RTA Triathlon
  • Home
  • SERVICES
    • COACHING PROGRAMS
    • 1 ON 1 SESSIONS
    • TRAINING CAMPS >
      • Lake Placid
      • Florida
    • CLINICS >
      • Open Water Swim Clinics
      • Triathlon Transition Clinic
      • Bike Skills Clinic
    • CORPORATE / CHARITY
  • TRI CLUB
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG

BLOG

Triathlon Technique Mistakes & How to Fix Them; Pt 2

11/21/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Technique in Triathlon is Key! (continued)
As a professional triathlon coach who regularly works with athletes 1 on 1 to improve their technique and form, I have seen a lot.  I have also come to realize in many cases athletes don’t know what they are doing is incorrect. This is because they were never told how AND why they should be moving differently. In other cases, athletes know they are doing something wrong, but can’t figure out what or how to improve it. Either way, it needs to be corrected and it will make a big difference once it is.

In part 2 of this 3 part series will continue to examine the most common technique mistakes we see among triathletes and how to fix them. If you missed part 1, you can check it out here.
SWIM:
Leg Flare
Do your legs flare out or scissor when you kick? This flaw is especially common when athletes rotate and breathe. The funny thing is you may not realize you’re doing this until you see a video of yourself.

When your legs flare out, it creates a tremendous amount of drag. Your legs essentially become underwater parachutes
Picture
To correct this, try brushing your big toes together when kicking. If you can do this, you will know your legs are staying close to each other. This is great because you don’t need someone constantly watching over you.

You can also try swimming with a pull buoy between your ankles. If the buoy comes out, you’re not keeping your legs together. This will be challenging at first, but soon it will become effortless.
Picture
Another way to train your legs to stay closer together is by swimming with a band (or old tire tube) around your ankles. This is by far the most challenging of the three suggestions above. However, it will pay off big time! I had an athlete swim like this exclusively for 2.5 weeks. By the end of this time, his average pace for his 500 yard TT went from 1:50/100 down to 1:35/100.
BIKE:
Climbing in Aero
When you do this you are unintentionally making it more difficult on yourself. This is true for a few reasons.

You get a negligible aero dynamic benefit when you’re going below 16 mph and even less when you dip below 14 mph. Further, when riding in aero, your lungs are not fully open as you are hunched over. Not only that, but you’re also unable to maximize your power in this position on your bike.

Instead, sit up tall and proud in your saddle. By adjusting your position, you will open up your lungs and maximize your power as you move up the hill and pass others.
Picture
Similar to cycling cadence, as you run, you should strive for a cadence of about 90 (or 180 for both feet). You may have noticed many elite marathoners appear to float along as they run, barely touching the ground and at a cadence in the high 90’s.
RUN:
Low Run Cadence
Run cadence is important for a couple reasons.

First, the higher your cadence, the less amount of time your foot is on the ground. The less time your foot is on the ground, the less impact your body absorbs with each stride.

Second, cadence is the same as stride rate. And stride rate multiplied by stride length equals speed.
Stride Rate x Stride Length = Speed
Most untrained athletes run at a cadence of about 80 (or 160 for both feet). If you can increase your cadence by just 5 steps per min (per single foot) while holding your HR steady, you’ll be able to knock off 2 minutes over 10k.

Anyone can have a high cadence when sprinting or running fast, but most cannot sustain that pace. The trick is learning to increase your cadence (or turnover) when running slow.

This may sound paradoxical, but the first few times you practice increasing your cadence you will notice your HR is a little higher then normal (at the same pace). By keeping your pace extra slow you will still be able to run comfortably with your new, higher cadence. Eventually, your HR and body will adapt to the quicker foot turn over and you can slowly start to increase your pace.

A couple tools you may find helpful include a Garmin watch or something similar that automatically counts your cadence as you’re running. Just make sure you set ‘cadence’ as one of your display fields. This same device will give you ‘average cadence’ at the end of your run so you can track progression over weeks and months of practicing.

Another tool athletes find helpful is a metronome. This acts as an audible cue for you. Set the metronome to 180 beats. For each beat, one of your feet should be landing on the ground. You can download a free metronome app on your phone and run with it. Make sure you control your run pace when you do this.
REMEMBER
Identifying a flaw is only the first step. You must also learn the proper way to move so that you can do it correctly. Then, most importantly, practice, practice practice. Frequency and repetition is your best friend. The goal is to eventually be able to move this way subconsciously.

We hope you enjoyed this article. Stay tuned for part 3 of this series. All 3 parts will be listed under the “Training” section of our blog.

To learn more about our 1 on 1 coaching sessions click here. If you would like to arrange a 1 on 1 session with one one of our coaches, please CONTACT us.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    ANNOUNCEMENTS
    BEGINNER
    BIKE
    Cross Training
    Mental Fitness
    Notes From Coach
    Nutrition
    Racing
    Recovery
    RTA Virtual Rides
    RUN
    Strength & Conditioning
    SUCCESS
    SWIM
    TEAM RACES
    TRAINING
    WEBINARS
    Women In Triathlon

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    July 2016
    June 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2013

    RSS Feed

RTA Triathlon

RTA is a comprehensive triathlon coaching organization and fully supported USAT sanctioned triathlon club. 

We are based in Ridgewood, NJ and coach triathletes of all abilities from across the country. 
 

​Our mission is to make you a better triathlete.

Contact us when you're ready to take your "game" to the next level.
ABOUT US

    Become a Better Triathlete

    Free tips and resources on training, racing and recovery to help you conquer your next big race.

    ​PLUS we'll send you "6 Proven Ways to Perform Better" (infographic). 

    No spam, we promise.
Sign Up

    Contact Us

    How can we help you? What are your goals?
Submit

Quick Links

FREE TRAINING CONSULT

COACHING PROGRAMS

1 ON 1 TRAINING SESSIONS

TRIATHLON CLUB

TRIATHLON TRAINING CAMPS

TRIATHLON CLINICS

ABOUT US

​BLOG

CONTACT

Let's get social

Picture
RTA Triathlon
​Copyright © 2022
  • Home
  • SERVICES
    • COACHING PROGRAMS
    • 1 ON 1 SESSIONS
    • TRAINING CAMPS >
      • Lake Placid
      • Florida
    • CLINICS >
      • Open Water Swim Clinics
      • Triathlon Transition Clinic
      • Bike Skills Clinic
    • CORPORATE / CHARITY
  • TRI CLUB
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG