Make Your Warm Up Count

November 24th, 2013 by Roxane Kippen, USA Triathlon Certified Coach
Training time is valuable and athletes want to get the most out of their workouts. This can often lead to skipped warm ups, which may be more detrimental than trading the additional 10 minutes of workout time for properly prepping the body for activity. Just 10 minutes before every workout can go a long way in helping prevent injury.
When many people think of warm up, they tend to envision a light jog or easy spin, but there are two other things that should happen before this “cardio” phase of a warm up. The first part of a warm up is designed to stimulate motor neurons, which send messages from the brain to the muscles. This is called neuromuscular activation (NMA). Several NMA exercises include balancing on one leg for several seconds in various positions, such as leg out to the front, activating the quads or leg lifted behind, engaging the glutes and hamstrings. Other examples are arm circles, calf raises and leg swings. These activities open up the brain to muscle communication that will be needed for the workout. An NMA routine does not need to be more than 5 minutes in duration.
The second part of a warm up is important for increasing blood flow and increasing range of motion. A dynamic warm up (DWU) is critical to injury prevention and should become a habit for every athlete before every training session. A DWU routine progresses from light impact exercises such as walking on heels and walking on toes, to higher intensity exercises like running high knees and power skips. The dynamic warm up should be between 5 and 10 minutes in length.
After the NMA and DWU, some athletes will still desire an additional cardio warm up. Generally, the time spent on cardio warm up can be reduced to 5 or 10 minutes following NMA and DMU, depending on the intensity of the training session to follow. Incorporating a good warm up into every workout session is an extremely valuable use of training time and should never be sacrificed due to a tight schedule. Make it a habit to complete a warm up routine before every training session.

Unfinished Business: How to Become a Comeback Kid

November 15th, 2013 by tritter

comebackkidMany adult athletes can trace their sporting start to a younger, simpler time when life’s responsibilities had yet to compete and consume their schedule. Dominican-born triathlete Raquel Tavares-Torres was one such promising young athlete whose athletic achievements would be sidelined in her prime by study, marriage, and raising a family. Sixteen years later, with great coaching and a supportive family, Tavares-Torres has become the ultimate comeback kid.

Tavares-Torres took up swimming at the age of 3, and competition by the age of 5. She started mountain bike riding and racing around the age of 12 and then combined these abilities with running when she started triathlons two years later. She continued to develop in multisport through a local club, and at 16 took 1st in the Junior Pan American games. Though she loved the sport, she had turned her focus towards getting her degrees, first an undergrad, then a masters, and finally an MBA. Along the way, she married and had a daughter.

Fast forward 15 years to 2012 when Tavares-Torres’ husband suggested she try competing again by doing a local Grand Rapids triathlon. With a bike purchase in hand, she signed up for an Olympic distance event. With three weeks of training, and just a few rides on her new steed, Tavares-Torres took a remarkable 2nd. A few weeks later she took 1st overall at the Michigan Championships. The fire had been lit.

Tavares-Torres joined a local tri club, and decided to get some VO2 testing done at Athletic Mentor partner, In The Zone, where she set the record for the highest results they’d ever recorded. Her home country, Dominican Republic, wanted her to turn elite. She’d confirmed she had the talent, but knew she lacked direction. In February of ’13, Tavares-Torres started working with Athletic Mentors’ coach Mark Olson.

At first Tavares-Torres wasn’t sure. “I didn’t think I was training enough, but kept seeing improvement from race to race,” she said. “I decided to just trust Mark.”

Tavares-Torres also appreciates the tools AM uses, like Training Peaks.

“I love to be organized, and then talk to Mark if I need to change things,” she said. Olson used these tools to address Tavares-Torres biggest weakness, the bike. After some dedicated base building on two wheels, things started to come together.

“I felt better on the bike and also the run,” she said. It became apparent she was on the right track. “I think Mark knows what he’s doing.”

Tavares-Torres is now focusing on her longer team goals. She wants to see how far she can take this sport, and for the top ranked Dominique Republic female pro triathlete, that means representing her home country by qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janerio. Along that path is the Chicago ITU World Cup in June of 2014.

With a goal in mind and the support of her family, home federation, and coach, Tavares-Torres is again prioritizing the sport she left as a youth. She wants to give it her best, leaving no unfinished business.