Building Speed in the Off-Season

Psst! You want to go fast? I mean really fast, faster than you ever imagined was possible? You don’t need to buy anything. You don’t need to take any special esoteric supplements or drugs. You don’t have to do any special Kenyan workout. It’s very simple, and yet, it’s very hard. 

 

Let’s start with swimming. Swimming is different than cycling or running. Swimming is mostly technique, so step one is to improve on that. All swimmers focus on technique during the off-season, including Michael Phelps and Dara Torres. Enter a swim program that focuses on technique improvement. Even better—find one that offers underwater video analysis. Find a coach that understands how adults learn to change their movement; it’s very different from the way kids learn to swim.

Next, swim fast. That sounds both simple and counterintuitive. If you are trying to swim fast, how do you swim fast? Practice technique and do drills specific to your technique goals. Learn where your stroke is breaking down. Then swim fast. Really fast. For a short distance. Start with 25 yards. Take 15 to 30 seconds to recover after each effort. Remember, you are trying to swim fast, and in order to do that, you need really good technique. If you are tired or stressed, your technique will break down. Focus before each repeat. Think about two or three parts of your stroke and try to hold onto those parts of your technique while swimming your fastest.

Now, cycle fast. The off-season presents a problem as the weather doesn’t always cooperate. Thankfully, much of this work can be done indoors. A spin bike is better than a trainer because you can apply much more force and use much more resistance. There are two things you need to improve over the off-season to become a fast cyclist: First, be able to turn the pedals really fast. A spin bike is great for this because the weighted fly wheel will build up inertia and help you turn the pedals fast—really fast.

Next, increase the resistance, lower your cadence and stand. Use muscle, not cadence or finesse. Work hard against a lot of resistance. Don’t try to turn the pedals fast; keep the cadence slow and work to build the muscles that turn the pedals.

Keep your work intervals short: 5, 10, and 15 seconds. You do not need to allow full recovery, since this is not a technique-intensive skill. You want to build muscle. You also want to learn what if feels like to work really hard on the bike.

Finally, run fast. While running is the least technical of the three sports, there is technique involved. But technique can be acquired by developing explosive strength and by improving your neuromotor coordination—that is, learning to move your feet fast—very fast.

Spend equal amounts of time doing strength work and speed work. The strength work includes Plyometrics, core strengthening and balance-muscle strengthening. The speed work includes a few simple drills and running very fast for short distances.

Start with butt kicks, skipping and bounding. Focus on getting your feet off the ground as high and as fast as possible. You want to be in the air more than on the ground. Next, run really fast, but for very short distances: 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. Do short, fast bursts. You do not need a lot of recovery, just enough so that you can continue to move fast.

That’s it. Easy ideas, lots of hard work. Spend the off-season focusing on these skills and come spring you will be a faster triathlete.

Neil Cook is the head multisport coach at Asphalt Green in Manhattan. He is an active triathlete and teaches swim technique classes where he helps people get fast, really fast.