Periodisation periods

Preparatory period Usually the longest and occurs during the time of the year when there are no competitions The major emphasis of this period is establishing a base level of conditioning to increase the athlete’s tolerance for more intense training

Preparatory period Conditioning activities begin at relatively low intensities and high volumes: long, slow distance running or swimming, low intensity plyometrics and high repetition resistance training with light to moderate resistances Because high-volume training causes significant fatigue and can involve large time commitments the athlete is not exposed to optimal conditions (i.e., does not have enough time or energy) for improving sport-specific technique

Preparatory period As the preparatory period unfolds, however, microcycles are designed to gradually increase resistance training loads and sport-conditioning intensity, decrease training volume and give more attention to sport technique training

Preparatory period- hypertrophy/endurance phase Occurs during the early stages of the preparatory period and may last from 1-6 weeks During this phase training begins at a very low intensity with very high volume The goals for this phase are to increase lean body mass and develop an endurance base for more intense training in later phases and periods

Hypertrophy/endurance phase At first the training is not specific to the athletic event However as the preparatory period continues over several weeks the training activities become more specific to the sport Hypertrophy/endurance: very low to moderate intensity (50-75% of the 1RM) and very high to moderate volume (3-6 sets of repetitions)

Basic strength phase Aims to increase the strength of muscles essential to the primary sport movements Resistance training program becomes more specific to the sport and involves heavier loads for fewer repetitions than the hypertrophy/endurance phase

Strength/power phase The last stage of the preparatory phase Here the athletes training intensifies to near competition pace Strength/power phase: high intensity (75-95% of the 1RM, depending on the exercise) and low volume (3-5 sets of 2-5 repetitions)

Competition Period The goal of this stage is to peak strength and power through further increases in training intensity with additional decreases in training volume Also practice in skill technique and game strategy increases

Transitions period Focuses on unstructured, non-sport specific recreational activities performed at low intensities with low volume It is important to the athlete’s long term progress to allow time to rehabilitate any injuries and rest, physically and mentally