On The Water

December 28, 2013 By coach Dave Williams The Graded Exercise Test (GXT) is a measure of cardiovascular fitness.  It shows your body’s response to increasing workload.  It can also identify lactate threshold wattage and heart rate.  A plot of HR versus power shows the cardiovascular response to increasing workload.  The lactate threshold is about 10-15% below the point where breathing becomes labored.  The corresponding perceived exertion would be about 7 out of 10.  An ideal improved training response would indicate each power step achieved at a lower heart rate and lactate threshold reached at a higher wattage with an increase in peak power achievement.  Ideally the plotted line should shift down and to the left as fitness improves.  [HR: Heart Rate; RPE:Rate of Perceived Exertion; Ventilations: E(easy), F(fast), H(hard), L(labored)] GXT Test: December 28, 2013 Lactate Threshold Heart Rate: LTHR 167 Lactate Thre...

A note from the coach. [Read his most recent interview here:  Best Coaches Special ] Physiological testing can provide information regarding an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses in the chosen sport.  The chosen test should therefore be as sport specific as possible to glean the most accurate results. Physiological testing should be used to provide feedback to the athlete about the effectiveness of the training program. Physiological testing should also be used to educate the athlete about the physiology of exercise so that they may be more likely to make better decisions regarding their training and racing preparation. In determining which physiological test to utilize the athlete/coach should consider the physiological variables to be tested and ensure that they are relevant to the sport. The test should also be repeated at specific intervals and measured against the training response.  Results can be instrumental in predicting race performance,...

I am very blessed to get excellent coaching from my boyfriend. He is also blessed to enjoy many things while coaching me, among those are seeing on a daily basis the effects of his coaching efforts. After a grueling 2hr power test on the bike trainer I will tell you that one of the things he is truly enjoying is taking me pictures exactly when my body shuts down. He says that Loukia has only two buttons: ON and OFF. Nothing in between. After I exhaust the last bit of energy during the day (training, work, etc.) I shut down within seconds! And why not? I love to sleep, I can go on for about 8 to 9 hours every night, and when training peaks, I also take a 15 min afternoon nap (I wish I could do an hour though). Sleeping is important. For all of us athletes that do not have the luxury to just train, eat and sleep all day but also have to work efficiently in a research competitive environment, where brain never shuts down, turning off the body and brain has to be done as effectivel...

Power tests, VO2 max, vVO2 max (economy), muscular endurance, strength to body weight ratio tests and all the other assessments are designed to assess the current status of an athlete. As a cyclist, I used to get a lot of stress and anxiety before and after these tests: did I produce enough watts? am I in good shape? am I strong? is my VO2 max high? As a triathlete now with a different plan and a different coach, I treat these tests with respect and love. They are my tools to make me better, faster, stronger. The results do not matter as much as how we use those to make progress. So, no stress anymore, just data and data analysis. Soon my winter tests are coming up and I feel excited: I have new tools, new data, new knowledge and new opportunities to get greater results for the coming season. Winter training is crucial for getting a good base and checking the status of the base will help set up the goals and the path for the new season. Stay tuned! Tests, results and plans ...

As a cyclist, I used to train hard every day. I was just tagging along with the men's team and hoping for the best. I used to peak randomly, somewhere in the middle of the season but at the end of the season, when the National Championships were taking place, I was dead tired, dragging my feet on the pedals trying to push through my heavy legs. Agh! A simplified view of the overload training period as part of a periodization plan As a triathlete now, I had the chance to experience a periodization plan with specific training periods, tailored exactly for my level and ability: base, transition, overload, (taper), race, and rest for the following season. It is hard - and probably boring - to give you all the details behind each period, and I am actually not qualified to do so, but here is a summary and a simplified scheme to help you get into the idea behind my training plan. Base : long, comfy, steady pace miles and weight-lifting. Transition Overload period: racing with tire...

Finding the right coach or finding the right athlete and the right program for achieving your athletic goals can be challenging. I believe that the most challenging part for both the athlete and the coach is to set up a goal. A long-term goal (some years in the future) and a short-term goal (at the end of the season) - the latter will be part of the former. A coaching plan is a plan. And a plan is made to serve a purpose, a goal. A goal that has to be precise, measurable and challenging but also achievable. Once the goal is set, then the path to get there can be decided. There are many ways one can get to their goals. I am not an expert to say definitively which way is the best. The choice is up to the athlete and the coach. As long as there is trust between the two, trust in the goal and the outlined plan, good chemistry, enthusiasm, work ethic and passion, there will always be multiple ways to accomplish that goal and succeed. I know many athletes who do not have a goal an...

Nathan Handerson. A very experienced massage therapist, Nathan works at LifeTime Fitness, in Woodstock, GA. There is nothing more to say than the fact that this man treated my chronic injury. It was an eye-opening experience to realize that all of the physicians I visited in GA, from gynecologists, to GI and sports med docs, physical therapists, orthopedic and pain specialists could not "solve" my mysterious injury or rather, they were not interested in investigating further. The reality is that the USA medical system, despite the reputation and appreciation that receives in Europe (at least from the non-medical community), has many problems. Well, I have experienced first hand one of those. To my surprise, patients with non life-threatening symptoms that do not "fit into the boxes" or do not follow the doc's "cookbook" are treated poorly. If the doc doesn't know or cannot diagnose your issue within his/her area of expertise (i.e. "cookboo...

For a little while, I kept running at a slower pace. Then I couldn't run at all. The cool thing about being a triathlete is that you can train in three sports! So, I swam, I biked and I lifted weights. I was swimming with a masters team 4 to 5 times a week for an hour and a half hitting 4000 to 5000 yrds a session. My technique didn't get any better but I managed to get used to the distance. I even completed two 5k open water swims with a decent time (for a non-swimmer) of 1hr30min. I also biked a lot. I was cycling for up to six hour rides clocking-in centuries or perhaps a little more than 100 miles, allowing my body to adapt to the volume at a comfortable pace. It felt like the entire season last year was just a prolonged base period. Not bad at all. I was able to move and maintain and even extend a great aerobic base. It took me a while to get over the fact I was not training at higher intensities at all. I think that one of the hardest concepts for an athlete is t...

Persistence is still determination to overcome adversity and keep moving forward regardless of your feelings or the environmental conditions. It is a sustained effort characterized by will power and desire. Every athlete, from amateurs to Olympians, has dealt with some sort of injury or injuries at some point. Small injuries, big injuries; injuries that take a week to heal or years to overcome. Having a clear vision of the future, removing any stubborn attachment to the past and just sticking to the original goals have helped all of us get through the rough times. Setting up a goal and working towards it, can have many ups and downs; when you are up, you can overcome challenges like a steamroller; when you are down, you have to stay put to that burning desire of succeeding your goal. You will have weak moments; maybe you will cry; maybe you will want to quit. Try to see the end of the tunnel, stay in the path, have faith and hope, and you will get out stronger, more mature and crav...

It was just 5 months into my first training season that hit me . Just a side stitch at a 10k race. Nothing more nothing less. It was hurting, I couldn't finish well, my time was off. "Just a side stitch, it will go away" I thought. Then it came back again at a sprint triathlon race two months later, and again at my first half-distance and again at some of the interval training sessions and again at the age-group Nationals. Yet another race in pain. Holding my right side, still thinking I am having a running stitch! I could race through it, still win races but I was in pain and not able to fully throw myself into the battle. What the heck was it?! I would stretch regularly, I would take care of my diet and drink plenty of water, I was careful with what I was eating before a race or a training session. Yet that pain, a sharp stabbing knife into my right (and later left) abdomen, symetrically across the middle-line and laterally between the rib cage and the pelvis...

Changing an athlete's viewpoint towards training and racing is not easy. I grew up athletically by racing in cycling (on the track and on the road). My training was random. I would go out every day for 3-4 hour bike rides trying to keep up with the men, killing myself out, feeling exhausted, going to bed by 9pm every night. No goal, no schedule, just pushing hard day in day out. This is not how a training schedule should look like. Especially, if you have a particular goal, or if you want to get better every year consistently. Random training brings random results. David helped me understand training cycles. I had one goal every year. I would train towards that particular goal, I would race and taper towards that one goal. Many athletes and coaches think that "putting all eggs in one basket" is risky but I think it's fun and it can teach you how to commit, and also how to learn your body's reactions to training and tapering in a more qualitative way. I had a...

The year was 2011. I had been racing on the track and on the road for a Greek cycling team for almost 5 years. I was not a bad cyclist. 2003 seemed to be my year: I managed to get a 6th place at the two-day National Greek Cup (road race), a 7th place at the 500m time trial Track National Championships and a 12th overall place at the International Tour of Rhodes. I was even part of some developmental athlete camps of the Greek National Team. But, as with many cases in Greece, a lot of opportunities can be easily lost, especially in sports. Not only because of the lack of infrastructure or governmental support but mainly because of the lack of sports culture, and lack of understanding and education about the science of sports and human performance. Simply said, it is not important if you are an athlete in Greece; you cannot make money; you are not considered successful in the society; you are a nobody. In contrast with their ancient descendants, who were focused on developing the br...