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swimming like a fridge


Hello world,



I've just started training for my first triathlon next year and all is going

very well so far, other than not being very quick at running or any good at

swimming...guess I mean it's all good fun so far.



I have been struggling with fatigue in my lower back/glutes/hips i.e.

they're making the run training pretty hard to do or at least they are

feeling tired way earlier than other body parts, especially the days after a

bike session.



I'm generally in good health and relatively fit (can normally run for 1+

hours at 8mph and mountain bike for multiple hours etc) Does anyone have

any specific exercises that might be useful for building these muscles up

for tri, or could anyone point me in the direction of web/book etc material

that might help?



Also, I'm local to Bournemouth and was wondering if anyone knows of a good

swim coach that could help me with my technique (don't think I am good

enough to join a club just yet!)?



Been reading the forums and have picked up loads of good advice so thanks

everyone for that and looking forward to hearing from you.

Comments

  • I would go and get some specific help for your aches/pains/sore spots from a personal trainer (if it's just a question of building up specific muscle groups' strength and mobility) or sports physiotherapist (if it's a more persistent ache or soreness).



    There are laods of good exercises for building up the glutes, like the classic lunges we use in running drills and training, so get someone to show you those. In a gym, squats will also help with glutes, quads and hips. For lower back, I would recommend some pilates or similar exercises that can target your core. It sounds like you could also do with some technical training perhaps from a tri coach or someone who can address specific technique in your problem areas, to ensure that you are not doing things incorrectly and unwittingly injuring yourself with poor technique.



    It is not unusual to see people straining their lower back when swimming, due to an over-arching of the back to keep their heads up and their legs from sinking, so that could be corrected with better swimming technique, maybe better head and leg positioning, and some core/pilates work. The soreness in the glutes could possibly be due to an over-extenstion of your running stride (do you find that you are landing on your heels quite heavily when running?), which can be corrected with a focus on quicker cadence (strides per minute) and slightly shorter running stride. Pain in your hips could possibly be due to an incorrect position on the bike (not unusual to see that when you have your seat-post set too high and so you have to over-extend your legs a little with each pedal stroke in order to reach the bottom of the revolution), which can be corrected with a few measurements and corrected position.



    Of course, these are just guesses and I would strongly urge you to see someone face-to-face and get them to assess your technique and help you look at injury avoidance alongside muscle development.
  • rpopper, thanks very much for the advice.



    From reading what you've said i reckon there's a good chance that i am overextending my back when swimming. I had an inkling i might be already and i do feel like i am forcing my head up and straining to keep my legs high. So, if anyone knows a good swim coach in Bournemouth i'll be well up for that.



    i'm having a bike fitting tomorrow so hopefully that will help too and i'll try and fit a gym session in to work on squats/lunges core etc.



    Cheers again.
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