BREAK THROUGH Your BARRIERS

The race season's on the horizon but you're stuck in a performance rut. Thankfully, our quartet of experts are here to help you out of it and to push you to the next level...

- JAMES WITTS

Your New Year's resolutions seem a world away and the motivation that was coursing through your veins during an alcohol-free January has begun to dry up. You've hit a multisport plateau and progress is glacial if not static. Do not worry this performance and motivational malaise is common. Thankfully, there are simple solutions to morph regression into progression.

Here, we pin down four common ‘plateau' scenarios and show you how to overcome them. These are aimed at relative newcomers to seasoned long-course athletes and the full spectrum in-between. That said, if the scenarios don't resonate with your own plateau, fear not: there'll be takeaways that are relevant and can be applied to your own performance. Right, over to our four world-class coaches to help you smash through your barriers...

SWIMMING STAGNATION

“I'm from a run background and, when I started swimming, simply swimming lengths twice a week improved my time. But now I've plateaued. Help!”

COACH DAN BULLOCK, SWIM FOR TRI

There are several key areas to focus on here. First, swim more than you are. Two swims is plateau territory; three to four will help massively.

Next, have a plan. Swimming laps is better than not swimming but, ultimately, you’re just practising swimming laps. Speed, endurance, fitness and technique should feature at the appropriate times. Mobility practised on dry land might also be needed to speed things along.