Training Load
The training load is mainly function of the nature of the sport, the volume, the intensity and frequency of application of the stimulus. For outdoor sports, the training load also depends on the environmental conditions in which training is done. The concept of training load can be considered in the context of a training session, a microcycle, a mesocycle, a macrocycle and a yearly training plan. If we refer to a training session/week, the components may be defined as follows:
VOLUME: the total quantity of work done. Volume can be translated by reps/sets, distance, time taken to successfully accomplish the task, total number of actions carried out to accomplish the training task in the drill (exercise), session, competition, etc.
INTENSITY: the effort produced by the athlete to successfully accomplish the training tasks. Optimal intensity in team sports, is characterized by the greatest strength-speed relationship exerted by the athlete to successfully accomplish the training task. Two conditions have to be met. The drill or exercise has to be done with a high success rate and without any skill deterioration.
FREQUENCY: frequency is related to the active time/recovery throughout the training/practice session. The recovery interval consists of active or passive rest periods between drills or repetitions (work intervals) or between a series (sets) of repetitions. The length of the recovery can be described in absolute terms (ex: 2 minutes), or as a function of the duration of the work period. For example, 1:2 indicates that the work interval should be followed by a pause which is two times longer. For example, 30 seconds of work followed by 60 seconds of rest before the next effort.Frequency also relates to the number of training sessions per week OR, the number of time the same stimulus is trained in a week and a mesocycle.
NOTE: endurance, strength and speed have their own measuring units to define volume and intensity. This means that on a yearly training, competition and recovery plan we should witness volume and intensity curves for the sport and also for endurance, strength and speed.
A YTCRP is a written document, a rough sketch of what the coach would like to emphasize throughout the season/year coupled with the general tendencies of the training load. The chart reveals a form of sequencing types of mesocycles illustrating horizontal development (raising the performance capacity of the athletes) as well as vertical integration of performance factors (preparing the athletes to perform at certain key competitions) and peak at the right time for the decisive competitions of the year.
As the designer of the plan, the coach must map out the progress required to reach this peak performance within the time period available. Putting it down on paper allows the coach to know where he/she is headed and what needs to be done to get there. A yearly plan can include one, two or even up to three macrocycles.
Yearly training, competition and recovery plan (YTCRP)
MESOCYCLE
The smallest working unit in a yearly training competition and recovery plan (YTCRP) is the mesocycle. The mesocycle which lasts from two to six weeks is characterized by the training content. The training content is composed of the training objectives/tasks to be developed coupled with the appropriate training load. Some types of mesocycles are repeated in the yearly cycle before the training objective is reached, while others only appear once. Also, the relative importance of key performance factors and consequently the percentage of training time allocated to them often vary from one mesocycle to the next. To keep it simple, a YTCRP is characterized by an appropriate sequencing of types of mesocycles leading to the peak performance of the year (decisive competition). Here are the types of mesocycles most frequently seen in a yearly plan,
• Conditioning mesocycle;
• General basic mesocycle;
• Specific basic mesocycle;
• Pre-competition mesocycle;
• Competition mesocycle;
• Recovery/restorative mesocycle;
• Taper mesocycle;
• Transition mesocycle