The Secret Ingredient: Off-Season Triathlon Training
You train hard for your events, with laser focus getting narrower as races approach. No stone unturned, every detail covered. Is this going to be your breakthrough performance? It could well be, but the truth is that the most significant predictor of performance breakthroughs and continued progression in any sport is down to a surprising part of your season; how you execute the off-season triathlon training. I consistently observe that the single greatest performance predictor is how folks tackle the period between their last race of the season and when they return to focused training for the following year. Seldom do we see athletes achieve continued high performance without getting this part of their season right, so let’s outline a blueprint for success.
What You Need To Know About Off-Season:
Common Mistakes
Mistake number one is taking a complete break. We will use the fictional character, John, to illustrate this.
Every year John approaches every off-season (and race season) in a similar fashion. Around November or December, he takes a step away from triathlon due to being burnt out. During this period, of 2 to 3 months, he stays relatively inactive; maybe he does the occasional hike or winter sport activity, but nothing remotely triathlon related.
After the new year, when the weather begins to warm, John finds some motivation and begins training again, around February or March. Initially, he feels great, his training metrics are good, and his motivation is high. However, John often finds himself with a minor soft tissue injury 4 to 8 weeks into the initial ramp. He fights through and arrives at his races super fit but fails to meet his own and coach’s expectations. He performs below potential.
John repeats this cycle year in year out. It is a perfect example (and very common!) of an everything or nothing approach; there’s no middle ground. And it leads to a cycle of failure, injury, and frustration.
The second major mistake, and the polar opposite of what we just discussed, is obsession. Training too hard over the off-season triathlon training can also be a dangerous road. The body and mind need time to recover and reboot after a long, hard season of racing. Training too much over the colder months will yield nothing but disappointment.
Remember the magic word: progression. We want to create fitness that is long-lasting and resilient. By progressing your training over months and years, you allow space for recovery and a strong foundation of fitness.
Like building a house, the foundational part of the year won’t yield visual gains, but it is critical. Preparation and technical development aren't sexy, but they are as important as the base of your house. Avoid charging for glory in the off-season. It’s not the time to chase massive fitness and performance breakthroughs.
What is a Successful Off-Season?
If you go into the off-season with the right mindset, the rest will follow. You cannot be too stressed about chasing fitness gains, but equally, you should not remove triathlon and sport from your mind entirely. Think to yourself: consistency. And remember, consistency does not mean obsession.
The following building blocks are an excellent place to start for some off-season triathlon training guidance:
Don’t Chase Fitness: You are preparing to build fitness. As a result, your metrics will naturally not be as impressive as they are during race season.
Off-Season = Prepatory Phase: You want to return to training very motivated and fresh and focusing on staying healthy and injury-free.
The Main Elements of Off-Season:
Taking a smart but short complete break from training.
A real focus on the technical elements of all three sports.
Develop and maintain foundational fitness to remain resilient and healthy
Improve musculoskeletal integrity (muscles, tendons, ligaments), which is essential to prevent future injury risk and maximize adaptations from training.
Refocus on positive supporting habits, i.e., sleep, nutrition, hydration.
The training load during the off-season will naturally decrease. Don’t stress about this; embrace it and the freedom it allows to do other things such as winter sports.
Your off-season is a foundational building block. Let it fulfill its role correctly and effectively.
How to Nail Your Off-Season
When your last race ends, this is what your off-season should look like, in this order:
Take a Break: Complete mental and physical rejuvenation. Turn your back on structured sport, but for no longer than 10 to 14 days. During this time, you can enjoy treats and other indulgences but don’t become a sloth. Move around daily and eat reasonably well. Everything in moderation, including excess!
Begin Consistency: You must return to some sort of loosely structured training schedule fairly quickly. During the off-season months, you want to reduce training load by 30-40%, giving space for family time and other hobbies (can you believe it!) and won’t overload you physically.
Chase the Mission: Preparation is the mission, not building fitness. We are getting ready to absorb and optimize the hard work when it inevitably arrives.
We like to organize the off-season into five important training facets. They are as follows:
Technical work: Off-season allows us the time and headspace to work on minor tweaks that include form, technique, postural improvements, and habits.
Lower Mileage, Higher Speed: Much of your training should be ‘soul-filling’, lower stress, and socially paced. But should include around two weekly sessions of short, high power/speed work.
Tissue Resilience: We aim to prepare the body to absorb and adapt to the hard work ahead. In injury-prone activities, such as running, we do not chase direct fitness. Instead, we build muscle and tissue integrity with short, easy, and low-stress activity applied frequently.
Build Strength, Mobility, and Athleticism: The off-season is the perfect time for strength training.
Develop and Maintain Healthy Habits: With physical training load low, and time to spare, the off-season is ideal for integrating better habits around self-care, stretching, sleep, nutrition, and stress management.
If you nail these off-season essentials for 6-12 weeks, you will be:
Mentally fresh
In possession of stellar supporting habits, you can take into the race season.
Physically ready to absorb and respond to hard training (resilient to injury and fatigue)
Primed for a breakthrough season
Your off-season triathlon training is a balancing act, it isn’t about maintaining prime fitness, but you must avoid going into the black hole of randomness.
At Purple Patch, our off-season focus is on:
Video consultation to help remote athletes improve form and technique around strength, swimming, and cycling.
Engaging and specific coached sessions on the bike make the dark, cold days a little more enjoyable, but without the shackles of obsession with gaining miles and hours.
Habit-focused and community-focused challenges that foster team spirit and improvements in our overall approach to sport.
High-quality education around all aspects of the performance-focused lifestyle.
Connecting athletes in the community to share ideas, plan, and train.
Free Download: Get Stronger This Off-Season
The off-season is a wonderful opportunity to rejuvanate the body and come back stronger. Take advantage of the off-season with smart gym work. Download our free strength sessions now.