Tapering
Tapering is the practice of reducing training in the period before a big event so you arrive feeling fresh.
Definition
Tapering means easing back on how much training you do in the days or weeks leading up to an important race or competition. The overall workload is dialled down while the event itself stays in focus, with the aim of shedding accumulated fatigue and turning up rested rather than worn out.
It is a familiar idea in endurance sports such as running, swimming, cycling and triathlon, where athletes build up their training and then taper before a target event. How long and how gradual the taper is varies from person to person and event to event.
Where you’ll hear “tapering”
Sports that use this term:
Running
The most accessible endurance sport — no venue, just shoes and the open road or trail.
Swimming
A full-body, low-impact endurance sport suitable for almost every age and ability.
Triathlon
A multi-sport endurance event that links swimming, cycling and running into one continuous race.
Cycling
A low-impact endurance sport that doubles as transport, exercise and adventure.
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Commonly confused with
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Strategies
- Pacing and Energy ManagementPacing and energy management is the overarching plan for distributing a limited supply of physical effort across an event so you avoid fading early and finish strong.
- Tapering and PeakingTapering and peaking is the strategy of easing training load before a key event so fitness stays high while fatigue clears, timing peak form for the day itself.
Training methods
- PeriodisationPeriodisation is the practice of organising training into phases across weeks and months, varying the focus so you build steadily and peak at the right time.
- Progressive OverloadProgressive overload is the principle of gradually increasing the demand you place on your body so it keeps adapting and improving over time.
- Endurance Base TrainingEndurance base training is an extended phase of mostly easy, steady aerobic work that lays the aerobic foundation the rest of a training plan builds on.
- Hypertrophy TrainingHypertrophy training is resistance work structured to encourage muscle growth, typically using moderate repetitions and a steady, controlled tempo.
- PlyometricsPlyometrics are jumping and bounding drills that train muscles to produce force quickly, developing power and springiness through explosive movement.
Recovery
- Rest daysRest days are planned days off from training that give the body and mind time to recover between harder sessions.
- Easy daysEasy days are deliberately gentle training days that keep the effort low so harder sessions can stay hard.
- Listening to your bodyListening to your body means paying attention to everyday signs like energy, sleep and soreness to guide how much you do.
- SleepRegular, good-quality sleep is the foundation of everyday recovery for anyone who trains or plays sport.
- Active recoveryActive recovery means very easy, gentle movement on lighter days to keep the body moving without adding hard training stress.
Training guides
- How to progress gentlyProgressing gently means increasing your training in small, gradual steps so your body has time to adapt.
- How to cool downA cool-down is a few easy minutes at the end of a session that let your effort taper off gradually before you stop.
- How to start strength trainingStarting strength training means gradually introducing resistance movements and learning good form before doing anything more demanding.
- How to warm upA short, gentle warm-up gradually raises your body temperature and prepares your muscles and joints for the activity ahead.
- Understanding rest and recoveryRest and recovery are the everyday habits — sleep, rest days and gentle movement — that let the benefits of training take hold between sessions.
Coaching concepts
- ProgressionBuilding skill and training load in gradual, manageable steps so each stage prepares the next, moving from simple to complex and easy to hard.
- Transfer of TrainingWhether practice carries over to real performance — and why game-like, varied practice tends to transfer better than isolated, repetitive drills.
- Decision-Making PracticeTraining athletes to read cues and choose the right action under pressure — coupling perception to action, not just rehearsing physical technique in isolation.
- Goal-Setting for PracticeSetting clear practice goals directs effort and makes progress visible — separating results-based outcome goals from controllable process goals.
- Deliberate PracticeFocused, effortful practice that targets a specific weakness with full attention and immediate feedback — not just repeating what you already do well.
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- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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