Triathlon, Science And You
August 31st, 2010Triathletes should have one main objective for there training and racing: that is to maximize wattage (power) and speed (velocity) while minimizing muscular fatigue and depletion of energy stores. This is when triathlon becomes a science. This big objective we will call the, “triathletes holy grail” aka THG.
All things being equal the triathlete who reaches the THG best will be the winner of the race. The triathlete who only achieves maximizing wattage and speed, will be left with a DNF (did not finish) while the athlete who achieve minimizing only fatigue and energy store depletion will be the one crossing the finish line with a flash lite.
Applying a combination of the science of triathlon - basic biomechanics and exercise physiology - to the three legs of the triathlon (swim/bike/run), an athlete can accomplish the holy grail with optimum efficiency.
This article out line the basic bio mechanics involved with swimming, cycling and running that will make you faster and more efficient. The Next article will teach you about the biological side of triathlon in regards to the body’s energy systems and muscle to gain peak performance.
Lets start off with the relationship between a mechanical lever and torque.
The human body uses bones as leavers. At the end of some of these bones are rotational points such as the elbow, knee and shoulder. Think of grabbing your running shoe in your hand with your arm straight in front of you with zero elbow bend. IN this case your elbow becomes the center of rotation. The lever is the the length of the arm between the shoulder and hand, the force is the weight of the shoe.
The weight or force of shoe being held away from the body is causing torque at the shoulder. Torque at the shoulder is calculated by multiplying the length of the lever (the arm) and the force (the shoe’s weight). As a result we can decrease the torque at the shoulder by decreasing weight of the shoes or shortening the arm length. Here is an example if the shoe is 1lb and your arm is 3 feet long, the shoe produces a torque at the shoulder of 3 foot lb’s. If you bring the shoe closer so your hand is 2 feet away the shoe is only 2 foot lb’s of torque. If you lighten the to half a pound but the arm is still 3 feet the shoe produces 1.5 foot lbs of torque.
Where some get confused is at the that arm length is not determined by distance of the lever but by the distance of the point of force application from the center of rotation.
Torque at the shoulder is decreased by dropping the arm down or by bending the arm. When the arm is shorter. You can bring the torque of the shoulder down to almost zero by letting the arm hang straight down by the side. All that is there is the weight of the shoes pulling straight down on the shoulder. This is just down ward force not torque.
Lets say the arm is straight at the side holding the shoe, and the shoe is causing down ward torque on the shoulder. There is another source of torque: the torque in the opposite way needed to keep the arm up. As you can tell this torque is generated by the muscle its self, in this case it would be the shoulder complex muscles. By contracting and shortening they make torque at the shoulder joint as it goes against the down ward force of the shoe.
Why is this important to triathletes and the science of triathlon? Here is why, the amount of torque at a joint determines how much force the muscles must make to resist that torque. Minimizing torque in one direction a triathlete can minimize fatigue, by maximizing torque production in the other direction a triathlete can maximize power and velocity. As you can see this will maximize speed and wattage making you go faster.
The next article will show you how you can use the concept of science in triathlon detailed above to minimize “bad” torque and max out “good” torque to make you a faster athlete.
Want to know more about the Science of Triathlon? Then go to Rock Star traithlete academy a sign up to get you free tips loaded with science to make you a better triathlete.
