What is VO2Max and how is it useful for triathletes?

There are several different physiological tests and metrics that are available to athletes depending on their goals, ambitions and lifestyle choices. It can be confusing and conflicting at times without knowing how they influence and interact with each other, contribute to the different types of training sessions and overall structured plans.

One of these is the VO2Max test. Let’s look at the VO2Max, what it is, how it could benefit you and what it means to you as an athlete. To give you the knowledge to enable you to challenge yourself, if you want to!

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Ketogenic Diet for Athletes

Coach Kevin recently wrote an article comparing high carbohydrate to high fat (or ketogenic diets). Hopefully, by the end, you had a better idea of whether you should stick with the norm (high carb), or consider trying out a high-fat option. This article is for those who are thinking about giving keto a go – Kevin will explain the potential benefits, downsides, and how to do it right from an athlete’s perspective using both his experiences and science.

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How to make the most of open water swim sessions.

Often triathletes reach for the open water early season to get ready for their first race. Initially, this dive in may be more about braving the cold than anything that can resemble a decent training session. For time-starved athletes, there may be a questionable benefit of a short swim with travel and preparation/changing time) included. Read on to find out how to make the most of the open water swim sessions.

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What is Energy Availability?

In this article, we look at Energy Availability and get under the hood of what makes us healthy and what makes us strong. Performance correlates with consistency in training, so avoiding skipped training sessions through illness or injury is critical to success. How can we use Energy Availability and an understanding of our body’s needs to enable better performances and body compositions?

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Is straight arm swimming better than high elbow?

In this article Coach Alan writes about how the recovery part of your swim stroke can play a significant role in your performance. Swimming is renowned in age group triathlon for often being the difficult ‘one’, the one in which no matter how hard you try it doesn’t seem to get any better. Often this is put down to a lack of ‘correct’ technique, but was it correct technique? In this instance which is correct: a straight arm recovery or a high elbow recovery?

‘It depends’ is often the coach’s default answer but in this article, Coach Alan will try and explain ‘how’ it depends.

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How to Taper and Peak for a Race

You've completed your training, feeling good, fit and excited about your fast approaching triathlon. The next consideration is to arrive at the start line in the best possible shape as possible. Tapering for a triathlon is not easy. But if you manage to get it right it could make the difference to a good day and a great day. But let’s not forget this process is very much athlete-specific and needs trial and error depending on the distance of the race. Read on to find out more.

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Why is Sleep so Important?

A good night’s sleep is vital for your health. It’s just as important as eating healthy and exercising. Unfortunately, there’s a lot that can interfere with natural sleep patterns. People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has also decreased. In this article, Coach Tim discusses the importance of sleep.

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