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Periodization Training Guide: Break Your Training Into Phases For Optimum Performance

Published on March 3, 2021 By Cathal Logue

In this article, coach Cathal Logue explains what periodization training is, why it’s so useful for runners training preparing for events, and how to apply it to your own training plan.

Paul is a first-time marathon participant. Over the past 6 months, he’s followed his marathon training plan to a tee, avoided too many injury setbacks, and rested his body well the week before the big event.

However, the day before the race, he’s worried about whether he can perform at the level expected on the big day. This is a common fear, but if the training plan that he followed was well-structured and organized, then he’ll have confidence that he will be at his best when it counts.

Have you ever wondered how the world’s top athletes appear to have an uncanny ability to be at their best every 4 years at the Olympics?

Lasse Viren was one of those type of athletes who had a remarkable ability to produce the goods when it mattered most – at the Olympic Games. He won both the 5000m and 10,000m events in consecutive Olympics, in 1972 and 1976.

The 10,000m race in Munich back in 1972 was when he announced himself to the world, beating the much-favoured British athlete, Dave Bedford. In the run up to the Games, he showed some good form, but unlike his rivals he chose to run lower key events and focused on timing his peak to perfection.

This ability to peak when it matters most is a by-product of a widely established coaching tool – periodization.

What Is Periodization?

Periodization is a way of designing your training schedule to be at peak performance on the day of your event, integrating the principles of overload and detraining.

Periodized training is structured in a way that it provides sufficient stimulus for developing key physiological aspects, but also includes adequate rest and recovery to ensure you give yourself the best chance of being consistent.

The term periodization was first coined by the Russian physiologist Leonid Matveyev in the 1960s. He developed his theory by analyzing the results of the Russian athletes at both the 1952 and 1956 summer Olympics and compared the training schedules of the successful and not so successful athletes.

Periodization Training Guide: Break Your Training Into Phases For Optimum Performance 1

The Main Principles of Periodization

A training period is considered a macrocycle and normally lasts for 1 year.

This is then subdivided into smaller periods or phases (mesocycles), which may last between 6-12 weeks.

Consequently, each mesocycle is then divided into weekly microcycles. (ref: McArdle, Katch, Katch, Exercise Physiology, 5th Edition).

The traditional approach to structuring your training involves a series of logical steps:

(1) Identify what races you plan to run and their associated level of priority or importance,

(2) Determine the duration of each training cycle,

(3) Divide the training year into distinct phases.

Let’s take each of these in turn and learn how you can better structure your training year to get the best out of yourself at the big races!

Periodization Training Guide: Break Your Training Into Phases For Optimum Performance 2

How To Apply Periodization To Your Race Calendar

The first step is to get your planner, diary, and race calendar out!

Make a list of all the races you intend on doing throughout the year and define their priority and consider their importance in helping you achieve your main goals for the year.

Then using the ABC goal method, select your A races as the main targets where you plan to peak for e.g., a marathon, regional championships, or your local club’s annual 10k race.

For instance, you may be building up to run a marathon in the spring, and running a personal best is your main target for the season. Working back from this A race will allow you to structure and periodize your training with the objective of arriving at race day, with all the training under your belt, feeling fresh and ready to perform.

Including B and C races throughout the build-up to the marathon will give you an idea of how your training is progressing and provide you some competitive opportunities over shorter distances.

Periodization Training Cycles – The 3 Ms (Macrocycle, Mesocycle, Microcycle)

The level of the macrocycle will depend on your individual circumstances and how long a period your goal horizons cover. For instance, an elite athlete looking to peak at the Olympics may define their macrocycle as 1-2 years as they build up for the Olympic year. However, most amateur athletes find it useful to consider a macrocycle with a 1-year timeframe.

This macrocycle can then be divided into smaller mesocycles.

Each mesocycle will have well-defined focus areas so that helps you build the blocks to optimal fitness over the year. The duration of each mesocycle normally lasts between 6-12 weeks.

Within each mesocycle, you then include weekly microcycles to keep focused and ensure that the training is specific.

Building Blocks To Peak Performance

For most of us a training period of 1 year would be considered an appropriate macrocycle and this period can be split into 4 different mesocycles, or phases: Base, Build, Pre-competition, Peak.

Each phase has distinct physical and physiological objectives with the overall purpose of delivering the best performance from athletes in competition. In theory, peak performance occurs as a result of an accumulation of all the training adaptations coming from each phase.

As the periodization training progresses throughout the macrocycle, there tends to be an inverse relationship between the volume of training and the intensity of training.

Variety is also key to ensure the athlete doesn’t suffer from staleness or overtraining.

Base phase is where you build endurance, gradually increasing the volume of your training with a focus on developing your body’s aerobic system. During this phase, it’s useful to do aerobic fitness tests (such as a Cooper Test) to gauge aerobic fitness levels and help guide the training.

Build phase should include some strength-building exercises such as hill running or weights to add to the aerobic base you have developed. Introducing some quality workouts in this phase such as tempo runs, or long intervals is also recommended.

Pre-competition phase is when you are approaching the racing season. The volume of the training reduces here, but pace-specific sessions will take priority. The runs between these hard sessions will be merely to keep you active and be used as a way of recovery runs.

Peak phase is where you´ll be full race mode! The intensity of the hard sessions will increase to close or on race pace, but you will be able to reduce the volume and intensity of the runs between these sessions to keep you fresh.

To prevent the onset of overtraining and to maintain consistency with the training, it’s worth including a recovery week every fourth week during each of these phases.

Example: Periodization Training for a 10k Race

Let’s consider and demonstrate how a typical year would look like for an athlete applying periodization training while preparing for their target event of 10km.

The A race is the national championships at the end of July and the following other races will be used as an indication of how training is going and to help the athlete tune up for the major target:

1 B race over the 10km distance – this is recommended 6 weeks before the A race.

2 B races over 5km – 1 of these could be used 2 weeks before the A race and the other could potentially be run early in the pre-competition phase.

C races -1 or 2 under distance races over 3k or 1500m – these are great races for helping you sharpen up.

The training year runs from September until early August of the following year, with 2-3 weeks active recovery and rest factored in at the end of the season.

Here’s how the 4 phases would look for this runner:

Base phase

The focus will be to increase aerobic capacity and endurance, increasing mileage by 10% every week to reach peak mileage at the end of this phase. This 12-week block could also include some cross-country racing and it is also a valuable phase for building strength (twice weekly circuits workouts or weights) and addressing weaknesses from the previous season.

Build phase

Continue to focus on maintaining your aerobic base although you should start to introduce more tempo runs, where your paces should be quicker than they were in the base phase. Also, hill running will help you continue to consolidate the specific leg strength which you had developed in the base phase.

Pre-competition

This phase of training becomes less orientated towards building certain physiological adaptations and more on preparing your mind and body for the specific demands on your event.

However, you will be working more at specific race paces here in preparation for racing. This will include sessions at 3k, 5k, and target 10k pace.

Peak phase

Racing mode will be in full flight here. Use the hard sessions as preparation for the races and the runs between races will help you recover and rest.

Periodization Training = A Structure for Success

It sounds like a fancy word, but periodization at the basic level means you try and better organize your training so you can peak at the right time for an important race.

The alternative is usually an unstructured, made up as you go approach that will likely result in sub-optimal performances and overtraining or undertraining.

Ultimately, you will fail to get the most out of yourself and not reach you potential.

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How to Measure Your Fitness: The Cooper Test

Published on January 28, 2021 By Cathal Logue

The Cooper Test is a long-standing, internationally used measure of a runner’s fitness.

It involves a simple test – run as far as you can in 12 minutes – and can give a pretty accurate measure of a runner’s fitness level and give a good estimation of their VO2 Max.

Many athletes use the Cooper Test to benchmark their running; they’ll perform one test, then structure their training plan accordingly to try and improve and beat their previous time.

In this article, we’re going to look at:

The history of the Cooper Test

The Relationship Between The Cooper Test and VO2 Max

How To Perform The Cooper Test (with tips)

Interpreting Your Results

Alternatives to The Cooper Test (Other Fitness Tests)

Ready?

Let’s jump in!

What is the Cooper Test?

The Cooper test is a fitness test used to estimate an individual’s aerobic fitness or VO2 max.

It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for the US Military and has been used by several coaches across a variety of sports ever since.

The original paper is still available: Cooper K. A Means of Assessing Maximal Oxygen Intake Correlation Between Field and Treadmill Testing. Journal of American Medical Association. 1968;203(3):201-204)

The efficient functioning of the cardiovascular system of an athlete is a key determinant in performance. The ability to supply the muscles continuously with adequate levels of oxygen is sometimes referred to as the aerobic capacity.

Measuring aerobic fitness by getting a participant to push their body to the limit provides an accurate measure of this aerobic capacity. Moreover, one of the most widely used terms in sports science when referring to an athlete´s aerobic capacity is VO2 max.

VO2 Max – What Is It?

VO2 max is defined as the maximum rate of oxygen consumption as measured during incremental exercise. It indicates how efficient an individual uses oxygen while exercising.

Read More: What Is VO2 Max?

The accurate testing of VO2 max normally requires access to a laboratory and can be expensive, but there are a few aerobic tests that can be used to predict VO2 max scores; Cooper Test being one of the most widely used.

Its popularity is due to how easy it is to perform with a limited amount of equipment needed, you can perform it yourself, and it is relatively simple to interpret the results of the test.

The units of measurement used when presenting values are litres of O2 per minute (l.min-1) or divided by body weight to get a score relative to a person’s body weight (ml.kg-1.min-1)

According to a study by Wilmore and Costill, a typical VO2 max value for the average young untrained male is about 3.5 litres per minute or 45 ml.kg-1.min-1 and their female equivalents would score about 2.0 litres/minute or 38 ml.kg-1.min-1.

The scores of VO2 max at the elite level vary across sports.

Intriguingly, the highest scores recorded come from cross country skiers, with top class cyclists and athletes also recording values that typically exceed 80 ml.kg-1.min-1 and occasionally exceeding 90 ml.kg-1.min-1. World class female endurance athletes have recorded scores exceeding 70 ml.kg-1.min-1.

The table below shows a number of those values with their respective sports:

VO2 max (ml/kg/min)	Athlete	Gender	Sport/Event
96.0	Espen Harald Bjerke	Male	Cross Country Skiing
96.0	Bjorn Daehlie	Male	Cross Country Skiing
92.5	Greg LeMond	Male	Cycling
85.0	Dave Bedford	Male	10K runner
85.0	John Ngugi	Male	Cross Country Runner
84.6	Chris Froome	Male	Cycling
84.4	Steve Prefontaine	Male	10k runner
73.5	Greta Waitz	Female	Marathon runner
71.2	Ingrid Kristiansen	Female	Marathon Runner

source: MACKENZIE, B. (2001)

How To Perform The Cooper Test

The test is relatively easy to perform, but the following things should be taken into consideration:

The goal of the Cooper test is to run and cover as much distance as possible in 12 minutes.

Tips for Running Your Cooper Test:

1. Warm-up: Prior to starting the test, ensure that you warm-up for 20-30 minutes, including light jogging and strides to get the body prepared.

2. Course: The test should ideally be carried out on a standard 400m running track, or find an accurately measured flat course of the same distance (using your GPS watch).

3. Visuals: Put a visual aid (a cone or a water bottle) at the 200m point of the lap, to assist with pacing and help determine total distance covered.

4. Timing: You could use a 12-minute countdown function on your watch if performing the test on your own. This way you can focus on keeping count of the laps and then you can stop the test once your watch beeps. Alternatively, if you have someone helping record the test, they can set you off and keep count of the laps and time.

How To Calculate Your 12-Minute Run Cooper Test Results

After completing the test, you could calculate your estimated VO2 max by using the following formulas

Kilometres: VO2 max = (22.4 x your distace in kilometres) – 11.3

Miles: VO2 max = (36 x your distance in miles) – 11.3

For instance, imagine you cover 3200m. Your estimated VO2 max would be (22.4 x 3.2) -11.3 = 60.3.

You can then use your test result to compare your performance to the norms for both your age and gender.

Instead of using the calculation and getting your VO2 max, you can use the distance achieved to determine how you compare to others of similar age and gender.

Cooper Test Results for Males (in metres)

Age	Excellent	Above Ave	Average	Below Ave	Poor
Male 20-29	> 2800m	2400 – 2800m	2200 – 2399m	1600 – 2199m	< 1600m
Males 30-39	> 2700m	2300 – 2700m	1900 – 2299m	1500 – 1999m	< 1500m
Males 40-49	> 2500m	2100 – 2500m	1700 – 2099m	1400 – 1699m	< 1400m
Males 50+	> 2400m	2000 – 2400m	1600 – 1999m	1300 – 1599m	< 1300m

Cooper Test Results for Females (in metres)

Age	Excellent	Above Ave	Average	Below Ave	Poor
Females 20-29	> 2700m	2200 – 2700m	1800 – 2199m	1500 – 1799m	< 1500m
Females 30-39	> 2500m	2000 – 2500m	1700 – 1999m	1400 – 1699m	< 1400m
Females 40-49	> 2300m	1900 – 2300m	1500 – 1899m	1200 – 1499m	< 1200m
Females 50+	> 2200m	1700 – 2200m	1400 – 1699m	1100 – 1399m	< 1100m

How To Structure Your Training Around Your Cooper Test Result

How to Measure Your Fitness: The Cooper Test 3

Generally, the test can be performed at any stage of the year, but the start of the cross-country season (September-October in the northern hemisphere) is traditionally a good time to do it.

This will allow the athlete and coach to use the test result as a marker or benchmark of current fitness and guide them in developing the tailored training plan.

After the test, calculate your speed per 400m lap. For instance, a distance of 3200m= 90 secs per 400m. A typical week based on the test result would include:

Run three times the distance covered in 45 minutes. For example – 3.2k run on test = 9.6k in 45 mins.
3 x 2k at the speed with a 90 secs rest. For example – 3.2k run on test = 90secs/400m = 2k in 7.30 mins x 3 with 90 secs rest.
Run a series of 200m at a pace 8 seconds per 200m faster than the test run speed. For example, 3.2k run on test = 90 secs/400, when halved = 45 secs minus 8 seconds = 37 secs/200m. Start with 8 reps of the 200s and build up to 16 over a 2-month period.

In summary, the best way to make the most of your training is to use a logical and structured approach. Moreover, you should add some progression into your training and a gradual increase of 10% over a 2-month period would be sufficient.

Cooper Test Alternatives – Other Tests To Measure Your Fitness

There are several other popular tests that are used to measure aerobic fitness and offer a good alternative to the Cooper Test.

Although it is worth restating that you will be required to have access to more equipment, assistance from others, and potentially need to have access to specific indoor sports facilities.

The Bleep Test

Perhaps the 20m shuttle test or more commonly known as the bleep test is familiar to you. The test consists of the participant running between two lines 20m apart in time to recorded beeps.

At the beginning the speed is quite slow, but this increases gradually every minute and the time between the beeps is reduced. If the participant fails to make it to the line before the beep, they are eliminated. It requires access to a bleep test audio file.

More info: https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/20mshuttle.htm

15 Minutes Balke Test

Another favorite of many running coaches is the 15 minute Balke Test. This is named after Bruno Balke who designed it, and it is very similar to the Cooper Test. The participant must cover as much distance in 15 minutes and it should be performed on a running track or flat measured course.

More info: https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/balke-15min.htm

Astrand Treadmill

Per-Olof Astrand is a well-known name in the world of physiology and his treadmill test is one of his most widely utilized and cited work. The test involves maintaining a constant running speed with a 2.5% increase in gradient every two minutes, until the participant reaches the point of exhaustion.

More Info: https://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/astrand-treadmill.htm

Final Thoughts On The Cooper Test

Whichever test you choose to perform, remember that an important output from the test is that if repeated 12 weeks later, you should be aiming to improve the distance covered by between 5-10%.

This would indicate that (barring injuries and significant interruptions) that your training has been well structured, and you have been using appropriate paces with the view of improving your VO2 max.

After all, one of the Frank Horwill’s most famous quotes was “He who trains the same, remains the same.”

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The 3 Best Hip Exercises For Runners (+ How To Do Them Effectively)

Published on January 26, 2021 By Bradley Clark

If you’re only going to do three exercises for your hips, make it these 3 hip exercises for runners.

You may not be fully aware of it, but your hips are phenomenally important for your running ability. Strong and flexible hips contribute greatly to the prevention of injuries whilst you run.

Consider this: the hip flexors, adductors, abductors, and glutes are all centered around one of the largest joints to move when you run.

So it makes sense that if the hips are weak, over-exertion will lead to longer term issues and injuries.

So let’s look at how you can do hip strengthening exercises for runners and improve your hip strength and flexion to improve longevity and injury reduction.

Why Target The Hip Muscles?

Let’s consider why you target any muscle:

Strength

Flexibility

Endurance

Athletic performance

All of these essentially are about improving your performance and minimising injury risk.

But why specifically are you targeting the hip muscles? Well a major part of being able to run faster, that people may not be fully aware of, is the motion of hip extension.

To define hip extension: It is the act of forcing/driving your leg backward after it has made contact with the ground.

Hip extension is performed using the hip muscles, glutes, and hamstrings and is a huge factor in the strength and drive required to increase running speeds and times. Stronger hip and core muscles equal a more powerful hip extension.

Studies have also shown that weak hip muscles are also linked to higher numbers of injuries in regular runners who had imbalanced muscle strength.

How To Target The Hip Muscles

The hip muscles, like all muscle groups, shouldn’t be the sole focus of all of your workouts. Your hips work in conjunction with your quads, glutes, and core muscles to provide maximum stability and power.

Because of this, your hips should be worked out equally through hip strengthening exercises for runners alongside all of your other muscle groups for maximum impact.

So in order to provide maximum effectiveness in your workouts, we will look at a few exercises that work your hips through different plans of motion. All of the exercises we will look at can be performed both with or without weights or resistance.

As you continue to improve and carry out the exercises you can start to incorporate resistance bands or ankle weights to really grow and improve your strength.

The 3 Best Hip Exercises For Runners

The following exercises can be made more difficult with the inclusion of the use of a band or ankle weights to increase resistance.

It is recommended however that you start off without resistance until you are comfortable and confident with the movement. If in doubt, speak to a professional trainer.

The 3 hip strengthening exercises for runners we have chosen will help increase your hip muscle strength across multiple planes of motion ensuring that you have an overall even muscle strength development. As mentioned before, muscle imbalance was noted as a key factor in a control group’s level of injuries.

By working muscles, in multiple directions, with multiple different exercises, we can ensure the most balance possible.

Exercise #1: The Side Leg Lift

hip strengthening exercises for runners side leg raise

This exercise will have 2 variations, a standing and a lying down version. Both with their own unique advantages and disadvantages.

To perform the lying version:

First, lie down on a flat surface either your left or right side. Using a mat of some sort for comfort is recommended. Whichever leg is not on the ground will be the one you lift.
From this lying position, keep the chosen leg straight and lift it away from the floor as high as you can go. The leg should move like the hand of a clock, with your hips being the point of rotation in the center. Hold the leg at the top for 1-2 seconds.

Lower the leg back down but keep it 1-2 inches off the floor/the other leg.
Repeat this motion up to 15 repetitions for 3 sets.

hip exercises for runners side leg raise standing

To perform the standing version:

Stand in an open space with room to lift your leg fully to the side if possible.

Keeping one foot flat on the floor and using your hands to balance on another object if necessary, lift one leg out to the side, keeping it straight the entire time. Again the leg should move like a clock hand, coming from the hips.

Hold the leg at the highest point you can comfortably reach for 1-2 seconds, then lower it back down again.

Without touching the floor with the lifted leg repeat the upwards motion for up to 15 repetitions for 3 sets.

Exercise #2: The Glute Bridge

hip strengthening exercises glute bridge

An utter classic glute and hip exercise!

The glute bridge will help work your glutes as well as the stabilizing muscles around your hips.

This can be performed with both feet flat or with one leg raised.

You can also add in a resistance band above the knees, and consciously hold tension on the resistance band.

For even more added difficulty, you can keep both of your feet on a Bosu or exercise ball.

To perform the glute bridge:

Lay flat on the floor on your back and bring your feet in towards you and place them flat on the floor around 8-12 inches away from your bottom. Keep your hands out to the side slightly to stabilize yourself.

At this point, you can choose to perform the movement using both feet or by raising one up so that the foot is held higher than the other knee, with the leg at a 90-degree angle.

Driving through the heel of the foot (or feet) on the floor, push your hips off the floor until your quads and body are in a straight line, with your only shoulder blades as the other point of contact with the ground.

Hold the raised position for 1-2 seconds before lowering yourself back down again.

Repeat the motion for up to 15 repetitions for 3 sets. If using one leg at a time, make sure to do the same number of repetitions on both legs.

Exercise #3: Donkey Kicks

Donkey kicks will help you focus on your glutes and hamstrings as well as your hips so that you can build the entire muscle chain evenly.

donkey kick starting position hip exercises for runners — Donkey Kick, starting position

How to perform the donkey kick:

Pick an evenly flat space on the floor and drop down onto all-fours (knees and hands) keeping your back straight.

Pick your right or left leg, to begin with, and keep it bent at 90 degrees for the duration of the movement. Lif, it slightly off the ground without moving the rest of your body.

Kick your chosen leg back and up towards the sky. Keep the leg at a 90-degree angle throughout the movement. Some variations may have you kick the leg back and straighten it as well. The choice is yours.

Lower the leg back to its starting point keeping it slightly above the ground.

Repeat this movement for 15 repetitions on each leg. Do this for 3 sets.

A simple variation on the Donkey kick can be performed to more directly target the hips and lessen the use of the glutes and hamstrings.

To perform the variation simply set up as before on your hands and knees and raise one leg slightly. However, this time, instead of raising your leg out behind you, raise your leg to the side instead.

Imagine a dog raising its leg out when nature calls and you’re pretty much on the right path.

Next Steps In Your Running and Mobility Journey

Not working out your hip muscles is going to put you at a serious disadvantage and risk for injuries and issues down the line.

Of course, you should work all of your muscles in your core, hips, and quads so the exercises discussed here should be done in conjunction with other regular exercises such as those in our bodyweight exercise for runners article.

If you plan on running for a long time into your future, you should be making time to work hip exercises into your workouts. They are simple and easy to do and will keep you in the running game for longer.