Plan Phases

Your training plan is divided into successive phases, each serving a specific purpose. You begin with the Base Phase, followed by the Build and Peak Phases. After that comes the Pre-Competition Phase. Finally, the usual Tapering phase prepares you for race day.

In the Base Phase, the focus is on building a solid aerobic foundation through long, low-intensity sessions. Even if these sessions seem monotonous at times, they form the core of endurance training and are therefore crucial.

Easy endurance training brings a range of positive physiological adaptations and is essential for strong performance development. These include an increased blood plasma volume, allowing blood to circulate more efficiently. Mitochondrial density in the muscles also increases, improving energy production. The lactate threshold is raised, allowing muscles to work longer before fatigue sets in. Additionally, muscle glycogen stores are expanded, providing more energy for longer efforts.

Through regular endurance training, slow-twitch muscle fibers — key to endurance performance — grow, and capillarization in the muscles increases, improving oxygen delivery. Fast-twitch fibers also adapt, converting more from Type IIb to the more fatigue-resistant Type IIa. Stroke volume and maximum cardiac output also increase, making the heart more efficient. Finally, VO2max — the maximum oxygen uptake — improves, noticeably boosting overall endurance capacity.

The goal is to build a broad base for developing aerobic performance while increasing movement efficiency. The ability to sustain low-intensity work over long periods without a sharp rise in heart rate is key. What matters most here is not ultra-long runs but maintaining consistent training over a longer period.

Another focus of this phase is on developing strength and fast movement patterns. When we talk about strength, we mean muscular strength — the ability to overcome resistance. The goal is to convert Type IIb muscle fibers into Type IIa. This means fatiguing the fast-twitch fibers so they are forced to keep working even in a tired state — in other words, making them more endurance-capable. Speed training involves a combination of technique and efficiency. The aim is to perform movements precisely and as economically as possible, even at higher frequencies, to improve execution. The more efficient a movement, the more likely a pace can be sustained with less energy. You can read more in the blog post Sprint Training in Endurance Sports.

Training in the Build Phase becomes increasingly race-specific. The focus here is on improving sport-specific performance and increasing training intensity. This phase aims to further develop the aerobic base while building anaerobic endurance to optimize performance in your specific discipline. Another goal is to increase the efficiency of energy production.

Building on the solid foundation from the Base Phase — which delivered numerous aerobic improvements in efficiency and economy — and the Build Phase — which helped increase oxygen uptake — the goal now is to train the body to continue performing under rising lactate levels.

The Peak Phase is the fine-tuning of race performance. Highly race-specific training sessions are used to develop the physical and mental resilience needed for competition. The body learns to handle increasing lactate and metabolize it quickly.

The Pre-Competition Phase provides optimal training sessions to prepare for your race. Intensities are chosen to provide the right stimulus so you can enter the final, crucial phase of your plan feeling strong and confident.

Tapering prepares you for your big race. In this phase, training volume is reduced, while frequency and intensity are maintained. The goal is to reduce the fatigue accumulated during the final training weeks while sharpening your form. By the end of tapering, your body will be capable of greater performance due to being in a nearly recovered state.

This phase serves recovery after your race and is purely regenerative. Your workouts will be shorter and designed to help you actively recover from your competition.

You should schedule an offseason once or twice a year. It’s a short break that you define as an athlete. During this time, you don’t follow a training plan and can explore other sports or simply move in different ways. The offseason supports mental and physical recovery so you can start your next plan with full strength and energy.