Train As a Triathlete in a Fraction of the Time – Reduce Training Related Injuries

When the professional Ironmen Triathletes train, they’re expected to spend long hours, cycling, swimming and running to improve endurance. While they might be able to spend a large portion of the day training, thanks to sponsorship deals from major companies, the average person simply doesn’t have this kind of time to spare.

However, having less time available to train shouldn’t mean being unable to compete in professional events right alongside those Ironman Triathletes. In fact, if you get your training schedule right and your nutrition is under control, it’s very possible to increase your fitness, strength and endurance so that you’ll be able to cross the finish line right alongside them.

Building up this kind of endurance doesn’t have to be done over long, gruelling training sessions. The key is finding the right high intensity training techniques to give your body the same physical workout, but in a fraction of the time.

Add to this the right kinds of foods added to your diet and the ability to reduce training related injuries and you have a recipe for Ironman fitness and strength in only a few hours a week.

Reducing Training Related Injuries

Perhaps the one thing that holds many athletes back is training related injuries. Far too many people try to push themselves too far, too fast, causing injuries to knees, ankles and hips, increasing the risk of stress fractures and damaging joints.

When these same people try to continue working out without recovering fully from these types of injuries, they can often cause much longer term problems. There are some very simple things athletes can do to increase their recovery rate, but there are also some things that could be contributing to their injury rates.

A study conducted at the Center for Sports Medicine in San Francisco showed that the ferritin levels among injured runners were more than 40% lower than in non-injured runners. This means that athletes with low ferritin concentrations had twice as many injuries as runners with sufficient iron levels.

Ferritin is your body’s iron storage protein and it’s critical to your body’s continued well-being. Iron is a primary component of haemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen around your body to your muscles.

It’s logical that those athletes with low ferritin levels could be suffering from lower oxygen levels to their tissues during training sessions. This can lead them to fatigue more quickly and cause exhausted muscles.

Muscle exhaustion could mean those tired, un-oxygenated muscles are less able to support ankles and knee joints during a workout, so it’s easy to see why many athletes suffer from injuries in these areas.

Most people will immediately begin to think about increasing their iron intake in an effort to counteract this problem. Unfortunately, high iron levels within your body may also be linked to an increased risk of heart attack, as it may be an inhibitor of zinc absorption into your body.

The key to reducing training related injuries is to be sure the right nutritional plan is implemented, along with the right intensity training sessions to ensure that you’re minimizing injuries wherever possible.