Jen Rulon

Sidenote: I wrote this article over five years ago, and I wanted to reshare it because we, as athletes, triathletes, runners, cyclists, powerlifters, etc., forget about rest and its importance is. I talk about how I used The Whoop to track my sleep and sickness. My athlete Jeff does the same and had some excellent learnings recently.  Today, I am here to remind you of some tips. I will always put in a rest day for my athletes and rest weeks. Need any help with coaching for the rest of the year? I have spots available! Apply TODAY! 

Rulon Rules to Rest & Recovery

As triathletes, we know the importance of rest and recovery. You have all heard the numerous discussions about sleep and what we are learning about LACK of sleep. Heck, I wrote a blog about Why It is Time to Prioritize Your Sleep, Triathletes.”

Unfortunately, as triathletes, we tend to be VERY hard on ourselves. For example, maybe you feel like a nap, but in your mind, you think LAZY. Or you see ALL your friends riding 5 hours when you are ONLY supposed to be riding 2 hours. Unfortunately, the big thing that gets in our way is OUR EGO! (Yes, I said it!) As a triathlon coach, I have seen this happen with athletes constantly. Not so much for the people I coach, but the people I see on social media!

Today, let me give you my “Rulon Rules” to Romanian Deadlift. About a month ago, I chatted about deadlifts.  Romanian Deadlifts (RDL) are a great way to work the posterior chain, which helps us move forward. If we strengthen the posterior chain, this will help us run faster, which we all need heading into our triathlon season.

What is the difference between a deadlift and a Romanian Deadlift? The deadlift is when the athlete starts the movement by picking the bar up from the ground and bringing it to their hips. The RDL is when the athlete begins the move at full extension in the hip and lowers it slightly past the knees.