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summary
Training variation and periodization
is widely acknowledged as crucial to
optimizing training responses. Applying periodized planning to team
sports poses unique challenges due
to the variety of training goals, volume of concurrent training and
practices, and extended season of
competition. Practical suggestions
are offered in this article to address
these considerations and apply periodization in training design for different phases of physical preparation for team sports athletes.
Introduction
raining variation is increasingly
acknowledged as serving a key
function in successful training
prescriptions (13, 37, 40). Periodization
offers a framework for planned and sys-
T
56
for planned training variation were developed for the competitive season in
athletics (28). As a result, the classical
periodized format features extended
training cycles designed to progressively
prepare the athlete for 1 or 2 major
championships in the year (39).
The playing season for sports like football and rugby union can span in excess
of 35 weeks, particularly in Europe. If
coaches were to follow the classic model,
training would taper considerably for
the duration of the competition phase.
This is clearly counterproductive for
most team sports (2, 20). It has been
shown that following such restrictive
competition-phase repetition schemes
may lead to excessive losses in lean body
mass during the season, which is unfavorable for most power sports (1). Given
this requirement to continue regular
training over many months, achieving
the necessary training variation represents a sizeable challenge.
Multiple Training Goals
Team sports require several disparate
training goals. These may include hypertrophy, maximum strength, explosive power, metabolic conditioning, and
injury prevention (16). All of these elements must be addressed in the course of
the training plan. Therefore there is a
need for planned variations in the training program to systematically shift the
emphasis to promote these different
training effects at different phases of the
preparation period.
Interaction of Strength Training
and Conditioning
When programming strength training,
coaches must also take account of the interaction of the metabolic conditioning
that is performed alongside strength and
power training (16). The physical activity involved in technical and tactical sessions and team practices should also not
be overlooked.
A major consideration when strength
training and metabolic conditioning are
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Approach to Periodization
It has been suggested that undulating
nonlinear periodized approaches are
more viable when planning the training
year for team sports (14, 39). However,
at some phases of the training year, particularly off-season and preseason, approaches similar to the classical periodization model do still have application,
which is explored further in the next section. This classical approach has been
termed linear on the basis that it is
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Table 1
Off-Season Mesocycle
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
10RM 3 sets
8RM 3 sets
12RM 3 sets
Overhead squat
Bench dips
Seated cable row
EZ bar bicep curls
Single-leg calf raise
DB split squat
Bench press
One-arm DB row
Seated DB shoulder press
Back extensions
EZ bar upright row
Leg press
Incline DB bench press
Lat pulldown
Machine hamstring curl
DB upright row + bicep curl
10RM 3 sets
12RM 3 sets
8RM 3 sets
Leg press
DB split squat
Back extensions
Machine hamstring curl
Knee extensions
Single-leg calf raise
Bent-over DB raises
Supine DB pull-overs
Lateral DB raises
EZ bar bicep curls
Cable tricep pushdown
DB front raises
Prone DB shoulder rotation
Bench press
One-arm DB row
Seated DB shoulder press
Seated cable row
EZ bar upright row
DB bicep curls
Off-season
For the purposes of clarity, the off-season phase for team sports will be defined as the period prior to the start of
structured technical and tactical practices. Whether the strength and conditioning coach actually has the luxury of
a supervised off-season period when the
players report back after the postseason
break tends to depend on the willingness of the coaching staff to delay the
start of practices to allow him to do so.
As a consequence of the length of the
playing season, particularly in Euro-
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Table 2
Preseason Mesocycle
HYPERTROPHY 1
Microcycle training parameters
Rest:
Short rest (<60 s) between lifts
Core work (~2 min) between sets
Lower-body workout
(12RM; 4 Sets)
Front squat
Single-leg knee extension
Dumbbell step up
Single-leg hip extension
Dumbbell split squat
Upper-body workout
8RM; 5 Sets
Bench press
Lat pulldown
Dumbbell shoulder press
Cable fly
Dumbbell upright row
STRENGTH 1
Frequency: 4 per week:
2(1)* upper-body
1(2)* whole-body
1 assistance lift
*(Week 2 frequency)
Intensity: 68RM multijoint lifts
8RM assistance lifts Volume: 3-5 sets
Rest:
Multijoint lifts 23 min
Assistance lifts 60 s
Whole-body workout
(6RM; 3 Sets)
Stop clean
Bench press
Push press
Bent-over barbell row
Parallel back squat
Single-leg knee extension
Upper-body workout
(8RM; 4 Sets)
HYPERTROPHY 2
Frequency: 5 per week:
2 whole-body
2 upper-body
1 assistance
Intensity: 710RM (all lifts)
Volume: 35 sets
Rest:
Short rest (<60 s) between lifts
Whole-body workout
(7RM; 3 Sets)
Snatch pull
Wide-grip dips
Front squat
Wide-grip chins
Dumbbell split squat
Dumbbell shoulder press
Romanian deadlift
Upper-body workout
(10RM; 5 Sets)
Bench press
Cable fly
Barbell bench row
One-arm dumbbell row
Dumbbell shoulder press
Dumbbell upright row
while the athletes are fresh, whereas fatiguing workouts are performed at the
end of the week to allow the athlete the
weekend to recover (7).
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Table 2
Preseason Mesocycle (cont)
STRENGTH 2
Microcycle training parameters
Lower-body workout
(12RM; 4 Sets)
Whole-body workout
(6RM; 3 Sets)
Upper-body workout
(7RM; 4 Sets)
Stop snatch
Incline dumbbell bench press
Clean + split jerk
Parallel back squat
One-arm dumbbell row
Dumbbell overhead split squat
Bench press
Barbell bench row
Wide-grip dips
Dumbbell shoulder press
Narrow-grip chins
POWER
Frequency: 3 per week
2 whole-body
1 upper-body
Intensity: 4-6RM (all lifts)
Volume: 3-4 sets
Rest:
3-4 min between exercises
Whole-body workout
(5RM; 3 Sets)
Snatch
Bench press
Stop clean + press
Barbell bench row
Front squat
Upper-body workout
(6RM; 4 Sets)
Ballistic push-up
Wide-grip chins
Incline dumbbell bench press
One-arm dumbbell row
PEAKING
Frequency: 2 per week
2 whole body
Intensity: 4-5RM (all lifts)
Volume: 3-4 sets
Rest:
3-4 min between exercises
Whole-body workout
(4RM; 4 Sets)
Jump squat
Alternate box hops
Clean + press
Ballistic push-up
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Day 1
Day 2
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
8RM; 3 Sets
7RM; 3 Sets
6RM; 4 Sets
4RM; 3 Sets
Wide-grip chins
DB front raise
DB triceps
DB hammer curls
DB lateral raise
Clean + press
Bench press
Parallel back squat
B/over barbell row
DB step up
Stop snatch
Bench skips
Ballistic push-up
Narrow-grip chins
6RM; 2 Sets
6RM; 3 Sets
5RM; 3 Sets
Jump squat
Wide-grip dips
Push press
Narrow-grip chins
Snatch
Single-leg drop
jump
Ballistic push up
Wide-grip chins
Jump squat
Alternate box hops
Incline DB bench
Front squat
B/over barbell row
Table 3b
Day 1
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
7RM; 3 Sets
6RM; 4 Sets
4RM; 3 Sets
Front squat
Bench press
Wide-grip chins
DB shoulder press
Narrow-grip dips
6RM; 2 Sets
Day 2
It has been identified that average training intensity should be maintained above
80% 1RM in order to maintain strength
levels during the course of a playing season (20). High loads (80% 1RM, or
8RM) are implemented 2 days per week
for multijoint lifts. This loading scheme
is shown to maintain, or even increase,
strength levels throughout the playing
season in American football (20).
Week 1
Power clean
Alternate box hops
Parallel back squat
Bench press
One-arm DB row
Snatch
Resisted knee drive
Ballistic push-up
B/over DB raise
5RM; 3 Sets
Jump squat
Push press
Incline DB bench
Narrow-grip chins
Table 3c
Two-week (1:1) In-Season Summated Microcycle
Day 1
In-season
Undulating nonlinear periodization
models are typically suggested for inseason training (39). The rationale for
this is that these methods may be better
suited to maintain the athlete close to
their peak throughout an extended season of regular competitions.
Table 3a
Four-week (3:1) In-season Summated Microcycle
Week 1
Week 2
6RM; 4 Sets
4RM; 3 Sets
Snatch pull
Bench press
Stop clean + press
Parallel back squat
Jump squat
Single-leg drop jump
Incline DB bench
Wide-grip chins
5RM; 3 Sets
Day 2
Power clean
Alternate box hops
Wide-grip dips
Narrow-grip chins
Note: DB = dumbbell; B/over = bent-over; RM=repetition maximum.
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Table 4
In-Season Overload Week
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
8RM; 3 Sets
7RM; 4 Sets
7RM; 3 Sets
6RM; 3 Sets
Narrow-grip chins
Dumbbell shoulder rotation
EZ bar triceps
Dumbbell hammer curl
Dumbbell upright row
Narrow-grip dips
Front squat
Bench press
One-leg hip extension
Bent-over barbell row
Knee extension
Ballistic push-up
Dumbbell shoulder press
Wide-grip chins
Narrow-grip dips
Dumbbell upright row
64
scribed by the summated mesocycles approach. In the weeks preceding the unloading week, steplike increases in volume load (product of loads lifted and
repetitions completed) are achieved by
lifting higher loads, greater selection of
heavy load lifts, and finally increases in
number of sets (see Tables 3a3c). How
these variations of in-season microcycles
are sequenced into the in-season plan
will depend on the fixture list and density of games in different periods within
the season.
Conversely there will generally be opportunities during the season for more
intensive strength training, such as during fixtures in lesser competitions, or
midseason breaks for international
matches. In sports with an extended
competitive season, such as is seen in
European soccer and rugby leagues, this
may be necessary to maintain physiological adaptations. This will tend to be the
case particularly in collision sports that
are reliant upon high levels of lean body
mass, strength, and power. At appropriate times midseason, mini (1-week)
overload microcycles may therefore be
implemented. Table 4 features an overload week to be used for shock elevations in volume-load mid-season that
may be necessary for team sports that
fulfill the relevant criteria.
Weekly scheduling of workouts in-season is dictated by the dual need to allow
the player to recover from the previous
match and avoid excessive residual fatigue at the end of the week in preparation for the next game. This is true of all
the variations of the in-season microcycles (see Tables 3a3c).
During the season, plyometric training
will predominantly be integrated into
strength training sessions by employing
complex training methods. Team practices as well as matches will also provide
a plyometric training element (19).
Dedicated speed training sessions may
be performed on alternate weeks in-season. Agility training can form part of
these dedicated biweekly speed sessions.
Specific agility work may also be incorporated into warm-up for practice sessions (39). For reasons of time efficiency, metabolic conditioning in-season
will likely be almost exclusively in the
form of skill-based conditioning games
(17).
Conclusions
By definition, periodization concerns
variation of training. As a result, it seems
unlikely that a single optimal periodized
training scheme exists that will elicit superior improvements when applied for
extended periods. Rather, it seems probable that a range of periodization strategies implemented in combination will
produce the best results throughout a
long-term training cycle (28).
Some evidence for the benefit of combined use of different periodization approaches was observed in the superior
strength gains during initial stages of
training in strength trained subjects with
a daily undulating periodized (DUP)
model, in comparison to a linear periodization group (29). This was attributed to the novelty of the DUP scheme
for the subjects, whose previous training
had been characterized by classical linear
periodization (29). Equally the attenuated training response and reports of training strain in the latter part of the study
period in the DUP group indicates that
the continued use of this scheme may
similarly be counterproductive (29).
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The degree of training variation required appears to be specific to the
training experience of the individual
(28). More basic periodization schemes
are sufficient for younger players, who
do not require or benefit from the same
multi-layered variation employed with
senior athletes (4, 22, 28).
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