- Is there anything else to triathlon
other than running, swimming, and cycling?
Well, actually yes,
there are several more factors to consider.
So I've just finished after a hard run session
out on the track and I'm heading indoors
to do some much needed flexibility exercises.
(upbeat music)
To improve your movement
and enjoy feeling free and unrestricted
when you're training and racing,
your body will need some extra care.
So in order to increase your flexibility
and your range of movement
you need to do some stretches.
Now today we're up at the University of Bath,
but the great thing about these exercises
you can do them absolutely anywhere.
So we're going to run through some key stretches
to help increase your flexibility
and therefore hopefully reduce your risk of injury.
But before we start
some few key points to remember
so if you're new to stretching
make sure you take it gently at the start.
Make sure you relax into each stretch,
you're in a warm environment
so your muscles are more relaxed
and finally point four
hold each stretch for about 30 seconds.
We'll begin with upper body range of movement
starting with the pec stretch.
So find yourself a space on the wall.
Face it placing your hand and fore arm up against the wall
and then gradually turn to rotate your body
away from that
until you feel a stretch across your pecs.
Now, the thing is with the triathlon,
you're spending a lot of time swimming front crawl
also a lot of time in this position on your time trial bike
so your pecs will naturally become tight.
This exercise is great to help keep your shoulders
in a much better position.
Once you've held this for 30 seconds on one side
make sure you swap and do it
for another 30 on the other side.
Now we're going to look at stretching your lats and tricep.
So start off lifting your arm up above your head
and with your spare hand getting hold of your elbow.
Once you've got hold of your elbow
then gently pull it towards your head.
And you should start to feel it stretch
down the outside of your arm
and down the side of your torso.
This stretch is especially important for swimming
and really helps you to get
into that great streamline position.
Having good spinal mobility is really important
and this exercise is great for thoracic extension.
So start by lying on your back
on top of your foam roller
and then roll all the way to the top
and all the way to the bottom
until you find a really tight spot
and once you're there
just hover over that area for a moment
until you feel it start to loosen.
The lower body is more effected from running and cycling
and good range of movement around your hips is essential
especially for getting into an efficient aero position
and it's an area that's quite often neglected,
something that I'm very guilty of myself.
There are many different versions of a glute stretch
but this is one that's the easiest to do.
So lying down on your back
if you're gonna stretch your left glute
you'll want to have your right knee bent
put your left ankle over the top of your right knee
using both hands,
grip behind your right knee
gently pulling that towards you
until you feel the stretch in your glute.
Tight glutes can lead to a tight IT Band
and that's a problem that's very common in triathletes.
Once you've held that for 30 seconds
swap to the other side and then repeat.
Hip flexors are prone to being tight in cyclists
so therefore it affects triathletes as well.
Now in order to focus on your hip flexors
to isolate them,
it's best to start in a kneeling position.
From here, take a forward lunge with one foot
making sure your hips are in a nice neutral position.
And from here push your hips forwards
until you feel a stretch right the way through here.
Now if you're still not feeling the stretch
you can always aid it by just stretching your arm
into the air to elongate this area.
To stretch your quads
start off by finding an area
with something to hold on to for balance.
So I'm using the wall.
I'm gonna start by stretching my left leg.
So with your left hand get a hold of your left toes.
Now this is the important part,
to make sure that your hips remain parallel
so you should only feel the stretch
down the front of your leg.
A common mistake you often see people doing
is rotating their hips and getting their quads
all the way back there
but that's not actually stretching the right area
so we make sure we're keeping facing forwards.
Now your quads quite often will get tight
and it's a real cause of anterior knee pain
but luckily it's very quickly relieved
by a bit of stretching.
Hamstrings are commonly tight in runners
and if you don't look after them
niggles can lead on to injuries.
So it's really important that we stretch.
Now one of the starting positions can just be
sitting down having one leg bent
and the leg that you want to stretch
out in front of you.
And from this position just reach towards your foot.
Now if you're flexible enough
you might be able to get hold your foot.
If not, just go for your ankle.
One thing to bear in mind though,
try not to pull your toes towards you
'cause that will add in a calf stretch
and won't isolate your hamstring.
Another option is just finding an object
that's off the ground
place your heel on it
and then just like before
fold your body towards your ankle.
Tight calves can be painful
and can also lead to tears and strains.
Now your achilles tendon actually attaches
into your calf muscles.
So if they're tight that can add extra strain
onto your achilles.
Now the easiest way to stretch your calves
is find a step or a bench like this.
Once you've stood securely
the leg you're going to stretch
just move onto the ball of that foot
and then just gently drop your heel towards the ground.
Now in this position you should feel the stretch
in the top of your calf, in your gastrocnemius.
Now once you've held this for 30 seconds
bend your knee slightly and you should feel the stretch
move further down to the lower part of your calf
known as the soleus.
When you're training hard
for swimming, cycling, and running,
it can put a lot of strain on your body.
So it's important that you look after it.
Now some areas are going to need more attention
than others,
but these stretches are at least a great starting point.
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and if you want to watch a video
on nine essential triathlon skills
click down here.
And to watch a video on treadmill versus outdoor running
click here.