8-Week Structured SUP Racing Plan – Delivered via TrainingPeaks
 
Stronger. Faster. For longer.
Built for experienced paddlers who want training that keeps performing.
If you are a 40–50+ stand up paddle racer who still wants to train hard, improve performance, and race with intent, this plan was built for you.
 
Masters athletes remain highly trainable. Aerobic fitness, strength, and technical efficiency all respond well to structured load. What changes is not your capacity to improve, but how well your body responds to poorly layered training, intensity drift, and constant decision-making.
 
SUP Racer – Competitive Masters is an 8-week structured training plan designed to build fitness that compounds — not fitness that spikes and stalls.
Intensity is used deliberately. Strength work is progressive. Volume is purposeful. Everything is sequenced to be absorbed, not just survived.
 
Who this plan is for
This programme is designed for paddlers who:
Are 40–50+ and still performance-driven
Want to race well, not simply “stay active”
Want fewer decisions and clearer structure
Feel the difference in recovery bandwidth compared to earlier years
Value consistency, direction, and long-term progress
 
Delivered through TrainingPeaks
Your sessions appear automatically in a calendar
No guesswork — open the app and know exactly what’s scheduled.
Every workout has a defined purpose
Clear intent and pacing guidance keep effort where it should be.
See how training links together
View how sessions connect across the week and how load is layered over time.
Clear visibility of training load and progression
Meaningful metrics make it easier to review patterns, regulate effort, and see how fitness is building across the block.
Everything in one place
Paddling, strength, mobility, and recovery live in a single system alongside your training history.
In short, TrainingPeaks handles the organisation.
You focus on executing the sessions well.
 
What this plan is designed to do
The aim of this phase is simple: restore structure, rebuild tolerance, and establish a platform that allows harder training later in the season to land cleanly.
This block covers Preparation and Base 1. It is not about early peaks or rapid gains. It is about setting the conditions where strength, speed, and aerobic capacity can continue to improve over time.
 
Training that respects how adaptation actually happens
This plan works with adult physiology rather than trying to override it.
Aerobic development through genuinely aerobic work
Progressive layering of intensity rather than front-loading
Strength training that supports paddling quality
Planned deloads built in as part of adaptation
The goal is to increase how much high-quality training you can sustain over weeks and months — not to limit how hard you’re allowed to work.
 
Structure that gives training direction
For athletes balancing training with work, family, and variable conditions, having a clear plan reduces friction. It makes it easier to commit to sessions and maintain direction across the week, even when time or energy is limited.
 
Without that structure, training often drifts. Sessions blur together, effort leaks, and it becomes harder to see what each paddle or lift is actually building.
 
Every session in this plan has a defined role — technical, aerobic, strength-based, or recovery-focused. Sessions link together across the week and across the block rather than standing alone.
As the weeks unfold, the work starts to feel connected. Training points clearly in one direction rather than many.
Purpose emerges because each session has a clear job to do.
 
On-water training focus
Most paddling sits in Zone 1–2, supporting aerobic development while preserving recovery capacity. Short, controlled exposures to higher intensity are included to maintain coordination, speed, and tolerance without accumulating unnecessary fatigue.
On-water sessions emphasise technical clarity within steady paddling:
Clean blade entry
Stable catch before loading
Force transfer from hips through the trunk
Efficient exit without over-pulling
The aim is not to introduce new technique, but to refine efficiency so effort goes into propulsion rather than compensation.
 
Strength training approach
Strength work begins with Anatomical Adaptation, progressing into Athlete Capacity (sport-specific hypertrophy).
Loads are moderate, repetitions are higher, and movements are controlled. This phase restores and builds the physical qualities needed for later strength and power phases — without degrading paddling quality or recovery.
Strength is treated as a performance tool, not a fatigue generator.
Mobility, recovery, and repeatability
Brief, repeatable mobility sessions are included to support training rather than compete with it.
Recovery is built into the weekly structure. Lighter or rest days follow the longest paddles, reflecting periods of highest system stress. Planned deload weeks are included.
 
The emphasis throughout is sustainability, consistency, and repeatable habits — the foundations of long-term performance.
What’s included
8 weeks of structured training delivered via TrainingPeaks
Up to 9 sessions per week, including:
Discipline-specific paddling (aerobic, technical, cruise intervals, introductory aerobic capacity)
Structured strength training
Mobility and recovery sessions
Optional aerobic cross-training
Clear session intent, pacing, and regulation rules
TrainingPeaks calendar delivery
SUP Athlete Programme Guide
 
This is a self-guided programme. It does not include individual feedback or coaching, but is designed to run cleanly and reliably without ongoing input.
 
Delivery & access
After purchase, you’ll receive instructions to connect your TrainingPeaks account. The plan is then applied directly to your calendar. Setup guidance is provided if you’re new to the platform.
In summary
 
This is a performance-focused plan for paddlers who want training to feel purposeful again — not because it’s easier, but because it’s clearly leading somewhere.
Stronger. Faster. For longer.
Built to keep performing.