Periodisation Overview

Periodisation Overview

1. Case Study: Games Player - Footballer

   • Pre Season
     • High intensity, high duration until close to competition
     • Focus on cardiovascular training and then focuses on position specific areas. E.G. Striker improves speed
   • Competition
     • Keep on peak performance throughout
     • Focus on tactics, new formations, set plays ready for match
     • High intensity, low duration so peak fitness is kept
   • Off Season
     • Low intensity, low duration to recover
     • Keep minimum fitness level intact

2. Benefits of Periodisation

   • Allows peak performance at competition time
   • Overload allows a change in Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type
   • Progression allows a gradual increase to meet specific targets
   • Fitness testing at intervals throughout the season
     • Measure recovery
     • End of season
     • Middle of season (Christmas)
     • Start of Pre season
     • Measure against other athletes
   • Variety of training methods to avoid tedium and reversibility
   • Make specific training plans to improve weaknesses of the athlete
   • Train in moderation to stop burn out and injury
   • Team selection for fitness. E.G. American Football
   • Identify talented athletes through training

3. Periodisation

   • The systematic planning of athletic or physical training
   • The aim is to reach the best possible performance in the most important competition of the year
   • It involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period
   • Double Periodisation
     • Performer must peak more than once a year due to many different competition to reach. E.G. A tennis player must peak for each event
   • Undulation
     • When the performer has to peak all year. E.G. A Premier League footballer has to peak for every game

4. The Cycles

   • Macrocycle
     • Consists of a large annual plan to achieve an overall goals based on fitness and competition
     • Usually lasts about a year
   • Mesocycle
     • Represents a specific block of training that is designed to accomplish a particular goal
     • It is completed over sections of a season and is the overall aims of the macrocycle
     • Usually lasts about 2 to 3 months
   • Microcycle
     • The shortest training cycle with the goal of improving a focused block of training
     • Focuses on the overall aims of the mesocycle and improves specific issues of a weakness
     • Usually lasts about 1 to 2 weeks
   • Megacycle
     • Similar to the aims of a macrocycle, the mega is focused on peaking in 4 years time
     • Used by Olympians who need to peak for the Games

5. Warm Up and Cool Down

   • Warm Up
     • Structure
       • Focus on cardio - jog slowly increasing
       • Mobilising task for joints
       • Stretches - dynamic, ballistic and PNF
       • Work on skill - E.G. Strikers focus on shooting
     • Benefits
       • Increase nerve transmission
       • Increase flexibility
       • Improve muscle viscosity
   • Cool Down
     • Structure
       • Slow steady jog - moving down to a walk
       • Static stretches
     • Benefits
       • Stop lactic acid build up
       • Stop blood pooling
       • Reduce heart rate back to rest

6. Aerobic Capacity and VO2 Max

   • Aerobic Capacity - The ability to work at a sub-maximal level over a long period of time (60-80% of MHR)
   • VO2 Max - The highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal activity
   • Factors that Affect Aerobic Capacity
     • Training
       • Doing Continuous or Fartlek training will improve cardiovascular endurance
     • Age
       • The older you get the lower your max heart rate meaning less aerobic capacity
     • Gender
       • Males have bigger hearts and lungs meaning they can work at a higher intensity and thus have a better aerobic capacity
     • Genetics
       • The more Type 1 Fibres you have the better your aerobic capacity due to fibres allowing more oxygen into the body
   • Fitness Testing of Aerobic Capacity
     • Multi-Stage Fitness Test
       • Known as the 'bleep test', the multi-stage fitness test is when you run between 2 ends (lengthened 20 metres) before the beep occurs
       • If a beep is missed you must catch up, if you miss it again you drop out and the score you get is the result for your test. The higher the better
       • Advantages
         • It is easy and quick to do
         • Can be performed in a small space with large numbers
       • Disadvantages
         • People have to be motivated to get a good score
         • People miss the end and don't call it making it less accurate
         • Turns into anaerobic respiration once it goes past a certain point
     • Gas Analysis
       • Gas analysis is the test performed on a treadmill or bike, applying resistance or more speed to reach and measure the max amount of oxygen intake
       • Once it reaches max intake, the graph lines off and the person cant take in anymore oxygen
       • Advantages
         • Very accurate scores in measuring VO2 Max
         • Person can't cheat
       • Disadvantages
         • Very expensive to buy all the equipment
         • Only used at the elite level
     • PWC 170 (Physical Working Capacity Test)
       • Performed on the exercise bike and working sub-maximally at 60-80% of MHR
       • The resistance increases and a linear relationship between heart rate and oxygen intake are measured on a graph

7. Characteristics of Training

   • Fartlek Training
     • A form of speed training that is effective in improving speed and endurance
     • It involves varying your pace throughout your run, alternating between fast and slow jogs
     • Fartlek is very unstructured and work to rest intervals are based on how the body feels
     • Advantages
       • It doesn't have to be on track, it can be used on any terrain
       • Cognitive learners enjoy the easy to learn and speed work sessions
       • No tedium as there is loads of variety
     • Disadvantages
       • The constant pauses stops the kinesthesis of the training
       • It is easy for trainers to skip the hard portions and just do the easy ones
   • Interval training
     • It is all about maximum exertion for maximum results
     • It has a series of high and low intensity activities to improve cardiovascular endurance
     • Alternating bursts of fast running with slow trains the muscles to work more efficiently at higher speeds
     • Work to rest ratio aerobically - 1 to 1
     • Advantages
       • Highly adapatable
       • Recovery time allows cognitive learners to not become as fatigued so quick
     • Disadvantages
       • Pauses stop the kinesthesis of the training
       • Can't experiment with multiple intervals
   • Altitude Training
     • A practice used by endurance athletes at a high altitude to increase the amount of oxygen depth that is needed to work at that high altitude
     • This is then brought down to sea level and oxygen capacity should have improved
     • It is extreme and increase the athletes red blood cell count
     • Advantages
       • Performance improves overtime
       • Increasing the amount of red blood cells in the body and blood flow
     • Disadvantages
       • Can't train at the same intensity when at sea level
       • Not everyone has an area of high altitude
   • Continuous Training
     • A type of training that involves activity without rest intervals
     • It is performed over a long, steady period of time, while working between 60-80% of your sub-maximal capacity
     • It is usually used by long distance runners such as Mo Farah
     • Advantages
       • Improves your overall aerobic capacity
       • Performance can be monitored using heart rate machines
       • No equipment is needed
     • Disadvantges
       • Very repetitive so it gets boring
       • Self-motivation is needed to perfrom
       • Causes lots of skeletal injuries

8. Adaptations Caused by Aerobic Training

   • A permanent change to the body caused by 6 to 8 weeks of regular changing
   • Skeletal
     • Increase strength along the bone and bone density
     • Cartilage becomes thicker
     • Ligaments and tendons become stronger
   • Muscular
     • Increase resistance to fatigue
     • Increase number of Type 1 muscle fibres
     • Changing Type 2b fibres to 2a's
     • Increase in myoglobin and mitochondria stores
     • Increase muscle glycogen stores
     • Develop muscular endurance
   • Cardiovascular
     • Increase stroke volume and cardiac output
     • Decreasing in resting heart rate
     • Increase in left ventricular wall size
     • Increase in capillaries
     • Blood vessel walls can dilate easier
   • Respiratory
     • Increase in surface area of alveoli (diffuses more)
     • Stronger respiratory muscles
   • Lifestyle
     • Decrease in body fat
     • Improve metabolism
     • Delay in OBLA