Tips and Advice

Triathletes: Manipulating your session order could improve your recovery

In our article last week, we spoke about the proposed benefit of compression garments to enhance recovery following an intense cycling test. We are sticking to the recovery theme this week, but we are changing exercise modes and athletes. Triathletes are challenged to improve their performances in three different exercise modes. In order to achieve […]

Tips and Advice

Joe Friel Workshop at SSISA: All you need to know about power & heart-rate based training

The Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) together with my Training Day Triathlon Academy, PowerTap, CycleOps and Bicycling magazine, is proud to present an evening workshop with world -acclaimed coach Joe Friel & exercise physiologist at SSISA, Dr Ben Capastagno. Joe Friel is perhaps the most recognizable name among triathlon and cycling coaches in […]

Tips and Advice

Do compression garments enhance recovery for cyclists?

On Monday night, the Discovery High Performance Centre of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa held a workshop on “Recovery strategies to enhance performance”. One of the techniques discussed was the use of lower-leg compression garments to speed up recovery. In this week’s article we will dissect the findings of a recently published study, […]

Tips and Advice

The Taper: The ‘forgotten’ phase of training

Tapering is a training strategy that allows endurance athletes to achieve peak performance for major competitions. Manipulating both the volume and the intensity of the training during the taper allows the athletes to flush out any fatigue without losing training induced adaptations. There are an infinite number of methods used to structure tapers. In addition, […]

Tips and Advice

Training and racing at altitude

2014 presented South Africa’s top cyclists with a ‘new’ challenge as some of the major races took place at moderate altitudes. The first race of the 2014 MTN National MTB series took place in Dullstroom and one of the SA XCO Cup Series races took place at the Afriski resort. These two locations would have […]

Tips and Advice

Planning your training

The purpose of all the hours we spend training for a specific event is to improve our performance. Depending on your current level of fitness and experience, improvements could mean finishing in the middle of the pack rather than at the back, winning your age category, or taking the top podium position at the elite […]

Tips and Advice

Strength training for endurance performance

The benefits of strength training on endurance performance have long been debated. Previously strength training was thought to negatively affect endurance performance due to increases in muscle mass and the feeling of tired or heavy legs. However, recent research has shown that it is possible to improve endurance performance by incorporating well-structured strength training as […]

Events

Workshop: Endurance athletes-recovery strategies to enhance your performance

An area of performance often neglected by endurance athletes is an effective recovery strategy. Therefore the Discovery High Performance Centre of the Sports Science Institute of SA (SSISA), in conjunction with PeptoSport and Discovery Vitality, is pleased to present workshops on commonly available and best-practice recovery strategies used by endurance athletes and how best to […]

Events

Workshop: Can strength training improve your endurance performance?

A very important, but often neglected area of training for endurance athletes is strength-work. In light of this – the Discovery High Performance Centre of the SSISA will be hosting a workshop specifically geared at strength training for endurance performance. This informative workshop will take place at the SSISA’s conference centre, Boundary Rd Newlands on […]