The 6 key factors that every athlete needs to know
Coach Gareth’s athletes regularly top the podium, set personal records and smash their goals. Gareth believes that everyone is an athlete and the techniques used to train the finest athletes in the world are equally applicable to the newcomer. Here is an overview of his key principles for athlete development:
ACCURATE TRAINING & OPTIMAL RECOVERY = PEAK PERFORMANCE
Athletes get stronger by recovering and repairing after a new training stimulus. Therefore, most programs are built on a the basis of a 2 week build + 1 week of active recovery structure. Furthermore, active recovery is a part of every week’s training program with athletes getting at least one “off” day per week.
PERIODIZATION
Each athlete has a personal season plan, which lays out all the chosen events and builds fitness systematically to peak on the correct day. Athletes are encouraged to think long-term, meaning that it is best to focus on building fitness and performance over many seasons so that the body can adapt injury free, getting stronger every year.
HEALTHY ATHLETES OUTPERFORM THOSE WHO OVERTRAIN AND ARE REGULARLY ILL
We never sacrifice health for fitness and never train when sick. Athletes are encouraged to listen to their body, back off and communicate with Coach Gareth immediately if they sense any illness/signs of injury or heavy fatigue.
SPORTS SCIENCE IS VITAL
Lactate testing (which is compulsory for Coach Gareth athletes) teaches us what stimulus the body requires to gain fitness and how the body has reacted to a certain training program. From here accurate training using heart rate, power/ pace and rate of perceived exertion can be created to maximize available time.
EVERYONE NEEDS AND INDIVIDUALIZED, CUSTOM PROGRAM BUILT TO SUITE THEIR PHYSIOLOGY, TIME AVAILABLE, LIFESTYLE AND GOALS
There is no cookie cutter with personal coaching programs from Coach Gareth. The initial program is often changed and fine-tuned throughout the training cycle as dictated by the athlete’s changing needs.
COMPLETE ATHLETES
All programs are designed to create “complete” athletes who are maximally developed in all areas of their physiology. As such, programs include the relevant aerobic training specific to the athlete’s chosen sport plus strength, flexibility, core training, recovery techniques and nutrition advice.
“Gareth has been my triathlon coach for over seven years now. His deep understanding of periodized endurance training & race preparation combined with his state-of-the-art fitness testing make for a potent combination”
Warren Selko (Triathlete)
