The health benefits of triathlon
Owing to the fact that triathlon involves three different sports, anyone taking part is guaranteed to be getting an all-over body work out that will tone the legs through cycling and running, and the arms and upper body through swimming. However, to be successful at triathlon, you also need to have a strong core.
Triathletes are true all-round athletes and, once hooked into the sport, tend to follow healthy, balanced lifestyles that incorporate good nutrition and sleep around a highly organised life.
Depending on your weight and how hard you work in training, swimming and cycling eat up around 600-700 calories an hour, and running even more, perhaps as many as 900. In a race you’ll use even more!
People come to triathlon from all sorts of backgrounds, be it swimming, cycling or running, or a totally unrelated sport. There were over 750 triathlon events in the UK in 2010, with the shorter events involving just a 200m swim, 10km cycle and 2km run – which can be completed well inside an hour.
Fitness benefits of triathlon:
• Works your whole body, not just certain muscles, therefore giving you a lean and muscular pyhsique
• Swimming and cycling are both non weight-bearing sports, so reduce stress on the body whilst still giving you and excellent workout
• Weight loss through high intensity cardio vascular training
• There are events of all distances, so the sport is accessible to all
• Training for three sports rather than just one will reduce your risk of injury
• Having the focus of a big event like a triathlon gives more purpose and motivation to training
• Boosts general fitness and self confidence
• Regular exercise can lower blood pressure, prevent cancer and heart disease, reduce your risk of osteoporosis, and prevent you from getting diabetes
• Look and feel younger!
• Works your whole body, not just certain muscles, therefore giving you a lean and muscular pyhsique
• Swimming and cycling are both non weight-bearing sports, so reduce stress on the body whilst still giving you and excellent workout
• Weight loss through high intensity cardio vascular training
• There are events of all distances, so the sport is accessible to all
• Training for three sports rather than just one will reduce your risk of injury
• Having the focus of a big event like a triathlon gives more purpose and motivation to training
• Boosts general fitness and self confidence
• Regular exercise can lower blood pressure, prevent cancer and heart disease, reduce your risk of osteoporosis, and prevent you from getting diabetes
• Look and feel younger!
This fast-paced and dynamic sport is sure to catch the attention of the nation at the 2012 Olympic triathlon in Hyde Park, particularly as large parts of the course will be free to view.
Participation has been growing at a dramatic rate, with a 10% increase from 2009 to 2010 in the number of people taking part in organised events. The number of British Triathlon members has more than doubled since 2006, indicating that there are more and more people who are racing regularly and calling themselves triathletes.
