Tips For a Successful Off-Season and a Strong 2025
Some thoughts on what to do during these cold, dark winter months to put yourself in a good position in 2025.
Ease up (but don’t let off the gas completely) - It’s ok and even necessary to detrain a bit during this time, but you don’t want to go completely off the rails and undo a year's worth of progress and consistency. Take some time off and give your body and mind what they need, but don’t get too complacent, especially if you have early season events in March or April. Spring really isn't that far away!
Reduce volume, maintain (some) intensity - Even if you love the treadmill or riding indoors, you should still let the training volume come down 25% - 50% for a month or two before you start building back up again. Most of your training during this time should be pretty easy, but it’s probably a good idea to include at least one harder interval session a week to keep things interesting and maintain some of that top end power and fitness through the winter.
Address weaknesses - This can be both in terms of a physical weakness or a reoccurring injury or niggle, or weak point in your sport that has been holding you back, like bike handing or technical riding. This is also a good time to get a bike fit and end-of-year tune up, experiment with different fueling strategies or pieces of equipment, and improve body composition. Do this stuff now when the training volume is low and the calendar is clear, not 2 weeks before your first race of the year!
Strength training - If you’ve never done it before, the off season is a great time to work with a coach and learn the movements. If strength training has taken a backseat or been greatly reduced during the summer months, then now is a good time to do more of it while endurance training volume is reduced.
Cross training - Swapping out some of your usual run or bike training with other forms of exercise is a good way to stay active while giving yourself a mental and physical break from your usual activities. If you are a cyclist, then try adding in a little running or skiing. If you're a runner, then hop on the bike or do some strength work. If you mostly do road cycling, then hop on a mountain bike or fat bike. If you run mostly on the roads, then add in some trail running or hiking. Of course, procede gradually with any new activity.
Look back and ahead - Reflect on what went well and what didn’t, where you improved and what still needs work. But also think about who you want to become and what you want to do in 2025, and start making a plan for that. If part of that plan involves getting stronger, and you want help doing that, let me know. I’d love to help!