The Science Of Triathlon
Triathletes 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 particulars aside, the athlete who achieves THG the most efficiently will be the first to cross the finish line. The athlete who only achieves the first part of this goal, maximizing wattage and speed, will accomplish a big ol’ DNF (did not finish), while the athlete who only achieves the second part of this goal, minimizing fatigue and energy store depletion, will accomplish a FLFL (cross the finish line with a flashlight).
By utilizing the science of triathlon – basic bio mechanics and physiology – to the three legs of triathlon (swimming, cycling and running) an athlete can accomplish the holy grail with optimum efficiency.
This article will explain how to use the basic biomechanial relationship between mechanical levers and torque to impact the efficiency in swimming, cycling and running. The next article will teach you more about the science of triathlon and the biological relationship between the body’s energy systems and muscles to gain peak performance.
First, let’s briefly discuss the relationship between a mechanical lever and torque.
The human body is a made up of may leavers (bones) that are attached to different rotational points such as the elbow, knee and hip. Imagine you are grasping your running shoe in your hand, while your arm is stretched away from your body and your elbow has zero bend. in this case the shoulder 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.
Therefore, torque in the shoulder can be decreased simply by dropping the arm down a few inches, or, as in the example above, bending the arm. When the arm is shorter, you can drop a straight line down from the shoulder, and then another straight line over to the new location of the shoe. The second straight line would be the new lever arm. So you can pretty much bring torque down to nothing at all by simply dropping the arm holding your shoe all the way down to your side. With your arm at your side holding the shoe, there is no rotational torque on your shoulder at all, just the weight of the shoe pulling straight down on the shoulder (and that’s not rotational torque, just a downward force).
Now let’s quickly assume the arm is back up completely straight at the side holding the shoe, and the shoe is producing a downward torque on the shoulder. There is one more source of torque: the torque in the opposite direction needed to keep the arm up. As you may have guessed, this torque is produced by the muscle itself, or, in this case, the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles. By contracting, or shortening, they produce a torque at the shoulder joint that opposes the downward torque of the shoe.
So why the heck is this geek-speak important for triathletes and the science of triathlon Here’s why: because the amount of torque produced in a joint determines how much force the muscles must produce to resist that torque. And by minimizing torque production at a joint in one direction, a triathlete can minimize fatigue, and by maximizing torque production at a joint in the opposite direction, an endurance athlete can maximize power and velocity. As you can see, this is crucial in pursuing the the holy grail of triathlon – the first part of which is maximizing wattage and speed.
The next article will display to 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 with less injuries.
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