How To Have The Best Off Season Yet
By Coach Felipe Loureiro of www.breakaway-training.com
You just finished your last race of the season and the only thing on your mind is a well-deserved week off doing what you have been dreaming of: NOTHING. Watching Netflix, catching up with your sleep, eating ice cream and cookies, finally fixing the house door that’s been broken since March.
Take a Mental And Physical Break
Every endurance athlete needs a physical and mental break at least once every season. It is absolutely essential for your body and mind!
As soon as you are done with your break, it becomes time for the famous “off-season”. However, many athletes can often misunderstand what it means to be in the off-season. It can be interpreted as a time of checking out, skipping workouts, and basically in a vacation mode. Off-Season is actually a time when all of the foundation work is done… a great endurance athlete is made during the off-season months.
Get Back To Work With These Off-Season Guidelines
Follow these “Off-Season” guidelines to make sure you will have a killer season:
- Work on your weaknesses!
- Drills, drills, and more drills… (swim, bike, and run)
- Make Core Strength Training a Priority! Now is the time to build an injury proof body (2 to 3 Times a Week)
- Cross Training: Try new things to keep your workouts fun and to help your training: hike, paddleboard, surf, ski mountaineering, mountain bike, cyclocross.
- Focus on Stretching: Include at least 5-10 minutes of Dynamic Stretching before every workout. Try yoga once a week if you can!
- Hills: Build strength and power... try to incorporate more hills during bike rides and runs.
- Take your workouts Off-Road: Try to run on a trail at least once a week (preferred on your longer run). Trail running improves your balance and proprioception and works a different variation of your muscles.
- Stick with your Training Plan: A proper off-season plan will make you a much stronger athlete for the upcoming season.
A Diet Rich in Nutrients Can Help Performance and Recovery
Along with an intense training program and proper fueling, a diet rich in organic nutrients can help athletes avoid illness and injury and perform up to their peak come race day.
Multivitamin/multimineral supplements are typically recommended as “insurance” against dietary gaps in the provision of essential nutrients. Believe it or not, your diet may not provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need to help with the bodily processes including helping convert food into energy. Minerals are dissolved in liquid and quickly excreted from the body during intense exercise.
Vitamins and Minerals Are Critical To Most Bodily Functions
Vitamins and minerals (such as vitamins D3, E, and B6) are critical for bodily functions, and without replacement, an athlete's body can break down. For example, vitamin B-12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body's nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. B-12 also helps prevent a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia that makes people tired and weak.
Amino Acids Help Promote Muscle Growth And Repair
Taking amino acids post workout can help stimulate protein synthesis. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are used by the body to help repair muscles and help them grow. As a result, many athletes supplement with essential amino acids (those not produced within the body) post workout.
Proper Hydration Is Crucial Even During Winter Months
When you exercise, you perspire. Even in winter months. Lost in the perspiration of the body and all other bodily secretions is not just H2O, but electrolytes and essential minerals.
Electrolytes are electrically charged ions necessary for all muscle, brain, and bodily functions. According to RunnersConnect's "Electrolytes For Runners: A Definitive Guide, mineral replacement is essential to helping restore proper blood volume and blood sugar levels, and is necessary for enzymatic reactions that promote proper blood volume. Without them the quality of performance during long-term or explosive short-term exercise decreases.
Electrolytes Are Not Just Sodium, Our Bodies Contain A Host Of Other Minerals
Most athletes think that hydrating with sodium or potassium are the only minerals we need to replace during exercise. That's wrong.
According to specialist in sports nutrition, Nina Anderson, there are a host of essential minerals which are necessary for the entire body and brain to function properly. These should include the trace minerals such as: copper, magnesium, zinc, chromium, cobalt, selenium, iodine and others. Choose an electrolyte replacement that replenishes all the minerals that are lost during training.
Follow these off-season tips, focus on improving your weaknesses, and stick to the plan to ensure your season is a success!
Coach Felipe Loureiro of Breakaway Training describes his top tips for the best off season training. Felipe has been successful in triathlon at all levels – from amateur to pro – accumulating over 30 years of experience in the sport and coaching. His athletic success came as he coached others and grew a business. He knows what it takes for you to succeed in any multisport discipline despite your busy schedule.
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