Training for a triathlon is serious business. The body and mind must be well prepared before it is subjected to a task such as a triathlon race, especially if you are a beginner and you are participating for your first ever event. Below are a few training tips for those who wish to join a triathlon race.

The first thing you should know when you begin training for a triathlon is never to exert yourself beyond your limits. It is easy to get yourself caught up in the excitement when preparing for a triathlon event and go overboard. Do not forget to plan and schedule your trainings carefully. Be sure to chip in a two or three days’ worth of rest so that your body will not be exhausted. Remember that the body will easily sustain injuries when it is used for more than what it was made for, so forget about adding extra hours especially when the event is approaching closer. Know when to train hard and when to stop. Your body will be extremely grateful for that.

It would be wise to consult first a healthcare and fitness team before you start training to ensure that your body is up to the challenge of preparing for the event and for the event itself. Go to your doctor and ask for a full body check-up. You will be more at peace and more focused with your preparations once your doctor gives you the green light. Get a fitness instructor’s advice on how to best approach your work-outs, so that you stay away from injuries and make the most out of your training hours. And do not forget to consult with a dietician or a nutritionist. They can give you the best advice on what you should eat and how you should adjust your eating habits for a triathlon event.

Depending on how much you need to train you may want to check out the HCG Diet rules, you may find you can lose some extra weight if you are far enough out from the Triathlon.

Have you ever found yourself wondering how much stretching should I do before running? The truth is, you can do as much or as little as you want. The important thing is not so much how much you do-it is how you do it.

Most runners stretch the wrong way

A common school of thought is that you should do static stretches before running. The problem with that is that running is a dynamic motion. Therefore, static stretching is actually counterproductive because it does not mimic the running motion. It will actually make you more prone to injury, as well as less effective.

Dynamic stretches mimic the running motion, and they help your body warm-up and raise your heart rate. Static stretches do none of these things. But obviously some stretches are better than others, and you should focus on ones that stretch out your legs.

Walking lunges

This is one of the best running stretches of all. For this, you simply put one foot out in front of the other like you would in a walking motion. Make sure to take a big step forward, and then drop the back knee close to the ground (but without touching it). Be certain that the forward knee does not get ahead of your front toes. Make sure your upper body stays upright and that you do not loosen up the abs. Do 20 reps of this one, 10 for each leg.

High knees

Warning: this one is tiring. It is very simple to do: just walk or run while bringing your knees as high as possible. Again, perform this for 10 times with each leg.

Leg lifts

To start out, just stand straight up. From there, start swinging one of your legs back and forth (side to side-not straight back and straight forward). Remember to bring it as far right to left as you possibly can for the best possible results. Again, do 20 reps.

Conclusion

Doing dynamic stretching is important for running. Use these 3 before working out, and you will see the best results.