Winter Base Plans Revisited * Simon Ward

As we hit November it’s time to think a bit more deeply about your long term goals and how your winter training will help you to achieve them.

This general conditioning phase is just one piece of the puzzle of which training is only 1/3 of the equation (the others being nutrition and recovery). How close you get to your 2020 goals is heavily influenced by what you do in the next few months, and if you are behind the curve come the spring then making up that ground will be more difficult. This week’s podcast is a repeat of the one I delivered last year. There have been no ‘significant' changes in my approach although I might tweak what I do for some people.

This week, there is no guest as I will be taking you through the steps required to set up a winter training plan to ‘crush’ the opposition in 2020.  This is a 45 minute broadcast emphasising the simple technique that I use with the athletes I work with.

I will be asking you to embrace some shifts in mindset and to consider a slightly different approach to what other coaches might propose and what you have done in the past. 

As the saying goes “if you always do what you have always done, you’ll always get what you've always had”.

This episode is packed full of information.  Get yourself a pen and paper and be prepared to make some notes as I share:

• The ONE key factor which will influence your success in 2020
• The “low hanging fruit” which will give you the biggest return for your training investment
• How mastery goals will take you toward your outcome goals
• Why you must think longer than 12 months when setting your goals
• The #1 goal of your winter training plan
• Polarised training and the MAF approach
• Why all training plans work
• How athletes get in their own way by 'splitting hairs’
• The importance of giving sleep and recovery the same value as training in your planning
• Some simple nutrition advice
• The value of yearly strength training for ALL athletes
• Why swimming more and running less could mean greater gains in fitness
• Why you don’t really need to run or ride long in the winter

In the introduction I mentioned other podcasts which will go into more depth on some of the subjects mentioned today. Here are the links:

Olympic Physio Alison Rose on avoiding running injuries

Louisa Holmes on Breathing

Christie Aschwanden on recovery

Sleep with Nick Littlehales

Prof Paul Laursen on Low Carb/High fat and High intensity Interval Training

John Thompson on psychology including resilience and your reason why

Yoga with Jack Maitland and Kirsten Stefferson

Joe Friel on training for athletes over 50

Dr Phil Maffetone again on all things MAF training

Faster freestyle swimming with Karlyn Pipes

Matt Bottrrill on how to cycle faster 

Malcolm Brown on how to run faster

To find out more about Simon’s SWAT programme, please click here https://simonward1.lpages.co/swat-sign-up-30-offer/

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For any questions please email Beth@TheTriathlonCoach.com.