It’s no secret, strength training isn’t an option. Purple Patch training is grounded in a strong foundation of functional strength training, elevating the swim, bike, and run found in endurance sport. We’ve shown the importance of year-round strength training and how it needs to become a habit in your regular training schedule. The good news is you don’t need an expensive gym membership to achieve your strength goals.
Read MoreOne of the more challenging components for many multi-sport athletes is improvement in swimming. Adult onset swimmers typically face a long learning curve to meaningful improvements in the most technical discipline of the sport. It’s an age old question: What is more important, swimming technique or swimming fitness?
Read MoreThere is something more important than just running fast, that’s proper running form. Fast, efficient running over the course of an endurance event doesn’t come without first honing in your proper running form. We take a look at the myths, strategies, and key elements in order to make your running form the best it can be. Our goal is to simplify what works, and make it accessible to help athletes improve their running and reduce risk of injury.
Read MoreAs IRONMAN coach Matt Dixon has earned the label of the ‘Recovery Coach,’ it seems only fitting that Purple Patch and it’s coaching staff would build a one-stop shop for everything recovery for sport and triathlon. This recovery guide is all you will ever need as an athlete or triathlete to help you recover quickly, and prepare you for upcoming efforts.
Read MorePost-race assessment strategies help inform you not only for how you fared in each race, but also how to apply to your future training and racing to ensure growth. We provide a toolkit to help you assess your race, and how you can use it to improve future races.
Read MoreTrusting your triathlon coach is difficult for many athletes. Your performance and expectations are deeply personal. Most of us just can’t blindly put that into the hands of someone else and blindly expect long-term performance elevation. There is an important perspective, mindset, and action that can enable a coaching relationship to flounder or flourish.
Read MorePerformance in sport arrives from a consistent commitment to apply specific training that will yield positive physiological adaptations. Specific Training is a critical consideration when you go about triathlon training while navigating a time-starved life that is full of stress for a myriad of reasons. You must train hard, consistently, but your hard work will not yield performance gains if you cannot achieve positive adaptations.
Read MoreStrength programming is core to the Purple Patch training methodology. It is a must-do for our athletes and an element of our ‘secret sauce.’ While we integrate weights in the Purple Patch strength programming, you will find a low-cost, versatile piece of equipment at the forefront: Resistance Bands. The benefits of Resistance Bands are wide-ranging and bring unique physiological benefits to endurance sports.
Read MoreThere are many ways to incorporate running drills into your training. For most Triathlon programs, running drills are all thrown into the same bucket as something that is done at the beginning or end of a workout. At Purple Patch, we use specific exercises before
Read MoreShoe choice for the run, getting the right bike, wheel choice, even getting fit on the bike are all important components of the journey to arrive race ready. With all this prep, there is one piece of equipment that doesn’t get the attention or focus it deserves -- your bike seat of choice. The Bike seat is one of the most important yet overlooked components of your race performance.
There used to be a time that participating in endurance sports meant hopping on a bike, or stepping into a pair of running shoes, and heading into the great outdoors for adventures. Perhaps the only metrics tracked would be duration or mileage accumulated
Read MoreProtein is, without question, something that needs to become a non-negotiable staple to provide an endurance athlete good nutrition. Whether a plant-based athlete or a steak-loving athlete, protein is incredibly vital. So, why is good nutrition, specifically protein, important for endurance athletes?
Read MoreIf you had to power your own house to keep the heat on during the chilly winter, nothing would generate power like some good old fashioned hill running. The list of reasons why hill running is good for you is a long and full one.
Read MoreStrength training is one of the most powerful tools available to amplify your performance in triathlon. Without question, it’s critical for making progress year after year - yet it’s frequently treated as an afterthought (if it’s a thought at all), and is the first thing to fall off the training calendar when race season begins. So what can structured, progressive, year-round strength training do for triathletes’ training and racing performance?
Read MoreAs Dr. Stacy Sims, author of the book Roar, writes, “women are not small men. Stop eating and training like one.” Female athletes should be training with proper consideration for their menstrual cycle and the various needs specific to females.
Read MoreWould it be possible to outline the difference between Tech-Paddles and Power Paddles, that so often bubble up in the Purple Patch swims? I assume there is a different tool for different jobs, but I want to ensure I understand the ‘why.’
Read MorePost-season workouts are vital to an athlete. This will help reduce injury, continue to stay in shape, and prepare you for next season.
These sample workouts include MAIN SETS only. All Purple Patch workouts are structured as follows:
In our individual performance journey, I believe that most of us find ourselves at a performance crossroads. Whether an athlete, a leader, or a business, the coming weeks and months will determine if we emerge from this situation
Read MoreYou’ve just finished your race season so what do you do now? It is important to understand why strategic postseason training is highly effective even though it can take many forms and does mean you need to be training at as high of an intensity or frequency as the traditional race season.
Read MoreYou might be wondering about Hormone Replacement Therapy (or HRT) as you age and we want to provide you with some helpful information to guide you in making HRT-related decisions, with your health and racing in mind.
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