Seb Coe’s Multi-Tier Training System: Part 1 – General Principles of Periodisation
[Written by Chelsea Ho of Sweat Elite]
This is the first installment of a six-part series which aims to summarise David Martin & Peter Coe’s Multi-Tier Training System as described in Better Training for Distance Runners.
No one word is stated more frequently than any other when athletes and coaches discuss their preparation: periodisation.
What is periodisation?
Periodisation refers to the arrangement of specific elements into a unified plan with the aim of producing a single peak race performance at the end of the season. Prior to the 1950s, the planning and sequencing of training sessions were relatively crude; runners adopted common-sense training principles involving a basic cycle featuring hard work (with stress and fatigue), then recovery (with repair and regeneration), then an improvement in performance which leads into another cycle all over again. In the 1950s, New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard pioneered the first major periodised system which prescribed an intentional separation of the training season (macrocycle) into distinct phases (mesocycles) and outlining the order in which different sessions are to be performed.
Almost all periodised training plans feature a hierarchy of cycles:
- Macrocycle: A development period of considerable length directed toward achievement of a peak of maximal fitness. For a marathoner, this may span 4 to 5 months. Track-oriented middle distance runners typically require a year, or a ‘season’.
- Mesocycles: Several mesocycles make up a macrocycle. This is a period of anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, typically with a specific developmental objective different from the mesocycle preceding and following it.
- Microcycle: Several microcycles make up a mesocycle. This is a period of a few weeks whereby a meaningful and focused block of training can be completed. Time trials or intermediate-level competitive events may be scheduled in between microcycles to permit the assessment of developing fitness.
Why is it important to follow a periodised training plan?
The value of periodisation is that it permits long-term planning of an athlete’s growth and development in a way that is methodical, logical, incremental and documented. This is as opposed to simply selecting training sessions by whim.
It is also worth mentioning that elite athletes and coaches recognise that it is impossible to maintain peak performance throughout the year. The most elite marathoners will identify a maximum of 2 to 3 major events each year, and then construct an individualised periodised “recipe” to synchronise the timing of optimum fitness with the time of competition. In the authors’ words, “peaking at the appropriate race is one of the most elusive quests in the art and science of physical training”.
How should I exactly construct a periodised training plan?
This is the most searching question in the world of athletics. Since Lydiard, coaches and exercise scientists throughout history have put forth numerous hypotheses as to what constitutes the most optimal plan.
There are two dominant styles of periodisation: linear and non-linear. Lydiard’s training plans adopt a linear approach; its four main training stimuli (aerobic, strength, anaerobic, speed) are segregated respectively into four distinct phases which follow each other in a certain order. This is different to a non-linear approach which involves the integration of the various training stimuli throughout the entire macrocycle but which the emphasis varies as time progresses.
In this article series, we will specifically focus on one such non-linear approach called the Multi-Tier Training System. This was proposed by Dr David Martin (Exercise Physiologist) and Peter Coe (Coach of Seb Coe) in the 1980s as outlined in their famous classic ‘Better Training for Distance Runners’. Here, we will learn how to precisely structure various training assignments into a unified periodised training plan that (in the authors’ opinion) will best support an athlete’s development.
Source: Martin, D. E., & Coe, P. N. (1997). Better training for distance runners. Human Kinetics 1.
Continue to Part 2 – Overview of the Multi-Tier Training System
Other articles in this series:
Part 3 – The Mesocycles of Multi-Tier Training
Part 4 – The Domains Of Multi-Tier Training
Part 5 – Getting the right Aerobic/Anaerobic Mix
Part 6 – Setting Equivalent Paces for Different Distances
