Why Schedule a Transition Phase?Written by Matt Russ
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Mentally it may be hard for you to transition for first time following peak. If you are used to higher volume and high intensity and you may feel they are going to loose too much fitness. I have found that athletes who transition a few seasons actually look forward to it and may train even harder leading up to transition. It is light at end of tunnel. I like my athletes coming out of transition feeling a bit under trained and ready for increased volume in base. Conversely: taking time off completely means spending a majority of your base season making up for lost ground. Each season should build on last. If you take 8 weeks off you may find your race times are similar to last years (or worse). The transition phase is an important part of an annual training plan and should not be overlooked. Be sure you end your season with a transition before you begin next.
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt coaches athletes for CTS, is an Ultrafit Associate, and owner of www.thesportfactory.com
| | When Not To TrainWritten by Matt Russ
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•When you are not fully recovered: A balanced training plan is crucial to athletic success. You should not add another high intensity work out unless you are fully recovered from last. This breaks stress-recovery cycle. Instead of stress-recovery, your training becomes stress-stress and further breaks down body. This will make you slower instead of faster and increases risk of injury. •When you are not mentally prepared or focused: Often once you start your work out, and endorphins start flowing, you will enter into a more prepared state of mind. Getting started is often hardest part. Generally speaking, as intensity is increased your training will require more focus and mental energy. No more than 2-3 "break-through" work outs per week are recommended. These work outs move you forward in your training. If you are having a day where you just do not have what it takes to perform a break-through work out, reschedule it for another day. If you cannot put forth a good effort, going through motions is not necessarily productive. •When you have more important responsibilities: I advise all my athletes to seek a balance with their lifestyles. Family and job responsibilities must come first. There will be times when you must miss a work out due to these other responsibilities. When you invest a lot of time and energy in your training this can be frustrating, but it is more important to have your priorities in order. Athletes are highly driven and motivated people who do not like to lose ground. Even though most of above are common sense, we have all trained when we probably should not have. As a rule, if you really feel you need a day off you should take it off. It is far better to be conservative in your training than risk over training or an injury that could end your season.
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt had coached athletes for CTS, is an Ultrafit Associate. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information.
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