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Many elite athletes use cycle training, or periodization of training, a powerful technique that allows the body to adapt rapidly without over-training and prepares it to accept and benefit from intense workouts. In cycle training, the type, volume, and intensity of training are varied throughout the year. In athletics, the year is divided into off-season, preseason, early season, and peak season. The weight-training program is different during each part of the year.

During the off-season, athletes do general conditioning exercises. The program maintains fitness and provides mental and physical rest from the rigors of training. A tennis or field hockey player might run, play volleyball, swim, and do some circuit training. Light training in the sport maintains skill.

During the preseason and early season (sometimes called the “load phase”), if the goo. is to develop maximum power for a strength-speed sport such as track and field, the program develops base fitness—strength that serves as the basis for maximum lifts later in the season. The weight-training program involves high volume (5 sets of 5 to 8 repetitions for the major exercises, at moderately high intensities). This phase typically is very exhausting.

The peak phase (competitive phase) helps the athlete achieve peak performance. The weight-training program involves high-intensity workouts with much less volume than in the preseason and early season. The athlete gets plenty of rest between intense workouts, a technique that allows peak performance, or “peaking.” If you time workouts and rest correctly, you can predict top performances.

Each major cycle contains microcycles in which volume, intensity, and rest vary from workout to workout or from week to week. The purpose of microcycles is to allow muscle systems adequate recovery time. According to several studies, intensity is the chief factor in enhancing fitness. In traditional training programs, athletes train hard every session, which may lead to overtraining. Microcycles prepare people for intense training days by giving them time to recover.