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If you don't practise swim-to-bike bricks in the build-up to a race, you're likely to feel a heavy, burning sensation in your legs when you start to push hard at the start of the bike section.
Even when the sensation subsides, the negative psychological effects of a bumpy start to the ride can linger, so it's important to prepare yourself. Swim-to-bike training always poses logistical problems if you do most of your training in the pool. If possible, set up a turbo trainer right on the edge of the pool.
Many triathlon clubs offer poolside turbo training sessions, which are a great way to stay motivated through a hard session. During the summer, if you're lucky enough to live near open water you can practise both swim-to-bike bricks and wetsuit transitions at the same time. Here are some typical sessions that you can add to your training programme. These are best done at high intensity so aim to complete them just before or after a recovery day. As well as these brick session, include endurance sessions at around 65 to 75 per cent of your maximum heart rate - these could be your long bikes or, alternatively, runs on their own.
If you're training for a triathlon, chances are you won't go from the run to the bike in a race - unless something goes awry - but run-to-bike bricks are a useful additional to your training arsenal, especially if you plan to compete in a duathlon. Going through the run-to-bike-to-run-to-bike process several times is a really good way to avoid cramp and condition yourself for a tough final push, whatever the discipline you're working on.
For duathlon training, these sessions will improve muscular endurance and efficient muscle recruitment so that the second run is not much slower than the first one. Make sure that you have a good endurance base before attempting these tough sessions.
Many triathletes feel that the challenge of completing a fast transition is one of the most fascinating and fun parts of a triathlon. The swim-to-bike transition requires that you deal with blood accumulation in your upper body, while the bike-to-run transition places the emphasis onto muscles that are in the backs of your legs, such as the hamstrings, after you've used the quadriceps and shin muscles on the bike previously.
Research has shown that athletes in transition often have heart rates close to their maximum. It takes specific training to learn effective transition skills and to be able to execute them at maximal efforts, so regular racing is always going to be one of the best ways to excel in transition.
This brick session will build your fitness and dynamic ability across all three of the triathlon sports:. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories.
How to enter the Berlin marathon. Best trail running shoes How to enter the Paris Marathon. Be specific In triathlon it makes sense to train for the swim-to-bike transition as well as the bike-to-run part of an event. Speed king It's a good idea to base your brick training on the demands of your next race.
No fear Since many triathletes fear that heavy-legged feeling from the bike-to-run, this tends to be the most common brick session to include in training. Training tools Using a heart-rate monitor will allow you to keep your training on track but if you'd rather leave the gadgets at home, you can monitor your effort by using the 'Rate of Perceived Exertion' RPE chart see page Bike-to-run bricks Super sprint and sprint distance Brick sessions relax muscles, increase mobility and flush out lactic acid.
So, pull your bike out of the garage and join the ride. Follow this weekly schedule for rides and workouts. For cross-training days, activities such as running, swimming, or even walking work well—just stay active and stretch daily. For core workouts, find inspiration here or get the full core training program in Bike Your Butt Off! It will help you gain confidence in basic bike handling and control your efforts on rides. For more experienced riders, pushing against bigger gears and spinning rapidly in smaller ones helps you gain strength by working different muscle groups.
It will help you feel comfortable coasting through turns smoothly and taking corners like a pro. This workout makes those higher-rpm efforts more comfortable and teaches you to use cadence to control your effort. If the material has been adapted instead of reproduced from the original RSC publication "Reproduced from" can be substituted with "Adapted from".
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