Community, Coaching, and Confidence: The Real Power of Training Camp Ep 141

Welcome to the Find Your Edge podcast. I'm your host, Chris Newport, founder, head coach, sports nutritionist, and exercise physiologist at The Endurance Edge. Our mission is to empower people to reach and sustain peak performance and health.

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Every athlete remembers that moment when things finally click. And for a lot of our athletes, that happens at camp and in just a matter of a few days. So we just wrapped up our most recent triathlon training camp, and yes, we are gonna have more coming soon, but this is where we truly see this like magical transformation and how it happens so quickly. And also knowing that it's not just about fitness, 'cause there's only so much fitness that we can gain in a short amount of time, or if a matter of days. But the biggest piece that we saw, and we really wanted to share this with you all, both from an athlete point of view and a coach's point of view, confidence, clarity, and connection were the big themes that we saw from this most recent training camp. So we wanted to really share what we learned, so that you can see what's possible for you, not only as an athlete, but as someone who wants to be active for life and how that's connected to your longevity. So first and foremost, we know that doing hard things together builds confidence. So we have that community building through a shared effort. So when our athletes were grinding up a hill in in the mountains of South Carolina, they knew that they could share that story both with the athlete who was next to them at the time and with the other athletes who may not have been with them later on, talking about, "Oh, do you remember that hill that we went up or that dog that we saw? Or did you see that sweet couple holding hands when we came down that hill?" All the things. So doing those hard things truly does build confidence. And then when you're actually pushing your limits and you didn't think that you could handle something, getting over that is just a massive breakthrough to be able to witness. So keeping in mind that confidence comes from experience, not just fitness. So you can build it by doing hard things and even more so when you're not doing them alone. So another thing that we really witnessed was this element of personalized coaching that actually eyeballs on on athletes led to this amazing fast progress. So it truly is where the magic really happens. At camp, athletes got real-time individualized support. So these were some of the things that we were able to help folks with. So 2 athletes, I sat down with them individually and we built out their hydration plan based on their sweat testing that they had already done, but hadn't really addressed that whole hydration plan part of things. So we made it all make sense. They had their actual products with them. Actually writing on the label, writing it down on paper, having it most of the way from what they had at home, but then actually putting it all the way together when we were in there. Another thing that I was able to do with some of our athletes, with their permission of course, was some of them expressed concern over maybe, say, their desire to lose weight while they're training and how do they do that even better. So we were physically able to get out a plate, to get out our little containers that you, you know, take to work with you because they had had some of those with them from coming from work. And so we were able to actually build out what does a plate look like for you in terms of the macronutrients that you need, the protein that you need, the portions that you need so that all of that makes better sense. There's so much that I can do as a dietitian through the screen. It's so much easier and faster and goes so much smoother smoother and makes way more sense and clicks so much faster when you are physically in the kitchen together, able to see things as they need to be. It just makes all the difference. And the other thing that we really got to see, especially related to nutrition, uh, or fueling and hydration, is because we were providing all the food, both from a dietitian and a chef, all this delicious food is like, oh my gosh, I have all this healthy, delicious food that's literally served right to me, is athletes got the opportunity to actually see What are the things that go really well for before I go out for a workout? What are the things that work really well for after my workout or dinner the night before a big workout? So by providing those meals, we were able to really show that to them physically on their plate. And boy, isn't it nice when you don't have to lift a finger, you guys? So all that to say that many athletes are underfueling or they're guessing, they, they may just not know. So by going to this training camp experience, we were able to totally remove that guesswork and iron things out in the moment. It was so awesome. Another theme that we saw were that small fixes led to big gains. So it is totally amazing how sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the smallest adjustments. So some of the things that we worked on with athletes were, say for example, your cleat placement, um, or whether your cleats are actually worn out or not worn out. And these are more specific to the bike, for example. So when we, we can actually see your gear and see what's happening with it, we can say, hey, you know, this would serve you better if we did it this other way. Another big thing that we worked on for folks, especially our newer cyclists, is adjusting their pedal tension so that they can clip in and out so much easier, which means less tipping over, less falling down, which means less bruises, less scrapes, and more confidence. Again, there's that theme again, more confidence when you're out there doing something hard and hopefully making it more fun. We also saw a lot of transition support. We had one of our athletes who, no lie, she got on and off her bike with our little transition area that we set up. Probably 30 times because she was like, "I am getting this." And then we, and we just worked through it. Like, what was that appropriate gear that she needed to be in for transition, starting a transition, depending on how your start is. Where is her crank position need to be for the smoothest start? How does her, how do her pedals need to be angled in order for her to get the right foot in? Which leg is your dominant leg for being able to clip in and out first or get on your bike as efficiently as you can, swinging that leg over or doing a flying mount or, or a flying dismount. So all of those things, we were able to actually get those little small fixes that made big gains. And even by just doing some of these little tiny tweaks in our little transition setup, of course, I'm timing everything and being obnoxious and yelling out times. Easily just with these little small fixes, easily taking 25% off of a transition time like that. That's massive when you think of how much effort and fitness is required to do this sport. And you just do a couple of quick changes like putting your shoes on just a little differently, your shoes and socks on if you choose to. Um, so in this particular athlete's case, they use socks. Putting your shoes and socks on differently was an easy way to save 10 seconds. Like, That's pretty cool. Another big thing that we saw, again, small fixes, big gains, shifting on hills efficiently. It's one of those things that the coaches and I were talking about. You know, sometimes things happen very intuitively for athletes and sometimes they just absolutely don't. And if you are just out there riding your bike or if you are following a training plan or your coach says, hey, you know, go ride your bike in zone 2 for, you know, an hour and a half or whatever. They're counting on you being able to execute effectively with the right gear and doing it the right way. But when you don't actually know how an athlete is pedaling and what gear ratio they're in and how they're able to smoothly and efficiently shift and get up and down hills is so massive. So that was so fun to be able to hang out the window of the SAG vehicle and yell at people to shift. So it's great that shifting efficiently is part of the game. And also, especially for athletes who may not have a power meter yet, seeing what does their cadence look like. So we had some athletes who were just grinding up hills and really had to get them to be a little bit more efficient and effective in their pedaling so that you are— it's all about metabolic cost. So the harder you're pedaling up a hill, the more energy you're using, the more carbs you're using. The more you're just gonna get overly fatigued. So when we can see those various things and see how can we actually change it in the moment, it's just, it's so enlightening both for the athlete and so exciting for the coach to actually see, oh my gosh, like we can do things so much better and make so many big gains out of just these little fixes, these little tiny things that can make such a big impact. So, things that may have felt clunky or you didn't even know were clunky or stressful or time-consuming or energy-consuming suddenly become smoother and more automatic, which is really amazing. Another big thing that we saw was technique. So how little changes in your technique, again, can really impact everything. So one of the things that we did, especially since we were in such a hilly area, is we did hill climbing drills. And it was great to be able to actually run alongside with these athletes and remind them real time, okay, hinge forward from the hips. Okay, keep, you know, chest open, drive the knees up, use your big toe, think about your glutes. Like all these different cues that were helpful to remind athletes that form does matter and to be more efficient even with just little reminders that you can— that they can use for themselves, which means more efficiency and less injury risk and more speed. So it's just so amazing to see that these little things can really, these little technique tweaks can really change things. Another thing that we saw in terms of technique, uh, other than bike and other than run was swim. So because we literally had a lake in our backyard and we could just walk right on down to it, hop on the paddleboards, throw out the buoy, and you guys are in this big, beautiful lake. Uh, which was wonderful that we didn't have any boat traffic. We were at the end of a little cove so we could just hang out and do all the stroke technique, all the long swims, all the short swims that, that made our hearts happy. And it was just great to be able to provide that immediate stroke technique improvement, both for open water swimming and just swimming in general so that people feel more relaxed, they feel more controlled in the water. And when your form improves, Everything feels easier, even at a higher effort. So it felt so great to see these athletes really see that just little technique tweaks can make things that much smoother. Another thing that we saw is, especially for our, for our newer athletes, but it doesn't mean that it's exclusively for newer endurance athletes. For reducing anxiety through exposure. So practicing skills in a safe, supportive environment and having that repetition again, getting on and off the bike over and over again, or going around. We had a 10-mile loop that was not easy for the bike that people could do. Sometimes they did 3 loops, sometimes they did 4 loops, sometimes they did 1 loop. And that was totally fine. Giving them the opportunity to do the same course a couple of different times and being able to have that confidence going into it of, okay, now I know I need to shift differently. Or having somebody on a paddleboard while you were in open water and encouraging them to relax their neck or put their head down or stretch their arm out. So those things that used to feel intimidating, like open water, like transition, like climbing hills, start to feel normal and comfortable, and dare I say it, fun. Because at the end of the day, that's why we're there. We're doing this, right, you guys? So the more relaxed you can get, the less anxiety there is. And finally, our biggest theme of the weekend, was community, community as a performance and longevity advantage. So supportive relationships, whether they be with a coach, whether it be with other athletes, it was so great to see other athletes exchanging phone numbers. That means that you have that consistency and you have that motivation to keep going. And that matters even more as we age. The literature suggests that the older we get, starting with right after college, the less meaningful relationships we continue to have. And part of our vision is to try to stop that and turn that in the opposite direction. And really finding community through this fun thing that we call endurance sports, no matter what your level or your fitness is at, or your age, but doing it because you know you have a community who's there to help support you as you are also moving your body. So we see that very clearly, people who move together and play together have lower mortality rates. And then training becomes something you look forward to and that you get to do, not something you have to do or that you grind through, but you get excited like, "Oh, I'm going to go run hills with my buddies. That sounds great." And everybody— anybody else will probably look at you like you have 4 heads. But truly, community is a performance and longevity advantage. And I cannot tell you how much we laughed at this training camp. It truly was such a joy to see all the athletes connecting with each other, to see the coaches connecting with each other, and see the coaches and the athletes connecting too. It truly was an amazing experience. So to tie all this together, know that faster progress can be made in just a matter of days than what you would make in months and perhaps even years by yourself. You really get to build these amazing relationships. It really is like being a kid, being a kid and going to camp. That's what it like— that's what it's like, but you're an adult and you get to do this for fun. It's so awesome. And then to see the confidence that carries you not only into races, but also into life. So this isn't just about getting faster or performing better. It's about becoming the kind of athlete who knows they can handle hard things and knows that they can keep going. So if you ever get the chance, I would love to invite you to our next training camp, which in the next 2 weeks or so, we'll be announcing our dates for spring 2027. Training camp, as well as some tra— some single-day training camps that we're gonna have locally if you're in the Raleigh-Durham area throughout the summer. And then we might have something special that's gonna be coming out in the fall. Not quite ready to tell you what that is yet, but I will let you know it's gonna be pretty awesome. And if you're just looking for a community and wanna be part of our training programs and club. You certainly can join the club program. We've got our coaching programs as well as our class memberships that do include in-person sessions. That really is what keeps people motivated and what keeps people continuing to come back is that community. So if you can't do it here, I encourage you, find a community where you're at. Get connected. Stay moving. You're amazing. Thank you so much for listening, and I will see you next time on the Find Your Edge podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at the Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.