The Neglect Of The Swim Discipline

It’s time to get on my soapbox again. Apologies in advance.

Too many triathletes are neglecting the swim discipline in their training. If I’m honest, sometimes their coaches are to blame. It has become almost commonplace when I work with a new athlete, or run a swim clinic for triathletes. Poor form with no remediation plan in place and a training regimen that is solely aerobic-based training.

I’ve been through 2 NGB (National Governing Body) coaching clinic weekends and had very high expectations going into both of those certification clinics. Yet, I remember texting my wife from both of those clinics stating how disappointing the instruction during the swimming portions were. To that point:

• No discussion of energy systems as they relate to swim programming.

• No discussion on how to write workouts to address specific energy systems.

• No discussion on how to determine deficiencies in energy systems and remediate them.

• Only a high level discussion on proper form, but no mention of how to resolve technical flaws.

I do a lot of work with US Masters Swimming and present at coaching clinics around the country. There are always triathlon coaches in attendance, and at least one of these coaches will approach me at a break and tell me that the discussion on writing workouts and energy systems was enlightening - that they “get it” now - and that they now have a much better understanding of writing workouts and how energy systems come into play.

The troubling part is that they didn’t “get it” before. I am fortunate that I come from a swimming background and could write swimming workouts and understood stroke remediation. The transition to being a multi-sport coach was easier for me in that regard.

If you’re a triathlon coach, you need to be versed in coaching all three disciplines. Every discipline is important, and it’s your responsibility to understand how to apply programming across all of them. The onus is on the coach t0 know how to work the aerobic, anaerobic, and VO2 systems appropriately.

That is your duty to your athletes.

This is your responsibility to the sport.

Just as we do with our athletes, we as coaches need to understand our limiters and remediate them. If we’re lacking in a specific area, it’s our responsibility to educate ourselves.

Equally as important we need to ensure that, during the coaching certification process, the swimming discussion covers energy systems, writing workouts, and how work-rest ratios come into play for proper programming. And of course mechanics and form needs to be covered, along with how to resolve deficiencies in biomechanics and basic form . If we don’t train our new coaches on how to program training for every discipline then we are doing a disservice to the coaching community and the athletes that they will serve.

Our up and coming coaching community shouldn’t stand for it.

As an athlete, if your coach doesn’t provide programming, or gather / ask for video of your swim stroke, and work on mechanics to ensure efficiency, you need to ask why they aren’t.

As a coach, or up and coming coach, If you leave a coaching clinic and aren’t able to describe how to write an aerobic, anaerobic, or VO2 session in the pool, then you should question the education that you have received.

Podium Training Endurance Cakes

We're big fans of fueling and recovering via plant-based nutrition, and utilizing whole foods whenever possible is even better.

For long rides - whether you’re on the road or on your trainer - we've developed our own version of a savory rice cake. The texture is a little softer than your traditional energy bar, so it's easy to chew and swallow. It's full of good whole grains, quality protein, and with the addition of quality micronutrients (Omega-3, Omega-6, and amino acids), this could be your new go-to endurance bar. It also makes a great recovery snack.

It’s a riff on the ever-popular rice cakes recipe. But it’s vegan, and all whole foods.

Podium Training Endurance Cakes

• 2 cups cooked sweet brown rice

• 8 oz tempeh bacon

• ½ cup walnuts

• 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds

• 3 tablespoons water

• 2 tablespoons liquid aminos

• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Cook the rice via your favorite method.

1. Place the cooked rice in a bowl.

2. In a food processor mix the tempeh bacon and walnuts. Just a quick, course, chop - we want a little texture here. Transfer to bowl with the rice

3. Wisk the ground flax seeds and water together. Pour into the rice mixture

4. Add in the liquid aminos and maple syrup. Mix the ingredients together.

5. Transfer the rice mixture to an 8 x 8 inch square pan, press out to about 1 ½ inches thick.

6. Cover and place in refrigerator to cool. Once set, cut into bars and wrap individually. 

Improving Your Off-Season Plan

I’ve spoken about this topic before. Well, actually I talk about it every year. This is such an important time - The off-season - and it is often overlooked and undervalued. You can't train hard twelve months out of the year. You risk overtraining, burnout, and not getting the full recovery you need both mentally and physically. After a long season of training and racing, this time of year (depending on your long term periodization and racing plan) is critical to ensure that you set the foundation for another good season.

This isn’t to say that you should take two months off. Take too much time off and you risk losing your base fitness, and thus starting your pre-season back at square one.

Two to three weeks of downtime is ideal - but no more than that. Two or three weeks allows you to rest and reenergize yourself without losing your base aerobic fitness. You should follow this period of time with a couple of weeks of unstructured training provided by your coach. What does that mean? For my athletes it means having some programming on the calendar, but you get in training when it’s convenient. A training prescription is provided, but it’s easier workouts designed to get the body moving again, with reasonable volume and intensity.

After this period, you can now look ahead and begin your pre-season training refreshed, energized, and ready for more intensive training. 

Please note that the off-season does not mean there’s no training focus during this time. You might have some goals for volume and perhaps some goals in regards to getting in some additional swimming or cycling sessions. But it’s all pretty low-key. Additionally, have meetings with your coach. Talk about what went right, or wrong, last season, and what you’re both going to do to remediate limiters moving forward. You should be discussing your upcoming season races and goals.  Based on this collaborative discussion, your coach can then look at what the upcoming season looks like and begin creating the high level plan that is required for success.

This is a great time to lay the physical groundwork for next season.  At the gym, work on strengthening muscle groups that support the prime movers. Look to add strength where needed to facilitate injury prevention when training intensity picks up.

Most importantly you should be taking advantage of this time to work on any deficiencies that you and your coach identify. Were you lacking a little power on the bike? Need to find efficiency in the swim? This is the time focus on remediating these limiters before the season is in full swing.