Threshold Performance Club | The fitness newsletter

Threshold #19 | You don't want to fatigue - ever.

I've just returned from an 'adaptation week' otherwise known as a rest week on holiday.

I personally dislike rest weeks - mentally I feel like my fitness drops off a cliff, however from the two workouts I have already completed since returning, I know my fitness is still there.

I also know the rest week has allowed my body to fully recover and avoid fatigue.

That’s probably the most important reason to take a rest week.

But what is fatigue?

The Main feature

Leg one: what is fatigue

The definition of fatigue is extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion. Put simply, there is no energy left in the tank. We all feel tired from time to time, whether that be through early morning starts or exhausting days in the gym, but there is a substantial difference feeling fatigue.

The only way I can describe fatigue is sitting on the sofa, passing out asleep for 12 hours & then waking up, only to feel no energy to pull myself up to do anything. This is what everyone should try to avoid.

Fatigue can be avoided but it is also sometimes viewed as a crown of glory - all hail those who can work so hard it puts them into a 12 hour sleep. However more and more research is showing pushing the body to the absolute limit - little to no sleep, bad nutrition, over-doing training - is not productive. It can be counter productive.

T-1: Mental Preparation

Leg two: How to avoid fatigue

In endurance sports the training is designed to be intense. We call training periods 'blocks' and there is always a time away from training called an adaptation phase - this is otherwise known as a rest-week. It allows the body to recover from the extensive amount of load put through it over a number of weeks. For example before my rest week I completed a 6 week intense block of training as I ramp up from Ironman Staffordshire in June.

Rest can enhance performance.

When I embarked on training for my first Ironman last September I started with online plans - the 12 week Ironman 70.3 training plan with set workouts for swimming, cycling and running each week. Each week sessions would evolve until the week before the race, to ensure as a competitor you're in tip-top fitness. To avoid fatigue it is very important to do the following things:

1. Invest in a training plan - this could be a free planner (such as this one from Triathlon220), or with a coach.

2. Listen to the plan. Do not train above and beyond the sessions planned out.

3. Treat the blank space - the hours between training - as an important extra training vertical: the 'rest sessions'.

The reason why it is so important to listen to the training plan or your coach is the sheer intensity of training is mapped out very strategically. A swim session in the morning followed by a base run in the evening is not there by chance, it's planned out with resting hours in between to ensure your body will show up to the second training session refreshed. If you ignore the timings, you body will lose energy and steadily enter fatigue. Training for training's sake is not how a training plan is mapped out, every session needs to be high quality in order to get the most out of each set.

So listen to the training plan, or your coach, and don't ignore the hours between the sessions, they are there to allow you to recover.

T-2: Gear to change into

• ASICS Noosa Tri 14. Buy here.

• Enve Custom Road Bike. Buy here.

• Shimano TR9 SPD-SL Triathlon Shoes. On sale here.

• On Running Insulator Jacket. Buy here.

Leg three: what to do if you experience fatigue

Here is a list of what to do to recover:

1. Take a rest day

2. Take a rest week (or more) if one day isn't enough

3. Consult with a coach, or onboard a coach if you're training solo

4. Re-examine your motivational reason for training so hard - remind yourself why you're doing this

5. Re-assess your goals, are they still the best for you.

6. Find a community of people who are also training and can assist - they will have gone through fatigue theirselves

I'm lucky to not have had severe fatigue but I put this down to listening to the coach I have, listening to my body and adjusting my daily or weekly training if I think that's the right call & being very centred on the goals I have in life.

Training is not always easy, sometimes a grind, but I have a big why & motivation for doing the training that I do.

This makes it easier to avoid fatigue.

So, that’s how to avoid & deal with fatigue.

Aid station: Listen while you recover

• Feel Better, Live More. Dr Chatterjee. The secrets to living a happier healthy life. Listen here.

• Purple Patch Podcast: Observations of Elite Performance. Listen here.

• The Chronic Fatigue & Burnout Recovery Podcast: Diet changes to increase your energy. Listen here.

• That Triathlon Show: Neuromuscular fatigue. Listen here.

Shop natural supplements formulated to enhance performance: 

🌱💊 542 Performance Nutrition Daily Green’s ultimate super greens capsules are a perfect blend of superfoods, vitamins, minerals and wholefood-sourced ingredients enhancing your immune system to help you perform in training.

🍄 542 Performance Nutrition Mushroom+ capsules are single-ingredient, high-strength mushroom supplements, helping you deliver energy to your body for training.

💪 542 Performance Nutrition Marine Collagen is the highest quality, and most bioavailable source of collagen available, helping to provide structural integrity to joints and bones.

💤 542 Performance Nutrition Ashwagandha+ (KSM66) is formulated with Cordyceps & Ginseng to help combat stress and adrenal fatigue, while also supporting the immune system, energy levels & mental performance. 

🏋️‍♂️ 542 Performance Nutrition Plant Protein delivers 17g of premium vegan protein per serving with just 1.5g of carbs, 88 calories & no artificial sweeteners.

🏋️‍♂️ 542 Performance Nutrition Whey Protein delivers 22g of premium whey protein per serving with just 1.2g of carbs, 108 calories & no artificial sweeteners.

Coaches Corner

WOTW: Workout of the week

Rest week base run

Warm up:

• 1km @ Z1 heart rate

Main set:

• 5km @ Z2 heart rate

• 5km @ Z1 heart rate

Cool down:

• 1km @ fast-walking pace

Finishing line: Races next week

• 25th March: Mumbles Duathlon. Swansea, Wales. Various distances available here.

• 26th March: Harlech Triathlon. Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales. Book here.

• 26th March: Ironman 70.3 Davao Philipines. See here.

• 26th March: Ironman 70.3 Geelong. See here.

• 26th March: Xterra West Wind Trail Run. See here.

Tweet-athlon

MemeOTW

Thank you for reading this week's newsletter.

You can keep up with us daily on Instagram here and follow my (Robert, triathlete - Ironman 70.3 athlete) Strava here.

Currently training for Ironman Staffordshire in June.

DM me on Instagram personally if you're London based - we're always out for group runners & rides. Connect here.

Have a great week,

Robert

P.S. any referrals you generate are SO appreciated.