The Bamboo Room (Forum) > Need to Focus on Nationals will these things hurt?
You and I talked... How is it going?
Coach Brett
Hey, great question.
I have always found that what maters most is your mindset and what drives you. The science will tell you that there is little benefit in cross-training for triathlon. To get better at swimiing - swim more, to get better at cycling - cycle more and to get beter at running - run more. But if your mind says to you during the race things like, "wow those push-ups and extra swim made me strong, I'm loving this swim" then then go for it. If typically your mind says to you "oh I'm tired, I shouldn't have done those extra push-ups and swim, ths is a drag", then you probably shouldn't. The same body with 2 different mindsets will get 2 different outcomes. It comes down to you. I read about a triathlete or ultra-runner that used to make a rubber ball out of elastic bands. Every time he completed a training seasion he added a rubber/elastic band. When he went to race, he looked at the huge ball of elastic bands, and was reminded that it was made of all his tough training, and that he had done the work, and would be fine in the race.
So, all that said, the fact that you took the time to talk to Bret, and post a notice here indicates you are keen to have a go at the extra challenges, so I'd suggest you grab them with both arms and go for it - all the best.
Cheers
Tom.
Tom Vandenbelt
I agree, sort of. Focusing strengthening exercises on weak points will make you faster in a given sport, but it's what you do with it at that point that counts. You can use push ups to make you a faster swimmer, but now do you use that breakthrough performance level to swim faster and strengthen those muscles OR do you go back to the way you were swimming so that you still need those push ups?
And of course, you can go back to the Jessi Stensland interview and find out more about core strength.
But like Tom said, it is critical that you find what motivates you. The placebo effect is very real, so do it either way. :)
Coach Brett
I have some questions that I sent to Brett and since I know he is pretty busy I thought I would see what feedback I got here. Let me preface this in saying I qualified for Nationals and will be heading to Tuscaloosa on September 25th. I completed my first sprint distance in June of 2009.
1. My manager has challenged me to http://www.hundredpushups.com/ which I will be completing the first week of September. I normally do push runs and wanted your opinion on doing this instead? Will this help my training/hurt?
2. There is a charity swim put on by the local high school here to raise money for swiming and water safety. It happens it is brought about by my cousin who was killed in a boating accident when he was only 11 years old. The event is a 2.25 mile swim accross he dam of Lake Murray. This is the week before my race in Tuscaloosa. Is this a bad idea? I wasn't going to train any more for this as I feel I could complete the swim and would just be doing it for charity and possibly be able to raise some money in the process.