Tip of the Month: Do Drills with Fins
When working on drills, don’t be afraid to use fins! Some of the drills out there, including the ones I recommend, are very difficult. If you can properly execute the drill using fins, but sink or flounder without them, it’s much better to put the fins on then to skip the drill. Eventually, with enough practice, you will be taking the fins off and will have mastered the new skill.
As I have said before, I recommend the shorter fins like Hydrofinz while learning drills.
Cross Fit to Triathlon with Age Grouper Caleb Whitfield
On this podcast, I interview personal trainer and cross fit triathlete Caleb Whitfield. We discuss how he transitioned from CrossFit to triathlon,
how much technique work he does in the pool, an overview of the paleo diet that he follows, and more!
References:
Video on CrossFit:
Email me with your comments: kevin at triswimcoach.com
Please comment on this podcast!
Tri Swim Coach podcast comments: Click here to open up itunes and add a rating/comment!
Creative Triathlon Training in February
by Chris Hague
T.S. Elliot was full of shit; February is by far the cruelest month. At least in April, it is warm and sunny, but in February, for most of the 
U.S., the days are short, cold, wet, and dark, all of which makes training a little bit more exhausting. It is definitely harder when it is snowing outside to get out of bed, bundle up, and head out for a run, ride, or even just to go to the pool when all we really want to do is curl up in bed with our significant other (or, in my case, my large Speedo wearing teddy bear).
Moreover, it maybe even more tempting to cut our workouts short and head in early to the fire and a cup of soup or hop out of the pool halfway through the last swim set for a soak in the hot tub. However, February is when racing seasons are either made or broken. It might be easier to cut our workouts short, but since when has training ever been easy? If training was easy, everyone would be pros.
What sets apart the elite from the amateurs and the elite from the rest of the pros is not necessarily their physical abilities but their mental toughness. Those who can push themselves through these hard winter days of training, do the workouts in rain, sleet, snow, lethargy, sniffles, and early morning mental fog, are the ones who are going to be that much better when the first race arrives. They are the ones going to be able to push themselves through the dark valley of physical pain and summit the mental mountain come race day. Here are some tips to keep in mind when those winter demons of self-doubt and weakness come calling:
1. Remind yourself of your goals: Remember those goals you set down (and hopefully wrote down for yourself this season back in December and January)? Whip them out and refresh your mind about why you are training. Although your “A” race maybe months away, keeping the image of yourself crossing the finish line with a PR or making the podium will help boost your morale.
2. Make sure you take care of yourself: Usually, low motivation arises when you are under-fueled, dehydrated, or sleep deprived. Making sure you are adequately nourished (with clean, unprocessed food), hydrated, and well rested will help keep your motivation stoked.
3. Get some vitamin-D: Since winter days can be lacking in sun light, our stores of vitamin D naturally go down. Get out into the sunlight for a lunch time walk and even investigate supplementing with a pill or investing in a full spectrum light, which are just as effective.
4. “Fatten” up: Yes, I know, many of you want to slim down this winter season to get in peak racing shape, but cutting out the fat will not help and may even hinder yourself. Many studies (too many to site!) show that a diet rich in healthy fats will keep your muscles healthy and primed, your energy stoked, and your mood up. Consider including some extra fish (like salmon), olive oil, (both of these will help with your complexion too until you can begin working on your beach tan), and nuts/seeds. (and don’t worry about calories, you will likely lose weight on a high-fat diet!)
5. Look over your training log (or get one!): Looking back at tough workouts or how much training you have done can remind you of all the effort you have already put into this season. Moreover, writing down your workouts can keep you accountable since there is nothing more disappointing than writing down a skipped workout or a DNF. An online log like TrainingPeaks, which just added some awesome features, is one of the best especially since you can bring it anywhere using their mobile app.
Good luck in your training this week and remember these words from Christopher Robin (the great sage of all triathlon training of course): “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Chris Hague is the assistant coach for triswimcoach.com and competitive triathlete in both the half and full Ironman distances. For more, check out http://triswimcoachonline.com/tri/about/
Keep your Swimming Simple (Stupid)
by Chris Hague
Back when I started racing cross country back in 2003, training seemed immensely complex. My coach would create these elaborate logarithms to calculate our exact LT, AT, Zone 1A through Zone 5B, pace charts, heart rate predictions, and our specific daily caloric needs depending on the type of training and Moreover, he even broke it down to exact nutrient profile.
When I started triathlon, training became even more complex with addition of two other sports, equipment, and longer training hours. My training log began to look like a Christmas tree with its multiple colors representing different types of workouts. My equipment closet filled up with various types of paddles, suits, fins, shoes, weights, and bands for all occasions.
Recently, however, I have noticed a well needed resurgence in simplicity from minimalist running shoes, to integrated bikes, advice like “drink when you are thirsty and eat when you are hungry,” and training based on feel. What a breath of fresh air! I feel that athletes—especially beginning triathletes—get overwhelmed by all the technicalities and science of training and forget the essentials like form, drills, and how their bodies are reacting to training.
Swimming is not immune to this phenomenon. Many beginners can drown in all the swim jargon coaches put into workouts and in all the potential equipment you can get. This is a shame since swimming is a pretty simple sport. You do not need the paddles, the boards, and the fins, just drive, humility, goggles, and, of course a speedo. Whether you are an elite athlete or just beginning, remember what one of my teachers told me: “Keep it simple, stupid, and when you do, you will no longer be stupid.”
Chris Hague is the assistant coach for triswimcoach.com and competitive triathlete in both the half and full Ironman distances. For more, check out http://triswimcoachonline.com/tri/about/
“Drugs” that can help your triathlon
by Chris Hague
Unlike other sports like cycling, baseball, and track (at least the sprint events), triathlons, marathons, and swimming, for now, have escaped the
taint of illicit, sports enhancing drugs. However, if we really look into these sports, illicit “drugs” run rampant. I doubt that any successful triathlete, distance runner, or swimmer has not taken some drug to boost their performance. Even Chrissie Wellington, who led the initiative to publish all drug tests, is guilty. I am of course not referring to the drugs that we see in the media such as EPO, steroids, über caffeine pills, beta blockers, and the like; I am talking about the much more potent, mind-altering “substances” that usually go unseen in sports.
Last year, I was looking for a boost in my training. My workouts had become flat; my body always seemed to be tired; I could not recover from workouts; and, my times had hit a plateau. With the race season approaching, I was desperate and needed change quickly, so I turned to drugs. Having come from a neuropsychology and chemistry background, I went into my basement, set up some stills, and began concocting some really powerful substances. I finally created the perfect cocktail of “pills:”
My first discovery, I called TripleZ, which is also known on the streets as 40 winks, the sandman, and shutter-I; chemically, it is called sleep, and would be classified as a depressant meaning that it lowers the heart rate. TripleZ is one of the best performance enhancing drugs out there. It allows the body to recover quickly from hard workouts, repairs muscles, keeps us motivated, alert, and focused. It does have some bad side effects though. Without it, we feel sluggish, irritable, inert, and clumsy.
Moreover, you have to be careful with this stuff since you can overdose, which can be almost as bad as taking too little. You have to try to limit yourself to 7.5-9 hours a night depending on your weight and activity level. Like other drugs though you have to make sure you get the highest quality. Many dealers will try to give you some cheap product that only lasts 20 minutes or 4 hours, which are quick fixes but will make you crash pretty quickly. Moreover, there are a lot of knockoffs like alcohol, power naps, Tylenol PM, Ambian, and Lunesta that swear it will take you to that same place. Unfortunately, they are not the same and will not give you the best “high.” To get the best, you really have to go into deep, dark underground of the “black” market where all lights, cell phones, email access, and cameras are banned. Many think that it is fairly expensive, but, in actuality, it is fairly cheap and definitely worth the investment.
Next, I experimented with hallucinogens and discovered a really potent mixture that I called PCP (chemically known as Pride, Competition, and Perception). Individually, these substances are pretty strong but when mixed together they get your body going! Pride gives you a feeling of success and “owning” your workouts, while competition motivates you to succeed. These two are pretty powerful stuff when taken alone, but can be really, really deadly if taken in excess. If you only take Pride and Competition then you will have illusions of grandeur and walk around with a swagger and your m-dot tattoo in full view. That is why I mixed it with a good healthy dose of perception to taper the effects of the other two. Without this last component, you truly go off on a “bad trip” also known as an “ego trip.” The purest form of perception helps keep you grounded, focused on the journey instead of just the result, mindful of both your strengths and weakness, but at the same time, realistic and eager for more. Since PCP is so dangerous when the proportions are off, I recommend my own patented formula with a 15:15:70 ratio of the three.
Lastly, I needed a stimulant—something that would really take my training and racing to the next level, so I began popping M&Ms (Memory and Motivation) like they were candy. Like PCP, these two must be taken together. Memory, if used alone, will leave you felling regretful or nostalgic so that you loose sight of the present. I discovered however, that when taken with Motivation, it could actually be used to your advantage. Chemically, Memories has a synergistic effect with Motivation. Memory provides the fuel that Motivation needs to make you aware of past successes and failures, while motivation makes you want to change them and improve—a very powerful combo.
These drugs are available all over, but choose your dealer carefully since there are a lot of sketchy suppliers out there. I find that the best and purest dealer is yourself. Fortunately, they do not come up on a urine test and are relatively cheap compared to steroids or blood doping.
These three maybe the gateway drug to your next PR.
Chris Hague is the assistant coach for triswimcoach.com and competitive triathlete in both the half and full Ironman distances. For more, check out http://triswimcoachonline.com/tri/about/
“If I could be like Chrissie…”
by Chris Hague
This past week, Chrissie Wellington, one of the greatest triathletes if not athletes of all time, announced 
that she is taking a break from Ironman so that she can focus on other priorities in her life like her upcoming
book and her work with charities. While Wellington thankfully is by no means gone forever,
her “retirement” is a huge loss for the sport.
In my opinion, Wellington represented the true spirit of triathlons and a mindset that many athletes—both pro and age groupers alike—would be well to learn from.
For one, she always had a smile on her face. Whether she was being interviewed before a race, photographed during a race, or crossing the finish line (usually in first but regardless of place), she smiled. In one of my favorite ads for Brooks running shoes, she is shown training but always smiling; underneath these pictures, the ad reads “train happy.” This is an important message for athletes to receive and try to follow.
Even on the hardest of training days or the most draining of workouts, we should train happy and smile. Yes, the work is hard, but we are fortunate enough to be able to do it and thus, like Wellington, should smile. Even if we do not hit our splits or do not perform as well as we think we should have, there is much to be thankful for and to smile about like being injury free, having the time to be able to train, and living in an environment that allows us to train. So, when you feel like crud, be like Chrissie and just smile.
Wellington also embodied a selflessness that many ego centric, alpha personality, podium focused athletes lack. For one, she did not just focus on herself but rejoiced in the success of others. Two years ago, when she withdrew from the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona because of illness, she nevertheless cheered on and rejoiced at the performances of Mirinda Carfrae and everyone else down to the last, just under 17-hour finisher. She acknowledged that Ironman is a tough event for everyone no matter what time you finish and therefore everyone should be commended.
A few years ago I “raced” against Wellington at the Columbia triathlon in Columbia, Maryland. When she finished in a respectable 5th place
overall, she did not go immediately to cool down or back to her trailer like some of the other elites but stuck around the finish line to present finishers with their medals including me (one of my best memories ever).
Moreover, she made sure that she thanked every single volunteer she met. Apparently, she did this at almost every race. This type of selflessness is important in sports and is often neglected. ALL athletes occasionally get too focused on themselves and on their own performances while neglecting the fact that this is a sport and should be enjoyed. Even if we do not perform well, others do and their victories should be celebrated even if it is just a high five or a pat on the ass. Furthermore, a lot of work goes into orchestrating a triathlon including
legions of volunteers, without whom racing would be impossible. Thanking them is the least we can and should do.
Underneath her smiling face and her thankful personality though was an unmatched grit, determination, and drive, qualities that truly set her apart from other athletes. In every single race, you could tell that she was giving all she had. This past year she competed at Kona having crashed on a bike ride just weeks before. Nevertheless, she stepped up to the starting line and raced—she also won. Many athletes would
have given up, gone back to their hotels, and sulked, but Wellington was able to put her accident behind her and race even though she knew she may not win. She challenged and raced against herself overcoming those mental demons.
While Wellington may have left the sport (hopefully not forever), I at least hope that her athletic and Ironman spirit lives on and triathletes continue to look to her as a model of the mentality that they should adopt during their own racing and training. I know I will.
Chris Hague is the assistant coach for triswimcoach.com and competitive triathlete in both the half and full Ironman distances. For more, check out http://triswimcoachonline.com/tri/about/
3 Steps to Get Nice Shoulders- as a Triathlete
This is another article in the Tri-Ripped series by Ben Greenfield. I tend to sit a lot for work, and I know how important it is to work shoulders when I’m in the gym. But I learned some new, more efficient ways to get nice shoulders AND improve posture in this article! Read on if you need this as much as I do… 
Compared to their running and cycling brethren, triathletes certainly tend to have slightly more muscular shoulders. But when you actually look at a triathlon junkie from the side view, you’ll see a rather unsightly phenomenon: a hunched back, slouched shoulders, and ugly curvature in the upper spine.
These slumping triathlon shoulders (which can turn into a permanent fixture on your body) come from a combination of spending long hours hunched over the saddle of a bike, working the internal shoulder rotators during swimming, while neglecting the external rotators in the weight room, and often a job spent sitting at a desk or computer.
So how can you get nice shoulders and still be fast at triathlon? Here’s what to do:
How To Get Nice Shoulders Step #1: Stretch your chest muscles.
Tight chest muscles can come from sitting a desk for several hours with your hands on a keyboard, from riding a bike in the aero position, and from swimming. Once tight, and especially in the presence of weak external rotators, these muscles pull your forward into a slouch.
To stretch tight chest muscles, try a doorframe stretch, in which you reach for the top of a door frame, place your hands on it and lean forward as far as you can. If you can’t reach the top of a door frame, just place one hand over the other hand, and lean into a wall.
How To Get Nice Shoulders Step #2: Strengthen your external rotators.
Although the most popular exercise for “strengthening” the external rotators is to grab an elastic band and do dozens of repetitions of rotation for the shoulders, most of us don’t have time to stand around doing that. Bigger, multi-joint exercises like pull-ups and rows work far better, and have the added advantage of burning more calories and working your arm muscles.
I’ve personally installed a pull-up bar in the door of my office (it cost me about $25), and I try to do at least 25 pull-ups each day (usually one set of 5 whenever I walk under the bar). You can also include regular or assisted pull-ups as a weekly part of your gym routine. Also include lat pull-downs, seated rows, cable rows, and single arm dumbbell rows – focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades back and maintaining a tall, proud posture as you do each exercise.
How To Get Nice Shoulders Step #3: Work the core.
Blah, blah, blah, work the core. Sure, you’ve heard this before. But think about it this way: when you’re riding a bike, swimming, or sitting at your desk, there is one thing that has to happen before you begin to slouch: your core has to get tired first.
But if your core is strong, it takes a massive load off your shoulders, and allows you to maintain much better posture. I personally recommend planks as the best way to strengthen your core and shoulders at the same time.
Try this: get into a front plank position, hold for 3 deep breaths, then switch to a side plank position left side, hold for 3 more breaths, then side plank right side for 3 breaths, and finish by holding a full push-up position for 3 breaths. Do that entire sequence without your knees touching the ground. See how many rounds you can do before you core collapses. If you can get to 10 round (about 7-9 minutes of planking), you’ve got a solid core. Otherwise, do this routine once or twice per week until you can get to 10 rounds.
Now that you’ve learned the 3 easy steps to get nice shoulders, you can be one of those triathletes who swims fast, but also cuts an impressive figure, and doesn’t have that notorious slouch, especially when people look at you from the side.
If you want to learn more about how to swim, bike and run lightning fast, but also have a nice body, (and get access to the other 6 articles in this series) then head over to http://triswimcoach.com/ripped for a brand new approach to training for the ultimate triathlon body.
How to put on a wetsuit for triathlon
How to put on a wetsuit for triathlon
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Get Tri-Ripped with Ben Greenfield – Podcast #50
On this podcast, I interview triathlon, fitness, and nutrition expert Ben Greenfield on his new training system, “Tri-Ripped”, how to build muscle, escape the skinny-fat or fit-fat look, and get the body you want as a triathlete. 
References:
To get Tri-Ripped with the bonuses mentioned on this podcast, just visit http://triswimcoach.com/ripped
If you’re wanting to purchase after 1/11/12, make sure to email support@tri-ripped.com and include ‘triswimcoach’ in the subject line to get the bonuses.
The trailer video for Tri-Ripped:
Email me with your comments: kevin at triswimcoach.com
Please comment on this podcast!
Tri Swim Coach podcast comments: Click here to open up itunes and add a rating/comment!
Triathlon Fitness: Be in Triathlon Shape And Have An Amazing Body
This is another article from the series by Ben Greenfield and how to be fit, look fit, and compete in triathlon. Strength training plays an important role in triathlon training if you are trying to get faster. But often times, the programs out there do not take into consideration
looking good while you are doing it! This is where Ben’s ideas come in to play. Read on to find out how to make this happen for you! Pay special attention to the nutrition tip. 
So if you read some of the earlier articles in this series, then you’ve learned some tips on how to get yourself in top shape, inside and out.
But can you keep that amazing body and still do endurance sports…like triathlon? After all, it’s pretty typical among the triathlon crowd to have tiny arms, a thin neck, a stick-like midsection, a weak body frame and even a “skinny-fat” look, with a little bit of weight in the belly and waist.
Let’s face it, folks – that ain’t sexy. Even though triathlon is the fastest growing sport on the planet, and races sell out thousands of slots in just a few minutes, it can still be a bit depressing when you realize that traditional triathlon training doesn’t really give you a nice body – and just makes you either really skinny or skinny-fat.
And the fear of having that emaciated, marathoner-like appearance is a legitimate concern if having a nice body is important to you. I know that it was a big concern for me when I got into the sport of triathlon – I didn’t want to watch in the mirror as my lean, hard muscle wasted away and I ended up looking like a skinny weakling.
But the truth is, when you train for triathlon, you don’t have to lose precious muscle, get extremely skinny, or become a scrawny endurance athlete. You can actually train for triathlon while still adding incredibly functional muscle and athleticism. You can swim, bike and run fast – and still have an amazing body.
Here’s how, in five easy steps:
1. Lift Right
There are two styles of weight lifting that most triathletes do: 1) high-repetition, low-resistance endurance style lifting, such as a circuit of 20 reps of several different exercises; 2) heavy, slow, football-style lifting, like deadlifts, squats or benchpress. In reality, there is a third style of lifting that is neglected among endurance athletes, but a long-kept tradition of the bodybuilding industry: “hypertrophy” style training: multiple sets of 8-12 repetitions.
With hypertrophy training, you can add and define lean muscle very quickly. But the problem is that it is very easy with this bodybuilder-style training to build non-functional muscle that actually slows you down when you’re competing in a sport such as triathlon.
The solution to this issue is to still do the hypertrophy-style training, but to avoid single-joint exercises like biceps curls, and instead to choose full body, functional exercises while scattering in just enough explosive and heavy weightlifting to keep your muscles extremely functional and fast.
2. Eat right
This may be a bit of a news flash for you, but fat doesn’t make you fat. Instead, fat – the healthy variety, like olives, almonds, walnuts, fish and avocados – is a hormonal precursor and gives your body the building blocks it needs to develop lean, hard muscle, as well as competitive drive, mental energy, libido, and every other advantage that comes from adequate hormones.
On the flip side, carbohydrates, especially the type that are really favored by endurance athletes, like bagels, sports drinks, and cereal, give you that soft, pudgy look in the mid-section, accompanied by a complete inability to build impressive, defined arms and legs.
So here’s what to do about this: if you’re trying to be fast at triathlon and also have an amazing body, you should eat a diet comprised of a high amount of healthy fats (40-50% fat), add in moderate helpings of natural protein to keep amino acids elevated for your muscles and brain, and top it off with strategically timed carbohydrate doses when they really matter, such as before or after your exercise sessions.
3. Train right
For years, sports scientists have know that short, hard and intense intervals give you just as much fitness and performance benefit as long, slow, aerobic exercise. But like a mouse on a wheel, it is tempting and even addictive for an endurance athlete to continue plugging away hours pounding the pavement, turning the pedals, or swimming back and forth.
Not only does this long, slow aerobic training completely nullify any attempts to add lean muscle or get a nice, defined body, but it also depletes hormones, causes overtraining syndrome, and takes away precious time from family, career and other hobbies.
Instead, for the triathlete who wants to avoid the skinny-fat look and get an amazing, muscular body, the training plan should incorporate strategically targeted high-intensity bursts of energy, a moderate amount of slightly longer “tempo” work, and finally, a low amount of long aerobic training – saving long rides, runs or swims for times when they are completely necessary and crucial to the program.
4. Supplement right
Inadequate hormones are a big issue for both men and women, and especially physically active men and women. “Andropause”, the decline or imbalance in male hormones and “Menopause”, the decline or imbalance in female hormones can begin to occur when you’re as young as 27 years old – and only gets worse as you age. Although hormonal deficits are the biggest problem among endurance athletes, there is also a prevalence of nutrition deficiencies, mineral loss, and very low fatty acid and amino acid levels – all of which keep you from both getting fast and having an amazing body.
These deficits and imbalances can occur because the body simply needs extra help if you’re lifting, swimming, cycling, running and cross-training on a regular basis. This level of activity is just more than the human body can naturally handle! The extra help comes in the form of completely legal sports nutrition supplementation like digestive enzymes, fish oil, vitamin D, greens supplements, magnesium and Chinese adaptogenic herbs. While there are countless supplement ads in magazines and on websites, you really only need a few of these key supplements to have your body ready to both go fast and maintain muscle.
And yes, if you are pushing your body beyond it’s natural tendencies, then even in a situation where your diet is perfect, supplementation is a must if you want to be fast and also have an amazing body.
5. Live right
There are little hacks or tweaks you can make to your lifestyle to simplify this whole process of performing fantastic and looking good.
For example, you can sleep more deeply by using magnesium, melatonin and keeping your bedroom completely dark. You can de-stress at the beginning of the day with a very simple 5-10 minute yoga routine. You can keep bouncing back from your workouts day-after-day by using a ice, compression and foam roller. You can detoxify your body by making sure you aren’t using body-damaging chemicals to clean your house or cook your food.
These are just a few of the little lifestyle tweaks that you can make, but they’re incredibly important if you want to add muscle and athleticism while getting the body of your dreams and still being fast for triathlon.
If you want to learn more about how to swim, bike and run lightning fast, but also have a nice body that looks good, (and get access to the other 6 articles in this series) then head over to tri-ripped.com for a brand new approach to training for the ultimate triathlon body.
