The Science and Practice of Periodization: A Brief Review Anthony Turner, MSc, CSCS London Sport Institute, Middlesex University, London, England SUMMARY PERIODIZATION REPRESENTS AN OPTIMAL STRATEGY FOR ORGA- NIZING STRENGTH AND CONDI- TIONING PROGRAMS. THE SELECTED STRATEGY, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE BASED ON THE LEVEL OF THE ATHLETE AND THE CON- STRAINTS OF THE COMPETITIVE SEASON. A COMMON THEME THROUGHOUT ALL THE PERIODI- ZATION PROTOCOLS IS THE NEED TO MANIPULATE VOLUME LOADS, PROGRESS FROM GENERAL TO SPORT-SPECIFIC TRAINING, AND DISSIPATE FATIGUE. SIGNIFICANT TO THE LATTER, THE USE OF PRECOMPETITION TAPERS AP- PEARS EVIDENTLY BENEFICIAL. ALTHOUGH ENOUGH ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE EXISTS TO VALIDATE THE USE OF PERIODIZATION, FUR- THER SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION IS REQUIRED TO UNDERSTAND ITS USE AND LIMITATIONS TO ELITE LEVEL ATHLETES ACROSS EX- TENDED PERIODS (E.G., .4 YEARS). UNTIL SUCH TIME, HOW- EVER, ITS USE IS RECOMMENDED AND ADVOCATED BY THE RE- SEARCH HEREIN. INTRODUCTION P eriodization is regarded as a superior method for developing an athlete’s peak performance (16,26,71–73). However, because an athlete’s peak performance can only be maintained for 2–3 weeks (74), the ability to coordinate this with a com- petition date long into the future (e.g., the Olympics) is a fundamental skill to all strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches and the one that may only be attained after competency of the sci- ence and practice of periodization. Furthermore, and despite an apparent lack of scientific rigor to govern its application (8,16,21,64,71), periodiza- tion is widely practiced (11–13,67) and recommended (26,27,64). The aim of this article, therefore, was to provide the S&C coach with a brief overview of periodization so as they may be cog- nizant of its theory and methodology. It is hoped that this will further facilitate its implementation and suc- cessful application. DEFINING PERIODIZATION Periodization may be defined as a train- ing plan, whereby peak performance is brought about through the potentia- tion of biomotors and the management of fatigue and accommodation. This is principally achieved through the logi- cal yet creative variation of training methods and volume loads (50). Sig- nificant to the latter point, and often- times the landmark of periodization, volume and intensity (volume loads) share an inverse relationship (Figure 1) with the only notable exceptions being during periods of planned overreach- ing (Figure 2). Plisk and Stone (64) suggest that periodization is applied on a cyclic or periodic basis, structured into macro-, meso-, and microcycles, which prog- ress from extensive to intensive (or from high volume to high intensity) workloads (Figure 1). These cycles are often defined by their allotted period, with a macrocycle typically referring to a year, a mesocycle to a month, and a microcycle to a week. There is, however, large variability in the time course of each, with, for example, macrocycles running $4 years in the case of Olympic S&C programs. Moreover, mesocycles are often di- vided into 4 6 2-week blocks, as this appears to provide the optimal time frame for adaptation (51,64,74,84,87). Periodization is also often defined by its progression from general to special tasks (Figure 1, note the incorporation of technique-/sport-specific biomotors as the program progresses and com- petition nears) (64). This is further supported by Bompa and Haff (5) who reported 2 major phases of periodiza- tion: the preparatory phase and the competitive phase (Figure 1). In addi- tion, the preparatory phase has 2 subphases: general physical training (GPT) and sport-specific physical training (SSPT). The objective of the GPT is to improve the athlete’s work capacity and maximize adaptations in preparation for future workloads (5). The SSPT serves as a transition into the competitive phase, whereby phys- ical capacity is developed specific to the physiological profile of the sport KEY WORDS: periodization; fitness; fatigue; recovery; preparedness; summated; undulating; conjugate; taper VOLUME 33 | NUMBER 1 | FEBRUARY 2011 Copyright Ó National Strength and Conditioning Association 34 TAKE QUIZ