Feb 11
4
Brett Sutton Interviews- Take Outs
One of the better interviews I have listened to for a long time was an series of interviews with the old dog coach Brett Sutton
Here’s the link to the two podcasts on IMTalk (if you can handle the raspy kiwi voice of Bevan James Eyles)
http://www.imtalk.me/home/2010/12/13/imtalk-episode-240-brett-sutton-part-1.html
http://www.imtalk.me/home/2010/12/20/imtalk-episode-241-brett-sutton-part-2.html
Our key take outs/draft notes as follows:
-Training around the world is very similar amongst people who are dedicated
-What varies greatly is how sessions are put together
-Each thing needs to be trained as a triathlon-not as separate sports
-Doesn’t work in rigid 7 day cycles…usually more like 10
-Only works off loose outline -no set day for x workout
-Everyone very different- some athletes more like workhorses-need volume- some others more like thoroughbreds-do better with lower volume/more intensity. eg some people need to/can run mara distances every few weeks, others better on lower volume. Everyone needs to work on different things
-Is not a big fan of overly pronounced periodisation of training…”Tudor Bompa’s theory of periodisation is bullshit….It’ s an aerobic sport- typical pattern is people periodise go great during the aerobic base miles and try and introduce speed work towards a race then end up going slower”
-Not a fan of crazy levels of training at start of year- prefer to start with a decent volume and hold it all the way into a race
-Some athletes are much more fickle/sensitive to training- so they need to be managed/manage their training more carefully
-Low cadence riding- it suits some people but not everyone- trains people to ride according to their natural abilities. Same thing with steep v shallow bike setup. Look at their physiology and do some testing.
-Experiments on slower athletes-uses them for research- because they aren’t going to go any slower
-Many triathletes get their ideas from single sport programs/literature and then put them together
-Technique- you cannot emulate the technique of the world best on age groupers/less talented. Usually don’t have flexibility,strength or body type to do it. e.g Some of his group swimming straight arm, one sided, head up -but bloody fast-because they have done the work
-Hates generic coaching- people copying each other. Everyone should be true to their instincts and treat athletes as individuals.
-People look for the perfect answer/perfect technique/perfect training- it doesn’t happen like that- you have to be able to adapt to when things go wrong/ alter technique to cope with when you are doing it tough.
-You have to choose a technique that suits your body type
-Forefoot running- even Gabre Sailesse reckons you are landing more on your mid foot at longer distances (and he runs at double the speed of most of the triathlon pros)- Good IM running is just keeping things level- stand up, nice cadence, don’t worry about landing on your forefoot and practice the right number of repetitions- this applies to swimming as well- stop worrying about the perfect pretty stroke- you’ve got to be able to do the repetitions. Lots of BS programs with pretty drills and kick sets and complicated stuff- focus should be on getting plenty of distance done not stopping and kidding yourself all the time- over distance sets and regular endurance sets eg 20×200’s- simple stuff that triathletes avoid
-Weight training- not a big fan- cant really see a lot of relevance doing 100’s reps of something to prepare for an event where you make thousands of reps
-Running likes to do lots of timed intervals at a moderate pace- focus on efficiency
-Mentality is key- some people don’t have the right mentality for long course- a lot of people try to do IM that are not suited
-Body type- same thing- some people just don’t have long course bodies- yet they try to force the issue.
-Not a fan of stopwatches- people should learn to feel their bodies- guage their effort to how they perceive on day- same in training
-Thinks the obsession with pilates/yoga is a waste of time- ROM required is not big in triathlon
-People spend so much time on the fluff and not on the meat and potatoes eg swim 4x per week every week and adding weights, yoga etc- living in denial with what they really need to get done
-Different people need different things at different times- that is the part that many people miss about triathlon.
-Triathletes get stuck in all the gadgets and data
-Has no time for people who get sucked into the “triathlon lifestyle”-Those who read all the magazines and buy all the toys- and avoid the hard work-they are kidding themselves
-IM talk are going to try and do some follow up interviews/more details…
Worth a listen to one of the most experienced living triathlon coaches on the planet.
