Planning and Periodizing Appropriate Training Programmes

Introduction to Periodization

Periodization or ‘periodisation’ in some literature is something that is talked about in more depth now in sporting and training circles. There is a wealth of books and articles studying and explaining periodization and even explaining its context in various sporting applications.

In basic terms periodization is the name given to the structure and organisation of training programmes or cycles.

Periodization involves the strict planning and division of a training year or multi-year ‘cycles’ in the case of Olympic cycles to effectively ‘break down’ training stimuli to optimise adaptation, growth and development of athletes to elite levels. Modern periodization theory was conceived 50-60 years ago when scientific knowledge about training athletes was fairly limited and the majority of findings were often anecdotal by coaches rather than peer reviewed literature. Lev P. Matveyev (1964) is recognised as a founding father of modern periodization, from that point science and knowledge has increased periodization has developed, offering a more concise planning structure or template of guidelines to work to when optimising performance of athletes.

Important Factors in Periodization

Hierarchy of periodization

The hierarchy of training refers purely to the timescale you are ‘working with’ when you are planning programmes.

Multi-year (years): Long lasting systematic training and development over 2-4 years.

Macrocycle (months): Large training cycles, frequently annual but may refer to shorter periods of time of as little as 2 months in leading up to a competitive event. Cycles contain a preparatory period as well as competition and transitional phases.

Mesocycle (weeks): Medium sized cycle, consisting or divided into a number of shorter microcycle periods.

Microcycle (Days): A small cycle of training. These often coincide with a calendar week however may be more or less days.

Workout (hrs/min): refers to a single training session. These can be performed once or multiple times per day with varying components. However, workouts most frequently refer to sessions containing accountable ‘loading’ or training volume.

Load and recovery cycles

Loading and recovery refer to the response to workouts as well as cumulative training cycles. The key model behind this is the super-compensation cycle.  I written a previous article on homeostasis, which explains a little more on these training cycles. The cycle is initiated by a period of loading causing fatigue. During this stage work capacity is reduced. The second phase is a compensation phase where the athlete recovery and work capacity is replenished. In the third stage the athlete’s ability surpasses the initial ability of the athlete. An adaptation has taken place and the athlete ‘super-compensates’. In the fourth stage abilities diminish back to the initial level if further stimulus is not applied. Matveyev devised a model based on a sum of training loads conceiving the concept of training cycles.

Fig 1. Supercompensation cycle. (Bompa and Haff 2009).

Closing words

Periodizing training is a fundamental concept to maximising your performance. Ultimately Periodization refers to planned programming of training loads used to elicit an adaptation. Periodization also relies on the body’s response to stresses and its ability to make adaptations. Correctly scheduling workloads and rest periods will allow for maximum adaptation in both short and long term training. In later articles I will discuss the more practical application to the training theory and tools I have spoken about in this article. 

This article was expertly written by Coach James Warren MSc CSCS.