A successful training program manages both adaptation and recovery in response to specific training interventions applied in a structured way. The main advantage of a well-designed program is how it sequences and organizes training to produce specific physiological adaptations and peak performance at planned times.
To do this, you manipulate training variables such as volume, intensity, frequency, density, exercise type, and exercise selection based on the athlete’s needs and the sport’s demands.
Three main theories explain how periodized training affects performance:
Periodization is defined as the logical and systematic process of sequencing and integrating training interventions to achieve peak performance at appropriate time points.
GAS describes how the body responds to stress in phases:
Alarm phase: An initial stressor causes a temporary decrease in performance.
Resistance phase: The body adapts and returns to baseline performance or improves beyond it.
Supercompensation: Performance improves beyond the original baseline.
Exhaustion/overtraining: If stress continues without adequate recovery, performance decreases and maladaptations occur.
This theory builds on GAS by emphasizing the timing between training stress, recovery, and the next training stimulus. It suggests:
The greater the workload, the more fatigue accumulates.
Delayed recovery increases the risk of overtraining.
When a new stimulus is introduced after recovery, adaptation occurs and performance improves.
If no new stimulus is applied, involution (detraining) occurs.
Every training session produces two effects:
Fitness: Positive adaptations
Fatigue: Temporary reductions in performance
Key point: Preparedness = fitness - fatigue
In this model, fatigue fades faster than fitness. As fatigue dissipates, your true performance potential becomes visible. The practical takeaway is that training load must be balanced so the athlete stays ready when it matters.
Periodization refers to organizing a training program into cycles of different lengths and levels of specificity. These cycles are nested in a hierarchy:
Periodization cycles
| Period | Duration | Description |
| Multiyear plan | 2-4 years | E.g., a 4-year Olympic training cycle |
| Annual training plan | 1 year | Contains multiple macrocycles; includes preparatory, competitive, transition |
| Macrocycle | Several months to a year | Overall annual plan; includes all phases of training |
| Mesocycle | 2-6 weeks | Medium-duration blocks; focus on specific training outcomes |
| Microcycle | Several days to 2 weeks | Short-duration training blocks within mesocycles |
| Training day | 1 day | Includes one or more training sessions |
| Training session | Several hours | At least 30 minutes of rest between bouts = separate sessions |
Training periods are typically divided into:
Training volume starts high and decreases.
Intensity and technical focus increase as competition approaches.
This is the most common periodization model.
The preparatory period occurs when there are no competitions. It includes both general and specific phases. Common goals include:
Increasing lean body mass
Enhancing endurance (muscular and metabolic)
Preparing for high-intensity work
Low-to-moderate intensity
High volume
Targets base development
Sport-specific activities increase
Transition to higher intensities
This phase occurs early in the preparatory period and typically includes:
Intensity: 50-75% of 1RM
Volume: High (3-6 sets of 8-20 reps)
Goals: Increase muscle size and work capacity
Sign up for free to take 10 quiz questions on this topic