In sports , tapering is the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition. ^[1] Tapering is customary both in endurance sports, such as long-distance running and swimming , and strength sports, such as weightlifting and sprinting . For many athletes , a significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance. The tapering period frequently lasts as much as a week or more. This tapering means gradually reducing the exercise over a short period of time then stopping completely when leading up to competitions.

Tapering periods [ edit ]

As a general rule of thumb , longer endurance events are generally preceded by longer tapering periods, with the curious exception of particularly long endurance competitions, such as ultramarathons and multiday races . In swimming the opposite is true; distance swimmers will often taper for only a week or less, while strength athletes taper for up to 3 weeks. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Typically, tapering for relatively short endurance events takes as little as a week or less, but tapering for an event like the marathon takes at least two or three weeks. Bob Cooper , a veteran marathoner and contributing editor for Runner's World , points to medical studies as evidence that the final three weeks of any marathon-training program are the most critical stage of training; a review of fifty studies on tapering indicates that optimal levels of muscle glycogen , enzymes , antioxidants , and hormones , which are significantly depleted by intense endurance training, are achieved during a taper. Tapering may also be done for submaximal exercises. ^[2]

Before tapering [ edit ]

Often, a workout simulating the actual race distance and conditions will climax the period of training immediately before tapering. According to two-time American Olympian Pete Pfitzinger "the taper should be preceded by your last long run." ^[3]

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Pfitzinger.com - "Tapering for a Marathon", Pete Pfitzinger
• MarathonTraining.com - "Marathon Training Program: Tapering"
• RunnersWorld.com - "Taper Traps", Dave Kuehls, Runner's World