Periodisation refers to the alternation of loading and de-loading phases within training, balanced with periods of recovery in order to produce supercompensation – the magic by which the athlete’s performance improves.
Simon Wegerif shares his experience and tips following this years week long cycling training camp in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The excellent paved roads extending from sea level to the main crater of Mt Teide at 2100m give continuous climbs of 18 – 48 km i.e. some of the longest in Europe.
This recent email exchange between a customer and ithlete founder Simon Wegerif discussed several interesting and useful points. So, with the customer’s permission we are sharing it as a blog post.
This study followed one looking at changes in HRV during preseason training camp and was designed to assess HRV changes during the early part of the competitive season to see whether the same effects on different positions occurred to the same extent.
Athletes and their coaches are always looking for reliable, convenient ways to monitor how well their training is going and performance gains its producing. We know that morning HRV measures are affected by training programmes, but what should we look for to be effectively monitoring adaptation?
The build-up to a marathon is a big commitment. Most people train for 12-15 weeks (3 months). Generally, training plans suggest you should be running 5 times each week with 2 rest days spaced between. But how do you schedule these runs and rest days for optimum benefit?
Coaches often talk about the importance of not increasing your training volume too quickly. For example many running coaches say not to increase your mileage by more than 10% per week to reduce the chances of overuse injuries. But now there is a more scientific and personalised formula – and it’s easy to use too!
Masters student and Rugby Union player Richard Beck tells us about his dissertation using ithlete. Additional research into daily HRV responses to rugby training and matches is always welcome and Richard’s study will be a great addition.
A first look at all of the exciting new ithlete Pro updates.
Recording training load can often explain daily ithlete readings. ithlete offers a range of methods to import or enter your Training Load. Find out how.
An overview of total load in sport, how to monitor and manage it.
Sleep is intrinsically linked to performance, recovery, health, wellness and much more. This infographic looks at why and how you can improve your sleep.
What is really remarkable about this study is that those following HRV guided training time showed greater 5k performance improvement over their control group counterparts every time!
We know that you can use a number of different modes of exercise to improve strength and fitness. But what mechanisms each works by has not been completely understood and communicated, nor has whether these effects change with age.
The ithlete Pro Training Guide brings truly personalised, actionable training guidance on a daily basis. So how does it work? And why?
What is HRV? How can you measure it? And what is likely to impact your score?
Some biological measures, such as height and weight can be taken as many times as you like within a short period of time, and you will always get the same number. But many biological measures are not like that…
AF affects the performance of the heart, especially amongst older, less healthy people. But it also affects a significant percentage of Masters athletes. A large study over a 20 year period shows an interesting correlation between Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV. There are optimum values of HRV and resting heart rate, above and below which the chances of developing AF increase significantly.
Government guidelines in the UK suggest no more than 14 units per week, equivalent to a standard glass of wine or a pint of lower strength (4%) beer every day for maintaining health. But do these suggestions also apply to athletes in training?
A member of my training group just finished his first Ironman™ in 12:31 (1:18 swim, 5:51 bike and 4:59 on run) and his training was unique for an event this long. His program schedule may be of interest mainly because it was based on a much higher percentage of short session, high-intensity cardiovascular intervals combined with heavy strength training.
Try to find a consistent time of day when you can do your HRV reading uninterrupted and with a minimum of external influences, and you will be rewarded with more sensitive and accurate recommendations!
Is HIIT a better use of your precious training time than longer sessions of continuous running? An important question for runners is ‘am I more likely to get injured with one type or the other?’
My journey to ithlete was in an effort to master this climb and be fresh for the descent that followed. To improve as I got older. To expand on the base I had built for my recovery. Recovery from treatment for cancer.
The 1st October was the start of a progressive training plan to lead me up to a few events next year…
By using the ithlete subjective sliders and adding comments as well as recording training loads you can add important context to your data.
I questioned every rest day and every lighter session. I couldn’t believe that recovery would ever work, but six months down the line, my back and hamstring are cured and I am mentally more stable than I ever have been.
When I feel uncomfortable or low I turn to exercise to pick me up, this becomes a lot trickier when the reason I feel uncomfortable and low is because I cannot exercise…
Doing a good job of managing your total load will reduce the likelihood of illness and injury significantly. This post follows our recent summary of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s consensus statement on loading in sport and focuses specifically on their practical recommendations.
It took a couple of hours of coercion to get me to call a physiotherapist because ‘they’re going to tell me not to swim for the foreseeable future and I can’t cope with that… Does this sound familiar? Read how Georgina coped.
A summary of the International Olympic Committee’s recent review of over 30 papers investigating the relationship between total load and illness/injury in athletes.
I had always felt like my routine was dictated by pool and gym hours. Strangely I had never set myself recovery hours. Never set aside any portion of the day for doing things to promote recovery; napping, meditating, visualisation etc. and subsequently recovery was being neglected. The irony then, of complaining of free time, when there were already more swimming related jobs for me to be doing than I was fitting into a day.