MATT HANSON
He’s officially the fastest Ironman in the world, and he’s here to share his top tips for the off-season for all abilities and experience levels
1 TAKE A BREAK
It’s very important to take a long break after a hard season. It’s always difficult to let some of the fitness that you’ve worked all season gaining drift away, but it’s important. A 2-3 week break is paramount to let the mind and body recover. You’ll come back chomping at the bit to build into next season. 2 FOCUS ON STRENGTH AND MOBILITY While you take a break from your regular swim, bike and run training, you should have a little extra time to focus on getting into a good strength training regimen and develop a daily mobility routine. Many triathletes allow these habits to drift away once the season gets into full swing, so it’s important to get back into a good routine.
3 STICK WITH YOUR COACH!
Many athletes think that because they don’t have any races coming up, that that’s the best time to train on their own. The offseason is when the biggest gains can be made! So either stick with your current coach or consider getting some coaching sessions. A good coach can help you develop a plan for the off-season to address your weaknesses as an athlete. 4 CONSIDER A SINGLESPORT FOCUS If you’re having a particularly long off-season, consider a single-sport emphasis. If you have a weakness, or want to make your strength stronger, a four-week block focusing on a single sport can be very helpful, not only physcially but also mentally as you switch focus from three to one sports. 5 RECONNECT WITH LOVED ONES Let’s face it, training for triathlon can be very time-consuming, so it’s really important to spend some time with your family and friends when you’re able to. The off-season is an important time to focus on the other people in your life who may have got the short end of the stick over the last few months leading into your big races. Take this time to reconnect with them and make them the focus for once!
6 DEVELOP YOUR GOALS
The off-season is where you should develop a list of things you want to accomplish the following year. This will help you and your coach, if you have one, sketch out your training plan for the following season as well as help give you focus and direction in your training.