The current trend is to structure training plans around an annual training cycle. Performance and development goals are set on an annual basis geared toward major championships such as World Sprints or Molokai. A periodization plan for an Olympic athlete will span the course of several years. This type of plan is designed to have the athlete at peak fitness and speed for the Olympic Games. No athlete, even an Olympic-caliber athlete, can maintain peak fitness year-round. True peak performances are planned and can occur about two or three times per year.
Periodization involves a series of training cycles or planned changes that maximize body system adaptations for the current cycle or phase while preparing you for the next. In periodization models, the overall program is partitioned into specific time periods. The longest time period is called a macrocycle, which is typically a year in length. Embedded within the macrocycle are at least 2 or more mesocycles. Each mesocycle may last several weeks to as many as several months. A mesocycle’s length is dependent on the goals of the athlete, the number of competitions scheduled, injuries encountered, training setbacks, or anything that may change the goal of that particular cycle. Each mesocycle is further divided into microcycles which are typically one week in length but may last as long as 4 weeks. The goal of this brief cycle is to focus on daily and weekly training variations.
Cycle duration can vary depending on what phase you are in within your macro cycle and what periodizatoin model you are following.
Microcycle
Microcycle is the basic building block of the training structure. A Microcycle lasts five to 10 days, but more typically a week because of the difficulty in developing a training plan that does not align itself with the weekly calendar. If you’re training week consists of a resistance workout, a long paddle, an interval session, three easy paddles, and a rest day, then that repetitive weekly pattern is your microcycle.
Mesocycle
Mesocycle is a block of training usually covering 4 to 12 weeks and consisting of some number of Microcycles which emphasizes the attainment of a particular goal. It can also be defined as a number of continuous weeks where the training program emphasize the same type of physical adaptations, for example muscle mass and anaerobic capacity. Each Mesocycle should be designed with the aim of eliciting significant improvements in a particular aspect of fitness and designed to build on the previous Mesocycle.
During the preparatory phase, a Mesocycle commonly consists of 4 – 6 Microcycles, while during the competitive phase it will usually consist of 2 – 4 Microcycles. You should be completely recovered from each Mesocycle before beginning the subsequent cycle of training.
Macrocycle
A Macrocycle is a long stretch of training which is intended to accomplish an extremely important overall goal, such as racing Molokai to Oahu. A Macrocycle is made up of a number of different Mesocycles and covers a period of many months. There are three phases in the Macrocycle: preparation, competitive, and transition. See the section on Periodization Phases.
Improvements Gains in a Cycle
Research has shown that when you emphasize something in your training – whether it’s the inflation of VO2max, the lifting of LT, or some other goal – there are few measurable improvements obtained in the first week or two of training. However, during the third and fourth weeks, the improvements can be quite dramatic. Unfortunately, those gains often begin to diminish during the fifth or sixth week – and peter out to nearly nothing as time goes by (as your body adjusts and adapts to the training). Therefore, it’s preferred to utilize three- to seven-week Mesocycle, then moving on to a different emphasis.
A frequent recommendation is a gradual progression of training load through the first three Microcycles in a Mesocycle substantially increasing the training load in the third week known as a shock Microcycle, and finally ending with a rehabilitation or recovery Microcycle in the fourth week. Training load and intensity is drastically reduce in the rehabilitation Microcycle allowing adaption and overcompensation to occur and fatigue to be eliminated.
Paddler Training Guide 