Understanding your training – Prep Phase Focus

Last week I spoke about the current Program Phase we are in – the Preparatory or General Base Preparation Phase. Read more on that here

This week I touch more on the key fundamentals we focus on during this time. These fundamentals underpin all the work we do, and should always be at the forefront of our mind and our main focus. With our aim to build STRONG and RESILIENT athletes. These are the key fundamentals we are currently foscusing on and developing: 

Resilience – Easier, low stress training. These sessions should be taken as such. Take away the need to hit ‘numbers’ and leave the ego at the door. We have TIME on our side, so utilise this extra time to build your resilience. 🙂 

Strength – Super important for endurance athletes. Improving the resilience in your tendons, muscles and ligaments, joint mobility and range of motion. We’ve been laying the foundations in this area and will be continue to build into next month. 

Metabolic Efficiency – the ability of the body to utilise fat for fuel. Which aligns with our focus on the low stress training sessions. So think about going into these low stress sessions fasted and / or fueling minimally during the longer aerobic sessions. BUT remembering to fuel correctly post session. Chat to me further in you need further guidance. 

Aerobic Capacity – building the size of your engine though high intensity training. Think short (less than 3min) intervals of very hard / high intensity intervals. These are the types of intervals that will help drive up your aerobic capacity / VO2 Max. The polar opposite to the aerobic endurance / low stress endurance / resilience work. *Note can only safely be incorporated after a sound endurance base has been established to begin with so some athletes may not see this in their programs as yet.  

Strength Endurance – a bridge between strength work and endurance work. So think low rpm, high load / torque. So completing sessions with a high load, such as low cadence strength work, or on the run strength based running / hill reps. So the work is focusing on the muscles not just cardiovascular work. Everyone will see this type of work in their programs. 

So if you continue to follow the program, nail the hard sessions when it’s asked of you, the easy sessions when asked to go easy and hit the purpose of your sessions, you WILL progress and you WILL be ready to start a race prep when it’s time. This is the time when your season it set up. Right now. Not the 8-10 weeks prior to a race. This work now is getting you fit, strong, resilient and READY for your race prep that will come. 

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