A term used often in cycling is periodization. Surprisingly though many people don’t have a concrete understanding of what it means. In this post we’ll attempt to eliminate any ambiguity surrounding the term and demonstrate how you can utilize periodization in your weekly training.

Periodization means just as it sounds, it’s the structuring of your training season into periods or zones. Each period is designed to specifically benefit a certain part of your overall fitness, and usually later periods depend upon success in earlier periods in order to be of value. A general periodization of a season often looks something like this:

In the first four to six weeks you’re getting prepared for the battering your body is going to take over the next four to six months. This often consists of weight room training and possibly cross training with swimming or running. The next eight to twelve weeks is called the base period and is spent increasing your endurance. By the end of the base period you’ll want your longest ride of the week to be at least the same duration as what you plan on doing your most important race in. Next is the build period. This is where you’ll want to begin increasing the intensity of your workouts in conjunction with decreasing the length. In addition you’ll want to spend quite a bit of time improving any weaknesses that might come up in a race situation. The peak period is used to get rested for the upcoming races. Here you still want to incorporate high intensity workouts so that your body doesn’t lose any fitness, but you want to greatly reduce the volume. After tapering you should be ready for up to three or four weeks of racing.

That’s really all there is to periodization. There are a few different forms of periodization that aren’t linear like the one listed above, but very few athletes prefer to use them. The linear periodization described above is used by many of the world’s top runners, cyclists, and swimmers, and when used correctly and with a goal in mind it will greatly improve your season.

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Preparation for any athletic endeavor should include a good conditioning program. Stretching, strength training, elasticity exercises, endurance training, and nutrition are all components of good conditioning.

All athletes need to prepare themselves physically and mentally. The body needs proper nutrition, the right amount of hydration, and most importantly conditioning. Eating the right foods and creating the right diet consists of eating a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, even fats. A balance nutritious diet is key for any athlete and has tremendous affects on performance. Some athletes think they can eat anything they want because of the high calories they expend during exercise. This is a misnomer, proper nutrition is very important.

Athletes also need the proper of hydration to perform at their best. Not too much and not to little. There is a perfect balance.

In order to stimulate an aerobic conditioning effect, research has indicated that yo u must keep your heart rate at approximately 70 to 85% of the MHR for ten to thirty minutes. Maximum Heart Rate = 220 – Your Age. If you train at a higher level you may experience lactic acid buildup which will cause you to stop and rest. Aerobic conditioning is defined as one’s ability to take in, deliver and use oxygen. Improvement in aerobic conditioning occurs when your body is exposed to a prolonged increase in oxygen uptake and metabolism. One must work at a certain level of effort in order to stimulate the body.

Lastly an athlete needs to be mentally prepared. It helps with getting you focused on what you want to accomplish. Though physical training and conditioning are obviously important to performance, mental-skills training can often help athletes improve their performance. It helps with getting you focused on what you want to accomplish. Athletes often use visualization, goal setting, and refocusing to help them mentally prepare for important events.

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Running Fartlek

Many runners are looking for new ways to spice up their workouts. One great way to add a twist to your longer runs is with a technique called fartlek. Fartlek is a Swedish word meaning “speed play.” In this post we’ll discuss what it means to fartlek run as well as provide a few sample workouts you can use in practice.

Fartlek running is quite simple but very effective. Basically what you do is run at a normal tempo for a set duration of time and then increase the pace to a speed where you’re close to your lactic threshold or even above it. Generally fartlek runs are longer, usually 30 minutes or more in length, and incorporate 8+ accelerations. The beauty of the fartlek run is that you don’t have to map out any distances, you can either go by time or by feel. If you decide to go with time then a great workout to start with is 40 minutes long and after every four minutes you go hard for one minute. The workout will look something like this:

 If you decide to go by feel then you can run a familiar route and count telephone poles. Fartlek ran in this fashion will look something like 10 telephone poles light, 3 poles hard, 10 poles light, 5 hard, etc. And you don’t have to stop there, there’s a million different ways you can run fartlek, use your imagination and see if you can come up with something new each week. Not only will it spice up your training but doing a totally new workout each week causes you to use different muscles and stress your systems in various ways making your chances of improving that much greater.

Share with us your favorite fartlek training.

Visit http://www.epoboost.com to learn more about how EPO-Boost can increase VO2 max, running economy and endurance.

Patent pending EPO-BOOST ingredients have been shown to increase VO2 max and running economy in college athletes.

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Far too often people get caught in the trap of purposeless training. They go out each day and put in a run but with no idea what the run is improving or why they’re doing it. In order to train with a purpose you must first understand the different zones of training and why they cause you to improve. In this post we’ll discuss the different training zones, the systems they target, and provide a sample workout for each.

Natural Zone

First off is the easy zone or the “natural zone.” Basically this is the pace you fall into naturally when you go for an easy run. Running in this zone helps to build endurance and strengthen connective tissues and muscles associated with running but won’t help you to get much faster. Easy running is generally reserved for warm-ups, cool-downs, and long runs.

Tempo Zone

The next zone is called the threshold or tempo zone. Training in this zone causes you to improve endurance but helps your body get used to running at or above race pace. Generally these types of runs are between 20 and 30 minutes in length, and are run at about 75-90% intensity. Most people prefer to do temp runs by feel, so basically you want to be running at a pace where you feel considerably more stressed than your easy runs. A good gauge to differentiate between the two is that on an easy run you can hold a conversion with little effort, but on a tempo run you should only be able to speak in short sentences.

Interval Zone

Zone three is the interval zone. These types of runs are usually short intervals of up to 6 minutes and are run just below or at race pace, so 90-100% intensity. This zone of training will simulate racing conditions and is ideal if you want to improve your time in any race. In order to train in this zone you’ll want to know the pace you ran in a recent race and then run at that pace for short intervals of no more than six minutes. Then take a short break of only a few minutes and do it again as many times as you wish. In the beginning you may want to just do a few but as you gain experience you can extend the workout up to twenty or thirty intervals if you’d like.

Repetition Zone

The final zone is the repetition zone. This type of training is designed to run at or above race pace. So if you ran a 15 minute 5km in a race last week then your repetitions would be run at 3 minute per kilometer or faster. Repetitions are usually very short though and should never exceed two or three minutes. The point is to exceed your lactic threshold so that the next time you run at this pace your threshold will be slightly higher and you’ll be able to run slightly faster.

If you understand the elements of training you’ll be able to purposefully structure your weekly workouts. It’s important to note that as the intensity of running increases the weekly volume of that type of running should decrease. So with the four zones listed above repetition running should make up the least of your weekly mileage and easy and tempo running should make up the largest part.

Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength with the best running supplement available. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.

Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!

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Whether you are a runner, cyclist, triathlete, or an endurance athlete you need to train as fast as possible without hitting the wall from high levels of lactic acid in your blood. Elite athletes and coaches know that increasing lactate threshold is essential to success.

There are several factors that can be modified to improve performance and endurance in athletes. VO2max, exercise economy, and lactate threshold are all factors that can be improved with training and nutritional supplementation. If you can improve your lactate threshold your race speeds will improve. This article will focus on training to improve lactate threshold in swimmers.

If you are an amateur swimmer training for a local event like a triathlon then you need to understand the mechanics of a swim workout. A workout is basically comprised of two elements, endurance and threshold. Let us say you are training for a sprint triathlon with a 500 meter swim. What would be the point in swimming three miles continuously three times a week? Every time you hit the water you are swimming almost ten times your race distance. This kind of practice is known as swimming “junk miles” and many swimmers do it.

For a short race like a 500 meters you are basically going to be sprinting the entire way; endurance should be of very little concern. Instead, your preparation should be geared towards increasing your lactic threshold. All world and Olympic endurance athletes incorporate lactate threshold training into their workouts.

To increase your lactate threshold you are going to want to swim at or even faster than race pace in training. So let us say you do five 50 meter repeats. If your goal is to swim the 500 in 6:25 then you would want to shoot for somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 seconds for your 50 meters. Perhaps the first couple of times you will need to have a few minutes break between each 50 meters in order to repeat the time, but as you progress in your training you should decrease the rest period until you are basically swimming ten – 50 meters at around 40 seconds a piece.

This same sort of practice can be used with just about any swim distance; lactic threshold expansion is an integral part in your training program.

Of course, if you are training for an iron man swim of 2.4 miles then endurance is going to be a factor. But once you feel comfortable swimming the distance in order to get faster you will have to do the same kinds of workouts as the person training for the 500 just on a bit larger scale, 100 or 200 meter repeats for instance.

Designing a swim workout is that simple. There is no need to look for a long fancy training plan that is difficult to follow. If you want to improve your times then you have got to swim faster in practice, it is that simple.

Your training program will be difficult in the beginning, but if you stay determined to improve then you will see astronomical gains in a very short time. Combining this training workout with nutritional supplementation to increase VO2 max and exercise economy and increase your speed and endurance.

DS Carroll is a consultant for Biomedical Research Laboratories. Biomedical Research Laboratories market scientifically based nutritional supplements for endurance athletes including supplements for cyclists, runners, triathletes, and mixed martial arts. Visit http://www.epoboost.com to learn more about how EPO-Boost can increase VO2 max, running economy and endurance.

Patent pending EPO-BOOST ingredients have been shown to increase VO2 max and running economy in college athletes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=DS_Carroll
http://EzineArticles.com/?Improve-Your-Lactate-Threshold-and-Swim-Faster-in-Your-Next-Triathlon&id=3717146

Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.

Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!

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 Are you pulling a tire in your training program?

Hardcore runners are always looking for ways to improve their endurance. Pulling a 20 pound tire and running down the road is certainly a novel way to train. Whether you are running in flat terrain or running in a hilly area this technique has shown to be a good way to improve your performance.

One of our runners was actually pulled over by a police officer asking what he was doing… so be prepared for some stares, especially if you are train in a populated area.

One of the most important components of implementing tire pulling into your training regimine is to make sure you use the right technique. A rope around your waist will cut in and can cause injuries, similarly, improper posture can add an injury risk too. So if you are going to try it be very careful. Get the right harness. Train from short distances (100 to 200m) before going for 1000m.

Some suggest that your harness be attached high up on your back (parachute style), this will provide the resistance but the strain on your back can be better managed by having pull and angle of the rope in the correct place. Some like pulling from the waste… you will have to see what works best for you.

Tire size can also be important… try a smaller SUV tire. Some runners have shared less bouncing and still good training effects. What tips do you have to share about tire pulling?

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Visit www.epoboost.com to learn more about how you can improve your endurance, speed and strength. You have nothing to lose with our 90 day money-back guarantee.

Boost your endurance with EPO-BOOST™ and you’ll run faster and farther, we guarantee it!

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Yum… chia is yummy. No, you do not have to smear Chia on your head and water yourself every day to get the benefits of Chia. Chia seeds are one of the most powerful nutritional superfoods in the world.

Chia has been used by the Indians in the southwest and Mexico as a staple food. It is known as the running food,  as it is known to be a high-energy, endurance food. It was believed that ancient Aztec warriors subsisted on Chia seeds during their conquests.

The southwestern Indians would eat as little as a teaspoon full when going on a full day run. Indians running form the Colorado River to the California coast to trade their wares would only bring the Chia seeds for their nourishment.

Chia is a super-hydrater and helps with electrolyte balance.  The soluble fiber also know as  hydrophilic colloids, massively retains water which keeps you hydrated and helps maintain electrolyte balance.

 If you mix a spoonful of Chia in a glass of water and leave it for approximately 30 minutes or so, the seeds and water will become an almost solid gelatin. This gel-forming reaction is due to the soluble fiber in the Chia. Researches have found that this same gel-forming phenomenon takes place in the stomach when food containing these gummy fibers, known as mucilages, are eaten.  When the gel is ingested, carbohydrates conversion into sugar slows. Chia seeds  provide long lasting energy that brings with it stamina and endurance and at the same time gives you a quick boost of energy.

Chia seed is also known to stabilize blood sugar, improve mental focus, provide protein and essential fatty acids, build lean muscle mass, and many other effects on a persons overall health. Endurance athletes can benefit from adding this little seed to your diet. There are many good Internet sources for the seed and some really good deals if you look around. You may want to add this to your list of endurance supplements along with EpoBoost, an all natural endurance supplement.

You can sprinkle ground or whole chia seeds on cereal, yogurt, or salads; eat a handful of whole seeds as a snack; or grind them up and mix with flour when making muffins or other baked goods. We like to take a two cup container add water , 1/3 chia seeds and stir and in 15 minutes you have chia gel. We just consume a 3 tablespoons a 2-3 times a day. Some people like to add it to juice.

Let us know how you are using Chia and what results you are having?

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The FDA suggests that polycarbonate plastic bottles are safe, but many scientists disagree. It is safe to say that plastics are not the safest compound that it was once thought to be. Plastics release harmful chemicals when scratched or heated. The most common chemical is Bisphenol A (BPA). The is a long list of health disorders associated with BPA including development and reproductive abnormalities, altered growth rates, early puberty in girls,reduced sperm count, altered functions in reproductive organs in both sexes, altered behaviors, higher rates of cancer, and neurological disorders. Although BPA is only lethal at very high doses, increasing evidence suggests that it can disrupt key body functions at very low doses, and builds up in our bodies over time with each exposure.

Bottled water is harmful to the environment, your health and your wallet. As convenient as they are, they are by far the most durable pollutants on the planet. As they break down into smaller and smaller parts, they get into the food and water systems and effects can be seen in fish and animals ingesting these toxic pollutants. BPA has been shown to leach out into bottled water and individuals refilling their water bottles increase the leaching process and hazard to their body.

The only safe water bottles are made of glass, yet they are inconvenient, breakable and heavy. Aluminum and stainless steel bottles are two other alternatives. There is some concern over the liners in the aluminum bottles and whether they leach BPA into the water. Stainless steel may be an excellent alternative. They are less harmful to the environment, recyclable and do not alter the taste of the water.

So for now the recommendation is stainless steel as the best choice for water bottles in athletes.

How safe is your water bottle? Let us know what you are using? Are you a cyclist? What kind of water system is safe?

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If you bike, run, or swim at high intensity for any period of time you may have experienced sore muscles and discomfort.  Many endurance athletes are spending 15 minutes or so in an ice bath to ease the pain after a long run.

Ice baths or cold water immersion therapy constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. This means that not only do you suppress inflammation but you also get rid of of the broken down tissues from the body. So ice baths reduce inflammation of tissues and joints, relieves soreness, and speeds recovery.

Ice baths require more than just 1 tray of ice. Get about 30 lbs of ice and add to water and climb in brrr, soak for 15 minutes and yes, your teeth will be chattering. Stay no longer than 15 minutes or you may cause tissue damage. Some people suggest getting into the tube in cool water and add the ice to create less of a cold shock to the body.

Another option might be to hop into a cold lake (if you are lucky to have one nearby) and stand in cold water for 15 minutes. Wrap up and drink a warm beverage while sitting in the tub. Have fun and feel great the next day!

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