There are eight Palladino Training Plans to choose from. Each plan is deliberately designed to support a certain physiological response.
This article will detail:
The eight plan types
Tips for Success
Plan Sequencing (fitting plans together)
The 8 Plan Types
These plans were designed to help runners in every phase of their training. From building fitness before a race to race preparation, and post-race recovery, Palladino has got you covered!
General build plans:
The General Build Plans will help you build fitness with gradual progressions of volume and higher-intensity training. They can also be used to build fitness from a relatively lower volume / lower fitness state to a relatively seamless hand-off to a race-specific training plan for the same “Level”. These plans will test periodically in the plan and at the end of the plan to optimize the Stryd power-duration curve, and assess any progression in the runner's Auto-CP estimate.
The General Build Plans are considered fitness-building precursor plans, building to a hand-off to a race plan of the same “Level”. It is possible that a user of a General Build Plan may gain the fitness to perform reasonably well in a shorter race (5K or even 10K) at the end of the plan. In fact, some General Build Plan users have reported reaching new PRs in shorter races at the end of their plan.
5k, 10k, Half, and Full Marathon race plans:
The 5k, 10k, Half, and Full Marathon Race Plans will help you build fitness with gradual progressions of volume and higher-intensity training. They will also prepare you for an "A" race 5k, 10k, Half, and Full Marathon.
These plans will test periodically through the plan to:
Optimize the Stryd power-duration curve
Assess for progression in the runner's Auto-CP estimate (testing)
Optimize the Stryd race planner for your 5k, 10k, Half, and Full Marathon races
Maintenance plans:
The Maintenance Plans will help you reasonably *maintain* general aerobic fitness, aerobic endurance, critical power (CP), and neuromuscular power. They will also help maintain a fitness baseline sufficient for a relatively seamless handoff to a race-specific training plan for the same “Level”. These plans will also test in the middle of the plan and at the end of the plan to maintain an optimized Stryd power-duration curve and associated Auto-CP estimate.
Maintenance plans are considered “bridge” plans between the end of one race-specific training plan and the next race-specific training plan.
Post 10k, Half, and Full Marathon recovery block plans: (Recovery plans are not available as of 04/27/2023)
These Post Race Plans will help you safely resume and progress running following an "A" race. At the end of a recovery block plan, these plans will allow for a transition back to the beginning of another of Coach Palladino's race plans (of corresponding Level), or to a Maintenance Plan (of corresponding Level).
Testing plans:
The Testing Plans will Optimize the Stryd power-duration curve so that the runner's Auto-CP is reasonably valid. These two-week testing plans should be considered a requisite precursor to entering any training plan if testing/racing has not been performed within 4-6 weeks.
Tips for Plan Success
The key to success in any training plan is to train consistently within your means, progress very gradually, test periodically, adjust training to test-verified fitness, and repeat. The plans are designed with these principles in mind. That said, there is also your part in executing the plan.
The primary advice to you in executing the plan includes:
Don't overpower the power targets.
Keep easy days easy.
Sleep and eat well - support your training recovery and adaptations.
If in doubt, leave it out - skip training on days when you feel like you are coming down with illness, are very fatigued, or have an evolving niggle.
Aside from the point just above, stay consistent and follow the plan.
The plan will progress your fitness - don't be eager to "push" your fitness progression, just let it come to you.
Trust the plan.
Do not change your Stryd weight setting during the course of this plan!
In the phone app settings, disable all third-party weight syncs with Stryd (e.g. Apple Health, etc.)
Modifying Your Plan for Triathletes
There may be instances in which you may need to or want to modify your plan. Please follow the suggestions below when considering how best to modify your plan.
The plans were developed as run-only plans. They were not developed for run training in the context of training for a triathlon - they are not triathlon run plans. Consider using a triathlon-specific plan that includes run power, or hire a triathlon coach that is knowledgeable in run power. That said, triathletes have successfully modified their plans to integrate with their triathlon plans.
If you wish to use a plan in the context of your triathlon training, consider:
Dropping from two higher intensity sessions per week to one per week. You will likely have to apply some higher-intensity sessions on alternating weeks and drop others completely.
Dropping the easy aerobic runs to 1 or 2 per week.
Dropping to a total of 3 or 4 runs per week.
Since Stryd cannot know which are your best days of the week for training, you may wish to move training days on your calendar to the better day for you. The caveat that Coach Palladino insists on is to: avoid back-to-back higher-stress days (interval day/tempo day/ long run). Always keep at least one easy aerobic run or off day between these types of sessions.
Plan Sequencing - fitting plans together (Recovery plans are not available as of 04/27/2023)
The plans were built with the appreciation that some runners may wish to fit plans together into a sequence, or a “season”. Here are examples of how plan types might be fit together or sequenced:
Example 1:
Testing (2 weeks) ➔ General Build plan ➔ Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan ➔ Maintenance plan ➔Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan
Example 2:
Testing (2 weeks) ➔ Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan ➔ Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan ➔ Maintenance plan
Example 3:
Testing (2 weeks) ➔ Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan ➔ Maintenance plan ➔ Race-specific plan (5K, 10K, HM, FM) ➔ Race recovery block plan
Note: since all plans end with either testing or a race, a testing block is not required prior to a new plan when immediately following another plan that ended with either testing or a race (assuming that auto-CP is reasonably optimized and valid).
When sequencing plans together, count the weeks backward from the end-of-season ‘A’ race to the present. Then factor in the prescribed weeks for each plan to be sequenced together.
Generally, when finishing a plan, one has been training at a higher volume than at the beginning of the next plan.
Stepping back in volume and rebuilding (ideally with a new / higher CP garnered at the end of the prior plan) is not necessarily associated with a step back in fitness. Runners are often reluctant to cut back volume and rebuild - especially after finishing a race-specific plan. However, that is often what they need. And guess what? You don't lose fitness as you might fear.
That said, one may wish to modify a new plan to account for their higher training tolerance.