Coaching

Periodisation

This is the process of structuring training in order to maximise the training time and effect and avoid burnout or staleness through any training plateau. Tudor O. Bompa, PhD, revolutionized Western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodisation in Romania in 1963. After adopting his training system, the former Eastern Bloc countries dominated international sports through the 1970s and 1980s. Periodisation is a dynamic training plan, a sort of training road map, that will allow you to reach specific goals whilst being flexible enough to allow for route changes en route to specific objectives.

Separate periods in the year are structured into cycles, which have separate training goals and methods in order to maximise the gains in the different components of performance required for each period.

Macro cycles
Months to years.

Meso cycles
2 - 6 weeks sub divisions of macro, with specific objectives different from others.

Micro cycles
7 - 14 days containing detailed information about the training frequency, intensity and time sequence of the training this concept is built around the scientific principles of training, which are;

Progressive Overload

Once an athlete has adapted to a specific training stimulus the training stimulus must be increased in order for the athlete to adapt further and gain performance increases. To get an overload effect training must exceed the normal load. The skilled combination of volume (frequency and duration/time) and intensity known as the FIT principle will determine the appropriate training level. This also applies for psychological training when an athlete is learning a new skill. However too much can cause injury and burnout whereas too little will cause no adaptation and a performance plateau.

Reversibility

Use it or loose it, slow gradual training will imply slower losses when training is cut whereas, fast gain methods will imply a quick loss. For example VO2max has been observed to decrease by 15 to 20% after a 12 week period of detraining in elite endurance cyclists. This will vary within the maturation of the individual, but an athlete must consider that when they are not able to train in their chosen sport due to injury they must use a different mode of training that incorporates similar muscle groups in similar neuromuscular recruitment patterns, for example a speed skater could switch to cycling in order to maintain aerobic conditioning.

Specificity

The adaptation to training will be specific to the type of training. For example high VO2 in cross country running may not translate to a high VO2 in indoor track running.

Variation

Mix it up to avoid low training motivation and reduce the chance of diminished returns. Burnout has been shown to have a high association with lack of motivation and low perceived ability in a given task. An increase in task salience will increase labouring, something that is missed out of most peoples' training during the long winter base training.