Periodization in Strength and Conditioning Training

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Periodization in Strength and Conditioning
Training

• By Lisa Martin CSCS
• Director of Strength and Conditioning

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Ideas behind Periodization

• Although training will produce positive outcomes,
  the desirable results can not continue
  indefinitely.
• General Adaptation Syndrome- body adapts easily
• Less frequent physical and psychological
  adaptations
• Plateaus, overtraining, risk of injury
• In order to gain any particular aspect of
  strength or conditioning, you need to overload
  your system with increased external stimulus

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General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

• Alarm- body is introduced to new or increased
  stress
• Soreness, temporary drop in performance
• Resistance Phase- body adapts to stimulus and
  returns to regular functioning
• super compensation- relies on neurological
  adaptations to continue training while muscle
  tissue undergoes biochemical, structural and
  mechanical adjustments
• Exhaustion- overtraining
• Fatigue, soreness non-training stress may aid
  in leading to this stage

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Definition of Periodization

• Periodization is an organized approach to
  training that involves progressive cycling of
  various aspects of a training program during a
  specific period of time to bring about optimal
  gains in physical performance.

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Look Again

• Periodization is an organized approach to
  training
• that involves progressive cycling of
• various aspects of a training program
• during a specific period of time
• to bring about optimal gains in physical
  performance.

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Why do we program this way?

• Periodization is most widely used in resistance
  program design to avoid over-training and to
  systematically alternate high loads of training
  with decreased loading phases to improve
  components of muscular fitness (strength,
  strength-speed, strength-endurance) aiming to
  peak at the most advantageous time for an athlete

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Traditional Models

• Traditional models of periodization describes a
  progression from high volume and low-intensity
  work towards decreasing volume and increasing
  intensity during the different cycles.
• 3 Traditional Models
• Stepwise periodization- a reduction in volume and
  an increase in intensity in steps during the
  training cycle
• Overreaching periodization- there is periodic
  short term (1-2 week) increase in volume or
  intensity followed by a return to normal training
• Undulating periodization- training volume and
  intensity are increased and decreased on a
  regular basis, but not in the general pattern of
  always increasing intensity and decreasing volume
  as the training period progresses

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Various Aspects

• Many training variables can be manipulated in an
  attempt to optimize the exercise program
• of sets per exercise
• of repetitions per set
• Types, order and of exercises per training
  session
• Rest periods between sets and exercises
• Resistance/Load
• Type and tempo of muscle action (e.g., eccentric,
  concentric, isometric)
• Frequency of training sessions

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Volume vs. Intensity

• Intensity- the weight lifted in relationship to a
  maximal strength level (e.g., one repetition
  maximum), or a multiple repetition maximum (e.g.,
  10 repetition maximum).
• In a running or conditioning program, intensity
  is often used to describe a percentage of an age
  predicted maximum heart rate or Vo2 max.
• Volume- refers to the TOTAL number of
  repetitions, sets and exercises performed in a
  strength training session
• In a running session, volume refers to the total
  distance and/or time of a conditioning program
• RELATIONSHIP
• the higher the intensity, the lower the volume of
  a particular exercise or workout.
• the lower the intensity, the higher the volume

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Specific Period of Time

• Macrocyle- 1 to 4 years
• Mesocycle- a couple weeks to months
• Microcycle- 1 to 4 weeks (daily to weekly
  variations)

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Time Intervals Specific to Collegiate Athletes

• Macrocyle- 1 Year
• Mesocycle
• Off Season Phase (Preparatory)
• Pre Season Phase (Transition I)
• In Season Phase (Competition)
• Post Season Phase (Transition II)

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Time Intervals Specific to Collegiate Athletes,
cont.

• Fall Sports
• Off Season January-June
• Pre Season July-August
• Competition September-November
• Post Season December
• Winter Sports
• Off Season May-August
• Pre Season September-October
• Competition November-March
• Post Season April
• Spring Sports
• Off Season July-December
• Pre Season January-February
• Competition March-May
• Post Season June

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Off Season Phase (Preparatory)

• Longest Mesocycle
• Emphasis Conditioning base, correct muscle
  imbalances, aid in muscular endurance, develop
  neural adaptations to prepare athletes for
  increased intensity
• 3 Phases (Microcycles)
• Hypertrophy
• Basic Strength
• Strength/Power

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3 Phases In Off Season

• Hypertrophy/Endurance (1-6 weeks)
• Increase anaerobic capacity, increase lean muscle
  mass, develop muscular and metabolic endurance
  base
• Recovery week of low intensity/low volume
  afterwards
• 50-75 of 1RM / 3-5 sets of 10-20 reps
• Basic Strength
• Increase strength of muscles relative to sport,
  become more sport specific, heavier loads, less
  volume
• 78-90 of 1RM / 3-5 sets of 4-8 reps
• Strength/Power
• Explosive Training at high loads and low volume
• 75-95 of 1RM / 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps

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Novice/Beginner Athletes

• Can not tolerate drastic changes in volume or
  intensity
• Linear Periodization Model Start at lower
  intensities and higher volume protocols in order
  to condition and train neural muscular pathways
• May stay in low intensity training periods for a
  longer time

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Advanced/Elite Athletes

• Typically train closer to their abilities train
  at high volume and high intensity, and have
  smaller adaptation windows
• Summated Microcycle Periodization Basic
  macrocyclic pattern of decreasing volume and
  increasing intensity is evident, but both
  parameters vary at meso- and microcycle levels
  more frequently
• Increase volume and intensity each week for 3
  weeks then unload for a week

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Pre-Season Phase (Transition I)

• Short duration- May only consist of 1-4 weeks of
  training in this phase
• Emphasis sport-specific training, technique
  work, high intensity training/ low volume, longer
  periods of rest, injury prevention work, train
  speed, agility and quickness

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In Season Phase (Competition)

• Lasts duration of season- can be 3-5 months
• Emphasis increased technique and injury
  prevention work, decreased volume, preserve
  strength if not get stronger, more explosive
• Maintenance 80-85 of 1RM / 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps
• Peak gt93 of 1RM / 1-3 sets of 1-3 reps

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Post Season Phase (Transition II)

• Regeneration Phase- unstructured active rest
  cycle
• Short duration- 1 to 4 weeks
• Emphasis non-sport specific activities, low
  intensity/low volume, rehab injuries, rest
  physically and mentally
• Unloading week afterwards to prepare body for
  increased physical demands

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Unloading Phases

• Careful not to detrain (time of interrupted
  training resulting in a loss of psychological
  adaptations)
• Emphasis create less fatigue but maintain
  fitness levels
• Overall volume should be decreased, primarily by
  cutting out the non-specific tasks and low
  intensity exercises
• Can only happen 2 to 3 times per year and lasts
  anywhere between a couple days to 1 month
• Shorter durations are appropriate when the
  preceding mesocycle involved a progressive
  reduction in volume/load
• Longer durations needed when preceding phase
  involved high volume/load
• Frequency should be maintained at relatively high
  levels, 80 of normal, especially for elite
  athletes
• During final competition phases, athletes can
  reduce frequency to 30-50 in order to achieve
  large reductions in volume
• Progressive declines in volume produce better
  results than sharp dramatic drops in volume

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Conclusion

• Periodization is an organized approach to
  training that involves progressive cycling of
  various aspects of a training program during a
  specific period of time to bring about optimal
  gains in physical performance.
• QUESTIONS?