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Periodization
Periodization is a training technique in sports or fitness wherein you let the body undergo stages, phases or cycles of work towards attaining a peak level of performance. A complete program usually takes up 1 whole year which is called a macrocycle with 52 weeks. It will have four stages: endurance, intensity, competition and recovery. The second cycle is the mesocycle which is a block of work of about a few weeks and meets the objectives of one of the stages of the macrocyle. The third cycle is the microcycle which is about 1-2 weeks which is within a mesocycle. (Holmes)
Periodization for a College Soccer Player
The soccer player can look at the one-year macrocycle as the three stages of pre-season preparation, season competition and post-season recovery. The pre-season would consist of mesocycles for endurance, power, speed and skills. During competition, the focus will be on speed and skills while in the post-season, easy endurance for the purpose of recovery will be the objective.
Periodization for a Sedentary Adult
The peak period for a sedentary adult can be the times when he will participate in sports of his choice. He can break up the year into stages for preparation, performance and recovery. The preparation stage can have mesocyles for endurance, strength, power, speed, flexibility and skills. These will be practice sessions and drills. The performance stage is when he will do sports and will focus more on skills. The recovery stage can still be sports but with less intensity and frequency or simply sports drills.
Periodization for a Long Distance Runner
For a long distance runner, the peak period will be the racing season where he will combine both endurance and speed. The annual macrocycle can be divided into the endurance, speed phase, racing and recovery phases. The racing phase would just be sessions for racing, flexibility exercises and recovery.
Is Periodization for Everyone?
Periodization can be for those who have target peak period of intense activity during the year. It may be formal events like tournaments of just self-designed sessions.
Works Cited
Holmes, Dr. Tyrone. “A Periodization Primer: Macrocycles, Mesocycles & Microcycles”. The Fitness Corner Blog, 12 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 June 2016 from. <https://doctorholmes.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/a-periodization-primer-macrocycles-mesocycles-microcycles/>.
