More isn’t always better: how cutting back on training could make you a faster triathlete
You could be overdoing it in training and not even know it
Many triathletes are workhorses, always trying to complete every workout to the max and packing their schedules with training. It’s fair to assume that training a lot will lead to the best possible results, but that really isn’t the case. It’s possible to do too much, and when you have three sports and strength training to do, as triathletes, it can be very easy to slip into overtraining territory.
Signs you might be overtraining
If you overtrain long enough, you will experience fatigue and burnout. Your body needs rest and recovery training sessions in order to regenerate after your hard workouts. If you train at a high intensity day after day, you won’t give your body any chance to catch up, and with each passing workout, you will be less and less fresh.
Overtraining can also lead to a variety of other speed bumps. You might find yourself getting sick much more often, you could have difficulty sleeping, and you might even experience weight loss. Due to all of this, your performance will take a dive, and if you don’t know any better, you might think the only solution is to train harder, setting you off on a brutal cycle that will not end well.
How to avoid overtraining
If you suspect you’re overtraining, all you have to do is take a look at your workouts. Check out your paces and times and see if they have taken a hit in recent weeks. If so, you might need to tone things down a bit and dial back your training.
Start your battle against overtraining by giving yourself a rest day each week. We know that, as triathletes, you feel like you need to do some sort of workout every day, but when your brain tells you to go train on your rest day, remind yourself that resting is going to help you much more in the long run. You should also incorporate easy recovery workouts into your schedule. These workouts are to be done in Zone 2, meaning they should be slow and uneventful. You might find them boring, but doing them is in your best interest.
Another way to maximize your recovery and overcome any overtraining you might have been guilty of is to prioritize sleep. Rest and recovery days go a long way in helping your body regenerate after hard workouts, but the body does its best work when you are asleep. We know that getting enough sleep is easier said than done, but try your best to hit seven or eight hours a night.
Finally, you simply need to listen to your body if you want to avoid overtraining. Even if you’re new to the sport and not well-versed in all of this training, your body will be able to tell you if you’re overdoing things. If you feel overtired or fatigued, it’s not only OK to miss a day or two of training—it’s necessary. It will feel wrong to skip workouts, but not doing them is much more beneficial to your performance than grinding them out will ever be.