In this episode, Host Allison Bettin is joined by Matt Dixon, an elite triathlon coach and cofounder of Purple Patch Fitness, for a masterclass on the offseason—the time of year Matt Dixon claims is the single biggest predictor of athlete breakthroughs.
Together, they unpack Matt Dixon’s four-phase coaching model and explore why offseason isn’t just a break, but a critical opportunity for reflection, realignment, and revolutionizing athletic potential. You’ll hear actionable insights on athlete retention, the art of the season review, what mistakes coaches often make, and how to turn downtime into your most powerful training advantage.
Plus, discover the holistic habits and “offseason toolkit” that make the difference between a good athlete and a great one—along with practical ways TrainingPeaks brings it all together.
Standout Quotes
On the Power of Defining Success: “So if you go a year ahead…what does success look like for you? Why are you doing this? What’s important for you? What’s your why? It doesn’t need to be something grandiose, but really understanding what’s important to the athlete, what success looks like, and with that, getting complete alignment. It’s absolutely critical.”
“It’s really a phase of preparation that we’re putting the building blocks in place so that when the athlete does and the coach does dial up the commitment, dial up the focus, and ramp the training, the athlete is mentally and physically prepared.”
on OFF-SEASON SUCCESS
On Redefining Progress in During the Off-Season: “But as soon as you start as a coach looking for progression in speed or power of fitness over these two months or so, you’re gonna start to run into trouble. You’re gonna start to project onto the athlete, and so it’s having the confidence to say, that’s not what we’re tracking right now. Actually making it really soul-filling, having fun. So then the athlete, if they’re out for a trail run and they end up converting it to a hike, it’s great. In the big picture, they’re moving their body, they’re outside in nature.”
“I think a big part of the reason that our athletes historically have a very, very low injury rate isn’t because we do less training. I’ve never got accused of being too easy, but I think it’s because we we do a really good job of selling off season as something that’s fun, fresh, different, rejuvenating, but critical.”
ON The Secret to Low Injury Rates in Athletes
