The Training Plan
At the heart of any serious attempt to achieve a fitness goal is your training plan. The training plan is a carefully planned outline of how you are going to train from day to day to achieve your goal. It gives you clarity in your approach and effectively allows you to structure your lifestyle in a way that allows you to complete your training without any unnecessary interruptions or setbacks.
Just like a driver uses a GPS to keep themselves on track, a training plan will do the same for your fitness aspirations.
A well thought out training plan is also useful in managing the risk of injury. By progressively increasing your volume and intensity over the length of the plan, you are less likely to do too much too soon therefore reducing your chances of injury, illness and mental burnout.
So What’s in a Training Plan?
Content will vary from person to person depending on your experience level, goals and athletic history but the structure is universal. It should contain the following:
• Volume
How long you plan to train on each day. This can be outlined in time or distance.
• Intensity
The overall intensity of the training session. This can be specified by heart rate, pace, power or rate of perceived exertion or a combination of each.
• Specifics
The specifics are the little details you will do in your training and are usually unique to the event you are training for. Examples of specifics include intervals, hill reps, weights, open water swimming, running off road etc.
While your training plan is only a piece of paper, the power it holds is quite extraordinary when given your full attention. Human beings crave structure, and without it can feel very uneasy and struggle to live up to their capabilities and potential.
By spending the time to create such a plan you can start to make the gains you know are possible.