OutPace Coaching Off Season Structure
The way I approach the off-season is to break it up into phases. Each phase slowly progresses to pre-season training that for most starts in January/February time period. After the completion of the lastrace of the season, I usually prescribe two weeks of rest and a few recovery-based sessions. This allows for a mental and physical break that is necessary for continued improvement season after season and to allow for healing down to the cellular level. At this point the phases begin:
Phase #1
This starts with a reintroduction of some consistency back in the schedule after a couple weeks of rest. There is still room for some flexibility when it comes to this first phase of off-season training. The specific day workouts completed are your decision. This allows you to modify things based on your schedule and availability. It also allows you to still do things you'd like on the days you would like, and still be a mental break of following a specific plan day by day. The length of this phase of training depends on how mentally drained you are from the season of racing and how your body is responding. This phase includes a reintroduction of some light core/strength training back into your routine. The bike/run workouts involve less intervals and be more endurance focused so you are able to get outside and enjoy the late summer/fall weather. The swim workouts during this time are shorter and have more emphasis on technique.
Phase #2
By the time the first phase of the off-season is completed you should feel rejuvenated and ready to progress your training to the next level. (If this is not the case, more time needs to be spent in phase 1) During this phase of training the specific focus is based on the athletes goals. (Such as a run specific block) The other area of major focus is on strength training. In order to appropriately execute this with precision we will start with some strength-based tests in order to establish your target weights for the main exercises. With a big emphasis on strength training the goal is to make the body resilient to the stress that will be placed on it once the endurance training increases during the season. It is often a forgotten component of endurance athletes...but NOT OutPace athletes The bike/run workouts begin to involve more intervals with a technique focus. The swim workouts involve shorter sets, but an emphasis on higher intensity work with a BIG focus on technique.
Phase #3
The last phase of the off-season can also be referred to as pre-season training. During this phase there is a continued focus on strength training with changes in sets and reps to target further strength gains. Just like phase #2, for many there may be a continued focus on one or two sports. During the season it can be difficult to make substantial improvements in one sport since time and energy is spread out over three different sports, so the off-season is the perfect time to do this. The general workout structure increases with more "KEY WORKOUTS", but there is still a big emphasis on refining technique in order to make you more efficient and faster, but also less injury prone.
Cross Country Skiing: I also want to ENCOURAGE each of you to try cross country skiing this winter. I plan to do some ski lessons to teach the basics and would love for everyone to attend. This is the BEST cross training you can do for triathlon. It gets your body out of the front and back motion and strengthens muscles not utilized when swimming, biking and running. I personally have had the best triathlon seasons after skiing over the winter months.