General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Rotating rest weeks by discipline? Rss Feed  
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2014-04-06 10:34 AM

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Subject: Rotating rest weeks by discipline?

Hey all,

I've been thinking about a change to the way I typically approach rest weeks - mostly out of practicality.  The whole fam bambly is going on a 10+ day trip and I'll only be able to run...

So, I was thinking about taking a "rest week from running only" the week prior to the trip - rather than a week going easily in all 3, which is my typical "rest & test" week approach - going heavy on the bike and swim that week prior to the trip, then resting the bike and swim while I run on vacation (logistically easier - and I LOVE running during travel).

Can you rest each discipline individually and almost independently of the other 2?  Or does the body need down time from all three for an overall less intense rest period between builds?

Anyone have experience with this or ideas?  Not set in stone - just something I've been noodling and wondering about...

Thanks.

Matt



2014-04-06 10:52 AM
in reply to: mcmanusclan5

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Madison, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Rotating rest weeks by discipline?
Originally posted by mcmanusclan5

Hey all,

I've been thinking about a change to the way I typically approach rest weeks - mostly out of practicality.  The whole fam bambly is going on a 10+ day trip and I'll only be able to run...

So, I was thinking about taking a "rest week from running only" the week prior to the trip - rather than a week going easily in all 3, which is my typical "rest & test" week approach - going heavy on the bike and swim that week prior to the trip, then resting the bike and swim while I run on vacation (logistically easier - and I LOVE running during travel).

Can you rest each discipline individually and almost independently of the other 2?  Or does the body need down time from all three for an overall less intense rest period between builds?

Anyone have experience with this or ideas?  Not set in stone - just something I've been noodling and wondering about...

Thanks.

Matt




Yes and no. For most a rest week is to let the body and recover from the training load (stress) you have put the body under the past 10-24 days. By only resting 1/3 of that and still putting in a high load/stress you really are not giving the body a chance to recover and absorb the training load/stress you have put the body under. You are simply just transferring the load/stress of the run to distribute more to the swim/bike. Therefore, it will be hard for the body to absorb the training, progress, and make the proper adaptions. You will slowly be battling a fight against fatigue which can harm your hormone levels, performance, appetite, etc.

However, if you are doing this to just let the legs recover, dropping the run (weight bearing) for 2 non-weight bearing disciplines (bike, swim) it could be effective, but it will not do much for athletic development over the long haul.
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Top swimmers rotate the core of the body from one side to the other while keeping the head fixed. When you rotate in this way, you move through the water more like a fish, maximizing your efficiency.