Periodisation : What is it and how does it work?

Continuing on with our training focused blogs recently, we have this one on periodisation. If you're not sure what it is, or ever wondered what your coach means when they talk about different blocks then this will surely clear that up for you a bit. 
As is most often the case, this one is written by James Kennedy. 

Periodisation: What is it and how does it work? 
When you begin working with a powerlifting, strongman or weightlifting coach, you will probably hear them talk about the training plan or training blocks. Hopefully, your plan will be different to other people's plans, specific to your needs and goals. Why? And what does it all mean? 

The variations in training plans between athletes will depend on numerous factors: their training goals, their training history, their experience and their distance from competition. Relying on all these factors, a coach will select a periodisation strategy. In this article, we will outline three common periodisation strategies used in strength sports - linear periodisation, block periodisation and undulating periodisation. 

First though, some definitions. When we talk about periodisation, we are simply referring to how training is organised. Within the periodisation framework, training is broken down into the macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle. The macrocycle refers to big picture training cycles - for example, if you were planning to compete in 6 months, your big picture training macrocycle would be the training you do between now and the competition. Within that 6-month macrocycle, your training will probably be broken down into smaller chunks of 4-6 weeks. This is the mesocycle. Finally, the mesocycle itself would be broken down into shorter periods - usually a week of training, known as a microcycle. 

Obviously, within this structure there is a considerable amount of variation and different approaches, and, in reality, good programming usually uses some aspects from a variety of periodisation approaches. Within this article, we will outline three common types of periodisation - linear, undulating and conjugate - and how they may be combined to build a complete training programme through a series of macro-cycles.

Overview of different types of periodisation - Linear, Undulating, Conjugate

Firstly, Linear Periodisation. Linear periodisation is the simplest form of periodisation - as the name applies it involves a linear approach to changing training variables from session to session. This approach is commonly used with beginners - for example, the Starting Strength programme popularised by Mark Rippetoe. This approach utilises no changes in exercise from session to session, with the exercises progressively overloaded each session. This can be done by either increasing the weight on the bar - for example, adding 2.5kg to the bar - or by adding more reps - for example doing 5 reps in session 1, 6 in week session 2 and so on. 

This contrasts with an undulating periodisation approach. Within undulating periodisation, exercises are kept the same, however volume (sets and reps) and intensity (percentage on the bar). So, an undulating approach might have you squatting three days a week, working in a variety of rep ranges: 
        * Day 1 - 5 x 5 x 75% 
        * Day 2 - 4 x 3 x 80% 
        * Day 3 - 4 x 2 x 88%

The final type of periodisation is conjugate periodisation. Conjugate periodisation revolves around changing exercise selection every microcycle but hitting the same sets and reps at each exercise. Within a conjugate approach, intensity is kept the same - but the actual weight will change depending on the exercise used. A conjugate approach might look something like this:

* microcycle 1 - front squats
* microcycle 2 - high bar squats
* microcycle 3 - low bar squats 

Now, often people talk about these approaches as if they are mutually exclusive. However, most training programmes utilise all three approaches over varying time scales. A typical microcycle may have you squatting two to three times a week.  However,  if you are doing *different* squat variations each workout an undulating periodisation approach is being used from session to session. If you then increase the weight used from micro-cycle to micro-cycle then linear periodisation is being used on a  micro-cycle scale. If every mesocycle you rotate exercises to address specific weak points and satisfy the principle of variation, then conjugate periodisation is being used on a mesocycle level. This type of approach - undulating periodisation from session to session, linear progression between weeks (to satisfy the principle of progressive overload (article link here)) and conjugate periodisation between macro-cycles - is inherent to structuring a good training programme. 


This overview of periodisation strategies has focused so far on different ways to organise training on the micro to macro-cycle scale. These macro-cycles are then organised and planned out with regard to training goals and the yearly training plan. Take an A/BPU powerlifter as an example. In January, they may sit down with their coach and plan out how to win world championships in September, in the -100kg weight class. To do this, they would need to qualify for the British Championship, then place in the top 2 at the British Championships in June to qualify for world championships in September. When planning out the year, the lifter needs to hit the qualifying total for British Championships and select a competition in March - three months away. 

For this athlete,  we can plan out three distinct macro-cycles within the year - January to competition 1, competition 1 to competition 2, and finally competition 2 to competition 3. Within these macro-cycles, three mesocycles could be planned to enable the lifter to hit their goals on the platform. Across these mesocycles, multiple periodisation techniques will be utilised on the session to session and microcycle to microcycle time frame. 

However, what would we do in each mesocycle? Broadly, the mesocycles would fit into one of three phases, accumulation, transmutation and realisation. In mesocycle one, the aim would be to increase the ability of the athlete to train by improving their specific conditioning for the sport of powerlifting. This phase would focus on higher volume and lower intensity - for example, 4 to 6 sets of 5-8 reps at 60-75% of your one rep max. The second mesocycle - the transmutation phase - is where we utilise the increased work capacity and new muscle to build increased strength. Within this mesocycle, the intensity will increase and volume will decrease, with typical volumes of 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps of 75-85% RM. The final phase would be the realisation phase, where the lifter exposes their body to heavier weights to maximally express the new strength within the completion. This mesocycle would typically be shorter than the proceeding mesocycles and involve much higher intensities but lower volumes, with 1-3 sets of 1-3 reps at 85-95% RM. 

This basic three mesocycle plan is typically how powerlifters move through a competition macro-cycle: beginning with higher volume and lower intensity mesocycles and slowly decreasing volume as intensity increases to peak and win on the platform. Within the competition macro-cycle, the mesocycles will display elements of undulating, conjugate and linear periodisation to make sure the athlete is progressively overloaded and prepared for competition. 

Within this article, we have outlined the basics of periodisation (I’m not exaggerating when I say there are hundreds of books on this subject). How specifically periodisation is used will depend on the athlete and their short, medium and long-term goals. Hopefully, this article will have given you enough information to understand what’s in your programme and more importantly, why!

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