Triathlon training and taking a day off

previewDon’t plan a day off, take it when you need it.

Like we’ve mentioned in several tips, consistency is your best friend when it comes to improvement in triathlon.  A great way to ensure consistent training is to avoid planning a regular day off.  Let your motivation and fatigue decide that day, not a planned schedule.

There is no reason you can’t train 10 days in a row if you feel like training 10 days in a row.  Why settle on Monday as your day off when that day could be a perfect day for a bike ride?  This is especially true in the winter or rainy season when weather can interfere with your plans.  Don’t pass up the nice day because you have a planned day off (unless you have a coach and he/she says so).  If your coach is planning a weekly schedule, then stick to the plan – or at least or be sure to communicate if you simply MUST ride because it’s the first sunny day in a month.  If you’re doing your own thing, and feeling good, then it is just fine to train all the time until you really need that day off. Learn to listen to your body and don’t ignore it when you are feeling run down.

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The 3 day rule

Going back to the topic of consistency with this short tip.  A good rule of thumb is to never let three days go by where you haven’t trained one of the three sports.  Being consistent in training as whole is great, but being consistent across swimming, biking, and running is also very important.  Keeping [...]

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation



despair

What is your underlying motivation for doing well in triathlon? Material aspects of competition, such as prizes, trophies, money? More immaterial, egocentric aspects of competitive events, such as recognition and respect from peers? Or how about  the desire for self-development, and to challenge yourself?

Sports psychology studies emphasize that athletes should be encouraged to improve performance using intrinsic (within yourself) rather than extrinsic (outside yourself) motivators. This is because, with extrinsic rewards, your self-confidence and overall satisfaction with training and performance are defined by external factors, which are out of your control.

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Train with consistency

Consistency is your best friend when it comes to improvement. Try your hardest to get something done every single day during a particular block of training. Consistent small workouts every day will outweigh the weekend warrior approach. For sure your Monday-Friday training volume will be lower than the weekend training volume, but no training [...]

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