Periodization for Sports Training

Periodization training for sports conditioning is a way to push your body into phases of high-intensity training to maximize athletic performance and competition. Online fitness coach jobs are in high-demand for athletes wanting to strengthen their sports performance and improve endurance and aerobic output. Health coach programs can help you plan your sports training for a year and periodization training puts that training program into blocks of time within that year to maximize fitness and sports performance before competition and allows for adequate recovery before training begins again.  

Health coach certification programs can help you understand the training blocks within periodization sports training. There are three phases to periodization sports training. Those three phases are the macrocycles, mesocycles, and the microcycles. Each one breaks down your workouts into specific targeted strengths for maximum sports performance and competition in the end. Using this type of training can help you plan your cycles to match up to your day of competition so that you will be at your highest peak of aerobic output when you need it the most.  

Macrocycle is the largest of the three phases of periodization training and includes all 52 weeks of the year. Giving you the larger picture of your training plan, you are able to design your training regimen around your specific sports event. The macrocycle includes periods of high-intensity and endurance building followed by recovery periods. The purpose is to build a powerhouse of stamina, endurance, and aerobic fitness with active recovery sessions to reduce the risk of injury during training sessions. This phase allows for changes to be made yearlong to accommodate for multiple competitions throughout the year.  

The mesocycle is the second phase of periodization training for sports enhancement. This cycle usually is a block of specific time for a specific purpose. The average time in the mesocycle is approximately three weeks followed by a week of recovery. During the three weeks of blocked time in the mesocycle, your training plan may consist of a specific workout or training session to meet a very specific function. For example, if you are training for a marathon, you would want a mesocycle phase designed to help you run faster and build stamina and power. This could be designed by having a three week mesocycle of hill repeats, shorter runs using speed or sprints, high- intensity training (HIIT) intervals, or plyometric exercises to help build speed, strength, power, and endurance.  

The microcycle is the last and shortest phase of periodization training. This training cycle takes one of the fitness goals from the mesocycle and focuses on that for a one week period to overload the body to intense training and adaptation before entering your recovery phase. Going back to the marathon training example, the microcycle would be your final week of training before your taper, or recovery, would begin. You would have your longest runs during the microcycle of training and they would be back to back long distance runs.  

Periodization training can help you become a better athlete and can help you with training to enhance sports performance and aerobic output.  Fitness training methods such as periodization training can maximize your athletic abilities and help add purpose to each of your workouts.  

Ready to take your career to the next level and help your clients enhance their sports performance? Click below to learn more about ASFA’s Master Personal Trainer Certification!

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