Structure
Structure in training is the deliberate arrangement of load and recovery at every level, from the season plan down to the segments of a single session.
Definition
“Structure” in training is the deliberate, organised arrangement of load and recovery. It exists on several levels at once: in periodisation across months, in the mesocycle across weeks, in the microcycle across days, and within a single session across minutes.
Structured training does not mean every session consists of intervals. Running 60 minutes steadily in a defined zone twice a week is just as much structure if it is planned consciously and repeated.
| Level | Time horizon | Structure defines |
|---|---|---|
| Periodisation | Months | Order and goal of the phases |
| Mesocycle | 3–6 weeks | Emphasis, loading and recovery weeks |
| Microcycle | 1 week | Distribution of hard and easy days |
| Session | Minutes | Warm-up, main set, intervals, cool-down |
Why it matters
Adaptation needs repetition. A stimulus applied at the same time in the same form for three weeks produces a measurable change; a one-off stimulus fizzles out. Structure is the tool that makes repetition possible.
When building a structure, at least four questions should be answered:
- Which training phase am I in?
- Do I realistically have time for this session this week?
- Can I repeat the session at the same time for two to three weeks?
- Is the focus of the session clearly defined?
If one question stays open, the structure is too ambitious or too vague.
How obseed measures it
obseed compares planned and completed structure at every level. Within a session, warm-up, main set, and cool-down are detected as segments and the intensity per segment is checked against the zones from spiroergometry.
At the week and block level obseed evaluates intensity distribution: how much time was spent below VT1, between VT1 and VT2, and above VT2. If the distribution deviates from the mesocycle’s emphasis, obseed shows it. The zone boundaries come from testing, because estimated FTP values make the assignment to the three ranges unreliable.
Example
A runner is in a base mesocycle with the target “80 % of time below VT1”. Her VT1 is 152 bpm and her VT2 172 bpm.
| Session | Structure | Duration | Below VT1 | VT1–VT2 | Above VT2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 15 min warm-up, 6 × 3 min at VT2, 15 min cool-down | 60 min | 38 min | 4 min | 18 min |
| Thursday | 60 min steady at 140–148 bpm | 60 min | 60 min | 0 min | 0 min |
| Sunday | 100 min steady at 135–150 bpm | 100 min | 96 min | 4 min | 0 min |
Weekly total: 220 minutes, of which 194 minutes below VT1, or 88 %. The structure was met. Had she run Thursday at 158 bpm, 60 minutes would have slipped into the middle range and the share would have fallen to 61 %, and the base block would have missed its goal.
Categories
- Trainingsplanung
- Trainingsphasen