• Home
•  »  Resources
•  »  Thought Design
•  » Troubleshoot Your Training Plan

 

Troubleshooting Your Training Plan

 

The Self-made Plan | Coached Plans | Summary

Whether you’re a beginning athlete or an elite competitor, you’ve most likely experience periods of uncertainty about the suitability of your training plan. While there may be physical or mental factors other than your plan that are leading to a slump, it’s worth doing some review of your plan, and its components. It’s worth discussing troubleshooting separately a plan you’ve put together yourself, or one from a coach.

The Self-made Plan

Goals: Have you set realistic goals? Is your plan based on these? If you haven’t set your goals, do so and then review your plan in light of what you’d like to achieve. Knowing what your priorities are makes a difference in when to spend extra time on a specialized area, such as sprinting, climbing, etc.

Periodization Plan: This is your training outline, map or cycle for the season. Your goals set the milestones, and determine what you’re working on in specific periods throughout your season. Use a calendar to plan out your time, and make sure you list your important events. This plan will keep your training moving forward, and keep it interesting.

Current Fitness Assessment: Be honest with yourself about where you are in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Also take into account the time of year and your periodization plan. If you want to speed up your sprint or improve your running speed, you need an aerobic base first. If you have early season races planned but you need further strengthening, then plan to set goals for those races that are in line with how you will be training at the time.

Workout Intensity and Duration: Make sure each workout is planned to train a specific energy system or skill as outlined for the appropriate period. For example, If today is a recovery day, your heart rate should stay below 65 % of your max. If you are doing Lactate Threshold (LT) intervals, you obviously need to know what your heart rate is at LT. You also need to know the correct duration for the type of intervals you are doing.

Rest and Recovery: Regardless of the training plan, proper recovery from your workouts is essential to your success. If sickness, work or other obligations bushwhack your plan, don’t skip a recovery day to squeeze in a workout. You may be doing yourself more harm than good. On the flip side, if you’re feeling tired or fatigued from training, take an extra day of recovery.

Compliance: Are you really following your plan? Again, be honest with yourself. Compare your diary with your plan; how close do they resemble each other? It’s not uncommon to miss a day here or there, but if you’re deviating from your plan consistently, progress will be hard to obtain.

By occasionally reviewing and assessing your plan, you can not only make sure it’s working for you, but that what you planned in December makes sense in March. If you need input, or outside review, many coaches offer services without a monthly commitment.

Coached Plans

All of what applies above to self-made plans also is true for coached-prepared plans. The area to which you must pay most attention is communication between yourself and your coach.

Expectations: If you expect your coach to merely set up a program for you, and to check in once a month, you’ll find lots of coaching options. However, if you are looking for a consultant, and somebody to keep up with your daily routine, makes nutritional recommendations and review training logs, make sure you locate someone who not only fits your budget but your communication style. If you prefer to talk by phone, then make that expectation clear. Also, do your part to give the coach as much information as you can.

Initial Consultation: Some coaches charge extra for this; many do not. Your coach should be asking detailed questions about your athletic, as well as medical history. You should expect a thorough “exam”, as if you’re visiting a new doctor for a complete physical. If you’re not comfortable with this you should find a coach with whom you can talk.

Goals: Ideally, there is some discussion with your coach about your goals. If you desire to run a 48:00 10k, and your current PR is 55:00, then your goal may be realistic for a race three months away, but not three weeks away. Any goal should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative to your sport and have a Time frame). Agreement with your coach on this should be the basis for your training program.

Time: You need to know how much time per week you can commit, and so does your coach. If he routinely prescribes 20 hrs a week of training but you can only fit in 12 hrs, then there is a disconnect that has to be resolved. Also important is when those hours are scheduled. If your coach is scheduling you to train on a day that is always impossible for you, then you’re not getting the service you deserve from your coach.

Workout Intensity and Duration: Do you know the exact details of what you should be doing each day? Make sure it’s clear-cut what, how and why you’re doing a specific exercise.

Rest and Recovery: Not only should your coach be prescribing rest and recovery on a regular basis, but if you are on a plan that allows unlimited consultation, then he/she should changing your plan as needed to keep you fresh and getting the most out of your workouts. If you’re feeling tired and rundown, make sure you communicate this to your coach; he may prescribe a different schedule for you, to avoid over-training.

Summary

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your training program, whether it’s your own or one prepared by a coach, make sure you take the time to periodically re-assess your goals, your fitness, and to ensure that you’re making the gains you expected with your plan. It’s never to late to change the road you’re on, but if you don’t check the map on occasion, knowing where you went astray and which turn to make next will be virtually impossible.

Jonathan Siegel, Director of Coaching
JDS Sportcoaching, LLC

Jonathan Siegel, CSCS, is an RRCA-certified running coach and certified cycling coach. If you have training questions or comments or are interested in a lactate test, contact JDS Sportcoaching,LLC.