When I trained for my first Ironman, like many triathletes, I believed that more training was better. I wished for more time to train, but since that wasn’t possible, I found myself making sacrifices elsewhere to fit in additional sessions.
With a busy schedule, I had to compromise: waking up earlier for morning bike rides, eating on the go while commuting to or from the pool, and cutting short my warm-ups and cool-downs. While these adjustments seemed logical at the time, they ended up being counterproductive. In fact, my fitness declined because I was approaching overtraining.
At this time of year, many athletes often ask me if they should increase their weekly training volume or the intensity at the same volume. My responses draw from my reflections during my first Ironman experience. Instead of adding more, why not maximize the value from the training you are already doing?
The beauty of this approach is that you don't need to find extra hours in your schedule or additional motivation to train harder. In fact, maintaining the same routine could yield completely different results by applying some or all of the following strategies:
Nutrition: Reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol. Focus on meal timing around training, increase your protein consumption, and plan your meals and food preparation in advance.
Sleep: Be more intentional about your pre-sleep routine and improve your sleep hygiene.
Efficiency: Work on enhancing your technique, especially in swimming and running. Commit to a daily mobility routine to improve your movement skills, and incorporate regular resistance training.
Precision: Understand the different training zones for each discipline and plan workouts that specifically target them. Utilize warm-ups and cool-downs effectively.
In future articles, I’ll expand on each of these strategies in greater detail. There are numerous options available, which can feel overwhelming if you try to tackle them all at once. For now, take some time to consider which strategy might be the easiest for you to start implementing.
Feel free to post them on my Facebook page.
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I really appreciate you being part of my tribe and I look forward to helping you achieve better health and better performance.
Simon
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Please check out these podcasts and articles
PODCAST: Understanding Lactate and the Norwegian Method with Dr Sam Shepherd
In today’s episode I’m joined by Dr. Sam Shepherd, Head of Sports Science at Precision Fuel and Hydration, and a leading expert on lactate. Together, we dive into the fascinating world of lactate, training zones, and the cutting-edge Norwegian Method often associated with elite triathletes like Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt.
We wrap up by exploring the Norwegian Method - a high-volume, high-intensity training approach that emphasizes frequent threshold training and precise lactate testing to fine-tune performance. While it may seem like a modern innovation, the principles behind it have been around for decades. In fact, my own journey with lactate began in 1987, and it’s amazing to see how today’s tools bring more precision to what was practiced back then.
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ARTICLE: Am I still an athlete if I don't have races on the calendar?
I get asked this question regularly by athletes. In fact, some find it as stressful to have an empty calendar as they do a big race looming.
2025 races are already starting to appear on the calendar, and you may be one of those folks stressing about which race to enter, so I’m going to offer up an alternative.
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