Is Periodization Dead? Discusss.

[Julibird]

I went to a thought provoking talk last night by a cycling coach who trains pro/elite amateur, general pop. cyclists, and multi-sport athletes. One of the things he said was that the traditional idea of periodization is not valid for most people except those who do nothing but train, eat, sleep, and compete.

He also eschewed the LSD type of base - basically, that people need a variety of training in all zones - most of the year - especially people over 35.

Thoughts? Is he wrong?

[SpinBob]

My first reaction is what kind of results are the people he coaches getting? Then I'd like to see the kind of program he is offering as alternative.

[kelwend]

The result he have are fast BUT certainly not long term one. It is the type of coaching that destroy sportif live or carreer as well as amateur. Althrough training technics have redically change, one thing do not change is the hability of human body to recover and adapt.
The old principle of periodization like a pyramide is still true !
As you are older you recover differently and have to spend more time where it is necessery, LSD training could not be as much important but you need a minimum.
To go fast you need to be able to go slow. I was at a workshop with Mark Hallen last year and he was reminding some that after a hard workout every rider was in ligne like little duck behind they man and stay there.

[AC]

I believe in the 15 hour a week rule. If you cardio train for 15 hours a week or more, you need to follow a periodization schedule. if you're just a regular gym attendee, 3 to 5 hours a week, you can work interval training, or 10-15% of the time anerobic, 65% of the time working at 80 to 85% of maximun effort, and the rest recovering for the next effort.

[Todd S]

Periodization as taught by the Spinning program was outdated when it was written.

If you compete, some form of periodization is still essential but there are many effective ways to skin that cat. Cool thing is now there are tools that can be used to quantify and model your training plan.

[Julibird]

Well - this guy coaches athletes using wattage for his data points - he does testing with a facility using blood draws - gas exchange, etc - he worked with Allen Lim back in Colorado - he coaches several pro multisport athletes, a MTB pro, some elite amateur cyclocross athletes...he comes from a science background and is fond of quantifying results and retesting. If you google coaching services and Orthopedic Associates in Portland, Maine you could suss out who I am referring to - but I'm not naming him.

I took his point to be - that you don't let yourself become deconditioned by spending 12 weeks doing LSD - not even if you are a stage racer. He thinks a more or less consistant volume year round, with unloading built in - or as life dictates is pretty much the deal - and it's the mix of zones that changes - so yeah, you can say that's still periodization, but it's not the same as what Friel describes, as I understood it.

Things are changing out there.