5/15/2013

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The Effectiveness of the Wave-Cycle for
In-Season Training:
20 Years of Evidence on the In-Season
Maintenance of Strength and Power in
Professional Athletes
By
Daniel Baker, PhD.
Australian Strength & Conditioning Association
Edith Cowan University
Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club
www.danbakerstrength.com
Quickly about me...
President of Australian Strength & Conditioning Association since
2004
NSCA member since 1987 (CSCS in 1988)
Level 3 & Master Coach of Elite Athlete Strength & Conditioning
(ASCA)
PhD in Sport Science through Edith Cowan University, Perth
Strength & Conditioning Coach at Brisbane Broncos since 1995
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Australia is different....
Christmas Day is in summer &
I go surfing in the morning..
..and afterwards, Christmas lunch is
BBQ and beer, looking at the surf, soaking up the
summer sun with my beautiful wife
And in Australia we have 4 types of
professional football.....
Soccer (played in summer)
Australian Rules football (AFL or Aussie Rules)
Rugby Union (Rugby)
Rugby League (NRL or League)
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I train NRL Rugby League athletes for the Brisbane Broncos RLFC
since October 1995....a long time in pro sports!
Won Championship in 97, 98, 2000 and 2006
Most popular sporting team in Australia (based upon average weekly
television audiences)
And we have no college sports!!!
All sports are based upon the club system
Only AFL have a draft (of 18-yr olds!)
The advantage of no college sports & no draft for
rugby union and league is LTAD
We largelycontrol the training of our players from a
young age reap what you sow
1. The Problem!!!!!
Part A
The in-season for all these sports is long...
Soccer =26 wks +finals =4 wks =30 wks
AFL =23 wks +finals =4 wks =27 wks
Rugby =20 wks +finals =4 wks =24 wks
NRL League =26 wks +finals =4 wks =30 wks
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On top of this...
In both rugby union and league, the club or regular
season is followed by International Test matches
played by the best players
Rugby has 10-12 International tests per year
League has 4-6 International tests per year
This means the best players play for another 6-10
weeks after their regular club season
All this means
The preparation period is only 6-12 weeks for normal
professionals
The preparation period is only 4-6 weeks for the elite
professionals who also play in the International Test
matches
Therefore in-season training is the
dominant Period of training for all
professional football athletes in
Australia
The Problem - Part B
Conundrum: NRL athletes cover ~8 km per 80-minute
game (or 1km/10 minutes of game time)
NRL =8371 m per game
2
nd
Div. =7277 m per game
NYC (U/20) =4646 m per game
Ref. McCellan &Lovell, J SCR 2013
Need to develop high levels of energy system
conditioning during the same short Prep. Period.
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Aerobic or power athletes?
Please Google NRL big hits
to see more of this stuff!
Power athletes who need to be aerobically
fit!
The Problem - Part C
Only a short Prep. Period. To develop high levels of
strength & power (while also training ES fitness!!!)
Must efficiently maintain these qualities for 30+wks
But >20 yrs ago, what were the recommendations for long
in-season strength training?
1-5 sets of 1-5 reps with intensity medium to high...
Or a 4-wk cycle of 1x10 ->1x5 ->1x3 ->1x1 (Wathen, 1994)
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2. The Data
Standard wisdom says this cant be done because...
We cant train hard in-season (especially legs) - no
room/time for real strength/power overload?
We cant concurrently train strength/power, skills/tactics
and especially energy system (ES) training without losses
in strength/power or worrying high levels of concurrent
training interference
But lets look at 20 years of evidence to
the contrary on rugby league and union
athletes ranging from..
High School
Amateur adults
Semi-professional
Professional (including the elite professionals)
Some of the publications so far..
Baker, D. Effect of a wave-like periodised strength training cycle on maximal strength and
lean body mass. Strength & Conditioning Coach 3(3):11-16. 1995.
Baker, D. In-season periodization of strength training. Proceedings of the 1995 Australian
Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference and Trade Show. pp 74-
92. ASCA, Toowong, QLD, Australia. 1995.
Baker, D. Applying the in-season periodisation of strength and power training to
football.NSCA Journal. 20(2):18-24. 1998.
Baker, D. The in-season maintenance of strength and power in elite rugby league players.
Strength & Conditioning Coach. 8(3):5-10. 2000.
Baker, D. The effects of an in-season of concurrent training on the maintenance of maximal
strength and power in professional and college-aged rugby league players. J. Strength
Cond. Res,. 15(2): 172-177. 2001.
Baker, D. & Newton, R. U. Adaptations in upper body maximal strength and power output
resulting from long-term resistance training in experienced strength-power athletes. J.
Strength Cond. Res., 20(3):541-546. 2006.
Baker, D and Newton, R.U. Observation of 4-year adaptations in lower body maximal strength
and power output in professional rugby league players.Journal of Australian Strength &
Conditioning, 16(1): 3-10. 2008.
Baker, D. Six- year changes in upper-body maximum strength and power in experienced
strength-power athletes. Journal of Australian Strength & Conditioning, 16(3):4-10.
2008.
Baker, D. Ten-year changes in upper body strength and power in elite professional rugby
league players The effect of training age, stage and content. J. Strength Cond. Res.
2013.
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The first published data from 1995 at the 16-
week mark of in-season in semi-professional
rugby league players
1RM Bench 1RM Full Squat 1RM Power clean
100.1% 98% 102.1%
Ref. Baker, D. In-season periodization of strength training. Proceedings of the 1995
Australian Strength and Conditioning Association National Conference and Trade
Show. pp 74-92. ASCA, Toowong, QLD, Australia. 1995.
High school & young college aged
males (17-19 yrs)
No big deal...pretty easy with young males !!!!
But consider the concurrent training and conventional wisdom that it should
not be possible with a large ES conditioning and collision/impact training
content
Ref. Baker, D. The in-season maintenance of strength and power in elite rugby league
players. Strength & Conditioning Coach. 8(3):5-10. 2000.
Now for the real deal...
Broncos Professional NRL team 1996
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Broncos Professional NRL team in
1997 (World Club Champions)
Ref. Baker, D. The in-season maintenance of strength and power in elite rugby league players.
Strength & Conditioning Coach. 8(3):5-10. 2000.
Week 29 is the week of the Grand
Final!!.
More published data1998 Champions
Ref. Baker, D. The effects of an in-season of concurrent training on the maintenance of maximal strength and power in
professional and college-aged rugby league players. J. Strength Cond. Res,. 15(2): 172-177. 2001.
2000 Champions (unpublished)
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2006 Champions (unpublished)
More data from over the years (unpublished)
Team Time period
Pre- to In-season test
1RM
Bench Press
Bench
throw
Jump
squat
NRL (n=28) 99 26-wks 96.5% 92.9% 102.7%
NRL (n= 23) 01 19-wks 101.8% 98.4% No retest
NRL (n=23) 02 17-wks 96.3% 96.4% No retest
NRL (n=23) 03 17-wks 97.2% 96.3% No retest
NRL (n=25) 04 8-wks 100% No retest Not retest
NRL 05, 07 No retesting Not retested No retest No retest

NRL (n=26) 08

17-wks

99.6%

No retest

100% @wk24


NRL (n=26) 09

8-wks

100.4%

96.8%

100.4%


NRL (n=22) 10

17-wks

100.5%

98.0%

97.6%


A more in-depth look at some
results from 2011
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A more in-depth look at some results
from 2012
Some relevant game data
1st in the league in tackle busts
3rd in the league yardage gains in offense
10-year changes in elite pros who mainly perform
in-season training (Baker, JSCR 2013)
NRL Elite Pro
(n=6)
1996 2006 % Change
1RM Bench
press

123.3
(21.5)

150.8
(10.7)

22.3%

1RM Squat

173.3
(30.1)

204.6
(20.1)

18.6%

Bench throw
power
*Pre from 97*

616
(72)

758
(83)

23.0%

Jump squat
power
*Pre from 97*

1990
(173)

2237
(234)

12.4%
What the data indicates is.
Strength and power levels can be maintained at high-90s to just
over 100% in elite professional athletes across time periods of up
to 32 wks
Younger, college-aged athletes are able to gain strength and
power in-season
There may be short periods of strength, but more often power
suppression, due to fatigue from increased playing workloads
and/or consequent changes to resistance training
If this occurs, alter resistance training to allow recovery (less or no
neural based training for 2-3 weeks)
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3. The Solution to the problem
20 years ago, no model existed for prolonged in-season
training
Need to develop a model to allow for methodical
overload of strength & power across these lengthy
periods
The Wave cycle was my answer to the problem of an
effective model for the long in-season training period
The Wave Cycles
Intensity progresses upwards in a wave-like fashion
across 2 x 3- or 4-week cycles
Volume diminishes in a wave-like fashion across 2 x 3-
or 4-week cycles
The best thing is the wave-cycle allows for flexibility in
cycle length, and methods for prescribing intensity and
volume
Wave cyclesvolume distribution
My Wave cycle is based upon the Russian
weightlifting method of distributing
repetitions/volume across either 3- or 4-weeks
Wk1 =44% of 3-wk total
Wk 2 =33% of 3-wk total
Wk 3 =23% of 3-wk total
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Wave-cyclevolume distribution & flexibility
Can be used as a 4-wk wave as well (34%, 25%, 25%, 16%)
Can put 3-wk and 4-wk waves together (ie. 6-wk, 7-wk and 8-wk
variations)
The second 3- or 4-wk block in a cycle has less volume and higher
intensity than the first block 60% of the volume is in the first block,
40% in the second
Wave-cycle is very flexible you dont have to adhere to any super-
strict guidelines about volume management
Wave-cyclesintensity prescription
Intensity can be based upon either
% 1RM (real and/or perceived or estimated)
Effort
You can choose either or both
Effort system for strength training
Max Effort (ME) - a low rep set (1-5) where no
additional reps can be performed
Near Max Effort (NME) - close to ME, 1-2 reps short
eg. performing 3-reps at a 4RM or 5RM
Hard Effort (HE) - 2-4 reps short of ME
Medium-hard Effort (MHE) - >5 reps short of ME
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In summary, the cycle
Week 1 =Volume load, Neural/adrenal de-load
Week 2 =Base load
Week 3 =Intensification, Neural load, Volume de-load
Week 4 =Base load (same or similar to wk 2)
Week 5 =Intensification, load (same or similar to wk 3)
Week 6 =Peak intensification, highest neural/adrenal stimulus, lowest
volume load
Volume and intensity prescribed are also
according to an exercise thread
Bench press
Squat
Supplemental strength exercises
Hypertrophy/muscle size exercises
Power clean/pull/jerks
J ump squats/bench throws
My original wave-cycles 1994-1996
Strength exercise threads (Baker, 1995)
% 1RM are a rough guide, consider also EFFORT
In reality, the last set is the important indicator set
First 3-wks, the effort per each of the 3-sets is MHE, MHE, NME
Last 3-wks, first 2-sets, Effort is the same but all 3rd sets of NME or
ME
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Power exercise threads
Power cleans and jerks rely on %1RM and observation of
technique more than just effort
Supplemental power exercises are about power output, bar
speed etc - choose resistances to meet objectives of explosive
power, max power or ballistic power etc
The next progression or morph of the wave-cycles 1997-
2007
Strength exercise threads
Again, just note the last set for each of the Bench press threads...see the pattern?
(Ref. Baker, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2010)
Power exercise threads updated
Exercise thread Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6
Olympic lifts
(Power clean, jerks)
* for Jerks subtract 1 rep
5 / 65%
5 / 70%
5 / 70%
4 / 70%
4 / 75%
4 / 80%
3 / 78%
3 / 83%
3 / 88%
5 / 70%
5 / 75%
5 / 80%
3 / 80%
3 / 85%
3 / 88%
3 / 80%
2 / 88%
1-2 / 94%

Supplemental Power
(Jump squats, bench
throws pulls, etc)
3 x 5 3 x 4 3 x 3 3 x 5 3 x 3 3 x 2

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The next progression of the wave-cycles
2008-present
Time to be more aggressive
More ME work with bands & chains!!
Exercise thread Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6
Bench Press 8 / 70%
8 / 70%
8 / 70%
8 / 70%
6 / 75%
5 / 80%
6 / 75%
5 / 82%
3+ / 88%
or
3 x 3 ME
Bands /
chains!!
8 / 70%
6 / 75%
5 / 80%
6 / 77.5%
5 / 85%
3+ / 90%
or
3 x 5 ME
Bands /
chains!!
5 / 85%
3 / 90%
2+ / 95%
or
3 x 3 ME
Bands /
chains!!
Squat
2 set version
Use 3 if needed
(+5-7.5%)
8 / 55%
8 / 55%
8 / 55%
6 / 65%
6 / 65%
5 / 73%
or
2 x 5 HE
Bands
8 / 55%
6 / 68%
6 / 68%
5 / 75%
or
2 x 5 HE
Bands
5 / 75%
3 / 85%
or
2 x 3 NME
Bands

More & more delineated in the
other strength exercises
Much more aggressive in the hypertrophy exercises due
to younger squad (need to gain more muscle)
Ok, real simple version, consider the main or last set only
Exercise thread Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6

Bench Press
For Squat, subtract
5-15% 1RM

8
@ 70%


5
@ 80%


3
@88%
or
ME

5
@ 80%


3
@88%
or
ME

2
@ 92%
or
ME

Power clean

5
@ 70%

4
@ 80%

3
@88%

5
@ 80%

3
@ 88-92%

1-2
@90-95%


Hypertrophy
Exercises
Use 2 or 3 sets

2-3 x 10-15
@ 65-70%


2-3 x 10-15
@ 65-70%


2-3 x 10-15
@ 65-70%


2-3 x 6-10
@ 75-80%


2-3 x 6-10
@75-80%

2-3 x 6-10
@ 75-80%

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The change in strength scores for entire
training squad as a result of changing from
conservative to aggressive
Still the youngest average age team in NRL in 2012
Now for the Specifics
The weekly training cycle during the in-season
If 7-9 days between games, then..
Day 1 Strength Day 2-3 days after game
Day 2 Power Day- 2-3 days before next game
If only 5-6 days between games, then.
Perform the Strength Day session only
Strength day template
Warmup Correctives +functional exercises
1. Upper body max pressing strength Bench press (normal, bands or chains)
2a. Upper body hypertrophy maint. DB press exercise
2b. Upper body hypertrophy maint. Chin/PLD/row exercise
3a. Positional specific
lower body power
Lunge/jump squat/Olympic
lift/RDL/Dominator
3b. Ohead lift Press/pull
4. Lower body max strength Squat (normal or bands)
5. Torso Traditional exercises +grappling exerc
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Example of a typical strength day
session for Hit-up forwards
1. Bench press + red band (ME) 100/3 107.5/3 115/3+ 4-min
2a. Incline DB press, alt. arm 40/10-15 x 2 3-min
2b. 1-arm DB row 50/10-15 x 2
3a. Power shrug jumps 130/3 x 3 3-min
3b. DB walking lunge + P. press 25/5 es x 3
4. Squat 135/5 155/3 4-min


Power day templateone of many
Warmup Functional +plyometric exercises
1a. Wholebody pulling explosive Power clean (hang), Dominator
1b. Wholebody pressing explosive Split jerk/push press/jammer
2a. Upper body explosivepressing Bench variation (bands/chains/board)
2b. Upper body ballistic/max power Bench throws (Smith machine)
3b. Lower body explosive Box squat (bands), Creaser
3b. Lower body ballistic/max power J ump squats, lunges
5. Torso Power torso throws, twists etc

Example of a typical power day session
for Hit-up forwards
1a. Power clean (hang) 100/3 107.5/3 115/3
1b. Split jerk 100/2 110/2 115/2
2a. Narrow grip BP + #2
band
100+R/3 x 3
2b. Bench throw 60/3 x 3
3a. Box Squat + # 4 bands 100+G/3 x 3
3b. Jump squat 60/3 x 3
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Another power day session....less lower body
loading
1. Power clean (hang) 100/3 107.5/3 115/3
2a. Narrow grip BP + #2
band
100+R/3 x 3
2b. Pendlay row 85/5 x 3
3a. Alt. arm DB push
press/ Al.t arm jammer
32.5/5 es x 3
3b. Commando grip chins +10/3 es x 3

Injured? Follow the exercise thread.
Power clean ->Power shrug ->RDL ->1-leg RDL
Split jerk ->Push press ->DB PP ->DB press >1-arm DB
Squat ->Box squat ->Smith squat ->Kneeling SQ->1-leg SQ
Bench press ->Narrow grip BP ->Decline BP->Board press->DB bench
->1-arm DB bench
Chinup ->Pulldown ->Seated row ->Inc DB row->1-arm DB row
Extensive use of paired exercise complexes
Hypertrophy Agonist v antagonist
DBbenchvRow
DBpressvPulldowns/Chins
Power Pull v Push
Clean v J erk/Push press/J ammer
Chin v Bench throws
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Extensive use of paired exercise complexes
(continued)
Power Heavier agonist v lighter agonist (PAP complex)
Bench/squat 55-65% 1RM +bands/chains (10-20%)
Versus
Bench throws/jump squats (30-45% 1RM)
Power shrug jumps (90-110% 1RM)
Versus
Power clean (Hang) (70-95% 1RM)
Power clean (70-95% 1RM)/Power shrug (90-110% 1RM)
Versus
J ump squats (30-45% 1RM)
Example of Complex of heavier and lighter
power exercises
The mid-season problem
Caused by extra representative games by best players
Other players also shoulder a greater playing load,
compared to their usual load
Alteration in training loads by rep teams
tapering/peaking our athletes during mid-season
Best players are neurally and adrenally fatigued
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Weekly monitoring of leg power via jump squats
with 20 kg barbell on Power Day look at neural
readiness and freshness
Regular assessment of JS P20 throughout the season
to monitor changes in leg power...indicate neural,
adrenal and/or muscle fatigue
The Solution...
Insert 2-3 week block of non-neural resistance training
<70% 1RM, sets of 10 reps
No power exercises
Mental and physical regeneration, allow for build-up
towards finals
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There is a wave-cycle for everyone.choose your
experience level, exercise thread and wave-length
WK 1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8
Wave 1
Hypertrophy
exercises&/or
Lowlevel athletes
15/55%

15/55%

15/55%
12/62.5%

12/62.5%

12/62.5%
10/70%

10/70%

10/70%
8/77.5%

8/77.5%

8+/77.5%
15/55%**

15/55%

15/55%
12/62.5%

12/62.5%

12/62.5%
10/70%

10/70%

10/70%
8/77.5%

8/77.5%

8+/77.5%
Wave 2
Hypertrophy
exercises&/or
Intermediatelevel
athletes
12/60%

12/60%

12/60%
10/67.5%

10/67.5%

10/67.5%
8/75%

8/75%

8+/75%
6/82.5%

6/82.5%

6+/82.5%
12/60%**

12/60%

12/60%
10/67.5%

10/67.5%

10/67.5%
8/75%

8/75%

8+/75%
6/82.5%

6/82.5%

6+/82.5%*
Wave 3
Secondary
Strengthexercises
Intermediates&
Advanced
10/65%

10/65%

10/65%
8/72.5%

8/72.5%

8/72.5%
6/80%

6/80%

6+/80%
5/85%

5/85%

5+/85%*
10/65%**

10/65%

10/65%
8/72.5%

8/72.5%

8/72.5%
6/80%

6/80%

6+/80%
5/85%

5/85%

5+/85%*
Wave 4
Primarystrength
exercises
Intermediates&
Advanced
8/70%

8/70%

8/70%
8/70%

6/75%

5/80%
6/72%

5/80%

3+/88%
5/76%

3/84%

2+/92%*
8/70%**

8/70%

8/70%
8/70%

6/75%

5/80%
6/72%

5/80%

3+/88%
5/76%

3/84%

2+/92%*
Wave 5
Primarystrength
exercises
Intermediates&
Advanced, using
band/chainsfor
ME weeks
8/70%

8/70%

8/70%
5/70%

5/75%

5/80%
3/72%

3/80%

3+/88%
2/76%

2/84%

2+/92%*
8/70%**

8/70%

8/70%
5/70%

5/75%

5/80%
3/76%

3/84%

3+/90%
2/80%

2/88%

2+/94%*
Wave 6
Primarystrength&
Olympicexercises,
moreadvanced
5/70%

5/70%

5/70%
4/70%

4/75%

4/80%
3/72%

3/80%

3+/88%
2/76%

2/84%

2+/92%*
5/70%**

5/70%

5/70%
4/70%

4/75%

4/80%
3/76%

3/84%

3+/90%
2/80%

2/88%

2+/94%*
Other excellent wave programs popular in the
USA
5-3-1 by Jim Wendler
Cube Method by Brandon Lilly
Thanks to the ASCA and NSCA for allowing me to present
Questions?????
www.danbakerstrength.com