THE FITNESS EXAMINATION CONTINUES...
One leg down, two more to go! This week, we use FTP testing to track your progress by riding to your maximum on the bike.

You’re going to see these words crop up in your programs, as well as terms like T2 or T4. What do they mean? Why do we use them?
Discover more about Functional Threshold Power FTP and its importance (Power & Heart Rate Zones) with an article by Coach Gaz.
Let's get ready to sweat!

ARE YOU READY FOR THAILAND?
So, you've decided to go to Thailand, great! And you're probably looking forward to getting away from the Melbourne winter. Yes please! But we're not going on a leisurely vacation; instead, we're going for hard training to help us reach a goal or push ourselves to new limits. Continue reading below to learn how to get the most out of this experience...

CYCLING ETHICS!
As we ramp up our weekend sessions, let's focus a little closer to home, with Beach Rd.  We all know it can get incredibly busy with cyclists.  We know that not every cyclist is educated and responsible when out on the road.  But what we also know, is that it is our responsibility to keep everyone safe and promote respectful road use when we are out on bunch rides (and when I say “our”…I mean a collective OUR!).  Time to lay it all out there…..if you haven’t done so already, you should have read our Road Safety and Bunch Cycling Etiquette guidelines on our website (link in article below).  At the very least, you should know basic road rules, how to ride next to other people and how to signal.  This is expected in all group rides.  We don’t need to see athletes flogging themselves down Beach Rd in the off-season and making the ride unsafe for our group and for others that we are passing.  Calm down….it’s May for goodness sake!!!  There’s a long way to go before race time.  Above all else, just treat other road users with respect and courtesy……and don’t be THAT guy!

We hope your training is going well and that you are starting to feel little bit stronger. Do you notice your technique improving? We hope you are enjoying your sleep-ins while they last... they won't be around for long! Good news for our Cairns athletes who are in the midst of their taper period 🥳

Basically, we set training intervals at specific zones, or percentages of your maximum Heart Rate.  These zones can be calculated by various means and tests, but a simple way of doing it is to use two figures that can be measured fairly easily:

• Resting Heart Rate (RHR) – your lowest steady heart rate, best found first thing in the morning, before you do anything.
• Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) – As fast as your heart can go under stress! Found via various tests e.g. The FTP test.

We know that your MHR will vary across different sports and at different times and situations, but for the sake of the argument, as long as your testing protocols remain consistent, it will be accurate enough for progressive comparisons.

In a triathlon, you spend the most amount of time on your bike, so naturally this translates to time spent training on the bike.  At Tri Alliance, we want to make sure all our athletes understand and adhere to cycling road rules and general bike etiquette, especially when you are out on group rides.
“Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as other road users. Whatever vehicle you drive, the golden rule is to treat other road users with respect and courtesy. All road users should drive or ride safely and obey the traffic rules at all times.
Please take some time to make yourself aware of road cycling rules, safety and ethics - to keep yourself, our group and other road users safe.

There is a clear expectation that to ride in Tri Alliance bunch rides, you know your responsibility.

This short article is for individuals who will be attending our training camp in Thanyapura, Thailand, or maybe you have a race coming up in a hot and humid climate (such as the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona or Busso).

The heat, as we all know, is a hot topic in long-distance triathlon. Because our camp in Thailand will be hot and humid, we will need to adapt to the heat before partaking in these hot-weather activities. Heat acclimatisation may appear to be a complicated procedure, but it is just the process by which your body adapts to heat stress. High temperatures and humidity (which can raise your heart rate and make your workout feel much tougher) can be mitigated with the correct training and exposure. Acclimating to hot temperatures properly might mean the difference between performing at your best on race day and blazing past everyone or struggling and potentially crashing in the middle of the race. So, what are your options?

Many athletes are using heat to up-regulate regular endurance training adaptations, similar to how high-altitude exposure has resulted in beneficial changes. Sweat response for heat dissipation and core temperature management, as well as plasma volume and heart rate, all improve when you practise becoming used to the heat. We propose that sauna bathing after exercise be used to elicit heat acclimation responses and hence increase physiological performance.

Sauna bathing after a workout involves soaking in the hot, dry heat of a sauna for 30-40 minutes. The logic behind this strategy is that you've already disturbed and stressed your body by exercising, and now you're in a very hot environment, which will raise your core temperature and sweat rate even more when you're at rest. Because increases in core and skin temperature are apparently at least part of the mechanism behind the heat acclimatisation responses we see with training in hot environments, we should expect some of these adaptations with post-exercise sauna bathing. In the coming months, going to the sauna a few times a week will help you prepare for Thailand's hot and humid climate.

Finding a hot yoga/Pilates studio or not using your fan during a wind session are two other ways to boost your heat adaptation (with reason). When undertaking these sessions, remember to drink enough of water and electrolytes.

Don't make Thailand any more difficult than it needs to be; instead, find the nearest sauna and start acclimating!

Live and breathe the life of a professional triathlete over 10 days at the ultimate Sports and Health resort in Thanyapura, Thailand from 29th of July to the 7th of August 2022.

"I used this camp in preparation for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Mooloolaba. This camp exceeded all my expectations. Absolutely loved it. Everything included, it really is an athlete's dream there. I was able to get my fitness to the next level and learn a few things along the way like my sweat rate/sodium losses."

We aim to give athletes the ultimate professional training experience, jam-packed with insight and knowledge into significant personal gains that can contribute to overall performance improvements and success. In addition to training for all three facets of triathlon, athletes will also undergo the rigours of sweat testing, time trials, Vo2 max as well as other high-end testing to help you achieve your fitness goals. Athletes will be broken into groups in accordance with fitness levels and abilities, allowing coaches to tailor your 10 days in Triathlon paradise.

With 4-star accommodation, all meals, coaching and testing included over 10 action-packed days, athletes are treated to the life of a professional athlete with incredible facilities to indulge in.