| PERIODIZATION – MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
by Cherie Gruenfeld, Age Group IM Hawaii Champion
"I had a successful day in Kona (2005). Must have been the Master Amino Acid Pattern (MAP)!
Ironman training is about consistancy - being able to put together strong back-to-back workouts. Needing to take extra recovery days or backing off on a workout due to a tired body can compromise my overall plan. I start working on recovery the minute I finish a workout, and I consider MAP to be key to my Recovery Plan and a consistant Ironman training program.
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The season is over and next year’s race schedule is already planned. What you do over the next few months can have a dramatic effect on the success of next season.
In the cooler climates, it’s very tempting to hibernate over the winter months, assuming that the layer you add around the middle will quickly disappear when it’s time to get serious again. In the warmer climates the risk runs more along the lines of “more of the same” – swimming, biking and running, long hard hammer sessions with the guys. Neither of these approaches to the off-season is an ideal setup for a great upcoming season.
Perhaps it’s a good time to look at what our bodies need in order to be prepared to perform at our peak next year. The training we do creates stress on the body. When given the appropriate rest following the stress, the body adapts, becoming stronger and fitter. If we don’t vary the exercise level (i.e. every workout is a hammer fest all year round), staleness can result and adaptation will decrease or stop all together, leading to plateaus, injury, burn-out and a great deal of frustration.
Periodization is a concept that has been written about for years. Let’s take a look at an example of how a triathlete, looking ahead to ’07, might apply the principles in the quest for a break-through season.
Base Phase (November – December)
The objective of Base training is to build the foundation for more stressful training to come. It allows the musculoskeletal system time to build a tolerance for hard work. And it teaches the muscles to burn fat as their primary fuel. Skipping this phase is akin to building a house without the foundation.
The basic tenet of this phase is low intensity exercise with increasing volume to build endurance. All work should be done in the aerobic zone: long sustained efforts with a low heart rate. No speed work, no intervals and no hill repeats.
Build Phase (January – February)
Now that the foundation is built, the body should be able to take advantage of some increased intensity without risking injury. The endurance should be decreased while you build in some anaerobic work and test yourself with speed work, intervals and hill repeats
Peak/Taper/Race Phase (March – April)
This is where you put it all together, culminating with your Goal Race. In training for an Ironman, you’ll need to add the endurance back in while keeping the intensity. This is a very stressful period and should not be maintained for more than 3-4 weeks before you start your Taper three weeks before race day.
Following a Recovery period after your race, you can then return to the Build Phase and start working towards the next Goal Race.
Above is one example which fits well with an early season race. If your schedule calls for your first race coming later in the year, you can make adjustments. There are a few principles, however, that should guide your decisions:
1) The less training/racing experience you have, the longer your Base Phase should be. Also, if you’re coming off the previous season with an injury or chronic pain, lengthening this phase will give the body plenty of time to rebuild.
2) None of this will pay off as you intend if you don’t allow for recovery time for your body to adapt and grow stronger. In your weekly schedule, be sure to be fully rested before doing a hard workout. In your monthly schedule, three hard training weeks followed by an easier week is a good guide
3) Very easy workouts frequently work better for recovery than total rest. But, this is a fine line and going over it with further stress will be totally counter-productive.
Many athletes enjoy racing during the off-season, which can easily work into a periodization plan. The Base Phase is a good time to do a winter marathon if you can commit to it being a training race and not a PR. Save that PR marathon for the Peak/Race Phase.
Running races of 5K/10K/Half Marathons fit well into the Build Phase where you can test yourself with a challenging goal. Sprint triathlons can be fun anytime as long as you adjust your race plan from “racing with the kids” to “going for a PR” depending on what time of year it is. Have fun – be smart - and have a great ’07 race season
Cherie Gruenfeld Age Group IM Champion
Articles from Cherie:
Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race Part I - Part II - Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race - Analyzing the Last Season to Have a Better Next Season - Setting the 2006 Calendar - Breaking it Down - Something for Nothing - Work + Recovery = Peak Performance - Getting Back in the Game - To Race or Not to Race? - Kona Moments - PERIODIZATION Ð MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU - New Age Group Record at IM Arizona - Critical Success Factors for a Great Ironman - The Ironman Run: It's a Mind Game - Remain a Competitive Racer - What's This Race All About - To Every Workout There is a Purpose -
My 2008 Resolutions
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Looking Forward to the Future
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How About the Kids? -
Other Kids
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Become An Ironman
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Beware the Pitfalls
To have racing success
Back to the Future
Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3
Circling the Drain
Order MAP
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