Training cycles

The terms seasonal plan, annual plan, macrocycle, mesocycle, and microcycle can be explained as follows. The seasonal or annual plan is the plan for the year. The coach and swimmer identify the main competition for the year and put the plan in place for the swimmer to achieve optimum performance at the targeted competition. Coaches work backwards from the targeted competition to prepare the seasonal plan and assign each mesocycle and microcycle with the appropriate training emphasis.

Macrocycles are the blocks of work that make up the seasonal or annual plan. These cycles are generally 12, 15, or 24 weeks in duration.

The macrocycle is divided into blocks, which are termed mesocycles. For example, a 12-week macrocycle could be split into three 4-week mesocycles. A 15-week macrocycle could be broken into three 5-week mesocycles or five 3-week mesocycles.

Each mesocycle is then broken down into microcycles. A microcycle can be each training week. For example, each 4-week mesocycle may have four microcycles – that is, four weeks. Each microcycle (training week) should contain training from each of the training zones. The percentage of each type of training changes within each microcycle. Some coaches may even work two microcycles in a training week.

Each mesocycle can be designed to have a major training emphasis, perhaps endurance or preparation. When planning the microcycle, placement of each main training set should be considered.  

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