Keeping your skin fit, especially as an outdoor athlete is so important. Premax Founder and Sports Physio Randall Cooper recently sat down with Professional Australian Triathlete Ellie Salthouse to discuss some of her biggest issues in sport.
You can watch the whole interview, including Ellie’s 3 Top Marginal Gains, here.
Ellie, what are some of your biggest issues as a Professional athlete?
I used to get a lot of blisters, especially when I was racing ITU and running without socks a lot. That was probably my biggest issue, getting blisters on the side of my foot that would then get so infected. Obviously wetsuit rash is another big issue that a lot of triathletes experience. That big cut on the back of your neck which keeps opening can be a real pain.
Plus sunburn is obviously another big one amongst athletes and I’ve seen it a lot in my time. I think that’s something that a lot of athletes probably need to be a little more diligent with when training and racing.
It can really slow down your training, if we just hone in on blisters, once you’ve got one it takes quite a while for the skin to heal and for you to be able to train properly and you have to modify things for awhile.
Yeah, exactly. I mean, you don't want to miss sessions due to a blister, but then there’s no point continuing to make them worse and worse by training on them. You’ve got to give them time to heal like any other injury or cut. Blisters can definitely have you out for a while, and it’s something you can prevent easily, so it’s important to.
How do you do that? How do you prevent them? We’ve got an Anti Friction Balm and I know that’s part of it. Tell us about that and any other strategies that you use.
The Anti Friction balm is one of my best friends when it comes to blisters. I put it all over the hotspots that I would typically experience blisters in. Places like the edge of my big toe, my heel, and the outside edge of my foot. Then I just put my sock straight over the top of that, and it seems to alleviate any rubbing or discomfort during running. Once you have started to get a blister, it is hard to get rid of it if you continue running on it. Compeed or blister band-aids are pretty good once you’ve got one to heal and draw out the fluid that may be in there.
Other than that if you’ve got one you really just need to let it heal before you continue. Prevention really is better than cure.
It’s similar to wetsuit rash as well. I’m a reasonably keen, open water, swimmer myself. Down here in Melbourne it gets cold, so with our swimming wetsuits, sometimes I actually forget our own product! I really know about it when I don't use it, but the common areas for wetsuit rashes, as you mentioned, is the cutting at the back of the neck, front of the neck, and also under the arms.
Do you use anti friction balm for that as well? Are there any other tips you've got for people to make sure they're not getting wetsuit rashes?
Definitely the anti friction balm really helps, I’ll apply it to the back of my neck and the front. I don’t experience any other chafing from my wetsuit other than my neck, but during running I have experienced a little bit of chafing under the arm and thighs, particularly if I'm sweating a lot. It's great in those regions as well.
Once you get a wetsuit rash, you can’t continue putting the wetsuit on top of it, it’s just red so it’s so important to not forget your product! I’d really recommend that.
The last thing you mentioned was sunburn, it’s interesting because Premax started off as a massage lotion kind of brand and then the athletes in the cycling and triathlon were asking if we could do something for them. One of the first products that people mentioned was sunscreen and the issue was that they’re thick and heavy, and can drain into your eyes and you can’t sweat very well with the sunscreen on.
The thing that surprised me, was that particularly in triathlon, when it came to race day, athletes would choose to get burns rather than put on sunscreen that would inhibit their performance ability. That’s when it was just not good enough, you've got to think about people's long-term health as well as winning the race. That was part of the reason why we did the really light and dry sunscreen, but you need to look after your skin coming from Brisbane. Looking after your skin in the sun is super important, isn’t it?
Yeah, definitely and the three things that I definitely look for in a sunscreen is that it's breathable, it allows you to perspire and obviously you naturally need to be able to perspire, otherwise you just get too hot.
Obviously something that doesn't run into your eyes is really important when you’re riding and running. You don't want sunscreen dripping into your eyes when you start to sweat, that’s really important.
The other thing is with it being light and non-greasy, especially riding your bike you need to be able to use your fingers and hands and you don't want something that's really oily.
Premax has the best of all those three - it's super light, easy to use, and the size is really portable. The sunscreen is a lifesaver, not only for athletes, but for everyday people as well. It’s awesome.
THE ELLIE SALTHOUSE TRIATHLON BUNDLE SALE ENDS ON 5TH DEC!
The Sports Sunscreen SPF50+ is obviously super important, and the Premax one is ideal in all sporting conditions. It doesn’t run into your eyes which is so important when riding and running. Also, it’s light and non-greasy - you need to be able to use your fingers and hands when you’re riding and you don’t want something that’s really oily.
The Chamois Cream For Women is perfect for us long distance triathletes and spending bulk hours in the saddle can be very uncomfortable if you don’t have a good Chamois Cream. The Premax Chamois Cream, it’s really nice and thick and it stays in place, and most importantly it’s pH balanced.
The Anti Friction Balm for Women is the third product in the bundle and is perfect for wetsuit rash or any chafing. That’s the go to, staple all round year.
The Recovery Cream, recovery is super important for any professional athlete. We spend a lot of hours training and when we come home we need some great recovery. I notice a huge difference the next day, when I go out to train again
“Thanks for allowing me to share my 4 favourite products, I hope they’re enjoyed as much as I enjoy them”
Check out our limited edition Ellie Salthouse bundle, perfect for Female Triathletes. Let us know what you think #PremaxESbundle
