Without a doubt the winter, or off-season, is the most important period of training for endurance athletes. It's when the building blocks of peak performance are laid. Show me your training diary in March or April and I [Ben Bright] will be able to tell you what sort of season you have in front of you.
Consistent training with plenty of variability will give you a great base for racing as well as keep you interested and motivated when the weather isn't particularly inviting.
For off-season training aim to keep things simple and realistic with a good weekly routine that works with your lifestyle. From that basis you can then add variety to ensure you're staying physically and mentally stimulated.
The bike and run sessions outlined here (you'll find swim sessions in the next issue) will give you plenty of options to layer different stimulus alongside or on top of your winter base training routine. They can be done as standalone sessions or incorporated into longer sessions.
The majority of the sessions can be done either indoors or outdoors but if there is something that's location or equipment-specific (like a race on Zwift) it will be made clear where and how to do it.
JARGON BUSTER
Confused by some of the terminology used here? Head to 220tri.com and search for the concept in question for a full explanation.
Intensities are based on your functional threshold power (FTP), or percentage of threshold heart rate for the bike and rate or perceived exertion for the run.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and make the most of this critical time for training!
BIKE SESSIONS
Former British Triathlon head coach and Olympian Ben Bright shares his top bike sessions for the off-season...
01 MINUTE SPRINTS
Denne historien er fra December 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra December 2023-utgaven av 220 Triathlon.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
"I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE THE GROWTH OF TRIATHLON"
British Triathlon CEO Ruth Daniels talks Paris, her plans to grow tri and her own personal goals... knees allowing
ZWIFT RIDE
£1,199.99 Zwift's new Ride is an indoor bike that might help you break your PB... but won't break the bank
PARIS SHOWED THE VALUE OF OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE
With the spotlight on triathlon like never before at these Games, debutant athletes talked about being overwhelmed by the unique environment
GAMES AT THE GAMES
After watching and enjoying the Olympic triathlon events, Brunt amused himself by playing the 'guess how far into each event I would die' game...
WHERE EAGLES DARE
With little heat prep, the wrong gear choice and a course-recce mistake, would experienced extreme triathlete Sean McFarlane soar like an eagle or drop like a stone in Italy?
HOW TO INCREASE RUN PACE WHEN FATIGUED
The ability to dig deep in the latter stages of a race helped Alex Yee achieve Olympic gold. Here Ben, a member of Team GB's coaching staff in Paris, explains how you too can find that extra gear...
BUYER'S GUIDE: BIKE COMPUTERS
Log your rides, find your way and monitor your multisport training with a quartet of impressive bike computers...
POLAR GRIT X2 PRO
\"You can't be anything other than impressed with the GPS, whose design is one of the significant changes to the V3\"
