Planning a training program for an athlete: initial planning considerations (performer's profile, performance goals, demands of the sport), sport-specific energy systems, fitness components, training principles, time available

Planning a training program is the central practical application of Core 2 to a real athlete. The Improving Performance option asks you to do this for a chosen athlete with a chosen goal. This dot point covers the structure for that planning.

The five planning steps

The standard planning process moves from athlete-specific information to a structured program.

Step 1: Build the performer's profile

The first step is knowing the athlete. Information to gather:

• Age, sex, training history. A 14-year-old novice has different planning needs than a 22-year-old elite.
• Current fitness baseline. Tested fitness components (VO2 max, lactate threshold, strength benchmarks, flexibility).
• Injury history. Previous injuries, ongoing pain, current restrictions.
• Medical considerations. Asthma, diabetes, allergies, hormonal status.
• Psychological factors. Motivation type (intrinsic vs extrinsic), confidence levels, stress sources, anxiety patterns.
• Lifestyle constraints. School, work, family, travel.

The performer's profile should be a written document the athlete and coach refer to and update as conditions change.

Step 2: Define performance goals

Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Three layers:

• Outcome goals. Results - making the state team, placing top-3 at nationals, qualifying for the Olympics.
• Performance goals. Specific performance markers - running sub-4:00 for 1500m, lifting 1.5x bodyweight in deadlift, hitting a 60% serve percentage.
• Process goals. Specific behaviours - completing every training session, maintaining technique focus, holding sleep above 8 hours.

The program is built backwards from the outcome goal, through performance goals that lead to it, supported by process goals that produce both.

Step 3: Analyse the demands of the sport

Each sport has a specific demand profile.

Energy systems. What proportion of the sport relies on each system?

• 100m sprint: roughly 90% anaerobic (ATP-PC dominant).
• 800m running: roughly 65% anaerobic, 35% aerobic.
• 1500m running: roughly 25% anaerobic, 75% aerobic.
• Marathon: roughly 5% anaerobic, 95% aerobic.
• Soccer: roughly 70% aerobic with anaerobic bursts.
• Strength sports: roughly 100% ATP-PC.
• Tennis match: mixed - rallies are anaerobic but full match is aerobic.

Fitness components. Which physical capacities does the sport reward?

• Strength.
• Power.
• Speed.
• Agility.
• Aerobic capacity.
• Anaerobic capacity.
• Flexibility.
• Body composition.

A specific sport prioritises some over others. A weightlifter needs maximal strength and power; a marathon runner needs aerobic capacity and economy; a soccer player needs aerobic capacity, speed, and agility.

Skill demands. Technical and tactical skills the sport requires.

Psychological demands. Pressure handling, decision-making, sustained focus, team dynamics.

Step 4: Apply principles of training

The seven principles from Core 2 (progressive overload, specificity, reversibility, variety, thresholds, warm-up/cool-down) are the rules every planning decision follows.

For the example 1500m runner:

• Specificity drives running (not cycling) as primary aerobic work.
• Progressive overload drives the weekly volume and intensity increases.
• Thresholds dictate that aerobic intervals are run at appropriate heart rate zones.
• Variety alternates sessions, routes, and intensities.
• Reversibility justifies maintaining minimum training during off-weeks rather than complete rest.

Step 5: Time budget

The available training time shapes the entire program. A high-school athlete with 8-10 hours per week of training has different planning constraints than a full-time elite athlete with 25 hours per week.

Time allocations within a session and across a week have to reflect the demand profile. A marathon runner allocates most of their time to aerobic work. A sprinter allocates most of their time to short, intense work with full recovery.

Periodisation

Periodisation is the structured planning of training across phases. The classic model splits the year into:

Preparatory phase (base)

The foundation phase. Higher volume, lower intensity. Builds the underlying physiological qualities (aerobic capacity for endurance sports, general strength for strength sports). Lasts months for most athletes.

Specific phase

Increasing specificity. Training resembles competition more closely. Volume may decline; intensity rises. Sport-specific skills and tactics are emphasised.

Competitive phase

The competition season itself. Training maintains rather than builds. Recovery is prioritised. Race-pace work is dominant.

Transition phase

The post-competition recovery period. Active rest, alternative activities, reduced training load. Prevents burnout and allows full physical and psychological recovery.

Microcycles, mesocycles, macrocycles

• Microcycle. Typically one week. The smallest unit of planning.
• Mesocycle. Typically 3-6 weeks. The functional planning unit.
• Macrocycle. Typically 6-12 months. The full annual or seasonal plan.

A macrocycle for an HSC athlete in 1500m running might run from late summer (base building) through autumn (lactate work) through winter (race-pace) through spring (taper and championship racing) into early summer (transition).

A practical example structure

For the 1500m runner case used at the top:

Weekly structure during the specific phase (week 8):

• Monday. Easy 8 km run + strength session.
• Tuesday. Interval session (6 x 800m at 5km pace, 90s rest).
• Wednesday. Easy 6 km run.
• Thursday. Tempo run (20 minutes at lactate threshold).
• Friday. Rest or 30-min easy run + flexibility.
• Saturday. Race-pace session (5 x 500m at 1500m pace with 3 min rest).
• Sunday. Long aerobic run (70-80 minutes at conversational pace).

Total weekly volume around 60 km. Three quality sessions, one strength session, balanced recovery.

Common planning mistakes

Strong HSC answers also recognise what goes wrong in planning:

• Insufficient specificity. Training generic fitness rather than sport-specific demands.
• Excessive progression. Increasing too many variables too quickly, producing injury or burnout.
• No recovery. Treating rest as the enemy.
• Ignoring the performer profile. Applying the same program to different athletes.
• No goal alignment. Training does not actually serve the stated goal.

A well-planned program reads as a coherent answer to "what is this athlete trying to achieve, by when, with what physical capacities, given what constraints".