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Triathlon Series Part One – Tips From the Pros

Triathlon season is here! Whether you are jumping into your first triathlon or are looking to take your talents to the highest level, Team Wilpers is here to guide you.

Our triathlon coaches are literally pros; between them claiming hundreds of professional wins and podium finishes from around the world. But, they will be the first to point out that they started out just like many of you: overwhelmed, not knowing how to clip in and out of bike shoes, unsure about gear, nutrition and what workouts to do and when. 

We put together this series to address your concerns and to help you envision yourself participating and enjoying triathlon. Our coaches, Bec Wassner, Laurel Wassner and Jenny Fletcher are excited to share their very own real-life experiences and helpful tips they’ve picked up along the way. In this first series, we will share practical advice for schedule management, learning to love swimming and choosing your bike gear.

Coach Bec: Weekly Scheduling

One of the biggest challenges triathletes face is how to fit in training for 3 sports on top of a job, a family, and a life! That’s where Team Wilpers comes in to help balance things out, and of course, make it fun!
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The key to planning a schedule for a busy athlete is to emphasize QUALITY and CONSISTENCY. Make the most of your time with well-planned workouts designed for efficiency and results. Indoor riding/running and coach Matt’s classes are perfect for this.⁣
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As for consistency, keep the big picture in mind. Try not to get overwhelmed about fitting everything in. Remember, the biggest gains occur when you can string together workouts not just day to day, but week to week and year to year. ⁣

Coach Laurel: Learn to Love Swimming

Swimming is new for many triathletes and it can be intimidating and frustrating.  Coach Laurel shares some tips on how to spice up your swim session and learn to love swim days.

  • Do a mix of distances, speeds, and strokes⁣. This keeps you engaged and builds a better strength profile.
  • Recruit friends to join you! This is great for accountability (this is how I first met @mattwilpers). Plus, you can incorporate partner swim drills which are both fun and effective.
  • Relax, breath consistently, and let go of any expectations and comparisons to the lane next to you. ⁣⁣⁣
  • Use swim toys like pull buoys, paddles, snorkels and kick boards to help with technique, strength and endurance. Again, fun and highly effective.
  • Have a snack waiting for you when you finish – trust me on this one 😉
  • On swim focus days, make swimming your first workout of the day. ⁣Trying to hit times after a bike ride is hard and frustrating. On the flip side, an easy swim is a great idea after a hard ride or run. ⁣⁣
  • Smile, say hi to your lane mates and come up for air. Taking short breaks at the wall to chat or take a sip of water helps bring your heart rate down and prepares you for the next interval.⁣⁣⁣
  • If your set includes intervals without much rest, stay positive, stay strong and power through. Remind yourself it will pay off in the end.

Coach Jenny: Gear

Triathlon gear can be overwhelming to say the least. With not just one, but three sports to contend with, I recommend doing your research and talking with other triathletes as much as possible. Listen to other athletes’ “must haves” and decide for yourself if you see the alleged benefits. In the beginning, borrow or rent items that you might not have. This helps you get a feel for what you like (and don’t like), so you’ll be ready when it’s time to purchase new gear.

Keep an open mind. Triathlon is unique because there is so much more that goes into it than just “who is the fastest”. Moving effortlessly through three disciplines will present new challenges and may leave you doubting your initial gear choices. Be open to trying new things and new strategies as you progress through the sport.

Make sure you train with the gear that you are planning on racing in. There’s nothing worse than a gear fail on race day, especially if it could have been avoided. Know what you’re working with and be familiar with all the components of your equipment.

Below is a list of CYCLING gear that I currently use. I’ve had the opportunity to try lots of different products, so I definitely know what I like.

  1. BIKE
    • Triathlon bike: Specialized Shiv – fast, aero and comfortable
    • Road bike: Specialized Tarmac SL7 (the same bike that Matt rides).
  2. SHOES
    • The S-Works 7 Road Shoes –  very comfortable and durable. They have a wide toe box which allows for your foot to spread out and can help with neuromas and metatarsal pain. 
  3. SUNGLASSES
    • Oakley Encoder – chic and designed for athletes. Oakley also makes great bike helmets.
  4. BIKE KIT
    • Santini – A family owned Italian brand run by women. Very well made, luxury and durable cycling clothing.
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Strength Training for Cyclists: How to Make It Work

It’s no secret that strength training is beneficial for cyclists. From health benefits such as improved bone density to performance benefits such as improved pedal stroke force production and efficiency, it’s easy to see why cyclists are hitting the weights. 

However, as an athlete and coach, I know that lifting for your sport is very different from lifting for other purposes and if you don’t do it right, both your weightlifting and cycling performances suffer. Instead, the schedules and exercises must complement one another.

To further expand on this topic, I reached out to Team Wilpers in-house applied strength expert, Ryan Hopkins. From middle school athletes to MLB and NFL players, he knows how best to enhance sport performance using strength training. Please see below for our interview Q&A: 

Matt: What are the benefits of strength training for cyclists? 

Ryan: There are primarily two:

1) By building a stronger body using weights, you are better able to handle cycling training load and thus progress faster. I like to think of this as changing your own “stress vs strain curve”. In other words, you experience less strain for a given amount of stress.

2) Strength training puts stress on your body’s neuromuscular connections (think mind to muscle). This stress stimulates improvements in intramuscular coordination and intermuscular coordination. With improved coordination, your body gets more efficient, burning less energy for the same amount of work on the bike.

Matt: Just as the demands of your cycling training should change throughout the year (think “in-season” vs “off-season” training) so should the demands of your strength training. How should strength training for cyclists differ during periods of more intense cycling training vs periods of less intense cycling training? 

Ryan: Great question and what we often see are people trying to achieve everything at the same time. This results in less than optimal performances both on and off the bike. Just like everything in life, it’s about knowing your priorities and when to focus on what. At a high level, when the demands of your cycling training are high, strength training needs to take a back seat…and vice versa. Here are some more specific tips: 

  • During in-season/more demanding cycling training:
    • Focus more on muscle activation vs overload and simply maintaining what was built in the off season.
    • Think low weight, low reps and moderate effort so that the residual fatigue from your strength session does not interfere with your next cycling session.
    • 1-2 days a week of strength training a week is sufficient with low to moderate weights at low to moderate volume.
  • During off-season/less demanding cycling training:
    • As it becomes easier to meet the demands of your cycling training, you can focus your efforts more on strength training volume and intensity. This is when you can really “move the needle” in your strength game prior to your next big ramp up in cycling training. 
    • Think of strength training 3-4 days a week and try to incorporate a blend of higher intensity with volume and load. 

Matt: We often hear that during more demanding phases of cycling training, cyclists are riding hard 3 days a week. When would you have them strength train? Also, would the experience level of the athlete make a difference (i.e. beginner vs advanced)?

Ryan: Just like most things in life, “it really depends” haha. Remember that the end goal is the following: Avoid letting the residual fatigue of the weight session interfere with the rider’s performance in their next workout. More experience athletes tend to recover faster than less experienced athletes. That isn’t “always” true, but something to take into consideration.

For the vast majority of people, getting off the bike on those harder ride days and getting after some minimally invasive exercises while they are still warm makes the most sense. Muscle activation is achieved but also muscular endurance is stimulated given their body hasn’t had much time to recover from the ride. It just should not be very heavy weight. 

However, with stronger athletes that can recover more quickly, you could do the following: 

  • Have them wait 6-12 hours post hard ride and then hit the weights. This keeps the subsequent recovery day still an actual “recovery day” while allowing the athlete to have a little more energy and sharpness to push during the weight session. 
  • Have the athlete do strength training on the day after a hard ride with the same rules applied…not doing so much that they can’t meet the demands of their next session.

Matt: Cycling is a very leg dominant sport. Should athletes only strength train their legs? 

Ryan: True, however you want the athlete strength training the entire body with an extra emphasis on the legs and hips (or lumbo-pelvic region). The gains you are hoping to achieve on the bike include force production and posture. 

Matt: What are 1-2 high value exercises cyclists can do “in-season”? Same question but in the “off-season”?

Ryan: Really some of the high value exercises most specific to cycling would be the same in-season vs off-season but the difference would be in volume and intensity of their application. Here are a few examples: 

  • Romanian dead lifts (single and double leg)
  • Single leg reverse lunges
  • Single leg split squat variations for example having your rear foot elevated
  • Lateral squat walks
  • Isometric single and double legged wall sits

We hope you enjoyed this interview with Team Wilpers strength coach, Ryan Hopkins. If you would like to train or book a consultation with Ryan, please visit us at Team Wilpers.

Have a great day and remember to train hard, train smart and always have fun!