Triathletes, especially new ones, often find off-season training to be difficult and less intense. While clearly you cannot be as aggressive in your workouts during the off-season, as you are not searching to peak then for a particular race or time period, you can generate a training schedule that permits you to establish a motivated approach that will strengthen your weakest points and help you to avoid the dreaded plateau.

Implementing focus months can allow you to place all of your emphasis on a given discipline. For example, if you struggle with the swim and find yourself to be more proficient on the bike and on the run, spend a dedicated two months perfecting your abilities in the water. Swimming five to six days a week, rather than rotating each day like in a normal in-season workout cycle, will help you make greater gains in both strength and form. While you can do other workouts to maintain your run and bike, the majority of your efforts should be in the pool.

To do so, train hard for two weeks in the given sport, then schedule in an easy week of rest and reflection. Keep repeating this cycle for up to two months, and then turn your sights to one of the two other disciplines. After a six-month off-season, you will have had two focus months for each sport, and your overall proficiency in each will have improved without question. Then, as the triathlon season approaches, begin the normal rotational schedule that will permit you to peak in time for the races in which you will compete.

Sacrificing time on two to work on one may seem like odd advice, but it is sound and logical, especially during the off-season. Getting over that mental block so many triathletes have, the one that drives you to work on everything all the time, represents the first obstacle. The second hurdle to clear is training the right way. If you want to improve the swim, study quick swimmers. Watch their form and their habits, and do what you can to mimic them. Immerse yourself in the culture of the sport in which you need to improve.

If you try this approach in a diligent and dedicated manner, you will find that the gains you make set up your later triathlon season better than your old training methods. In your next off-season, give monthly rotations a try. I think you'll love the results.