Breaking down a training session
All sessions, whether that’s swim, bike, or run all include 3 integral parts:
Warm Up
Main Set
Cool Down
Warm Up: Especially when it comes to interval, fartlek, and tempo sessions it is critical that the body is sufficiently warmed up prior to commencing the main set. Depending upon the length of time available for the athlete as well as the session specifics, a warm up may be 8-20mins of easy running/cycling, or 200-500m easy swimming. Intensity wise the aim is to keep this as comfortable as possible, allowing the heart rate to gradually rise, getting yourself both physically and mentally primed for the main set.
Main Set: This part of the training session is highly variable and is based around the athlete’s experience, goals, and where in training cycle the athlete is. Below is a couple of examples of some main sets and a progression for a future training session.
Sprint Distance Triathlete Run Session
3-5x (2mins @ Race Intensity/Z4, 2mins rec) —> 4-5x (3mins @ Race Intensity/Z4, 2mins rec)
Marathon Run Session
3x (8mins @Mara Intensity, 3mins rec) —> 2x (6mins @Mara Intensity, 2mins rec, 4mins @HM Intensity, 2mins rec)
When progressing a session it is important to choose an increase in either intensity OR duration OR number of reps. Increasing all simultaneously will induce too much acute loading and overload the athlete.
The example sessions above don’t necessarily demonstrate the next progression step for every athlete. Each progression depends upon how the athlete handles the quality sessions, at PB1 we ensure that each athlete’s progression is specific, tailored, and individualised to them.
Cool Down: This part of the session is critical to help the athlete wind down both physically and mentally after the rigors of their main set. This involves swimming, running, or cycling at an easy intensity with again the focus on keeping this EASY!
At Performance Bliss #1 we take in pride in ensuring that each athlete’s sessions are specific and tailored to them. Making sure that not only does the session play a part in helping the athlete reach their goals but also that it fits into their lifestyle to help balance the training/life stressors that are critical to successful programming.
