Understanding Periodization in Training
Some time ago I was working with an excellent time-trialing training program for cycling – the cover of the training plan had these words on it:
Structured, Systematic, and Progressive
That sums up a great training program perfectly. If you’re serious about maximizing performance, these three words need to be the basis of your training plan.
Structured
The training plan is deliberate. It has purpose. There’s a plan. A blueprint.
Systematic
All the components of the plan work together. Your training plan become a training system, not just a potpourri of workouts tossed together like a bad stew. Sure, a bad stew might be edible, but it probably won’t give you the best results.
Progressive
Your training plan must build upon itself, deliberately laying a great foundation, and then building on that foundation in a progressive manner, with each phase of training being dependent on the previous phase. This provides a solid result that will produce the fewest injuries and most SPEED!
Like building a house…
Approaching your training without structured, systematic, and progressive training plan is like building a house without blueprints. Yes, you could probably get house finished by building a room here, and then some foundation over there, and stacking a couple of rooms on top of that…but, like our bad stew, the end result probably isn’t going to be as good as it could have been.
Too many athletes approach their training program like that house, just going out and training without purpose.
Their plan sounds something like this:
- “Today I’ll go hard.”
- “Today I’ll go long.”
- “EVERY day I’ll go hard (’cause that makes me fast, right?).”
- “Today I feel like working on sprinting”
Sure, you’ll get a result, but it’s not going to be as good as it could have been.
Periodization
The key to building a great training plan that gets you the best results is periodization. Periodization is simply the process of breaking your training plan into deliberate phases, or periods. Each period has a deliberate focus, building on the previous phase, with the end result being that you are the fastest you could possibly be when that big race rolls around.S
Periodization can get pretty involved and complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. We like to simplify it and make it pretty straightforward. Many of the SUP, outrigger canoe and surfski training plans we use utilize “linear periodization”, and that’s what we’ll be discussing here. This method of training has had endurance athletes on our plans winning age group categories while training about half the time each week of their competitors. It works – so let’s check it out.
Following this approach, periodization can be described in the following phases:
Prep Phase
During the Preparation phase, you’re preparing to train.This is usually off-season training, crosstraining and working on aspects of fitness that may not be specific to your sport.
Base Phase
In the Base phase, you are training to train, preparing yourself for the demands of the following more intense and race-like phase of training. Like putting the foundation on our house, the base phase builds a solid foundation for our fitness. The stronger the base, the more solid and long-lasting the final fitness is.
Ideally, you will three Base phrases, with each building on the last.
Base 1: Improves endurance and max strength.
Base 2: Introduces force and muscular endurance.
Base 3: Volume reaches the annual high point. Your workouts start to become more race specific. You should start to concentrate on training in conditions and scenarios similar to the race you are peaking for, with emphasis on building duration.
Build Phase
In this phase, you are training to race, and you start building on that strong foundation. We are adding more stress to the workout, progressively increasing speed and systemic stress. This is like adding the framing and walls to our house. Now things are beginning take shape, and we’re starting to see glimpses of what the final product will look like.
Volume is reduced as intensity increases.
For first year or second year athletes, a deliberate increase in frequency tends to produce the best results. The key is getting on the water often and building a strong base.
Athletes in their second and third year of training should focus on increasing the duration of your paddles to build aerobic endurance. This takes a couple of years, so don’t rush it.,
Paddlers with three or more years of training usually find that intensity has the potential to lift fitness to the highest levels. However, if duration and frequency aren’t well established, increasing frequency isn’t nearly as effective.
Peak Phase
Now we’re smoking! Peak phase is exactly what is sounds like – you’re peaking for your event, gaining optimal speed and preparing yourself to operate at race intensity.e
Volume drops as race intensity is emphasized. This is about speeeeeeeed. Peak phase can only be maintained for 1-2 weeks.
Race Phase
It’s all about speed and power during the race phase. Workouts are short and to the point, with the emphasis being on keeping the tank full while honing race-pace sharpness (this is not the time to go out and do a marathon paddle).
Race phase, for most people, can only be maintained for a period of 1-3 weeks.
Transition Phase
This is after your Race period, after your big race(s), and it should be totally unstructured. This is a time of recovery – you should remain active, but this is when you recharge both mentally and physically. And it’s crucial.
Zone Training
When we talk about training intensity, we use an adaption of the 5 Zones of intensity described by Joel Friel in The Triathletes Training Bible. These help determine the intensity of a given effort during a workout. This is CRUCIAL. If your workout, calls for a certain training zone (and it should, EVERY one), you MUST be a Nazi about sticking to it.
Workout at the appropriate intensity is so important that we built the our Training Platform so it automatically calculates your training zones for you, and displays them directly in your workout feed..
Zone 1: Recovery. This low level of intensity speeds up recovery and often reduces soreness.
Gauge: Sorta the same intensity as sitting at home of the couch. Our workouts rarely call for Zone 1, but you should use it on your recovery days as needed.
Zone 2: Extensive Endurance. Used for long, endurance workouts. Lactate production is low, and slow twitch muscles become stronger.
Gauge: You can carry on a conversation with your buddy.
Zone 3: Intensive Endurance. Used primarily during the early base periods, this intensity ups lactate production – it shouldn’t be used in later phases of training.
Gauge: You can talk to your buddy, but only 1-2 sentences at a time.
Zone 4: Threshold. This is pretty much race pace. This may vary depending on what distance you’re racing, but talking it pretty much out of the question.
Gauge: Conversation is limited to a word or two at a time, if any. You could do this for a while, you’ll be plum knackered out when done.
Zone 5a: Threshold +. Just a little harder than your race pace. You might use this zone when racing against current or in a headwind.
Zone 5b: Anaerobic Endurance. This pushes you above your lactate threshold and can’t be maintained for long. You may have to go here during a race to pass get out in front at the start or at the finish line, to catch a bump, or to get out a congested area. We use it with caution – it can lead to overtraining in serious athletes.
Gauge: Ow. It hurts.
Breaking it down a little more
Now that we’ve talked a little about phases, let’s talk about weeks and days.
Recovery weeks. You MUST schedule Rest & Recovery (R&R) weeks into your training, no matter what the phase. For many athletes, we’ll schedule a recovery week every fourth week. Junior paddlers, master paddlers, and slow-to-recover athletes may benefit from more frequent R&R weeks,
Notice I said “Rest & Recovery”, not “Rest week” or “Slacker week”. During this week, consistency is maintained, but workouts are shorter, and some of them are easier. This is the week you should conduct your monthly test. Testing keeps you sharp and motivated, and these short but intense workouts help promote recovery. The rest of the workouts during recovery weeks might be what we call “granny paddles” (so easy your grandma could do ’em).
SIDE NOTE: Not recovering properly can affect you for a long time. I once went a recovery bike ride the day after a triathlon with two very fast training partners. They hadn’t raced the day before, and the ride turned into a hammer-fest of sprints and chases. Though my legs felt a little tired, it was fun and I joined in.
It took 4 weeks for my legs to recover after that – I spent four weeks getting dropped during speed workouts because I didn’t pay attention to the plan and skipped that recovery day.
Your Daily Pattern
For most paddlers, the best weekly pattern is the one that works for you. The Paddle Channel Training Platform delivers a set number of key workouts each week, and you should try to get all your key workouts in, but you can choose which workout you do on which day.
We deliberately build in that type of flexibility so you can adapt your training to your actual lifestyle, conditions, life events, etc. The most effective training plan is the one that fits your schedule and the one you’ll do most consistently.
Some advanced athletes respond well to block training (doing harder workouts 2 days in a row), but most athletes respond better when they avoid doing hard workouts (we call them breakthrough workouts) on consecutive days. Block training can easily lead to overtraining for many age-group athletes, so it should be used very carefully, if at all. It’s generally a good idea to schedule an easier day of paddling between your breakthrough workouts. Just pick a pattern that works for you and stick with it.
One thing that is NOT flexible is your weekly recovery day. 1-2 days per week MUST be recovery days, or you WILL overtrain. Depending on your fitness level and how you’re feeling, you might take the recovery day completely off or do a ½ hour or hour of stretching, mobility work, drills and play, or an easy day of paddling..
Recovery
Recovery is HUGE. So big I’ll say it again. Recovery is HUGE. One the popular sayings you’ll hear amongst endurance coaches is that most people don’t go hard enough on their hard days or easy enough on their easy days. Going easy is just as important as going hard, so don’t neglect it.
Breakthrough Workouts
Breakthrough workouts are workouts that challenge you, pushing your fitness to the next level. The difficulty of a breakthrough workout will vary with any given period.
Examples might include:
- a very long workout in Base 1
- a long Zone 3 time challenge (my favorite is to work in zone 3 for an hour) in Base 3 phase to challenge muscular endurance
- a series of Zone 4 efforts during Build 2 to build speed
The Final Word
Simply put, you’ll race faster, get more fit, and suffer fewer injuries with a systematic, structured and progressive training plan. Understanding the phases of endurance training will help you achieve the purpose of each period, and the end result will make you a faster and healthier paddler. Which is why we love the hashtag, #getonaplan.
