Appropriate training is vital to help prevent injury while keeping it fun.
Six tips to help your kids train for their triathlon:
- Keep it fun! – Keep training to a minimum with short, creative bursts of activity to keep your child interested. Build in training sessions with friends and include activities like trampolining and dancing (to improve how their tendons and bones respond to load), yoga (to stretch out tight muscles) and Pilates (to aid muscle control).
- Mix it up – Varied activities and sessions can help keep your child interested, for example 100 metre swims and 400 metre runs repeated 2, 3 or 4 times. Encourage your child to swim, cycle and run at least once each week, and set up a ‘transition’ area for them to practice switching between activities.
- Teach your child the 3 S’s – stretch tight muscles, support weak muscles (by doing exercises to maintain muscle control and strength) and snooze! It’s super important to take rest breaks to muscles to relax.
- Allow time for rest days – Make sure your child is getting 1-2 days without vigorous exercise each week to allow their muscles to relax. Building in recovery time and stretching can also help to avoid inflamed joints.
- Look out for signs of tiredness or injury – Following a sensible training programme with plenty of rest time will reduce the chance of injuries. Look out for persistent muscle aches that last more than a couple of days after exercise and persistent feelings of tiredness. It’s difficult to know exactly how much extra sleep your child will need, but keeping an eye out for signs of tiredness can help you to identify whether they need more rest.
- Talk to an expert – The best training plan for your child will very much depend on their individual capabilities and body, as well as their anatomy. If your child is thinking about training on a regular basis, there are some excellent triathlon coaches who can help to put together training plans for your child.
For more information on appropriate exercises for your child’s age group and individual needs, speak to a physio.
Six Physio will be at Hever Castle Triathlon on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September 2015. Hever Castle Triathlon is the UK’s second biggest triathlon, the world’s largest children’s triathlon and the finale of both the Castle Tri Series and the UK triathlon series. Races for 8-10 year olds are taking place on Saturday 26th September, and races for 11-12 year olds and 13-15 year olds are scheduled for Sunday 27th September. For more information see visit their website
