ASK 220
WETSUIT VS SPEED
Q Why does a wetsuit make you faster? Ross Stevens
A wetsuit should make everyone faster in the water, whether you’re new to swimming or Michael Phelps. This is because a wetsuit gives you buoyancy, lifting you higher in the water, which means you require less energy or force to give you lift (i.e. keep you at the surface) and, more importantly, push you along.
Stronger swimmers will benefit less from a wetsuit than weaker swimmers, as their body position is already better. For weaker, newer swimmers, or less confident athletes, your hips will be level with your head and shoulders rather than below. This should mean that your legs are also at the same level – you might even feel your heels breaking the surface as you kick.
Swimming with a pull buoy in the pool can help mimic the effect of your wetsuit in that it adds that extra buoyancy to keep your body level. That said, we want to be able to benefit from the wetsuit rather than rely on it. Make sure that you practise swimming without a wetsuit too; if it’s hot on race day you might end up with a non-wetsuit swim, which could come as an unwelcome shock to the body!
To get the most out of your wetsuit, make sure you buy one that fits well. You could have the best suit on the market, but if it’s too small/wrong shape it will restrict your movement; if it’s too large it will fill with water and drag. John Wood
PEEING DURING AN IRONMAN
Q How much should you pee during an Ironman and a 70.3? Brad Comiskey
A Based on a fair amount of personal experience and also in planning hydration plans for a lot of athletes, this is my advice:
During exercise your body produces hormones that reduce the need to pee (part of the old ‘fight or flight’ response). You’re also likely to be sweating a lot, which again reduces the need to urinate to conserve body fluid. So if you end up peeing a lot during a half or full Ironman, you’re likely drinking too much and might benefit from backing off the fluid intake a touch.
In terms of what constitutes peeing ‘a lot’, I usually tell athletes it’s not a bad thing to pee once on the bike in a halfdistance event, possibly twice in an Ironman. This tends to show that you’re drinking a reasonable amount but not massively overdoing it. Much more than that and I’d say it’s a sign of either taking in too much fluid, or insufficient sodium within that fluid to retain it in your body.
If you don’t pee at all that’s not always a big problem, but it could also show that you’re becoming more dehydrated than is optimal for a good performance, so consider slightly increasing fluid intake.
Whatever you do be careful how and when you pee during a race – while many do pee while riding the bike it’s actually against race rules, and can result in a yellow card or stop-and-go penalty if seen by a race referee. Andy Blow
OUT- OF-THE-SADDLE STRENGTH
Q When climbing on the bike, I find it very hard to stand up on the pedals to power up a hill. How can I improve? Rowan Tilly
A Like most aspects of performance, the best way to get better at climbing out of the saddle is to do more of it.
A simple session for doing this is to find a hill that takes 10-15mins to climb and, having warmed up riding to the hill, do reps where you alternate 1min seated with 1min standing, ensuring that you shift up at least one gear when you stand up. If using a power meter, you can do this workout as an over/under. For the out-the-saddle minutes, aim for 7080rpm and 110% of FTP; for seated, spin up to 80-90rpm and 90% of FTP. Coast back down to recover and repeat 2-3 times.
Unfortunately, working on out-thesaddle climbing on the turbo won’t be anywhere near as effective. Part of being able to climb strongly is trunk stability and strength, which simply isn’t challenged enough on a static indoor trainer.
However, you can definitely make a difference in the gym. Press-ups, renegade rows, planks and oblique planks can all help boost strength. Nik Cook
STRENGTH TRAINING FOR KIDS
Q How much strength training should children do? May Usher
A Strength training for children has been shown to increase overall bone strength, decrease fracture risk and sport-related injuries, protect muscles and joints, and increase confidence and self-esteem.
When carrying out a child’s strength programme it’s crucial that it’s taken slowly and correct technique is mastered. Planning should focus on including several fundamental movement patterns (squat; lunge; hip hinge; push; pull), and performed in a controlled and supervised environment under the guidance of an experienced coach.
Gently introduce varying degrees of resistance before progressing to weights. E.g. light weight medicine balls and resistance bands. This will gradually develop strength without too much muscular fatigue. This is important as children gain strength through neural adaptations, so strength training likely improves the number and coordination of activated motor neurons as a result of the body adapting to the different exercises.
Overall, a child’s strength programme should be 2-3 sessions a week on nonconsecutive days. Technique, balance and co-ordination drills should be prioritised. Each session should aim to include 6-8 exercises that focus on the different major muscle groups. Initial load should be selected, so that 10-15 reps can be completed with some fatigue, but not to the point of muscular failure. Nick Beer