TRI SPEAK
Wondering what the ‘washing machine’ is, or where to find your M-dot?! Make things easy with our guide to common tri terms…
‘A’-Race The most important race of your season
Age-grouper Non-pro triathlete (most of us!)
Aerobic Aerobic exercise involves or improves oxygen consumption by the body
Anaerobic How much energy your body can produce without using oxygen
Aquabike Race with just swim and bike elements, no run Bilateral breathing Breathing every 3 strokes when swimming
Biomechanics The forces applied to your body during exercise
bonking Running out of energy mid-race or training session
Brick session When you ‘brick’ two disciplines together, e.g. bike & run
Cadence Pedal rate on bike, in revolutions per minute (rpm) Carb-loading Eating a carb-heavy meal prior to a race to boost energy
Catch The part of the swim stroke where you pull on the water Core strength Development of the stomach and lower back area in support of whole body strength
DNS/dnf Did not start, did not finish – abbreviations in race results
DOMS Delayed onset muscle soreness (after racing or training)
DQ Disqualified, abbreviation in race results
Drafting Hitching a ride on someone else’s slipstream in the bike or swim Drag
turbulent that an The object displaced amount creates, of air resulting effect in a slowing Duathlon
run/bike/run Usually format a Electrolyte drink Contains potassium sodium to help and your body hydrate Elite
‘pro’ – Another e.g. the word Brownlees for a
Glycemic index A ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels
HIT High-intensity training
HRmax Your maximum heart rate
Hyponatremia A deficiency of sodium in the blood
Intervals Intensive training using repeated on/off efforts
Kona Place in Hawaii where Ironman Worlds are held every October
Lactic acid Produced in high-intensity workouts, it can inhibit oxygen movement around the body and slow you down Low glycogen training Training without taking on carbs to increase the body’s ability to burn fat
Main set A block lasting 40-50% of a session where the heart rate is elevated
M-dot Abbreviation for the Ironman logo – often seen as a tattoo!
Midfoot strike When running, your front foot strikes the ground flat – as opposed to toe or heel first Muscular endurance Your muscles’ ability to produce a given level of force for an extended duration Negative split Completing the second part, e.g a run lap, faster than the first
overpronation Foot rolls inwards on impact rather than outwards
overtraining Common symptoms of training too much with inefficient recovery include insomnia, headaches, moodiness, loss of enthusiasm and increased illness due to a suppressed immune system
PB Personal best
Pronation The natural ‘turning in’ of the foot
Power output Measured in watts on your bike. In essence, work divided by time
Pull The mid part of the swim stroke where the hands and arms accelerate using the purchase from the catch
reps Pre-fixed distances covered and pre-fixed recoveries maintained
Rest interval (RI) Period of rest between reps
Sculling Swim drills that use your hands alone to propel you
Sighting Looking ahead/at an object while swimming to keep on course
Swimrun Partner race where you do multiple swims and runs
T1/T2 Abbreviation for ‘Transition 1’ (swim to bike) and ‘Transition 2’ (bike to run)
Taper Reducing your training in the days just before your big race Tempo effort Challenging, sustainable effort for 20mins-plus
Threshold run
about 80% of your A run max at heart rate for no more than 20mins
time trials A setdistance session, where the aim is to swim as fast as you can over the allotted distance
Transition area The place where you rack your bike and swap kit between disciplines
Tri-bars Also known as aerobars, they help you race aerodynamically
Tumble turn Fast way of turning at the pool wall by performing a forward roll, push off and a twist to return to the initial stroke position
Turbo trainer A frame that attaches to your bike, turning it into a static trainer
Underpronation Foot rolls outwards on impact rather than inwards
V02 max A measure of the body’s maximal ability to use oxygen to produce energy Washing machine Common way to refer to a chaotic open-water swim start!
Watt (w) The unit of measure in which power is expressed
Watt bike A static variable-resistance trainer
Waves The groups which triathletes are put in to start a race