Petersen Performance Lab Newsletter
October 2007
The season is officially winding down for the athletes of Petersen Performance Lab (PPL). Several athletes are wrapping up the season with the Chicago Marathon, St. George's marathon, and St. Jude's half marathon. Congratulations to those athletes that finished strong at the Grand Columbian full and half Ironman, Ironman Wisconsin, and Great Illini half and full Ironman!
Now is the time that many of the athletes are taking some mandatory R & R to recharge mentally and physically before resuming training for next year. A critical component of the training philosophy of PPL is to take some downtime after a busy race schedule (please see the Training Mistakes section at http://petersenperformancelab.net/Site/Common_Training_Mistakes.html) before resuming training. Following this downtime, training will resume, and if the schedule will allow it, training is focused on improving speed vs. endurance. The majority of PPL athletes are now focusing on 5K and 10K races as goal races, which will allow them to reduce training volume and focus on speed. The benefits are two-fold. They will get faster and they get to spend time with their family.
In last month's newsletter, I talked about improving running economy. This month's newsletter will focus on improving swimming technique.
Steps to Improve Swim Technique
The most important step one can take to improve swim technique is to be videotaped by a qualified coach. All too often one tries to self-coach and blindly works on technique, yet the limbs are doing things that one does not know. By having your swim technique videotaped and analyzed using Dartfish software, you can actually see snapshots of yourself above and below water. Recently, PPL has acquired video clips of the world's best swimmers. This will allow you to see yourself swim side by side with these swimmers. Thus, not only can you see what you are doing correctly (and incorrectly), but also you can see what the elite swimmers do.
Aside from video analysis, what can you do?
1. Join a Masters swim team.
There are many benefits of joining a Master's swim team. A Masters swim team with a qualified coach will provide constant feedback and you will have swimmers that constantly push you. The Masters team should be utilized predominately in the off-season. The downside of the Masters swim team is that the workouts are usually focused towards swimmers, which means you will get a lot of stroke sets and the sets will be short. Swim workouts that include 12 X 50 free do not fit the specificity rule of a triathlete's training program.
2. Swim workouts should be built around your pace
This is another area where Masters swim teams fall short. There are certain workouts where you need to finish on a specific interval to train a specific physiological system. If your swim threshold is 1:20 per 100 yards, your main set on a lactate threshold day should be something in the nature of finishing the 400s on the 5:20 and going on 5:30. Many times Master's coaches will clump swimmers of differing abilities together and not give proper send off times. There are times when the pace given is "hard" which are often times useful (I use this term if the athlete's pace is unknown or changing), but there needs to be certain workouts that are done by a specific pace.
3. Every workout needs technique work
Every swim workout given out by PPL has a significant portion of drill/technique work. I am repeatedly asked why there is so much technique work. The reasoning is that swim speed is predominately dictated by technique, thus swim workouts should include a significant amount of technique work
4. Count strokes per length
This should be done with caution. Reducing the number of strokes per length is important, but reducing the number of stroke per length while maintaining speed is even more important.
Other News
Due to increased demand, expenses (a significant amount of the supplies for PPL come from Germany and Canada), experience, and education (Coach Brett constantly conducts research and is completing another degree), PPL will be raising rates in January. Current athletes of PPL will have a significantly discounted rate increase. These rates will be effective until January 5, 2009.
The new rate structure will be effective December 31, 2007.
Coaching:
New athletes after Jan. 1 Current PPL/SCTC member rates
Premium Plan $155/ 4-week cycle $139/ 4 week cycle
Performance Plan $ 198/ 4-week cycle $175/ 4 week cycle
Performance Plus Plan $321/ 4-week cycle $279/ 4 week cycle
Quality Plan is discontinued
** Current member who has a pre-paid a block off training will pay the increased rate fees when their next payment is due. For example, the athlete pays 12 weeks of the Performance Plus plan for training commencing on Nov. 5, 2007 at $ 260/ 4-week cycle; starting on Feb. 4, 2008, the rate will be $279 per month.
Professional Bike Fitting:
Professional Fit $163
Power Fit $270
Lactate Threshold Testing:
Bike and run lactate threshold testing $101
One-on-one training:
One-on-one consultation and personal training $ 88/hour
Video Analysis:
Run gait analysis: $198
Swim stroke analysis: $292
NEW: 3 month off-season training. Includes 12 weeks of off-season training leading up to base building. Deadline for sign-up is December 1. Training will be individualized based on prior training, future goals, and time available to train, thus training will be individualized. Athletes that sign-up for off-season training will be locked into current PPL athlete rates. 12 weeks of training is $261. Athletes must log training at www.beginnertriathlete.com to enjoy current athlete rates after the 12 weeks of off-season training. *The 12 week-off-season training plan is fixed. No training updates are available once your individualized training plan is written. Space is limited to six athletes.
Upcoming Clinic
Weight training/ core strength work for triathletes, Friday, October 26 at 7:00 p.m. The cost of the clinic is $56 per person. PPL athletes and Salt Creek Triathlon Club members fee $44. Space is limited to 8 athletes. Please RSVP by October 17. Payment is due October 22 to hold your spot. Please contact Coach Brett to reserve your spot.
Annual Review
Recently PPL sent out an anonymous review form asking you to review the services of PPL. If you have not returned this form, please do so in the postage paid envelope that came with the review form. By doing so, you are helping me offer the best possible service.
Here are the results (as of Oct 8) of the feedback form (1 is poor quality and 10 is high quality)
Knowledge of physical fitness 8.83
Skill in teaching proper exercise technique 7.83
Ability to speak clearly and distinctly 8.33
Interest in and enthusiasm for activity 8.66
Ability to adapt training to your fitness level and goals 7.83
Ability to motivate 6.66
Overall quality of training programs 8.16
Quality of facilities at PPL and partner facilities 7
Overall value of services by PPL. 8
So what does this mean to you as an athlete of PPL? You are receiving service from someone that has expert knowledge in sport science and can deliver that knowledge to you. A common comment on the evaluation form is the unique aspect of PPL offering individualized coaching by Coach Brett. Indeed, this is the backbone of the unique service offered by PPL. You are receiving individualized coaching plans from a coach that has a decade of triathlon race experience and a graduate degree in exercise physiology. PPL does not franchise its services and will never franchise its services to other coaches. Furthermore, I will acknowledge the relatively low score of ability to motivate. To improve this area, PPL athletes that do not update their training logs and/ or do not perform to their potential will receive a phone call from Coach Brett to address their training situation and offer motivation. Increased effort will be spent to increase the motivational aspect of PPL services. The unique service offered by PPL is individualized, personal coaching, which has become even more personalized within the last year. My goal is to offer the highest quality service of individualized coaching.
A question was posed to those athletes of PPL that asked what services they would like to see offered by PPL. The two responses were 1) more group workouts. Specifically group workouts offered on the weekend and 2) online training software.
PPL will be offering more group-training clinics. The first clinic will be a weight training/ core-conditioning workshop for triathletes on Friday, October 26 at Peak Performance located at 26 S. La Grange Rd. The clinic will begin at 7:00 p.m. Wear workout attire. PPL will not offer generic group training, as this goes against the philosophy of offering individualized, personalized training; however PPL will offer more one-time group training seminars and workshops in the future (i.e. run clinics, swim clinics, group weight training sessions, etc.)
Subsequent clinics will be offered on a monthly basis. PPL and SCTC athletes will be able to attend these clinics at a significant discount. A swim technique workshop will be held in November. This will take place on either a Saturday or Sunday. The specific date is currently being finalized.
Finally, starting January 7, all PPL athletes will have the option of receiving and logging their workouts via Training Peaks at no additional charge. *Athletes participating in the 3-month off-season training program are excluded unless they sign up for the premium, performance, or performance plus plan.
Kind regards,
Brett Petersen
coachbrett@petersenperformancelab.net
312-388-4021
