In many ways just writing a workout is quite easy. Just go to last year’s
workouts at the same phase, copy and paste, make a few adjustments and you are
good to go. If it is just about the workout, then I guess that is fine, but the
workout is so much more than sets & reps, distances and intervals. The
workout is the essential building block of the whole training plan. Each
workout is a step toward the ultimate competitive goal. This year is not the
same as last year, a different group, a year older in chronological age and some
more than a year older in training age. I probably spend 30 minutes a day
planning the details of each training session, more time if you consider the
thinking time before the pen hits the paper. Each workout should have a
specific measureable or observable objective. The athletes need to know what that
objectives are, that is their target for the day. The workout must meet the
objectives of the training phase and be in context of the workout that preceded
it and those to follow. Then there is the individual in the group context, I
need to make sure and communicate what each individual needs to do, and
sometimes this is more a management issue, than one of training methodology.
At this time with my volleyball team we are in the middle of
finals. I want to make sure that that we stabilize the gains we have made, get
them focused for about 30 to 35 minutes and get them back to studying, simply
said, but more difficult to achieve. First I need to get their attention, get
them focused on the task at hand, not tomorrows exam. That really starts before
the workout by engaging each athlete in a short conversation about school, the
weekend and then what she needs to do today. When the workout is finished
objectively evaluate the workout in the context of the whole plan and today’s
objectives. Use that evaluation to begin the process of planning for the next
session. Remember a long-term training plan is a collection of individual
workouts building toward a specific goal.