lot of elevation challenges may be a fun race, but may put too many odds against you.

Do allow for rest between races

Allow your body recovery time between races.  Your body gets stronger and repairs at rest and recovery.  Too much racing will lead to declining performance, burnout and injury.

This article is written by Kristie Cranford, CPT. A wife, mother, multiple cancer survivor and competitive athlete, Kristie is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer as well as a Certified Running/Triathlon Coach for PRS FIT. Living in Las Vegas, she is 2012 Coolibar sponsored athlete, 2013 Training Peaks Ambassador and Raw Elements Sunscreen Ambassador. Contact information: Email: CoachKristieLV@yahoo.com, http://www.coachkristie.com, www.prsfit.com.

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Fitness on the Road by Brett Klika C.S.C.S

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

You’ve worked hard to establish a workout routine. You have your running routes, your favorite pieces of equipment in the gym, and a consistent program that’s been delivering results! What happens when you have to take this “show” on the road and leave your usual routine? The good news is, “the show can go on!”  You just need some adaptable, fun, and effective exercise strategies that can be done anywhere.

Below are common features found in parks, rest stops, and other outdoor areas that can be used to create a challenging exercise program. As always, consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Park Bench

1.    Push-ups
Depending on your level, you can put your hands on the bench (beginner) or your feet (advanced) and perform push-ups.  To make them even more challenging, lift one leg off the ground or bench while you do them.
2.    Step-Downs
Start by standing on the bench with both feet.  Attempt to step down to the ground slowly with one foot, only allowing the heel to touch the ground before standing back up.  Touch the ground as lightly as possible.  Repeat on both legs.

Parking Stall Curbs

1.    Balance squats
Standing on the parking stall curb so your feet are perpendicular to the curb, perform body-weight squats without falling forward or backward.
2.    Calf raises
Standing on the parking stall curb so your feet are perpendicular to the curb and heels are off the curb, raise up to our “tip toes” and return to your start position.
3.    Quick steps
Start by standing on the ground, facing the curb.  Step up with the right foot then the left foot as fast as possible.  Repeat as fast as possible stepping down as well.  Repeat at the highest rate possible.
 

Put the above exercises together and combine them with running, jogging, swimming, or any other activity to get a fun, diverse, and effective workout on the road!

Make sure to warm-up by jogging, skipping, or moving at a moderate intensity for about 5 minute prior to starting your program.

 

Brett Klika C.S.C.S., Director of Athletics at Fitness Quest 10 and founder of www.brettklika.com, is a world- renowned human performance specialist, motivational speaker, author, and educator. He uses this knowledge and experience to motivate individuals and audiences around the world through his writing, speaking, DVD’s, and personal correspondence. For more information and video on exercises, programs, and any other information on losing fat and creating the body you have always wanted, check out The Underground Workout Manual – Exercise and Fat Loss in the Real World at www.undergroundworkoutmanual.com.

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Holistic Health Defined by Rachael Roehmholdt

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

When you think of the term health, what comes to mind? Do you immediately think of what you eat or whether or not you exercise? What about if you’re fulfilled on a deep level each and every day? Or if you have a desire to do something bigger than yourself when you get out of bed every morning?

This is exactly what the holistic health approach takes into account. Holistic health is the idea that your health is not a separate entity from any other area of your life. It takes into account all facets of your life and how they all work in an interconnected fashion to create who you are – in your body, your health, and your life as a whole.

What’s different about a holistic approach to getting healthy is that you can look into each and every area of your life to look for improvements, as opposed to just assuming that eating more fruits and vegetables every day and getting moving will make you healthier.

The basic idea is that your health isn’t just determined by what you eat every day and whether or not you made time to exercise. It also is affected by your job, and whether you enjoy or dread going to it every day. Your relationships are considered and if they support and nourish you or drain you to your very core. Even your spirituality can have an affect on your health. Feeling a sense of being connected to something bigger than yourself or making a difference in the world can change how you interact with the world. All of these things, including the food you eat and the exercise you get each day work together to determine how healthy you are and how you feel on a daily basis.

You can eat all the right things and exercise every day and still be unfulfilled in your career and relationships. Or you could have an amazing life in all other areas than your diet and be healthier than any marathon runner out there. Health is subjective so take a holistic approach and look for areas in your life that can be improved upon – even if it’s not in your diet or exercise routines.

Rachael Roehmholdt is a certified holistic health coach and founder of Be More Healthful. With a passion for good food and living a healthful and balanced life, she believes that small changes to our everyday lives can set us up for a lifetime of health and happiness.

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Friendly Competition? By Mollie Millington

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Participation in organized races, from 5Ks to half-marathons, has increased tremendously in the last few years.  People now have triathlons on their bucket lists and run marathon to raise much needed funds for charities. 

Why should you get involved?

Increases motivation- If you have trouble finding a reason to get up and run in the morning (or after work), a race will give you purpose.  It provides a deadline which will motivate you to train within the time frame allotted.  If you register for a charity team, that is another powerful motivator to complete the race as your donors expect you to do so.

Structures training- When you have a specific distance and/or discipline to work on, your training will need to be tailored.  Working with a coach or personal trainer, they can provide you with a schedule that will take the guesswork out of your preparation.  It makes it easier when you can just hop on a bike or lace up your sneakers without worrying about what you need to do. You will have a time or distance to complete and just need to get it done.

Provides you with a new community- Not all of your friends will understand why you are leaving the party early to get up and run on a Saturday morning. When you befriend other runners in the park or on the track, you will meet like-minded people who know exactly what you are going through. These people enjoy the same thing you do- exercise and competition. They might also be good motivators and mentors in the end.

Improves your fitness- This is a no brainer.  If you start running, swimming, or cycling regularly, you will feel healthier.  This will improve your mood, increase strength, decrease stress, and lower blood pressure.

Sense of pride and achievement- When you have your first medal around your neck, it will be an amazing feeling.  You will think back to when you started and how much you have overcome to cross the finish line.  A smile will be on your face for days.  You will feel unstoppable and ready to register for your next event, and maybe even bold enough to increase the distance.

Registering for a race can be scary but it can also be unbelievable motivation to exercise regularly.  It will help focus your exercise sessions, introduce you to new people, make you fitter, and give you a sense of accomplishment the second you cross the finish line.  If you haven’t done so yet, find a race near you and register today.  Look for a realistic distance and be sure to give yourself enough time to train properly.

By Mollie Millington. For more information, go to www.ptmollie.com or via Twitter @PTMollie.

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Should Kids Lift Weights? By Brett Klika C.S.C.S.

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“How old should my child be to lift weights?”

In working with a large number of youth, this is one of the more common questions I get from concerned parents. Urban legends of stunted growth, fractured growth plates, and prematurely inflated physiques have made parents, and society for that matter, reticent to involve youth in weight training.

The fact is, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that there is a perfect chronological age to start weight training. Research has not demonstrated any negative health consequences for weight training in youth, assuming proper movement is introduced and enforced concurrently with appropriate progressive increases in training load.

Despite what myths have been created around the subject, the current data suggests youth weight training injuries are primarily due to equipment accidents (weight falling on them, tripping in the weight room, etc.) or overzealous coaching rendering improper program introduction and progression.

Proper resistance training in youth has been demonstrated to improve fitness, favorably affect bone density, improve movement ability, and decrease the likelihood of athletic injury. Weight training is merely loaded movement.  More simply put, it’s challenged movement.  If basic movement becomes easy, we can challenge by adding something extra to continue to provide a training effect.

If a child can do a squat pattern perfectly for repetitions, holding a 2- pound medicine ball adds additional load.  Once they can overcome this load with proper movement, they can hold a 4- pound ball.  All semantic hubbub aside, this is weight training.  One doesn’t have to be lifting barbells and dumbells to be training with weight. If a child can’t do a squat pattern perfectly, adding additional load would make no sense.  They have demonstrated they do not need any additional challenge.  The movement pattern itself has provided enough load.

The critical questions in regards to youth and weight training become:
1.    Are they able to focus on the proper execution of task?
2.    Are they able to execute and repeat an unloaded task with proper movement and cadence?
3.    Are they mature and coordinated enough to respond to coaching cues?
4.    Are they interested in weight training?
5.    Is the person in charge of their program experienced and knowledgeable about movement and progression?

If the answer to any of the above is “no” it doesn’t matter the age of the human, they are not ready for weight training.  In this case, I would focus on merely learning how to move properly through a variety of movement patterns without additional challenge or load.

The best answer to “When should my child begin lifting weights” is “when they need to.”  When a child is able to focus on an organized training in which they execute and repeat all of the involved skills and drills correctly, add a challenge and slowly progress over time.

Brett Klika C.S.C.S., Director of Athletics at Fitness Quest 10 and founder of www.brettklika.com, is a world- renowned human performance specialist, motivational speaker, author, and educator. He uses this knowledge and experience to motivate individuals and audiences around the world through his writing, speaking, DVD’s, and personal correspondence. For more information and video on exercises, programs, and any other information on losing fat and creating the body you have always wanted, check out The Underground Workout Manual – Exercise and Fat Loss in the Real World at www.undergroundworkoutmanual.com.

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Fiber Facts by Rachael Roehmholdt

April 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

What exactly is fiber? Why is fiber important to health? What are sources of fiber?

Fiber consists of the indigestible parts of a plant that we consume when eating most naturally sourced foods. You can find fiber in two forms – soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and insoluble fiber doesn’t. Both are important to your colon’s health as fiber helps bulk up stools to make them move easily through the digestive tract.

While there are plenty of fiber supplements on the market, we don’t really need these in order to get fiber into our diet regularly. Many of the whole foods you find at your grocery store already have plenty of fiber and if you’re filling up on these regularly, you won’t have a need for fiber powders or pills. Fiber is found in foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans.

There are plenty of great health benefits to getting more fiber in your diet regularly. One of which is regular bowel movements which indicates that your digestion is functioning properly and smoothly. Next, when you’re getting plenty of fiber, you’re a lot more likely to be maintaining your bowel health, which will help to prevent diarrhea, constipation and hemorrhoids. You can also count on lowered cholesterol levels, reduced blood pressure and inflammation throughout the entire body with adequate fiber in the diet.

Getting plenty of fiber is great for those who deal with maintaining energy throughout the day as well, because with the addition of fiber, any sugar found in a food is broken down and absorbed much more slowly into the blood than if taken without the fiber. This results in even energy levels that last for hours. This is also great news for diabetics and people who are working to prevent diabetes.

Lastly, fiber is essential to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, because foods with a good amount or fiber taken longer to chew and break down than those with very little fiber. This means that you’ll likely be consuming less, as well as feeling full for longer since the foods will take more time to break down and be absorbed into the body.

Rachael Roehmholdt is a certified holistic health coach and founder of Be More Healthful. With a passion for good food and living a healthful and balanced life, she believes that small changes to our everyday lives can set us up for a lifetime of health and happiness.

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5 Factors for Triathlon Fitness written by Mark Kleanthous

April 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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5 Factors for Triathlon Fitness written by Mark Kleanthous
 

There are five main factors that contribute to fitness in triathlon – aerobic threshold endurance, nutrition, economy, strength and recovery – but your approach to them has to be balanced. Neglect one and your performance will suffer.
 

Aerobic threshold endurance

The use of intense aerobic-threshold training (which effectively, means training at your predicted triathlon pace) is perhaps the best way to get fit – the more you do the easier the training session gets and the faster you become. However, the problem is that we have a limited tolerance to it, and the result can be over-training. Therefore, not all your training should consist of intense, aerobic-threshold work-outs, also known as a ‘key work-outs’. Unfortunately, it is a common mistake to do too many of them with more than eight weeks to go before a triathlon.

Nutrition

In order to compete successfully in any triathlon event you must be able to load your body with all the fuel necessary to propel yourself across the required distance at the desired speed. But this factor isn’t only important when racing, because in order to complete your training successfully your body must be constantly carrying the correct amount of fuel. By that I mean the type of carbohydrate that can be accessed and fed to the muscles during training, as well as when racing.

Economy
 
Top triathletes all have one thing in common – they don’t waste energy doing things they don’t need to do. Having 10% extra energy is not good if you use up 15% more running compared to a fellow competitor. Economy of movement is something that can be learned early and needs to become automatic.

Strength

Strength is important in all sports. However, what is required in triathlon is sport-specific strength to the level required. For example, resistance training using hand paddles, cycling up hills and running off road is more specific than weight training.

Recovery

Full-time athletes are obviously more successful than those who work full time because they can dedicate more time to training, but another equally important reason is because they are able to take more recovery time. Most injuries and illnesses are caused more by the lack of consistent sleep, regular massages, healthy food, stretches and cool downs than anything else. These recovery essentials  not only help you recover from work-outs, but more importantly they allow you to tolerate a greater amount of training. Fitness is about being able to recover as you train; the quicker the recovery the greater the effect it has on fitness.

This article is written by Mark Kleanthous. Mark has competed in triathlons for 30 consecutive seasons and crossed the finish line in more than 450 triathlons including 35 ironman events. He is author of The Complete Book of Triathlon Training and is a full time sports and nutrition coach. Mark can be contacted via www.ironmate.co.uk

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