Why Tapering Matters More Than You Think

Tapering isn’t about being lazy or skipping sessions — it’s one of the smartest things you can do before a comp or key training block. After weeks of hard training, your body’s carrying fatigue, glycogen stores are low, and power output starts to dip. A proper taper helps clear that fatigue, refill the tank, and get you firing when it counts.

When you drop training volume (usually 40–60%) but keep intensity up, your muscles finally get a chance to restore glycogen — that’s the stored carbohydrate your body uses as its main fuel in high-intensity efforts. Research shows that even a short taper can significantly boost glycogen levels and improve power at threshold (Mujika & Padilla 2011). In one cycling study, riders who tapered had 27 W higher output at the same effort compared to those who didn’t (Shepley et al., 1992). That’s not small — that’s the difference between feeling flat and feeling unstoppable.

The other big win from tapering is in power and neural recovery. Heavy lifting and hard intervals take a toll on your central nervous system. Pulling back gives those systems time to reset so you can express true strength and speed on game day. Reviews show noticeable gains in max power and explosiveness after tapering (Bagley et al., 2015).

Bottom line — the work’s already done in the build phase. Tapering just gives your body a chance to show it. Don’t be afraid to ease off before you need to perform; that’s when the magic happens.

References

• Mujika, I. & Padilla, S. (2011). Tapering for competition: A review. Journal of Sports Sciences.

• Shepley, B. et al. (1992). Physiological effects of tapering in highly trained athletes. Journal of Applied Physiology.

• Bagley, J. et al. (2015). Less Is More: The physiological basis for tapering in endurance, strength, and power athletes. Sports (MDPI).