I\u2019m in Hawaii, and the countdown to Kona is getting down to hours now. The training is done and dusted and now my sole focus is on the big race. In this situation, you may wonder – what does an elite athlete actually do? Talk high-level strategy with my coach? Do advanced yogic stretches whilst eating goji berries in an oxygen tent? Nah! The answer is\u2026 go back to the basics. When the pressure is on, the best thing to do in almost every case, is to focus on the basics – the simple stuff that forms a foundation for everything we do.<\/p>\n
Talking strength and conditioning with Kriss Hendy<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m fortunate to have an incredible team supporting me. Last week my coach, Dan Plews, shared some wise advice about the secret to reaching your goals<\/a> – whether they\u2019re training goals, performance goals or life goals. This week, I\u2019ve asked my strength and conditioning coach, Kriss Hendy<\/a>, to talk about what he thinks are the most important aspects of strength and conditioning.<\/p>\n In this interview he talks about the importance of going back to the basics and getting them right, glute activation and how to have a long and successful sporting career. Once again, my manager, Shawn Smith, asks the questions. It\u2019s good stuff and I\u2019ve highlighted some of the points that I think are really key.<\/p>\n Kriss has played a big part in getting me ready on the Road to Kona. I think you\u2019ll find his input valuable as you head towards your own big race<\/em>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n The view from the top<\/strong><\/p>\n Shawn: Kriss, how are things in Byron Bay?<\/p>\n Kriss: I\u2019m sitting in my office and looking out over Byron Bay and the countryside.<\/p>\n Shawn: I\u2019m sitting in my office looking out over concrete and buildings. Sounds like you\u2019re doing it tough! Let\u2019s talk Tim Berkel and strength and conditioning. You\u2019ve known Berks for quite a while, but like Dan Plews, you\u2019ve really come on board later in his preparation for the World Champs in Kona. Have there been major changes to Tim\u2019s strength and conditioning work since you\u2019ve been working together?<\/p>\n [et_bloom_inline optin_id=”optin_2″]<\/p>\n Kriss: You can\u2019t change too much or you\u2019ll just disrupt things, especially at this stage of Tim\u2019s preparation. But Tim\u2019s attitude towards training has always been great. I mean, he\u2019s a soldier – you tell him to do something and he does it! With Tim, it hasn\u2019t been about making major changes, it\u2019s just been refining things with him. It\u2019s about being an ear for him. I\u2019ll listen and then make a few suggestions.<\/p>\n Back to the fundamentals<\/strong><\/p>\n Shawn: Given that Tim\u2019s had some back and hip issues in the past – how did you approach those things and try to alleviate the problems?<\/p>\n Kriss: I was lucky enough to have watched Tim train for quite a while before we really started working together. With Tim, it\u2019s just the small stuff. In terms of approaching the issues, you start off by watching how he moves, how he trains, especially in the gym. You put him under load, start adding some weight and see how he reacts to that. And then it\u2019s about tweaking things. As you get to know each other and interact, the better you get to know him, the more you understand what his issues are.<\/p>\n Shawn: The back and hip stuff was the problem though?<\/p>\n Kriss: Tim came to me with some lower back issues and so it was glaringly obvious that we needed to address those things. We did that and since then he hasn\u2019t had much trouble with them at all. But the key was working on the fundamentals – doing them well and being consistent. The main thing Tim and I have talked about since then is making sure he\u2019s maintaining it – working on those fundamentals two or three times a week. Moving forward we\u2019ll look at developing his strength further.<\/p>\n Shawn: Were there other things that needed to be addressed, apart from the issues that he came to you with?<\/p>\n Kriss: There was a lack of glute activation, especially when he was running. That\u2019s not an unusual issue for triathletes at any level. With Tim, under load you could also start to see a bit of muscular imbalance. Again, it\u2019s not unusual to find discrepancies there, even in an athlete as strong and able as Berks. We look to strengthen those weak muscle groups, not to the extreme, but we regularly target those muscle groups – the glutes and hamstrings.<\/p>\n How to pump up the power<\/strong><\/p>\n Shawn: How much of a difference can that make performance-wise?<\/p>\n Kriss: The thing that stands out to me is that you have someone like Berks, with all he\u2019s already able to do and yet his body\u2019s still not firing on all cylinders. If he was able to tap into all that potential – by activating, by balancing – there\u2019s no end to how much more power he could generate.<\/p>\n Cyclists are always looking for that extra wattage, that extra power, that 1-3 watts. Back in the gym, doing that simple stuff, those fundamentals – doing them right, doing them well and doing them regularly\u2026 Let me just say\u2026 there\u2019s no end to what you can achieve just by doing those fundamentals right.<\/p>\n With Tim, now he looks so much stronger on the run. He\u2019s more upright, he looks more solid and I think it comes back to those simple movements in the gym.<\/p>\n Final Kona preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n Shawn: So, from your perspective, what should the last few days before Kona look like for Tim?<\/p>\n Kriss: For Berks, the work is done. I was watching him at the Sunshine Coast 70.3 and I thought, \u201cHe\u2019s a different animal now.\u201d Since Boulder he\u2019s gone from strength to strength. To look at him physiologically\u2026 he\u2019s a specimen right now! Leading up to Kona now, it\u2019s just about doing some basic activation work – making sure he\u2019s got mobility and flexibility, so he feels physically good on the start line. Sound body, sound mind – that\u2019s what we\u2019re looking for going into Kona.<\/p>\n Solid advice for a long career<\/strong><\/p>\n Shawn: Anything else you want to say to the many triathletes of all levels who will read this?<\/p>\n Kriss: Strength and conditioning is background – it\u2019s about trying to build a strong base. It\u2019s about routine and being consistent. You talk about longevity within a sport. Sure, Tim\u2019s peaking towards Kona, there\u2019s no doubt about that, but we\u2019re also thinking next year, the year after. He\u2019s got years left in his career and the question is – what will they look like?<\/p>\n For all of us, the reality is that our bodies do break down, they are breaking down as we get older. So, it\u2019s important to get into the right routine now and maintain that routine, so we\u2019re staying on an even keel and progressing year in and year out. Get the fundamentals right, do them consistently and not only will you develop balance and power, but you\u2019ll have longevity as well.<\/p>\n My wrap-up<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks to Kriss for some great input and to Shawn for asking the questions. Two final comments from me…<\/p>\n Firstly, I\u2019ve been doing this stuff for a long time now and worked with all sorts of fitness trainers and conditioning coaches. The fitness and personal training industry has exploded and it seems everyone wants a personal trainer. There are some great people out there, but there are also some dodgy trainers as well.<\/p>\n When it comes to finding a trainer or a strength and conditioning coach, obviously you want to find someone who has the qualifications, but it\u2019s also important to find someone, like Kriss, who listens – someone who will take the time to watch what you do and get to know you. You need someone you can respect and who understands what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n Secondly, when you\u2019re trying to sort out problems – whether it\u2019s physical or training-related, with most issues the solution will begin by going back to the basics. As Kriss said, if you\u2019re not moving right to begin with, that\u2019s going to translate into power issues and more importantly, body issues. The thing I\u2019ve learned from my own experience is – get the fundamentals right and there\u2019s no limit to the results that you can produce.<\/p>\n Get back to basics and go hard!<\/p>\n Tim<\/em><\/p>\n PS.\u00a0If you haven’t already done so,\u00a0sign up now<\/a>\u00a0for some great little insights delivered free into your inbox.<\/p>\n