The 3 Cycles of Periodization Training

The Mesocycle

The mesocycle represents a specific block of training that is designed to accomplish a particular goal. For instance, during the endurance phase, you might develop a mesocycle designed to enhance your aerobic endurance (the ability to use oxygen to produce energy for the muscles over an extended period of time). This mesocycle might consist of three weeks of increasingly long rides, and one week of recovery.

Similarly, you could develop a mesocycle for the intensity phase that is designed to improve your functional threshold power (the highest average power, measured in watts that you can sustain for one hour). This mesocycle might include three weeks of lactate threshold intervals followed by a week of recovery.

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During the competition phase, you could develop a mesocycle that improves your neuromuscular power, which is the ability to pedal a very big gear, at a very high cadence for a short period of time (i.e., sprinting). This mesocycle might include four long sprint interval workouts and four short sprint interval workouts over a three week period.

You can even develop a mesocycle for the recovery stage of training. Of course, the primary goal of this mesocycle will be to rest and recuperate, but it will also include a series of easy rides designed to enhance the recovery process.

Mesocycles are typically three or four weeks in length. Two very common mesocycles consist of 21 and 28-day training blocks. For example, a 25-year old experienced competitor might use a 23/5 training pattern (i.e., a 28-day mesocycle). This consists of 23 days of relatively hard work followed by 5 days of recovery and easy spinning. Conversely, an older or less-experienced cyclist may opt for a 16/5 training pattern (i.e., a 21-day mesocycle) that includes 16 days of hard training followed by 5 days of recovery.

If you are unsure about which option to choose, I suggest you begin with a 21-day mesocycle and shift to the longer option when you are ready for a harder challenge. Conversely, if you are currently using a 28-day mesocycle and are dealing with recurring fatigue, use the shorter mesocycle, which provides you with more time to recover.

More: How Much Base Mileage Do You Need Before Interval Training?

The Microcyle

A microcycle is the shortest training cycle, typically lasting a week with the goal of facilitating a focused block of training. An example of this is an endurance block where a cyclist strings three or four long rides together within one week to progressively overload training volume.

Another example incorporates block training, which consists of very hard workouts for two or three consecutive days followed by an equal amount of recovery (days off or very easy rides). This would constitute an intensity microcycle where the goal is to improve key physiological abilities such as lactate threshold (the highest intensity a fit cyclist can maintain for 60 minutes) and aerobic capacity (the maximum amount of oxygen the body can consume during high intensity exercise). Generally speaking, three or four microcycles are tied together to form a mesocycle.

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