Train Your Weakness

by coach Matt Russ

A fairly typical mistake athletes make is that they focus too much of their training time on what they are good at. The reason for this is simple; you get more positive satisfaction from doing the things you do well. If you are a good climber I can almost guarantee you will gravitate towards the hills.

A fairly typical mistake athletes make is that they focus too much of their training time on what they are good at. The reason for this is simple; you get more positive satisfaction from doing the things you do well. If you are a good climber I can almost guarantee you will gravitate towards the hills.

If you focus on what you need to improve on, there is more room for improvement. The first step is identifying your weakness. You may have good speed in the flats and then fade in the hills, or you might be a steady racer who gets dropped when the tempo changes. Your endurance may be good, but you lack the strength endurance to sustain a faster pace closer to threshold. Each of these scenarios requires a different training focus.

Once you know what you need to work on devote a majority of your training time to improving it. Remember; capitalize on your strengths, but train your weaknesses.

Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes from around the country and internationally for over ten years. He currently holds expert licenses from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling (Elite), and is a licensed USA Track and Field Coach. Matt is head coach and owner of The Sport Factory, and works with athletes of all levels full time. He is a free lance author and his articles are regularly featured in a variety of magazines such as Inside Triathlon, and Triathlete. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information or email him at coachmatt@thesportfactory.com

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