 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
“F-I-T-T-R” For The Gold
By
Dr Grant Wilkinson D.C, B.Sc, M.Sc*
The Coolangatta Gold is a very different race to what most of the athletes who will be racing in it have ever come across before. Even those who competed in the last Coolangatta Gold in 1992 or the last Gold Coast Gold in 1995 will find this race much harder seeing there has been no real endurance ironman races for such a long time.
Training for this event has to be meticulous in that it can leave no stone unturned, no aspect of the race not prepared for in full. As the race nears we will cover more issues on “total preparation” for the Gold and how to get the most out of your training regime in order to be at your best come October 16, 2005.
There are many basic, fundamental principles in sports training and coaching and one that is compulsory when designing any overall training program is the “F-I-T-T-R” (pronounced ‘fitter’) principle of training. Think of the FITTR principle as a set of rules that must be adhered to if you're going to benefit from any form of training program.
These rules relate to FREQUENCY, INTENSTY, TYPE and TIME (F-I-T-T-R) of training. The R relates to REST, which needs to be incorporated into any successful training program.
These five principles of fitness training are applicable to individuals exercising at any level but in particular, for a race such as the Coolangatta Gold as overtraining and overuse injuries are a real danger to the athlete who doesn’t have their program set out in detail. Like any principle and like any training program, it can be individually modified to suit anyone and everyone.
F – FREQUENCY
Following any form of fitness training, the body goes through a process of rebuild and repair to replenish its energy reserves consumed by the exercise. The FREQUENCY of exercise is a fine balance between providing just enough stress for the body to adapt to and allowing enough time for the healing or adaptation to occur...
Aerobic Training:
The guidelines for “Aerobic” training (also called cardiorespiratory conditioning) are a minimum of 3 sessions per week and up to a maximum of 5 or 6 times per week. Several studies have suggested that little or no benefit is attained over and above this amount. Of course many athletes often fall outside suggested guidelines but it must be noted that even the most elite athletes in any given sport must have a rest day to help ensure that they fully recover from the rigours of training.
Resistance Training:
The frequency of resistance training is dependent upon the particular individual and the discipline you are training on (i.e. weights, resistance work on ski / board). For example, if you decided to do a weights session that works every body part then 3 sessions a week would be more than enough with at least a day's rest between each. For resistance work on the craft or with swimming (i.e. swim pulleys) this must be correlated with your endurance work and recovery sessions to help ensure you are not overloading specific muscles and leaving yourself prone to an overuse injury.
Remember though, each time you complete a strenuous strength training session (regardless of what it is) you are taxing your body as a whole - including all the physiological systems and major organs.
Recovery Sessions:
Recovery sessions are an integral part of any overall training program and are as important as any aerobic or resistance based training that you do. Recovery sessions help your body to adapt to the increasing demands placed on it by the previous sessions whilst allowing you to keep your “feel” for the activity you are doing. This is particularly important for disciplines such as swimming and it can be a perfect way to help loosen tight muscles whilst still allowing you to keep the “feel” for the water. You should schedule in 2 to 3 recovery sessions per week across at least 2 disciplines.
I – INTENSITY
The second rule in the F-I-T-T-R principle relates to INTENSITY. It defines the amount of effort that should be invested in a training program or any one session. Like the first F-I-T-T-R principle - frequency - there must be a balance between finding enough intensity to overload the body (so it can adapt) but not so much that it causes overtraining. An athletes’ “Heart Rate” (HR) can be used to simply and relatively accurately measure the intensity of your training.
Aerobic Training:
Ideally before you start any training program a target heart rate zone should first be determined. The target heart rate zone is a function of both your fitness level and age. A very rough estimate for determining your target heart rate is as follows...
Heart Rate & Maximum Heart Rate (HR & MHR)
Heart rate (HR) can be monitored and measured by taking your pulse at the wrist, arm or neck. An approximation of maximum heart rate (MHR) can also be calculated as: MHR = 220 – Age and is measured in beats per minute (bpm).
Target Heart Rate
For those who are just getting back into training after a long lay off or have just decided to get back into the sport to give the Gold a go, a target heart rate zone of 50-70% of your MHR is a good place to start. So if, for example, you are 30 years old that gives you a predicted maximum heart rate of 190 (220 - 30). Multiply 190 by 50% and 70% and your reach a target zone of 95bpm - 133bpm.
For those who are fitter or more advanced, a target heart rate zone of 70-85% of your MHR may be more appropriate. Staying with the example above, that 30 year old now has a heart rate zone of 133bpm - 162bpm.
Resistance Training:
Many athletes and coaches often ask about the intensity of resistance training for endurance competition. When designing a training program, for example a weights program, for an event such as the Coolangatta Gold you have to consider three different components:
1. The amount of weight lifted during an exercise
2. The number of repetitions completed for a particular exercise
3. The length of time to complete all exercises in a set or total training session
For the Coolangatta Gold, the general rule of thumb would be to always have as minimal rest as possible. You should be able to get through a weights program that consists of 8 exercises, with 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps (4 x 12-15reps) in around 40minutes. This means that the rest would be limited to approx 30 seconds between reps, sets and different exercises. Of course, you can always increase the intensity by lifting heavier weights or by increasing the number of reps or sets with the same weight and the same rest period however it is important to remember to only ever increase using one of the above components at a time (i.e. Don’t increase weight & decrease rest)
T – TYPE
The third component in the F-I-T-T-R principle dictates what TYPE or kind of exercise you should choose to achieve your outcomes...
Aerobic Training:
Using the F-I-T-T-R principle the best type of exercise to tax or improve the cardiovascular system should be continuous in nature and make use of large muscle groups. For the Coolangatta Gold, the best disciplines to concentrate on as far as fitness value is concerned are running and swimming. Ski and board paddling also have their own place and aerobic sessions must be included on these disciplines however you will not be able to hold your heart rate high enough for long enough to get the total fitness benefit from them.
Anaerobic Training:
Anaerobic means “without oxygen” and this type of training is primarily used for the shorter sprint events found at regular carnivals throughout the year. It is beneficial to retain some anaerobic training components in your overall training program however seeing that the Coolangatta Gold will be raced over some four and a half hours, the anaerobic component should not comprise any more than 5-10% of your total training.
Interval and Fartlek Training:
Interval training is a perfect way to increase intensity within a training session while still allowing time for rest and recovery. Another form of interval training that is extremely beneficial is known as “Fartlek” training. Fartlek training consists, traditionally, of unstructured intervals set at varying distances, speeds and rest periods. A perfect example of this in a running session would be to run the distance between telegraph poles hard then the next distance easy, followed by two poles hard and another easy with this cycle repeated over the length of a run (i.e. 40minutes). In this way, the distance and tempo of the run is never really structured to any set distance or time or rest period as you could be running even distances at one stage only to have it turn into a long hard run with only minimal rest around the next corner. This type of training also most closely simulates race conditions.
T – TIME
The fourth component in the F-I-T-T-R principle of training is TIME - or how long you should be training for. For the Coolangatta Gold, you have to prepare your body for the rigours of a 4hour plus race both physically and mentally.
Aerobic Training:
In general, to get the most out of aerobic training you need a minimum of 40minutes of continuous exercise for it to be beneficial. The upper limit of this is (again in general) set to around 90minutes-2hours before the gains in aerobic capacity do not outweigh the potential risks of overtraining or overuse injuries. However, seeing as the race time for Coolangatta Gold will be, for most, over a the 4 and a half hour mark sessions over 2 hours in duration need to be worked into a program and completed at some stage in order to help your body prepare for the rigours of the race. This does not mean that you have to do 3hours of the one activity (i.e. a 3hour swim session or 3hour run session).
The perfect way to attain this type of endurance without running the risk of overuse injuries occurring is to do “combined” sessions. For example, you may choose to do a 1hour swim session, followed by a 1hour run then an hour in the gym doing a resistance (weights) session. In that way, no one-muscle group will be extensively overworked for the full duration and you minimise the risk of an overuse injury occurring.
R – REST
Arguably the most important principle in F-I-T-T-R is REST. Exercising too frequently and too intensely hinders the body's ability to recover and adapt. With this, the gains in aerobic conditioning (endurance),
speed, strength and overall fitness are hindered and the athlete is sure to break down either physically or more importantly mentally as a result of overtraining. As a rule of thumb, the harder you train, the more recovery you
should allow for. Unfortunately, due to ironman no longer being a high profile, fully professional sport many of even the top athletes don't have that luxury as work commitments take up most of our time.
Therefore, it is vitally important that you structure into your overall training program definite rest periods that you do not break for any reason! There is a fine line between not doing enough training and doing too much, so make sure you sit down and review your training schedule frequently and don’t be afraid to make modifications to suit your level of fitness, work and family commitments to help ensure you are as prepared as you can be for one of the great ironman events.
