REAL Blog
Recharge and Refocus: A Triathlete’s Guide to a Successful Off-Season
- Adina O'Neill
Beyond the Finish Line: The Power of Off-Season Training
It happens every time…after you hang your shiny new medal (or medals) on your wall, you get this surge of excitement to sign up for another race. You feel compelled to keep training at the same level. No way you’re going to lose fitness or slip backwards, right? But your next race is far away and you don’t want to burn out.
This is where understanding what to do in the off-season comes into play. The off-season is a period of time when your training usually isn’t focused on a specific event. The lack of direction can create confusion for many athletes.
Each athlete is different so I can’t give you a one-size-fits-all off season plan. Your individual plan is going to depend on where you are and where you want to go. I’m the kind of coach who loves to educate so let me share some guidelines that will help make sense of how to optimize your offseason.
It starts with 3 proven tactics that every triathlete from beginner to pro should do after your last big race to prepare for the off-season. Then you’ll learn about 7 unique goals to consider that are effective when you’re not training for a specific event. Finally, we’ll wrap it up with 3 signs to watch for in order to avoid injury.
3 Essential Off-Season Tactics for Endurance Athletes
1 – Take Time Off. Take 1 or 2 weeks or even a month off from following a training plan to allow your body and mind to relax. You may choose to take time off from your primary sport if you are burned out. This is a great time for cross training or focusing on a sport you typically don’t have time for. Maybe you’ll opt for not having a schedule at all; work out when you want to or don’t. After a long season of exercising hard and using mental energy to stick to a plan, removing the structure can be quite refreshing. You may need to take time off to heal from an injury. Allow your body the time it needs to recuperate.
2 – Reflect on Performance. Start by reviewing race reports from the season. If you were too busy or forgot to write one you can do that now too. Reread your race reports and reflect on where you’ve been: what did you accomplish, what didn’t you get to do? Did you do too much or not enough? This is a great time to compare the goals you set at the beginning of the season to your results to determine where you fell short or exceeded expectations.
3- Highlight Areas for Opportunity. Opportunity may mean something you want to correct or improve or it may mean you want to advance to the next level. An example for improvement may come from noticing that you didn’t do enough strength training or mobility work which lead to mild chronic injuries. Correcting this approach will lead to being better prepared for future races. You may want to advance to the next level in a particular sport. Identifying key skills needed will allow you to take on a new distance or chase a new personal best. This will set you up for intentional training in the off season to prepare for your upcoming goals.
7 Unique Ways to Level Up Your Training This Off-Season
When you’re training for a specific race, it feels like there’s never enough time to fit everything in. All athletes, whether working with a coach or making decisions on your own, are faced with a balancing act that never ends. The off-season is the ideal time to prioritize anything that got put off while focusing on race preparation.
RECOVER: Take an entire month to focus on recovery. Remove intensity to enjoy some walking, gentle yoga, mobility, or casual cycling and swimming.
REHAB: Address those niggles or muscles that cause chronic discomfort. Now is a good time to visit a medical professional and let a doctor, physical therapist, acupuncturist or chiropractor address the root cause of nagging symptoms.
ONE SPORT: Every triathlete has a sport they consider to be their weak link. Dedicate 4-6 weeks to focus on improving skills and developing stamina or speed. You can continue maintaining other sports to a lesser value or take a break.
TECHNIQUE: Think about the areas you highlighted to approve in your reflection process. Schedule a consultation with an experienced coach who can review your form and technique and offer specific drills for corrections. In person is always best, but technology allows us to provide you with surprisingly effective results with remote analysis.
VOLUME: If you are starting a new sport, looking to conquer a new race distance, or are coming back from an injury, take time to build volume slowly and safely. A common guideline is to avoid increasing more than 10% at a time.
MENTAL SKILLS: Identify mental challenges or roadblocks that you experienced during events or training. Brainstorm solutions, develop a meditation practice or consult a mental skills coach.
NUTRITION: Now is the best time to consider major changes to your nutritional approach and daily eating habits or to focus on gaining or losing weight. If you noticed dehydration, lack of energy, or digestive issues during training take time to experiment with different types of foods and supplements or consult a registered dietitian who specializes in endurance sports.
Avoid Injury: 3 Red Flags to Watch For
It’s not uncommon for an athlete to get injured at the end of a training block or major race/event. Let’s unpack 3 commonly ignored factors that can lead to injury when transitioning from structured training to off season.
- Your body is tired. Your muscles have been working hard as you pile on intensity and volume during peak training season. Your body gets worn down from weeks or months of repeated strain while showing up consistently to meet your goal. Taper may have provided some relief, but a few days of rest are not likely to allow for months of focused training. If you are feeling fatigue in certain muscles or in general throughout your body, now is a good time to take extra rest or recovery. Allow yourself as many days or even weeks to prioritize gentle activities like walking, yoga or very easy cycling or swimming. Don’t overdo.
- Your brain is tired. Keeping up with your training plan and your nutrition requires mental focus. The desire to complete a goal requires mental energy to make decisions that support your training and decide which sacrifices are needed to stay the course. The off season is the perfect time to allow your brain to rest, to reduce the intense focus on the daily tasks needed to reach your goal. However, when you take that mental break you may not give the same attention to form, warm-up, cool down or recovery. When you ease up mentally, there is a risk of injury.
- Lack of training plan. We rely on routines and consistency are the road map to reaching your goals. In the off-season we like to take a break from following a training plan. Taking a few weeks or even a month or 2 off of following a plan is a great idea to reduce stress and allow your body and mind to rest. What’s important to keep in mind is that training plans are designed to balance intensity, volume, strength, speed, skill, form and recovery. When you take the training plan out of the equation, there is a tendency to train out of balance or overtrain. The absence of calculated periods of work increases the risk of injury.
Ready to take your training to the next level?
Team B*REAL offers personalized off-season coaching plans tailored to your specific goals and needs. Our experienced coaches will help you:
- Recover effectively: Develop a customized recovery plan to rejuvenate your body and mind.
- Improve technique: Refine your swimming, biking, and running form to maximize efficiency and minimize injury risk.
- Build strength and power: Incorporate strength training exercises to enhance your overall performance.
- Set and achieve new goals: Develop a clear roadmap for the upcoming season, including specific targets and strategies.
Contact us today to schedule a Connection Call and unleash your full athletic potential.
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