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Key Features
1. Consistently and frequently changing loading parameters over a given
period of time.
2. All aspects of human performance are trained with equal priority at different
stages to develop overall maximum results.
3. Similar to holistic training, periodisation trains every component, only
spread over a yearly plan or so instead of simultaneously.
4. Resistance training and cardiovascular training, flexibility, core strength
etc are all incorporated into the annual plan.
5. Intensity and volume are directly incompatible together and so are cycled
systematically.
Possible Advantages
1. Maximal recovery developed.
2. Maximal progress in each given area developed at time due to full attention
being placed on one aspect at a time.
3. Interest remains very high with frequently changing schedules and workouts.
4. Motivation and retention to the program remain high as usually a large time
period has been planned out to stick to.
5. Risk of injury is reduced due to variations in loading parameters as opposed
to training heavy at all times.
Possible Disadvantages
1. While dedicating time to one aspect of training, will another development
regress while not being promoted.
2. Time Consuming periods of high volume training, reflected alternatively with
very hard periods of very intense difficult training.
3. Risk of losing confidence and esteem when, and if, things do not go according
to the yearly plan, causing disruptions and slowed progress.
4. 100% dedication to training a must.
5. Confidence in training theory required to assemble a sensible and efficient
periodised routine.
What Defines a Periodised
Routine?
A training plan which changes
your workouts systematically over time. It involves manipulating training
variables such as the number of reps, type of exercise performed, the intensity
of the set, and the amount of rest taken between training sessions.
History
Developed during the 1950s in the
Eastern Bloc countries of the Soviet Union as a method of training designed to
give athletes an edge over their competitors in international competitions.
Summary of the Benefits
Changing your training plan in
this way can maintain motivation and interest in your workout as it prevents
your routine becoming boring and repetitive. If you ever find that you reach a
plateau in your training it is likely that you will first respond by training to
a higher intensity more frequently in order to overcome it. Unfortunately this
is more likely to have the opposite effect to the one you are looking for.
Reaching a plateau is often a sign that you are currently overtraining and
require rest and recovery time and a decrease in the intensity of your workout,
NOT more work. Periodization training allows you to plan out your routine,
cycling variables such as intensity and exercise type and hence avoiding
plateaus.
Periodized training is also said
to prevent injury as it limits the amount of strain placed on a particular
bodypart, changing your routine before you have had chance to push yourself
beyond your capacity. If you push yourself beyond what your body can take in
order to make the gains you are aiming for you are more likely to end up with an
injury. If your training had decreased in intensity or switched to another
method and hence given your body a break before this state of pushing yourself
beyond your means occurred you would avoid unnecessary injury. When you plan out
a periodized training programme intense and less intense training is cycled to
ensure no body part is placed under adverse pressure and sufficient time is
allowed for rest and recovery.
Rest and recovery are vital parts
of your training programme and therefore deserve to be scheduled with as much
primacy as actual physical training itself. This is because the biggest gains
from training are accomplished during the rest and recovery time as the body
adapts and grows to the training stimulus just inflicted.
Making Periodised Changes
Common changes made in a training
phase include intensity of training, volume, type of exercise, and length of
rest periods. Virtually any aspect of your training can be changed and cycled in
this way. When planning your training sessions it is vital that you take the
upmost care. Individual training sessions build up to form your entire yearly
training plan.
The most important thing to bear
in mind is the need to make logical changes that reflect the goals of the
programme and the needs of the individual.
Changing the number of reps
per set
The number of reps needed varies
depending on the goal of the particular phase of your cycle. If you wish to make
strength gains, one to six reps should be performed. If you wish to make muscle
size gains, six to twelve reps should be performed. If you wish to make
endurance gains, 13 to 20 reps should be performed. In a periodized training
programme there is a gradual change from one training goal to another and in
line with this the number of reps performed should be increased or decreased
appropriately.
Changing the intensity of the
exercise
This is closely related to
changing the number of reps as it follows that the greater the intensity of the
exercise the fewer reps that can be performed and vice versa. An example of this
is pyramid training in which decreasing reps are performed as intensity
increases throughout the set.
Changing the number of sets
Depending on your goals
variations of one set, three sets and six sets are most often used.
Changing exercise type
The particular muscle groups that
you wicsh to focus on will often dictate which exercises you choose to complete
in an individual session. You should cycle your exercise choices based on
physiological demands, injuries and particular goals of the time.
Changing exercise order
There are many models of exercise
order, some that alternate from one muscle group to another, some that perform
exercises for the same muscle group successively. The exercise order that you
choose affects the amount of recovery time a muscle is given inbetween training
sessions. Successively training the same muscle group will obviously leave
little time for recovery whilst alternating muscle groups gives the muscles
previously worked a respite period in which to adapt and recover. It is also
common to structure exercises in order of priority, those areas with the biggest
priority in terms of either goals or needs are performed early in the session to
ensure maximal energy is devoted to them.
Changing rest periods between
reps and sets
The length of time you allow for
rest and recovery should be dictated by your goals, whether your aim is to
pre-exhaust a muscle before rapidly continuing with another set or allowing
sufficient time to regather your energy before you move on.
Changing rest periods between
sessions
Remember that it is between
training sessions that your body makes the adaptations in response to the stimulus
of training that results in gains in strength and size. It therefore follows
that the more intense your training, the longer the required rest periods
inbetween sessions. For lower intensity training less time is required inbetween
sessions to recover from the trauma of exercise and have the desired adaptive
response.
Periodisation Training In
Action
Periodization is a technique
often used by those preparing for a competition with a pattern of increased
intensity and decreased volume as the competition approaches.
The most common structure for
periodization is devised over a yearly cycle. It is a structure that begins with
low intensity and high volume and progresses to higher intensity and lower
volume throughout the year. This is not to say that this occurs in linear
fashion as it is often the case that wave-like patterns are adopted in which
both volume and intensity increase and decrease throughout the year. A training
year will also schedule recovery periods in which both intensity and volume are
relatively low to allow maximal time for adaptation.
A basic pattern would be to have
3 - 4 major training phases per year with each beginning with high volume and
low intensity gradually switching to low volume and high intensity. The number
of sets, type of exercise , and number of training sessions can be varied on top
of this to suit the goals and the needs of the individual. The two most vital
questions to answer when deciding which changes to make are: What are my goals
for this training session? And, what are my needs?
How do I go about planning my
training a year in advance?
You don't need to plan your
training exactly for the whole year as changes may have to be made along the
way. A general outline of your year ahead is all that is needed. A plan that
reflects your needs, weaknesses and goals. It is easiest to plan when you have a
competition date fixed approximately a year in the future as this marks the end
of your training year. You then work backwards from this competition date in
order to structure your training in preparation. Decide on the number of
training phases you wish to cycle through in your twelve month period, remember
that 3 - 4 is the easiest to work with.
Designate set goals for each of
these phases for example, strength for the first, muscle size for the second,
recovery for the third etc. In line with these goals select the changes you will
make to your programme, for example, in the phase set aside for strength
increase indicate a high intensity low volume technique.
You should generally outline the
volume and intensity waves for the entire year based around the basic idea that
each phase begins with low intensity and high volume and ends with high
intensity and low volume..
It is important to carefully
evaluate your plan from a scientific point of view to ensure that the schedule
you have selected will allow you to meet your desired goals. See the examples
below:
-Periodisation for strength. Such
a plan may consist of two major training cycles each with a hypertrophy,
strength and power phase. Each major cycle would be followed by a brief recovery
phase. Just prior to a competition there would be a period of very high
intensity and low volume to enable maximal adaptation with the intensity
decreasing to moderate immediately prior to the competition.
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