The definition of the Swedish word Fartlek is 'speed play' in English and it means running, cycling and swimming at different speeds. 　　What is fartlek running? 　　Using running as an example, fartleck involves no more than picking up speed when and wherever you feel like it on, say, an eight-mile run. There’s no structure and nor should there be. So...

　　Born in the early 1970s at the San Diego Track Club, modern triathlon has grown enormously over a relatively short period of time into a variety of popular formats. 　　There are now thought to be around 100,000 active participants in the UK alone, and the sport has seen tremendous growth over the last decade. 　　We’re not bad at it either:...

　　The shortest form of triathlon at an event is generally the super-sprint distance triathlon or what can be called the ‘Starter Triathlon’. 　　Why you should do a triathlon 　　What are the different triathlon distances? 　　How fit do you have to be to do a triathlon? 　　Held at a wide number of beginner-friendly races, a super-sprint triathlon involves the following: 　　Swim:...

　　A brick session is a training set that involves more than one discipline/sport back-to-back. The most common example in triathlon is the bike/run brick, where a bike session will be followed by a run. 　　An example could be a 30min road bike ride followed by a 10min run straight away after (you can steadily build up the duration and intensity...

　　A meniscus tear is a common injury among the active population and, depending on the severity, can require surgery and an extended time on the sidelines. But what is a meniscus tear exactly? What are the symptoms? And, most crucially, can it repair on its own? 　　Six Physio's Ben Johnson has the answers… 　　What is the meniscus? 　　The meniscus is...

　　In short, the answer is yes, you will still benefit from doing some of your bike training with someone slower than you. In fact, with indoor training, you can do sessions together and never drop them! 　　Unless you're on the turbo, though, you shouldn't do all your workouts with them, but you can manage your training to make the sessions...

　　I might be biased as I’m primarily a cyclist, but, especially in middle-distance and long course non-drafting events, it really is all about the bike. 　　Time-wise it constitutes the biggest proportion of the event and not only can a strong rider make up huge chunks of time on the ride but, if they're able to put in a decent bike...

　　Exercise-associated muscle cramping is something that causes issues for a lot of people, in fact some studies put the prevalence at over 80% of athletes suffering at one time or another. 　　Despite many decades of research into the topic there’s still no clear or simple explanation as to what causes cramps, so finding a foolproof ‘cure’ is as elusive as...

　　1.MAKE SURE THE BIKE FITS 　　An ill-fitting, high-end bike won’t serve you as well as a correctly fitting, entry-level one. A good local bike shop should be able to at least help you get the correct size of bike and many shops are now offering fit services. If you have the budget, getting a full professional fit before you venture...

　　Shingles has been hitting the headlines recently, with the elderly and those with a weakened immune system more at risk of developing this painful condition. 　　So what exactly is it? And are triathletes more susceptible to getting shingles due to their often-intense training schedule? Let's find out… 　　What is shingles? 　　Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful viral...

　　Been struck by a niggling leg injury, but unsure quite what you've done and whether you need to see a physio? Here we look at how to differentiate between a soft tissue injury and a stress fracture and how best to treat them both… 　　How do I know if it's a soft tissue injury? 　　If your symptoms are widespread and...

　　As triathletes, the volume of training that you put your body through is intense, and it’s common to get aches and pains associated with a long period of repetitive exercise. 　　Not only that but even though you are working with three different disciplines, you are still prone to using a lot of the same muscles groups, in similar ranges. 　　One...