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Ask ten triathletes why a brick exercise is named a “brick” and you will most likely get ten completely different solutions.
“It is as a result of once you get off the bike, your legs are like bricks! »
“Coaching helps lay the ‘bricks’ of an excellent triathlon basis.”
“It is an acronym for bike-run-in-combination.”
One other less complicated rationalization: Dr Matt Brick coined the time period when writing about his biking and working periods whereas coaching for a duathlon.
No matter why it is referred to as a brick, the very fact is that any such back-to-back mixture exercise could be very efficient. Whereas the most well-liked sort of brick coaching for triathletes is a motorcycle race, extra generally often called a motorcycle race (ROTB), a brick also can encompass a motorcycle race or perhaps a swim race. Bicycle.
Advantages of Brick Coaching
Pete Alfino, proprietor and founding father of Mile Excessive Multisport, explains that the most important profit for the newbie triathlete is muscle adaptation, however there are additionally many advantages for the extra skilled triathlete. One of many major causes many triathletes do brick exercises is to acclimate their legs to the wobbly feeling that happens after they get off the bike and begin working. However it may also be an excellent time to observe simulation-running efforts, diet, and transitions.
“Brick is the proper time to dial in race day tempo, diet and hydration,” Alfino mentioned. “For these of us brief on time, the brick is a good way so as to add some high quality working throughout a observe section. It is also a fantastic alternative to observe your transitions.
For his athletes who dwell in chilly climates, Alfino typically prescribes a brick to interrupt up the monotony of indoor coaching. “By breaking apart exercises, you break the monotony of sitting on a coach or treadmill for a very long time, whereas additionally working towards your transitions, retaining your coronary heart price up. You may be amazed at how briskly the exercise breaks down runs and bikes into 20-30 minute segments.
Jason Lentzke of Toro Efficiency in Arizona believes that brick coaching is important to profitable triathlons of any distance. “Once you’ve simply completed a run, working is totally completely different from if you happen to have been to start out a run very first thing within the morning. That is very true if the commute was lengthy or carried out at excessive depth,” he mentioned. brick helps train the physique to adapt to those emotions and be taught to run with good method and tempo beneath load.Brick exercises also can offer you an indication if you happen to’re refueling proper on the bike, he mentioned. Should you end your bike coaching with an empty tank, you will have a nasty run. “It is at all times greatest to make these errors in coaching, so you possibly can fine-tune your fueling protocol for race day.”
For the long-lasting triathlete, race sturdiness is commonly a serious limiter on race day, so Lentzke thinks athletes ought to get off the bike typically to coach drained legs. For the brief working athlete, it makes extra sense to run extra ceaselessly on cool legs, so the physique adjusts to the depth of the run, however the brick run remains to be an necessary software to make use of within the race. alternative.
RELATED: Do you have to do brick exercises early within the season?
The way to Make a Brick… the Proper Manner
For the reason that entire level of a brick exercise (whether or not swim to bike or bike to run) is to do the sports activities again to again, probably the most profit may be gained by specializing in these transitions and transferring shortly from one to the opposite. the next. Put together your trainers, hat and glasses to be able to go.
“The largest mistake I see is folks lacking a fantastic alternative to actually hone their abilities on race day,” Alfino mentioned. “Arrange your transition zone and go from biking to working such as you would in a race. Taking 10-20 minutes to transition and easily racing simply to tick a field is a missed alternative.
Brick coaching can also be a good time to observe working tempo. As a result of biking cadence is increased than working cadence, it is common in your mind to play tips, convincing you that you simply’re working too slowly on drained, wobbly legs. “Nearly at all times, athletes are likely to run too quick, too quickly, off the bike,” mentioned Lentzke. Actively fight this by having your transition execute destructive break up passes (which means you get faster within the second half).
After all, it is also necessary to keep in mind that working is completely different from triathlon working, however it should not be. this completely different. Lentzke argues that if you happen to tempo the bike correctly and there aren’t any dietary limiters, there ought to be not more than 6% distinction between open stroke instances and tri stroke instances for a 70, 3 and 12% for a full tank. “For instance, in case your open half marathon time is 1:30, it’s best to‘t run slower than 1:36 off the bike. In case your decoupling is above 6%, focus in your swim and bike quantity earlier than reassessing your run quantity.
Remember that swim and bike exercise. Brick exercises alone will not make you a greater triathlon runner, Lentzke mentioned. “The metabolic value of coaching restricted to swimming and biking at all times carries over to working. Swim health is bike health and bike health is run health.
RELATED: 4 secrets and techniques to profitable brick coaching
Brick Distance and frequency
Figuring out how lengthy and the way typically to run off the bike is dependent upon your expertise, working distance and particular person objectives.
“Brick distance is one thing that has modified through the years,” Alfino mentioned. “Once I first began teaching I at all times gave brief bricks. For my dash and Olympic distance athletes there was a component of pace within the brick. For my half and full Ironman purchasers, the bricks have been twice per week for 30-45 minutes.Lately I’ve modified this to include longer bricks and in some circumstances eradicated the brick altogether for some damage inclined purchasers.
ROTB distance and frequency are particular person; however, at a minimal, an athlete ought to brick 6-8 weeks earlier than a race, at the very least as soon as per week. “The gap does not must be lengthy as a result of the aim is to get used to working with no bike,” he mentioned.
Lentzke can also be an enormous fan of the run-bike-run brick as a good way to unfold a better working load over a couple of hours. “I want this methodology, relatively than having an athlete hang around on the sidewalk for 2 hours,” he mentioned.
RELATED: How typically must you run after driving?
Combine Depth
Though the primary goal of a brick is to acclimate the legs to the sensation of working off the bike, it’s nonetheless potential to incorporate some depth.
“For almost all of my purchasers, I take advantage of the brick to prep the legs, and it is cardio in nature,” Alfino mentioned. However for athletes with time or efficiency objectives (and the expertise to again them up), it makes use of bricks with tempo and distance objectives to simulate working.
Incorporating working depth bricks is necessary in constructing an athlete’s confidence. That is additionally a chance to refuel at a selected coronary heart price. “You could possibly ingest energy at a low coronary heart price extra simply than when it’s excessive, so coaching your intestine is vital,” Lentzke mentioned.
Though the first brick exercise that almost all athletes do is a motorcycle race, simulation racing additionally comes into play in swim bike coaching (particularly for extra elite or draft-cleared athletes attempting to keep up a excessive swimming depth to a excessive degree). depth of the bike on race day). These athletes can strive race-paced swim units instantly in a motorcycle coaching effort, to observe settling into the rhythm and consuming when approaching the bike.
Whether or not a brick is cardio in nature or contains spicy efforts together with coaching selection and race preparation is at all times an excellent technique.
“A coach should work with every athlete individually to use the proper stimulus to extend their V02 ceiling, construct sturdiness, and provides that athlete extra room to extend cardio output,” mentioned Lentzke. And for the triathlon that features bricks.
Jason Lentzke Examples of brick exercises
Dash or Olympic
Bike:
- 8 minutes. straightforward
- 12 minutes. average
- 5 minutes. onerous
Transition (lower than 2 min.)
Run: 10-12 minutes. average effort
Lengthy length
Bike:
- 15-20 minutes. straightforward
- 2 x 20 minutes. at 80-85% FTP, over 5 min. Relaxation
- 5 minutes. straightforward
Transition (lower than 2 min.)
Race: first 2 miles at 70.3 HR. Final 2 miles straightforward to heat up.
