Trainingslehre

Trainingslehre, or training theory, is a branch of sports science and physical education that investigates how to plan, implement, and evaluate physical training to improve performance, health, and general fitness. It integrates physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and pedagogy to guide practice.

Its central concepts include the principles of training: overload (introducing a greater demand than the body is accustomed to), progression (gradual increase in load), specificity (training adaptations depend on the task), individuality (training response varies among individuals), and reversibility (loss of gains after cessation). It also encompasses periodization, the structured organization of training into macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles to balance load and recovery; concepts of training load, volume, intensity, density; recovery and regeneration; and monitoring of responses.

Practitioners apply various training methods and modalities such as endurance training, resistance training, speed and technique work, interval training, plyometrics, circuit training, and sport-specific drills. The field emphasizes evidence-based planning, objective assessment, and ongoing adjustment based on performance tests, fatigue measures, and athlete feedback.

Historically, Trainingslehre developed from empirical practices in the early 20th century to a more systematic science influenced by periodization theory developed in the Soviet Union by Matveyev and later propagated by coaches like Bompa. Today it informs coaching, athletic development, physical education, rehabilitation, and health promotion. It supports individualized programming across ages and levels, from youth sport to elite performance.

It intersects with periodization, exercise physiology, and sports science.