What are the Periodization Working Stages?

Per iodization works in following stages:

1. Dividing a Year into Periods:

The first step of per iodization is to divide a year of training into major periods called microcells, which last about three to four months. The macro cycles are further divided into monocycles, which typically last three to four weeks, and micro cycles which are typically weeks. Thus, three to four micro cycles make up one monocycle; and three to four monocycles make up one macro cycle.

2. Overloading in the Periods:

During a three-week monocycle, the first two micro cycles contain stimulating loads when the body is overloaded by an increase in training volume or intensity. Fatigue accumulates from the heavy training loads. These two micro cycles are followed by a short detraining, or restoration, micro cycle. During this cycle, which is typically one week long, the level of fatigue decreases, preparing the body to handle the upcoming new exercise stress?

3. Occurrence Adaptation

(a) Maximum Adaptation:

The greatest adaptation to a stimulus occurs when muscles are recovered from previous training. Therefore, a restoration micro cycle should precede an increase in either exercise intensity or volume.

(b) Need of Rest in Adaptation:

Rest is a very important component of the overall training programme, since it is during rest that the body’s adaptations to exercise occur. When individuals step off of a treadmill or walk out of the gym after a strength-training workout, they are weaker, not stronger. How much weaker depends on the severity of the exercise stress. If there is not enough rest between workouts or monocycles, fatigue will accumulate and no further improvements in fitness will take place.

4. Heavier Overloading:

If a four-week monocycle is used, the third micro cycle can be used as a “crash” micro cycle, in which the body is overloaded to a greater degree than the two previous cycles. Then the fourth cycle becomes the restoration cycle. As physical fitness improves, each new monocycle should involve greater average training loads than the cycle just completed. During the restoration cycle, which is the final week of each monocycle, the volume and intensity are decreased to eliminate the fatigue that has accumulated during the previous weeks of training.

5. Systemization of the Training Stimulus:

The training volume or intensity should not be increased arbitrarily, but in a systematic way, since exceeding a certain training load in a given time frame will increase fatigue and lead to overtraining. Systemization, therefore, governs the total load used during a single training session or micro cycle, as well as the frequency of training sessions.

6. Variation of Training Loads:

A programmed variation of volume and intensity for strength f training may produce superior results compared to a programme that does not vary the training stimulus. Different phases of training results in various types of stress and may affect different functional systems in the body.

Therefore, the response to the applied stress may; take different forms during the various training phases. The effects of high-volume training a for example, differ from those of high volume, training. This is important to remember I when considering an individual’s training effect and recovery.