Quick tip – Training outdoors in the winter Layers (and gloves) are your friend. Working out in the great outdoors can be a lot of fun – even in the winter. In fact, getting outside as much as possible makes the winter pass much more quickly than hunkering down indoors and waiting for it to pass. … Continued
Blog
When Sport Hurts
Above: Leanna Lee/ Credit: Something Else Productions -By Ayesha Rollinson It’s what we do right? We make ourselves hurt. Some of us want to hurt a lot and some of us want to hurt just a little, but as athletes, we all endure pain. We stress ourselves appropriately, progressively and with intervals of rest. This … Continued
Training Through Injury
By Tara Norton Thanks to the inherent variety of our sport, triathletes can often train through injury in at least one of the disciplines. Nonetheless, it’s imperative that you let pain be your guide. It’s crucial that you get to know the difference between “bad pain,” for which you need to stop and readjust or … Continued
Maximizing Your Warm-Up
By Darian Silk Why just doing some cardio doesn’t cut it. It’s now pretty much universally accepted that warming up is an important part of every exercise session. Some of the benefits of warming up include an increase in strength, blood flow, and your body’s ability to extract oxygen from the blood. It also lowers physical resistance … Continued
Mobility Matters Most
-By Ayesha Rollinson “Should I stretch, or should I strengthen?” This is a question I get asked by swimmers multiple times a year. My answer is to focus on mobility—the ability to move or be moved freely and with ease. By working on developing shoulder mobility, you will automatically need to both strengthen and stretch because your aim … Continued
Virtual Racing
By Celeste Merey Virtual racing takes Smart Training to the next level. To some, the thought of racing a bunch of avatars (cartoon cyclists) while alone in your Pain Cave might not seem like a worthwhile replacement for the real thing, but before writing it off completely, it’s worth a try. You’d be surprised … Continued
Power Up Your Swim: Strength Work for Triathletes
Many of us are joining the Team Atomica dryland sessions on Zoom, but for those who aren’t, here are Coach Darian’s suggestions for building swim-specific strength. No gym required! Most athletes will swim faster if they develop more strength. However, most triathletes are already taxed with onerous training schedules and lead generally busy lives, so … Continued
Incorporating Mindfulness into your Swim-Bike-Run
by Celeste Merey (This article originally appeared in our May 2020 Team Atomica Newsletter) With an intensified search for a means to quiet our busy minds, de-stress and reduce anxiety and depression, many have turned to Mindfulness Meditation. Groups such as the Insight Meditation community and apps including Insight Timer and Headspace have made learning … Continued
Team Atomica Solstice Swim
A dynamic and very daring group of swimmers dove in to Lake Ontario a few days before Christmas to mark the solstice in the most appropriate way any swimmer can! Bill Eadie documented the experience with some excellent shots. With temperatures hovering between 2 and 4 degrees, the crew of 11 swimmers swam between 20 … Continued
Enjoy the Holidays, Skip the Weight Gain
Photo by @element5digital (The following article has been adapted from Coach Ayesha’s article in the December 2019 Newsletter) We may have less of an entourage this holiday season, but many of us are still celebrating within our households. But, indulging in festivities doesn’t have to result in weight gain. With a mindful approach to celebration, … Continued