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Training
Tapering
By: Michele Ferrari
Published: 21 Oct 2003

What is tapering? How to perform it correctly during the training program? What effects does it have on the organism?

Tapering is the final segment of a training period preceding an important competitive event in the athlete’s season.

Its purpose is the recovery of freshness, reducing the physiological and psychological stress of daily training and optimizing race performance.

Every athlete has his or her own physical and emotional requirements. Coaches therefore must tailor tapering to each individual.

There are, however, certain factors that are useful for everyone.


- The primary aim of tapering is to reduce physiological fatigue from preparatory training for important competitions.

- For cyclists, tapering periods last from as many as ten to as few as five days, depending on the individual.

- Training volume should be reduced progressively to arrive at between 20% to 30% of habitual riding distance.

- It’s a good idea to maintain certain intensity levels, however, so as to maintain muscular and hormonal values reached during training. Average rhythm intensity and threshold, for example, should be maintained even as training volume is reduced.

- Weekly training frequency should be maintained, according to training habits and performance level of the athlete, even though in certain cases it’s helpful to insert one or more supplemental days of complete rest.

Good tapering strategy can usually produce performance enhancement of between 2%-4%.

More from Training :
A bicycle's "performance" 1 Mar 2003
Clothing and Performance 6 Mar 2003
High Pedaling Cadence 10 Mar 2003
The rider’s performance: how to measure it? 1 Mar 2003
Training Intensity Levels 17 Mar 2003
High RPM: further observations 13 May 2003
Over-Training in Sports 17 Jun 2003
Tapering 21 Oct 2003
Pedaling Cadences and Force Peaks 27 Nov 2003
The Lab is far from the Road 18 Feb 2004
Pedaling Efficiency is Crucial 5 May 2004
Pedal Stroke Efficiency 5 Jul 2004
Uphill Gradient and VAM 6 Dec 2004
Bad Days 10 Dec 2004
The Lipid Power 9 Jan 2005
Time Trial Races 26 Oct 2005
Engine Vs Tank 30 Nov 2005
Choosing the Cranks 5 Oct 2007
The Critical Power 6 Jan 2007
More about VAM 8 Jun 2007
Change in Training 1 Dec 2007
Winter Gym Sessions: Yes or No? 12 Dec 2008
VAM: Effects of Gradient & Altitude 19 Jun 2009
Numbers on Drafting 25 Jan 2011
Effect of Weight on Climbing 19 Jun 2011
Carbo Mouth Rinse 2 Nov 2011
Training at Altitude 19 Nov 2011
Too Much Training? 24 Mar 2012


 
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