Training for your first triathlon can be a life changing experience! Pushing yourself to excel and learning to find your inner strength to persevere when the competition is tough reminds us that the only limitations we have are the ones we place upon ourselves. Finding the right fitness and nutrition coach can make a huge difference, especially when training for your first triathlon. Here are some tips for a successful first triathlon:
- Strengthen your core. Triathletes use their core strength when swimming, cycling, and running. Having a strong core helps with proper posture and alignment during workouts and prevents poor form from fatigue. A fitness abs ball or an extra large stability ball can be used to strengthen your core and build functional fitness as well as stability.
- Cross train to prevent injury. Many athletes suffer from sports injury while training for their first triathlon. This can be from a number of factors including over-training, poor form, or trying to do too much too fast. Cross training gives the muscles you use daily in training a break to heal. You can still train, but train smart with a different activity. You can use the elliptical trainer or Pilates to get a cardio workout or strength training workout in that will actually benefit your triathlon training.
- Be mindful of your daily dietary intake. Your diet fuels your training. If you don’t have a clean diet, you won’t have the energy to train. Online nutrition training makes it convenient to learn about how nutrition impacts your workouts. Keeping a nutrition log is a great way to be mindful of what you eat. Writing your calories down gives you a visual reminder of calorie consumption and provides an opportunity to analyze it further to see where you need to make changes.
- Get a coach that is experienced with triathlons. Being a personal trainer doesn’t automatically make you knowledgeable in all sports and styles of fitness. Taking on a triathlon is a huge commitment and having a coach that has completed a triathlon will be more resourceful to you while training for your first marathon than your favorite aerobics instructor at the local gym. Each style of fitness comes with specialty certifications to better serve their clients and the field of fitness and health.
