Periodization
Periodization refers to the use of planned periods of higher and lower intensity training within an annual training plan.
Proponents of periodization claim that by pre-planning periods of higher and lower intensity training, you can avoid stagnation, reduce the risk of injury, perform your best on game day and reduce burnout.
In this article we will define periodization, provide examples and discuss the benefits of periodization.
Periodization Definition
Periodization refers to the organization of an annual training plan into various phases.
These phases include preparatory, pre-competitive, competitive, transition and recovery phases.
Periodization splits training into distinct phases with different goals and focus.
You can use specific phases of training to benefit future phases of training. Additionally, you can develop fitness in qualities to allow greater total gains in fitness or performance. Importantly, periodization helps you peak at the right time. Since peak fitness cannot be maintained all year, you can plan the peaks for the most important competitions. Finally, periodization allow for periods of unloading and reduced intensity to help reduce the risk of injury, fatigue and burnout.
Principles of Periodization
Han’s Selye, an endocrinologist of yesteryear, coined the term General Adaptation Theory.
General Adaptation Theory helps to justify the use of periodization in sports training.
The three stages of General Adaptation Theory include the alarm stage, the resistance stage and the exhaustion stage.
During the alarm stage, your body reacts to stress. This allows you to survive in stressful situations.
Training upsets homeostasis. Your body has to react to in order to survive.
During the resistance stage, your body starts to repair itself to react to the damage. You build back stronger to cope with the stressor.
However, if the stress continues for too long, your body could break down instead.
During the exhaustion phase, the stress on your body remains too high for too long. You may face burnout, fatigue, depression, anxiety, increased susceptibility to illness and infections. This chronic level of stress, which exceeds the body’s recovery mechanisms, is called distress. During this phase, performance and recovery stagnates and you actually get worse.
Periodization of your training stressors helps you bypass exhaustion phases and overtraining. Periodization theory recognizes that you can only keep training stress elevated for so long before you stop adopting positively and start treading into exhaustion.
Periodization History
After Selye coined General Adaptation Theory, several sport scientists began to analyze the sports training of successful athletes in the Eastern Block. Physiologists and Sport Scientists Leo Matveyev and Tudor Bompa analyzed the annual plans of several athletes from the Soviet Union.
Sport scientists still benefit from the work of these two today.
Today, scientists and coaches use even more data to help plan periodized training programs for effective results.
Today, coaches integrate biological feedback such as resting heart rate, heart rate reserve and other variables to help athletes get better results.
Why is Periodization Important?
Periodization allows athletes and coaches to achieve better improvements in overall fitness.
Each phase builds on previous phases for greater gains in overall fitness.
In addition, peak performance periods allow you to display your best fitness when it counts.
Finally, periodization programming helps you build in periods of rest and transition so you can keep adapting positively without overtraining or burning out.
Opposition to Periodization
While periodization remains effective for team sport athletes, strength athletes and other athletes, its benefits may be over-stated.
For beginner exercisers, a complex annual plan may prove counterproductive. Beginners do not need intense competitive phases to see improvements in their fitness.
For other athletes, periodized training models might not help because they do not take that athlete’s unique physiology into account.
For instance, some athletes might respond to training differently, might have different adaptations to different phases, and might have different overall stress and recovery responses to training.
These differences create the need for individualized programs that take an athlete’s stress, physiology and motivation into account.
In addition, periodized plans might not out-perform non-periodized plans in the long term. According to Greg Nuckols, it remains unclear if periodization really helps in the long term.
What are the Different Types of Periodization?
The types of periodization including block periodization, linear periodization and non-linear periodization.
In block periodization, you develop fitness qualities in stage. You might have a general fitness stage, a bodybuilding stage, a strength phase and a peaking phase.
You develop one fitness quality at a time. You can use different phases to build upon the previous phases to make more progress overall.
In linear periodization, you decrease volume as you increase intensity. Over a defined time period, you start with a high volume, low intensity program. As you progress through the cycle, training volume will decrease and intensity will increase.
In non-linear or undulating periodization, training intensity may fluctuate week to week or day to day instead of just increasing linearly.
For example, you might do 60 percent 1RM one week, 70 percent the next week, 60 percent the third week, and 75 percent the fourth week. This is an example of weekly undulating periodization.
Or, you might do 70 percent of your 1 RM one day and 60 percent the other day. This is an example of daily undulating periodization.
Periodization Cycles
Periodization cycles include microcycles, mesocycles and macrocycles. These phases all help to make up the annual plan.
Microcycles
The microcycle refers to a one week period of time and the training included in this one-week period. Your personal microcycle might consist of three, four or five training days.
Mesocycles
Each mesocycle lasts about 3 to 8 weeks and comprises several microcycles.
For instance, a 4-6 week mesocycle can enhance recovery and restoration after a competition or intensive training period. A 8 week mesocycle can develop general fitness and enhance overall work capacity before moving to more intensive training phases.
Or, you could take on a peaking cycle, where you bring fatigue down while maintaining fitness as much as possible in preparation for a competition or race.
Macrocycles
Many mesocycles can form a complete macrocycle, which usually takes a complete year. For individuals working towards a huge competition like the Olympic Games or World Cup, a macrocycle might take 4 years.
Each macrocycle may have mesocycles that wax and wane in intensity in volume.
Within a year or competitive season, you may have periods of more or less intense training to prepare for smaller competitions or to peak for one larger competitive event.
How Many Mesocycles are in One Macrocycle? How many Microcycles in a Mesocycle?
A typical macrocycles has four to twelve mesocycles. It just depends on how long each mesocycle lasts. Traditional mesocycles last from 4 weeks to 16 weeks, so anywhere between 4 and 16 mesocycles typically make up one macrocycle.
What is a Mesocycle Split?
A mesocycle split is when a mesocycle is split into smaller phases. For instance, the six week mesocycle might be designed to help you display strength. This six week period might be further subdivided into slightly different focuses in order to realize the gains of this particular mesocycle.
Periodization Annual Plan
The periodized annual plan has several distinct phases.
These phases include the preparatory phase, the competitive phase and the transition phase.
Preparatory Phase of Periodization
The preparatory phase is a general training phase designed to develop the groundwork for the next phases.
During this phase, you perform a large variety of non-specific exercise to build work capacity.
Think of this phase as the base of the pyramid. The greater the general fitness developed in this phase, the more productive the later phases of training will be. If you have a wider base, you can develop greater peak fitness later on.
Competitive Phase of Periodization
This phase of training might include both pre-competitive and competitive phases.
During this phase, you reduce total workload but increase intensity. This helps you reduce fatigue and display maximum fitness when it counts.
Transition Phase of Periodization
This phase often takes place after the competitive phase before the next preparatory phase.
Healing up injuries, mental restoration, and physical health take place during the transition phase. Sports training takes on a reduced role to allow for rest and restoration.
When you complete this phase, you may transition back to another preparatory phase.
Why is Periodization Helpful?
Periodization can help you improve your performance over the long term and become your best when it counts. Using periodization can also help prevent stagnation and over-training. It may even help you avoid stagnation and injury.
Why is it Important to Understand Periodization?
Understanding training from the perspective of periodization can help you better plan training and competition periods.
This method of organization allows you to plan your training around the most important events of the season.
