Welcome to Edge Performance, this months article will be covering, periodization, how it relates to the successful athlete, and how we here at Edge utilize this training tool to help our athletes perform at peak levels. Periodization is the concept that strength and conditioning professionals manipulate variables, such as training specificity, intensity, and volume, into blocks of time, that best suit individual athletes needs and sport. The figure below shows a sample periodization model for the highschool baseball player that also competes in a summer league.
Now this example can be broken down into more complicated periodization models, but instead let’s go into depth on the last line. First, we have the “Transition Phase”, this phase is an influential component of developing skilled athletes, because it is the phase were we are able to break down athletes movements, and help them recover from a long season, as well as gather everything needed to prepare them for the next season. Contrary to popular belief, in order to be great at a sport, you do not always have to train directly for that sport. In fact this has been shown to lead to many sport specific overuse injuries in high school athletes. Edge utilizes orderly transition phases, to combat against such injuries.
Second, we have the “General Preparation Phase” (GPP), this phase is where we lay a firm foundation for the athlete to build on, again avoiding to many sport specific exercises, we focus on building the athletes work capacity and usually try to gain back some of the muscle mass lost during the previous season. The GPP is a fundamental component that leads directly into a more sport “Specific Preparation Phase” (SPP), also known as off-season and pre-season respectively. Unfortunately, most young athletes, coaches, and parents see this period, as the only period of training an athlete should focus on. And while it is great to work hard in the off-season and pre-season, when there is usually more time to devote to strength and power training, it is just as important to maintain that strength and power throughout the entire season.
Which leads us to the final phase, the “Competition Phase”, this phase can occupy half, if not more, of an athletes’ year. Imagine you, or your child, works hard six months out of the year, reaching peak physical condition just as the season starts, and than slowly, but surely sport skill increases in-season, but size, strength, speed, and power development decrease, until it is time to jump into a strength and conditioning program, again. Now, better than you were, but not as great as you should be, it is time to play “catch-up”, until the next season starts.
Think of an annual periodization plan, as an escalator, you prepare and warm-up before taking the first step on, this is the Transition Phase. At first you walk slowly up, the GPP, than speed walk to the top, the SPP. Just as you reach the top, decisions need to be made; skip in-season training, in which case the escalator, slowly lowers you, until the season ends or you can choose to in-season train, stepping off the escalator, maintaining all you’ve worked for, and make your way to the next escalator, to your next level of performance.
This is what Edge wants to help you accomplish, an annual periodization program, that develops the athlete to consistently progress, throughout their competitive careers, no matter how long or short. To find out more about this topic and Edge Performance reach out on facebook at: www.facebook.com/edgevaldosta or through email at: edgevaldosta@gmail.com. We encourage you to keep an eye out for Edge Performance, and see if there is any way we can help you find your edge.
– Daniel Bayman, MS, CSCS
Edge Performance – Article #2 – Daniel Bayman
This is Periodization…at Edge!
