There are a number of variables that need to be considered when you begin your training programme:

• How long should the workouts last?
• How many times per week should you train?
• What intensity should you work at?
• What type of training session should you do?

Many runners, cyclists and triathletes believe that the more training sessions they do, the longer the duration of these sessions and the harder they work, the more they will benefit, the fitter they will become, and the better they will perform. For many years as a competitive swimmer my training programme was based on these principles, training 10 times per week all year round, working as hard as I could in every workout with the belief that more was always better. However, I eventually reached a plateau, my swim times were not improving, my levels of motivation and my competitive drive began to decrease and I felt continuously fatigued. It was not until my coach began to apply the concepts of periodisation to my training programme that I began to improve again and fully reach my competitive potential.

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Periodisation is a model of programming that has bridged the gap between scientific research and the practical application of training for optimal performance. It is a training approach that is used and advocated by elite endurance athletes, coaches and sports scientists worldwide. In simple terms, a periodised programme is a long term training plan that is designed to enable you to reach your peak performance for a specific event or competition. This is done by dividing the programme into various stages, each of which has very specific training objectives. Within the programme, exercise intensities, durations, the number of workouts and type of training varies throughout. Periodising the training programme in this way ensures continued physiological improvements, a decreased risk of injuries associated with repetitive strain and overtraining, keeps the training programme interesting and varied throughout the year, and ensures continued improvements in performance, avoiding de-motivating training plateaus.

Once we have established your training goals, we will devise a programme for you that will be divided into 2 key stages:

• Base Phase Training
• Race Phase Training

Base Phase Training

The main aims of base training are the development of a good level of aerobic fitness, providing the foundations for the high intensity training that will be undertaken later in the programme. The main emphasis of your training in this stage will be low to moderate intensity workouts with a gradual increase in duration. You will use a heart rate monitor to ensure that the intensity of your training does not reach the level at which your muscles cannot receive enough oxygen to work aerobically ensuring that your body uses fat as the main fuel throughout the workout. During this phase of training your workouts will feel comfortable, so comfortable in fact that if you're used to pushing yourself as hard as you can within every workout, you may find it difficult to discipline yourself to keep the intensity low and your heart rate within your training zone.

These workouts are important for increasing your body's capacity for sustained effort. Your body will become more efficient at utilising fat as the main fuel during exercise, sparing the limited supplies of carbohydrate stored in the muscles. In the long term this will enable you to work more comfortably at higher heart rates and increase the intensity that you can sustain for long periods of time. 

Race Training Phase

On entering into this stage of your programme, your training volume is gradually increased in preparation to start some high intensity sessions. Much of your training programme will still consist of long duration moderate intensity workouts, the rest will be made up of anaerobic threshold and speed training sessions.

In order for your muscles to utilise fat as the main fuel whilst exercising they need a constant supply of oxygen which is supplied by the lungs, heart and circulatory system. Under these circumstances your body is working aerobically. However, with higher exercise intensities when the energy demands of your muscles are significantly higher, a point is reached where your muscles cannot receive enough oxygen to continue to work aerobically and fat can no longer be used as a fuel (for the body to metabolise fat, oxygen must be present). At these intensities, your body has to work anaerobically (without oxygen) and under these conditions, carbohydrate is the only nutrient that your body can burn as a fuel. Without oxygen and with your body burning up its limited stores of carbohydrate, lactic acid starts to accumulate in your muscles, you start to fatigue, your legs start to feel heavy and ultimately, you have to slow down. The intensity at which your body switches from working aerobically to working anaerobically is called the anaerobic threshold. This point represents the upper limit of your aerobic training zone, the highest intensity that you can maintain without the accumulation of lactic acid in your muscles.

Within the Race Training Phase of your training programme you will perform workouts that are designed to elevate your anaerobic threshold (anaerobic threshold training). In doing this, your body will be able to work at higher heart rates for longer periods of time without the build up of lactic acid, therefore your maximum sustainable pace (race pace) will be higher. Your muscles will also become more efficient at tolerating lactic acid and removing it quickly. This will enable you to get back to your race pace quickly after running or cycling up a hill when your muscles will probably have began to accumulate lactic acid. You will also perform speed training sessions that will improve your capacity to accelerate, initiate a change of pace, and again, improve your race pace. The ability to change pace in this way is essential during several stages throughout a race. Many runners begin a race with a sprint start to try and get an initial lead, a change of pace may be a tactical manoeuvre to break away from your competitors, and races are often won or lost in a sprint finish. Without speed endurance, you will only have one pace and will be unable to perform significant changes in pace without becoming heavily fatigued.

In the final few weeks of your programme your training will start to taper off. The volume of training and the intensity of your sessions will gradually decrease to ensure that you are not fatigued on the day of your competition.