Don't dismiss free weights as the preserve of oiled-up gym bunnies obsessed with six-packs and their reflection. Normal people can use them to burn calories and become stronger, which will help improve both technique and stamina for next season

per kilogramme of body weight immediately after exercise in the first hour, and repeat each hour until normal eating patterns return. 4. Select carbohydrate-rich foods with a moderate or high GI, such as boiled potatoes or white rice. 5. Include

One of the long-enduring and rarely questioned traditions associated with triathlon events of all kinds is the substantial pasta dinner the evening before race day. After all, who doesn't believe in the hearty, turbo-fuelling advantages of eating a

and perhaps even take your running to a new level.One answer, and a possible way to improve your running time at the next triathlon, may be cross-training. Substituting some of your running with other cross-training enables you to complete extra endurance

yourself before and after a session. (One kilogram of weight loss is equivalent to one litre of fluid.) Once you know your sweat loss you can prepare your fluid-replacement strategy for training and races.Pre-planningFor an event such as Ironman Nice ensure

With three disciplines to consider, it's easy to make mistakes when you're eating and drinking during training and racing. That's the bad news. The good news is that it's easy to avoid triathlon's common nutritional pitfalls if you plan ahead

to prescribe ferrous sulphate tablets, but you should also look closely at your diet.Strike a balanceA balanced diet should provide adequate iron but, in reality, when you're busy and training (and perhaps trying to lose some weight to improve speed), it can

, and contain potent anti-tumour compounds called triterpenoids. Little wonder mushrooms have long been revered for their medicinal properties.CeleryIt's always been A low-calorie weight-loss standby, and a useful stick for scooping up peanut butter.It's also A

-hour ride or two-hour run will burn more carbs than a long recreational ride or even a one-hour race. Consume about one gram of carbohydrate per 400g of body weight. The harder you ride, the more glycogen (carbs) you require."You need plenty of energy

If transition is triathlon's fourth discipline, nutrition should be the fifth. Making fuelling mistakes could mean your race ends in disaster. And the longer the event, the more critical your food and drink strategy becomes. But it's not easy