Purple Patch Postseason Tips
The postseason phase of training is a critical platform of success for your continued evolution as an athlete, in fact, we would argue the postseason is the greatest predictor toward an athlete making massive strides in their performance level. The balance in this phase is that we must seamlessly achieve two things:
Emotional and physical rejuvenation
Remain consistent and lay the platform of readiness to maximize results from subsequent hard work
OPTIMIZING POST-SEASON
The most common mistake of amateur athletes is to take too much of an unstructured break between the last race of the season and then ramping back into specific work. The other is to stubbornly train on with the same vigor, fearful of losing fitness. So how do we balance both rest and progression within a phase of training? Let’s review what an optimal postseason phase includes:
Technical and skills development across disciplines
Development of tissue resilience (muscle, tendons, ligaments) to enable resistance to injury when training load ramps up
Amplified focus on strength, conditioning, and mobility
Addition of different yet related sports (mountain biking, hiking, cross-country ski)
Lower overall training load with more space/time for other areas in life
We are making important additions that we feel will not only amplify interest and a feeling of progression, but also act to improve results long-term. This will be:
Very high intensity and short duration intervals.
At the other end of the range of endurance sports, we will get to hit some really fun and different intervals. For much of the race season there simply isn't the capacity to integrate these types of sessions into a regular training week. So in the postseason, yes, you get to go fast! Really fast. There are plenty of benefits to this type of work:
Increase the ceiling of physiological performance
Activate available muscles into the usable mix
Improve central neurological conditioning
Provide a route to improve proper form in disciplines
Of course, high speed and high power is a strong dose of work. This means we must be really careful to not make global training load too high. To ensure we don’t do this, the antidote is:
No search for high duration / endurance work
Global training hours should be lower than when in the middle of the Build and Race Specific Phases
No make up sessions if you miss some of the training -- we don’t need to be that obsessed
We believe that this work, combined with some fun adventure training and a highly specific focus on technical development, is going to provide a wonderful framework for your growth next season. Success is framed by hitting some really challenging sessions over the coming months of postseason that doesn’t feel like daunting training. You should salivate for the intensity we give, and arrive at the start of Q1 (or Jan 1) raring to go and physically and mentally fresh.
WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE?
Here is a simple and rough rule of thumb:
Race Specific Training Hours Post Season Training Hours
16-20 hrs 8-12 hrs
12-14 hrs 7-10 hrs
9-11 hrs 6-8 hrs
6-9 hrs 4-7 hrs
WHAT ABOUT TAKING A BREAK?
Absolutely! A complete step away from training is a good thing, but not for too long. Here is a rhythm we suggest:
Your last race is complete: well done -- we hope it went well!
First week following your last race:
2 days really easy recovery training
Rest of the week off -- Turn your back on the sport!
Second week following:
Low structure and very social
No metrics and no pressure
Get planning next season -- a great time for a coaching consult
Third week following:
Begin postseason
Low emotional pressure
At least two days completely off
Fourth week following:
Fully into normal postseason work
Emotionally engaged in training without chasing fitness
SETTING THE MINDSET:
If you want to know -- in a single sentence -- why this is so important, then simply read this:
Postseason is a phase of preparation, in which you develop the bedrock of technique and tissue readiness which will maximize the yield of your hard work awaiting you in the months ahead.
You are not chasing fitness -- you are preparing the body to train! This is a massively important concept, and a phase that if you miss you simply cannot expect to maximize performance yields in the season ahead.
YOUR POSTSEASON PLEDGE:
SUCCESSFUL MINDSET:
I don’t worry about metrics. I am free and unshackled, and should not judge myself on output or pace.
I am not chasing fitness. You are preparing your body for tough upcoming work, not in the midst of it. Success is doing things well and not driving toward big fitness gains.
I should challenge myself to try new things. Related to a sport or not, get out and mix it up. You can mountain bike, hike, paint, try Barry’s Bootcamp. You have leeway in the program.
TRAINING FOCUS:
Drive toward technical development. This is a great time to commit to adjusting form, technique, or bike fit.
Build the chassis. Strength and conditioning take priority, along with consistent technical work in the endurance sports to improve the integrity of muscle tissue, tendons, and ligaments.
Don’t shy from the intensity. Only once or twice weekly you get to sprint — fast — for short bouts. Have fun with it, but don’t chase power or metrics.
MANAGEMENT APPROACH:
I should not feel overloaded. You are not chasing in this phase, and if life gets in the way of training, do not over-stress and concern yourself with make-up sessions.
I should aim to get my key focus areas in each week. If I am focusing more on swimming, prioritize these sessions first.
I must leave myself room to grow. Do not schedule training hours to the upper limit of my weekly availability. Leave some hours to spare to ensure progression as the training load goes up.
It is that simple. Print this out, keep it handy, but please do not stray. No matter how lofty your goals, no matter how much you are enthused at this time, you should allow yourself breathing room. Oh, and one more thing, you should also realize that holidays fall right in the midst of this quarter. That’s a wonderful time to… have a holiday! Enjoy it, kick back, and only fit in training as it suits your schedule. You can return ready to get fit when ready.
THE PURPLE PATCH SQUAD - POSTSEASON DEVELOPMENT
Looking for a more structured Postseason? Join the Squad and like-minded athletes who are integrating sport into life.
The Squad features twice-weekly functional strength sessions, along with key swim, bike and run sessions that are the building blocks of resiliency, speed and muscle/tissue readiness for the work that is to come.
In addition to the workouts, you also receive weekly Education opportunities on topics like preparing for your first IRONMAN, how to maximize your Squad experience, the mission of strength training, and more.
JOIN THE SQUAD or Contact Us with Questions.