Progression: A powerful training heuristic

Progression: A powerful training heuristic In this episode of the Real Coaching Podcast, Joel Filliol, an international coach based in the UK and Spain, dives into the concept of progression as a training heuristic. Reflecting on the lessons from his substack article 'Don't Be a January Champion,' he discusses the importance of timing and avoiding the common pitfall of too much intensity too soon. Joel emphasizes building a robust database of experiences to create valuable knowledge that can be applied across various contexts. He also explains the benefits of progressive training sessions that gradually increase in intensity, enhancing athletes' ability to manage their perceived exertion and build long-term consistency. The episode further explores managing training loads over multi-year cycles and addresses strategies for working with younger athletes. To wrap up, Joel answers listener questions on topics like mixed team relay strategies and overcoming performance plateaus. The discussion underscores that consistency trumps intensity and the need for a long-term perspective in athlete development. 00:00 Introduction to the Real Coaching Podcast 00:02 Reflecting on the 'Don't Be a January Champion' article 00:56 The Importance of Timing in Athlete Performance 01:35 Learning from Top Athletes and Coaching Wisdom 02:52 Using Progression as a Training Heuristic 03:42 Managing Training Intensity and Consistency 05:12 The Concept of Progression in Training 06:35 Day-to-Day Variation and Athlete Self-Management 12:02 Seasonal and Multi-Year Progression Strategies 21:12 Q&A: Mixed Team Relay and Athlete Development 30:33 Q&A: Working with Under 16 Athletes 37:26 Q&A: Overcoming Performance Plateaus 41:42 Q&A: Optimal Training Intensity 45:10 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Follow Joel on youtube , X , Instagram , facebook , LinkedIn , and now substack where there is written version of this podcast. Substack article: Progression: A powerful training heuristic Substack article: Don't be a January Champion

You can listen to Progression: A powerful training heuristic online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Progression: A powerful training heuristic is an episode from Real Coaching by Joel Filliol.

This episode is 46:28 long.

This episode was published on Feb 2, 2026.

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