Peak performance requires maximal physical and psychological tolerance for the stress of the activity. But periods of intense training reduce muscle strength, decreasing the athlete` performance capacity. For this reason, to compete at their peak, many athletes reduce their training intensity prior to a major competition to give their bodies and their minds a break from the rigors of intense training. This practice is referred to as tapering (Wilmore & Costill, 1999, p. 396). Taper is the term commonly applied to the short-term reduction in training load before competition (Gibala, MacDougall & Sale, 1994, p. 492). The aim of the taper is to reduce the physiological and psychological stress of daily training and optimize sports performance (see The truth about tapering, 2003). The taper period, during which intensity is reduced, should provide adequate time for healing of tissue damage caused by intense training, and time for the body`s energy reserves to be fully replenished (Wilmore & Costill, 1999, p. 396).
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