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MID-SEASON
MARGARET WAECHTER
Contributing Editor for the Master Skier
Margaret Waechter has an M.S. in Exercise Science, and is an ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist®. She does exercise testing for athletes at Winthrop Physical Therapy in Winthrop, WA, and coaches Nordic skiers and cyclists. In addition, she does rehab and diagnostic testing with cardiac patients at Methow Valley Family Practice. No stranger to elite XC-Skiing, Margaret was a Canadian National XC Ski Team member in the 1980’s. Margaret & Mark Waechter own and operate Nordic Ultratune www.ultratune.net
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I was browsing through the latest edition of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, when I came across an interesting meta-analysis looking at the effects of tapering on performance (Bosquet, Montpetit, Arvisais, & Mujika, 2007).
While the sports analyzed included swimming, running and cycling, I thought their findings might be interesting to the Nordic ski crowd. In this meta–analysis the researchers included studies that used the outcome of performance to evaluate various tapering strategies.
I also dragged out some notes on tapering given to me by Dr. Dave Smith at the University of Calgary (many moons ago) to see if anything had changed in the “world of tapering.” So let’s start with “What is a taper?”
What is a “Taper”?
The taper is a reduced training load that is implemented in the final days of preparation leading up to the “big kahuna” event you have been focusing your training on. For some of us it may be the World Master’s in McCall, Idaho this season. For others it may be the Birkie, the Junior Olympics, or in the case of elite athletes major championship events.
During this period we want to optimize the positive influence of less fatigue and the negative influence of detraining on performance (Bosquet et al., 2007). In other words, maintain or improve our fitness, while decreasing training fatigue.
Finally, one comment made by Dr. Smith to our exercise physiology class in the early 90’s was “You can not taper a toothpick.” That has always stuck with me. Think about it.
You can read whole textbooks on the subject of periodization of training, with tapering being a “period” of your training season.
However, in regards to the taper, the physiological part boils down to optimizing training volume (how much), training intensity (how hard), training frequency (how often) and the pattern of the taper (Bosquet et al.). What is the ideal manipulation of these elements?
What Should I Know When Planning My Taper?
The results of the meta-analysis are interesting. When I looked at variables (volume, intensity, frequency, duration and pattern of taper), the biggest effect size (which was moderate) was for a reduction in training volume by 41-60%.
It appeared that reducing the duration of workouts, rather than the frequency of workouts was the optimal way to achieve this reduction in training volume. It was suggested by the researchers that a conservative approach would be to maintain training frequency at 80% or more of pre-taper levels.
A decrease in training intensity actually caused a negative effect size… hmmmm don’t do that! Maintaining training intensity at pre-taper levels resulted in a moderate effect size. The optimal duration of a taper (in these sports) seemed to be eight to fourteen days.
Finally, after looking at their results and the work done by others in the field the researchers recommended a progressive taper with a “fast decay.” The average improvement in performance when manipulating these variables was 1.9% (Bosquet et al., 2007). However, these results can be meaningful when we are talking competitive sport.
Mechanisms for Performance Improvements
What happens in response to a taper is both physiological and mental. I’ll just highlight some physiological responses.
An increase in oxygen extraction and VO2max. This is due to an increase in blood volume, an increase in red blood cell production, an increase in hemoglobin and an increase in total body hemoglobin stores and an increase in aerobic enzyme activity (Bosquet et al., 2007; Smith, 1995.
*A decrease in the energy cost of exercise has been noted in some sports (Bosquet et al., 2007).
*An increase in aerobic endurance - most likely due to a 13-34% increase in muscle glycogen content (Bosquet et al., 2007)
*Improvements in buffering capacity, and faster lactate recovery curves (Smith, 1995).
*Higher testosterone levels in both males and females (Smith, 1995).
Practical Considerations For Tapering
There is an art and science to tapering, and this takes some experience to get right. However, there are some trends emerging and “things” to consider when planning a taper.
Is reducing the volume by 41-60% without changes in intensity of frequency of exercise optimal for all endurance sports, or does it differ by sport, gender or fatigue?
There appeared to be a trend suggesting that one must maintain the intensity of exercise regardless of the mode of exercise (Bosquet et al., 2007)
The feel of good technique is important to maintain. That may play into maintaining intensity of exercise as the neural muscular adaptation are harder to maintain than other aspects of training.
Although in general an 8-14 day taper appeared sufficient this may differ from sport to sport (Bosquet et al.). Obviously other factors come into play here, such as the event length, muscle mass recruited, age of athlete, etc.
Gender - Males may see larger performance improvements than females after a taper, but there is only limited data to support this at this time.
Overloading training prior to a taper gives more gains, but there should be adjustments in the taper duration and volume to allow the “extra” accumulated fatigue to dissipate (Bosquet et al.)
Match energy intake to output during a taper to prevent unwanted increases in body fat. A diet rich in carbohydrates seems to be preferred (Bosquet et al).
Now is not the time to go out on a limb with a radical new training approach. Trust in your preparation. This is the perfect opportunity to use some of your free time to hone your strategy for the upcoming event, visualize skiing the perfect race, plan for contingencies, and make sure your equipment is in great shape and ski bases fast. There are a number of things that need to occur during this period besides training that are important for optimal performance. These are just a few.
What works for one athlete, may or may not work for the next. As training changes from season to season the ideal taper may change as well. There is an art and science to the perfect taper and peak. However look for trends that work season to season.
I always ask athletes I work with to evaluate their seasons. It is helpful to look at old programs and note when the skier felt his/ her best, and look at the specific preparation done in the weeks/months leading up to this to.
How long did they taper? What workouts seem to “work” for them, and what kinds of intensity sharpens them up. We keep what works, and refine year to year until we have it nailed for that athlete. Good luck this season, and may your taper be perfect.
Bosquet, L., Montpetit, J., Arvisais, D., & Mujika, I. (2007). Effects of tapering on performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39 (8), 1358-1365.
Smith, D. (1995). Taper and peak. Presentation to National Coaches Seminar, Winnipeg, Manitoba, October.
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