Fundamentals of Peak Performance: An Overview

It's the 'off-season.' I remember hearing someone suggest that there is no off-season. And in a sense, they're right. The off-season, as paddlers know it, is now. With the rain coming down in buckets, it's just not the ideal time to be putting in hours on your board. Whether you are a competitive paddler, a fitness enthusiast, or an adventurer (or all three), there is likely a peak to your paddling season, and that peak arrives during the summer. 

Periodization & Training - if only it were this easy

But just because the weather is rough and the days are short doesn't mean you can't be working towards realizing your potential when that peak of your season arrives. If paddling is something you love to do, then working towards that time of year when you can get out almost every day and stay out until 9 or 10PM isn't going to be a bad thing.

What you need is a plan. Something to direct your focus with precision, something that will enable you to actualize the benefits of your hard work and dedication. With this series, 'Fundamentals of Peak Performance,' I intend to outline and explain many of the principles used in endurance racing, principles that translate directly to paddling conditioning and fitness. 

There are several different approaches I take when developing one's fitness. One relies on steady progression and allows you to enjoy its benefits for an extended period of time. This is the one that I'm going to focus on. In this series, I'm going to walk you through the various phases of endurance training: preparation, base, strength & power, and peaking. There are other key topics in peak performance that warrrant discussion and some of those will include training intensity, rest and recovery, perceived effort, and performance testing.

Though this information will be generalized, I hope it will help clear the air surrounding training and periodization. Whether you find a coach or create your own plan, just know that having a training plan is far more focused than 'just going out and paddling hard.' Though it's the off-season, now is the time to start planning for sucess during the 2013 season. Remember: An individualized training plan will allow you to develop your weaknesses while capitalizing on your strengths.