Chapter9

TheTotalHeartRateTrainingProgram
Thischapterbringsmanylooseendstogetherguidingyouthroughtheprocessof
developingadetailedheartratebasedtrainingprogram.Byfollowingalongwith
theworksheetsintheappendicesyoulldoexactlywhatIwoulddoifIwas
coachingyou.Iveusedthetwelvestepprocessdescribedheretoprepare
athletesfortheOlympics,worldcompetitionsandnationalchampionships.Ive
alsousedittogetnovicesreadyfortheirfirstcompetitions.Itworks.
Youmaydecidenottocompletetheworksheetsthataccompanythischapter
becauseitdoesrequirealotofthinkingandsoulsearching.Forathleteswhodo
nothavechallenginggoalsthatisunderstandable.Butifyouhavehighathletic
aspirations,andespeciallyifthereisasizablegapbetweenyourcurrent
capabilityandwhatisdemandedbyyourgoals,thenfollowingthestepbystep
processinthischapterwillgreatlyincreaseyourchancesofsuccess.Noonecan
guaranteeyoursuccess,however.Itwillstillcomedowntohowdedicatedyou
aretotraining.Thatsoneofthereasonsweallenjoyendurancesportso
muchtheresnooneelsetoblameorgivecreditto.
Thebesttimeintheseasontodevelopyourplanusingthischapterisatthestart
ofyourseason,beforeyoudothefirstworkout.Butevenifyouarealreadyinto
yourcompetitiveseasonasyoureadthis,followingalongwiththeworksheets
willstillgivefocustotheremainderofyourseasonandhelpyouproducebetter
results.Youmayfindithelpfultoreturntothischapterbeforebeginningeach
newseasontogetorganizedandgivedirectiontoyourtraining.
YourTrainingPlan
Animportantkeytothesuccessofatrainingplanbasedonperiodizationisthe
useofyourheartratemonitortocloselygaugetheintensityofeachworkout.
Intensityhasrepeatedlybeenshownbyresearchtobetheprimarydeterminerof
fitness.Designingyourtrainingplanbasedonyouruniqueheartratezoneshasa
lottodowithhowwellyouperforminathleticcompetition.
Ofcourse,followingaplandoesnotmeandoingsorigidly.Therewillbedays
whenyoushouldntfollowtheplanbecauseyouarenotrecoveredfroma
previousworkout,oryoufeelacoldcomingon,orforwhateverreasonyou
sensethatthetimingisnotrighttochallengeyourbody.Attimesliketheseitis
alwaysbesttodolesstogoshortandeasyoreventakethedayoff.Todo
otherwiseistoriskillness,injury,burnoutandovertraining.Missingone
scheduledworkoutispreferabletomissingoneweek,ormore,oftraining.
Alwaysgiveyourselfpermissiontodolessandyourfitnesswillbloomandyour
athleticcareerwillbelongandrewarding.Ifyouareeverunsureofwhattodo
amIcatchingacold?theansweristodoless.Whenindoubtleaveitout,Itell
theathletesIcoach.
Nowitstimetobringtogethermuchofwhatyouhavelearnedinthisbook.Iwill
walkyouthroughthestepsofdesigningaseasonaltrainingplaninwhichheart
rateregulatesworkoutintensity.YoucanusetheworksheetsintheAppendices
tohelpguideyouandtorecordyourplanasyoufollowthesesteps.Bythetime
youaredonewiththischapteryouwillhaveatotalheartratetrainingplan
customizedtoyouruniqueneeds.ItwilllooksomethinglikeFigure9.1.
Fig.9.1AnnualTrainingPlan
Athlete:TomAthlete W
AnnualHours:400 e
SeasonGoals: i
1.QualifyforBostonMarathonrun3:20atMidwestMarathon(mostimportantgoal). g
2.RunaP.B.ofunder40minutesatHometown10k. h
3.FinishtheHorriblyHilly30kwithoutwalking. t
TrainingObjectives: s
1.MaintaincouplingofhighZone2heartrateandpacefortwohoursbytheendofthe
Baseperiod.
2.Freebarsquat1.5xbodyweightbyJanuary
22.
3.Completea5kracewithanaveragecadenceof88byApril23.
4.Take45secondsoffofmyselftestTTTtimeatheartraterange141to143by
October1.
5.Complete15minutesofZone5bintervalsatanaveragepaceofunder6minutesby
June15.
Wk#Mon Races Pri Period Hours Comments
1.Nov7 Tran
Finishingoffprevious
season.
2.Nov14 " "
3.Nov21 Prep 7.0 Startofseason. AA
4.Nov28 " 7.0 "
5.Dec5 Base1 8.0 "
6.Dec12 " 9.5 MT
7.Dec19 " 10.5 "
8.Dec26 " 5.5 MS
9.Jan2 Base2 8.5 "
10.Jan9 " 10.0 "
11.Jan16 " 11.0 "
12.Jan23 " 5.5 SM
13.Jan30 Base3 9.0
Wkndgrouprundon't
race! "
14.Feb6 " 10.5
Wkndgrouprundon't
race! "
15.Feb13 " 11.5
Wkndgrouprundon't
race! "
16.Feb20 " 5.5 "
17.Feb27 Build1 10.0
StartTuesdaytrack
workouts. "
18.Mar6 " 10.0 "
19.Mar13
HeathHalf
Marathon B " 8.0
Restfor3daysbefore
race. "
20.Mar20 " 5.5 "
21.Mar27 Build2 9.5 "
22.Apr3 " 9.5 "
23.Apr10 " 9.5 "
24.Apr17 Zucco5k C " 5.5
Concentrateonform&
cadence. "
25.Apr24 Peak 8.5 "
26.May1 " 6.5 "
27.May8 HorriblyHilly30k A Race 8.5
RaceSunday.Time
includesrace.
28.May15 Tran 8.5 3daysofrest. MT
29.May22 Build1 10.0 "
30.May29 " 10.0 "
31.Jun5 " 10.0 SM
32.Jun12 Post10k C " 5.5
Focusonmile1
pacing. "
33.Jun19 Peak 8.5 "
34.Jun26 " 6.5 "
35.Jul3 Hometown10k A Race 6.5
RaceSunday.Time
includesrace.
36.Jul10 Tran 3.0
5daysrest.StartBase
3onwknd MT
37.Jul17 Base3 10.5 MS
38.Jul24 " 11.5 "
39.Jul31 " 5.5
FinishBase3onTues.
ThenR&R. "
40.Aug7 Build1 10.0 Racerefueling! SM
41.Aug14 " 10.0 " "
42.Aug21 " 10.0 " "
43.Aug28 Flat'nFast10k B " 5.5 " "
44.Sep4 Build2 9.5 Marathonpacing! "
45.Sep11 " 9.5 " "
46.Sep18 Zinkgraf5k C " 9.5
Rehearseprerace
meal. "
47.Sep25 " 5.5 "
48.Oct2 Peak 8.5 "
49.Oct9 " 6.5 "
50.Oct16 MidwestMarathon A Race 9.0
RaceSunday.Time
includesrace.
51.Oct23 Tran
52.Oct30 "
Step1FindYourLactateThresholdHeartRate
Chapter3describedhowtogoaboutfindingthesinglemostimportantheartrate
foranenduranceathletethelactatethreshold(LT)heartrate,theheartrateat
whichyoufirstbegintoredline.Recallthatthisisusedinsteadofmaxheart
ratetoestablishtrainingzonessinceathletesgaugehowintenseaworkoutisby
comparingtheireffortswiththefeelingstheyveexperiencedwhenattheirLT.
ThisLTheartratevariesfairlywidelybetweenathleteswhohavethesamemax
heartrate.
Ifyouhavenotalreadydoneso,findyouruniqueLTheartratebygoingto
Appendix1andselectingoneofthetwoselftestsdescribedthere.Beawarethat
thereisalearningcurveassociatedwithallsuchtesting.Athletesinvariablystart
toofastwhenusingthethirtyminutetimetrialmethod.Bejustabitconservative
withhowfastyougointhefirsttenminutesofthistestandyoulllikelyfinish
stronglyratherthanlimpingpainfullytothefinishfromhavingbeentooeagerat
thestart.
Whilethegradedexercisetestpreventsyoufromstartingouttoofastitrequires
havinganassistantwhocanidentifyventilatorythreshold(VT)thepointat
whichlaboredbreathingfirstisheardandyoufinditquitedifficulttotalk.That,
too,takessomeexperiencegainedfromhelpingyouseveraltimesonthistest.
AfterafewsuchtestsVTbecomesratherobvious.Butnotatfirst.
Itisagoodideatouseoneofthesetestsattheendofeachmesocycleof
training,especiallyinthelastweekofthePrep,BaseandBuildperiodssothat
heartratemaybeadjustedasnecessarybeforegoingtothenextlevelof
training.
IfyouareatriathleteyouwillneedtotesteachsportforLTheartrateasheart
ratesvarybysportconsiderably.Butifyouhavetimetotestonlyonerightnow
assumethatyourLTheartrateforrunningissevenbeatshigherthanforbiking
whichissevenbeatshigherthanforswimming.KnowingoneLTheartrateand
thesetypicalvarianceswillallowyouestimatetheothertwo.Forexample,ifyour
LTheartrateforbikingis152byaddingsevenyouestimatethatyourrunLT
heartrateis159.SubtractsevenandyouestimateyourswimLTheartrateis
145.Theseestimateswilldountilyouhavetimetodotheothertwotests.
RecordyourLTheartratewhererequestedinAppendix1.
Step2DetermineYourHeartRateZones
NowthatyourLTheartrateisknownitstimetodetermineyourtrainingzones.
TurntoAppendix2andfindtheappropriatetableforyoursportorsports.Inthe
tablefindyourLTheartrateintheboldnumbersintheZone5acolumn.By
readingtotheleftandrightofthisLTheartrateacrossthetableyoucanseeall
ofyourtrainingzones.Markthisrowsoyoumayrefertoitlater.Testinglaterin
theseasonmaymodifyyourLTestimatenecessitatingtheuseofadifferentrow
ofzones.
Step3SelectanAnnualTrainingPlan
Inthefollowingstepsyouwillbuildatrainingplanforyourseasonthatisunique
toyourabilities,needs,racescheduleandcapacityfortrainingworkload.This
trainingplanwillserveasaroadmapforyourseason.Youwillrefertoitoften.
Attheendofeachweekyouwilluseittohelporganizeyourcalendarforthe
comingweekto.Byschedulingworkoutsintoyourappointmentcalendarmuch
asyouwouldanyotherimportanteventyoumakesurethattrainingdoesnotget
crowdedoutbythedetailsoflife.Thistrainingplanwillbeyourguideasyougo
throughtheseason.
TurntoAppendix3whereblankAnnualTrainingPlans(ATP)areprovided.Here
youwillfindanATPforsinglesportathletessuchasrunnersandcyclists,and
alsoanATPfortriathletes(youmaymakeacopyoftheappropriatepage).Orgo
onlinetowww.TotalHRT.comandselectFreeResources.Thensaveorprint
theappropriateATPaccordingtoyoursport.Ifyousaveittoyourcomputeryou
candoallofthefollowinginanelectronicformatwhichmakestheinevitable
changesintheplanmucheasier.Athirdoptionmaybefoundat
www.TrainingPeaks.comwhereaVirtualCoachwillautomaticallycreateanATP
foryouusingthesameinstructionsthatfollow.Youmayprintitoruseitonlineat
thissitewhichoffersmanyotherservicestoselfcoachedathletes.Training
Peakschargesasmallmonthlymembershipfee.
FillintheblanksontheATPfollowingthesedirections.
Step4PutDatesonATP
EachoftherowsontheATPrepresentsaweekintheyear.Ontheleftsideof
thepage,thecolumnheaderWk#Monreferstotheweeknumberandthedate
oftheMondaythatweek.Theweeknumbersarealreadyincludedyoujustneed
toaddthedatefortheMondayofeachweekoftheseason.Forexample,ifyou
arestartingyourseasonaltrainingfortheyear2007atthestartofthenewyear,
thedateofthefirstMondayinJanuary,2007wouldbewritteninrow1,column1
asJan1.ThesecondrowwouldthenbelabeledJan8andthethirdJan15.
RepeatthispatternusingacalendartowriteintheconsecutiveMondaysforthe
entireseason.Yourtrainingseasonmaystartatanypointonthecalendar
dependingonwhenyouarefullyrecoveredfromthepreviousseasonandwhen
yourracesarescheduledforthecomingseason.Itisbesttoallowatleastfifteen
weekstothoroughlyprepareforyourfirstApriorityraceoftheseason.Youmay
haveasmanyasthirtytwoweeks.
Step5ListRaces
Next,onyourATP,writeinalloftheeventsyouintendtodointhecoming
seasoninthecolumnlabeledRaces.PlacethemontheATPintheappropriate
weeksbasedontheirdates.Forexample,letssaythatyouhaveanevent
scheduledforSaturday,January13,2007.Itwouldbelistedintherowmarked
Jan8sincethatrowincludesallthedatesfromJanuary8throughJanuary14.
Ifyouhavetwoeventsthatsameweekendlistthembothinthatrow.
Ifunsurethatyouwilldoaparticularrace,listitanyway.Itcanberemovedlater.
ItispossiblethatyouarecompletingthisATPseveralmonthsinadvanceofthe
raceseasonandthedatesofeventsmaynotbepublishedyet.Inthiscaseuse
theapproximatedatebasedonwhentheeventhasbeenheldinpreviousyears.
Step6PrioritizeRaces
OnceyouhavelistedallofyourplannedeventsdesignateeachasApriority,
Bpriority,orCprioritybywritinginA,BorCinthePricolumnnexttothe
racenameusingtheguidelinesshowninTable9.1.Mostathletesdesignate
nearlyeveryeventasApriority.Theywanttobeintopshapeatalltimes.Itjust
isntpossible.Infact,tryingtopeakforeveryeventwillonlyleadtoreduced
fitnessandgraduallyworseningperformances.PeakingforanApriorityrace
requiresdecreasingthetrainingloadandincludingmorereststartingtwotothree
weeksbeforethecompetition.Ifthisisdonetoofrequentlyyourfitnesswillerode
overthecourseoftheseason.DonotschedulemorethantwoorthreeA
prioritiesinoneseason.Treatthemasextraordinaryoccasionsandprepare
usingthepeakingprocedureexplainedlaterinthischapter.
Table9.1.Racepriorities.
Priority Numberin
aSeason
Description SpecialPreparation
A 13 Mostimportantraces.Your
successischieflydefinedby
theiroutcomes.
Taperfor23weeks
priorandfollowPeak
procedure.
B 48 Ofsecondaryimportance.You
wanttodowellattheseevents,
however.
Reducetrainingfor3
5daysprior.
C Unlimited
be
cautious!
Leastimportant.Useastune
ups,hardworkouts,funevents
orgrowthasanathlete.
Nospecialpreptreat
theseasworkouts.
YoumustbecautiouswiththenumberofCpriorityevents.Thereisa
psychologicalcosteverytimeyoutoeastartline.Overracingcaneasilyresult
inburnout.Cracesaretypicallydoneforoneoffourreasonsasatuneup
beforeanArace,asahardworkout,asasocialactivitywithfriendsorasa
learningexperience.FornovicesCracesareagreatwaytolearnmoreaboutthe
sportsodoingseveralthefirstyearwillspeeduptheirgrowthasanathlete.
Experiencedathletesalreadyknowwhatthesportislikesoshouldhaveavery
goodreasonfordoingaCpriorityevent.
InthePricolumnonyourATPwriteintheA,BorCpriorityforeacheventin
theRacescolumn.
Step7SetGoals
ThisisperhapsthemostimportantpartofcompletingyourATPasithasadirect
relationshiptoyoursatisfactionwiththeseasonwhenitisover.Givethisalotof
thought.
TheATPprovidesspacesforthreeseasonalgoalsatthetopofthepage.Ive
foundthatthreeisaboutrightfornearlyeveryathlete.Whentherearetoomany
goalssomethinggetsneglected.Youmayhavefewer,butnomorethanthree.
Youveprobablyheardthisbefore,butitsworthrepeating.Yourgoalsshouldbe
welldefinedbyincludingtwobasicelementswhatexactlyyouwanttoachieve
andwhenyouwanttoachieveit.Goalsshouldalsobemeasurable.Itisnt
enoughtosetagoalof,Racefaster.Goalsshouldbemorealongthelinesof,
CompletetheXYZRaceonMay7inlessthan40minutes.Themoretightlyyou
defineyourgoalstheeasieryouwillfinditistoworktowardtheirsuccessful
accomplishment.
Goalsshouldbeeventoutcomesthataredeterminedmostlybyyouratherthan
others.Agoalto,WintheXYZRacehasalottodowithwhoistherethatday
andhowfittheyare.Itisbettertosetaperformancegoal,suchasatimeor
strategythatyoubelievewillwintherace.Theexceptioniswhenyouknow
exactlywhothecompetitionisandwhattheyarecapableofdoinginarace.
IoncecoachedanathletetoraceintheOlympicTrialsfortriathlon.Hehadto
finishinatleastthirdplacetomaketheOlympicteambutthecoursewasbrand
newandquitehillyandtheweatherhotandhumidsowedidntknowwhattime
mightaccomplishthat.However,wekneweveryonewhowouldbeintherace
andwhattoexpectofthem.Soourgoalwasto,Finishthirdorbetteratthe
DallasTrialsonMay28.Hefinishedstronglyinacomefrombehindthird.
MakeyourgoalseventoutcomeorientedhowyouwanttodointheApriority
races.Almosteveryonewantstosetagoalof,Havefun!Thatscommendable
butassumed.Ifyourenotaprofessionalathletewhoistryingtomakemoney
fromthesport,funistheonlyreasonyouredoingit.Funissimplydefinedby
peopleindifferentways.Forsomeitmeansbeingcompetitiveforothersithasto
dowithsocializing.Byallmeans,havefun,butalsosetraceperformancegoals
thatwillstretchyouasanathlete.
Step8DetermineLimiters
BynowyourgoalorgoalsshouldbelistedatthetopoftheATP.Canyou
achievethem?Thereshouldbeatleastaseedofdoubtorthegoalistooeasy.If
thereisnoquestionatallaboutyourpotentialforsuccessthenthegoalsarent
goingtochallengeyouandtrainingwillhavelittlepurpose.Whenmosteffective,
goalsarejustbeyondyourcurrentgrasp.Youshouldfeeltheneedtotrain
tenaciouslyandwiselytoachievethem.
Heressomethingforyoutoponder:Whycantyouachieveyourgoalsnow?If
youknewyoucouldachievethemnowtheywouldbeaccomplishmentsrather
thangoals,wouldntthey?Sincethereisabitofuncertaintyaboutyour
performancecapacityrelativetoyourgoalsthereisobviouslysomethinglacking
whichstandsbetweenyouandimmediatesuccess.Thepurposeofyourtraining
istofixthisperformancelimiter.
Alimiterisaracespecificweakness.Itsnotmerelyaweakness.Forexample,
youmayhaveaweaknesswhenitcomestoracingonhillycourses.Butifyour
Apriorityracesareallflatthenthisweaknessisnotalimiter.Ifweknowwhat
yourlimitersreallyareandtraininsuchawayastomakethemmuchstronger
thenyouwillbeabletoachieveyourgoals.Itsthatsimple.
Thekeyquestionis,whatareyourlimiters?Answeringthisquestionisthesingle
mostimportantthingyoucandorightnowtomovetowardachievingyourgoals.
Mostathletesneveraskthisquestion.Theytrainabsentmindedlydoingwhatever
ismostenjoyableatthetime.Iftheyaregoodinthehillstheydolotsofhillwork.
Ifenduranceistheirstrengththeydomostlylongworkouts.Thosewhoare
blessedwithgreatspeeddoshort,fastworkouts.Itneverdawnsonthese
athletesthatuntiltheyimprovewhateveritisthatisholdingthembacktheywill
nevermakeaperformancebreakthrough.Continuingtofocusontheirstrengths
whilegivinglipservicetotheirlimitersmeanstherewillbelittlechangein
performance.
So,whatareyourlimiters?Thepossibilitiesareendlessincludingeverythingthat
affectsyourathleticdevelopmentinsuchbroadcategoriesastraining,lifestyle,
nutrition,timeavailableforexercise,athleticequipment,trainingenvironment,
support,susceptibilitytoillnessandinjury,poortacticsandstrategy,lackofrace
experience,poorbodycomposition,insufficientsleepandpsychologicalstress.
Whileyouneedtoexamineyourselfintermsofeachofthesecategories,wewill
concernourselveshereprimarilywithtraining,and,evenmorespecifically,the
TrainingTriaddescribedinChapter6.
Letsseeifwecanfigureoutwhatyourstrengthsandweaknessesareinterms
ofthesixabilitiesthatmakeuptheTrainingTriad.Sidebar9.1willstartyoudown
thepathtodeterminingyourlimiters.
Sidebar9.1
WhatAreYour Weaknesses?
Readeachstatementbelowanddecideifyouagreeordisagreeasitappliesto
you.Checktheappropriateanswer.Ifunsure,gowithyourinitialfeeling.
A=Agree D=Disagree
AD
______1.I'mstrongerattheendoflong,hardworkoutsthanmytraining
partners.
______2.I'mconfidentofmyenduranceatthestartoflongraces.
______3.IntheweightroomIcanliftmoreweightthanmostinmycompetition
category.
______4.Theshortertherace,thebetterIperform.
______5.Imoftentoldthatmytechniqueisexcellent.
______6.Astheintervalsgetshorter,Igetbetter.
______7.Iprefertocompeteinlongeventsratherthanshortones.
______8.Ihavealwaysbeenbetteratsprintsthanendurance.
______9.Ihandlehills,windorroughwaterbetterthanmostinmycompetition
category.
______10.Icanholdastrongpaceforalongtime.
______11.MycadenceorstrokerateisusuallyhigherthanotherswithwhomI
trainandrace.
______12.Ilikeracestocomedowntoasprintattheend.
______13.Ivealwaysbeenbetterinendurancesportsthaninpowersports.
___ ___14.Ipreferalowercadenceorstrokeratethanmostinmycompetition
category.
______15.I'mmoremuscularthanmostathletesofmyageandsexinmy
sport.
______16.Icouldalwaysjumphigherthanotherkidsinschool.
______17.Icanacceleratemycadenceorstrokeratewithoutlosingform.
______18.Mycadenceisshortandquick.
______19.Ireallylikelong,slow,easyworkouts.
______20.Iwasalwaysprettygoodatsportssuchasbasketball,football,
baseball,softballortennis.
______21.Ipreferalowcadenceorstrokerate.
______22.InschoolIcouldalmostalwaysbeattheotherkidsinsprints.
______23.TospeedupIacceleratemycadenceorstrokerate.
______24.Ihavesometroubleinracesifthepaceacceleratesfrequently.
______25.ThelongertheworkoutorracethebetterIdo.
______26.Ihavegreatlastingabilityinaracewithastrong,steadypacebut
notgreatalloutspeed.
______27.Ienjoyliftingweights.
______28.Ipreferworkoutsthatareshort,butfast.
______29.Myarmorlegturnoverisquitehighcomparedwithmostothersin
mysport.
______30.Ihavealwaysbeenabletothrow,kickorhitaballfartherthanmost
others.
SCORING:Foreachofthefollowingsetsofstatements,countandrecordthe
numberof"Agree"answersyouchecked.
Statementnumbers
2,7,13,19,25: Numberof"Agrees" ____Endurancescore
3,9,15,21,27: Numberof"Agrees" ____Forcescore
5,11,17,23,29:Numberof"Agrees" ____SpeedSkillscore
1,10,14,24,26:Numberof"Agrees" ____MuscularEndurancescore
4,6,18,20,28: Numberof"Agrees" ____AnaerobicEndurancescore
8,12,16,22,30:Numberof"Agrees" ____Powerscore
RecallfromChapter6thattheTrainingTriadsabilitiesendurance,force,speed
skill,muscularendurance,anaerobicenduranceandpowerarewhatdetermine
howwellyoudophysicallyintrainingandcompetition.Sidebar9.1givesyoua
gaugeofhowyoustackupineachofthesesixabilities.Thehigheryourscore
foragivenabilitythemorelikelythatisoneofyourstrengthsandissomething
youshouldrelyonwhensettingracestrategy.
Whatwearemostconcernedwithhere,however,areyourlimiters.Ascoreof3
orlessinanyoftheabilitiesindicatesaweakness.Again,thisisnotnecessarily
alimiter.Todetermineifaweaknessisalimiteryoumustcompareitwithwhatis
demandedofyourApriorityeventsinordertoachieveyourgoals. Wheneveran
eventdemandsacertainabilityforsuccessandyouhaveaweaknessinthat
abilitythenyouhavealimiter.Todeterminewhatisrequiredtoachieveyour
performancegoalsforeachAprioritycompetitionyouplanondoingcomplete
thequestionnaireinSidebar9.2.
Sidebar9.2
APriorityEventSuccessDeterminers
ListyourApriorityeventorevents.
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
Answeryesornotoeachofthefollowingquestionsforeacheventlisted
above.
Endurance:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletofinishwhatseemstome
tobeaverylongdistance.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
Force:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletogouphills,dealwithstrong
headwinds,handleveryroughwaterorovercomesomeotherformofresistance
verystrongly.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
SpeedSkill:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletoperformwithasmooth
andefficienttechniqueIcantaffordtobeevenalittlebitsloppywithmyform.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
MuscularEndurance:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletomaintaina
moderatelyhigh,steadyeffortattheextremeedgeofmycapabilityforalong
time.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
AnaerobicEndurance:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletochangepace
frequentlythroughouttheraceoftengreatlyexceedingmylactatethresholdheart
rate.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
Power:ToachievemyracegoalImustbeabletosprintatmaximumeffort
severaltimesduringtheeventoratthefinish.
Event#1Yes_____No_____
Event#2Yes_____No_____
Event#3Yes_____No_____
Summary:DeterminetheTrainingTriaddemandsforeachofyourApriority
eventsbycheckingoftheabilitiesyouindicatedwithyesabove.
Event#1
_____YesforEndurance
_____YesforForce
_____YesforSpeedSkill
_____YesforMuscularEndurance
_____YesforAnaerobicEndurance
_____YesforPower
Event#2
_____YesforEndurance
_____YesforForce
_____YesforSpeedSkill
_____YesforMuscularEndurance
_____YesforAnaerobicEndurance
_____YesforPower
Event#3
_____YesforEndurance
_____YesforForce
_____YesforSpeedSkill
_____YesforMuscularEndurance
_____YesforAnaerobicEndurance
_____YesforPower
WhatSidebar9.2tellsyouiswhatabilitiesarerequiredforsuccessinyourA
priorityevents.Bycomparingeventsuccessrequirementswithyourweaknesses
fromSidebar9.1limitersaredetermined.Thisinturnindicateswhereyour
trainingfocusneedstobe.Forexample,ifyoudeterminedinSidebar9.1thata
weaknessyouhaveismuscularenduranceandSidebar9.2indicatesthatat
leastoneofyoureventsrequiresgoodmuscularenduranceforsuccess,then
thisabilityisalimiterforyou.Youshouldnowbeabletoidentifyyourlimiters
usingSidebar9.3.
Sidebar9.3
WhatAreYourLimiters?
BycomparingtheresultsofSidebars9.1and9.2IknowmyTrainingTriadability
limitersare(checkeachthatappliestoyou):
_____Endurance
_____Force
_____SpeedSkill
_____MuscularEndurance
_____AnaerobicEndurance
_____Power
Inaddition,Ibelievemyotherlimitersare(checkanythatapplytoyou):
_____Mylifestyleisnotconducivetogoodtraining.
_____Mynutritionispoor.
_____Mytimeavailableforexerciseisinadequate.
_____Myathleticequipmentisoutdatedorotherwiseinadequate.
_____Mytrainingenvironment(weather,terrain,accesstotrainingfacilities)is
inadequate.
_____Ireceivelittlesupportfrommyfamilyandfriendsformytrainingand
racing.
_____Icatchcoldseasily.
_____Igetinjuredeasily.
_____Ihaveatendencytoovertrain.
_____Myracetacticsandstrategyarepoorlyplannedorimplemented.
_____Ilackraceexperience.
_____Mybodycompositionisholdingmeback.
_____Igetinsufficientsleep.
_____Iexperiencealotofpsychologicalstress.
Step9EstablishTrainingObjectives
Letsuseanoldanalogytounderstandwhatthisisallabout.Achain(your
performance)isonlyasstrongasitsweakestlink(yourlimiter).Achainwill
alwaysbreakatitsweakestlink.Makingalloftheotherlinksstrongerdoesno
goodthechaincontinuestobreakattheweaklink.Untiltheweaklinkismade
strongertheentirechainisweak.Makethatonelinkstronger,however,andthe
wholechaingetsstronger.
Inlikemanner,thethingsyouneedtoaccomplishintraininginorderto
strengthenyourweaklinksyourlimitersarecalledtrainingobjectives.
Strengthentheselinksbyachievingcertainobjectivesintrainingandyour
performancetakesagreatleapforward.Ignorethemandyouwillalwaysbreak
atthesameplaceinApriorityraces.
TherearefivespacesatthetopoftheATPwheretheobjectivesofyourtraining
aretobelisted.Thiscanbearealheadscratcher.Letsseeifwecanfigureit
out.
YounowknowfromSidebar9.3whatyourlimitersare.Sothefirstquestionis,
whatdoyoudoaboutthem?Theanswer,ofcourse,istofixthem.Evenwith
concentratedtraining,itsunlikelythatinoneseasontheywillbecomeyour
greateststrengths(ascoreof5onSidebar9.1),butyouneedtostartmovingin
thatdirection.Howcanyoudothat?Simple,youneedtodevotemoretrainingto
yourlimitingabilitiesthanyouaredoingnow.Andhowdoyoutraintheabilities
thatareyourlimiters?ThiswasexplainedinChapter6.Table9.2summarizes
howtotraineachability.FormoredetailsseeTables6.1and6.2.Appendix5
providesspecificworkoutsforeachability.
Table9.2.Howtotraintheabilities.
Ability Howtotraintheability
Endurance Long,steadyworkoutsdoneinZone2,especiallythe
upperhalfofZone2.
Force Weightliftingorotherstrengthtraining.Resisted,(hills,
tethers,dragdevices)sportspecificworkoutsdonewith
short(<2minutes)intervalsinZones3and4andlong
recoveries.
SpeedSkill Veryshortrepeatsdoneathighcadenceorstrokerate
withlongrecoveries.Highfrequencyimportant.Too
briefforheartratetobeaneffectiveintensitygauge.
MuscularEndurance Long(612minutes)intervalswithshortrecoveries,or
long(2060minutes),steadyeffortsdoneinZones3,4
and5a.
AnaerobicEndurance Short(24minutes),fastintervalswithaboutequal
recoverydurationsdoneinZone5b.
Power Veryshort(lessthan20seconds)sprintintervalswith
longrecoverydurations(severalminutes)atZone5c
effort(soshortthatheartratemaynotbeeffective).
TheobjectivestobelistedonyourATPcouldbereferredtoassubgoals
thingsyoumustaccomplishintrainingtoshowthatyouaremakingprogress
towardcorrectingyourlimiters.Sinceyounowknowwhatyourlimitersareand
thetypesofworkoutsyouwilldotomaketheseabilitiesstronger,youneedto
knowwhenyouvemademeasurableprogress.Thatswhyyouhavetraining
objectives.
YoullbetemptedtoskipthispartoftheATPbecauseitrequiresdeepthought
andpainstakinganalysis.Dontoverlookthissection.Ifyoudo,yourtrainingplan
willneverhavethefocusneededtoreallykickstartyourathleticperformance.
Thisstepgivesadeepermeaningtoalloftheworkyouhavedonesofaranda
focuseddirectiontoyourtraining.
Thefollowingaresomeexamplesoftrainingobjectiveslistedbyability.These
maygiveyousomeideasaboutwhatyoursmightbe.Givethissomethought
andthenlistyourtrainingobjectivesatthetopofyourATP.Thereisroomfor
five.Youllneedatleastoneobjectiveforeachlimiter.Besuretoindicatewhen
youanticipateachievingtheobjective.ThisdateshouldbeinadvanceofyourA
priorityraceforwhichthatimprovedabilityis neededforsuccess.
EnduranceObjectiveexamples
Withinasixweekperiodcompletesix,fourhourworkoutsinZone2with
thelastonJuly8.
MaintaincouplingofhighAeTheartrateandpacefortwohoursbythe
endoftheBaseperiod.
ForceObjectiveexamples
Freebarsquat1.5xbodyweightbyJanuary7.
Averageover400wattsforoneminuteclimbon8%gradebyJanuary14.
SpeedSkillObjectiveexamples
Completea5kracewithanaveragecadenceof88byAugust12.
Completea1000metertimetrialwithanaveragecadenceof45to55by
February4.
MuscularEnduranceObjectiveexamples
Take30secondsoffofmyselftestTTTtimeatheartraterange141to
143bySeptember2.
Improvepaceby20secondsforonemileatZone5abyAugust12.
AnaerobicEnduranceObjectiveexamples
Complete15minutesofZone5bintervalsatanaveragepaceofunder6
minutesbyAugust19.
Completea1.5miletimetrialfasterthan10minutesbyJune17.
PowerObjectiveexamples
SprintupBellRoadhillinunder10secondsfromastandingstartbyJune
24.
Increasemaximuminstantaneouspowertomorethan1000wattsbyMay
6.
Step10AssignMesocycles
Youllbegladtoknowthatthehardpart,thepartthatmakesyourbrainhurt,is
nowdone.Whatremainsisfarlessthoughtprovokingbutnolessimportant.The
nexttaskincompletingyourATPistoperiodizeyourseason.Thatmeans
assigningmesocycleperiodstoeachweekoftheyear.
InChapter8youlearnedaboutthesixmesocyclesPrep,Base,Build,Peak,
RaceandTransition.Table8.1providedasummaryoftheseperiodsshowing
howlongeachmesocyclelasts,whatthepurposeisandwhatTrainingTriad
abilitiesareemphasizedineach.Youmaywanttoglanceatthattableonce
againtorefreshyourmemorybeforecompletingthisportionofyourATP.
InthecolumnmarkedPeriodyouwillwriteinthenameofthemesocycle
assignedtoeachweek.YoulldothisbyworkingbackwardsfromeachofyourA
priorityraces.AsTable8.1showsthereisarangeofweeksforeachmesocycle.
Forexample,theBaseperiodissixtotwelveweekslong.Howdoyoudecidethe
durationofyourmesocyclegivensuchwideranges?Therearetwopartstothe
answer.
ThefirstpartisthatwhenpreparingforyourfirstAraceoftheseasonyoushould
alwaysscheduleatthehighendofeachrange,especiallywhenitcomestothe
Baseperiod.YouaremorelikelytodotwelveratherthansixweeksofBaseearly
intheseason.ForsubsequentAracesintheseasonthelowerendofeach
rangeismorecommonlyusedsinceyourfitnessisfairlywellestablishedfrom
monthsofpriortraining.Laterintheseason,whenpreparingforasecondorthird
Arace,theBaseperiodmayevenbeomitted.Moreonthatlater.
Thesecondpartoftheanswertohowmanyweeksshouldbeincludedforeach
mesocycleisabitmorecomplexandmoreorlessinvolvesyourage.Itactually
hastodowithyourcapacityforrecoverybutthisislargelydeterminedbyhow
manyyearsyouvebeenontheplanet.Youngathletesgenerallyrecovermore
quicklythanolderathletesandthereforemayschedulelongermesocycles.That
meansyoungathleteswillhavemoredaysorweeksofchallengingtraining
beforetakingarestandrecovery(R&R)break.Theolderathleteneedsthese
breaksmorefrequentlysincetheyaremoreeasilyovertrained.
Someofthemesocyclesaremadeupofsubperiods.Forexample,theentire
BaseperiodismadeupofBase1,Base2andBase3,andtheBuildmesocycle
hassubperiodsBuild1andBuild2.TheBaseandBuildsubperiodseachend
withseveraldaysofR&R.Theathletetrainshardforseveraldaysandthenrests
forafewdays. Whiletheyoungathletetrainshardforaboutthreeweeksbefore
takingafewdaysofR&R,theolderathleteonlygoeshardforabouttwoweeks
beforetakingabreak.
So,Iknowwhatyourethinking:Whatdoesoldermean?Whileitmaybe
explainedbyageitisbetterdefinedbyyourcapacityforrecovery.Iveknown35
yearoldswhorecoveredslowlyandIvealsoknownathleteswhowere55yet
recoveredquickly.Aquickgaugeofwhichcategoryyoufallintomaybe
determinedbyhowyouspringbackafterananaerobicenduranceworkout.If
afterdoingfifteenminutesormoreofintervalsinZone5byoufindittypically
takesyoumorethan48hourstobereadytogohardagainthenyouareanolder
athleteregardlessofyourage.Ifunsureaboutthissimpletestjustuseyourage
untilyougetabettergauge.Ifyouareunder45assumeyouareyoungandif
beyondthatageletsclassifyyouasolderforthepurposesofcompletingyour
ATPfornow.
Onceweknowyouragecategorywecandecidehowlongyoursubperiodsof
eachmesocycleare.Table9.3summarizestheperioddurationsbyage.
Table9.3.Mesocyclesubperioddurationsbyagecategory.
Period YoungAthlete OlderAthlete
Prep 26weeks 26weeks
Base1 4weeks 3weeks
Base2 4weeks 3weeks
Base3 4weeks 3weeks(repeat)
Build1 4weeks 3weeks
Build2 4weeks 3weeks(repeat)
Peak 12weeks 12weeks
Race 12weeks 12weeks
Transition 14weeks 14weeks
NoticethattheolderathleterepeatsBase3andBuild2thusdoingtwelveweeks
ofBasetraining(foursubperiodsofthreeweekseach)andnineweeksofBuild
(threesubperiodsofthreeweekseach).Theyoungathletealsodoestwelve
weeksofBasebutonlyeightofBuildoneweekless.Theolderathleteneeds
thatextraweekofhardtrainingbecausethismesocycletendstobethemost
challengingsospreadingitoutabitoveralongertimeframeisbeneficialforthe
athletewhodoesntrecoverquickly.
Withallofthisinmind,itstimetocompletethePeriodcolumnonyourATP.
Youllfillinthiscolumnbyworkingbackwards.StartwiththefirstApriorityrace
oftheseason.AttheintersectionofthePeriodcolumnandappropriateArace
rowwriteinRace.ThencountuptworowsandwriteinPeakforbothofthese
weeks.Thenexttwomesocyclesvarybasedonyouragecategory.(Take
anotherlookatFigure9.1ifunsureabouttheproceduresofar.)
Ifyouhaveclassifiedyourselfasayoungathletecountupfourweeksandwrite
inBuild2foreachoftheseweeks.Again,countupfourweeksandwritein
Build1.DothesameforBase3,Base2,andBase1.Ifyouareanolderathlete
assignthreeweekstoeachoftheseperiods.
ThenthetoptwotosixweeksarelabeledPrepregardlessofyourathleticage.
Howmanyoftheseyouscheduledependsonwhenyourpreviousseasonended
andhowreadyyouaretostartfocusedtrainingagain.Ifunsurethatyouare
readyitsbesttotakesomemoretimeoff.
Finally,theweekafteryourfirstAracewriteinTranshortforTransition.Ifthis
firstTransitionmesocyclecomesearlyinyourseasonthenIdstronglysuggest
thatyoutakeafewdaysofffromtraining.Thismayonlybethreetosevendays.
Theideaistogivenotonlybodybutyourmindabreakalso.Feelfreetojust
goofoffforafewdays.Butifyoucantstandthethoughtofnotexercisingjustdo
oneshortworkoutinZone1daily.Butkeepinmindthatthepurposehereisto
restandrejuvenatebynothavingaroutineorworkoutsthatmustbedone.
Thefirstmacrocycleontheseasonisnowcomplete.Itwastheeasyone.
Basically,wejustfollowedaformulatoplanit.Forthesubsequentmacrocycles
youhaveafewdecisionstomakeandsomemesocyclesthatareleftout.For
example,whenschedulingbeyondthefirstAraceyouwillnotrepeatthePrep
periodandprobablynotBase1orBase2either.However,youmaywantto
returntoBase3afterthefirstTransitionperiodifyourbasicabilities(endurance,
forceorspeedskills)havedeclinedinthelastfewweeks.Thisisnotunusual
followingalongPeakandraceperiod.YoumayevenwanttodoBase3twice,if
youhaveenoughweeks.Ifyourbasicabilities,especiallyendurance,arelacking
itwillgreatlydetractfromtrainingandracingtherestoftheseason.Ifyourbasic
abilitiesarestillstrongyoumaywanttostartbackintotrainingwithaBuild1or
Build2period.Butdontshortchangebasictheabilitiesinordertodomorehigh
heartratetraining.
UsingFigure9.1asamodel,finishfillinginthePeriodcolumnonyourATP
throughtheendoftheseason.Lateron,shouldyoudecidethattheplanyou
haveisntrightyoucanalwaysmakechanges.Ivecoachedfewathleteswho
madeitallthewaythroughaseasonwithnoATPadjustments.
Step11SetWeeklyTrainingHours
Asyoucansee,wereworkingourwaydowntomoreandmoredetailedaspects
ofyourtraining.YouvenowgotmostoftheATPcompleteandwehavea
generalideaofwhatyouwilldointraining.Whatremainsarethespecificssuch
assettingthenumberofhoursyouwillworkoutweeklyyourvolume.Once
volumeisdeterminedyourereadytotakecareofthefinaldetailstheactual
workouts.
Weeklyvolumeistheproductofdurationandfrequencyhowlongandhow
oftenyouworkout.Forexample,ifyouworkoutfortwohourseachdayand
sevendaysaweekyourvolumeisfourteenhours.Settingvolumeisdoneinone
oftwoways.Youmayeitherdeterminehowmanyweeklyhoursyouhave
availablefortrainingoryoumaydecidetheseasonalvolume(AnnualVolume
atthetopoftheATP)necessarytoachieveyourgoals.
Thefirstistheeasiertofigureout.Yousimplysubtractalloftheweekly
commitmentsanddemandsonyourtimefrom168,thenumberofhoursina
week.TocomputeyouravailabletraininghoursforeachweekseeSidebar9.4.If
youreabusyperson,asmostathletesare,thislittleexercisewilltellyouthe
averagenumberofweeklyhoursyouhaveavailablefortraining.Multiplythe
resultby50andyouknowapproximatelyhowmanyannualhoursyoucantrain.
ThatnumberisplacedatthetopoftheATPwhereitsays,AnnualVolume.
Sidebar9.4
HowManyTrainingHoursDoYouHave?
Everyone,nomatterhowbusy,has168hoursavailableeachweekoftheyear.
Wecanchoosetousethehoursinanywaywewant.Forathletes,somehours
needtobedevotedtoworkingout.Howareyour168hoursusedeachweek?
Belowestimatehowmanyhoursarespentineachnonexercisecategoryeach
week.
Sleep _____
Work _____
Eat _____
Familytime _____
Personalhygiene _____
Housework _____
Homemaintenance _____
Goofingoff(TV,etc) _____
Other(nonexercise) _____
TotalHoursSpent _____
TrainingHours _____(168minusTotalHours)
Ifyouravailabletraininghoursarefewerthanyoubelieveyoucouldhandleeach
weekthensettingyourweeklyhoursfortheseasonisprettyeasy.Simply
schedulethetimeyouhaveavailableforeachweekwiththeexceptionofR&R
andRaceweekseverythirdorfourthweekdependingonyourtrainingage
categoryasexplainedinStep10.WriteinyourtraininghoursforeachnonR&R
andRaceweekoftheseasonintheHourscolumnonyourATP(referto
Figure9.1forguidance).FortheR&Rweeksfigureyouwilltrainfromsixtyto
eightypercentofwhateveryouravailablehoursare.Whereyoufitinthisrange
dependsonhowcloseyouaretoyourphysicalvolumelimitintheotherweeks.If
quitecloseinotherwords,theotherweeksarelikelytoleaveyouquitetired
eventhoughyoucouldhavedoneabitmoreifthereweremorehours
availablethenmaketheR&Rweekssixtypercentofanormalweek.Ifyou
knowyoucouldhandlealotmorehoursthanareavailabletoyouthenmultiply
byeightypercenttosetR&Rweeklyhours.Obviously,thereisalotofguessing
goingonheresoyoucouldusesomeothermultiplierbetweensixtyandseventy
percentifthatseemsappropriate.
Howmuchtrainingtimedoyouscheduleifthedemandsonyourtimearenot
restrictive?Toanswerthisyouneedtofirstunderstandannualtraininghours,or
howmuchtimeyoudevotetotraininginanentireyear.Onceweknowthat
numberyoucanschedulethetimeforeachmesocyclebasedonwhathasbeen
showntoworkforotherathletes.
Yourannualhoursincludeseverythingyoudoinallworkoutsintendedtoimprove
yourTrainingTriadabilitiesfromChapter6.Besidesyoursportspecificworkouts
thisincludesstrengthtrainingandallcrosstrainingactivities.UseTable9.4to
helpyoudecidewhatyourannualvolumeshouldbe.Thistableisbasedonthe
durationofyourlongestApriorityeventandthelevelofyourseasonsgoals.For
thesakeofsimplicitythegoalsaredividedintofinishtheraceandhigh
performance.Thefirstiseasytounderstand.Thesecondisdefinedonlybyyour
aspirationsrelativetoyourknownlevelofperformance.Ifachievingyourgoalsis
goingtopushyoutoyourphysicallimitsthentheyarehighperformance.
Table9.4.SuggestedAnnualVolumebasedonracedurationandracegoal.
APriorityRaceDuration AnnualVolumeforGoal
ofFinishtheRace
AnnualVolumeforGoal
ofHighPerformance
Upto3hours 200400 5001000
3to8hours 300500 6001000
Morethan8hours 450600 7001000
ThereisalotofroominthesuggestedannualvolumerangesinTable9.4.Itbest
nottoincreaseyourhoursfromoneyeartothenextbymorethanfifteenpercent.
Soselectanumberfromtheappropriaterangethatisonlyslightlymorethan
whatyouhavedoneinpastseasons.
RecordyourAnnualVolumeatthetopoftheATP.Tosetweeklyhoursfindyour
annualvolumeinthetoprowofTable9.5.UsingthisTableyoumaynow
completetheHourscolumnonyourATP.Forexample,ifannualvolumeis400
hoursthenthePrepperiodis7.0hours,Base1,week1is8.0andBase1,week
2is9.5hours.
Table9.5.WeeklyTrainingVolume
Period Week 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000
Prep All 3.5 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.5 8.5 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 12.5 13.5 14.5 15.0 16.0 17.0
Base1 1 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 12.5 14.0 14.5 15.5 16.5 17.5 18.5 19.5
2 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.0 14.5 15.5 16.5 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.5 22.5 24.0
3 5.5 6.5 8.0 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.5 14.5 16.0 17.5 18.5 20.0 21.5 22.5 24.0 25.5 26.5
4 3.0 3.5 4.0 5.0 5.5 6.5 7.0 8.0 8.5 9.0 10.0 10.5 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.5 14.0
Base2 1 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
2 5.0 6.5 7.5 9.0 10.0 11.5 12.5 14.0 15.0 16.5 17.5 19.0 20.0 21.5 22.5 24.0 25.0
3 5.5 7.0 8.5 10.0 11.0 12.5 14.0 15.5 17.0 18.0 19.5 21.0 22.5 24.0 25.0 26.5 28.0
4 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
Base3 1 4.5 5.5 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.5 13.5 14.5 15.5 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0 22.5
2 5.0 6.5 8.0 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.5 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.5 20.0 21.5 23.0 24.0 25.0 26.5
3 6.0 7.5 9.0 10.5 11.5 13.0 15.0 16.5 18.0 19.0 20.5 22.0 23.5 25.0 26.5 28.0 29.5
4 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
Build1 1 5.0 6.5 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.5 12.5 14.0 15.5 16.0 17.5 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0 25.0
2 5.0 6.5 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.5 12.5 14.0 15.5 16.0 17.5 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0 25.0
3 5.0 6.5 8.0 9.0 10.0 11.5 12.5 14.0 15.5 16.0 17.5 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0 25.0
4 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
Build2 1 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.0 14.5 15.5 16.5 18.0 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0
2 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.0 14.5 15.5 16.5 18.0 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0
3 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.0 13.0 14.5 15.5 16.5 18.0 19.0 20.5 21.5 22.5 24.0
4 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
Peak 1 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 11.5 13.0 13.5 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
2 3.5 4.0 5.0 6.0 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.0 11.0 11.5 12.5 13.5 14.5 15.0 16.0 17.0
Race All 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 12.5 12.5 13.0 14.5 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 20.0 21.0
Step12ScheduleHeartRateBasedWorkouts
Appendix4suggestsweeklymicrocyclepatternsforvarioustypesofendurance
sportsaccordingtoyourlevelofexperienceandthemesocycle.Appendix5
providesasamplingofheartratebasedworkoutsbyTrainingTriadabilities.In
thisstepyouwillcombinethesetwotofityourexactneedsbymatchingtraining
withyourlimiters,strengths,weeklyroutineandtimeavailable.
TurntoAppendix4andselecttheweeklymicrocycletrainingpatternforeach
mesocycleoftheseasonthatbestmatchesyourexperiencelevelandtypeof
sport(steadystateorvariablypaced).Then,foreachmicrocyclepatternselect
theexactworkoutsyouwilldoeachdayfromAppendix5.Notethattheworkouts
inAppendix5arecoded.Simplywritethecodesfortheworkoutsyouveselected
inthedailyspacesfortherowsmarkedasWorkoutCodes.
Allthatnowremainsistosetatrainingtimeforeachworkout.Thisdoneusing
Table9.6.TheHourscolumnonyourATPindicateshowmuchtrainingtimeis
plannedforeachweek.Takethetimeforagivenweekandfindthatsame
numberintheWeeklyHourscolumnofTable9.6.Byreadingacrosstheseven
columnstotherightofthatnumberyoullseehowtodistributethetimeforeach
dayoftheweek.Forexample,letssayyourhoursforagivenweekonyourATP
are8.0.Theseventimestothatrightofthatare2.0,1.5,1.25,1.25,1.0,1.0and
0.Thistellsyouhowmanyhourstoworkouteachdaywhenyouhaveeight
hoursplannedforaweek.Youmayputthosetimesonwhicheverdaysworkbest
foryou.IfyouareusingAppendix4thefiguressuggestdailydurationlevels.The
dailyhoursstaythesamewhetheryouaredoingoneworkoutadayormultiple
workouts.Forexample,ifyouaredoingtwoadaysandhave2.0hoursplanned
forthatdayyoucoulddotwo,onehourworkouts.
Table9.6.DailyTrainingHours.Maybetwoadayworkoutsoreventhreeadayforelites.
WeeklyHours SuggestedDailyHours
3.0 1,0 0.75 0.75 0.5 0 0 0
3.5 1.5 0.75 0.75 0.5 0 0 0
4.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 0.5 0 0 0
4.5 1.5 1.0 0.75 0.75 0.5 0 0
5.0 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.5 0 0
5.5 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75 0 0
6.0 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75 0.5 0
6.5 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.75 0
7.0 1.5 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75 0
7.5 2.0 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75 0
8.0 2.0 1.5 1.25 1.25 1.0 1.0 0
8.5 2.0 1.5 1.25 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.5
9.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75
9.5 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75
10.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.25 1.0 1.0 0.75
10.5 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0 1.0
11.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0
11.5 3.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0
12.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0
12.5 3.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0
13.0 3.5 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.0
13.5 3.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.0 1.0
14.0 4.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.0 1.0
14.5 4.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0
15.0 4.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.0
15.5 4.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.0
16.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.0
16.5 4.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0
17.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.0
17.5 4.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.0 2.0 1.0
18.0 4.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.0
18.5 4.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.0
19.0 4.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 1.0
19.5 4.5 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.0
20.0 4.5 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 1.0
20.5 5.0 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 1.0
21.0 5.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.5 1.0
21.5 5.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 1.0
22.0 5.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 1.0
22.5 5.0 4.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 1.0
23.0 5.0 4.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 1.5
23.5 5.5 4.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 2.5 1.5
24.0 5.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 1.5
24.5 5.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 3.5 2.5 1.5
25.0 5.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.5 2.5 1.5
25.5 5.5 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 2.5 1.5
26.0 6.0 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 2.5 1.5
26.5 6.0 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 1.5
27.0 6.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 1.5
27.5 6.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.0 1.5
28.0 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 4.0 3.0 1.5
28.5 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.0 1.5
29.0 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 1.5
29.5 6.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 2.0
30.0 6.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.0 3.5 2.0
30.5 6.0 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 3.5 2.0
31.0 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 3.5 2.0
Onceallofthisisdoneyourtrainingisabreeze.Allyouneedtodoeachweekis
glanceaheadtothecomingweektoseewhatsplanned.
ImentionedearlierinthischapterthatyoushouldexpectyourATPtochange
duetoillness,racedatechangesandotherunforeseenoccurrences.Thatswhy
theATPshouldeitherbedoneinpencilorinanelectronicformat.Whenthese
inevitablechangeshappen,simplyreturntothischapterandmaketheneeded
adjustments.Suchchangesusuallymeanlosingsometrainingtimeandfitness.
Whateveryoudo,donttrytomakeupforsuchlossesbydoublinguponthe
workouts.Thiswillonlyleadtogreaterproblemsdowntheroad.
TheHeartoftheMatter
ThischaptertookyouthroughthetwelvestepplanningprocessthatIusein
coachingathletes.Bybuildingaplanusingthisprocessyouhavedesignedyour
entireseasonbasedpreciselyonyouruniqueneeds.Allthatremainsistodothe
workouts.Havingandfollowingadetailedplanincreasesyourconfidencewhich
inturnimprovesperformance.Withthisplanyourewellonyourwaytoachieving
yourgoals.
Ifyoudprefernottogothroughallofthedetailsuggestedhereyoucanfind
generic,twelveweekmesocyclesatwww.TargetHRT.comforrunning,cycling,
triathlon,duathlonandmountainbikingcategorizedbyexperiencelevel.Clickon
TrainingPlans.Oryoucanbecomeamemberatwww.TrainingBible.com and
havetheVirtualCoachtherefilloutalloftheworksheetsandmakeallofthese
decisionsforyoubasedoninformationyouprovide.Therearesmallfeesforboth
TargetHRT.com trainingplansandTrainingBIble.commembership.Whichever
youdoitisimperativethatyoufollowtheplananduseyourheartratetoguide
theintensityofallworkouts.