When most age group athletes train, they usually just do the training that their time allows them to do. Frequently, they take part in too many races and find themselves not being able to extract improved performances which match their expectations. To facilitate in higher quality training, it is essential for athletes to plan a simple periodization process. This entire process can take as short as 6 months or be even as long as 2 years. Here are the simple guidelines:
Off-season
- Used to develop cardio respiratioy fitness
- Used to improve on body compositon (lowering body fat levels with low heart rate fat burning workouts)
- Long duration and low intensity workouts
Pre-season
- Increasing training intensity slowly
- Reducing training duration as intensity of training rises
- Transitional phase
In-season
- Generally high intensity and short duration workouts
- Race day is frequently the last day of the inseason
- Low intensity and short duration training close to the race (1-2weeks) to allow for muscle and ligerment repair and glycogen compensation
Post-season
- Short duration and low intensity
- Do a variety of non structured activity (playing games, trekking)
- Light and fun activity is usually recommended
- 1-2 weeks of rest post race is highly recommended
- Increased sleeping hours (7-10hrs a day) depending on the individual