This Saturday was the 2011 World Multisport Expo at MIT. BPC Coaches led another successful strength training for the multisport athletes during the morning hours of the expo. This year we focused on teaching and educating these athletes as to what's the most important aspects of strength training. In short here's what we discussed:
1. Every athlete should go thru a functional movement screen. This can be done by a licensed professional, such as a strength coach, a physical therapist or the BPC Coaches. The FMS can reveal tightness, weakness, compensations and potential risks of injuries.
2. Every athlete should consider periodizing their strength training just as they do their own swim, bike and run training. During periods of off season thru in season racing, strength training needs to remain an integral aspect of weekly training.
3. Athletes need to learn which exercises are important for them, not what "looks" cool. Choose exercises that make sense from an injury prevention standpoint as well as overall rewards. Always evaluate why you are doing the exercises and how.
4. Athletes need to make sure they work not only flexibility and strength but stability. Training the stability of joints that need stability and mobility of joints that need mobility will lead to a lifetime of healthy training.
To find out more or talk with a certified strength and conditioning specialist,
email us at info@bostonperformancecoaching.com
Review of Multisport World Expo 2011
Ali Winslow - Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Brick of Doom
Ali Winslow - Sunday, April 11, 2010
This was posted today by one of our group coached athletes....I have been reading facebook emails all weekend from the crew that did their first of many "combo workouts" They renamed these workouts "the brick of doom"
---Laura Miyakawa, BPC Athlete
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
Brick of Doom
It's hard to do a good, long workout without biking. I can do a 90 minute swim set, (when uninjured,) I can run for two hours straight, but ask me to do a long ride, and we're in a different realm: three or four hours seems completely reasonable for a long ride.
But it is impossible to do this indoors. I guess it's not actually impossible, it's just not very much fun. On a trainer there's no coasting, there's no rush of wind, and there's no change of scenery. The weather has finally colluded with me to get the bike out and go long.
Last weekend I tackled a 45 mile easy ride with a few friends and brunch in the middle. Today was my coach's Brick of Doom. A brick is a combination of two disciplines used for training triathletes on the transition. Technically, I think it's called a brick cause you line up the disciplines like bricks, but some say it's because your legs feel like bricks when you try to run on them after a long ride.
The Brick of Doom is so-called (by me, no one else calls it that, but I'm hoping it catches on) because it's long and repetitive: three runs separated by two rides. Today's workout was supposed to be 30 minute intervals of running and 75 minute intervals of riding. I'm still on the slow and steady increase of running to avoid injury this season, so I only should run 45 minutes total, so I cut the run intervals down to 15 minutes, but kept the rides. My half ironman is coming up June 19th, and I'll do this workout several more times extending the distances. The Brick of Doom is hopefully my secret weapon for finishing that race strong.
I convinced some very nice friends to join me for this endeavor early this morning. We completed a 20 mile loop from Concord, out around Carlisle, through the Great Brook Farm State Park and back through Acton in 1:17 for our first loop and 1:14 for the second one. 40 miles total: the half ironman is 56 miles of biking, so it's getting close.
It feels fantastic to finish one of these long workouts first thing in the morning. The whole rest of your day can do no wrong. After a quick shower, Paul and I went out for brunch with some friends, then I came home and had a very serious nap.
And then there's the exhaustion in my legs. My legs ache in a way they haven't in months. There is nothing more rewarding.
Boston Performance Coaching Announces Spring Preseason Swim Class for Triathletes
Vic Brown - Friday, March 26, 2010
Boston Performance Coaching Spring Preseason Swim Class for Triathletes
Are you confident in your beach starts? Do you round the buoys efficiently in open water swims? In competition are you struggling to keep pace?
Join BPC Coaches for weekly swim workouts/classes at the Case Center Pool. Each class will have a warmup, drill set, fitness main set and triathlon specific skills.
Classes will cover: sighting, alignment, rounding buoys, pacing for distance, deep water and shallow water starts, transition practice and race set up.
Are you confident in your beach starts? Do you round the buoys efficiently in open water swims? In competition are you struggling to keep pace?
Join BPC Coaches for weekly swim workouts/classes at the Case Center Pool. Each class will have a warmup, drill set, fitness main set and triathlon specific skills.
Classes will cover: sighting, alignment, rounding buoys, pacing for distance, deep water and shallow water starts, transition practice and race set up.
Parking is free (on street) and participants will have access to locker rooms to change and shower. Pool is easily accessible via Green Line T.
Spring Class Sessions:
Class Series 1 Spring 2010
April 9th-May 28th
Fridays
6:30-7:30am
Case Center Pool at Boston University
285 Babcock st
Boston, MA 02215
The class requires:
min of 10 and max of 25 people
Cost:
$145 for series of 8 weeks
Boston Performance Coaching Announces Preseason Strength Training Class for Triathletes
Vic Brown - Monday, March 15, 2010
Boston Performance Coaching Spring Preseason Strength Class for Triathletes
True strength and muscular conditioning is the key to performance. Are you recovering from your workouts? Are you constantly getting injured? Are you getting faster?
Figure out how to increase power on the bike, efficiency on the run and endurance in your swim.
Mondays and/or Thursdays
True strength and muscular conditioning is the key to performance. Are you recovering from your workouts? Are you constantly getting injured? Are you getting faster?
Figure out how to increase power on the bike, efficiency on the run and endurance in your swim.
Mondays and/or Thursdays
Spring Class Sessions:
April 1st-May 26th
Mondays 7-8 pm @ BU*: $200
Thursdays 7-8 am @ JV**: $240
*Boston University Varsity Weight Room
300 Babcock St 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02215
**Joint Ventures
654 Beacon St Floor 2
Boston, MA 02127
The class requires:
Mondays: min of 8 and max of 25 people
Thursdays: min of 5 and max of 8 people
Cost:
Mondays 8x 1hr classes: $200
Thursdays 8x 1hr classes: $240
5 Pack (choose any 5 classes): $150
Ready, Set, Ride!
Ali Winslow - Wednesday, March 10, 2010
So it's pretty clear everyone was out on their bike this past weekend. 50-60 degree temperatures in New England don't happen all that often in early March and from reading athlete logs, great quality miles were put in all over Boston. I spent the weekend moving, so I can't make the same claims on the long rides, tempo efforts or transition practice that I saw on my athletes logs, but I can say that the athletes who took our winter build cycling classes were in fantastic shape to conquer the roads. Things heard from class participants: "I rode over 60+ miles this weekend! First time out on the road and I felt great!"
I am happy to report that after 9 years of teaching these indoor cycling classes at Landrys in Boston, our results consistently produce well conditioned cyclists who are more educated about their form, technique, cadence, heart rate and power. As we close this years winter cycling classes, I look forward to seeing our athletes out on the roads working hard. Now I just have to fear that we have done our job so well that they beat us in races!
see ya on the roads...
ali
Hill Training on the Bike and Run
Ali Winslow - Thursday, March 04, 2010
Bike Class #9 on Thursday night was a Lake Placid "review"
Tough workout, we did some tempo work, which I think is tough on the indoor trainer, maintaining a solid tempo effort at zone 3 is harder than it would seem. We tend to ride at either zone 2 or zone 4 with a zone 1 recovery. But 3-4 minutes at tempo builds solid high aerobic efforts, especially taxing on the endurance and thus builds overall muscular endurance.
I find that athletes in class comment that their legs give out before their heart rate - meaning that they can work at a higher HR, but their legs start failing first. These hard intervals at a solid zone 3 on the bike work on that failure.
Try it on your own, after a solid warmup, do 3-4 min intervals at zone 3 (using enough resistance, at 90+ rpm) on 20-30 sec recovery. It will help you build your overall muscular endurance!
Ali
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