I'm building my training plan for the next 3-4 months and have decided after going over previous years training data that I burn myself out. My training data would typically consist of around 5-7 hours per week at it's maximum (I was racing a grade at the time) but it would get to that point quite quickly, ramping up in volume and intensity rapidly. The result was that I fell over usually about 2/3 of the way through the season.
The question I have is what do you recommend is a reasonable ramp up rate in terms of duration and intensity? I've re-written my training plan and this time I want to get to a point where I'm doing around 12-14 hours per week eventualy with about 10 months time as my peak in terms of fitness. My plan now has the ratio of high intensity ( L4/5 - e.g. 2 x 20's, 4 x 5's etc) sitting at about 20% of total volume. I've read somewhere (but can't remember where) that I should be increasing volume by about 15% every 4 weeks whilst keeping the ratio of intensity the same. Is this right?
Training plan progression
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I would never ramp up more than 10% pr.week and I would never make a running plan for more than a 24 weeks window and the shorter the target event/race is, the shorter the build period should be imo(Unless one is a Pro gunning for WC or Olympics or so, but those are extremes to the norm).
I would also construct a build phase like this:
- 1 week day is total rest, at maximum do some stretching or core strength workout and keep whatever you do on that recovery day below 40 minutes. My lazy day is always Monday, cause I in general hate Mondays. My buddy uses Fridays as he wants to allow himself to go out and drink on Fridays.
- 3 weeks building, hard/harder(110% hard)/hardest((1,1*1,1=1,21)121% hard), then a recovery week(75% isch hard) with -25% length on the total training pass parts but same intensity on the intense parts of the training, they are just shorter. Then repeat 6 times for a 24 week program or 3 times for a 12 week, etc. Finish with a recovery up to the target event of cause and make the last recovery week especially easy so you're max ready for the target event(assuming the target event is held on a Saturday/Sunday of cause, otherwise adjust the weeks so it fits, ie a training week can start on Wed and end on Tuesday if it "fits" better)
The general rule you've read sounds right, but I would up the scale a bit and say 10% pr.week, which works, if one remembers the recovery week every 4 weeks.
Hope it helps.
I would also construct a build phase like this:
- 1 week day is total rest, at maximum do some stretching or core strength workout and keep whatever you do on that recovery day below 40 minutes. My lazy day is always Monday, cause I in general hate Mondays. My buddy uses Fridays as he wants to allow himself to go out and drink on Fridays.
- 3 weeks building, hard/harder(110% hard)/hardest((1,1*1,1=1,21)121% hard), then a recovery week(75% isch hard) with -25% length on the total training pass parts but same intensity on the intense parts of the training, they are just shorter. Then repeat 6 times for a 24 week program or 3 times for a 12 week, etc. Finish with a recovery up to the target event of cause and make the last recovery week especially easy so you're max ready for the target event(assuming the target event is held on a Saturday/Sunday of cause, otherwise adjust the weeks so it fits, ie a training week can start on Wed and end on Tuesday if it "fits" better)
The general rule you've read sounds right, but I would up the scale a bit and say 10% pr.week, which works, if one remembers the recovery week every 4 weeks.
Hope it helps.
My Intro, TT bike and Aero/WW Upgrade plan
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The biggest problem that people have is trying to 'design' a programme in advance. That is simply impossible.
What you need to be doing is listening to what your body is telling you throughout the season (and the off-season). The way to do that is with periodic testing to determine your fitness, using that data to re-set your levels, designing a new programme for your next macrocycle around those revised levels and executing that programme.
What you need to be doing is listening to what your body is telling you throughout the season (and the off-season). The way to do that is with periodic testing to determine your fitness, using that data to re-set your levels, designing a new programme for your next macrocycle around those revised levels and executing that programme.
I do that at the end of every 4th week, the recovery week, just not a fully out test, cause then the recovery would take more than a day, but yeah forgot that. I personally just don't adjust my program right now, as that takes lots of experience.
My Intro, TT bike and Aero/WW Upgrade plan
"A forum post should be like a skirt - long enough to cover the subject material, but short enough to keep things interesting."
"A forum post should be like a skirt - long enough to cover the subject material, but short enough to keep things interesting."
Yes, that is true, it does require experience. It also requires objectivity. I would recommend that you look around for a good coach in your area and try it. After awhile, you will get the hang of it and will be able to do it yourself (either that, or you will realize that it is really valuable and that you can't do without it).
