Consider Low Volume & High Intensity this Off-season

Dave & Reed Kramer enjoying the off-season

I was riding my cyclocross bike on the trails of Black Diamond yesterday working up a good ladylike sweat and came to an oddly convenient realization that I habitually do shorter workouts with hard efforts. It's probably why I've had way more luck at sprint racing than Ironman over the years.  That's a convenient consideration given some reading I've been doing lately on the off-season.

There's certainly no shortage of suggestions for triathletes regarding our off-season

• Take some time off, recover and repair from your injuries, take a mental break from 2014 so you'll be raring to go in 2015
• Work on the sport where you have the greatest potential for improvement.  Slow run?  Run more. 
• Do something completely different - XC ski, Snowshoe, Row... Neither the equipment in my garage nor the terrain found outside of it can pull this off with much regularity..but I love the idea!

We enjoy the view of triathletes from our vantage point at RTB.  Here's an observation for you.  Many of us are addicted to LSD.  Long. Slow. Distance.    Triathletes train for lots and lots and LOTS of hours leading up to their events, and if they're habitual triathletes - which is redundant, by the way  - their mental default is to train for hours and hours even AFTER their key events. This is where the LSD addiction has a detrimental effect on fitness, regular exercise, and even on general health.  A 45-minute bike ride?  Why bother...  A 1000 yard swim?  Really? Iron and Half-Iron athletes are particularly susceptible to this.  I'been in this cycle after a few years of focusing on long course - sure it's been a few years but the memory lingers and it's a buzzkiller.  When all those long workouts have finally pushed you over the edge you're sick and tired of being sick and tired, though, it's easy to head for the couch with a box of anything Hostess....and subsequently start bringing the sweatpants and fat jeans back to the top of the pile.  

Before you take yourself out of this example, smug short course triathlete, this phenomenon isn't reserved solely for the distance junkies.  An overabundance of discipline and a lack of fun in any of us this time of year is a petri dish for losing motivation, gaining weight, and digging ourselves into a fitness hole we'll have to claw our way out of after the holidays. 

Here's a philosophy that may suit many of us just fine for the next few months....Low Volume & High Intensity. This philosophy, by the way, isn't just a convenient shot in the dark and unproven. And I didn't make it up. Athletes that adopt this are dropping 2-3 minutes off their 10Ks, 4-5 off their Half Marathons, and gaining 15% in power on their 40K time trials.  Looking for fun?? Found it!  You know what else is fun?  Hanging out with your friends and family!   Don't slog out a 2-hour Zone 1-2 run if your endurance event is many months away.  Hit the track and punch out six 200's....or four 400's....  (after a proper warm-up of course) Then get off the track and go hang out with REAL PEOPLE. 

Below are a few High-Intensity workouts for your off-season pleasure if you choose to adopt this ideology. There are more just a few clicks away on the internet.  Remember - if you haven't done intensity lately, a week or two of getting yourself prepared with some stretching and moderate workouts isn't a terrible idea - they'll probably save you from an injury.  Proceed happily yet CAUTIOUSLY..  If you're coming off a season of killing it, then jump right in before you burn out and watch your distance body turn into a speedy one.  Piling distance on top of that speed early next season will find you faster and fitter than ever. 

Swim Intensity Workout 
Warm-up:  200 yard swim, 200 yard kick (fins and kickboard optional), 200 yard swim
4 x 100 hard 
4 x 75 hard 
4 x 50 hard
8 x 25 hard
Cool down 100 yards very easy
During each of these intervals, swim as hard as you can - preserving your efficiency!  Then rest the same amount of time it took you to swim the interval.  
Total yards:  1800

Bike Intensity Workout - (or maybe a cyclocross race?)
Outside or inside....your choice....
Warm-up:  10 minutes start easy and build intensity until you have a good sweat going
Four times through:

• 5-min hard effort:  Find a gear you can sustain with difficulty from start to finish.  It might take one or two of these intervals to find the right gear
• 45-second standing all-out effort. Click up a couple of gear as you prepare to stand up so you won't spin out
• 2:15 easy spin - bring heartrate back down

Easy Easy spin 5 minutes
Total Time:  47 minutes

Run Intensity Workout -   (or maybe the Tuesday night track workout??!!)
Outside or treadmill - your choice..
Warm-up:  10 minutes start easy and build intensity until so your heart rate is up
Stretch
Four times through:

• 8 x 400m  (on track one lap, on treadmill .25 mile, outside either .25 mile or 2 minutes).   Run tall with a quick turnover and think about how incredible you must look
  
• 2 minute walk building to easy jog

1/2 mile or 4-5 minute easy jog/walk to cool down.  

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