TRAINING CAMP TIPS

Training camps can make or break your fitness levels for the whole year!

You should not go home exhausted and need to have 2 weeks off from fatigue, nor should you end up being ill or injured.

If you have increased your training volume during your time away by more than 25% than your previous highest week in the last 8 weeks expect back or hamstrings or both to tighten up soon after you return.

OBJECTIVES – have a plan of what you want to achieve during your training camp - your longest session, biggest volume week, more consistency etc. Aiming to tick every box will result in you coming home over trained. We are all individuals and have different abilities and ambitions. Each year we need to build up our fitness, it’s a balance between speed strength & endurance while remaining injury free.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP - Do things that you cannot during a normal working week including getting more REST & SLEEP.

ADDRESS – make sure you always carry a map and the contact details of Tri-topia, that way if you get lost you can show someone where you need to go, vital if you do not speak the local language! Always take supplies so that you don't end up dehydrated and hungry, that catches up with you in the following days and will eventually ruin the rest of your training camp objectives.

BENEFIT – to get the most from your training camp you need to reduce your training volume when you return home, to absorb then recover and remain healthy and injury free.

DIARY- Keep a diary and jot down what you hope to achieve in distance or timed efforts plus recovery time. Make sure that all your spare available time is not wasted. That does not mean all day training. Aim to get a good balance of training relaxing, stretching, talking and learning from others and sleeping.

EATING- Do not be tempted to over eat while on a training camp, you could end up coming back with a higher fat content. Eat different foods for variety and for their nutritional goodness. See if you benefit from a change of nutrition. Is your skin looking healthier? Our skin can mirror what is going on insideus. If you develop spots or other problems then you could be lacking certain nutriments. If you cannot satisfy your hunger needs no matter what you eat this is major signal to back off as you are confusing fatigue with hunger! When fatigued, you can never satisfy your appetite.

EVALUATE – Monitor yourself during a training camp. Make a note of your feel good factors. How do you feel out of 10? 1 being depressed 10 being very happy, excited and rearing to go! Look for mood trends towards continual fatigue.

How much out of 10 are you tired each day? Do you get more tired as the time goes on? i.e. First day rested but been busy due to travelling etc you gave yourself a 2/10 on the first day and by day 5 you are a 7/10 and getting more tired. Time to back off and go with an easier group.

What effect is your training having on your morning resting heart rate? As you may find you resting Heart rate drops a few beats as you get more sleep than usual.

Watch for signs that your HR does not rise by a few beats per day as this is a sure sign of fatigue or you are becoming ill. It is common to be ill in the first 2-4 days because of the stress involved in the build up with work, the extra training, etc. All this causes you to be more susceptible, be alert to your body.

Think about how you feel during each session with others do you get stronger or weaker. No two training camps will be the same, our fitness levels are continually changing throughout each season and our lives.

FLYING - Try to go into any flight slightly rested, no matter how short. If your immune system is low you are more likely to pick up an infection on the plane due to the recycled air. The last thing you want is to get ill when you arrive or when you get back home, all that training time could be wasted.

GROUP TRAINING – rarely do the athletes that do every session benefit from a training camp unless they were the strongest and able to go easy. Usually only one or two talented athletes gain while the rest are extending themselves in each and every daily session. Be clever and move around in different ability groups. Go with an easy group one day but make sure you do not disrupt their training by forcing the pace. A good time to do this is the day before a long training day so you get more benefit by being less fatigued and are able to keep good form in the key endurance session. Keeping good economy of movement for longer improves performance.

HOLD BACK – don’t train hard every day like your life depended on it, that’s not the purpose of a training camp.

INTENSITY – If you plan on doing more volume when away on a training camp make sure you only complete the same intensity as normal. If you normally do one hour of hard training a week then make sure you do not double this because you are increasing your training by twice or three times as much. Your emphasis is on volume and recovery while away. Increasing both intensity and volume at the same time will result in illness and no improvement in fitness.

IMPROVEMENT – It takes at least 3 weeks to get a physiological benefit from a 7-10 day training camp. The more you train expect the benefits to show more slowly possibly after 5 weeks.

KIT – make sure you get your clothing ready for the next session so you do not end up forgetting something. Always wear cycling mitts, riding in unfamiliar groups on the opposite side of the road will sometimes end in an accident. Do not allow it to be you!

MASSAGE – have a relaxing massage at any opportunity before during and after your training camp you have deserved it.

PLANNING YOUR TRAINING -Try and find out a month before you go what the daily training schedule that has been planned so you can be physically and mentally prepared. To improve you need to progress and be ready. Doing the same type of training at home then on a training camp will not stimulate and you will not create a training benefit.

POWER NAPS – Get a 20-50 minute snooze you will feel much better for it. Make sure you wake by 4pm otherwise it could disrupt your night time sleep patterns (a bit like jet lag) your body clock will not know what time of day it is.

SPORTS NUTRITION – On each cycle ride aim to carry enough food plus one extra bar. Don’t worry if you bring back a bar with you each day, there will be a day when you need it to recover better. Avoid getting tired from hunger at all times otherwise you will have problem training in the next 2 days.

STRESS - don’t worry if you cannot train in the few days prior to your training camp due to outside factors.

STRETCH- Stretch more as fatigued muscles generally shorten. Aim to improve ankle flexibility this will help your swimming.

VARIETY- Train in different groups for variety, training intensity and mental stimulation. In an easier group work on being more relaxed, faster cadence or leg turnover improved technique and clock work nutrition.

VOLUME - A training camp can be great for training with others daily. Avoid the volume trap as this only fills up your day and training diary (if you have time to keep one! Most endurance athletes train too much.)

SESSIONS to take advantage of:

Open water Swimming – get to complete some early season open water swim sessions. If the water is cool great stand in it after training sessions for 5-15 minutes to reduce inflammation and speed up recovery.

Try and swim every day to give your swimming a boost, no need to swim for 60 minutes each day, go for regular swim to gain the feel, this will put you in good stead for the next 6 weeks so it is worth putting in daily sessions. Why not try 2 shorter sessions a day.

Swim to Bike at least once.

Long steady bike 4-6 hours, within 5 minutes start running steady for 10-20 minutes. Do not underestimate theses sessions they can be very demanding.

Tight back from cycling hills, DO NOT SWIM with a pull buoy. This makes your back tighter. Use the swim bungee cord and try different stokes patterns straight pull back and figure of 8 see what suits you. 

A coffee stop on a long is actually beneficial as a training tool. Your body needs to learn, on the second half of the ride, how to exercise in a recovery mode (very important for Ironman competitors).