Off Season
Some triathletes will not take a ‘OFF SEASON’ because they are either not being coached, don’t know what one is, or are afraid to lose fitness in order to gain fitness consequently ending up becoming Injured from over training.
So, what is a off season, why should we be taking one and what do we do during a off season? Good questions
A off season is taken after your last race of the season ( For most of us in the UK being around September/ maybe into October)
Depending on your season length/ current training volume its typical to take up to 4 weeks of unstructured or very very light training during this period.
Why should you do this? Did you know that champions are made in the off season??
Your body needs time to rest, relax and heal. Your tendons, ligaments, muscles and mind need a rest after being stretched to their limits for 8- 14 weeks!
This period of time allows your immune system to recover to a normal level before you go again.
We are all human after all and it’s a breath of fresh air to do normal human things instead of focusing on triathlon for 365 days of the year. Not only will this help with your mindset and motivation going into the next year it allows you to do more of the sports you wouldn’t usually do like Golf, squash, tennis or whatever it is you usually don’t have time for.
As mentioned above a typical off season would be about 4 weeks. If you are recovering from a injury and are building back into training there may not be a need for a off season however if you have been racing for 4 months with no real break a 4 week off season will be really beneficial for you
Losing fitness is a normal and perfectly fine thing to happen during this period. You simply cannot continue to get fitter and fitter all year round, year on year. You need to peak, rest, then go again into the next training block like stepping stones. In order to take 3 steps forward you must take 2 back. This is a vital bit of information to take on board. Relax…. You will be fine!
What happens after off season?
Base Phase
If you imagine your training and performance like a building. If the building has weak foundations and poor structure it will inevitably topple over or crumble when put under stress. This is very much like our bodies. Hence why the base period of training to follow after the off season should include 2-3 strength sessions focusing on sport specific movements increasing the strength of primary and secondary muscles as well as improving mobility/ range of motion to help prevent injury
This time phase of training is typically 8-15 weeks and will include lots of aerobic and technique work throughout the 3 disciplines and is where the engine is build!
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog
Cheers
Sam
