Autumn and winter are two seasons in which the cyclist dedicates himself to other activities and hangs up his bicycle.
Nothing could be more wrong if we extend our rest for several months.
Taking a break from cycling for a fortnight seems to be ideal so as not to completely lose your physical form, in fact it can be a real panacea for both the mind and the body.
A right break to find new motivation and new goals for the next season, such as participating in a granfondo or marathon.
One piece of advice we can give you, and which we often put into practice, is to plan a real cycle of periodized training based on the set objectives.
But what is periodization in cycling?
Aerobic periodization is a training strategy that involves dividing the training program into different phases or cycles, each with specific objectives aimed at training the body’s aerobic system. This type of periodization is often used in sports that require a strong aerobic base, such as cycling, running, swimming and triathlon.
Why is aerobic periodization essential in cycling?
Periodization is fundamental in the cyclist’s aerobic work for several key reasons:
- Performance optimization: Periodization allows you to plan your training strategically, dividing the training cycle into specific phases. This allows the cyclist to focus on specific goals in each phase, such as increasing aerobic endurance, power, speed or anaerobic capacity. This targeted planning helps maximize cycling performance.
- Prevention of overtraining: Training continuously and at a high intensity can lead to overtraining, resulting in health risks and declining performance. Periodization involves loading and recovery phases, allowing the body to recover and adapt to more intense training sessions, thus reducing the risk of injury and chronic fatigue.
- Training Variability: Periodization involves varying training stimuli, such as intensity, volume, and frequency, throughout the training cycle. This strain stimulates the body in different ways, preventing adaptation and ensuring constant progress.
- Maintaining motivation: A well-structured and varied training plan can help keep the cyclist’s motivation high. Periodization offers intermediate goals and successes along the way, which can be very rewarding and challenging.
- Adaptation to seasonal conditions: Periodization allows cyclists to adapt their training to seasonal conditions and scheduled races. For example, in preparation for a big race, you can focus on power and speed, while in less intense periods you can work on aerobic endurance.
- Improved Aerobic Base: Periodization often begins with a base phase, during which the cyclist develops a solid aerobic base. This is crucial to enable the cyclist to endure more intense training in later stages.
As we have seen, periodizing workouts is not only effective for preventing overtraining but can be essential to not lose motivation and not get bored during training.
