Andy Galpin - Maximize Your Performance With These Tapering Techniques | Dr. Andy Galpin
Tapering is a strategy used to enhance athletic performance by reducing training volume while maintaining or slightly increasing intensity. This approach leverages the stable nature of fitness attributes like VO2 Max and the transient nature of fatigue. By reducing fatigue before competition, athletes can perform at higher levels without losing fitness. Studies consistently show performance improvements across various sports, with benefits observed at molecular, performance, and psychological levels. A notable study on collegiate cross-country athletes demonstrated a 6% improvement in race performance after a 50% reduction in training volume over three weeks, with no loss in VO2 Max or aerobic enzymes, and an increase in fast-twitch muscle fiber function. The key to effective tapering is balancing volume reduction with intensity maintenance, typically reducing volume by 40-60% while keeping frequency similar. This method can lead to a 3-6% performance enhancement, crucial in competitive settings where small margins can determine outcomes.
Key Points:
- Tapering involves reducing training volume by 40-60% while maintaining or slightly increasing intensity.
- Performance improvements of 3-6% are common, which can be decisive in competitive sports.
- Fast-twitch muscle fibers respond well to tapering, showing increased size and force production.
- Avoid increasing training volume during tapering, as it can negatively impact performance.
- Athletes with higher training loads benefit most from tapering, especially after intense training periods.
Details:
1. 🌀 Understanding Tapering: Fitness vs. Fatigue
1.1. Physiological Basis of Tapering
1.2. Strategic Application of Tapering
2. 📉 Benefits of Different Tapering Strategies
- Research demonstrates that a tapering period of up to 28 days with a 70% reduction in training volume does not negatively affect performance, offering flexibility in tailoring tapering strategies.
- The 'Less is More' review identifies performance improvements in sports such as cycling, swimming, running, rowing, weightlifting, powerlifting, volleyball, and soccer, highlighting the broad applicability of tapering.
- Tapering yields positive outcomes on multiple levels: molecular (e.g., enhanced protein synthesis), cellular (e.g., improved muscle recovery), performance (e.g., increased speed and endurance), and psychological (e.g., reduced stress and improved focus).
- The consistent success of tapering across different sports strongly supports its effectiveness as a strategy to enhance athletic performance.
3. 📚 Case Study: Collegiate Cross Country Team
- The study focused on a collegiate cross country team, with performance testing including VO2 Max and muscle biopsies conducted pre and post a 3-week taper in season.
- A 6% average improvement in race performance was observed, gauging race times at conference championships compared to three weeks prior.
- Athletes naturally reduced their training volume by 50% by the third week of taper, beginning with a 27% reduction in the first week.
- Training volume reduction was primarily achieved by reducing moderate intensity training while maintaining high-intensity and long slow recovery runs.
- Despite a 50% reduction in mileage, there was no decrease in VO2 Max or aerobic metabolism enzymes, indicating maintained physical fitness.
- A significant 7% increase in fast twitch muscle fiber size and a 10% increase in single fiber force production were noted.
- Velocity increased by about 3-4%, and overall power increased by 10%, emphasizing the hyper responsiveness of fast twitch muscle fibers to tapering.
- The enhancements in fast twitch muscle fibers are potentially major contributors to the improved performance.
4. 🔍 Key Factors in Effective Tapering
- The tapering process aims to reduce fatigue without compromising fitness to enhance performance.
- Successful tapering duration ranges from 2 to 21 days.
- Intensity is typically maintained or slightly elevated, though context-specific scenarios may require a decrease.
- Volume is reduced by 40-60%, with some documentation of reductions up to 90% while still achieving performance enhancements.
- Frequency of workouts is generally maintained or slightly reduced, with a recommended reduction of no more than 20%.
- Reducing frequency too much can lead to feelings of sluggishness or impact skills, particularly in skill-based sports.
5. 🏆 Importance of Tapering for Peak Performance
- Physical performance can be enhanced by 3 to 6% through proper tapering.
- The difference between winning a gold medal and not making it to the podium can be as small as 1.5 to 2%, highlighting the significance of tapering.
- Improper tapering can lead to feeling great before a competition but underperforming on the actual day of the event.
- Many athletes experience setting personal records shortly after a disappointing performance due to mistimed tapering.
6. 🏃♂️ Who Benefits Most from Tapering?
- Athletes who benefit most from tapering are those coming from the biggest overload, such as long or intense training periods, rather than moderate or short training periods.
- Research by Mike Stone at East Tennessee shows that deliberately adding one to two weeks of aggressive overload before tapering can lead to greater benefits, although it may not apply to all sports.
- Without a significant training load to taper from, athletes are unlikely to see taper benefits.
- For those running their first 5k, a short taper of a couple of days can be beneficial, but a prolonged 21-day taper is unnecessary.
- For athletes preparing for major competitions, such as those training for four years for events like the Olympics, a long taper period is implemented to optimize performance.
7. 🚫 Risks of Increasing Volume During Tapering
- Increasing training volume during a taper period is typically detrimental, with no studies indicating benefits and many showing negative consequences.
- Raising training intensity is permissible but should not exceed a 25% increase to avoid adverse effects.
- If training intensity is maintained or slightly elevated, there must be at least a 25% reduction in volume to achieve positive outcomes.
- A volume reduction of only 10% while keeping or increasing intensity likely offers no benefit and may be harmful.
- To optimize performance, avoid combinations of increased volume with maintained or raised intensity during taper periods.