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Not surprisingly, we all tend to have a favoured or dominant side and although this tends to go unnoticed on a daily basis, when it comes to sport performance, even the smallest discrepancies could be holding you back.

Tapering will not be the same for everyone. In fact, your own ‘perfect’ taper may have changed from what it used to be. It’s the same when it comes to strength training during your taper period - done well during it’ll provide you with the perfect preparation for your next event.

As most of you know “tapering” is the period of time before a race where you reduce your training, giving your body the time it needs to fully recover and ensure your body and its’ reserves, are ready to go on that start line.

Navigating strength training can be a confusing landscape, it’s a very broad umbrella term with many different formats, and that’s before you even try to understand which class, programme or instructor is best for you and your goals. However, having the ability to understand and filter your options to find the correct one will benefit your training hugely.

There are a number of different phases you should be looking to include in your yearly strength program. We look into these key phases, as well as building and tapering, to make sure you can get the most out of your performance at the most important times.

When it comes to training both strength and endurance you are asking your muscles to do two different things which if done incorrectly will have a negative effect on one another. To get the most out of both training sessions you should be making sure that you take the key variables and building blocks into consideration.

During the year there are a few different phases of training you should look to incorporate into your strength training program in between events and races. Today we look into GPP & SPP and what these mean for us as endurance athletes.

You’ve established your baseline, got an idea of how you move and your physical strengths. You now know how you move with weight, your physical competency and how confident and competent you are with certain types of tests, but where do you go from here? The next step is establishing the right strength program for you and ensuring it is tailored to your specific individual needs.

Before we can really get stuck into your training program, it is essential that we gain a greater understanding about where you are at with your journey to enable us to establish your baseline. Understanding your baseline is, and what your physical qualities are, is hugely important.

Let’s not deny that we’re all going to get old, and at some point and your ability to ‘bounce back’ will one day not be the same it used to be. You won’t be blindsided, and it happens over time - but it’s what you do about it that really matters.

You may love your training environment, it’s fun and sociable, which makes the tough sessions hard to get through. But if you are serious about getting significant results or you’re currently looking to get over an injury you need to question whether your generalist approach is best for you right now.

You don’t need to spend five hours a day stretching and rolling, but if you want to improve, or at least stay in one piece for years to come, you need to stop ignoring the signs and symptoms that are so glaringly obvious.

If you’re looking to optimise your swim, bike and run performance and remain injury free, strength is an essential foundation that you must factor in. But how strong do you need to be and what are the real benefits you’re going to see?...

Over the past few years the information regarding strength training has certainly increased in volume and quality, with many well-known professionals athletes/coaches and publications frequently advertising the use of strength exercises to improve performance. But unfortunately in the endurance world, only the minority are actually taking this information and putting it into practise consistently and consciously. So what’s stopping you from getting started?