By Tudor Bompa, PhD

Contrary to popular belief, periodization is not a new concept. Introduced by Flavius Philostratus (AD 170-245), a Greek philosopher and sporting enthusiast, periodization has been used since the ancient Olympic Games. In his six manuals on training, Philostratus wrote extensively about the methods used by the Greek Olympians.

The roots of periodization can be found in the term “period,” as in a period of time. In fact, the term periodization has been borrowed from history, where it refers to the specific periods of human development. In sports and fitness training periodization refers to dividing the yearly training plan into smaller and, therefore, easier to manage training phases. Basically, the periodization of an annual plan has three major phases:

• preparatory, or pre-season;
• competitive, or season; and
• transition, or off-season.

The ancient Olympians organized their own periodization in the same manner, but using slightly different terms: preparation, Olympic Games and relaxation.

The effectiveness of periodization models are so great that virtually all coaches around the world adopt the many concepts and theories of periodization that I have spoken about for the past 50 years. I first implemented, with phenomenal success, my personal version of periodization in the early 1960s, when a javelin thrower under my direction shattered the world record in the Olympic Games. It was obvious that periodization had found a home in sport-specific training, but it was not until recently that we applied the many theories of periodization to exercise training, when we developed the phase-based exercise programs for Truestar Health.

Five reasons why periodization is a must in sports training

1. Physiological adaptation to training: The scope of training, especially during the preparatory phase, is to create a training program that will result in the highest fitness adaptations possible. A higher adaptation to training is the main determining factor in reaching peak performance during the competitive phase. Developing the motor abilities necessary in your sport (strength, speed and endurance) to the highest level possible is a fundamental requirement for improved performance from year to year. The beauty of periodization is that the principles of training can be manipulated for all ages and fitness levels. Periodization is applied to numerous forms of training, the most popular being the Periodization of Strength.

2. Peak performance: Coaches normally plan for their athletes to reach their peak performance during the competitive phase. During the preparatory phase the scope of training is to improve an athlete’s work capacity and ability to cope with the fatigue of training and competitions, but not necessarily to reach highest performances of the year. This is normally achieved during the competitive phase by progressively planning more specific training programs: specific speed, power and endurance. By specific, we mean choosing exercises that closely mimic the movements used in sport. This is the formula we have used in all Truestar Sport-Specific Training Programs.

3. Skill development: The rate of improving and perfecting an athlete’s technical and tactical skills depends on how the training programs are periodized. During the preparatory phase, where the stress of competition is almost nonexistent, skill acquisition is maximal. The preparatory phase is the time to develop skills and to perfect the ones acquired in the past year. An athlete’s skill improvement during the preparatory phase will be most beneficial during competition. The longer the preparatory phase, the better the athlete’s chance to improve motor skills.

4. Psychological qualities: An athlete’s psychological behavior, degree of motivation and ability to remain focused is directly related to the physical potential acquired during the preparatory phase. An athlete’s belief in his or her ability to succeed is heightened with positive results from training and an athlete’s psychological well-being is directly dependent on the level of fatigue. When an athlete is physically exhausted it directly affects his or her visualization, concentration capabilities, focus and motivation—an exhausted athlete is not a highly motivated athlete. An athlete’s psychological behavior is also negatively affected by the volume (quantity) and intensity of training (high loads in weight training, the abuse of maximum speed, the daily employment of just high intensity drills, etc.). The consequence of constant, high intensity training is a high psychological fatigue. A properly planned program provides adequate cycling of phases, volume and intensity, which gives the athlete both a physical and psychological means of regeneration.

5. Climatic conditions: The duration of the sport season in a given geographical region also dictates how you will organize the periodized training plans. Often, the duration of a given training phase (such as the duration of the outdoor season) clearly dictates how long the league games for outdoors team sports can be. Climatic conditions, therefore, directly dictates the periodization of all the outdoors sporting activities, seasonal sports such as skiing, rowing, kayaking/canoeing, running, cycling of any type, triathlon, sailing, golfing, etc. The power of periodization is the flexibility in applying the many principles to all sports regardless of geographical locations, climate or competitive schedules.

Many years of study and experience have gone into designing the yearlong sport-specific plans available on our website. When I first started my career over 50 years ago, training and eating anything we could get our hands on was our number one priority. Today, athletes are bombarded with a variety of supplements and nutritional regimes that promise peak performance and strength gains. Some are very effective, while others are simply marketing ploys. We have created the ideal environment for sports and fitness training by not only providing yearlong programs for all ages and fitness levels, but also vitamin and supplement suggestions and meal plans for athletes.