Peak and Plateau Weeks

Definition

“Peak and plateau weeks” are one or two weeks within a training phase in which the load is deliberately raised above the surrounding level to set a concentrated stimulus. They are also called “overload weeks”, “crash weeks” or “peak weeks”.

The term “plateau” describes the shape of the load curve: the load is held high for several days rather than distributed in waves. Typical uses are a training camp during base training with very high volume at low intensity, and the final week of the build phase with intense, race-like sessions right before the taper.

Why it matters

The body adapts to what challenges it. Anyone who always trains the same amount eventually gets only the same amount of adaptation. A deliberate overload creates functional overreaching, which is followed by a performance jump after sufficient unloading.

That only works if the unloading actually happens. A peak week without subsequent recovery is not a training method but the first step toward overtraining. Planning the week after is therefore part of planning the peak week.

Structure and signals

Signs the week is working: fatigue is clearly noticeable at the end, but the key sessions were still completed in the intended zones. After 7–10 days of unloading, performance sits above the level before the peak week.

Signs it has gone on too long or was too hard: the last sessions of the week can no longer be held in the target zone, morning resting heart rate sits 8+ beats above baseline, sleep gets worse despite fatigue, or performance still has not returned two weeks later.

How obseed measures it

obseed calculates the load of every session from duration and measured zone distribution and sums it per week. A peak week shows up as a spike in the ratio ACWR = load last 7 days / avg load last 28 days, typically to 1.3–1.5. obseed flags values above that, because that is where the risk outweighs the adaptation.

Whether the overload happens in the right zone is checked against your diagnostic thresholds. A training camp that was “easy” on paper but contains 30% in Z2 did not deliver the base stimulus it was supposed to. Resting heart rate and HRV in the days afterwards show whether the unloading is sufficient.

Example

Peak week of a cyclist at a training camp, Base III, average of the previous weeks 11 hours:

23 hours, +110% over a normal week, distribution 88/10/2. This is the training-camp variant, which only works with full recovery time and no job on the side. The following week has 6 hours without intensity.