Athletes who participate in a specific sport generally have seasons. In order to train for a specific season, an athlete's periodizational training should be structured to ensure that they "peak" at the most advantageous time; when their season starts! Below is a list of how training cycles are broken up for an aerobic athlete.
Off-Season (Base Training)
Generally after an athlete completes their sport season, they take a short amount of time off from any training before they get back into their training regimen. Off-season can therefore be considered the starting point and should be used to create a base-level of aerobic conditioning.
Preseason
Preseason, or towards the end of the off-season, is the second cycle. This is when the intensity and duration for an athlete are greatly increased. It is at this point that any strengths and/or weaknesses should be addressed to hone any specific training modes that need extra or less attention.
In-Season (Competition)
Here is where any weaknesses would continue to be worked on from the preseason training during "practice" sessions. Duration and intensity should be greatly reduced in the interest of the athlete so that they are rested and recovered for their competition days.
Postseason (Active Rest)
This cycle is intended to just keep a fairly consistent level of aerobic conditioning, but to allow time for rest and recovery. The duration and intensity of the training sessions should definitely be "throttled-back" during this time to not only allow the body to heal, but to also allow the athlete to mentally relax to prevent cases of "burn out".
-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS
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