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Periodization Theory (Training)

🩺 Nursing & Health By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: periodization is a training-planning theory that divides the training period into larger and smaller cycles and varies volume and intensity deliberately, so athletes avoid overtraining and peak for key competitions. It has evolved from the traditional linear model to undulating and block periodization.
Contents
  1. 1. Concept and theoretical basis
  2. 2. Training cycles
  3. 3. Training phases
  4. 4. Periodization models
  5. 5. Related concepts
  6. 6. References

Concept and theoretical basis

Periodization divides a whole season into periods with different goals, volumes and intensities so that peak performance (peaking) occurs at the desired time. Its theoretical foundation is Selye's (1936) general adaptation syndrome: under stress (training load) the body passes from an alarm reaction to a resistance (adaptation) stage, but excessive stress leads to exhaustion. With appropriate rest after training, fitness rebounds above its previous level, a process called supercompensation, so the key is to arrange load and recovery in cycles.

Training cycles

  • Macrocycle: a large cycle of a season or a year (sometimes a four-year Olympic cycle).
  • Mesocycle: a medium cycle of usually two to six weeks focusing on particular fitness qualities.
  • Microcycle: a small cycle of usually one week arranging daily intensity and rest.

Training phases

  • Preparatory phase: general preparation builds base fitness with high volume; specific preparation adds sport-specific work.
  • Competition phase: volume drops while intensity and technical quality rise, with a taper before competition to shed fatigue.
  • Transition phase: active rest restores body and mind and prepares the next season.

Periodization models

Traditional (linear) periodization, systematized by the Soviet scientist Matveyev in the 1960s, moves from high volume and low intensity early in the season to lower volume and higher intensity. Bompa and Haff's (2009) textbook set out these principles widely. Undulating (non-linear) periodization varies intensity and repetitions frequently, even within a week. Issurin (2010) criticized the traditional model's "mixed" training of many abilities at once for producing conflicting physiological responses and making multiple peaks per season difficult, and proposed block periodization: sequencing short blocks (accumulation, transmutation, realization) of highly concentrated work on a few target abilities.

How energy is supplied at different training intensities is covered in aerobic and anaerobic exercise metabolism.

References

  1. Bompa, T. O., & Haff, G. G. (2009). Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training (5th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
  2. Issurin, V. B. (2010). New horizons for the methodology and physiology of training periodization. Sports Medicine, 40(3), 189–206.
  3. Selye, H. (1936). A syndrome produced by diverse nocuous agents. Nature, 138, 32.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.