When I start to coach an athlete after they have had a mental and physical break from training, their transition/off/no structure training time, I create a month of movements to help them prepare their body to train again.

The Preparatory Training Phase lasts approximately 3-6 weeks and is focused on conditioning their body before additional volume and intensity of training begins. Otherwise known as, getting into a training groove and preparing their body to train

Within this period of time I introduce low volume aerobic exercise, hip mobility and core stability movements, basic strength and swim, bike and run drills. Approaching an  early season preparation phase offers an appropriate primer for the higher volume and intensity training.

Aerobic training intensity is determined on the athletes baseline fitness test data, zones 1-2 heart rate and power or rate of perceived exertion, 6-13 on the Borg scale. While there are very few intervals to be done during this phase, most workouts are drill based. Cycling workouts focus on one-legged, high speed and low cadence drills.  to prep tendons and joints for the slightly harder force and muscle endurance work during base training. Runners and swimmers are prescribed skill and drills to focus on economy of movement and injury prevention.

Strength Training is focused on mostly body weight and light dumbbell movements. Dynamic stretching and strengthening. Some refer to this period as Anatomical Adaptation (AA) Phase. The athlete will be doing body movements or weights in the gym, higher reps and light resistance. This AA phase is about conditioning joints for the next round of heavier weights in the next phase of strength conditioning.

Core stability and hip mobility

Mobility movements help keep soft tissues, joints and tendons from getting too tight. As we increase the volume and intensity of our sport, the soft tissue in our legs stiffens. This is a positive training effect, but the stiffness can go too far and may lead to injury. As a result, getting a start of mobility  in the person to maintain thought the other training phases. While the research is inconclusive on the value of flexibility in preventing injury, I certainly find that when I consistently work on my mobility, I feel better while training and have fewer injuries.

Core stability is about holding your trunk (core and hips) stable while you move your arms and legs. The more stable you can hold your trunk while your arms and legs are doing their thing, the more efficient you’ll be. Most research indicates that a weak core is a leading cause of injury.

Gaining this important stability is easy and requires just a few exercises. There seem to be as many trunk stability exercises as there are runners. Again, find ones that challenge you and that you enjoy doing. You’re more likely to stick to them. Then, as you get into your injury-proofing routine, you can advance the exercises.

One note: The growing body of evidence points to the hips as a primary cause of running ailments. It is critically important that runners strengthen their hips. The more injury prone you are, the more you need to work on hip strength and mobility.

Video to develop skills and drills

Get a baseline of your swim, bike and run via video, add stills and drills for each sport then video yourself at the preparation phase for comparsion. Everyone can benefit from assessment of their sport with video and cleaning up their weaknesses. Better form may also hold off fatigue in training and racing.

You can find dozens of drills to improve your form on youtube. I recommend seeking local expertise to work with you on form and assist and monitor you doing the drills so you know you are doing them correctly.

Adapt and Repeat
If a person wants to improve a skill, for the most part, he or she needs to repeat the task to gain fitness and progression onto the next skill. As your start to build your base, continue to implanted and maintain the movements and skills you adapt meting in the preparation phase