20-Minute Workouts

Do you think it’s not even worth changing into workout clothes if you only have 20 minutes to train? Think again.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

To most non-athletes, 20 minutes of exercise seems like an eternity. But to endurance athletes in marathon training or triathlon training, a 20-minute workout may seem like it’s hardly worth the bother. After all, if your average workout lasts an hour, what can a 20-minute session possibly do to increase your fitness? Quite a lot, actually—even for the fittest endurance athlete. Consider these four benefits:

1. 20-minute workouts burn a meaningful amount of calories and, thereby, help you reach and maintain your optimal racing weight. For example, a 150-lb. runner burns approximately 280 calories in a moderate-intensity 20-minute run. If you normally miss a scheduled longer run roughly once every 10 days due to lack of time, you could burn an extra 10,000 calories over the course of a year by squeezing in 20-minute runs instead.

2. 20-minute workouts provide extra repetitions of the running stride, swim stroke, or pedal stroke that stimulate improvements in efficiency. A big part of what makes you a better, more efficient swimmer, runner, or cyclist is simply time spent practicing the movement. So, even short workouts count as additional movement practice.

3. 20-minute workouts can increase endurance by adding to total weekly glycogen turnover. An interesting Scottish study found that weekly training volume was a better predictor of marathon performance than the distance of the longest training run. In other words, the study suggested that marathon runners are better off running 50 miles a week with a maximum long run of 16 miles than running 40 miles a week with a maximum long run of 22 miles. The reason is that endurance improves through the repeated depletion of muscle glycogen stores in training. And a heavy week of training will result in more total muscle glycogen depletion, and thus build more endurance, than a lighter week. 20-minute workouts can add a meaningful amount of glycogen-depleting volume to your training week.

4. 20-minute workouts can produce an excellent high-intensity training stimulus. A little swimming, cycling, or running at anaerobic threshold intensity and above goes a long way. Twenty minutes is plenty of time to get all the high-intensity work you need to take your fitness up a notch.

There are basically two ways to incorporate 20-minute workouts into your marathon training, triathlon training, or any other endurance sport training. One is to do a 20-minute workout instead of taking a day off whenever you are too pressed for time to complete a longer workout. The other way is to add one or more 20-minute workouts to your weekly training schedule to increase your overall training volume without creating a significant risk of overtraining. Here are some suggested 20-minute workouts:

The Filler – Simply swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 20 minutes. This is a great workout to do when you want to avoid the guilt of doing nothing but you’re not mentally or physically ready for anything challenging.

Tabata Intervals – Swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 16 minutes, then complete 8 x 20-second all-out sprints with 10-second passive recoveries between sprints.

Fartlek Intervals – Sprinkle 5 to 10 fast 30-second efforts throughout an otherwise moderate, steady-pace workout.

Threshold Session – Warm up for five minutes at a comfortable tempo, then go for 15 minutes at anaerobic threshold intensity (the fastest pace you could hold for one hour in a race).

Progression Workout – Swim, ride, or run for 15 minutes at a steady, moderate pace, then blast the last five minutes.

Time Trial – Swimming: Warm up, then swim 800 meters (875 yards) as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Cycling: Warm up, then ride 5 km as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Running: Warm up, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.

Try a TRI Clinic

Try a TRI Clinic

A clinic designed to introduce youth and junior athletes to the fun and exciting sport of triathlon. As one of the fastest growing sports in America, triathlon offers a great way to stay healthy and fit.

All levels of participants from ages 7 to 19 are welcome. Athletes will learn about the sport of triathlon through instruction, drills, games and work-outs in all 3 sports (swim, bike and run), including the transition from sport to sport.

Clinic will be put on by Coach Sandra Sutherland, Mindy Reich and members of The Woodlands HS Tri team, a triathlon club for 7th-12th graders. Try-outs for the 2011-12 team will take place this spring and will be expanding to include members ages 7 and up! For additional information please contact Mindy at the email/number below.

When: Saturday, March 26, 2011

Where: Y at Shadowbend Location

Time: 10am – 1 pm

Cost: $60

Participants will be expected to successfully swim a 25 yd distance without stopping. Each athlete will be required to wear a swim suit with appropriate work-out clothes over (depending on weather) and bring goggles, towel, bike, bike helmet, running shoes and a water bottle.

For additional information please contact Mindy at mreich2007@comcast.net

or 281-731-6474.

IM Texas Homestay

Dear LSMS Club Members,

One of the wonderful opportunities we have with hosting IM Texas is to volunteer as homestay hosts for the professional athletes racing this event. I am the Homestay Coordinator for IM Texas and am looking for families who would be willing to host a professional athlete during the IM Texas event. If you are interested in hosting a professional athlete, please email me at irongirl@sbcglobal.net and reference IMTX Homestay in the subject heading. I will then contact you directly requesting additional information from you to help me match athletes to homestay hosts. I already have several athletes that are looking for homestays and your help/assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Kimberly Hager
Strive Performance Coaching
22 Doe Run Drive
The Woodlands TX 77380
www.istrive.net

Sports Science Update: Improve Tomorrow’s Workout Today

Why enhance recovery when you can reduce the need to recover?

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

Every runner knows that post-run recovery is important. Your body needs to reverse the dehydration, muscle fuel depletion, muscle tissue disruption, and other effects of exercise stress to get ready to perform well in the next workout.

When runners think about recovery, they usually take the dehydration, muscle fuel depletion, muscle tissue disruption, and other effects of exercise stress as given—as unavoidable. Consequently, they seek to boost their performance in the next workout by doing everything they can to reverse these effects once they’ve already happened (by taking ice baths, drinking protein shakes, etc.). The idea that they could also boost their performance in the next run by minimizing the need for recovery in the first place does not cross their mind. However, this is possible.

Obviously, the easiest way to minimize the need for recovery after a run is to avoid running hard. If you replace a hard 10-mile run with a slow one-mile run, you will recover much faster. But if you do this every day, you won’t get very fit. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about measures you can take to minimize the stress effects of the hard training you’re already doing.

One simple thing you can do to reduce the muscle damage caused by a hard run and thereby bounce back quicker is warm up. Studies have shown that runners exhibit less muscle damage and report less muscle soreness 24 hours after a hard run when it is preceded by a thorough, gentle warm-up. A proper warm-up before hard running appears to increase the elasticity of muscle fibers so that they are less likely to rupture under the stress of intense exercise.

A nutritional measure that has been shown to reduce muscle damage during exercise is consuming carbohydrate and protein together while working out. For example, in a 2006 study, researchers at James Madison found that cyclists suffered significantly less muscle damage during a hard ride when they drank a carbohydrate-protein sports drink than when they drank a carbohydrate sports drink with equal calories. Significantly, the cyclists were also able to perform significantly more leg extensions the day after the hard ride with the carb-protein drink. This finding provides the purest possible indication that the consumption of carbohydrate and protein together during the workout reduced the loss of functional capacity resulting from the workout.

The average runner generally thinks of recovery in terms of the physiological processes of muscle damage repair, muscle refueling, and so forth. But it’s performance that really matters. If you can’t perform as well the next day, then you haven’t recovered, regardless of how much muscle repair and refueling has transpired since you’re last workout. This is why preventing the loss of functional capacity resulting from workouts is so powerful. Instead of enhancing recovery you’re reducing the need for recovery.

We may now be able to add another item to the list of measures that can be used to reduce the need for recovery. Researchers at Massey University in Australia recently studies the effects of graduated compression socks on running performance and post-run muscle function. Twelve runners ran four 10K time trials on a track on separate occasions while wearing three varieties of compression socks (one at a time, naturally) and without compression socks. The researchers found that the compression socks had no effect on their 10K times.

However, the runners did experience a smaller decline in jumping performance after the time trials when they wore the compression socks. This finding suggests that the runners would be able to perform better in their next run and thus get more benefit from that next run. Extrapolating, runners who wore compression socks every day might indeed improve their 10K times more than they would if they trained without compression socks.

In other words, compression socks might not improve your 10K time today, but it just might improve it in six weeks!

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/02/training/sports-science-update-improve-tomorrow%E2%80%99s-workout-today_19888

25 Top Heart-Healthy Foods

25 Top Heart-Healthy Foods

Keeping your heart in good shape requires more than exercising regularly and eating healthful meals. It's about eating the right kind of foods, which nurture the heart and keep it in tip-top shape. Instead of scouring the Web for recipes and meal plans, stick to these 25 best heart-healthy foods and you'll be set.

Heart-Healthy Foods 1-5

One of the best foods you can eat for your heart is oatmeal. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, fiber and folate, you're sure to get a kick start at breakfast with a steaming bowl of oatmeal. Even an oatmeal raisin cookie or two has benefits. Another food to try is almonds, which offer vitamin E, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. They're great as a yogurt or salad topper. A glass of red wine with dinner is a time-tested tradition and it's been directly linked with improving HDL "good" cholesterol. Brown rice is a diet staple, and it offers valuable nutrients such as magnesium and fiber. It's quick to make and incorporate into dinner or a veggie-based snack. Tuna is another great heart food, chock full of omega-3s and niacin. Make a quick tuna salad or use it as a spread on whole grain crackers.

Heart-Healthy Foods 6-10

As we move down this top-25 list, you'll notice that the kinds of foods good for the heart are varied and even delicious. Blueberries offer beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium and potassium. Blueberries also make a great cereal topping or salad mix-in. Salmon also offers omega-3s and makes for a fantastic main course for dinner or lunch. Black beans are tasty and offer magnesium, fiber and vitamin B complex. Just mix them into a stew for a hearty addition. While not everyone's favorite, soy milk is also heart healthy, with niacin, folate, magnesium and vitamin B complex offering plenty of incentive to pour it over your cereal. Likewise, ground flaxseed contains fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, making it perfect for a crunchy addition to yogurt, cereal or cookies.

Heart-Healthy Foods 11-15

Tofu is a great choice for the heart because it contains potassium, calcium and niacin. Plus, you can marinate it in just about anything and it'll take on its flavor, making for an excellent red meat substitute. For a nice salad topper or mix-in for pasta or muffins, try walnuts, which contain folate, fiber, and polyunsaturated fats along with omega-3s. You can try asparagus, which contains vitamin B-complex, fiber and beta-carotene, making it the perfect side dish for lunch or dinner. Spinach is another great veggie, with plenty of fiber, calcium and potassium to keep your heart happy. Try adding it to sandwiches and salads instead of lettuce for a healthier punch. You can't beat sweet potatoes for tastiness and heart-healthiness. It contains fiber, beta-carotene and numerous vitamins. Cook one up for a baked potato alternative or slice it up and bake for heart-healthy fries.

Heart-Healthy Foods 16-20

Many fruits are great for heart health as well. For instance, oranges offer beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium. Papaya is another fruit that's great for the heart, with vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium and potassium. Plus, you can add it to salsa or just eat it as a part of a fruit salad. Cantaloupe is another good choice, with lutein, beta carotene, vitamin C and fiber. You can eat half a cantaloupe for breakfast or even a snack. And there's always carrots, which offer beta carotene and fiber for optimum hearth health. Baby carrots or even shredded carrots tossed in muffin batter can keep this healthy veggie as a diet staple.

Heart-Healthy Foods 21-25

Many vegetables are heart-healthy include broccoli, which contains vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber and potassium, and is easy to incorporate into soups and dips. Bell peppers are delicious and easy to include in sandwiches and wraps once roasted, plus they contain vitamin B complex and fiber. You might also wish to include tomatoes in your diet, which contain lycopene and vitamin C as well as folate and fiber. Eat a fresh tomato pizza or add slices to your sandwiches and salads. Tea is also good for the heart, with flavonoids and catechins. Start your day with a cup of green tea for a mild and delicious drink. And for a special treat, you can indulge in dark chocolate, which contains flavonoids and reservatrol, which are great for the heart and can lower blood pressure.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/25622-top-hearthealthy-foods/#ixzz1E3Uezr8x

Parks and Recreation Needs Assessments- Tri Community

Hi, Mark Tefft and I will be meeting with the Parks & Rec Needs Assessments this coming Thursday, February 17th. We would like to present any improvement ideas you may have for the community. Please e-mail your ideas/ suggestions to lonestarmultisport@att.net.

Thank you,
Jennifer Zambrano

Calling all Ironmen

Hi, we would like to invite several Ironmen to be on a panel for Q&A at this coming Lonestar Multisport Club Meeting (Monday, February 21st at Rico's - Indian Springs from 6:30 - 8:30). If you have done an Ironman and are interested in sharing your experience and answering questions, please contact us at lonestarmultisport@att.net. Thank you!