The ability to sustain consistent good performance throughout a long competitive season can be challenging. If you have set major objectives during the course of the year, the tools will need to be in place to allow for peaks of fitness that correlate with those objectives.
'Peaking' for an event is in part an art and a science. It can be a complicated affair when planning to hit a particular period of the year in the best possible form, even more so when there are 2-3 periods of time within a year when you wish to be in optimal condition. Bringing all this together at the right time takes both strategy and planning, being mindful of the following:
Being focused on your daily training routine is one thing, but being organised and targeted in your long term approach to the season is just as important, keep the following principles in mind:
As explained earlier, the ability to peak for an event requires combining a number of different components, each person will need to adapt and learn from the process taken as they aim for peak condition. This can be at times trial and error until you have the perfect formula but there are some crucial steps we all must take.
Be consistent: If you want to be successful in sustaining good levels of fitness throughout the year ensure consistency in training, with the focus of staying as illness and injury free as possible.
Base phase: If you already have a good basic fitness and are ready to get to focused, start your training with 4 to 5 weeks of solid aerobic training which may incorporate some strategic strength work and maximal aerobic ability so you raise your 'aerobic ceiling' as high as possible at the end of this phase. Also take this time to build on some general weaknesses, i.e. if you have a poor cadence then incorporate specific drills during this time. Your aerobic efficiency should be at an optimal level at the end of this phase.
Build phase: This phase can be from 3 to 4 weeks depending on your chosen event and it is crucial to start looking at the specific characteristics of your event. Analyse the demands and understand exactly what will be required on the day. For example, if the aim is a road race with four climbs lasting three minutes in quick succession, then consider the power and cadence required and the ability to recover rapidly between efforts - bring these three components together in specific training sessions. Focus on the quality of each session and avoid junk training. Bringing up your maximal sustainable aerobic power (FTP) to an optimal level is generally required for most disciplines but this can not be at the expense of other crucial areas that may be required to meet the demands of your events, i.e. building your W' (W-Prime), develop capacity's etc. Each training day must be specific to your goal.
Taper: The taper should be seen as ‘icing on the cake’. When all the work is completed and fitness is gained, the perfect taper will allow you to see fitness maximised with adequate rest. This is the balancing act required to make it work but normally last’s 7 to 10 days as your goal events approach. One big misconception with tapering is that your fitness can change in the week leading up to your event. Your fitness won't change but your freshness will, and it's why you need to use this time to make sure you are ready to make the most of the form you've built up. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking one more hard session will help build form - if you do too much you can undermine all the hard work. Generally HIGH intensity sessions are maintained within the Taper but total volume and frequency is reduced.
The above phases combined will be approximately 10 weeks and should lead into a 'PEAK PHASE' that will last around 3-4 weeks in which several of your 'A' events are based within.
To make sure you can continue through the different phases during the year the recovery/rest post goal event is crucial to allow your body to recover and prepare for the mental challenge to start building again. 1 to 3 weeks of lowered activity/intensity is crucial if you are to maintain the freshness required to hit your aims throughout a long season. Prioritise the rest as much as your training to achieve this and avoid either a physical or mental burn out
Good luck with your season!
