If you're feeling demotivated and fatigued at this time of year, don't be afraid to take stock and have a complete break from the bike; it can only stand you in good stead.
With the racing and training year for cyclists now moving into the warmer months, many riders may have overdone it in the early portion of the year and may now feel fatigued and demotivated. In his latest column, coach Jonathan Gibson urges such riders to take a break to refocus and freshen up for the months ahead.
Many of you who have been training or racing too hard and not managed your fatigue levels well may be feeling a little burned out and fatigued at this time of the year. You may have slipped into that valley of fatigue and are finding it hard to get out of the rut.
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Mental and physical fatigue can lead to loss of motivation and this will reduce performance and remove the enjoyment you get from the sport. If you’re one of those riders, then it’s time for a short rest.
Take out your diary and schedule in one to two weeks rest. And when you’ve done that, set a new goal for yourself for your return. It’s important to have a goal because it will give you a source of motivation and something to focus on.
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Here are a few simple things to do to get you back on track:
- Put the bike away for a full week to ten days, or whatever rest time you need. Hide it somewhere so you can’t even see it.
- Take a week or 10-day holiday without the bike.
- Eat well but don’t over eat. It’s good to put on a couple of pounds as this will help the physiological systems within your body recover and rebuild to full strength. The weight will soon come off when you return to racing or training.
- Enjoy some other sports for a period of up to a fortnight, but don’t compete at any level. Just take part for the fun.
- Get your body checked out. It’s time to have some of those little niggles taken care of. Get a massage or even spend a little more time in the sauna or Jacuzzi.
- Do a little bit of stretching to prevent your body tightening up.
- You may feel you don’t have the time to put these points into action, but if you’re not bike you should have spare time on your hands.
- Go and visit friends you haven’t seen in a long time.
- Don’t race. Stay active; but not competitive.
Once you’ve rested, you’ll find your enthusiasm returning and your overall motivation improving. It will then be time again to start doing a bit of training, which should start at a low level.
You should start at around 50 per cent of what you were doing before your rest period, and then slowly build back up to where you were before. It’s advisable to add around 10 per cent workload each week until you get to where you were before you took a break.
Don’t forget to take your rest week after every three weeks of training for seniors, and every two weeks for masters or veterans. Even though you’ve just had a break, it’s important to have that rest period because not taking enough rest is likely the reason why you’ve become fatigued and demotivated in the first place.
When you’ve enjoyed your break and you’re back training again, it’s time to go an achieve those new goals you’ve set for your fresher mind and body.
Jonathan
Jonathan Gibson is a racing cyclist and runs his own coaching and athlete testing business – Sports & Exercise Engineering. He is a certified strength & conditioning coach and has a diploma in orthopedic massage & injury management. A former Irish squad rider, he was also a schoolboy international swimmer. As well as his current work with cyclists he has also worked with swimmers and gymnasts.
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