Although the winter poses a challenge to just about any athlete who prefers to exercise outdoors, it puts a particular burden on those persons who are training for a triathlon. After all, if it’s cold outside and there is a heaping amount of snow on the ground, riding a bicycle is a dangerous prospect at best, and many people likely aren’t keen on diving into freezing water to get their swim training in.
As such, triathlon trainers have to figure out a way to take their training indoors in a way that allows them to develop their bodies and that will keep injuries at bay. A new report delves into how to do this, and it’s important for anyone engaged in such multi-faceted training to take a look.
Swimming is perhaps the easiest and best activity to take indoors when it’s cold outside, as it doesn’t require much of an adjustment. You may not get as much resistance as you could when fighting the current in open water, but when you’re in an indoor pool, you’ll still be able to get your mileage in, even if the environment remains relatively static.
That actually turns out to be the biggest drawback for many trainers: training in a gym can be just plain boring. On a trail, you’re able to take in different landscapes and vantage points, but on a stationary bike or a treadmill, you’re looking at the same thing the entire time. This can breed the kind of sloppiness that begets injury.
Don’t let that happen. Stay attentive throughout your workout so that you don’t put yourself at risk of an injury. This is especially important with a treadmill, an injury on which will still sting even if you’re not falling onto the concrete or stepping on awkward patches of ground. As the report notes, the treadmill may not provide an optimum workout due to the fact that you’re not required to propel yourself forward the way you would on a running trail and because of the softness of the surface. Consider hitting a track for a little while to supplement these shortcomings.
Also make sure that you’re getting the most out of cycling. A stationary bike may not allow you to get a sense of terrain that working out outdoors would, but you can adjust settings to increase resistance and incline. Because there will be no downhill portions, you should be able to get more out of the same distance you’re cycling, which will be beneficial to your longterm training.