Why Pulling Back After Your 'A' Race Is Incredibly Important

After chatting to cardiologist Jon Waites for our Triathlon Therapy episode I thought the point of ‘pulling back’ is worth going through with the team again so everyone understands that perpetual progressive overload is not wise and a detraining phase is actually essential to maximising long term health and performance.

For most of us endurance lunatics, shutting down the training and taking a break can be the most difficult aspect of following a well constructed training program. Yet it’s also one of the most integral parts. We get so mentally conditioned to the training we do each day that it’s easy to forget how much we’re putting our bodies through each day. Hell, now that I’m retired I look at the taper weeks I used to do and think ‘far out, that would be a really big week for me now’. Our perspective of what is normal becomes very warped.

You may have noticed it in your own training that for 6-12 weeks you’re making satisfying progress before there is a tapering off in improvement and suddenly it’s an uphill battle just to maintain where you are at. You’re tired, frustrated and the body has simply had enough.

The good news is there is an answer. An answer you probably don’t want to hear. Pull right back for a few weeks. Chill out. Do much less or shift the focus from a large chronic aerobic load to strength training, focusing on only your weakest discipline for some aerobic maintenance and resting way more than usual.

Time and time again, I’ve witnessed some of the greatest performances came 8-16 weeks after resuming training following a few week break, provided the volume and duration of training was high prior to the break and most of my worst patches of racing have come when I’ve pushed on for months on end, hoping that training more would improve my form when hormonally and mentally I’m in dire need of a recovery/bounce back phase.

What happens when you take some time off?

You’ll need to get over it but you’re going to lose some fitness. Not only will Vo2 max, blood volume, aerobic and anaerobic thresholds drop but also your metabolic flexibility will wane depending on how you like to eat during your break.

Interestingly, I’ve also anecdotally noticed a decline in my mental capacity for training during and soon after a break. My tolerance for the mundane and disappears. A four km swim session feels like 8kms regardless of the intensity. Along with my usual loss in swim form, time also really drags!

Now, let’s talk benefits.

Time to heal. Long standing chronic inflammation can dissipate as muscles finally heal completely. Most of us end up sleeping more, and hormone levels and sex drive gradually return. You’ll find the energy to get through that long standing ‘to do list’ and perhaps even notice how enjoyable simply chatting to people is without mild brain fog.

As you freak out about the loss in fitness, remind yourself every training block you do is absolutely not for nothing if you then take a break and lose fitness. Over time, with aerobic focused training, the body increases the diameter of blood vessels, builds up the efficiency of the heart, increases the capillary network supplying blood to working muscles and there is a big increase in the size and number of mitochondria in the muscle cells and much more.

All those benefits don’t disappear with a relatively short period of time off. On a whole, they’re largely deposited in your fitness bank and every block of training you do, leaves lasting benefits.

The return to fitness is nearly always quicker the larger your training history is (up to a certain age).

Cardiac issues are probably the biggest health risk for endurance athletes who don’t take a break as hypertrophy (enlargement) of the left ventricle and atrium never gets a chance to return to normal size. Dr. Waites mentioned that even with a few weeks of heavily reducing aerobic volume there is a remodelling of the heart much closer to normal - a very healthy thing to do after a big block/s of training.

Dr Waites also mentioned how damaged the heart looks immediately after an Ironman however, thankfully, the heart is a very resilient muscle and even with a super light 7-14 days post Ironman the heart can look almost normal again. While Dr. Waites mentioned that it’s fine, if not good to keep moving, if you’re heading out for any training over zone 1 the week after an Ironman, you’re playing with fire.

How Long Should You Take?

The annoying short answer we always go to is ‘it depends.’

What constitutes an appropriate break is very individual depending on the athlete’s level of accumulated physical and mental fatigue and their dependence on training to maintain their mental health.

Some athletes are ok and happy to kick off with zero exercise. This is great if it suits their personality. We typically would recommend this for 7-14 days minimum for post Ironman from any training zone 2 or higher. If the athlete needs some exercise to keep their mental health in order then some light training each day is important but it should be more strength based or zone 1 easy training.

For end of season ‘recovery/transition phase’ the time could range from at least 3 weeks right up to 2 months however it’s important to realise that just because it’s labelled a ‘recovery’ phase doesn’t mean it’s not a valuable phase of your year. With the right guidance from your coach you can be a healthier, stronger athlete ready to launch into the meat and potatoes of your next triathlon or running race build.