Personal trainer Gus Barton helps our clients with performance and fitness challenges to get them to their peak.  With a thirst for adventure himself, last year he finished a 3000-mile row across the Atlantic, so he knows a thing or two about training for purpose!  Here, he shares his top tips on how you can reach your full potential when training for a triathlon or challenge.
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1. Bike Fit
Whether it’s an Ironman or Sprint Triathlon, the longest part of your race will be spent on the bike. Therefore, most of your hours of training should be spent on the bike. If your bike isn’t fitted specifically to you, as the miles begin to add up as will the niggles and discomforts. Tweeking the saddle backwards slightly or moving your seat position by a few mm can lead to the bike feeling completely different.  Not only will this significantly increase comfort, your efficiency will go through the roof. Sitting more comfortably and not haemorrhaging power – a no brainer
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2. Don’t Under Eat
Losing body weight is the simplest (and cheapest!) way to improve efficiency. However, this doesn’t mean for the entirety of your training, you should be calorie deficient. The volume of training required in itself should be sufficient to see a gradual decrease in weight. By depriving your body of the required nutri
ents, not only do you increase the risk of injury and illness, the quality of your training will enviably take a hit. Supply your body with the nutrition it requires and your metabolism will take care of the rest.
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3. Look After Your Body
Training for 3 different facets will enviably leave you short of time.  Without being a full-time athlete, it’s almost impossible to train each facet perfectly. Striving to always get a long swim, bike and run often leads to individuals forgetting about mobility work, drills, recovery sessions, rest days and even sleeping. Here’s my advice: 3 x 20 minute stretching sessions, 7 hours sleep a night, 2 drill sessions, 1 full rest day and 1 recovery swim. 
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4. Follow A Structured Plan 
Having a structured plan, which details each weeks training goals, session plans, scheduled rest days and shows a clear progression week on week is essential. It takes away any guesswork often associated with training and means you don’t pick a discipline when you feel like it. Everyone has a preferred discipline, and a less favourable one, a structured plan ensures each facet gets the training it requires, and prevents over or under training
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5. Try your Energy Gels and Drinks before Race Day
Too often you hear of individuals race days ruined by energy gels or drinks. At the start of training buy a large variation of different products, try each of them and find out which one is best suited to you. Don’t look online and choose a brand because a professional triathlete endorses it. 
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Author:
Gus Barton, Personal Trainer at Dan Roberts
BSc in Sport Science

[1] http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2007/03/managing-your-50000-daily-thoughts.html

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