RIGHT training at the RIGHT time

You may have heard of the buzz phrases such as mesocycle, microcycle, periodization, peaking, progression etc but they may not mean much to you or you may not see the point.

Well, this is what I live and plan by. Getting THE RIGHT TRAINING and more importantly planned at THE RIGHT TIME is THE MOST important thing when it comes to my planning.

Typically, my athletes come to me with their first or next goal, for example, in 10 weeks’ time I want to PB at the Half Marathon distance.

This exciting prospect makes me get to work. The training for said athlete is then structured in a way that I plan MESOCYCLES of around 3-4 weeks that is made up of typically 3-4 MICROCYCLES depending on rest days or the ability to cross train.

For the athletes goal suggested above I would identify the focus/sub goals of each of these mesocycles. For instance, we may need to extend the BASE PHASE of training that would aim to increase stamina, muscular strength and endurance and give them a strong core through some strength and conditioning focused sessions.

Thus, this is where the building blocks of microcycles come in and the PROGRESSIONS from one week to the next. It would be disadvantageous for me to plan out the whole mesocycle in one go. I know what I would like the athlete to achieve by the end of it, but everyone’s progression looks different. If all RIGHT training sessions have been hit well to RIGHT targets I gave in one microcycle – I BUILD and plan the next aiming to PROGRESS nicely through mesocycle number 1. If sessions haven’t been completed in the way asked or illness/work/life got in the way, an adaptation of the following week would need thought and considerations.

Towards the end of this mesocycle I start to think about the next.

This may be a BUILD PHASE of training, mesocycle number 2 and 3 depending on the length of the plan. During this phase it is fundamentally important for me to plan one week to the next. The emphasis would be on PROGRESSIONS and CHALLENGING workouts that would aim to meet the goals of this phase.

The athlete identified above wants to PB in the half marathon, therefore I would be aiming to IMPROVE many components of fitness such as aerobic capacity, speed-endurance, strength-endurance, recovery, even flexibility to name a few. Again, these microcycles would be planned to meet these focused sub goals and as the body ADAPTS the weeks are BUILT up, one on top of the other, with feedback from athletes to make sure we are getting everything right in their plan and we have BALANCE between training and life stresses. Afterall, this is a tailored plan for individual, it is never one size fits all.

As long as sub goals have been met, next comes the specific phase and taper phase again following the above principles.

All the above is PERIODIZED in a way that gets each athlete to their given race or goal in PEAK physical condition, ready to PB.

Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Even the greatest athletes in the world may push one session too hard or not listen to their bodies in terms of RECOVERY and nutrition and despite the best plans their body may not be in the BEST condition possible. It is a fine balance that is finely tuned so the plan ensures that at least you do the RIGHT SESSIONS at the RIGHT TIME.

After all, what is the point in the RIGHT sessions at the WRONG time or WRONG sessions entirely?