What are the three phases of a training session?

The central goal of the preparatory period of training is to develop a base level of conditioning in order to increase the athlete’s ability to tolerate more intense training. Traditionally, the preparatory period is subdivided into general and specific phases. The general preparatory phase typically occurs during the early part of the period and often targets the development of a general physical base. The specific preparatory phase occurs after the completion of the general preparatory phase and involves a shift in training focus. During the preparatory period, resistance training phases can be created in order to depict more refined differences in training intensity and volume. In order, these are the hypertrophy/strength endurance and basic strength phases. The hypertrophy phase, which is also referred to as the strength endurance phase, generally occurs during the early portion of the preparatory period. The basic strength phase is to increase the strength of the muscles that are essential to the primary sport movements.

We are going to spend a little bit of time looking at the three stages of Training, Development and Competence. Step One: Task Induction At this stage, the focus for the employee is on initial induction to the task, initial training and the opportunity to observe the task being completed by someone who is competent in this area. Step Two: On the Job Training, Coaching and Close Supervision This step covers quite a broad range of training inputs. Step Three: Competence Assessment At this stage, you are aiming to get to the point where your employee can be assessed as competent in the task. The diagram above highlights what we, of course, already know: that it takes time to acquire skills and it takes time to move to the competent stage. However, there are key inputs that can help with this process and help us move the employee to the stage of being competent. Throughout this step, you are aiming for the employee to: Gain basis task awareness Understand the basic techniques Be aware of the key principles supporting the task Gradually build more task awareness Understand the key techniques involved Have an awareness of the main procedures. The exact combination will vary depending on the employee being trained and depending on the task involved. You might involve other people in the training and coaching but keep a clear picture of what you are trying to achieve, and make sure that the employee does not get overwhelmed. On the Job Training It can be easy with this stage of training to squeeze the training in, perhaps not allocating the right amount of time. Coaching is an important part of the process and is an effective way to keep providing feedback, perhaps tweaking direction and to help the employee become more confident in different parts of the task. Close Supervision It is tempting, especially if the training has been time consuming, to leave the employee to complete the task on their own. It is critical to not make that leap too early. Throughout this step, the focus is to help the employee: Build knowledge of the techniques and procedures associated with the task Gain the ability to perform the basic tasks Be able to communicate during the task. At this step, before completing the competence assessment, you want to be sure that the employee: Can perform the routine elements of the task unsupervised Has a good understanding of the task as well as a good understanding of his or her own limitations Can deal with discrepancies within the task where the task does not go directly according to plan Once you are happy that the employee is ready to be assessed as competent, you need to ensure that: The employee is happy to be assessed now The circumstances are right for the assessment You explain clearly what you are going to do Provide clear feedback and if the employee is not yet competent, be clear on what needs to happen for him or her to be competent in the task.

Recovery starts the moment you stop. Recovery is the activity that consumes the most time yet, we don't tend to approach our recovery protocols in a mindful fashion. Recovery powers both the performance and preparation phases. The choices made that impact recovery, have a huge impact on the performance level that you can reach. At Riixo we understand that your performance is powered by (or limited by) all the quality work that you have done in preparation and both performance and preparation are powered by how you recover. Recovery is the unseen foundation that your training and performances are built on. By being fresh every training session can be more purposeful. You can better secure physical, mental and technical gains whilst minimising the chance of injury derailing your mission. Preparation: Includes the blocks of focused training over months or years, refining nutrition, strength & conditioning work, increasing pace or building endurance, refining technique, or conquering skills.

The three phases of training are essentially the primary categories that all types of training fall under. They each consist of a number of characteristics but it is important to keep in mind that they lie on a continuum and there can be overlap between adjacent phases depending where the workout falls on the spectrum. Each phase refers to the primary goal or adaptations that come along with training in that area of the continuum. The name of the metabolic phase is fairly self-explanatory. The name of the hypertrophy phase is indicative of the most common uses for the types of training it contains. The neurological phase, as the name suggests, focuses predominantly on creating adaptations of the nervous system. Some characteristics of the metabolic phase are: Longer duration of time under significant tension per set Higher work-to-rest ratios. Some characteristics of the hypertrophy phase are: High degree of tension on a per-muscle-fiber basis Moderate work-to-rest ratios. Some characteristics of the neurological phase are: Heavy loads and fewer reps Low work-to-rest ratios.

A training session is a long process made up of three distinct phases, each with a specific objective and purpose. The first phase refers to the aspects that the coach must prepare before the beginning of the session. The second phase refers to the practical application of what has previously been established. The last phase that the coach must be aware of within a training session is the evaluation phase. Therefore, a training session begins the moment the coach sets out to develop it on paper and ends when they evaluate it once the practical part is finished. The first phase is referred to as planning, the second as implementation, and the third as evaluation. The main objective of the first phase is to leave nothing to improvisation, seeking to have all the tangible aspects under control. The main objective of the second phase will be to design didactic strategies that lead to the fulfilment of the proposed intentions, in addition to respecting the essence and specificity of the sport. The main purpose of the evaluation phase is to provide feedback that is useful for analyzing and reflecting on the session, with the aim of improving future sessions.

A macrocycle is a group of mesocycles. The Training Plan (Macrocycle) Using an example of an annual training plan (Macrocycle) the phases and cycles are usually grouped as follows with the microcycles in the bottom row. In reality for a power athlete such as a discus thrower building for a specific event in the competitive section (season) the training could follow this pattern: Preparation Mesocycles – Initial development of muscle hypertrophy in preparation for strength training Special Preparation Mesocycles – Development of strength in preparation for power training Competitive Mesocycles – Power development in preparation for speed. Peaking for Competition – Focus purely on power and speed of movement. These are then assembled into phases to complete the training plan.