Training phases

How Training Is Structured Over Time

A training year is not a flat line of consistent work — it is divided into distinct phases, each with a specific purpose and a different balance of volume and intensity. This periodized structure allows athletes to peak at the right moment rather than accumulating fatigue indefinitely.

Base Phase

Base Phase is the foundation of everything that follows. Volume is high and intensity is predominantly low — most sessions are in UT2 and UT1. The goal is to build the aerobic engine: capillary density, mitochondrial volume, and the structural adaptations in heart and muscle that take weeks and months to develop.

Skipping or shortening base phase in favour of early hard work is one of the most reliable ways to plateau or break down before your target event.

Build Phase

Build Phase introduces intensity while maintaining substantial volume. Threshold and interval sessions appear more frequently, targeting lactate threshold and VO2max. The aerobic base built in the preceding weeks provides the platform to absorb this harder work and adapt to it.

Training Load rises during build phase. Deload weeks — roughly one in every three or four — are built into the plan to allow accumulated fatigue to dissipate and fitness to express itself before loading resumes.

Peak Phase

Peak Phase is race-specific preparation. Sessions become shorter on average but sharper in quality, targeting the exact pace, power, and effort levels required for competition. Volume may decrease slightly while intensity peaks. The emphasis shifts from building fitness to converting fitness into race readiness.

Taper Phase

Taper Phase precedes the target event. Training volume drops significantly — often by 40–60% over one to two weeks — while intensity is maintained. This allows the body to shed accumulated fatigue while retaining the fitness and sharpness built over preceding months.

Norvin manages phase transitions automatically based on your goal date, adjusting session prescriptions and volume targets as you move through the cycle.