Offseason Training Recap

My year typically can be broken down into three phases: the offseason, the preseason, and the competitive season. The offseason lasts from September until February and can hardly be thought of as time off. This is the time when I dedicate myself to training and put in the highest amount of volume during the year. The preseason begins in March and lasts until the end of May. During this time my training will remain the same, but I will begin to do a few competitions to test my form. Then, from June until August the big meets begin and I start to back off the training a little to try and reach new bests.

Over the past few weeks, the indoor track and field season has begun. While there is no hammer throw indoors***, the start of the indoor season always reminds me that the outdoor season is near. In fact, this week I am finishing a very intense 9-week training program and will be rewarded with a few weeks of light training. While my amount of throws I take will actually increase during this phase, the weight room volume will plummet and most of my throws will be with lighter hammers. After focusing on heavier hammers for the past few months, the rest and light hammers should allow me to regain some speed and transfer my new strength into the competition hammer. The new program should take me through the end of the offseason and the start of my preseason at the European Cup of Winter Throwing in Sofia, Bulgaria. I’ve posted a tentative schedule for the rest of my season on the Schedule and Results page.

Our training group is ready to kick some butt once the season starts.

So far, the offseason training couldn’t be going better. Every month has seen a new personal best in some form. In November, I threw a personal best with the heavy 8-kilogram hammer. Just before Christmas I threw a personal best with the light 5-kilogram hammer. And last week I threw a new best with the very heavy 10-kilogram hammer. While I only improved my old bests by a few centimeters, it is nevertheless a huge step forward. The winter is not the time of year that anyone normally throws far. The weather is colder, the training is heavier, and we are still seven months away from the Swiss Championships. All of my previous bests have been during the summer in great conditions when my body is in peak condition.

Personally I’ve also been traveling back and forth to America (and the Cayman Islands), been away from my coach, and trying to balance the commitments of a new job. When I began this program, coach Bondarchuk even told me that the volume was so heavy that I would not have good results. Yet despite all this I am throwing better than ever. And hopefully the results will continue to improve once my body is able to finally get some rest. At least that is the plan.

The offseason is also going well for my training partners back in Canada. Sultana Frizell earned her highest world ranking ever at number seven even though she wasn’t let into many of the IAAF Hammer Challenge meetings. Dylan Armstrong ranked even higher at fifth place in the shot put. And Kibwé Johnson ended the season as the top ranked American hammer thrower.

***While I cannot compete in the hammer throw indoors, I may continue my quest for a medal at the Swiss championships in the shot put. I might compete at the Swiss Indoor Championships next month, but likely won’t have time train with the shot put before the competition.