Random Workout Selection Results in Less Progress. The Importance of Periodisation.

It still amazes us how many experienced cyclists approach training with a “scattergun” mentality  — a bit of this, and a bit of that each week. Maybe some sweet spot on Wednesday, VO₂ max on Friday, anaerobic on Monday, and so on.

If the aim is simply to mix things up and try new workouts, then sure — this approach is absolutely fine. But if the goal is to become as strong as you possibly can be, it’s an approach that needs to be avoided.

Studies support what we emphasise here at DUCHY: a clearly periodised training plan — where each phase focuses on developing a specific energy system before moving on to the next (ie “stacking”) — is the most effective way to drive performance.

A study by Rønnestad et al. (2014) found that block periodisation led to significant improvements in VO₂ max (+6.8%) and peak power (+5.2%) versus a more randomly structured plan with a mix of intensities in every phase.

Yeo et al. (2008) went further, concluding that working multiple energy systems simultaneously reduced mitochondrial biogenesis — in other words, it blunted adaptation. You get less performance gain for your effort! 

There are a myriad of reasons why well-organised, block periodisation outperforms a more random approach. But having trawled through hundreds of training history reviews over the years — where structure has often been somewhat lacking (to say the least…) — one major reason stands out: Randomised training makes it far harder to track and apply the crucial principle of progressive overload — i.e., the calculated process of pushing your body longer and/or harder each mesocycle to stimulate adaptation and avoid plateauing.

When you’re working on a single energy system, progressive overload becomes wonderfully simple to track and apply (see below). When you’re not, it quickly becomes messy and unclear — especially when it comes to adjusting workouts week on week to apply just enough training stress (but not too much) to produce the desired result.

Here’s an example of a TTE (Time to Exhaustion) periodised progression over 6 weeks:

Week 12 × 7 min2 × 10 min

Week 22 × 12 min2 × 15 min

Week 32 × 20 min2 × 20 min (worth repeating this week given how big the stimulus is).

Week 4ADAPT

Week 51 × 45 min

Week 61 × 60 min TTE attempt!

Now, that’s not to say every single workout in a week /phase should target only one energy system. What it does mean is that each phase should have a clear overarching focus — a thread that runs through the entire block. In the example above, TTE is the key focus, but there will still be plenty of easy endurance riding to support the hard work — and maybe a few unstructured sprints or KOMs thrown in for fun (which is one of the best performance enhancers!). You can sprinkle in top-end efforts— just keep them short, sharp, and secondary to the main focus of the block.

So, if you’ve hit a plateau you can’t break through, or your training feels so random that you’re not even sure whether you're progressing or going backwards — it’s time to get organised with how you approach your performance.

One last reminder:

• At and below FTP (including endurance): time in zone is king and should be progressed each week (of course respecting adaptation weeks where CTL should drop).

• Above FTP: intensity is what drives adaptation - you should aim to hit higher power each week (again, respecting adaptation blocks)!

• VO₂ max is more nuanced, it’s a bit of both — but that’s a story for another day.

Get organised — and you’ll quickly see the benefit in performance.