Email It | Print It |  Save It

Source: Carmichael Training Systems
Bio, More Articles

By Nick White, Coach for Carmichael Training Systems, and Kyle du Ford

If your running, biking or triathlon season hasn't yet ended, it soon will, and with that usually comes a drive to better your completed season for next year by getting right at it and upping your mileage prematurely. Bad move according to CTS Pro Coach Nick White. "This not only prevents your body from recovering properly from a long season," says White, "but if you're hell-bent on jumping into the pool or hitting the pavement already, there's something you should be working on instead: technique." What Coach White means is that just like practicing your swing on a driving range or in a batting cage will help your golf and softball game respectively, honing your stroke, stride, and cadence in the transition period will help you your body be more efficient for next year. And you'll dial back your volume to give your muscles a break at the same time. But first says White, "We must slow down."

Why slow down
It's good for our bodies to shift down a gear or two as we enter the off-season. After a long season which was either good or bad, you finally have time to do what perhaps you wanted to during months of 15-hour training weeks. Your mind can also use the down time. According to White, training involves hard work from your brain — from rising early and staying focused all day to staying at-pace or focusing on a goal — and now's the time that you, your body and mind need some rest. So go rock-climbing, snowboarding, or play in that rec softball league. All of it is good for you.

Motivation
The reason we ride, bike, swim, and what-not is that we enjoy it. Sometimes that motivation can wane a bit, and if you're a single-sport athlete, taking 2-3 weeks off should be enough impetus to get you charging back in the saddle, perhaps literally. "If you're a multi-sport athlete, reducing your two-a-day workouts, or going to one sport for a month is enough to relax your spirit, mind and body," says White.

Quick Tip: "Don't get sucked into the trap of training indoors too early," says White. In most of the country, there's still a lot of good weather to be had. Push workouts outside as long as possible.

Bettering technique and form
The first Emperor of Rome, Augustus Octavius, once said of "practice, [it's] the master of all things." He was right. Your newfound "down time" may be your only time to spend such quality miles or minutes focusing on form. And don't fear losing your aerobic capacity. According to White, you'll still be engaging in adequate aerobic activity to keep your base level of fitness, so don't fear losing cardiovascular abilities.

"This is a perfect time to concentrate on building a solid cardiovascular foundation with methodical drills designed to help you develop your swimming stroke, running stride, or pedal cadence," says White. "Come next spring, your improved technique should help catapult your performance to a higher level."

Carmichael Training Systems (CTS)
Carmichael Training Systems was founded in 1999 by Chris Carmichael. From the beginning, the mission of the company has been to improve the lives of individuals we work with through the application of proper and effective fitness and competitive training techniques.

Whether your focus is recreational, advanced, or you are a professional racer, the coaching methodology employed by CTS will make you a better athlete.