Many of us set out with good intentions, we want to be good at everything from cardio to strength training. More often than not, people fall foul of ineffective training methods that lead to poor results and overtraining. Instead, block periodization allows us to focus on one goal at a time while putting other modalities into maintenance mode.
What is periodization?
Periodization is not a new concept. The Soviets began practising linear periodization in the 50s when swapping periods of high volume for periods of high intensity to capitalise on strength gains. Modern block periodization is slightly different; we are swapping periods dedicated to different training goals instead of just swapping volume and intensity.
To explain, most block periodization plans are constructed of several mesocycles, each mesocycle lasting several weeks and dedicated to an individual goal. Take a look at the (crudely made) diagram below:
The diagram shows how a periodized program comprises smaller goal-oriented 'blocks'. In this example, I've chosen a 12-week macrocycle (a macrocycle is the entire program) with smaller 4-week blocks (mesocycles). This is a fairly common structure, but you can vary them as needed.
I have selected blocks for Size (hypertrophy), strength and speed, but this can be adapted as necessary. For example, it is common for combat athletes to have a 4 - 8 week skills block before competition/fighting (so long as they don't need to make weight in fight camp).
Why should we use block periodization?
Great question, the answer is that the alternative is ineffective and hard to measure. Let's take a grappler as an example; perhaps he has a competition that he is getting ready for, and he has decided to use hybrid-style training, which is pretty common for combat athletes. The first issue weight; the athlete may need to lose or gain a few kg to fit in the next weight class (for this example we will ignore the complications posed by water weight cutting).
Block periodization can address this with a specific block dedicated to size, in which the athlete eats in a surplus or deficit as required, with the focus on weight training for the maximum retention of lean mass when cutting or stimulation of new lean tissue when bulking. Often, fighters use their sport to lose weight, e.g. extended sparring or additional road work. This can be counterproductive as the fighter will not produce the musculature stimulus necessary to build or retain muscle.
Next, the athlete using block periodization may follow blocks orientated towards strength, speed or both. Again, the traditional combat athlete will typically use the same strength and conditioning (if any) throughout a fight camp, thus unlikely to make strength or speed gains.
Finally, the periodized athlete will often dedicate a block to skill work (championed by fantastic coaches like Joel Jamieson and Phil Daru), where strength and conditioning will take a backseat and technical skills can be given the energy needed.
Now, I'm sure many fighters and coaches will take issue with my example and say the non-periodized fighter has spent an additional 8 weeks on skill development, so they have an advantage. Except they haven't. They will traditionally use their sport as their s&c, so they will train with low energy (especially when cutting) and produce low-quality movements, leading to low technical gain and no conditioning improvement.
Right... So what does this mean for non-athletes?
Simply put, it means you're not spinning your wheels and overtraining. The average fitness enthusiast is unlikely to know about the interference effect, that is, simultaneous competing bodily adaptions (e.g. muscular endurance vs strength) somewhat cancel each other out when done too close together, all that effort for no reward!
Non-athletes should also take advantage of periodized training to ensure better fatigue regulation. This way, you have far more energy (physically and mentally) to invest in your current training block.
This doesn't mean you stop your normal forms of training. If you are a runner, you will continue running but reduce your volume to a maintenance level, perhaps 1 - 2 easy runs a week, while you schedule weight training on a free day with plenty of rest afterwards.
Is there anyone who shouldn't use block periodization?
Well, plenty of old-school weightlifting coaches will continue to run whatever they like and give them more power. The main populations that may be better suited to hybrid training would be armed forces or emergency services personnel who generally have a higher work capacity and need a high level of readiness year-round.
In closing, I've argued that block periodization allows training all modalities intelligently, with maximum fatigue management. We've also talked about the importance of prioritising a single goal while putting other modalities into maintenance mode to avoid the interference effect.
If you've become disillusioned with traditional programming or hybrid methods, give block periodization a try and see if it can help your fatigue management.
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