Training Phases

Good training is not a flat grind, it has a shape over time. Aithlo organizes your plan into periodization phases that build toward your races and are shown right alongside your plan.

The phases#

Your training block moves through a sequence of phases:

• Base — build a broad aerobic foundation with mostly steady, sustainable volume.
• Build — add intensity and event-specific work as fitness rises.
• Peak — sharpen toward race-readiness with your most specific, demanding sessions.
• Taper — reduce load so you arrive fresh on race day.
• Recovery — easier periods that let your body absorb the work.

For definitions of the underlying load and form terms, see the Training science glossary.

Calculated from your races#

The phases are calculated from your race calendar. The plan works backward from your key (A) race so that Base, Build, Peak, and Taper land in the right order and you peak at the right time. Add and prioritize your events in Managing races — the more accurate your race calendar, the better the phasing.

Taper depends on distance#

Taper is not one-size-fits-all: taper length depends on race distance. A longer event generally calls for a longer wind-down, while a shorter race needs less. Aithlo sizes the taper to the event so you are neither flat nor under-rested on the day.

Where you see them#

Your current and upcoming phases are shown alongside the plan, so you always know where you are in the block and why today's sessions look the way they do. Because the phases come from the same engine that builds your sessions, they stay consistent with the rest of your plan. See How your plan is built for how periodization fits into the wider planning process.

If you add, move, or reprioritize a race, the phases recalculate so your plan keeps peaking for the right event.