3 Ways to Become a Better Triathlete

Triathlon requires discipline, time, and effort for one to become a age group competitor and a Kona contender. In addition to mental coaching in triathlon, triathletes have to train for many hours to ensure their bodies are well conditioned to compete.

While competitive triathlon training requires a high level of investment (both time and energy,) the following suggestions might help you further succeed as a better triathlete.

1. Spend more time focusing on recovery

Recovering allows the body to be at it best performance. Ensuring you have enough rest days between your training activities is important for conditioning your body for optional triathlon training the next time around.

When you are involved in heavy triathlon training, you are likely to suffer from some sort of exhausted muscle tissue quality. This, when not worked-on, can result in the accumulation of scar tissue, adhesion, and knots. Soft tissue work improves the tissue quality by concentrating on the "trigger points". This way, your performance as a better triathlete is optimized.

Stretching should also be incorporated in the recovery as it increases muscle tone, resilience and strength. After a lot of muscular efforts, stretching decompresses your joints and back hence accelerating recovery of muscles, joints, and tendons.

Finally, a balanced meal with all the nutrients required for recovery ensures a proper and speedy recovery. The right nutrition refuels your muscles, manufactures new muscle protein, boasts the efforts of the immune system in recovering from the challenging exercises, and replaces the fluid lost. All these activities restore the body to its prime condition.

2. Work with a triathlon coach

One of the major benefits of triathlon coaching is getting feedback, direction, and actionable insight on aspects of technical training as well as programing. While trained triathletes are well versed with these techniques and can even prepare their own training plans, there is still great value in hiring a triathlon coach.

A triathlon coach acts as a person who is removed from the training and competition's emotional attachment, and thus can better effectively manage the structure, intensity, and purpose of your training program to prevent over-fatigue and overtraining. A triathlon coach can be objective in how you manage your rest days and hard workout. In most cases, triathlon coaches will be handy in giving you a second opinion when you doubt yourself.

Most of the top triathlon training coaches also offer personalized structured training programs instead of the standard training outline. Through matching computerized data with your performance, the coach has the ability to determine your current abilities and your future targets. The structured training targets your weaknesses with the full information of the manner in which you respond to different stresses. Further, the coach is important in providing race day tactics through a study of your opponents and your strengths and weaknesses.

3. Never stop learning

New techniques in triathlon training, programing, and skills and strength/injury prevention. Sports scientists have been carrying out research in the bid to improve the manner in which athletes train. Over time, structured triathlon programing has evolved and changes made to the manner in which the athletes train.

While it is the duty of the coaches to ensure that their athletes are updated on the new techniques that have been tried and tested, it would not hurt if an athlete found something the coach may have missed. In most cases, athletes only discover these new techniques when their counterparts defeat them in competition. A successful triathlete must therefore keep reading to remain ahead of competitors and supplement what the coach knows.

Best Exercises for Retirement Community Residents

There is no doubt that exercise is very important for people of all ages. As you grow older, you should not despair and quit exercising. To maintain a healthy body, everybody needs physical activity that keeps your body moving. This helps in keeping a good physique, strong mental health, and also weight loss.

For older adults in retirement communities, the amount of exercise to do depends on factors like sickness and age. There are several types of exercises that older adults can do. They are not very intense and will not affect your health. Below we suggest a few great options that go well with retirement communities.

Endurance exercises

Examples of such exercises are jogging, biking, swimming, walking and dancing. These types of exercise help to stabilize your breathing rate and are good for your heart. Do not over work yourself by doing so many exercises per day. Your goal should be to have 150 minutes of exercise in a week. Depending on your health status, you can choose to do any of the endurance exercises. If you cannot ride a bike then swimming and light jogging could be the right exercise for you.

Weight lifting

Weight lifting helps in making you gain enough strength for your body. There are several weights that are recommended for older people. Do not go for the heavy weights because you might overwork your muscles and get a bad injury. Weight lifting should be done for a maximum of three days in a week. You should make sure that you have a rest between sessions or days to gain your strength. In the rest day, you can have other exercises. If you feel like you have the energy to lift weights ever day of the week, then you should ensure that you interchange the working muscles.

Balancing exercises

As you grow older, you might start facing difficulty in balancing and maintaining your stability. Due to illness or aging, most people can only stand for few minutes without risk of falling. Stability exercises help in strengthening your lower body. You can walk on your toes for short distances or do the stark pose. This is where you hold your arms wide apart and stand on one foot. At first, you might find it hard to maintain your balance but as you progress with your daily sessions, you will start gaining your balance.

Stretching

It is good to stretch your muscles so that your body stays flexible. These exercises are very good for people who have difficulty in walking or movement. Although they do not increase strength, they make your body limber and make movement easier. Stretch your shoulders, calf, thighs, legs and upper arms gently.

Chair exercises

There are several exercises that are chair bound for those people who have wheelchairs. You can use resistant bands for muscle strengthening. As you pull and stretch you are stretching your body and also adding stretch to your hands. You can bind the bands to furniture or even door knobs. You can even stretch the parts of your body that you are able to move without causing yourself a lot of pain. If you are seeing a physiotherapist or any kind of doctor, you can inquire about chair bound exercises that are fit for you.