Hello,
As promised, I’m back with the third instalment of the periodisation series. If you’ve missed the first 2 posts, you can find out more about periodisation and how to set your plan up here and more about the first phase of training here.
Today we are moving on to building a base and starting to prepare for the training season. This is the longest phase of training (12-24 weeks) and in my opinion, the most important. This is where the work begins to strengthen your body and your mind to deal with the rigours of on skate training and competition. This where I set myself up with a nice, solid base of aerobic fitness and general strength.
Before we get into details, I just want to mention that it is recommended that training should increase by 10% each week. Any more than that will cause more harm than good and any less than that won’t cause enough stress on the body to adapt. A general way to work this out is add up the total amount of training time per week and making sure you’re increasing the duration by 10%. This is not the best way as you have to take into account your intensity and type of training as well but it is an ok estimation. Another important point is to remember that growth= stress + rest. The stress is the training you apply to the body but in order to grow and reap the benefits from your training, you have to rest.
Now let’s get into the details of the Base phase. So once you have finished your off season, you should be feeling fresh, relaxed and ready to take on the year. We’re going to divide this section into 3 bits. Off skate, on skate and mental training. In the base phase, there is a high focus on off skate and mental training. This phase should be low-moderate volume, moderate intensity and high frequency.
Off skate
Goal: Increase general aerobic capacity and strength
How:
- Build up to be able to do 3×20-40min low-moderate intensity aerobic sessions a week.
- 2-3x strength training sessions a week (eg 1 upper body day, 1 lower body day and 1 core workout)
- Later in this phase add in 1-2 high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions a week to increase anaerobic capacity
- Recovery: Yoga or full body stretch 3-4x a week + foam roll
Tip: If you set out to do a low intensity workout, make sure it stays that way. Reserve your energy for the harder days. When the harder days come around, make sure you push yourself.
On skate
Goal: first few weeks go back to basics and skating drills as well as work on building routines
How:
- Session A: basics and drills 40-60min (moderate intensity)
- Session B: planning out routines with coach 60min (low intensity)
- Session C: start with some drills as a warm up then practise and learn new footwork/jumps/spins 40-60min (low-moderate intensity)
Mental training
Goal: Develop, use and learn techniques that will help you during your training and your competition.
How:
- Use visualisation during training to perfect technique on basic skills and drills.
- Develop a warm up and warm down routine to use for the season. This will help you get “in the zone” later on in the season and in competition.
- Learn to spot negative self talk and talk to your coach about what is going on in your head.
- Explore any mental blocks or anxieties with your coach or by journaling about it. Talk about why you think they might be present and what you think you need to do to be able to overcome them.
- Learn breathing techniques to manage arousal. Notice how breathing affects how your body and mind feels.
A good idea is to set out your week and put in all your work/school commitments and then add in your trainings.
Just one more thing before I go. Your training should and will fluctuate. You can not have the best training day every single day. After a hard week, you need to follow up with a recovery week so that your body can recover (stress + rest = growth). Listen to your body and give it what it needs. If you’re feeling fatigued, take it easy. You are in control so learn to be honest about what you need and what your body is telling you. Learn to know the difference between the “good” pain and the “bad” pain. This will often come with experience over a long time. So listen up and learn to read the signs your body might be giving you.
Thanks for reading and I hope these examples helped. If you want more one-on-one help, don’t hesitate to send me an email through the contact page. I’m always happy to help.
Mac Attack x