The Sport Factory Don't Week End Stack Your Training

Don't Week End Stack Your Training

If you have a full time job it is probably most difficult to find the hours to train on week days. This leaves the week end to catch up on those long runs and bikes. Unfortunately, for the multi-sport athlete this is not the best plan.

The long endurance work outs can be some of the more stressful, especially the long run. By putting them back to back there is greater risk of injury, or at least degrading the quality of your second work out. The long run is more stressful than the long bike and requires more recovery time. If you must train both of your long endurance work outs on the week end I recommend performing the run first, but a better plan would be to fit this work out in during the week; preferably after a rest or recovery day.

The bike is probably your longest work out of the week and may be best performed on the week end when traffic is a bit lighter and you have more time to train. A good plan would be to do a shorter specific run on Saturday, perhaps some hill work, and leave the long bike for Sunday.

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

Published in: Quick Tips