The basic premise of 3SF is to design and provide solid training programs for people who wish to improve their overall fitness.
I provide everything from basic strength training programs to endurance programs for marathons and Ironmans. Our philosophy..."simplicity is effectiveness." There is no over charging, or charging you for things that won't make you faster, stronger, and healthier. Give it a shot..what do you have to lose.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Create Variation to Improve Performance


Many times I am asked what's the "secret" to keeping workouts (WO) fresh and getting the most from your WOs. One key is to create variation within repetition. So what is variation within repetition? It is completing the same mode of WO but creating small changes in that mode each time you do it. For example, Your training schedule might call for you to run 3x/week. The popular way to address this would be to have a speed run, a tempo run, and then some sort of long slow distance (LSD) run.

Although this can be effective, I believe you can develop better performance by creating variation within each mode of WO. Many athletes will get stuck in a rut and wind up doing the exact same speed, tempo, and then LSD run each week. You will benefit from these modes of WOs, but creating variation within each WO will give you just a bit more improvement in performance because the body is challenged each time, creating higher levels of progressive adaptation.

For example, maybe your prescribed speed WO is to complete 6-8 x 400s on the track. You could just go out and complete this track session, or each time it is prescribed you change it up just a bit. Maybe after each 400 you complete 1min interval of jump rope and then take a cool-down lap. Maybe you complete a 400 and then complete one set of stadium steps prior to your cool-down lap. Maybe on one 400 you run the first first 200 easy and the second 200 all out...or vice versa.

The take home point is that each time you complete a prescribed WO, you keep you body guessing as to how you might complete the WO. This will help keep your WOs fresh and help you challenge your body to adapt at a slightly different level as compared to just doing the prescribed WO the same old way each time your coach sets it up on your training schedule.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Save It For The End

When it comes to coaching, most of you know that I believe the run is where triathlon is won or lost. Not to take anything away from the other two events, but many recreational multisport athletes spend too much time trying to get faster in the water. Truth is, most athletes should focus on good swim form, but spend most of their time cleaning up their bike/run form and working on getting faster in these domains. A recent win at the 70.3 event in Hawaii points in this direction.

Two-time Ford Ironman World Champion Tim DeBoom has demonstrated in the past and now again that a strong run can win big events. He recently won the 70.3 event in Hawaii. After the swim of this event, DeBoom was a full two minutes behind the leader. DeBoom was in 3rd coming into T2, a minute behind the leaders. Things changed on the run as Tim tackled the run course looking like he was just starting his race. The report said that his "controlled, swift pace was enough to make the difference on the day." Ultimately, Tim chased down the two others in front, & this was enough to win the day.

So the next time you are deciding how to spend the time you have on training you might want to consider taking more time to work on the bike & run. Based on what I know those athletes who have a strong bike & run always seem to have the better finish times.

Big Day At Kansas 70.3!


Kansas 70.3 turned out great results for 3SF athletes! Check these out.

Luke Wilson: 4:24:32
Jimmy Montalto: 4:43:59
Brad Meara: 4:53:41
Mark Montalto: 5:05:11
Sara Plunkett: 5:49:11 (1st 70.3 IM race!)

Great job and hats off to all of these athletes. The IM 70.3 series events offers up a great challenge on some pretty demanding courses. Everyone did a great job...just beng out there is awesome enough. I hope everyone had a great day and are planning their next event.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Don't Race Without Strategy


As we approach the Hospital Hill 1/2 Marathon and the Kansas 70.3 Ironman, I wanted to review the importance of race day strategy (RDS). Many endurance athletes really don't even consider RDS. But they should! Athletes don't achieve their race goals because they don't have a strategy going into race day. Having a plan for race day will greatly increase the likelihood that you will PR or have a good race. So here are three things to consider for RDS.

1. Start Slow - That's right! Too many athletes go out like gang busters only to find themselves huffing & puffing 10-20mins into their race. Ease into your race...warm up, and then you can push your effort. You expend too much energy at the beginning and you will likely never recovery.

2. Respect the Course - Don't try to blast up the hills and hammer down the backside. Use the course to your advantage. Remember that endurance events are about a total time that is based on an average pace. This means that each mile can vary, and should vary based on the course layout. Your pace can and will change based on course layout.

3. Save It for the End - You can do a lot for your overall time and race confidence if you have something left in the tank to give with about 3 miles remaining in your race. There is no better feeling than to be able to drop the hammer on the last 3 miles and no worse feeling than to know that each mile you are getting slower and slower. The latter happens because the racer did not follow rule #1 & #2!

Following these simple rules can help you have better races and better results. Try to keep in mind that there is more to endurance events than just going out there and wailing away at the course. In essence, racing in an endurance event is much like playing a round of golf. The old strategy of "grip it & rip it" does not usually produce favorable results on the golf course and the same usually holds true for endurance events. Know your ability level, don't overestimate your ability, start slow, respect your course, and finish strong...these are some basic tips for RDS!