I've been competing in triathlon for more than 10 years and I've learned a lot about health and fitness. Mostly what I've learned is that mainstream society really doesn't have a clue what their talking about and the proof is that the majority of people are just getting fatter and unhealthier. There are a few simple rules that "Anyone Can Do". There is nothing fancy but it's a bit counter-intuitive. If you don't believe me now, just try this EASY program for 12 weeks and change your life.
6. Triathlon
Swim, Bike, Run (in that order)
Distances
Sprint: .5 mi, 15 mi, 3.1 mi (2 hr)
Olympic: .9 mi, 25 mi, 6.2 mi (3 hr)
Half-Ironman: 1.2 mi, 56 mi, 13.1 mi (6 hr)
Professionals finish in ~4 hrs
Ironman: 2.4 mi, 112 mi, 26.2mi (12hr)
Professionals finish in ~8 hrs
7. Training
Consistency is the key
Marathon – 3-4x per week
Triathlon – 6-12xper week
Simple Truths
You cannot get fit in a day
You cannot lose 20 years of weight in 3 weeks
You cannot spot reduce fat
8. Water
Your most valuable resource
How much should you drink each day?
8 x 8 oz. glasses per day? (64 oz.)
What if you are a 105 lb woman?
What if you are a 250 lb man?
9. Water
Try this equation for ounces of water each day
0.66 x (your body weight) = X oz.
Kevin
0.66 x 165 lbs = 109 oz.
128 oz. = 1 gallon = 4L (my personal goal)
10. Water
Hyponatremia (a.k.a. Water Intoxication)
Electrolyte imbalance
Very difficult to do in a normal day
Easy to do on a hot day while exercising and not eating
enough balanced food
Heavy sweating + Water only = Hyponatremia
11. Rest
Rest is a part of training
The more you train, the more rest you will need
Listen to your body
You will learn how, in time
12. Nutrition
Why do you eat?
Happy
Sad
Comfort
Depressed
Time of day
Tired
Bored
14. Nutrition
Think in terms of eating a “healthy diet” rather than
“going on a diet”
Kevin’s Goals
Have the healthiest shopping cart
Only eat healthy, simple foods
Single ingredient foods (e.g. oatmeal, almonds, tuna, etc.)
Fat is your friend
15. Nutrition
Useable energy per type of fuel
Protein – 1g = 4 calories
Carbohydrate – 1g = 4 calories
Fat – 1g = 9 calories
16. Nutrition
How different fuels burn
Carbs
Burn like newspaper in a fire
Fats
Burn like logs in a fire
Proteins
Burn like wet logs in a fire
17. Nutrition
Types of Fuel
Carbs
Quick to burn, quick to use up
Easy to ingest and process
Fats
Slow burning for the long haul
Easy to store but you have to learn how to use
Proteins
Very difficult to convert to useable energy
Require a lot of water to process
Come into play after 2 hours of activity
18. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Think in terms of eating a “healthy diet” rather than
“going on a diet”
My goal has always been to have the healthiest shopping
cart
19. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Balance your diet
Fat is your friend
Kevin’s story about energy and cholesterol
20. Nutrition – Pre and Post Training
Kevin is lucky – he doesn’t get bored easily
Breakfast
Protein shake
Oatmeal, brown sugar, almonds, walnuts
Lunch
Turkey, whole grain bread, 2 slices cheese, ½ avocado
Dinner
Tuna with olive oil
Quinoa with flax seed oil
Spinach with olive oil
21. Nutrition while Training
16-24 oz water per hour
<300 calories per hour (consider when > 90 min)
Mostly carbs
Activity longer than 2 hrs, some protein can help
Electrolytes (consider when > 90 min)
Sodium (Na+)
Potassium (K+)
Calcium (Ca2+)
Magnesium (Mg2+),
Chloride (Cl−)
Hydrogen phosphate (HPO42−)
Hydrogen carbonate (HCO3−)
22. Nutrition while Training
Find your preferred type of nutrition
Liquid – Carb drinks (e.g. Gatorade, Cytomax, Heed)
Gel – Consistency of icing (e.g. Gu, Hammer Gel, Cliff Shots)
Solid – Normal food (e.g. PowerBar, Trail Mix, PB&J)
23. How to Train
Americas mis-conception
You don’t have to go “balls to the wall” every workout
American’s don’t know how to burn fat as a fuel
Teach your body to burn fat as a fuel
24. The Secret
How to lose weight, the only way
Calories In vs. Calories Out
Nutrition
If you are currently maintaining your weight, reduce your daily
caloric intake by 300 calories and you will lose one pound per
week.
Exercise (this method has many additional benefits)
Add exercise to your daily routine (e.g. 30-60 min. brisk walk)
25. Fat As Your Main Fuel Source
Base Training – Even the pros do it
8-12 weeks
3-5 days per week
30-90 minutes per workout
DO NOT let your heart increase above 70% of your
maximum heart rate
Base Training Heart Rate = (220 – age) x 0.7
Kevin’s BTHR = (220 – 40) x 0.7 = 126
If you let your HR go above your target, your body will
switch fuel sources and won’t go back – be disciplined!
26. The Mindset
Try thinking in terms of a “healthy lifestyle”
Everything you do will have “health” in mind
Balanced diet
Daily exercise
Good rest
Stress relievers (try a few deep, controlled breaths a few
times a day)
27. Endurance Training
It’s all about…
Consistency
3-4x per week so your body can adapt and reduce the likelihood
of injury
Build gradually
Your long run should not be more than ~50% of your weekly
mileage
3 x 3 mi run + 10 mile run = 19 mile week
When increasing distance/time, do not add more than ~10%
E.g. Week 5 – 15 mile long run, Week 6 – 17 mile long run
28. Post-Training
Recovery drinks/food are vital to daily training
Ingest carbs and some protein within 30-60 minutes of
stopping training
Ingest a well-balanced meal, when you feel ready, after
your training
29. Mental Training
If it’s not fun, don’t do it
Some days you won’t want to train but you have to
anyway
Some rest days you’ll feel great but you still should rest
Do some long runs alone and without music
Most races do not allow music
Finish, at least, one similar, shorter race prior to your
main event
30. Pre-Race Day Tips
Get plenty of rest the 2-3 nights prior to race day
You likely will not sleep well the night before the race
Carbo-loading is so ‘70s eat normally
If you’ve trained your body to use fat as a fuel, carbo-loading will
only make you extra hungry in the morning
Did you carbo-load the day before a big training run?
Stick to your normal nutrition and water in the days before a
race
Plan everything the night before because something
unexpected will happen the morning of race day
It’s more important to sleep than wake up early to eat a pre-
race meal. You just don’t need it.
31. Race Day Tips
1. You trained hard and you’re ready, remember that
2. Avoid making last minute, race day changes like new shoes,
socks, shorts, shirt and especially nutrition
3. Start your race slower than what feels comfortable, you’ll be
feeling an adrenaline rush and I doubt you trained for that
4. If you trained right and your nutrition is sound, you
shouldn’t need to eat prior to the race
5. I try to finish a liter of Cytomax 20 minutes prior to race start
6. If your really hungry, a gel 10 minutes prior to the race may
help
7. Stick to your race plan but be ready to change because
something unexpected usually happens