4 | Akwa | December 2022 / January 2023 / February 2023 Periodization is a means of systemat- ically planning short-term and long- term training programs. It allows us to organize training programs using differ- ent phases to elicit specific adaptations to achieve an end goal. Training vari- ables – including the number of sets, repetitions, intensity, recovery time, exercise type, speed of movement, contraction type, and training fre- quency – are thoughtfully manipulated to elicit favorable fitness responses. While this style of training is most associated with strength training or preparing high-caliber athletes for a specific competition, like the Olym- pics, it is effective for everyone that consistently participates in exercise. Periodization may seem like a com- plex training strategy relegated to those with athletic goals, but it is a tool that can help everyone improve their physical condition. Periodization is a means of progres- sively and systematically overloading the body to attain its full potential. The two keywords are progressive and overload. Exercise needs to be pro- gressive in nature to elicit change. For example, suppose I have a group of individuals that want to become more cardiovascularly fit, and I take them through the same workout day after day, week after week; they may see an initial gain in fitness, and then they will plateau. Initially, the workout is new to their body and provides a stim- ulus beyond what it is used to – it over- loads the body. Eventually, the body adapts physiologically in response to this overload. As the workout requires more strength, the body gets stronger, and as greater cardiovascular capac- ity is needed, the body conforms. As a result, once the body adapts to the needs of the workout, it no longer experiences overload. However, if I progressed the workout by manipulating one or more training variables (reps, sets, intensity, recov- ery time, contraction type, etc.), the body would continue to adapt and gain fitness. This is the foundation of periodization. Initially, the thought of planning peri- odization into your group fitness class may seem overwhelming. So, let’s simplify it to create a more approach- able means to serve the fitness needs of your clients better. The first step is to identify a goal, or set of goals, that your clients aspire to achieve. In other words, what brings people to your class? If your class, for example, focuses on mobility, then movement safety and efficiency may be your pri- mary goal. On the other hand, a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class may target strength, power, and speed. In reality, nearly all goals are going to require some level of mastery of the basic and skill-related components of fitness. Therefore, even though some training variables will be presented and manipulated differently, the phases of periodization training will have many similarities. Taking a step back to look at the big picture is a great place to begin pro- gram design. The big picture is known as a macrocycle, or the training cycle for the entire program length (e.g., 12 weeks or one year). By starting here, you can gain a bird’s-eye view for long-term planning. For athletes, this is an important factor to allow for modu- lations in training to account for com- petitions and needed rest. Regarding group fitness, use the big picture view to plan for holidays, time off, or even fitness assessments. More importantly, this vantage point allows you to create a program that employs progressive overload while also including work- outs that facilitate recovery. In this pictorial example of a macro- cycle, each week (microcycle) is rep- resented by a bar on the chart. This shows a gradual increase in training stimulus for a sequence of weeks fol- lowed by a reduction in training stim- ulus. In other words, there are 3-5 weeks where the workouts build and progress and then a week promoting recovery. Remember that recovery is a cornerstone to avoiding injury and overtraining while allowing for physi- ological adaptation. Without recovery, our body does not get stronger, faster, or more cardiovascularly fit. The macrocycle breaks down into smaller training blocks called meso- cycles. Mesocycles can be designed to accomplish specific goals. Before beginning the first official block of training, preparation workouts should By Lori A. Sherlock, EdD Moving Into the New Year Periodization for Progress
