Sustaining Peak Performance

THE BENCHMARK OF IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IS MOST OFTEN MEASURED AGAINST YOUR PREVIOUS BEST – A NEW PB IN A RACE OR A NEW HEAVIEST BENCH PRESS OR FASTEST WOD.

 

- Pedro van Gaalen

But what if you prefer to churn out a number of top performances during the course of a season? What if your measure of success is the ability to train or race hard on multiple occasions to deliver consistent results?

It’s a pertinent question, especially for gymgoers like body builders or CrossFitters who often tend to train for prolonged periods of time at near-peak levels in a effort to become bigger and stronger. The same could be said of competitive amateur age-group athletes who compete in a race series, for example.

PLAN TO PEAK

Due to the physiological demands of staying at near-peak levels of performance, it is necessary to understand the importance of programme periodisation, particularly in terms of balancing rest, training and competition or races. But if you get it right, it is possible to churn out multiple top results or efforts over a period of a few months, instead of peaking for just one or two races or periods in the year.

To better understand the process, planning and training required, Ian Craig, a Johannesburg-based exercise physiologist, coach and nutritional therapist, suggests that we take the lead of those who have perfected the art of maintaining peak performance throughout a season, namely professional endurance athletes.

“International athletes who compete in any type of race series that requires participation in multiple events, for example ITU triathletes, Diamond League track athletes or professional cyclists, all follow periodised plans that balance periods of hard work in training and races with periods of rest and recuperation,” explains Craig.

“These recovery periods can often be longer than your standard rest day or recovery period, especially at the end of a season ahead of base training, which is when pro athletes can rest for up to four to six weeks.”

ACTIVE REST