Sense Endurance’s Approach to Triathlon Periodisation: Smarter Triathlon Training

Most endurance plans follow a rigid structure: base, build, peak, taper. This model became popular after the amazing successes of the athletes coached by Arthur Lydiard. However, he wasn't coaching triathletes, whose ultimate distance to be covered far surpassed the possible hours they could train in a day. However, it persists despite its flaws, as many coaches and training programmes continue to follow tradition rather than adapt to the real-world needs of age-group triathletes. While logical on paper, this approach often fails in real life—especially for age-group athletes balancing work, family, and training. Instead of rigidly following outdated models, Sense Endurance takes a practical, athlete-centred approach that prioritises strength, efficiency, and structured endurance gains without unnecessary fatigue.

Understanding Different Forms of Periodisation

Picture this: Two athletes training for the same Ironman, both with dreams of crossing the finish line strong. Which athlete would you want to be? One grinds through endless base miles from the start, battling fatigue and monotony, hoping sheer volume will carry her through. The other trains with precision—building strength, sharpening efficiency, and strategically layering endurance. When race day arrives, only one of them feels truly ready. The difference? How they trained.

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Periodisation comes in many forms, each with its advantages and drawbacks:

• Linear periodisation progresses from high-volume, low-intensity training to lower-volume, high-intensity work as race day nears.

• Non-linear (or undulating) periodisation mixes different intensities and volumes throughout the training cycle.

• Block periodisation concentrates specific training stimuli in focused blocks, targeting one adaptation at a time.

• Reverse periodisation flips the traditional model, starting with high-intensity, lower-duration work before gradually extending endurance.

While each has its place, most fail to account for real-world constraints—such as limited training time for busy age-group athletes, seasonal weather challenges that make long outdoor sessions impractical, and the need to balance training with work and family responsibilities. These factors demand a more adaptable and efficient approach to periodisation.

A Tale of Two Athletes: Linear vs. Reverse Periodisation

Sarah’s training starts with months of low-intensity, high-volume work. Her winter is spent riding outside in poor weather or grinding away at long trainer rides, staring at the screen as the minutes drag by. She logs run after run in the cold and rain or on the treadmill on fatigued legs, never quite feeling fresh. By mid-season, fatigue creeps in, motivation dips, and small injuries start appearing. By the time intensity is introduced, she’s already worn down. On race day, despite all the base miles, she struggles to hold her pace in the later stages.

Athletes who feel fatigued and achieve inconsistent race results under traditional training who switch to our approach report feeling fresher, stronger, and perform better in their events. Emma is one of our athletes following the Sense Endurance reverse periodisation model—a method that has helped countless age-group athletes reach peak performance. As she put it, 'Switching to this approach changed everything. I felt stronger, fresher, and executed my best Ironman to date.'

She begins with targeted strength and high-intensity work, focusing on power, neuromuscular efficiency, and technical form. Her training is sharp and engaging, allowing her to balance work, life, and training. When the weather improves, she layers endurance on top of a solid biomechanical and strength foundation. Her first long rides and runs feel manageable because she’s already strong and efficient. On race day, Emma maintains form, executes her pacing strategy, and finishes feeling in control.

Endurance is Easy to Build

One of the biggest misconceptions in endurance training is that long-distance performance requires endless long sessions throughout the year. This simply isn’t true.

At Sense Endurance, we focus on endurance only in the final weeks before an event. By this stage, Emma already has the strength, efficiency, and biomechanical control to handle long efforts. Instead of draining energy on excessive base miles, she maximises long sessions when they matter most—arriving at race day strong, not exhausted.

Sarah, on the other hand, fears burnout. The endless endurance work has left her drained, and rather than looking forward to race day, she’s just hoping to survive it.

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The Problem with the 3 Weeks Hard / 1 Week Easy Model

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Sarah’s plan follows the 3 weeks hard / 1 week easy model, a traditional structure designed around functional overreaching—pushing for three weeks before allowing recovery.

While this model can work for some, it wastes valuable training hours by forcing a break whether the athlete needs it or not. Sarah finds herself losing momentum during her down weeks, feeling sluggish and disconnected from training. A full down week every month means 25% of training time is underutilised. Instead of allowing recovery to be dictated by her actual fatigue levels, it follows an arbitrary structure.

Emma, however, trains differently. Recovery is embedded within her plan, adjusting workload based on real-time feedback. She never loses momentum but never overreaches to the point of breakdown. Ongoing communication with her coach ensures that she takes a step back when she needs it. By race day, she feels fresh and prepared.

Rest Days: A Flexible Approach to Recovery

Sarah’s plan dictates fixed rest days, whether she needs them or not. Some weeks, she feels great and resents the lost training time. Other weeks, she’s completely wiped out but still pushes through because the schedule says so, ignoring what her body is telling her.

Emma’s approach is different. At Sense Endurance, we don’t believe in fixed rest days. Instead, rest is taken when it’s actually needed. She listens to her body, recognising when she feels unusually fatigued or when her performance starts to dip. Rather than pushing through, she adapts—sometimes taking one or two easier days rather than a complete break. She also communicates with her coach, ensuring that adjustments are made in real time to prevent long-term burnout while maintaining progress.

For more on the importance of communication in coaching, check out our blog on Effective Communication for Athletes and Coaches.

The Sense Endurance Training Phases

Training at Sense Endurance is structured into three key phases: Entry, Consolidation, and Attack.

Entry Phase (First 4 Weeks): Laying the Foundation

Sarah’s plan has her logging long hours in the saddle from day one, accumulating fatigue early. Emma, on the other hand, focuses on movement patterns and technique. She builds frequency first, letting her body adjust to structured training without unnecessary fatigue. The phase ends with a test week, where fitness assessments take place under normal fatigue conditions, simply replacing her hard workouts in the week—providing real-world insights instead of artificially boosted results from a taper.

Consolidation Phase (9 Weeks): Strength and Efficiency First

Sarah’s long endurance work continues, but her biomechanics suffer. The accumulation of fatigue prevents her from improving technique or efficiency. Small aches become persistent soreness, and she starts to struggle with injury management.

Emma, however, builds strength endurance and biomechanics, including:

• Low-cadence cycling to build muscular endurance.
• Pull buoy & paddle swim sets to reinforce control in the water.
• Hill running to improve stride mechanics and muscle activation.
• Frequent but controlled workloads to encourage adaptation without overreaching too far.

By the end of this phase, Emma is stronger, more efficient, and able to sustain quality movement over longer sessions.

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Attack Phase (Final 9 Weeks): Race-Specific Preparation

In the final weeks, Sarah’s programme ramps up the intensity, maintaining the high volume of endurance work—but her fatigue levels are high, and she struggles to maintain good form. Long sessions leave her exhausted rather than race-ready.

Emma, however, is in a completely different place. She layers endurance on top of her strength, progressively building long rides and runs only when her body is prepared to handle them. She enters her peak training weeks strong, not broken down.

Tapering: Keeping the Body Ready

Traditional tapering methods often involve a sharp reduction in training volume two to three weeks before race day. While this might help athletes feel rested, it frequently leaves them flat, sluggish, and disconnected from race pace.

Sarah follows this old-school taper. Three weeks out, she starts cutting back significantly—her long sessions are halved, and intensity is reduced. At first, she welcomes the extra rest, but soon, doubt creeps in. Her legs feel heavy rather than refreshed, and each session lacks the sharpness she expected. She questions whether she has done too little or too much, losing confidence just when she needs it most. The result? Her body starts to feel sluggish. She doubts whether she’s done enough, and her sharpness fades just when she needs it most.

Emma, however, follows the Sense Endurance tapering approach. We don’t believe in a long taper. Instead, we keep volume and intensity high until the final week—sometimes until just 4-5 days before the race. Only then do we reduce volume while maintaining intensity.

Our tapering approach follows these key principles:

• Maintain intensity – We keep key race-pace efforts in the plan, ensuring the body stays primed.

• Keep volume high until late in the process – Instead of cutting back weeks in advance, we sustain workload until the final few days.

• Reduce training load only at the right moment – We avoid early taper fatigue by shortening sessions just before the race, not weeks ahead.

• Preserve neuromuscular sharpness – The body stays engaged, and race-day execution feels natural, not forced.

This way, Emma arrives at race day strong, sharp, and fully prepared to execute, rather than feeling sluggish and second-guessing her preparation.

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Final Thoughts: Train Smarter, Not Harder

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By race day, Sarah and Emma have followed two very different journeys. Which approach would you choose?

Sarah feels drained, hoping her body holds up for one last effort. Emma feels strong, prepared, and ready to execute.

At Sense Endurance, we believe in practical, real-world training that delivers results—training that prepares you not just to complete your race, but to perform at your absolute best. The choice is yours: follow the outdated, one-size-fits-all model and hope for the best, or train with precision, purpose, and confidence. Are you ready to take control of your training and race at your full potential?