This is from Chris at Conditioning Research:

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-on-barefoot-running.html

Rock Solid: Kettlebells Provide Superior Benefits for Endurance Sports

By Brett Cornwright

For the typical time-stretched endurance athlete, strength training usually occurs in the off-season, if at all. Workouts often involve a heavy dose of machines and isolated movements with free weights. During the racing season, and if the athlete is really motivated, he or she may get to the gym once or twice per week in an attempt to maintain what strength they managed to build over the winter.

There is an alternative to this mundane and ineffective routine, however, that is guaranteed to change your outlook on strength training. It is called a kettlebell, and it resembles a cannonball with a handle. Kettlebells are made of cast-iron and come in a variety of different weights, from 10 pounds (4 kilograms) to 106 pounds (48 kg).

As many professional triathletes, runners, and cyclists are discovering, including the king of cutting-edge, Lance Armstrong, there simply is no better strength and conditioning tool for your entire body.

“Kettlebells are unique from any other form of fitness equipment in a multitude of ways,” said Betsy Collie, owner and head trainer at Rapid Results Fitness in Durham. Collie is a Level II Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC II) and a Z-health Level I movement coach. “Kettlebells train the entire body at one time through full body movements. Unlike traditional gym equipment that focuses on isolating the body’s parts or performing cardio on stationery equipment, the kettlebell enhances the performance of all life’s activities.”

As you know, our body’s movements require more than one muscle to perform. They work in conjunction with one another, not in isolation. When you stick with machines and bodybuilding exercises, you are usually targeting one body part. With kettlebells, your entire body, including the core and the posterior chain, are effectively engaged.

“Due to the bell sitting below the handle instead of between it, the kettlebell’s weight is off-set in the hand, causing the body to use more muscles to hold and move the bell,” Collie said. “This causes the body to use more energy, which is convenient if one of your goals is to lose weight. Conversely, if one of your goals is trying to build strength, the kettlebell will literally force your body to use more muscles than performing similar exercises with barbells and dumbbells.”

Almost all kettlebell exercises begin with the hips, as this is where the power is generated in all sports, especially swimming, cycling and running. After training with kettlebells, swimmers find that their cores become much stronger, thus they have more power in the water. Cyclists find that their wattage outputs increase, despite no increase in volume or intensity on the bike. Runners often find that their posture and form is better, they have more spring in their legs, and their core, on which everything hinges, does not break down in the latter stages of a race.

“The reason kettlebell training translates to improved sports specific training is because of how kettlebell training works with your body,” Collie said. “It produces amazing results in all areas of sports specific training no matter what the sport. For example, in running the core gives out almost sooner than the legs and heart do. The kettlebell forces you to work your core on every set and every rep.”

Over time, many age group triathletes will develop overuse injuries from all of those miles. Because they have full-time jobs, families, and the stresses of the daily grind, protecting and building their bodies via strength training often falls by the wayside. Luckily, kettlebell workouts typically last 20 to 30 minutes, and your heart will be pumping the entire time. Thus, an athlete’s VO2 Max numbers can also improve with intense kettlebell work.

“The kettlebell can enhance any athlete for any sport,” said Tim Anderson, RKC II Instructor and Z-health III movement. Anderson is the co-owner of Outstanding Personal Training in Fuquay-Varina. “Endurance athletes can particularly benefit from kettlebells because of the tremendous cardiovascular training a kettlebell provides. Training with kettlebells can increase your VO2 Max, or your body’s ability to use oxygen. Kettlebells are also easy on the joints. They can save an endurance athlete’s joints from a lot of wear and tear.”

Many endurance athletes also might avoid lifting weights for fear of building too much muscle and becoming bulky. Kettlebells, however, are great for building a lean and athletically muscular body. They are also excellent at building strength endurance, which is something that is vital for all endurance athletes. Many are powerful on the bike or the run for the race’s opening miles. Maintaining that power throughout the race is where kettlebell training comes into play.

As far as preventing or treating injuries, kettlebell training cannot be beaten. Common injuries, like lower back pain, shoulder problems, plantar fasciitis, and tight hip flexors from sitting at a desk all day, are all effectively rehabilitated with kettlebells.

“Training properly with kettlebells can help prevent injuries,” Anderson said. “Kettlebells can be used to strengthen the whole body as well as correct asymmetries in strength and movement. Kettlebells are an amazing tool when it comes to preparing the body for performance and reducing the risk for injuries, but only when used properly with good form.”

And once again, all of these benefits to your core, your conditioning, and the strength in your legs and upper body, can be had in as little as 20 minutes three times per week.

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Brett Cornwright is a freelance writer and marketing consultant. He is a two-time Ironman, and achieved a personal best of 11:06 at Ironman Florida in November. He writes a blog for beginner triathletes at http://www.triathlonjones.com/.You can also follow him at http://www.twitter.com/brettcornwright.

You will thank me later. Increased power on the bike, increased power in the water, increased core strength for a speedier, more powerful stride on the run. Kettlebells also rehabilitate old injuries and prevent new ones. I’m not sure what else you could ask for! Drop the bodybuilding exercises for something that really gets results. OK, enough preaching. See what you think:

Rock Solid: Kettlebells Provide Superior Benefits for Endurance Sports

Besty doing a perfect turkish get-up.

Also, pictured is my friend Betsy Collie, RKC, who has been helping me a bit. She was also referenced in the article along with Tim Anderson, RKC, both of whom are teaching me the art of kettlebells.

What if I told you there was an easier way? No, I’m not going to tell you to skip the swim workouts that are in your training plan. I am going to tell you how to make the swim less taxing, easier, and less worrisome. OK, got your attention?

Good. Many of you who train solely in a pool will not have had the opportunity to experience this yet, but swimming directly behind someone, or just off their left of right arms, offers huge energy savings. Much like the draft you get when you are directly behind another cyclist, which is illegal in most U.S. triathlons, you get kind of a free ride on someone else’s effort. On the swim leg, however, drafting is quite legal and quite wise.

Another benefit is the fact that if the person you are drafting off of is sighting well and swimming straight, you can turn your trust over to them and take a break on sighting, instead concentrating on swimming. Coming from experience, though, be sure to check every now and then just in case. I’ve been led off course many times by someone who I thought would pull me around.

So, you ask, how do I position myself to take advantage of this affect. Everyone is starting off together and there is going to be mayhem!

2008 Ironman Florida Swim Start

I will spare butchering Rudyard Kipling’s poem, but “he who can keep his head when those around are losing theirs ….” Same thing on the swim leg of a triathlon. If you can remain calm, cool and collected, you are in a far better mental state than about 90 percent of the rest of the folks choosing their positions and sight lines in the water.

Usually, the best swimmers will line up in the front, and everyone else will fill in behind. I’m going to suggest something you might find ridiculous — line up right up front, not in the back and not way over to the right or left. Get right into the mix. You will often find that because the better swimmers are usually here, there is not nearly as much tussling as further back.

If you want to catch the draft of the first, really fast group, line up right behind whom you think might be the fastest.

If your goal is to catch the second, bigger group, line up two more rows deep. Line up right with everyone though, right where the best sight line is. Usually right down the buoy line is the way to go, unless of course there is a current, then use your best judgment. If a current is moving to the right, you will need to compensate for that by swimming a little left.

Back to the matter at hand, though. If you can stand a little physical contact for about two or three minutes, things should calm down and you can start looking for the pair of feet that you want to stay on. Learn to follow the bubbles from the turbulence the swimmer in front of you is churning up. If you happen to tap them on the foot, no foul, just try not to do it too much as it can be annoying and your ride might decide to try and drop you.

As I mentioned at the beginning, you can also get a good draft when you are beside someone. However, you want them to be in front and you want to be kind of flanking them in a wing formation right beside their arm pit.

If you find yourself in this situation, you will need to worry about sighting a bit more, but still, there is a big benefit energy wise. Either way, right behind or off to the side, will give you the opportunity to potentially hang with faster people, resulting in a faster swim split.

If you have the opportunity to do an open water swim in training, try it out. Get a friend who’s faster than you and try to stay in their feet. You will know pretty quickly how well you are fairing.

It’s a tough lesson to learn, but if you learn it early, you will finish well ahead of many of those who blow past you in the early miles of the bike. You can ruin your entire race by swimming to hard. You can ruin your race by biking too hard over the first half of the ride.

You have to throw your ego out the window in order to be successful at triathlon. It’s hard to maintain your composure and ride at your pace/heart rate/wattage when your are being passed by seemingly everyone over the first half of the bike.

However, if you ride within your capabilities, not above, and save your energy for the run, you will be in for a big surprise. Usually over the last miles of the bike leg, you will start passing all of those people back who went by you earlier.

Also, if you are prepared and have ridden within yourself, your run is going to be much more enjoyable, and sometimes even fun. You will find that the race that had seemingly passed you by starts coming back to you.

Being strong on the run also gives you a psychological boost because you start passing a massive amount of racers who are physically and mentally spent. You get a big boost of confidence when you are running right by so many folks, and you often will get cheered on by both athletes and spectators for being so strong so late in the race.

So, if you want to be successful, especially in your first few races, make sure you save a lot of energy for the run. You will be happy you did. I guarantee that if you wait until the run to let it all hang out, you will have a good race relative to your capability. You also might even beat many more experienced triathletes who have simply gone way too hard too early in the race.

Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out. Remember, as in all things, be strong at the end!

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-shoes/

http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/of-vibrams-and-fossil-records/

This, paired with sitting at desk all day, can lead to major injuries! Try this stretch out after your workouts to keep those hip flexors loose. You will thank me, and Chris, halfway through the run.

I have been running for a number of years and like most runners I have tried a number shoes. I’m in my fifth year of triathlon now and I have a pretty good idea of what works for me. I run anywhere from 10 miles a week for short course and as much as 50 miles a week when training for a marathon or Ironman.

I am a forefoot runner, which means I run mostly on the balls of my feet. There are a number of theories about how to run more efficiently, but for me, this is simply how I have always run and I am not sure I could change that if I wanted to. Over the years, I have noticed how running shoes tend to have a lot of cushioning in the heel, but for me, that seems to be a waste due to my forefoot style of running.

I have used ASICS DS Trainers for the past two years and I really cannot say I have any complaints. They worked so well for me that I would buy two pair online when they were on sale and slide them on day 1 and have no problems at all on a long run of 10 miles or more. So you may ask … If the DS Trainers work so well for you, why change? Great question, maybe a combination of curiosity, desire for something different and new or just plain bored with the DS trainer. Whatever the reason,  I started looking at various shoes on the market that are supposed to be designed for forefoot runners. I looked at the Newtons, Nike Free and the Zoot Ultra TT 2.0.

I decided to give the Zoots a try because they are pretty unique and a little more affordable, selling at about $120 a pair on sale. The site I ordered from recommended ordering the shoes a 1/2 size up, so I ordered a 9.5. However, this turned out to be bad advice and I had to return them for my normal size of a 9.

When my shoes arrived in the mail, my first impression of the shoe when I picked it up was wow! cool looking and super light, the heel of the shoe was not massively built up and the forefoot area bent upward easier then any other shoe I had tried to date. Sliding them on I noticed some of the finer points of the shoe.

Zoot Ultra TT 2.0

The shoe was designed specifically for triathletes incorporating features like quick laces built right into the shoe, a hole in the tongue and the heel to allow you to slide your fingers in and pull the shoe on quickly in transition and microfiber lining allowing the shoe to be worn barefoot and to drain water away.

According to Zoot, other shoes can gain as much as 30 percent more weight due to water retention. I always like to test a shoe by first taking a long walk. During my walk, I got a slight rub in the toe box but by the end of the walk it was worked out and not really causing me any issues.

I also have wide feet in this area so that was not much of a surprise for me. My left heel was rubbing but my right was not, guess I have strange feet, either way a little body glide in that area and that problem was solved. Running on the shoe felt very different than any other shoe, very light and you could feel the ground much more similar to running in flats or barefoot.

Picking up the pace I noticed my foot really stuck to the inside of the shoe and I felt the shoe provided me a better snap as my foot touch the ground and pulled through. I ran 5 miles in them and my first impression was good, maybe 4 out of 5 stars provided a 5 is a perfect shoe.

In summary, this shoe is clearly designed for triathletes who want to get the most out of their equipment. I would recommend using the shoe for shorter triathlons up to the 1/2 Iron distance as well as alternating the shoe with another shoe type on training days. As with most things, don’t expect anything too dramatic from a different shoe, but you may just shave a second or two off your run time and that can be the difference between 1st and 3rd place in a sprint distance triathlon.

Jerry crossing the line at Ironman Florida 2008.

Jerry Cody lives in Durham, North Carolina. If you are in Kona in the next few years, be sure to look Jerry up, because he will likely be racing.

Great blog! I found it as I have been looking for training tips, and occasionally peek at Zen Habits. Anyway, I’m gearing up for the Anchorman Portland (sprint) on August 30.

However, I am also a dad to twins (they are just a couple months shy of two now), and I am wondering what the night before and race day morning typically looks like for you? My wife just told me that she was planning on not counting on me being “present” on race day, which will help me remember my transition stuff and actually make it to the boat on time, but I thought you’d have a better idea of how it actually goes. Also, how have you and your wife balanced out your training schedule with twin care?

Just wondering. Thanks for all the great tips.

Stephen, thanks for the great question! Race morning can be stressful, even if you are by yourself, so being prepared is the best solution. I also have two-year-old twins, so I know what everyday life is like for you. Us family guys and gals have to be even better prepared than triathletes without kids!

I have addressed some of what race morning looks like for me in my previous post, 28 Tips for Triathlon Transitions. Getting all of your stuff for the run, bike and swim packed away safely and securely will give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on racing.

I think it good to have your stuff packed for your race a few nights before. That way, on the actual night of the race, all you have to do is relax and prepare mentally for the challenge that lies ahead. Get it all in your transition bags, get your bike ready, etc., then get to bed early!

On race morning, especially for those with families who plan to accompany you to the race to cheer you on, I strongly suggest taking two vehicles if possible. My kids are now all over the place, so my wife, being the sweetheart she is, gives me a free pass on race morning. This means I don’t have to worry about feeding the kids or getting them dressed. She takes care of all that. I worry about eating and last minute checks of gear, etc.

I also tend to be a bit irritable on race morning (or any morning, for that matter). Taking two vehicles allows me to leave at whatever time I think appropriate, thus not stressing the rest of the family too much. They can be on their own schedule and I can be on mine. This makes everyone happier! Plus, I can listen to whatever loud rap or heavy metal music I feel like at the time! I like to get fired up, baby!

My ultimate goal is getting myself and all of my gear to the race in time to set up my transition area with plenty of time to spare before the race starts. I usually get my stuff set up and then call my wife to see where she and the kids are. I will then track them down after I do my warm-up. You will be surprised at how much a hug and kiss from your wife and kids can boost your enthusiasm and energy!

If you do have to take one vehicle to the race, simply let your family members know what to expect. If you want to get there early to have some time to relax, be sure to build that into the schedule. After you have a few races under your belt, the stress of race morning is still there, but you know what to expect, so it’s not quite as bad anymore.

Good luck! If you have specific questions on race morning or anything, please leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!