Dr. Mitch Broser
Block Periodization is becoming more popular in programming for endurance athletes. It refers to the sequencing of specialized blocks of mesocycles* directed at developing a particular aspect of fitness or performance.
- Macrocycle: refers to a full season of training, typically 1 year.
- Mesocycle: refers to blocks of training within the macrocycle, usually weeks of months.
- Microcycle: refers to the components of a mesocycle, typically 1 week
In Block Periodization, there are 3 types of block mesocycles:
- Accumulation – where a high volume of training (at lower intensities) is used to develop basic athletic abilities
- Transmutation – intensified medium-volume training is used to develop sport-specific athletic abilities.
- Realization – A full tapered restoration and preparation program… GAME TIME!
The biological background of the Blocked Periodization approach is built off of the fundamental theories of human adaptation. Each of the mesocycles should be designed to achieve the necessary biological adaption.
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Accumulation Mesocycle
The theory of homeostatic regulation presupposed maintenance of the most rigid and relevant biological constants necessary for protecting general conditions of life. This adaptation is typically for development of basic athletic abilities such as cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength and general coordination. The accumulation block is strictly directed to mitochondrial biogenesis (the machinery to build new cells) and protein synthesis (the building blocks) as a part of hypertrophy (growth) of slow-twitch muscle fibers.
Transmutation Mesocycle
The theory of stress adaptation explains human reactions to extraordinary demands such as highly intense and severe training loads. This type of training mobilizes energy resources that exceed the metabolic levels necessary for homeostatic regulation and trigger endocrine responses of stress-related hormones. This hormonal response has an anabolic effect. This is related to anaerobic glycolytic exercises (high output, shorter duration) and various sport-specific tasks demanding high energy output. In this block, we see remarkable increase in myonuclear content in muscle fibers that contribute to regaining adaptations gained in previous stages of the program. This is important for the development of a small number of targeted abilities within a certain block while the other abilities are dormant.
Realization Mesocycle
The law of supercompensation postulates the sequencing of negative and positive phases of one’s recovery after several and/or serial training workloads, resulting in attaining progressively higher levels of athletic abilities. It provides full restoration and peaking in preparation of competition. This mesocycle increases expression of stress-related and myogenic genes which stimulate protein synthesis combined with elevated muscle glycogen stores. Blocked periodization programs elicit a substantial increase in the size, force and power of fast-twitch fibers.
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It is important to note that implementing high-volume training (directed at developing basic abilities) and intense training (for sport-specific abilities) concurrently evokes conflicting physiological reactions between the homeostatic and stress mechanisms of human adaptation. Powerful stress reactions suppress and disrupt homeostatic regulation and have a deleterious effect on the development of basic athletic abilities such as aerobic base. Implementing extensive and sport-specific intensive training programs in appropriate block mesocycles with block periodization helps avoid this conflict.
Superior gains in maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peal) and aerobic capabilities are seen in block periodization training, with the amount of improvement depending on program duration, up to a certain point. There are also larger gains in power output corresponding to VO2peak and anaerobic threshold at the first ventilatory threshold. Superior performance gains in seen in longer time trials.
How should this direct your programming? How can you play with biology to get yourself ready for peak performance? To out it very, very simply – Once you set a training goal:
- Start off easy and do a lot of it! The longer the better, to a certain point.
- Getting closer to you race or event, increase the intensity of some of your workouts and keep pushing yourself harder! Ideally, you spend more time on step 1.
- When your training intensity peaks and get just past your peak of performance, use it as a performance sling-shotter as you recover and allow your body to ‘supercompensate’ to a new level of peak performance.
However, this is easier said then done. Many factors affect how well you train and recover, and hence how effective your program is. Getting the right timing with mesocycle duration, block transitions and peaking takes time and practice.
Reference:
- Issurin VB. Biological Background of Block Periodized Endurance Training: A Review. Sports Med. 2019 Jan;49(1):31-39. doi: 10.1007/s40279-018-1019-9. PMID: 30411234.