How to maximise your triathlon performance in the heat

Have you got a hot race coming up? Ever wondered whether you should be doing any heat acclimatisation or heat adaptation?

On a recent Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast, I spoke to Physiologist, Avish Sharma. He was the lead Physiologist for Triathlon Australia in the preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which was always set to be a hot environment. He shared his practical, evidence-based heat adaptation advice to help with racing and training in the heat (that actually works).

We looked into:

• Why would you want to heat adapt yourself?
• Who is it beneficial for?
• Are there any negative implications of heat adaptation?
• How do you heat adapt yourself?
• How long do the performance gains of heat acclimation last for?
• Practical suggestions if you have a hot race coming up like Cairns or Kona
• What to do if you live in a cooler environment but have to travel to a hot race? 
• And he gave some suggestions for...

3 Nutrition Rules Every Triathlete Should Abide By 

When it comes to triathlon nutrition, there is a lot of crap information out there!

My passion is to cut through all the noise and give you practical, evidence-based information that actually works. To fast track your success as a time-poor triathlete. 

Triathlon can be a very expensive and tech-heavy sport. You don’t just need stuff for one sport, you need stuff for three!  There are lots of gadgets and everything is upgradable -  costs that can add up quickly if you’re not careful.

But when it comes to nutrition, people don’t value investing in their nutrition because it isn’t tangible. You don’t get a shiny new object for your money.

But I would argue your body is the thing you need to spend the most on. You have it for life!

There are so many things that can affect your long term health if you’re not putting the right things in.

In my recent podcast, I share...

The Key Ingredients You Need to Become a Successful Triathlete

There are many key ingredients to focus on if you’re wanting to train harder, feel better, and become the best triathlete you can be. 

These aspects will not only propel you to become a successful triathlete, but will also translate into having greater energy throughout your day to day life. 

Ingredient One: Train with Purpose

• The multiple discipline to train (swimming, biking and running) makes this an essential aspect to focus on, as this requires a lot of time and means you need to be smart with your training
• Find someone that is qualified in the space who can help optimally periodise your training

     - Exercise physiologist

     - Triathlon coach

Ingredient Two: Find Your Community

• Triathlon can be quite isolating, so having a squad, group, or training buddies can help mitigate the overwhelming and intimidating aspects of the sport
• You'll be in a...

How to avoid the stress & overwhelm when it comes to triathlon racing

Are you someone that suffers from pre-race nerves?

Do you worry you’ve forgotten to do something important heading into race day?

There is A LOT to do, think about and organise when it comes to triathlon racing. Preparing for one sport is hard enough, but you’ve got to prepare yourself for three!

To help you automate your racing process and take away the stress that comes with toeing the start line, I’ve put together a Triathlon Racing Checklist that outlines a range of things you might want to consider in the lead-up, on race day and also suggestions for post-race too.

The week leading into an event

• Tapering training
• Adapt and practice your race nutrition – potentially carbohydrate loading, using your personalised Dietitian Approved race nutrition plan
• Bike maintenance
• Practice in any particular race gear you plan to use/wear on the day – don’t try anything new...

Iron & Endurance Performance with Rebecca Hall

Do you feel tired, lethargic or fatigued and are not sure why? Maybe you need to get your iron levels checked…

As an endurance athlete, you should have a basic understanding of why iron is so important and know where you can get it from your diet. But iron absorption is a little more complicated, as what's actually in that food doesn't necessarily all get digested and absorbed.  

On the podcast, I spoke with fellow Advanced Sports Dietitian, Rebecca Hall to get the lowdown and her tips on all things Iron. Rebecca worked with some of the athletes competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and recently submitted her Master's in iron supplementation for endurance athletes.

Why is iron such an important nutrient for active people?

Iron plays a key role in building the haemoglobin and myoglobin that carries the oxygen around the body. Think about haemoglobin as the transport vehicle - iron plays...

Skin Folds: What are they? Why you should be doing them

In our previous episode with Gary Slater, we highlighted why scales are such a poor measure of body composition. (If you haven't already, make sure you go back and listen to that episode!).

In congruence with that, skin folds were mentioned quite a lot as a superior method for measuring body composition. Here's some info into what skin folds actually are, what they measure, how they are done and how to find somebody who can accurately get a measurement for you.

What are used for skin folds?

• Generally performed using metal calipers
  • They look painful, but they really don't hurt as much as they look like they will!
    
    

What do skin folds measure?

• The calipers measure your subcutaneous fat
  • This is the fat that sits on top of your muscles, just under the skin
    
    

How are skin fold measurements collected?

• The measurement is collected in millimetres, so we get how many millimetres of subcutaneous fat sits on your bicep,...

Why you Suck at Carbohydrate Loading

I haven't seen one athlete that knows how to carbohydrate load until I've taught them to do it. Let me tell you, it is not just eating a bowl of spag bol the night before the race.

When it comes to the fourth leg of triathlon - nutrition, many try to wing it, which often ends in sub-optimal results on race day. One aspect of this is carbohydrate loading, when done right, can have a huge boost on your performance.

Here's some information on what carbohydrate loading is, what events it's appropriate for, why what you’re doing now may not be an effective strategy, and where you can find a plan that’s right for you.

To know what carbohydrate loading is, we must first understand…

What is muscle glycogen?

• It is our storage form of glucose
• There is a 3:1 ratio of water to glycogen
  e.g. for every 1g of glycogen stored, there is about 3ml water
• Glycogen is stored in our muscles and liver
• It is used as energy for exercise, and your brain...

The Rise of the Female Triathlete with Stef Hanson

This episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast is with total legend and one of my favourite humans, Stef Hanson. Stef is the founder of WITSUP, which stands for Women In Triathlon, Sup?

In this episode we chat about:

• Her many talents, skills, and untapped knowledge
• Her motivation for starting WITSUP
• Key learnings from the business
• Why she decided to close the chapter of WITSUP
• How things have changed for women in sport/triathlon thanks to Stef
• Perceptions of triathletes
• Lowering the barrier to entry into triathlon and encouraging others to compete in the sport
• How she has held people/companies accountable for leaving women as an afterthought in sporting events
• Her journey and personal stories working as a photographer for triathlons
• What the future holds for her businesses and family
  
  

To go deeper, listen to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast Episode 18:  The Rise of The Female Athlete Interview - Stef Hanson for...

What is Sweat Testing and Should You Do One? 

What is Sweat Testing?

Sweat testing is a way to measuring your sweat sodium concentration during exercise. Simply, we put patches on your skin, you exercise for a defined period of time and then take them off and analyse them. Combine with measuring your body weight pre and post, we can also calculate your sweat rate in ml/hr and then calculate sweat sodium concentration in mg/L of sweat.

In the field, we use sweat patches at certain sites on the body to calculate your sweat sodium concentration and then use mathematical equations to calculate total body sweat sodium.

Many things impact your sweat rate; genetics, your fitness level, intensity, the environmental conditions of the day, your pre-test diet – there are many things we want to try and control for to give you the most accurate results.

Who is sweat testing best suited for?

• Athletes competing in endurance events 10hrs + e.g. ironman, ultra-marathons, 24hour mountain...

Do You Need Salt Tablets?

Many endurance athletes take salt tablets, but do we really need them? I spoke with the sodium and hydration master aka Alan McCubbin to break down everything you need to know about sodium, hydration and endurance exercise.

Here’s what we discussed:
 

Why is sodium is important for sports like triathlon?

• When we sweat during exercise, sodium is the main mineral we lose along with chloride
• The main electrolyte in our blood is also mainly sodium, and this plays a big role in moving water around the body

 Are there currently any guidelines around sodium replacement?

• The guidelines are currently very vague
• There aren’t really any specific guidelines around sodium replacement during exercise apart from a broad statement from the American College of Sports Medicine indicating that people should replace sodium when large losses occur, but they don't define what a large loss is

What research is currently underway to find some answers?...