We hear the term all the time in relation to professional athletes– the “off season.” But could an average Jane or Joe who works out regularly–and perhaps participates in the occasional triathlon and/or cycling/running event–benefit from an off season too?
If you stress your body on a regular basis in any way, the answer is yes–and whether you know it or not, you may already be taking one.
The off season is a time to dial it back a notch and allow your body to recover from the stresses you put on it during regular workouts the rest of the year. It’s not a time to slack off completely, but rather reduce volume and intensity. Many of us tend to do it naturally over the holiday season, when travel and cold weather causes us to reduce our physical activity after an activity-filled spring, summer, and fall.
Signs you need an off season
If you’ve hit a fitness plateau, where you feel like you’re putting in the time but see no fitness gains–or if you’re constantly getting sick, injured, or feeling run down–allowing yourself an off season may be just the trick to get back on track so that you’ll come back stronger in the spring. If you’re losing motivation and feeling burnt out, an off season will give you the opportunity to introduce some variety into your workouts, try new classes and reignite that spark. Keep in mind that the off-season shouldn’t last the entire winter–a month or two should suffice.
What to do during the off season
Some fitness experts suggest eliminating high-intensity workouts completely during the off season and subsequent base building period (and if you’ve had recurring injuries and/or colds over the past year, I would too). Others suggest maintaining a certain number of high intensity workouts to focus on building speed in a specific sport over shorter distances. All agree that the off season should be a time to increase rest and recovery–so if you still hit those hard intervals, take twice the recovery you normally would. Also–if you spend your spring, summer, and fall running, cycling, and working out outdoors, hitting the weights with some targeted strength conditioning in the winter can translate into better performance next year. It’s a great time to work on technique in your specific sports as well.
I’m the first to recognize that touting the benefits of an off season is one thing, while putting it into practice is another. When you’re in that spin class and everyone is pushing those high intensity intervals, it can be awfully hard to dial it back. But research shows that just as weekly rest days are necessary and beneficial, an off season will serve you right in the long run as well.
So go ahead and sleep in an extra day of the week over the next month or two. Skip one of your weekly spin classes and give yoga or Pilates a try instead. If you’re an injury-plagued runner, try introducing a lower-impact sport like swimming or deep-water pool running. And most of all, enjoy your off season!
