The 10% Rule: Engineering Your Strongest Season Yet

The start of a new season is usually marked by a surge of "New Year enthusiasm." While motivation is a great spark, it’s a terrible fuel—it eventually runs dry. The athletes who reach their goals aren't necessarily the ones with the most willpower; they are the ones with the best systems.

Instead of guessing your way into fitness this year, follow this structured approach to map out a season that is both ambitious and achievable.

1. The Performance Audit: Look Back to Move Forward

Before you look at where you want to go, you need to understand where you’ve been. A performance audit is about more than just looking at your total mileage. Open your training diary and look for patterns.

Don't just count the "good" weeks; analyse the "bad" ones. Why did you miss those three sessions in June? Was it a lack of motivation, or was the training load too high to balance with your work schedule? By identifying your historical "friction points," you can build a plan that avoids those same traps this year. Success is often just a byproduct of removing the obstacles to consistency.

2. The 10% Rule for Sustainable Volume

The quickest way to a mid-February burnout is to double your training volume overnight. The body adapts to stress slowly, and your schedule adapts even slower.

The Math: Total up your training hours from the last 12 months and find your weekly average. The Target: Aim to increase that average by 10% for the coming season.

This might feel conservative, but 10% is the "Sweet Spot." It provides enough of an incremental load to trigger significant physiological progress while remaining low-risk for injury and mental fatigue. Remember: The best training plan is the one you actually complete, not the one that looks most impressive on paper.

3. "Life-First" Periodisation

A common mistake is building a training plan in a vacuum, ignoring the reality of your family and work life. A training plan shouldn't compete with your life; it should complement it.

Before you add a single interval or long ride to your calendar, mark out your "Non-Negotiables." Add weddings, big birthdays, holidays, and high-stress work deadlines to your TrainingPeaks calendar now. By seeing these "No-Train" zones months in advance, you can adjust your phases so that a family holiday becomes a planned recovery week rather than a "failed" training week. This removes the guilt and keeps your momentum high.

4. Establishing the A-B-C Hierarchy

Motivation is a finite resource. If you try to treat every weekend sportive or local race as a "must-win" event, you will be physically and mentally exhausted by mid-summer.

A-Events: Choose a maximum of two. These are your "Peak" moments—the events you’ve spent months preparing for. Ideally, space them out (one in late spring, one in late summer).

B & C Events: These are your "supporting" events. Use them as high-intensity training days or "dry runs" to test your nutrition, pacing strategy, and kit under pressure. They are lessons that ensure your A-Event is a success.

5. Respecting the Training Phases

A successful season is a series of waves, not a flat line. Ensure your calendar respects the traditional phases of periodisation:

Base: Building the aerobic engine and metabolic efficiency.

Build: Developing event-specific strength and higher-intensity capacity.

Peak & Taper: Sharpening the blade and shedding fatigue to find your "fresh" legs.

Recovery: A deliberate, guilt-free reset to prevent long-term burnout.

Take the Guesswork Out of Your Year

Planning a season that balances physiological progression with a busy personal life is a complex puzzle. If you want to stop second-guessing your training and start seeing results, I’m here to help.

1:1 Coaching: A fully personalised coaching experience where I handle the planning, the data analysis, and the adjustments, allowing you to focus entirely on the ride.

Ride Harder Training Plans: Proven, structured plans designed to provide a world-class foundation for your season, ready for you to download and start today.