Have you ever looked back over a month of training and thought, “I worked really hard… so why didn’t I improve as much as I’d hoped?”
It’s one of the most common conversations I have with the cyclists and triathletes I coach.
Most athletes are already doing the hard work. They’re training consistently, committed to improving and prepared to put in the effort. The problem is rarely motivation.
More often, they’re investing their time and energy in an area that isn’t actually limiting their performance.
That’s why one of the first questions I ask is: “What’s working, and what isn’t?”
It sounds simple, but the answer usually tells us where our attention needs to go next.
More training is not always the answer
When something isn’t improving, the natural response is often to add more. Another interval session. Another run. More kilometres. A harder swim set.
Sometimes that is exactly what is needed. But sometimes it adds fatigue without addressing why progress has stalled.
A rider might be chasing a higher FTP because they want to stay with the bunch. Yet when we look closely, they are losing contact on descents because they brake too early, tense through corners and then work hard to close the gap.
Fitness may not be the main limiter. Better descending skills could make the fitness they already have far more useful.
A triathlete may think another run will improve their running. But if they struggle to hold their position late in sessions, regularly become sore or take too long to recover, the better priority may be strength. Not because strength is always the answer, but because it may be the missing piece at that point.
The same applies in the pool. Trying harder does not automatically create a better stroke. If a swimmer is losing their catch or body position, more effort often reinforces the same movement. They may need to slow down and practise one technical change well.
Find the actual limiter
The right priority is not always the most obvious one.
Hand numbness on the bike can look like a bike-fit problem, but restricted shoulder or upper-body mobility may affect how comfortably an athlete supports themselves.
An inconsistent week can look like a discipline problem, when the plan simply does not fit work and family demands. A flat session can look like lost fitness, when the athlete has not recovered.
This is where coaching becomes more than writing sessions.
My role is to look across the whole picture: training history, skills, technique, recovery, strength, mobility, confidence and life outside sport. Then we decide which one or two areas deserve attention now.
Research into deliberate practice supports purposeful work directed at a specific area for improvement, rather than simply accumulating hours (Ericsson, 1993). Periodisation research makes a similar practical point: priorities need to be organised and sequenced rather than trying to develop everything at once.(Issurin, 2010)
I use the same process myself
This winter, I have had to ask myself the same question: what is working, and what isn’t?
My priorities are rebuilding my engine after disrupted training and strengthening specific areas that support my swimming, cycling and running. I am not trying to improve every part of my performance at the same time.
There are plenty of things I could add. But adding more would not necessarily move me forward faster. The useful work is the work that matches what I need now.
That is one of my coaching principles: work on the right thing at the right time.
The priority will change. Once a rider becomes more confident descending, fitness may become the next limiter. Once a triathlete develops enough strength to tolerate training, running consistency may need attention. Once recovery improves, there may be room for greater intensity.
Good coaching is not about finding one answer and repeating it forever. It is about reviewing what is happening, choosing the most useful next step and adjusting as the athlete develops.
What should you work on next?
Before adding another session, ask yourself:
- What is working well?
- What repeatedly breaks down?
- Where do I lose the most time, confidence or consistency?
- What change would make the rest of my training more effective?
You may not need to work harder. You may need a clearer priority.
If you’re unsure what your biggest priority should be, that’s exactly what coaching is for.
Reply to the newsletter and tell me what is working and what isn’t, or start a coaching conversation. We can work out where your attention will make the biggest difference.