Tapering

terongi

I am riding the etape in 11 days' time.

What is tapering?

How do I do it?

(I posted this on the old forum, but it seems to have disappeared)

richa

http://www.eis2win.co.uk/tex/news_peaking.aspx

"Tapering is a training technique designed to reverse the training-induced fatigue that occurs during heavy training, without losing any training adaptations. It is the final phase of training prior to important competitions and involves a reduction in training load, by manipulating training intensity, frequency and duration.

A successful taper can improve physiological, psychological and performance measures but requires careful planning in order to optimise all the determinants of performance at a single point in time. This is often termed ‘peaking’ and is used synonymously with tapering.

Optimal Taper Strategies
Maintain or increase training intensity to greater than or equal to competition intensity (i.e. 80-100%)
Reduce training volume by approximately 50%
Maintain training frequency at greater than 80%
Ensure training is race/event specific
Remember to optimise psychological, technical and nutritional aspects