ASK 220
THE NEOPRENE REPAIR SHOP
Q How do you mend a wetsuit tear? Lisa McCarthy
A The first step is knowing how to avoid things that can damage it. When putting on your wetsuit, avoid standing on hard or rough surfaces as they can damage the neoprene. Instead, place down a towel or board bag. While putting on or taking off your wetsuit, be careful with rings, fingernails and watches as they can easily damage the neoprene. Some wetsuits come with gloves, which are ideal.
Inspect your wetsuit for tears after each use, as they’re easier to fix when small. Small tears (up to a couple of cms) can be repaired at home (see below); tears bigger than a few inches may require professional repair services. Right, onto the fix…
Clean the area around the rip. Ensure there’s no dirt, sand or wax around the ripped area. If the area isn’t cleaned, the repair might not heal correctly. Then open up the rip to reveal both sides of the tear.
Apply a first coat of neoprene adhesive to both surfaces (find online). The glue can be applied with a short bristle brush. Do not press the sides together.
Let the glue dry for about 1-3mins (depending on room temperature and humidity), keeping the two sides apart. The glue normally looks glossy when wet and matte when dry; it should feel slightly tacky and not stick to your finger.
Once the first coat is dry, apply a second coat to both sides and begin to dry.
Firmly bring the two sides of the rip together, doing your best to keep the seam in a straight line.
Use a weighted object to keep pressure on the tear while it fully dries and seals.
You should find that the seal dries within 2-3mins, but the seal will form more fully if you allow it to dry for at
least 6hrs. The best option would be to allow it to dry overnight to allow the strongest seal possible to form. John Wood
AEROBIC VS MUSCULAR ENDURANCE
Q What’s the difference between aerobic endurance and muscular endurance? George Turner
A Aerobic endurance is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver oxygen to the working muscles. To stimulate the physiological adaptations required to become more oxygen proficient requires many hours of training, with top agegroupers ticking off 300-600hrs of annual sessions to hit the top 25% overall. Ultimately, this increases your maximum oxygen uptake or VO2max. Longer, moderate-intensity sessions are a foundation to boost aerobic endurance.
Muscular endurance, on the other hand, is the ability of the muscles – in general, your slow-twitch muscle fibres – to sustain repeated production of force at low to moderate intensities for extended periods of time. In tri terms, there’s no point in having a strong heart and lungs if your musculoskeletal system can’t handle the stress of thousands of repetitions, whether it’s front crawl, pedalling or striding.
Naturally, your muscular endurance is built from consistent, progressive triathlon training. But your swim, bike and run sessions should be complemented with weight or bodyweight training. Press-ups, tricep dips and core training are all ways to boost muscular endurance. James Witts
HIGH INJURY RISK IN WOMEN
Q Do female athletes have a higher injury risk than male ones? If so, why? Hannah Myers
A Yes, women are more prone than men to suffer from the most common sports-related injuries. There are a variety of purported reasons for this, but much remains uncertain. While a combination of factors is likely responsible for the discrepancy, the most basic premise is that it’s the result of body differences, such as bone geometry, bone density, hormone levels, nutritional status and muscle mass.
When it comes to triathlon, one of the key differences is the higher incidence of bone stress injury among female athletes – 6.5% rate versus 9.7% according to a 2011 study. Interestingly, the same study reported that female athletes with normal weight and bone health are less likely to develop stress fractures, showing that gender is less important than the overall physical shape/condition of the athlete.
Other injuries known to be more common in female athletes include ankle sprains, rotator cuff shoulder conditions and plantar fasciitis. Awareness of these differences can be useful when drawing up a training schedule, and making sure it includes relevant, and sufficient, strength and conditioning exercises. Brad Beer
BEST VITAMINS FOR IMMUNITY
Q What are the best vitamins to boost the immune system? Keith Robson
A It’s important that your immune system is supplied with enough energy to fight off viruses and bacteria, and that means eating enough calories. Ideally you should aim to be in energy balance, which you can check by making sure your weight remains stable over days or weeks. These calories should come from a wide range of foods and getting as many colours from fruits and veg into your diet as possible.
Vitamin C plays an important role in the immune system, so include oranges, bell peppers, kiwis and strawberries. Then make sure you’re eating enough protein – a triathlete needs to eat about 1.5 times their bodyweight in protein per day. Adequate protein helps muscles recover from training, but also supports the production of antibodies and immune cells.
Vitamin D is also known to play a key part in maintaining a healthy immune system. During the winter months, where we see little sun, I’d advise supplementing with 2,000 IU per day. Stephen Smith