The Sport Factory

5k Warm Up Process

A sound pacing strategy will pull the most out of you but a proper warm up process is also critical for short/fast events.

6 Steps To The Ultimately Clean Bicycle

There is clean, and there is spotless. When it comes to my bicycle I prefer the later...

Absorb, Process, Persevere

A successful athlete is like Teflon; they do not let negativity stick to them.

Address Footstrike for Running Speed

A good foot-strike involves brief, forceful contraction under or slightly in front of the center of gravity.

Bananas at the Perfect Texture

Calculate Your Sweat Rate

Knowing how much fluid you need to take in is very valuable for athletic performance. In order to calculate this you must estimate how much your body will loose in a given condition.

Coaching Desire

Even the best, most efficient training plan is useless without the determination and desire to follow it.

Correcting Knees Out Pedaling

of the more common issues I see with cyclists is bow-legged or knees-out pedaling. This is almost never efficient and often causes discomfort (or worse) in the knees.

Developing Your Junior Athlete

It is very important to provide a level of training and teaching that is commensurate with the junior athlete’s age, experience, and interest.

Do You Know the Rules?

The presentation he gave the club was very informative and some of the more common rule violations were surprising.

Don't Rely on Thirst

Don't Week End Stack Your Training

If you have a full time job it is probably most difficult to find the hours to train on week days.

Focus On The Bike

Triathlon coaches recommend you spend your majority of the time developing your cycling because you spend the most time in a triathlon on the bike; right?

Get Under The Wind

Reducing this wind resistance is a key consideration in increasing speed. The more upright your riding position, the more aerodynamic drag you create.

Good at Many; Great at One

If you consider yourself a competitive athlete you may only have a window of so many years to achieve your best results.

How Long Does It Take To Recover?

A common assumption is that a day or two allows full recovery from training or racing. For the most part this level of rest will allow you to resume training...

How Much Protein Do You Need?

How To Deal With Bad Dogs

Mark Your Seat

Massive Volume Does Not Equal Massive Performance

Many athletes (and some coaches) insist on throwing massive amounts of training volume at themselves with the idea that more volume equals more speed.

Maximizing Vitamin Intake

It is therefore important for athletes to rely on foods rather than vitamin and mineral supplements for obtaining needed nutrients.

Metronome Running

Mind Over Matter - Training Your Mind and Your Body

In many cases, the mental aspects of competing are overshadowing all the hard work athletes spend on the physical aspects of their sport. While you might not be competing at the Olympic level, all athletes can improve their performance by training their mind...

Money Can Make a Difference

It is the rider not the bike that determines speed correct?

Morning Hydration

We may wake up in a dehydrated state and begin our work outs with a strike against us.

Never Try

�I will try" is not a positive affirmation. To try is to simply make an attempt and then leave the rest to chance.

Overcoming Race Shock

This should be your wake up call; you are not training at intensities or durations that mimic that of your races.

Planning for Winter Training Success

Do not despair, here are a few tips that will help you keep your winter training on-track, so you'll be ready to go when spring arrives!

Pool Running For Injury Recovery

With the use of a flotation belt and a good program you can use water running as an effective means of run training while you let your body heal.

Post Work Out Icing

Proper Care of the Carbon Fiber Bicycle

Because carbon composite is comprised of a fabric and epoxy matrix, it’s strength lies along the surface and is more susceptible to abrasive damage and cracking when abused or crashed.

Quick Transitions Tips

Many athletes do not practice transitions and end up fumbling on race day, wasting valuable seconds.

Race Day Equipment Check

H aving an equipment failure during a race is probably the most frustrating thing that can happen to an athlete.

Race Day Mental Skills

Race Week Readiness

Rolling Over Road Obstacles

Like all cycling skills there is a specific way to keep your self on the bike when faced with an obstacle in your path.

Running Off The Bike

Once a cramp or pull occurs it will probably get progressively worse. By using these techniques you will adopt a smooth and injury free transition from the bike to the run.

Selecting The Right Bicycle Saddle

Sitting Up

You can shave a considerable amount of time off of your bike split by knowing when to change your riding position in a race.

Soft Surface Running

The impact forces and eccentric contractions associated with running stress muscles, ligaments, and tendons to a point that requires greater recovery than the other sports.

Strengthen Your Medius For Injury Prevention

Doing this exercise, and incorporating lateral movements into your strength training regularly, will help to prevent some of the overuse injuries mentioned above.

Ten Commandments of Training

That Little Twinge Should Be Telling You Something

The problem with athletes is that they often do not listen to their bodies. We are trained to ignore pain and persevere; this is the nature of endurance.

The Culmination

The peaking process dictates that the closer you get to a goal race, the more specific and race-like your training must become.

The Frugal Triathlete

I am often asked where the “best” or most effective place to invest in triathlon equipment lies. Although the answer to this question is individualized, there are definitely better places to spend your money when compared to others...

The Golden Ratio

If you are a cyclist, power to weight ratio is the golden ratio.

The Last 10%

Mentally these efforts are the hardest to focus for and require the most fortitude to complete, but they may be the necessary stimulus to prepare you for your next race.

The Most Efficient Athlete Wins

...it does demonstrate how important efficiency is, and that the most fit athlete does not always win.

Tighten Your Bolts

Time to Hang Up the Bike?

When is it time to take a break? How do we decide when to step away from the training and racing that has driven us all year?

Trail Run

Train Your Weakness

A fairly typical mistake athletes make is that they focus too much of their training time on what they are good at.

Training Technique

Tri Stories

We all learned at least one lesson the hard way.  Here are some of our favorites.

Triathlon Pre-Race Checklist

You don't want to forget anything on race day. This checklist makes sure you won't.

Vegetarianism For Active Individuals

Contrary to some schools of thought, vegetarian eating can support optimal energy levels.

Warm Up in Winter

What Happens When The Wheels Come Off?

The very nature of endurance sports is to prolong this stress which creates a constant battle between the unconscious central governor and the conscious will.