Periodisation is how training is organised over time so you arrive at your goal fit, fresh and ready. It sounds technical, but the idea is simple: different phases have different jobs.
Three things we balance
- Volume: how much you train, in hours or distance
- Intensity: how hard you train
- Load: the combined stress of volume and intensity, often tracked with metrics such as Training Stress Score (TSS) in TrainingPeaks
You can't push all three up at once for long. Periodisation decides which one leads at each stage.
Training in blocks
We usually plan in mesocycles of about 8 to 10 weeks, each with a clear focus, for example:
- Base: lots of easy aerobic volume, strength work and skill
- Build: more threshold and VO2max work, more race-specific sessions
- Peak and taper: lower volume, sharp intensity, freshness for race day
- Recovery: a planned reset after a major event
Within each block, harder weeks are followed by lighter weeks so fatigue doesn't pile up.
Why it works
Your body adapts to the specific stress you give it, then plateaus if that stress never changes. Changing the focus in planned steps keeps adaptation going, and lighter weeks let fitness consolidate. It also means every session has a reason to be there.
Why it has to be individual
Two athletes with the same race can need very different plans. Training history, work and family life, sleep, injury history and how you respond to training all matter. That's why we adjust plans from your data and check-ins, not from a template.
