Aeromax Team

AEROMAX DIRECTOR - GRANT GILES COACHING

grant@aeromaxteam.com

Coaching Experience

Professional triathlon coach- level 2.
Swim Coach level 1 since 1992.
Head swim coach Pittwater House Schools 1994-2006.
11 years triathlon coaching, 4 years as a full time professional coach.
Former professional triathlete -raced pro 1994 - 2003
TA/New South Wales Institute of Sport National Talent ID coach North Coast
North Coast Academy of sport triathlon programme Head coach
NSWIS EAP programme coach

Accreditation details

Membership type- Professional Coach
Triathlon Australia
Licence number - 1002877
Level-2
Expiry - 31/03/2010

Training Philosophy

My coaching philosophy is the straight forward approach of stress and recovery and a whole sport attitude, keeping in mind that triathlon is one sport, not three.

Aeromax team programmes have a heavy emphasis on periodisation with sound aerobic base and strength emphasis being the cornerstone of our programmes. I firmly believe that improvements come from the athlete’s ability to lay solid foundations to support more intense training and that should be the ongoing process of any successful training programme. This doesn’t have to be more mileage than an airbus, but does have to be the right doses of the right intensities at the right times to bring the athlete to his or her goal races healthy- uninjured- fit and ready to race.

My coaching philosophy has come from racing triathlons for 14years with 10 years at the elite level. I never considered myself a very gifted athlete so I made sure I maximised what I had to work with. I made the most of the training that I could absorb by planning it and periodising the work my body was capable of doing. This was a lot less than a lot of the other pros were doing. Just because you don't have the ability to absorb high volume work doesn't mean you can't get the most from yourself. Personally, I had a little mantra I used for myself and that was "maximise what I have to work with today". I truly believe that with the right approach and dedication to a plan we can all achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

My experience and knowledge is that “fatigue is fatigue” anyway you cut it, and the athlete must consider his or her recovery programme as thoroughly as the training programme itself.

One of the most important factors that I see as extremely underutilised is mental training and application by athletes. As a long term coach in touch with many athletes of different athletic abilities everyday - this is one area that has become of great interest to me and the benefits of correct mental application apply from the winner right down to the person just wanting to participate. Great focus and mental strength need to be rehearsed as part of the training programme for maximum race day results.

Here are a few aspects of athlete programming that are very important.

Very sound aerobic base -efficient movement @ low intensity before developing strength and power.
Build a foundationand perform from that foundation by keeping it topped up.
Keep the athlete relatively fresh. This has the effect of keeping the athlete mentally motivated as well as reducing the risk of injury.
Keep neuro muscular fatigue to a minimum during speed phases allowing the athlete to develop speed without plateaus in performance.
Keep speed or strength work developments 48-72hours apart and allow for sound recovery practises.
Strike a balance between work -family-training priorities.
Sound mental approach to training and racing / toughness and fantastic focus can be trained through mental rehearsal.

My commitment as a coach is to create and maintain a well balanced, unfatigued, motivated and importantly mentally strong athlete by devising a programme which sets up the optimal personal environment for that athlete to perform, based on their own life circumstances and strengths and weaknesses, whether they be first year athletes or seasoned pros.