STUART HAYES
Olympian Stuart has been racing competitively for over 20 years, and now uses his vast experience to coach others. Here are his top tips for beginners
1 DO S&C WORK
Unfortunately, I’ve spent a lot of my career injured, and that was due to not always taking my strength and conditioning seriously enough – I just always wanted to train! The winter is a great time to concentrate on your gym work so when you do start to up your training in the spring there’s less chance of getting injured. It will also save you money on paying for physio treatment if you do pick up a problem from a muscle imbalance.
2 MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET
With triathlon being so demanding on the body, cutting back on the calories isn’t sustainable in order to train well. You really do benefit from what you put in your body, so a healthy diet with lots of fruits, veg and organic or free-range meats is the way forward. For sugars, which is very important for triathletes, dark chocolate or dried fruits are a good source.
3 GET THE BALANCE RIGHT
It’s important to have a healthy balance with anything you do, but getting it right can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to balance between family, work, training and socialising. Plan some downtime from training every month to take your mind off the routine, so that when you go back you’ll feel motivated to train again.
4 GET REGULAR MASSAGE
Massage can be expensive but it’s well worth the investment. Getting one every week is the best way to recover quickly, but one every 2-3 weeks will work well too, and will help reduce the chance of injury and help you relax, which is also a crucial performance enhancer.
5 WORK ON YOUR TECHNIQUE
Addressing technique for all three disciplines is very important. Having good technique for the swim, bike and run will make you more efficient, which will make you faster with less energy output and also reduce the chance of injury.
6 GET A GOOD COACH
As you move through the sport, consider investing in a good triathlon coach. A good coach will advise you in all the above and give you a good structure to your week to ensure that your training is balanced well and that you get the best results. At Team Dillon Coaching we provide bespoke training plans for all levels and abilities, from beginners all the way through to world-class athletes.