I am a firm believer in periodization, and I personally use this type of training approach in my own training and for those I recommend to others. Periodization is simply taking into account the fact that the human body adapts to training over time, making it important that we constantly tweak and change our training routines over a set period of time. For endurance training, a typical training plan (mine included) goes something like: Winter (Off-season) for strength building and maintenance, Spring (Pre-season) for base and endurance building and Race/Peak Period when it’s go time. You can see how periodized training spans over the period of an entire year and not just during the “active” training season. The off season is just as important to work on techniques and strength. I love the off season because I can chill out on the swim, bike and run a bit and up my time in the weight room, which I do love BTW! By changing the types and intensity of training we engage in we do several important things. (1) We avoid injury, particularly overuse injuries (2) We strengthen stabilizer muscles and our core, which is so important in sports and life (3) We avoid burnout (4) We stimulate fitness and can make strength gains. I gotta tell you the reduction in burnout is so important after a long hard season of racing!
So if you’re like many endurance athletes out there and you develop your own training plans, please make certain you’re periodizing your training year and you’ll see some serious gains in performance. Plus your mind and body will thank you for the variety!
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