The Forced Off Season

Runners, cyclists, triathletes and all other endurance athletes! A few notes and advice from Angus about the forced off season…

Like many others locally, I have been forced into a holding pattern with my endurance training. Also, I have that itchy, bugs under the skin feeling whenever I don’t have training goals and objectives on the horizon. So, I thought I would jot down some hidden opportunities in this challenging time for endurance athletes.

1. Strength and Conditioning
Two things to consider, running doesn’t make you stronger and strength makes you a better runner… BUT, this all hinges on the type, intensity and recovery from the strength protocol. S&C in endurance athletes is a very sensitive topic, many dispute its role in performance. I see many athletes who have attempted S&C and had a significant negative impact on their training. Usually I find that it's the wrong type, wrong time and too much.
Properly designed and implemented strength training has the potential to improve tissue capacity, alter optimal muscle length, improve relative economy and make you move faster. Additionally, it’s important to note that S&C should also take into consideration conditioning. This may include intervals, power training, cross training and many other tweaks and adjustments that can provide better protection and better performance.

2. Bike Fit
Hopefully, this challenging time will have some perks. Quiet roads are a potential - which would be nice. “Pro” training hours are also potentially on the cards… New bike time may be looming…
The ‘relationship’ between you and your bike is one that takes maintenance, and now might be a good time to work a few things out. A comprehensive assessment of body and bike can highlight areas to improve comfort and performance. When performing my assessments many things need to be balanced and considered and everyone has unique histories, needs and considerations, but when the relationship is optimised, everyone is happy.

3. Running assessment
With empty parks and plenty of open space, maybe running retraining sessions should be considered. With the potential to reduce impact force by 30% through footwear selection, and a further 30-50% through running retraining, the benefits of a running assessment and modification speak for themselves.
As running carries such a high injury risk, upwards to 2x injuries per year for recreational runners, minimising impact loading and maximising efficiency can have a huge impact to maximal ‘Optimal Athletic Performance Days’ (OAPD’s). And… when complimented with good S&C and power training, can drastically improve road speed. Running assessment and retraining sessions are an opportunity to value add your training without large increases in overall load and compliment your running from all angles.

4. Training advice and planning
Have you even wanted to run something by a coach but don’t feel that you need to be coached regularly? Taking the opportunity to learn how to manage and monitor your own training and the principals of Macro and Micro cycling and Periodisation can have a dramatic impact on your preparation. Many endurance athletes seek the elusive optimal loading balance or ‘sweet spot’. In reality achieving this is difficult as the goal posts are constantly moving. By learning the principals of training, recovery and planning, then integrating this information with free modern tracking programs, achieving this difficult balance is relatively easy. It also fulfills our obsession with recording every session. We can then explain what is junk data and what is important.

If you are interested in developing your athletic performance over this off-season give us a call on 6332 1955 or message us on Facebook. We can develop programs both in-person or via telehealth platforms.