There is a popular proverb among triathletes: winter miles are the same as summer smiles. This nods to the power of offseason triathlon training. This is the period between one race season and the next. In the Northern Hemisphere, it usually lasts from October or November to March. In the southern hemisphere, it usually grows from May to September. But no matter where you live, it’s an opportunity to press the refresh button, build strength, power, endurance, and hone your athleticism without the pressure of competition coming into your way.
In short, it’s the perfect time to lay the foundation for your best racing season. And following these 10 offseason triathlon training tips, I learned (sometimes difficult methods) as a professional triathlete over 13 years.
10 Offseason Triathlon Training Tips
1. Please take a break
Most pro-triathletes start the offseason as they return from structured training (usually 2-4 weeks) so that their bodies can fully recover. Meanwhile, they don’t leave their feet. On the contrary, they often pursue sports and entertainment outside of cycling, swimming and running, but they take plenty of breaks from regular multisport training, recharging them both mentally and physically.
Taking a break from a triathlon is not good for your body and soul. Failure to it is important for exercise success, as it can increase the risk of overtraining, injury, and burnout. So book the holidays you have postponed. Spend time with family and friends you ignored during race season. And don’t worry about losing your fitness a little. Not only will you get it back as soon as you start training again, you will be in a position to become a stronger and fitter than before.
2. Cross Train
When you resume structured training, weave incorporating the sports you pursued during your programme’s intrusion to keep you diverse and diverse. It not only helps to break up the monotony of your normal routine and motivate you, but it also helps to reduce wear on your body when “building a base” (i.e. increasing endurance and aerobic fitness), which is an important part of off-season triathlon training. Skiing, snowshoes, hiking, climbing – the point is to pursue basic fitness-enhancing activities while staying mentally fresh and motivated.
3. Focus on techniques
No one is perfect, but the season is the time to work towards getting more. Invest in swimming stroke analysis. Take part in the running workshop. Find a coach (in tip 9 for more information). Do whatever you have to do to start moving more efficiently. I don’t care if you’re an amateur athlete or a professional competitor. A slight improvement in sales on your running form, swimming strokes, or pedals can also increase your performance.
4. Strength Train
Triathlons are a sport of durability, but strength, power and speed are still important to success. Triathletes need bodies robust enough to withstand many punishing miles in the land and in the water. Strength training offers you all.
Research shows that it can improve speed, driving economy, power, stamina and VO2 Max. It also helps reduce the overall risk of injury. And I know from my personal experience that it can make a huge difference in performance. I started a dedicated lifting program in the winter of 2015 and by the spring of 2016 I was deadlifting 1.5 times my weight. That strength not only made me a stronger, stronger competitor, but it also helped me move with greater efficiency in all three sports. And it’s incredibly addictive.
The offseason is the perfect time to dive into strength training. During the race season, if training and race preparation are at higher intensity, the full strength program is simply too exhausted. That doesn’t mean you need to throw it all away in the meantime – there’s always a place for strength work in triathlon training – but once the race gets busy with your schedule, you’ll need to dial it and focus more on mobility.
5. Try a new device
If you’re considering upgrading your gear, now is the time to do it. And I’m not just talking about bikes. We used the off-season to test wetsuits, wheels, helmets and running shoes and adjusted them as needed.
When the race season begins, you don’t want to mess with untested equipment. This can be surprised in a very unpleasant way in times of incredibly inappropriate, such as during races. Do your homework, seek recommendations from experienced athletes (who tend to have a certain affinity for bicycle porn), and are 100% familiar with the setup, so you can solve the problem before it becomes a serious problem.
6. Pick up the pace (occasionally)
During the offseason, there are coaches who say you should stick to low-intensity, stable state training. In my experience, I recommend blending into some higher-strength tasks with a “part” emphasis. You don’t want to increase the risk of overtraining or injury by pushing yourself too often, but mixing one or two interval sessions a week will help you prime your body to increase the amount of high intensity training you probably do when the season begins. Give your body plenty of opportunity (see tip number 1) and after recording 3-4 weeks of solid endurance training/base building, start picking up the pace.
7. Have fun
A triathlon may be a solo competition, but sports promote strong friendships amongst the athletes. Use it to reduce the monotony of your training. Join your local triathlon team, organize your training groups with friends, and work with your coach. Do everything you can to make your training more social and enjoyable. Research shows that the more fun you enjoy and the more friendship you feel, the more likely you are to enjoy your sport and be consistent in your training.
8. Eat healthier
You’re what you eat, and if you put the trash in, you’ll put the trash out. Does that mean your meal needs to be at the point 100% time to see the results? Of course not – about 80% of the time is fine. However, paying attention to feeding in training will significantly improve your training, recovery and performance.
Use the offseason as time to reevaluate what, when, and how much you eat. Are you eating enough of the three macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fats)? Do you take a protein shake within 30 minutes of completing your training? Do you burn enough daily calories that not only promote athletic performance, but also improve athletic ability (intensity, speed, endurance)? Answer these questions and adjust your diet accordingly.
9. Hire a coach
What do you think professional athletes can do because they don’t train themselves? Not only can a coach provide a realistic and objective assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, but he can also develop plans to strengthen the former and reduce the latter, but more generally he can remove the inference (and the stress that comes with it) from his training.
Equally important, they can hold you accountable. There is a way to inspire consistency that requires answering someone to not show up. And knowing that people can help you reach your potential has a way of promoting motivation. Do your homework, ask for recommendations, and interview multiple coaches before hiring, just like with your bike and equipment (see Tip 5). Experience and knowledge are important attributes, but don’t ignore the importance of personality. If you don’t click with your coach, you will be much more difficult to work with them to achieve your athletic potential.
10. Sharpen your mental game
If you focus solely on physical training, shorten your results. To achieve your goals, you need to set clear and realistic goals and condition yourself to think like a (probably the most important) champion.
Use the offseason to see performance from the previous race season and set goals for the previous race season. Which training strategies worked? Which did not do? why? What are your goals for the upcoming race season? Also, what training and performance goals will help you achieve them? Answering these questions will not only help you develop effective training programs, but also increase your chances of competitive success. That’s why I’m actively working on confidence, mental stamina and grit (i.e. mental games). Need inspiration? Check out 5 ways to think like a champion.
