Most of us will admit we want to get better at cycling, running, triathlon or something endurance based if you are reading this! It’s easy to find yourself in a rut or hit a plateau in your training (where you don’t seem be be getting any better and hit a invisible wall)
I’m going to share with you some of my top 5 tips to overcome that plateau and help you to continue developing all throughout your year!
1-Consistency
Consistency in what you do is EVERYTHING!
If you want to see progress across any areas of your life or training then this is one of the most important things to focus on!
Training well for 2 weeks and then not training for 2 weeks will leave you struggling to make progress. However stringing together a successful week on top of another successful week is the key to long term progression!
Over time that repetition and continuity will develop your body and mind!
2-Periodisation
This is all to do with separating your year out into blocks of time where you are going to focus on different aspects/ energy systems/ drills and techniques.
For example- Linear/ traditional periodisation is a gradual progression/ building volume or intensity slowly over time or over a year. This is a great way to overload your body if your training for 1 specific event.
Reverse periodisation is another style where your training is typically lower in volume and more intense to begin with and then becomes a higher volume and less intensity but more race specific as you get closer to your goal races! This model does suit training in the uk over the winter and racing in the summer!
In summery, if you do the same training week in week out you should expect your progress to come to a hault. It’s crucial you are building millage or intensity and focusing on different aspects of your sport over the course of the macrocycles to continue progression.
3-Nutrition/ hydration
This is a key element to fuel training and recovery. Without it, your not going to perform
And recover at your best. A healthy/ well balanced diet with adequate carbs, proteins and fats in relation to your requirements is paramount!
Ensuring you are well fuelled and hydrated for all of your sessions and remember it’s not just about drinking more water when you are sweating. Replacing salts and electrolytes is super important for keeping dehydration and cramps at bay.
4-Keep it fun!
Try not to take anything too seriously! We do it because we love it so it’s so important to keep that fun element in there 🙌🏻
5-Strength and conditioning
In order to get faster and hold a strong running form we must be able to produce more power and be stronger throughout our entire body to handle higher loads of training whilst keeping injuries at bay!
S&C will also help to iron out imbalances between legs/arms if unilateral exercises are performed meaning less chances of overuse injuries and healthier/happier running 👌🏻
6- Getting fit is not a race! You’ve got to play the long game and take your time with building the intensity / volume! Changes don’t happen over night so enjoy it!
Coach Sam