Race Shape › Answers › Why is every fourth week easier in a training plan?
AnswersWhy is every fourth week easier in a training plan?
Because fitness is built during recovery, not during the work. Three weeks of rising load followed by a lighter week lets the body absorb what it has been given before the next increase. Race Shape drops the fourth week to about two thirds of the one before it, keeps a little intensity so it does not feel stale, and then resumes building from the last full week.
The pattern
| Weeks | What happens |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–3 | Load rises, no more than 10% a week |
| Week 4 | About 68% of week 3 — volume down, a little intensity kept |
| Week 5 | Builds again from week 3, not from week 4 |
| Across a 16-week block | Typically three or four lighter weeks |
The lighter week is not a week off. Stopping entirely loses more than it gains; cutting volume by about a third while keeping some quality maintains fitness and lets fatigue clear. Most athletes finish a down week feeling better than they started it, and the first hard session afterwards is often the best one of the block.
When three-and-one is not right
Older athletes and those carrying life stress often do better on two weeks up and one down. Very experienced athletes sometimes stretch to four up. The ratio matters less than the principle: load, then absorb, then load again.
Common questions
Should I skip the easy week if I feel good?
No. Feeling good in week three is a sign the plan is working, not that the recovery week is unnecessary. Skipping it is how a good block turns into an over-reached one.
Do I keep the hard sessions in a down week?
A shortened version of one, yes. Enough to stay sharp, not enough to add fatigue.
What if life makes a normal week easy?
Tell the plan. A week lost to work or illness can become the down week, and the plan rebuilds from where you actually are.
Sources
- Friel, J. The Triathlete's Training Bible.