How to get the most out of your final training phase

Congratulations, you’ve made it through the intense off season- well, almost. Whether you’ve still got the remnants of holiday food pickings to burn off, or you’re busy building up the last of your base, you’ll be forced to think forward before you even know it. Race season is rapidly approaching, and it’s time to think about the final phase of your training. So, on your bike - let’s kick things off.

First of all, specificity is key. If your base fitness is there (and with winter on the Wattbike, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be) it’s time to start refining your training. Make sure what you’re doing is specific to your event or goal. Two or three sessions a week at the specific intensity should set you up with some nice rehearsal runs. In between training days make sure that you allow yourself time for adequate rest and recovery,you can’t train on an empty tank.

Next, make sure that you take some time to analyse the details of the event you’re training for. For example, if your race includes a couple of climbs in quick succession of each other, you’ll need to know how long it’ll take you to recover, and at what cadence you should hit them. Try and emulate factors like this in your training to ensure you’re well prepared and ready to tackle them on the day.

Using regular sessions, orregular testing, gauge where you’re at, and you’ll be able to use the rough outline above to easily come up with a nice structure to follow. In doing so, allow for some flexibility to throw in some more varied sessions to keep things interesting.

Whilst still requiring a considerable amount of work, putting the effort in throughout the final phase should allow for you to have all the hard work in place ready for any adaptation and recovery during your taper.

When you're ready to taper, follow up with ourguide to tapering at the right time.