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The key do's and don’ts to help your training efforts pay off.

Training is a simple concept in theory, whereby the body adapts during the recovery period after exercising. After recovering, the next exercise session can begin. So far, so good. However, even this very simple training concept is prone to problems. We often don’t give ourselves enough time to recover properly. Or, as is usually more often the case, we wait too long before getting back on the bike, putting on our running shoes or swimming laps. Both of these approaches mean you won’t achieve your peak performance.

The same applies to the following points. That's why it is even more important to pay attention to the key do's and don'ts:

1 - Don’t exercise at the same intensity during each session

If you aren’t following a varied training plan, you risk spending most of your time training at the same intensity with little variation. No matter whether your training session lasts for thirty minutes or two hours, you find yourself working out at the same – usually medium-strong – intensity with the same stride, pedal or arm rate and the same pattern of movement, depending on the sport. For example, runners typically roll over their heel, cyclists sit rigidly on their saddle and swimmers swim long, unbroken distances of front crawl.

2 - Mix up the duration of individual sessions

One-hour lunch breaks usually encourage the same sort of training session each time. That’s fine if the time is used efficiently once a week at lunchtime.  However, the other sessions during the training week should be shorter or longer and/or with different intensities. Mix up shorter, tougher training sessions with longer, more gentle sessions.

3 - Keep yourself in check

This doesn’t just apply to running: many people start off too quickly, then gradually slow down. In theory, it should be exactly the opposite. A gentle warm-up lasting five to ten minutes helps to get the blood flowing and lubricate the joints before reaching your target speed. The following also applies: starting off moderately then gradually increasing your effort in the second half is more efficient than starting off fast and then tailing off just as quickly.

4 - Avoid sprinting on the home straight

This is fine to do in competition. However, you should avoid doing this at the end of your training session or, even better, do a gentle warm-down run after the sprint to initiate recovery.

5 - Add in climbs

It’s tempting to avoid uphill routes in order to maintain a good kilometre pace on the clock. As a result, we often forget that running or cycling in the hills builds up strength, which in turn increases speed and endurance. Mixing up the terrain works the body in different ways, helping to prevent excess strain in one area.

6 - Focus on the basics

Try to avoid applying too much throttle during each training session and exceeding your base heartrate zone. 75 to 80% of all training sessions should take place in the green, i.e. pleasant zone. While you might benefit temporarily from improved form by consistently working at a high intensity, you risk burning out at some point and the basic endurance needed to perform will fall by the wayside.

7 - Avoid low frequencies

Long strides or deep pedalling frequencies are common mistakes among runners and cyclists. You should aim to play around with the cadence. Speed is comprised of cadence plus stride length or gear ratio. Mastering only one of them will limit your overall performance.