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Making Off-Season Strength Training Fun...

Friday, 22 January 2021 23:10

By Kate Ligler (triathlete.com)

Every Sunday afternoon I sit down in my home office prepping for next week’s clients directly in front of one of my favorite quotes:

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

While George Bernard Shaw has many famous expressions, the words “grow old” in this particular quote could be replaced by any number of phrases directly relevant to a triathlete.

We lose motivation when sessions get long or boring. We aggravate old niggles when our training is out of balance. We plateau with lack of variability. I have found few in this sport who aren’t striving to remain youthful, vibrant, and competitive as they age. So if you’re one of these athletes, now’s your time...

Off-season is when we incorporate play, or “general athleticism,” into strength and conditioning work to promote durability (resistance to fatigue/injury), enhance mobility (muscular tension, length, and coordination in movement), and reestablish stability (control). The spontaneity and variability of play help to recondition, stretch, and strengthen your muscle fascia – that super suit of connective tissue that supports every muscle and organ in your body. Healthy fascia gives us fluidity in movement (free watts) and that proverbial “spring” in our step (free speed) we all search for as the racing season hits full stride. READ MORE