How to build an adequate training plan ?
The first is to identify your main goal ; in case of Olympic Cycle (4years), you will need to identify intermediate goal.
This goal will depend of your posiblity, your training time available ; this goal hace to be realistic (to maintain the motivation).
To ensure that your are in good way for your main goal ; try to find sub-goals which will help you to check that your preparation is coherent.
Now you know your main goal and your sub-goals, let’s go to plan your training.
This work is called ‘Periodization’.
The periodization will help you to build your training plan using the following words : Macrocycle, Mesocycle, Microcycle.
A macrocycle describes an important training phase to achieve your main goal.
This cycle could correspond to a few months of training or a few years for Olympic preparation.
A mesocycle describes a thematic training phase ex : base training, preparation, recovery, Tapering, peak, …
A microcycle represents a small training unit when all the sessions are totally described (ex : week or training camp).
Each mesocycle with his thematic training have to help you to increase one of your skill (ex : endurance, climbing, Resistance, Power Threshold, ….). The internal training load of each mesocycle has to be well planed to avoid overtraining and to profit of overcompensation phenomenon.
Training plan example : National Rider with a main goal in June.
The training begins at the end of October with low intensity training (footing in z1-2, pedestrian climbing, ….).
After this small conditioning, the next block target endurance development, low strength training, during this phase, the cycling weekly hours will become more and more important.
During the second mesocycle, cycling represent almost 80% of the training time.
The rider will continue to develop his endurance and his strength (with medium strength work) but he will now begin a race simulation work but with a lower intensity than race pace (tempo training).
During the third Mesocycle that corresponds to Precompetition cycle, the race will begin. The rider now need to have recovery training in his week (after the race) and race specific training such as explosive strength, anaerobic intervals, etc …
What about Intensity ?
The intensity will follow the cycles development.
In this case, you could find bellow a description of the different Mesocycles with the corresponding training zones.
If you want to find a Coach to help you to build an adequate plan; do not hesitate to contact Lionel Reynaud through the contact page or through RaceClean training : www.raceclean.co.uk