Many in-season triathlon training plans call for one full day off per week. This gives the triathlete a time of total rest for the purpose of recovery. Likewise, the cold weather months, if utilized optimally, allow the body to heal from the stresses, strains and injuries absorbed during regular season. Yet a triathlete should not hibernate, lest muscular and aerobic atrophy set in. A consistent off-season training plan of reduced intensity promotes recovery while maintaining capacity.
Swimming
Triathlon is not science; what works for some is detrimental to others. Some triathletes advise forgoing swimming altogether during the off-season on the premises that swimming takes twice as long for half the benefit, success is more a matter of technique than endurance and swimming is the smallest portion of the race. Other triathletes insist that some pool time over the winter is essential for maintaining prowess in the water. Alternating relaxed 400-meter lap swims with intense sprints of 15 to 20 strokes is one way of maintaining muscle memory without inhibiting recovery. Exercising kick techniques with a kickboard is also advisable.
Cycling
Common among serious triathletes is a reduction in mileage during off-season biking. A 10-minute ride can give the legs a solid workout if the rider focuses on isolated leg training. Here, the athlete uses the strength of one leg to propel the bike, while the alternate leg follows for a fixed period. Then the rider will switch legs and continue to alternate at shrinking durations. Longer endurance rides should be limited to flat surfaces, keeping the heart rate elevation modest in comparison to regular season training.
Running
Like swimming, off-season running often entails switching longer distances at lower speed with short sprints of high intensity. If the run is to improve speed and efficiency, a trek totaling 40 minutes should be sufficient for an experienced non-professional. A run to build or maintain endurance can range between 30 and 90 minutes. Winter running is best done outside if possible, but a treadmill is perfectly acceptable. As with cycling, the off-season runner should strive to keep the heart rate midway between resting rate and maximum rate achieved during in-season training. Five to ten minute warm-ups and cool-downs should bracket these runs.
Strength Training
On its face, strength training may appear superfluous for those who work their muscles in the pool, on the bike and on foot. It is, nevertheless, the very nature of multi-sport endurance competition that makes resistance training so necessary. Triathletes are frequently on the verge of bone, muscle and tendon overload. Resistance training in the off-season fortifies bone and soft tissue to better tolerate the demands put upon them. Weights may or may not be utilized. For instance, walking lunges flex and stretch the same muscles with which we run. One-legged squats simulate the hip, knee and ankle extension of cycling. Finally, swimming muscles are strengthened by use of a cable-pulley attachment, with the body rotating as in the freestyle stroke.
References
- Ironman: Offseason Training
- D3Multisport.com: Training Plans from D3Multisport
- BeginnerTriathlete.com; The Season Is Almost Over…Now What!; Michael Pate
- Triathlete; Training: Welcoming the Off-Season; Nan Keppler; Dec. 1, 2009
- Endurance Nation: Triathlon Coaching PSA #132: No Winter Swimming
- BeginnerTriathlete.com; Running Workouts in 30 Minutes or Less; Enrico Contolini
- SlowTwitch.com; Strength Training for Triathletes; Maylene Wise; Feb. 18, 2004
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