Can Strategic Detraining Boost Long-Term Performance?

Ever wondered why athletes strategically take a break from rigorous training? With Coach Cliff Pittman, we examine the necessity of allowing your body and mind ample recovery time from a full season of training. Cliff and Coach Adam Pulford discuss  how you can set up an effective three-to four-week detraining period that aligns with your lifestyle and training history. The conversation also covers aspects like monitoring cycling metrics, adjusting nutrition, and integrating active recovery and alternative activities into this period.

Topics covered in this episode:

Having a period of less training, or detraining, is very important for long term performance gains and overall health.This time period should be longer than a recovery week (1wk) and probably less than 5wks, according to the literature.Transition to Base Period simplyUse Frequency, Volume, and Intensity appropriately, by increasing each of them a little bit and going slowly to build back fitness and go beyond for the next season. 

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Guest
Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director for CTS and an experienced CTS Ultrarunning Coach. In addition to the CTS Coaching Education Program, Cliff has an UESCA Ultrarunning Coach Certification, UESCA Sports Nutrition Certification, PNOE Metabolic Analysis Certification, and a Revo2lution Running Trainer Certification. After a decade of military service, he coached athletes for running, military special operations, and even life coaching before shifting his primary focus to ultra-endurance performance.

Links
Cliff's Instagram: https://instagram.com/coachcliffpittman

References from the episode:

- Detraining Research:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236590070_Detraining
https://www.fasttalklabs.com/fast-talk/what-happens-when-we-stop-training-with-dr-inigo-mujika/

- Articles:
  - Maintaining Physical Performance
  - Off-Season training and detraining

Host
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for more than 13 years and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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