Anyone can do it. If you want to engage in physical culture and at the same time feel the competitive spirit, then it is for you. Triathlon classes, even at the amateur level, require good lungs and hearts. Endurance is also important, as this sport involves aerobic exercise. But excess muscle mass will slow down the athlete.
Before you start preparing for a long distance like Ironman, a sports fan needs to make sure of a few things. For example, that he has a healthy heart – for this you need to undergo an ultrasound examination by a cardiologist. For the elderly, blood tests and blood pressure monitoring are mandatory.
If a person is set up to be serious, you need to pass a sports stress test. It allows you to determine the upper limit of the pulse – the threshold of anaerobic metabolism, which must be monitored during exercise. It is important to study yourself, not to exhaust yourself.
When can I start a triathlon?
It is never too late to do such an interesting sport as this. The main thing – you need to determine what you want to achieve: high sports results, the pleasure of triathlon, increased overall physical development, self-affirmation, etc.
The average age of a triathlete is 35 years. According to the study, the age of peak Ironman was similar in both women and men at about 32-33 years.
To achieve high results, you need to start training at the age of 8-9. Children of this age are ideal for learning swimming techniques, developing the following qualities: speed, endurance, strength. This does not mean that a child who started it at an older age will not be able to succeed. It’s great when children come to do such exercises, already having physical training. This allows you to accelerate the growth of results in adolescence.
What equipment do I need?
In order to participate in these competitions, you need to have a bathing suit (it can be swimming trunks and a full wetsuit), a road bike, a bicycle helmet, sports shoes and clothes for cycling and running. With this set, you will be admitted to any triathlon competition. But this is clearly not enough to finish successfully.
In preparation for your first triathlon you will need:
- Swimming: swimming clothes, goggles, hat, wetsuit (be sure to wear a wetsuit in all outdoor competitions);
- Bicycle: ordinary bicycle – mountain, hybrid or racing. Helmet (without a helmet you will not be allowed to compete);
- Running: sneakers. Other: trisuit – a special suit, suitable for all three stages.
After the first or second race, you can buy a better bike, a new wetsuit for fast swimming or more comfortable sneakers at your discretion.
What clothes do you need?
There are triathlon-specific clothes, such as trisyut, but regular swimming clothes, a T-shirt and shorts for cycling and running are perfect.
However, keep in mind that the participant is not allowed to compete with the naked torso during the cycling and running stages. If the water temperature is below 25 ° C, then the first stage requires a wetsuit that protects against hypothermia – without it will not be released at a distance.
Diving suits for triathlon are made of thin neoprene, which does not absorb water, so they do not swell and do not inhibit movement. The neoprene of this suit is rough on the inside and smooth on the outside. On the label of the suit, as a rule, there is a large inscription “Triathlon”.
Why choose triathlon?
Triathlon is a great sport that suits absolutely everyone: you don’t need to be in perfect physical shape. It’s different: you don’t have to do the same thing every time. Triathlon attracts people from different fields of activity and suits different lifestyles.