MAXIMISING OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON PERFORMANCE ...

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Optimising Olympic Distance Triathlon Performance – ABiomechanist's Perspective.Brian McLeanBiomechanics Laboratory, Australian Institute of Sport____________________Optimum competition performance isdirectly related to maximising theaverage velocity achieved during therace. From a biomechanicalperspective maximising velocityinvolves optimising technique toincrease propulsive force production,optimising technique and equipmentto minimise the resisting forces thatlimit velocity and making tactical andtechnique decisions which conserveenergy or limit reductions in velocity.Biomechanics can contribute tooptimising ODT performance in theseways. However, given that there is adirect relationship between the abilityto train and the competitiveperformance, and that failure toachieve optimal training loads isprimarily due to injury, biomechanicsplays a secondary role in optimisingcompetition performance by helping tokeep an athlete injury free.Since triathlon is an endurance sport,high numbers of running strides,swimming strokes and pedal cyclesare undertaken on a routine basis. Asmall biomechanical inefficiency cansoon lead to injury once manythousands of repetitions areencountered in heavy training.Similarly, anatomical anomalies,technique faults, inappropriateequipment and equipment adjustmentcan lead to injury without largenumbers of repetitions if any of thesefactors introduce large forces to thebody. Specific training techniques canalso apply high loads to the body.Inappropriate use of these techniquesor incorrect management of theirfrequency and duration can lead toinjury. Biomechanics can play asignificant role in preventing injury,which can lead directly to enhancedcompetition performance.Mechanisms Of Injury InSwimming.The shoulder is the most common siteof injury in swimmers. Impingement ofthe long head of the biceps and/or thesupraspinatus tendons in the shoulderjoint is a common mechanismunderlying shoulder injury. Flexibilityand strength issues and how theserelate to movement patterns areprimarily associated withimpingement injury. Swimmers withreduced flexibility or with strengthimbalances, either avoid the shoulderpositions and movement patternswhich promote a technically efficientstroke, or they achieve the correctstroke pattern by compensating withundesirable movement of the shoulderjoint, putting it in a position that maycause impingement. In general, injuryprevention occurs if an athlete has theefficient movement which isassociated with performanceenhancement. Routine assessment offlexibility, the strength of individualmuscle groups and stroke technique26
can identify problems that lead toswimming injury.Performance Enhancement InSwimming.Swimming Velocity = Stroke Length XStroke FrequencyStroke length is the distance theswimmer moves through the waterfrom right hand entry to right handentry. The longer the stroke length themore propulsive force producedduring the stroke. A swimmer is moreefficient if he optimises the forceproduced throughout the stroke,producing a longer stroke length, thanby increasing the stroke frequency asa way of compensating for reducedstroke length. The complete stroke ofthe swimmer needs to be periodicallyanalysed, to ensure that inefficienciesin technique are not reducing thestroke length.As well as increasing the forwardpropulsive forces, swimming speedcan be increased by reduction in theresistive forces. Reducing resistiveforces is an effective way of improvingperformance because it requires noextra energy expenditure from theswimmer. The main component ofresistive force to the swimmer is dueto the shape exposed to the oncomingflow of water. It can be reduced byutilising better technique duringpropulsive actions and betterstreamlining during recovery. Anotherpotential areas where biomechanicscan improve performance is inoptimising the technique and strategyof slipstreaming in the wake of otherswimmers to conserve energy.Mechanisms Of Injury In Cycling.Cycling is a unique component oftriathlon because it involves theinteraction of man and machine. Theway the athlete interacts with thebicycle is influenced by its dimensionsand this influences the loads appliedto the body. The gearing system of thebicycle promotes high pedal ratescompared with swimming and runningand hence large numbers offlexion/extension and pedal loadingcycles occur. An athlete undertakingbike training of 10hrs/week willundergo over 50,000 pedal cycles inthe week. Any adverse loads placedon the musculoskeletal system even ifsmall can soon manifest as an injury.The most common site of injury fromcycling is the knee joint. However themechanism that underlies knee jointinjury is rarely located at the knee.Bicycle seat height, incorrect gearusage, biomechanical or anatomicalanomalies originating in the ankle orthe hip are primary causes of kneeinjury in cycling. The other commonsite of injury from cycling is the lowerback. Contributing factors to this injuryinclude seat height, inappropriatecrank length, leg length discrepancyand asymmetry of the riding posture.Optimising the dimensions of thebicycle for an athlete’s individual limbsegment lengths, flexibility andpedalling technique is a fundamentalaspect of reducing injury from cycling.Similarly, routine biomechanicalscreening of the riding posture andpedalling technique will identify27
Page 1 and 2: Proceedings from the Gatorade Inter
Page 3 and 4: Schedule of eventsDay 1: Monday Nov
Page 6 and 7: Maximising Athletic Performance….
Page 8 and 9: Ever since 1980, every world record
Page 10 and 11: Maximising Olympic Distance Triathl
Page 12 and 13: Common cycling - related injuries,e
Page 14 and 15: If heat illness is not treated prop
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Page 18: the triathlon run at an unsustainab
Page 21 and 22: system in a group of triathletes.Re
Page 23 and 24: to different race situations.Nevert
Page 25: carbohydrate diets for improvingend
Page 29 and 30: unch riding and the dynamics ofdraf
Page 32 and 33: Maximising Olympic Distance Perform
Page 34 and 35: athletes and highlights the infancy
Page 36 and 37: weight training under a coach for e
Page 38 and 39: year I was ranked sixth in ITU Worl
Page 40: Guidance from high performancetriat
Page 44 and 45: Using hypobaric oxygen techniques a
Page 46 and 47: 1996) suggest treatment with hyperb
Page 48 and 49: elease, which will produce the desi
Page 51 and 52: 1994 season. Vancouver Canucksrepor
Page 54 and 55: 14 Days of Intermittent Hypoxia Doe
Page 56 and 57: and the six females all trained ins
Page 58 and 59: 95HR (bpm)857565Tre-hypoxicTre-norm
Page 60 and 61: ReferencesAudran M, Gareau R, Matec
Page 62 and 63: Intermittent Hypoxic Training: A Re
Page 64 and 65: Intermittent Hypoxic Training, A Pi
Page 66 and 67: 3. IHR is often accompanied bya gen
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greater percentage of adipose tissu
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Table 3 Girths: descriptive data &
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greater than chest girth (t= -5.20,
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that the upper body or trunk hasdev
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study was 19.0 years, which is grea
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Training adaptation and biologicalc
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the steady state time trial (Smith
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the maximum heart rate reached byea
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Table 1. Subject characteristicsTes
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Mid Run VO 2ValuesOxygen Values (L.
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performance is expected following a
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The Lactate Index: Classification o
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Fluid losses and Voluntary Fluid In
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Table 1. Age groups in which New Ze
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study will be used to present apred
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ResultsTable 1. Mean environmental
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Figure 1 shows that path analysis o
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leg with greater total body waterwh
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2 Jeukendrup, A. E., W. H. M. Saris
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MAXIMISING OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLON PERFORMANCE ...

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