TOWER 26 Technical Phase Training - Alignment
The second pillar of our TOWER 26 Technical Phase is Alignment. Alignment is the phase of training in which the most of our technical problems can occur. These problems that pop up can affect the speed at which you are executing the discipline but also lead to injury due to overuse of smaller, less efficient muscles.
Alignment is vital across all 3 disciplines of triathlon. In the swim we look at how straight you maintain your body position throughout the phases of each swim stroke. On the bike we look at how your knees move throughout the phases of the pedal stroke. On the run, we look at the hip and knee drive and where each travels throughout each run stride. As we all have learned in elementary school, the shortest distance between Point A and Point B is a straight line. At TOWER 26, we believe this is the quickest, most efficient way as well.
Swim:
There are 3 focus points in the swim where the swimmer could become misaligned. This misalignment can and does lead to other “stuff” happening throughout the rest of the swim stroke. The first focus point is head position. The head must be aligned on the center axis with the spine without being cocked off axis to the right or left. If the head is misaligned, the hips will compensate and sway out to the opposite side further creating misalignment. At TOWER 26 we practice with a center-mounted snorkel to help us get the feel for the straight head position with our nose pointed straight down to the bottom of the pool.
Staying with the head, we move on to breathing. The head must stay on the center axis when turning to breathe with a quick, crisp head turn, catch the breath, and return the head right back to the center position. We see many swimmers who crane their neck the the right or left to take their breath. When the head comes off of the center axis, the hips kick out to the opposite side and greater misalignment occurs.
The 2nd focus point on alignment in the swim is body rotation. A swimmer needs some rotation in the body to generate power and rhythm, but over rotation leads to misalignment. If a swimmer rotates at a shoulder angle of greater than 45 degrees within the swim stroke, there is a good possibility the swimmer will become misaligned. Just as if you stand at the edge of the pool and lean too far over the edge you fall in, if you rotate too far within your swim stroke, you feel as if you will fall to the opposite side. This feeling causes the legs to splay in order to “catch” yourself. Keep the shoulder rotation within the stroke at 45 degrees which will help keep the feet together creating optimal alignment.
The 3rd focus point on alignment in the swim in the channels in which your hand travels throughout the execution of each swim stroke. Your must enter the hand into the water directly in front of the corresponding shoulder, catch the water directly under that shoulder, and pull the water through the swim stroke staying in alignment with that shoulder as you pull through. Many swimmers enter with a cross-over at the entry point which creates misalignment in the shoulders and hips. Other swimmers catch the water too far across the centerline of the body leading to shoulder and hip misalignment. Some swimmers pull the water through too far across that same centerline losing good purchase on the water and promoting the same shoulder/hip misalignment.
In the TOWER 26 Alignment Phase, we focus on each of these points in detail working the correct movement patterns into our muscle memory. This increased alignment keeps the swim efficient and moving forward with the greatest of ease possible.
Bike:
Alignment on the bike is all about the movement of the knees as you pedal. The knees must travel straight up and down each and every pedal stroke. This straight up and down movement promotes maximum glute engagement. The glutes are the prime movers in our cycling. We start to compensate when the knee has movement in or out throughout each pedal stroke. The compensation comes from lack of focus, decreased glute engagement, fatigue, incorrect technique, tight muscles, etc. As soon as we start to compensate, we begin using the smaller less efficient, weaker muscles which leads to cramping/injury.
If you are pedaling and the knee travels in as you pedal brushing the top tube of your bike, your adductors are overactive. They are puling the knee in. This overuse of the adductors might not show up on the bike but once you are off and onto the run, you will feel them. If the knee travels out as you pedal, bowing to a 45 degree angle, your IT Bands are overactive. Same as with the adductors, you may not feel it on the ride but they will flare up on the run. The straight up and down movement of the knees takes constant focus. If you lose focus on the perfect alignment of the knees for 3 minutes, you could be causing the smaller muscles too much stress. We want to use the glutes to propel us forward. In all of my years of coaching I have only heard of a glute cramping once or twice. IT Bands and Adductors on the other hand, weekly. Stay on top of the knees and keep the right muscles engaged. If you just cannot get the knees to drive straight up and down you will need to get on the form roller and stretch the overactive muscles. The adductors if the knee travels in, and the IT Bands if the knee travels out. You also want to do some glute engagement work off of the bike to promote the glutes firing over the other, smaller muscles.
Run:
In the run we look at the knees and how the are traveling on the recoil of the leg as it travels under the body and the hips and how they are assisting the leg in its movement throughout the run stride.
The knees, as they recover, must travel directly under the body. Once again, this alignment of the knees subconsciously engages the glutes to drive you forward. If the knees are knocking in, the adductors are overactive taking on too much stress. If the knee is turned out as you run, the IT Bands are too active. Either misalignment will cause imbalances in your running. Add on the weight of the body, gravity, and the power produced with each stride, and those small muscles(Adductors/IT Bands) and sure to cramp, or worse, become injured.
The 2nd focus point is the hips. If you focus on each side of the hips individually, the left hip should drive forward as the left knee recoils under the body. Once ground contact is made, the left hips should drive back as the left foot presses off of the ground. This focus on the individual left and right side movement patterns and how the hips work together with the knees will promote prime mover usage(the glutes) and let the smaller, weaker, less-efficient muscles stay in the supporting roll.
I say to my athletes all of the time, “a body part doesn’t just hurt.”
There is a reason behind tight muscles, injured joints, sore tendons, etc. This is the time of the season to get to the bottom of why parts of the body are feeling the way they feel. Many of these problems can be corrected by staying in alignment within the swim, bike, and run. This takes dedicated focus. As you fatigue within your training, the body starts to try to take the path of least resistance which, a lot of the time, involves misalignment. Stay on top of how you are moving and where the body is traveling on each and every swim stroke, pedal stroke, and running stride. This will help you stay efficient, balanced, injury/cramp free, and FAST!
