It sounds self-explanatory but any specific examples of tapering for a Sprint or Olympic? Thanks.
cut volume in half the week before the race, doing less each day as you near the race. Reduce intensity some, but not by as much as half.
It varies from individual to individual based on fitness, age and other, but the formula above is a good starting point.
Scott Molina’s idea of tapering was the rest he got driving to the race.
it what some pros need to do a week or two before the race after their huge body destroying volumes of workouts in the months before a race.
Many age groupers who work out 7 to 10 hours a week also do this before their local sprint triathlon and its a compleeete waste of time
It is the tradeoff of fitness (as a result of reduced workload) for increased recovery (rest) that
hopefully meets the ideal crossover point to provide maximum results.
-Jot
Dave Scott had a record day @ IM Japan after doing pretty much the entire distance the day before.
Dave Scott had a record day @ IM Japan after doing pretty much the entire distance the day before.
Are you saying he didn’t believe in the benefits of tapering?
in the book iron will it states that dave scott’s taper days were still pretty intense.
Dave Scott had a record day @ IM Japan after doing pretty much the entire distance the day before.
Are you saying he didn’t believe in the benefits of tapering?
i seriously doubt that.
tapering 2-3 weeks for any racing event is pretty standard. from track to cross country to swimming, even the sprinters taper 3 weeks.
Tapering is the single most mentally trying thing an athlete can do.
Sprinters taper longer and more than distance athletes.
I love to taper. Can’t wait till the second week of June.
I would think Dave Scott did reduce his training volume as the race date approached-could explain the results he got after a long training day. He also indicated that he routinely clicked off a mile or so on IM race mornings.
an age grouper training 7 hours a week, assuming they didn’t just start last month, is in a constant state of taper.
i have no doubt that cross country runners taper, but they put in a lot more training load than a 7 hour a week triathlete (even if they don’t spend 7 hours a week running, cuz its ALL running)
same for sprinters, they dont spend much time but it is much more itense.
I mean i guess if you spend 7 hours a week training and it is almost all speedwork and intense time trials then yeah
take it easy in the week before the race =)
i seriously doubt that.
tapering 2-3 weeks for any racing event is pretty standard. from track to cross country to swimming, even the sprinters taper 3 weeks.
i seriously doubt that.
tapering 2-3 weeks for any racing event is pretty standard. from track to cross country to swimming, even the sprinters taper 3 weeks.
If you are training 8 hours per week, cutting back to 6 then 4 then 2 would be pretty silly. Of course on this forum, no one trains less than 15 hours/per week, so ignore my last comment.
i seriously doubt that.
tapering 2-3 weeks for any racing event is pretty standard. from track to cross country to swimming, even the sprinters taper 3 weeks.
If you are training 8 hours per week, cutting back to 6 then 4 then 2 would be pretty silly. Of course on this forum, no one trains less than 15 hours/per week, so ignore my last comment.
I was under the assumption that I’m the only person on here not training a minimum of 20 hrs/week.
It is the tradeoff of fitness (as a result of reduced workload) for increased recovery (rest) that
hopefully meets the ideal crossover point to provide maximum results.
-Jot
Well said. I’m probably in the 10-15 hours a week range, age 42, Sprint and Olympic racer. I like to do an absolute minimal week of training (3-4 hours) the week before a race. I like to be completely fresh and will take freshness over any loss of fitness that may occur. Then again…I’m a rookie.
Well said. I'm probably in the 10-15 hours a week range, age 42, Sprint and Olympic racer. I like to do an absolute minimal week of training (3-4 hours) the week before a race. I like to be completely fresh and will take freshness over any loss of fitness that may occur. Then again...I'm a rookie.
Usually the same way, but about a month ago, I did a full time trial (1200 yd swim / 22 mile bike / 4 mile run) all out. It was on the trail end of 9 days of hard training, consisting of about 350 miles on the bike, 60 miles on foot, and at least 30,000 yards in the pool, and the day before had been 3 hours on the bike and a RIDICULOUS swim.
Surprisingly, I had a phenomenal bike and the best run I’ve ever had. My legs were DEAD tired, and I could feel that on the hills, but I still consider it one of the best performances I’ve ever done.
although the literal definition of taper means to cut to an end. as an athlete, tapering to me means peaking my body for the race. all the good coaches have some unique thing that they practice a few weeks out to give their athletes an edge. intense meditation/visualizing the race, waking up at the same time as your competition, water/salt intake, emptying your bowels… list goes on and on.
in terms of distance, youre probably right. the other stuff is what makes peaking tough.
I would think Dave Scott did reduce his training volume as the race date approached
Correct.