Yoga, Strength and Athletes

Written by on April 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment

So when you think of yoga, you might normally think of people with stick figure bodies who are able to take themselves into shapes that would injure a pretzel. Or quite possibly you think it would be great to be more flexible, that the additional flexibility may help prevent injury and improve both training and recovery.  And you could have come to the conclusion that incorporating yoga into your training routine would be way to accomplish that. Quite honestly though, aside from the extreme, bendy postures, you may not see much difference between yoga and some of the more common stretches you’ve seen or read about. As a triathlete I know I didn’t until I’d done yoga for a few weeks.  That’s when I got a taste of just how deep the rabbit hole that is yoga really goes.  Let me explain.

The most notable difference between yoga and simple static stretches is the sequencing. Most good yoga classes follow a well thought out progression moving the body deeper and deeper into similar but more challenging positions. In fact many of the common poses you may be familiar with such as Downward Dog, Crow Pose, or even a simple Forward Fold are actually “preparations” for deeper yoga poses. The same is also true of many static stretches many of us have come to know and use regularly. Most common stretches are variations or simplified Yoga poses. Often what is going on in these variations or modifications is the pose is made more accessible by taking several dimensional components out of it so that they become available for someone new to using their bodies in an unfamiliar way. Static stretches (and most weight machines) often remove the coordinated muscle recruitment that relates to stability. The removal of this component, while making the stretch simple, has the undesirable side affect of doing less to actually strengthen the body.

One pose which illustrates this clearly is Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold.  When commonly presented, even in yoga classes, this posture is usually referred to as a mere hamstring stretch.  And to see it performed it is easy to get that impression.  If you were to merely fold forward without any direction, you would notice the pull at the back of your legs as you attempt to bring your chest in toward your thighs. But there is much more going on in this forward fold than meets the eye or a casual experience.  For the fold to happen properly the hips are engaged as a hinge allowing the torso to move forward as the hips shift back.  The spine extends out from the tailbone through the top of the head.  As the torso is brought closer to the thighs, the thighs will have an inward rotation creating space for the chest.  To deepen and hold the fold, the core must be engaged.  This entire process allows the hamstrings to “release”.  Not stretch, “release”.

This act of consciously “releasing” muscles is a distinction that gets lost in discussions of yoga versus static stretching routines. In this instance the difference between a forward fold stretch and Uttanasana is Uttanasana is in reality a handstand preparation where more and more weight is removed from the legs and feet and placed into the palms until the hips are directly over the shoulders and the legs are lifted from the floor.  You can watch this same process outside a yoga studio in Olympic platform divers as they move into handstands prior to an inverted dive.  The purpose isn’t to stretch the hamstrings but to gain the ability to release them at will.

Downward Dog works in much the same way, encouraging access through the core, releasing the hamstrings, and preparing the body for the forward folds, handstands, and “floats” to seated positions and arm balances.  These are all complex, coordinated movements, much like swimming so the connection is obvious, but mastering these movements can also greatly impact running and cycling by improving strength, range of motion, and economy.

A regular yoga practice can restore the coordinated function to many of the common stretches you already know about and to the other complex muscular activities you engage in.  And it will aid tremendously in your recovery between workouts.  One of the primary reasons for triathletes to get massages and take ice baths is to increase blood flow and fight inflammation after tough workouts.  Think of yoga as an internal massage and an inflammation fighter too.  By gaining coordinated muscular access, you recruit muscles more efficiently to perform all tasks from walking up a flight of stairs to riding 112 miles on a bike.

Categories: Functional Strength, Yoga, yoga for triathletes

Yoga For Triathletes – Ardha Chandrasana

Written by on April 12, 2010 · 4 Comments

This week I’ve been thinking about the moon. Not the one circling around the planet, but the one I struggle with in Yoga classes. Ardha Chandrasana, or Half Moon, is one of the most challenging, yet satisfying, poses I can think of. It requires a mixture of flexibility, balance, strength, and probably more than just a little courage to pull off properly. One of the reasons I’m fond of this pose is because it was one that I had a lot of early success with when I started taking Yoga classes. I think this is because as a cyclist and a runner, it is one of the few poses where leg strength and endurance is a plus.

Why do I feel this is a worthwhile pose for endurance athletes? Personally, I think this is a “must” pose for anyone who runs a lot. While Half Moon is an excellent pose for creating length and muscular integration of the whole body, it is also a great foot and lower leg strengthener. Because of the nature of balancing on a single foot, the muscles in the foot and around the ankles are constantly active getting an intense workout in just a few moments. From my own practice, I’ve come to believe this pose goes a long way toward building strong durable feet and lower legs which can help to prevent injuries such as Shin Splints, Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles Tendonosis.

So how do we come into Half Moon? There are actually several different ways to do this but to me the easiest way to get into the pose is to start from a lunge (right foot forward with the foot in between the hands). From the lunge you will come up onto your fingertips and straighten the right leg which causes the left leg to naturally lift from the floor. At this point the left leg is extending straight back behind you with the toes pointing down toward the floor.

Leaving your left hand in contact with the floor move your right hand to a point on the floor just beneath your right shoulder. Your gaze can remain on the floor. Take your left hand off the floor and place it on your left hip. Now without taking your eyes off the floor or your left hand off of your hip, rotate your left hip up toward the ceiling. This should also rotate your left toes to the point where they are now at a 90 degree angle with the right leg (they are pointing out away from the mid-line of your body).

Now you’re are essentially in Half Moon. Once you have your balance, you can add more challenge to the pose by taking the left arm from the hip and extending it straight up toward the ceiling. Perhaps if you feel stable here, you can try to lift your gaze from the floor to the ceiling following the left arm. Finally, with your gaze back on the floor, you can bring your right hand from the floor to your ankle to incorporate additional balance into the pose. Remember to only rotate your head at the neck so that your left hip remains pointed up toward the ceiling allowing you to keep both your balance and the integrity of the pose. You will want to stay in the pose for at least 10 breaths. After that you can try this again on the other leg.

If you are finding balance is an issue one thing that is possible is to practice the pose with the lower hand on a block.  This can allow for a greater opening in the hip and across the chest.  You can also try the pose with the extended (in this case left foot) against a wall for additional support.

Here is Half Moon both without and with a block for your comparison.

Half Moon without block

Half Moon with block

You can find more pictures of the pose and additional guidance here.

Categories: Half Moon, Running, triathlon training, Yoga, yoga for triathletes

Yoga For Triathletes Getting (and Staying) Aero on the Bike Part 2

Written by on April 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Aside from talking to folks in my yoga classes about getting and staying aero on the bike, I’ve been spending a lot of time watching triathlon bike footage on the internet. This has really helped me in my thinking about what it takes to have and comfortably maintain good aero positioning on the bike.

Some components of the position are:

  1. a strong and stable core.
  2. open hips.
  3. Length in the hamstrings.
  4. Open shoulders.
  5. Space in the front body/hip flexors.

This next pose we will explore in this series is a bang for your buck pose if ever there was one. The traditional pose is an forearm balance called Pincha Mayurasana. But we don’t need to come into the full expression of that pose for our purposes. As is the case with most yoga poses, sometimes the preparatory pose is more beneficial (read challenging) in developing the attributes of strength, muscular integration and access we are looking for than the actual full expression of the pose itself.

Pincha Mayurasana is no exception.  If you’ve been following along through the last couple of posts in this series we can move easily from Bakasana or Crow Pose into Pincha Mayurasana prep.  Of course you can do all of this work as stand alone poses or you can put them together during a strength workout or a stretching routine to augment other work.

From Crow Pose, you would bring the feet back to the floor and come back into the original squat we started out in.  From here you would come to your hands and knees with the palms under the shoulders.  Then lower the elbows to the ground keeping the forearms parallel to one another.  You want to make sure you keep the forearms from rotating inward to one another.  They should rest flat on the floor extending out in a straight line from the elbows.  Keeping this alignment will be important as we come into Pincha Mayurasana prep as the alignment is what promotes the shoulder opening we are working toward.  If you have tight shoulders perfectly parallel forearms might not be possible but you want to keep the arms as close to this ideal as comfortably possible.

Once you have your forearms situated, you will keep your gaze up between your hands as you raise your hips toward the ceiling straightening your legs.  At this point you will walk the feet in a few inches.  The head will naturally drop but keep the eyes forward looking in between the hands.  You want to use your forearms and engage them from the hands all the way back into the elbows.  This will create the lift as you engage the core to facilitate the posture.

Try to hold this pose anywhere from 5 to 8 breaths.  Come out of it by bending the knees and lowering back to the ground.  You will want to repeat this posture 3 to 5 times.  As you get better and your shoulders, hips and hamstrings open up and your core gets stronger, you can add more challenge/intensity by raising a leg in the air.

Ultimately, as you gain strength and your body opens, you will be able to use the raised leg to bring the hips over the shoulders.  At this point the full expression of the pose can be explored.  But if all you want to do is be more comfortable on the bike, what I’ve shown you here will be more than adequate for your training. If you are finding keeping your arms parallel is an issue, then you could try using a yoga block. Most men may need two due to the width of their shoulders. If a yoga block isn’t available I’ve used books if I could find one the correct width. The thing to keep in mind is just try to keep the arms a little straighter than they would be if you let them do what they wanted. In time you should see improvement both in the practice and in your position on the bike.

Categories: Marquee, Pincha Mayurasana Prep, yoga for triathletes

Yoga For Triathletes – Getting and Staying Aero on the Bike Part 1: Bakasana (Crow Pose)

Written by on March 6, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Recently, I was asked by one of my students if there was anything they could do to help them get ready for staying in aero position on the bike for long races like 70.3 and the Ironman distance. I smiled and told him, “Yes.”

I don’t think he knew what he was asking for when he asked if we could spend a couple of classes working on being comfortable for long periods of time in aero position. Last month I wrote about a pose called Malasana, or Garland Pose, which is essentially a deep squat. At any rate, we were using Malasana in order to both open the hips and experience a greater connection to our feet which can be useful in running for moving with greater ease (especially after a hard bike leg) and generating more power resulting from greater range of motion.

Like many yoga poses Malasana can be a preparation for or a segue into other more challenging but very useful poses. And as it turns out it can also be a great beginning to an exploration of getting and staying aero on the bike. So what we are going to do over the next few posts is move from Malasana into a few more poses that can be added in sequence to promote the necessary bodily transformations that can make long bike legs less difficult from a positioning standpoint which in turn, ultimately, can lead to more efficient runs.

The next pose we explore in our sequence of aerodynamic building yoga poses is a pose called Bakasana or Crow Pose. The reason this pose is so important in our quest for aerodynamics is that it can promote the necessary core integration we need to support our torso out on the aerobars. Although in yoga Bakasana is an arm balance and when you first see it you might think it is a pose for strengthening the arms. Nothing could be further from the truth. By and large arm balances in yoga are core cultivators. And for our purpose of getting aero and being comfortable on the bike, Bakasana can train us to properly engage our core to provide the “lift” we need to comfortably maintain a flat back.

To come into Bakasana, we start in Malasana – a deep squat with our heels together. Place your palms on the floor out in front of you about a foot and a half away from your feet. You want your knees up even with your triceps. Shift your body forward bringing your weight fully onto your hands. Bending your elbows keep shifting more and more of your weight into your hands while keeping head up and your gaze on the floor in front of you. With your body centered over the palms, try bringing one foot off the ground. Engaging your core by bringing your navel in and up toward the spine as though you are lifting and filling the area near the kidneys with air. It is this internal movement that provides the lift in the hips and keeps the knees high up on the triceps. Technically for our purposes, you could stop at this point and work the pose by alternating between lifting your right and left feet off the ground and bringing them up toward your hips. Trust me 3 to 5 reps with each foot is a workout.

If you are comfortable with balancing on your hands and have no problem with the pose while one foot is on the ground, then try taking both feet off the ground at the same time. Again, be sure to keep your head up with your gaze out in front of you and in between your hands. If you have open hips and can get the sense of lift through your core you may find you are able to get quite a bit of height in the pose. If so try holding the pose for about 6 to 8 unhurried breaths before bringing our feet back to the ground.

If for some reason the arm balance doesn’t work for you, say balance is an issue, or you have weak wrists, you can still reap the benefits of the pose by taking the balance aspect out of it and practicing Bakasana on your back. In fact almost all yoga arm balances can be practiced while on your back allowing you to strengthen the core as you work your way up toward practicing the actual arm balance.

Coming into Bakasana on your back is very similar to practicing it upright. Start with your heels together and your knees apart. Your back will be flat against the ground. First you will rotate your pelvis up toward the ceiling which will cause your knees to rotate toward your shoulders. Now, as if you were doing crunches, bring your shoulders off the floor and move the torso up toward your knees. Hook your elbows on the insides of your knees and draw your navel down and in toward your spine. This will assist in deepening the fold. Hold the position for anywhere from 4 to 8 breaths, then relax. Repeat the movement 3 to 5 times.

Working Bakasana regularly, aside from being a neat trick you can show your Tri-minded friends, will give you the core awareness and integrity that we will need for the next pose in our aero building sequence. There aren’t to many issues with practicing Bakasana other than wrist issues and fear of falling so if you have any reservations, try the version where you explore the pose on your back for a while. I actually find that version more difficult. Until next time, train well….

Categories: Core Strength, Marquee, yoga for triathletes

Yoga For Endurance Athletes – Malasana (Garland Pose)

Written by on February 2, 2010 · 2 Comments
One of the popular workouts these days for athletes of all disciplines is the “Core” workout. This type of work goes far beyond the 6 pack ab craze that came before it.  There is a great benefit to be had in all endurance activities by strengthening the core. But once we’ve done the work and strengthened our core, our next question should become, “How can we access that strength and put it to work for us?”

To be honest, that question, the one about gaining “access” is a far deeper rabbit hole than a single post about a single pose can cover. That’s because it is one thing to “tighten your core ” or “keep it tight” (something that is commonly said when referring to the gross muscles comprising the mid section during activity), but accessing strength through the core to produce a desired muscular response while running, cycling, or swimming is something else.   Understanding this, my goal is to simply get  you started thinking about this concept of “gaining access” to the core and integrating it into the other movements that comprise your sport of choice.

To start us on our way to gaining access to the core, we need more access to our feet. And our feet need to gain a sense of being firmly engaged into the ground. Said another way we want to have a sensation of what it is like to have our feet “planted” (as in deeply rooted) into the ground. And for that we are going to explore a pose called Malasana or Garland Pose.

Essentially Garland pose is a deep squat. If you’ve travelled, especially in countries like India and throughout Asia, you will notice people sitting low to the ground, squatting deeply. This has several benefits, one of which is an opening of the hips. Another benefit of the pose is the opening of the ankles which can allow for a better connection to the ground by engaging through the feet for balance.

Malasana Variation where the feet are separated and point out 45 degrees

To come into the variation of Malasana that is most accessible, we start with our feet a bit wider than hip distance apart (the toes should be pointing forward but can be rotated out to about 45 degrees to facilitate lowering into the pose if needed). Then with the arms extended out straight in front of you for balance, lower your body bending at the knees. The torso should remain upright as the hips drop below the knees. If you hadn’t started with the toes rotated out at 45 degrees initially it may become necessary to rotate them out as your hips move closer to the floor. You may need to widen your stance as well once you get your hips closer to being level with your ankles. You want to hold this position for about 8 even breaths if you can.  If you can’t don’t sweat it, hold it as long as is comfortable.  You should be able to stay in the pose for longer and longer periods of time if you work the pose consistently.

Now for some housekeeping. These are some things you want to keep in mind. Throughout this movement the spine should be kept long even though the torso can have a tendency to tilt forward. You can get and keep more length in the spine once in the squat by bringing your hands together in prayer position and using the connection of the elbows to the shins for a bit of leverage to articulate the pelvis by bringing the navel in to the spine. It is possible that as you lower down even after rotating your toes out to 45 degrees and widening your stance, you cannot come into the full squat without your heels leaving the ground. If this is happening you can still work in the pose by placing a rolled up blanket or towel under the heels and then lowering down onto that. While this will change the sensation of grounding somewhat, it does not diminish the effectiveness of the pose.

A rolled up towel or blanket can be used as a wedge if the heels don't reach the ground.

If you still find it difficult to maintain your balance  in Malasana, another option is to practice it inside a doorway. I use this when I want to experience the squat with my feet and shins together holding on to the door frame as I lower my hips to my heels. This allows me to get a sense of the opening in my ankles and hips necessary to access this movement now while I wait for my body to allow me to do it without assistance.  To come out of the pose simply ground into the feet and straighten the legs or bring your palms to the floor and come to all fours.  Lastly use good judgement when doing this pose.  Save the pose for strength days at the gym or lower intensity training days.  Because of the deep squat, if you have knee or ankle issues Malasana is not recommended.

Categories: Marquee, Yoga, yoga for triathletes

How I Eat Now & Why

Written by on December 9, 2009 · 6 Comments

So lately, I’ve had a few people asking about my diet. Aside from the weight loss perspective, which is way overrated, most of the people asking are the ones who’ve noticed the benefits I’ve enjoyed from it. Personally I look at how I eat as less of a “diet” and more of a “pattern of eating” that allows me to do what I like doing which is to work out “A LOT”. But aside from allowing me to workout more frequently and with higher intensities, there are other benefits too.


These are some I’ve noticed:


  • Lower resting heart rate
  • More restful sleep in less time
  • More lean muscle/strength and flexibility
  • Healthier skin/hair
  • More energy
  • Better concentration
  • Better moods
  • Faster recovery

I started using this pattern of eating about 8 weeks before Ironman Arizona with the intent of reverting to a more conventional style of eating once the race was over. The changes I noticed in 2 weeks were so staggering, I decided to keep eating the same way after the race. I think the reason for the change was I had a sense that I was short on training time and my body wasn’t ready for the physical challenge of an Ironman. Because I felt I couldn’t “work out” enough, I had to figure out a way to create the necessary transformation in the time I had left. It occurred to me if I could pack my body with as many nutrients as I could leading up to the race, then at least my body had a chance to be “nutritionally” ready even if it wasn’t physically up to the task. But after 2 weeks I was so much stronger, more flexible and visibly fitter, I knew I was on to something. So the eating “pattern” is pretty simple. I start the day with food in liquid form (fresh juices of fruits and veggies) moving from juice to smoothies. Snack on nuts and seeds. As the day progresses fruits and salad are eaten depending on appetite. Eat what I want for dinner.

Now some details.

The juices are from seasonal fruits and vegetables, particularly leafy greens like kale, collards, spinach, and chard. But also there are things like carrots, broccoli, asparagus and parsley. I also always include beets because they promote healthy liver function which aids in systemic detoxification. The fruits used can vary according to personal taste and seasonal availability, but they also add volume to the total juice yield. I like to use grapes, oranges, blueberries, grapefruit, pineapple and watermelon. The goal is to make the juices as nutrient dense as possible creating a liquid food that is high in quality but low in calories. I drink about 24 to 32oz of juice like this daily and this is typically “first and second” breakfast. I don’t worry too much about calories but from past experience 8oz of juice is probably about 150 calories which is enough for me to start my day mildly satiated for a couple of hours before drinking more juice. It also allows for a morning workout not impeded by feeling stuffed and sluggish. But more importantly if you were to take the term “Break Fast” literally, you would start eating after a fast, even one lasting 10 or so hours, moderately allowing your system a chance to “warm” up to heavier digestive work later on.

Once the liquid food is done, then I’ll make a smoothie. There are some similarities between the juice and the smoothie in terms of what goes into making it but as a base I start with a blend of coconut water and coconut milk. The coconut water provides a good supply of electrolytes while the coconut milk adds some base nutrients and needed fat. From there frozen fruits and veggies are added again. One difference from smoothies you may by around town is I add lots of leafy greens (usually frozen, but not always) to this. Typically as it is easier to juice the stalks of the greens in the juicer, so I save the leaves for the smoothies. Aside from fruits and veggies and I few things I don’t or can’t juice, I add goji berries, stevia (if I need something a little sweeter), a blend of hemp, rice, and pea proteins, powdered chlorella, E3 Live (a green algae superfood), chia seeds, flax seed, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts and dates.

Interestingly the combination of vegetable proteins from the greens and the hemp, rice and pea protein powder seems to work better for me in building muscle than when I used a single source like hemp or soy alone. Also there is some new research on pea protein that suggests it aids in efficient kidney function. Better kidney function = healthier system overall. Again think detoxification.

Basically, if its good for me or has a purpose nutritionally its either in the juice or the smoothie. If I won’t eat it cooked or raw but is healthy, its probably in either the juice or the smoothie where I can disguise the taste enough to drink it. Between the juice and the smoothie, I get more than enough servings of fruits and veggies and a whole slew of things I probably should eat but couldn’t get enough of if I was eating solid food all day. And that’s the reason I started eating this way. From everything I’ve read, we don’t get enough quality nutrition in the typical American diet to support optimal health hence widespread issues our society faces with obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Also by drinking juice and smoothies, I save my system the trouble of having to break down a bunch of solid food and nutrients are available in greater amounts more quickly. Its a question of time and energy. Energy I’m now not using to break down food is energy that is saved for other things like working out, recovery, or just reading a book. Less energy and time spent digesting food is more energy and time to do other stuff that is more important to me. If I save an hour this way, that’s an hour I could be working out or recovering from working out. The solid food I eat at the end of my day, a few hours before bed, provides fiber and gives me the sensation fullness. It lets me eat normally and socially and keeps me from feeling as though I’m depriving myself of the foods I enjoy. I still eat things I like, just not all day long. Also by eating this meal last and before bed, my body has all night to digest the food while I’m asleep thus eliminating the feeling of drowsiness I used to feel when I ate solid food all day.




Categories: food, nutrition, triathlon, triathlon training

Book Review: The Thrive Diet

Written by on October 18, 2009 · 3 Comments

A few weeks ago I read The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier. It took me all of 3 hours. Not to say I read fast. The time spent reading just flew by because so much of what the book talks about, I’ve believed for some time. I just wasn’t implementing it all. So for the last 2 weeks I’ve been applying what I learned from the book and implementing what I already knew and have to say I’m hooked. At first I only committed to eat this way until after IMAZ. But as I write this blog I realize I’m probably going to eat this way from now on. Bottom line is not only do I feel better, but my training has gotten better as well.

The book in a nutshell is Brazier’s contribution to the nutrition side of training, racing and recovery. Normally when I read books about nutrition, especially about training related nutrition, I come away more than a little disappointed. Having been a vegetarian for more than 20 years, I get a little disturbed with what I consider largely as misinformation about athletes choosing a completely vegetable based diet. Unfortunately, it is its vegetable based nature that is probably why Brazier’s book isn’t discussed and considered as a serious option for optimal eating, training, and racing more.
Brazier takes time to explain that eating in the majority of North American culture is not for function but other emotional and social reasons. This is why the typical diet is one of excess in quantity and lacking in actual nutrition. He points out that eating less is an option when the body has the proper nutrition to fuel its activity and recovery. Brazier explains a lower caloric intake is actually beneficial to an endurance athlete in particular because when higher nutrient sources are used in easily digestible forms, the body has more energy available for recovery and performance. It is his opinion that it is because of improper nutrition that people find themselves craving things like sugar and fat in excess which then throws the body out of balance. Over time the accumulated stresses of training and racing loads along with suboptimal eating patterns combine to set up a vicious cycle of poor eating, impaired or interrupted training and recovery, and a lower overall quality of life that many simply call burn out. Prolonged, the state of imbalance caused by faulty eating and the resultant stresses sets up a cycle leading to illness, premature aging and increased body fat. The accumulated stresses Brazier links to poor eating become more and more noticeable to the athlete as they begin limit the ability to train consistently and recover adequately. Though personally I find his tendency to lump the myriad of consequences of poor eating under the singular umbrella he refers to as “stress,” I found his knowledge on the subject of nutrition and its effects on health and athletic recovery very sound.
Essentially Brazier looks at food as fuel, some fuels burning cleaner and more efficiently in the body than others and thus take less energy to digest fully while creating less waste, or in Braziers language, stress in the body. He is careful to state that training and racing are also forms of stress placed on the body noting that some stresses are beneficial for growth and development. What Brazier attempts to do with the Thrive Diet is to have our food support that growth by taking the wasteful and stressful aspects food can have on our bodies out of the equation of nutrition and performance. This in his words leads to not only a stronger, leaner body capable of racing better, but a person who is healthier and happier overall and more likely to reach and experience their true potential.
While the Thrive Diet in practice is not complex, it is vegan and largely raw, and it does run counter to what most Americans would consider a balanced meal. And overall it is probably lower in calories. But after following just a couple of the guidelines in the diet closely for the last couple of weeks a few things stand out.
The cover of Brazier’s book claims by following this way of eating you will be leaner (have a lower body fat percentage), while increasing lean muscle mass, sleep more restfully, experience increased energy, and have a stronger immune system. From my experience over the last few weeks, I can honestly say Brazier’s claims have all been on the mark. I have lost about 5 pounds and definitely look more muscular. But what is most amazing to me has been the recovery time I’ve seen. Workouts that would have left me using the railing in my house to get up and down the stairs for about 24 hours because my legs were so trashed are now a thing of the past. I am also getting by on far less sleep and still feeling rested. Daily runs are also looking more and more possible which would be a huge boost to my future overall fitness I’m sure. And all I’m doing is adhering more strongly to the notion that the more nutrients in my diet the better. I’m drinking several glasses of organic fruit and vegetable juice a day along with a protein smoothie. I have also lowered the consumption of Soy where possible. I have found I need to be more conscious of the quality and amount of beneficial fat in my diet and I’m looking into sources to include this. But to say I’ve seen a dramatic transformation in just 3 weeks would be an understatement. If you are serious about your triathlon performance, and just the overall quality of you experience of your life in general, I highly suggest you give Thrive a look.

Categories: Book Review, diet, nutrition, triathlon

P90X And Triathlon

Written by on August 15, 2009 · 8 Comments

I get a large number of visits on this blog daily because of my experiences with the P90X work out program. And a few of these are from triathletes who are considering whether or not the program can help them with reach their multisport goals. I’ve tried to be as detailed as possible about my take on P90X and its benefits. For someone who doesn’t have a lot of time and wants a strength program that is varied and well structured, I’d say it is well worth the investment of about $130 to $300 to assemble all the necessary equipment. If you want to know what I think about P90X then read the weekly posts. Sure you can look at the end result, but that won’t give you the information you need about what it was like trying to do the program and maintain some semblance of triathlon specific work.  That, in a nutshell, was hard. Very hard.

But here’s the thing. What I found doing P90X, and I’d wager you’d find this doing any coherent, focused functional strength program, is my endurance increased along with my strength. Translation, I was able to work longer, at a faster rate, more efficiently when it was all said and done. Did I look like the folks on TV? Nope. But honestly, I really didn’t care about that. What I got from doing P90X for 90 days was a faster return to the level of fitness I enjoyed prior to my 5 year hiatus.

I’ve had quite a bit of time to consider to effects of P90X on Triathlon training having almost 2 years since I did my first workout pass. First I will say I do believe it is possible to do both P90X and Tri training. I’ve said that all along. But what I’ve also said is there are caveats. The main one being the results you are looking for from the program. If those results are more on the appearance side, then I’d definitely tone down the tri specific work until I “looked” the way I wanted.

On the other hand if you wanted to use P90X as a basis for enhancing tri performance, then I think with some modification to the routine it could be done with great success for all distances. 

Why do I say this? I say this because many athletes tend to overlook the importance of basic strength in triathlon and focus an overly large amount of time on endurance. And when I speak of strength I’m talking about a concept beyond lifting weights in the gym a couple of hours a week in the midst of swimming, biking and running throughout the week. When I speak of strength, I’m speaking about things like range of motion, connective tissue, power, balance, coordination, muscular access, and muscular endurance. 

The more I consider the way time is or can be spent preparing for Triathlon of any distance, the more I feel that each of the three sports are techniques to be learned and mastered, and the results you see on race day are from the successful integration and application of full bodied strength and technique work. P90X can certainly assist in creating that. You simply need to know when, where, and how to apply it in the scheme of your other tri specific training.

Categories: Core Strength, Functional Strength, Strength Training, triathlon

Deconstructing An Injury – My 10 Years With Achilles Tendonitis

Written by on June 16, 2009 · Leave a Comment


As athletes, there is nothing worse than the stabbing pain of an injury we know deep down when it hits won’t be gone the next morning. But when it comes to the Achilles tendon, morning is when the pain is usually at its worst making it difficult to walk. I should know. On and off for almost 10 years I, trained and raced with what I thought and was told were bouts of Achilles tendonitis. For the record it was actually tendonosis, but I didn’t understand that until much later.

For the first half of my running life, where I raced 5k’s and 10k’s almost every weekend, I was never injured from running. If you include the running I did for high school and college basketball, I ran for about 15 years injury free. This all changed when I was 32 when I went into a running store in Dallas and on the advice of their “shoe guru,” I switched from the shoes I’d trained and raced in for several years to a more stable and straight lasted trainer. He also got me to switch from the snug fitting size 9.5 I’d always worn to a size 10.5 noting I was destined to lose some toenails if I ever tried to run a 1/2 marathon or longer race. At the time my longest runs were around 12 miles. From the entries in some old logs, I found it was somewhere between 3 and 4 weeks after switching shoes I felt that first twinge of pain just above the heel.

For the first few years after that I wasn’t inconvenienced more than a couple of weeks out of the year. I’d feel the pain in my right Achilles tendon, stop running for about 3 or 4 days then go back to my routine. This all changed when I started training for triathlons. My actual running frequency decreased from 5 days per week to 3 or 4 days but the time I spent working out overall with the addition of two other sports went up. When this happened the frequency and duration of the pain went up as well.

By 2002, which was the last year I raced triathlons before taking a 5-year break, I was reduced to running twice per week with pain in both tendons. During racing season I normally did one speed session and one distance session. The pain was manageable and my racing didn’t suffer too much as long as I kept the distance below 10 miles. But by the end of the racing season I spent about a month rehabilitating for the next year. My rehab typically involved rest, ice, therapeutic magnets, and acupuncture.

I found some limited relief in the earlier years I struggled with this injury using primarily ice and rest. But as time passed, I found ice became less and less effective. This is when I turned to acupuncture and magnets. As I found icing less and less helpful, I also started to do more research and learned the difference between tendonitis and tendonosis. I believe the reason icing can be a less effective protocol is where the distinction between tendonitis and tendonosis comes in. Tendonitis is marked by the presence of inflammation. Where there is inflammation, icing can be very helpful. But in the case of tendonosis, there is tissue degeneration taking place. In this case icing may only be beneficial in longer and longer durations (multiple hours versus a few minutes). Probably because the area becomes so cold the body naturally responds by sending more blood to the area to warm things back up. And increasing blood flow to the affected area is necessary for healing to occur. Possibly this is why super long icing durations may work better than shorter ones. But because inflammation isn’t present and hours long ice baths can present both time and logistical challenges to busy people, I have used something as simple as aiming a strong jet in a hot tub at the affected area. Other options are to get regular cross frictions or to attach spot magnets to the tendon during sleep.

As time went on and I tried more of the treatments I found out about, I realized I was only treating the symptoms and not addressing the cause. I didn’t stop racing or running during my 5 year hiatus because of Achilles problems. I had other life and health issues that led to the decision. It was in dealing with my overall health at this juncture in my life that I came to look at injuries and illness more fully with regard to the role they play in life. In a nutshell from my experiences I began to look at injuries and illnesses not as obstacles or setbacks placed in my way by a body that was not cooperating with my goals, but as my body’s way of communicating to me what was truly necessary to maintain optimal health and well being. I discovered my body had a language of its own, complete with its own intelligence, and if I could learn to understand it and listen to the knowledge it conveyed I’d be the better for it.

Again, from looking at past logs, I became aware of some patterns. One was I could run as much as I wanted in the winter without pain. This was long or short, fast or slow. So, neither distance nor speed seemed a problem. I also noticed my more severe flair ups tended to come in mid July and give me trouble through October, clearing up by November. This information led me to two conclusions. One was that my hydration was deficient during the summer and that my diet was also off not providing high quality essential nutrients. In short, during the summer I ate like crap and I wasn’t drinking enough water. From this perspective I became aware that when I was placing the highest demands on my body was the exact point I was paying the least attention to how I fueled and hydrated.

The hydration piece was simple to correct. Drink more clean water. Not sports drinks, but water (sports drinks have their place in training, but nothing can replace the cleansing properties of clean water). I’ve learned to pay particular attention to my water intake during the summer when I was naturally going to be more challenged to hydrate properly because of heat and increased training loads. Diet wasn’t as obvious, but I made some basic assumptions just by thinking about the same challenges that were making hydration difficult. The first thing I began to notice was as my training and racing increased during the summer months the quality of my food actually started to go down. Both the increase in training and the travel associated with racing often made it harder for me to source, prepare, and eat high quality nutrient dense meals. Added to the issue of diminishing food quality was the natural occurrence of my food quantity increasing due to the greater caloric requirements necessary to support my increased activity and intensity during the season.

After I looked at the general quality of my diet (basically where I was getting my food from and what it generally consisted of) I decided to get some help in finding out whether or not I had any food sensitivities or allergies. After a couple of tests, I found I was indeed eating some things that I was either sensitive or allergic to. I took this step as a precaution after cleaning up my diet and moving it to more nutrient dense foods because even after I stopped racing, I found I still struggled with my Achilles tendons. Basically during the time I wasn’t racing, when I wasn’t running at all, I was still dealing with Achilles tendon pain in both legs as bad or worse than when I was running actively.

As I said, the Achilles injury most runners face is of a degenerative nature. What this means is their tissue is somehow degrading. During exercise we basically damage our muscle tissue to a small degree, but the process of adaptation to our training stimuli repairs this damage and we come back stronger than we were previously. With the Achilles tendon this was not happening. Some of this can be attributed to the lower blood flow in the region. But for the condition to get chronic it has to be more than that or the other rehabilitative protocols would work more effectively and provide a long lasting benefit. Apparently in chronic cases the accumulated damage from training somehow goes unchecked and grows into a long-term injury.

I did some research and found that people with digestive problems or who had food allergies and or sensitivities often had higher incidences of Achilles tendon issues. This could have something to do with the body’s nutrient balance, toxicity level, and/or its alkalinity. One or all of these things together could hinder the body’s overall ability to repair itself. The quality of rest may also come into play as well. When I started racing again, I began to monitor my intake of certain foods and increased the level of leafy green veggies in my diet dramatically. Based on the testing I had done, I now avoid foods that are members of the nightshade family such as eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes and I limit my intake of vinegar and alcohol, which also seems to help. But your trigger foods, if you have them, may differ. Since I began to pay particular attention to my food intake (actively addressing things such as body alkalinity, food sensitivity, proper hydration) and aggressively guarding my sleep time, I have been able to run pain free.

The last issue to address was the fit and type of shoes I was running in. Over the years, I had sized my shoes up to allow for extra room in the toe box. Because of this my shoes then stopped fitting well in the heel. I’ve discovered for me, a snug fitting heel is an essential component to keeping my Achilles problems at bay. I also noticed from years of selling running shoes myself that people who trained and raced in flats or the most minimal shoes tended to be injured less. This is why in addition to sizing my shoes back down to the size 9.5 I originally ran in, I started using only racing flats or the most flexible lightweight trainers for my training and racing. To prepare for the switch to wearing these types of shoes exclusively, I spent a great deal of time walking, up to 10 miles several times a week, to strengthen my feet and lower legs. I also incorporated standing and balance poses from yoga to speed up the process and aid in recovery. It is my personal belief the reason people who trained and raced in flats weren’t injured was because they had developed stronger feet and lower legs — not because they were gifted.

In the end I think finding the proper nutrient balance, amount of rest, and hydration protocol may yield more long term benefits simply because there would be less chance of one or all of them inhibiting your body’s normal healing response to training and thus less chance of becoming injured in the first place. However once an injury occurs, paying close attention to these things and addressing them can speed recovery. Then all that is left to deal with are any structural (muscular or skeletal) imbalances and any equipment fit issues that may have also contributed to the injury.

Categories: insight, inspiration, training, triathlon training

Yoga For Triathletes – Uttanasana

Written by on March 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment


Uttanasana, or standing forward fold, is an asana that is good for all athletes. The pose is benificial because it releases the muscles of the low back and the hamstrings. Notice I said “releases,” not stretch.

When I started thinking about what poses could benefit us as athletes, Uttanasana was one that I didn’t immediately include in my list. The reason for this wasn’t because it was too simple, or too well known, (all you do is bend over, who couldn’t do that?). What came to mind as I thought about Uttanasana, or standing forward fold, was the risk of an athlete injuring his or herself in this pose far outweighed the benefits to be had from using it. But then I read something on Lucho’s blog in the comments that caused me to rethink things.

Basically, this boiled down to two things. First, Lucho (in the comments of this post) cautioned athletes about stretching, and yoga in particular, citing the potential for injury.  (Lucho, after reading my response to his comment shares it on his blog in a subsequent post).  And second was Lucho’s saying he could put his palms on the floor without feeling any pull in his hamstrings at all. Personally, I completely agree with both of these positions. But I have a couple of caveats to add. After having practiced yoga for over 5 years, I’ve discovered there is actually no stretching of muscles going on in an “informed” practice whatsoever. Yoga demands the development of coordinated muscle activity. As such, a pose like Uttanasana is as much a core cultivator as it is a hamstring release. And it is that ability to learn to consciously let go of the hamstrings that allows this asana to bestow its benefits on those who chose to explore it more fully.

In life we spend a great deal of time accumulating things for a variety of reasons. Tension and the illusion of control are among these. The standing forward fold, while a good pose for releasing accumulated stress and tension in the body, also provides a framework to allow us to experience the process of releasing our unconscious hold on the hamstrings which in turn usually results in a tight lower back. Instead of “stretching” the hamstrings, what we are learning to do in this position, is to mindfully release them. By releasing the hamstrings consciously, we deepen the fold and our experience of it, but we also gain access to more direct control of the working muscles in our bodies.

This is the process I feel we go through as we progress as people and as athletes. Each workout provides us with more and more insight into the inner workings of our own bodies and how they respond to various training loads, meals/fueling, and rest patterns. In the forward fold there is a point in the body, especially when the folds are new and your limits seem set in stone, where as you reach your limit, you begin to hold on for dear life. You lock certain muscles in place so that you don’t break, lose your depth or fall over. If you don’t take stock of where you are at this point to see exactly what is going on, how you are using the muscles in such a manner as to actually build a very substantial (albeit mental) wall between you and your goal of moving your nose closer to your shins, you will have reached the limit of expression in the forward fold for you. But if you are able to stand at your edge, breathe, observe, and take stock as to where you are holding on, you will in time begin to notice some of the muscles you have been using in your “fight to maintain” your current depth are actually the same muscles holding you back from a deeper expression in the fold. It is when you realize this, you can begin to consciously release these muscles one by one. It is at the very point you decide to let go of these muscles that have been useful in keeping you at your current edge, you discover you can move deeper and express more fully in the pose.

The same can be said of any other aspect of our lives. Once we realize our own perceptions — fears really — are the only thing between us the realization of our dreams, we are then capable of remarkable things. In yoga, the act of folding forward is a physical “bowing in” to and an acknowledgement of the self.

To come into Uttanasana poperly stand with the feet together, hands on the hips. Bend forward at the hips, using them as a hinge, versus bending at the waist which strains the lower back. Bending at the hips your pelvis should articulate backwards slightly and as you fold forward there should be a small inner rotation of the upper thighs. This rotation will create space for the torso. Once you feel any pull in the back of the hamstrings, this is as far as you should fold. Explore this point either with your arms folded over head, hands cupping the elbows, or hands at the shins, or fingertips or palms on the floor. In time as you explore your individual edge, you can work on relaxing and releasing the hamstrings consciously. By focusing on the role of the core muscles once you have released the hamstrings, you will be able to find a deeper fold.

You can find a picture and more details on the pose here.

Categories: base training, Core Strength, Functional Strength, training, triathlon, Yoga, yoga for triathletes

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