Today I have decided to focus in more detail on number 3 from my 10 point guide – Consistency
Consistency is probably if not the most important process to providing success in any sport.
What is consistency? A combination of connecting days, weeks, months and even years of uninterrupted training, sticking to your plan and not missing key sessions. The ability to train hard, stay healthy and remain dedicated are big factors and all these things together will provide consistency.
Doing an activity repeatedly whilst adding intensity or volume over time will lead to gains in any discipline but it does take time….
How to achieve consistency –
- Make the most of short windows of time. Short sessions can still be effective and although big training days are important consistency over shorter more frequent days is more beneficial
- Identify key sessions and give them priority. These sessions are not negotiable so plan them when you know nothing can interrupt your time to do them. They should incorporate a mix of VO2, Threshold, Sweetspot and Recovery sessions
- Include intensity that is relevant to your multisport goals i.e if you are purely focusing on sprint races you’ll need to add in more intense sessions than if you were doing long distance. Intensity is best saved for the bike and swim where risk of injury is less likely
- Only enter races that you know you will have time to train for!
- Recovery – Your body will get stronger when you are resting so you must factor in rest days and prioritise healthy eating and sleep. Keep the recovery sessions easy
- Finally – Remember something is better than nothing – if you are struggling to find time or motivation to train then just do something; even if its just 30 minutes you’ll probably find you feel better than having done nothing and you’ll be consistent at least!
Good Luck!