Block Periodization in the Sport of Powerlifting
By
Brendan Gonring
Block periodization
This program is based on the concepts outlined in Dr. Vladimir Issurin’s,
Block Periodization: A Breakthrough in Sports Training. This isn’t meant to
be a program directed toward all powerlifters of all levels or qualifications,
nor is it meant to provide the reader with all of the foundations for developing
a block periodization plan for powerlifting or any other sport. Rather it’s a
discussion about the formation of this program for the personal use of the
author and his teammates in preparation for a push/pull powerlifting contest
along with the reasoning behind the application of particular means and methods.
One of the key concepts behind the use of the block periodization model is
that the loading of the organism is concentrated into distinct mesocycle-blocks
that serve to increase the athlete’s general and special preparedness to a
greater degree than through the tradition linear or complex/parallel method of
training. The order and duration of the blocks in this plan is determined, in
part, by the length of the training residuals that remain after a concentrated
block has ended. This refers to the fact that for every trait developed in the
preparation program of an athlete, there is a delayed training effect after the
cessation of training. These training residuals have different durations
depending on the preparedness level of the athlete, the athletic trait being
developed, and the means and methods used during the block.
In traditional periodization plans, the training residuals aren’t taken into
account, and the training plan is certainly not constructed to take advantage of
them. In the block periodization plan, the concentrated focus of the block is
switched to another more specific aim after the end of the initial
mesocycle-block while training residuals still carry on. In most cases,
generalized training has displayed a longer duration for training residuals than
specific or specialized training. Thus, the plan will begin with these
generalized means and move toward more specialized means as competition
approaches.
In the sport of powerlifting, there are fewer traits to be developed for the
achievement of sports mastery than are typical in many other athletic endeavors
such as in most team sports. These aims are maximal/absolute strength and
technical ability. Obviously, there are other important factors, but these are
the traits that most directly relate to a high level of achievement in
powerlifting. Due to this, the complex of training means can be more limited
than in the training plan of many other sports, and the training blocks can be
differentiated by the classification of the means utilized rather than extreme
differences in training aims, as may be seen in a block periodization training
plan for ball players or other individual sports in which many forms of special
strength or special endurance must be displayed.
Program overview
This plan will begin 12 weeks from the above stated goal competition and will
include three distinct mesocycles as per the block periodization plan. The first
mesocycle will be that of accumulation, which will last for five weeks. The
second mesocycle will be a transmutation phase with a duration of four weeks.
The final mesocycle is that of realization, which will last three weeks. During
these three months of training, a multitude of means and methods of strength
training will be utilized, including the maximal, dynamic, repeated, and
submaximal effort methods in general and special exercises. The guidelines of
A.S. Prilepin’s chart will be used to calculate volume for the main training
exercises in each session and will help to determine load levels for each of the
micro and mesocycles.
Accumulation
The accumulation mesocycle focuses on the development of generalized
abilities necessary for success in powerlifting. This mesocycle is also very
important for increasing the potential working effect of the following block’s
mesocycle. Morphological changes (maximal strength, hypertrophy) of the active
and supporting musculature and of the connective tissues including the ligaments
and tendons will be of utmost importance during the accumulation block. These
traits will be developed through primarily general preparatory and special
preparatory exercises. Secondary characteristics to be developed or retained
include maximal strength, technical ability, general working capacity, and
flexibility/mobility, which will be developed using a wide variety of general
preparatory, special preparatory, and special developmental means.
The accumulation block will contain five, week long microcycles, each
containing several individual workouts. The most important training loads will
be concentrated into key workouts, which will be performed twice per microcyle,
usually during the middle of the training week on nonconsecutive days to
facilitate central nervous system (CNS) recovery with load level measured on a
workout to workout and daily basis. These key workouts will develop the most
important traits of the microcycle and will contain the highest loading and
volume.
The first microcycle of the accumulation block will be an adjustment
microcycle meant to introduce the workload and format of training to the athlete
while gradually increasing the workload. This microcycle will contain six
training sessions, and there will be two peaks in terms of load level during the
week. There will be four primary strength training sessions—two of which will be
considered the key workouts—containing the most CNS intensive means and methods.
The key workouts for the week will have a primary focus on maximal strength
hypertrophy and a secondary focus on maximal strength. Both key workouts will
utilize special preparatory exercises with the modified repeated effort method.
The first of these two key workouts will focus on improvement of the upper body
musculature responsible for movement in the bench press, and the second key
workout will focus on the improvement of the lower body musculature necessary
for the deadlift.
This modified repeated effort method will not be the performance of multiple
sets of high repetitions with low resistance but rather a high number of sets
with a significant resistance (75–85 percent) for multiple sets of low
repetitions with short rest periods in between. This will develop hypertrophy
and strength of the active musculature as well as build the general work
capacity. For the upper body key training session, the main special preparatory
exercises used will be the incline bench press and the floor press. For the
lower body, the box squat will be performed.
The two other strength sessions will consist of maximal strength training as
the primary goal and, on one of the days, technical ability as a secondary aim.
These traits will be developed through the utilization of the submaximal effort
method with special preparatory and special developmental means. Again, one of
the sessions will focus on the upper body and the other on the lower body. These
sessions will contain a lower load level than the two key workouts, serving
toward retention or slight development of the above listed traits through less
CNS intensive means than those used during the key workouts. For the upper body
session, the primary exercise will be the special developmental exercise of the
bench press without competitive gear using various grips, and the lower body
sessions will use the special preparatory exercise of the good morning as well
as the special developmental exercise of squats with just a power belt.
The remainder of the training sessions will be devoted to aerobic
restoration, flexibility, mobility, prehabilitation, and work capacity
development through general aerobic means and movement drills. These additional
workouts will focus on low intensity generalized exercises such as forward and
backward sled dragging or pushing, walking or jogging, repetitive throwing of a
medicine ball, lifting or swinging of a kettlebell or Indian club, stretching,
and foam rolling. All aerobic work must be low volume/time and must fall well
below the anaerobic threshold. Mobility and prehabiitation drills must not
fatigue any of the musculature involved in subsequent key workouts or strength
sessions.
The second, third, and forth microcylces of the accumulation block will all
be considered loading microcycles meant to improve goal fitness qualities of the
mesocycle through the use of higher workloads in the same means and exercises as
listed above. The format of these microcycles will be very similar to the
previous adjustment week. However the number of workouts will increase from six
in the first microcyle to 8–10 per week. There will still be four primary
strength sessions with two being classified as key workouts. The focus, means,
and methods utilized will be the same as during the adjustment phase but with an
increase in volume and intensity. Developmental loads will now be used on all
four strength sessions with substantial loading occurring during key workouts.
The final week of the accumulation mesocycle will be a restorative microcyle
meant to ensure a proper level of fatigue as the next mesocycle begins. To
ensure this goal, overall volume and intensity will decrease, especially during
the strength sessions. However, the athlete will continue to maintain regular
restorative workouts to further in recovery from the preceding loading
microcycles. Developmental loads will be used during the key workouts but with
low volume, and the other strength sessions will contain only retaining loads.
Transmutation
The second block will be that of transmutation, in which the training load
becomes more focused toward the special strength preparation needed for the
sport of powerlifting. Fatigue will accumulate during this mesocycle as more
workouts will be performed during the microcycles, and these training sessions
will contain a higher volume and intensity than what was found in the
accumulation mesocycle. This block will build upon the generalized traits
developed in the accumulation block and transfer them in specific preparedness
for the upcoming competition.
The main traits that will be developed during this block will be maximal
strength, which is of utmost importance, and speed strength, which is the
secondary trait in this block. The block will also contain workloads toward
retention of maximal strength hypertrophy, and restorative means similar to
those used in the previous block will be used extensively. Maximal strength will
be developed using special preparatory and special developmental exercises while
general preparatory exercises will be used to facilitate restoration and
hypertrophy, especially of the supporting musculature. The template of this
training block will look very familiar to those who have trained following the
principles of Westside Barbell.
As in the previous block, there will be four primary strength sessions. Two
sessions will be devoted toward maximal strength development through the usage
of the maximal effort method in special preparatory and development exercises
such as board presses and bench presses with accommodating resistance with the
maximal effort method and box squats and deadlift with various starting
positions and accommodating resistance to build the lower body with the maximal
effort method. These workouts will be considered the key workouts for the week
and will fall in the middle of the microcycle.
The two other strength sessions will focus on the development of maximal
strength/speed strength through the use of the circa maximal dynamic effort
method in special developmental and preparatory exercises of the bench press,
the box squat, and the deadlift, including accommodating resistance in the form
of chains or band tension along with bar weight to increase the resistance to
nearly 90 percent on these lifts. These will be performed explosively with
compensatory acceleration despite the high resistance, due in part to the
overspeed eccentric effect provided by the bands in the box squat and bench
press and by the contrast reactive effect provided by the significant portion of
loading in the form of accommodation resistance. All four of these workouts can
be classified as high CNS intensive training sessions. However, the load level
is higher during the key workout sessions.
As was previously stated, restoration will be very important in this block.
The usage of the higher workloads makes it all the more important to include
these sessions to avoid the accumulation of excessive fatigue and to allow for
successful accommodation and progression. There will be several restorative
workouts throughout the week, especially prior to and after the key workouts.
This four-week training block will begin with one adjustment microcyle to
prepare for the higher load level than was utilized in the previous block. It
should be noted that although this microcycle is classified as adjustment, it is
still higher in overall load and volume than much of the previous block.
Following this adjustment, two loading microcycles and one impact microcycle
containing an extreme load level will be utilized. Fatigue will accumulate
during this cycle, and restoration will occur during the final block, which will
be that of realization.
Realization
The realization mesocycle is meant to be directed toward achievement of peak
performance in competition. This block is traditionally referred to as the
taper. Because this block begins under the influence of the accumulated fatigue
of the previous transmutation mesocycle, restorative measures are very
important, as is a reduction in the volume and load level of the workouts.
During this stage, we will develop event specific technique and tactics as well
as normalize the levels of special strength preparedness and special work
capacity in the competitive exercises. During this block, the majority of work
will be done with the competitive exercises as well as with the special
development exercises, which serve to retain special strength.
This block will be the shortest of the preparation program, containing only
three microcycles. The first microcycle will be classified as an adjustment
microcycle containing a much lower load level than any of those in the previous
block. During this week, there will be extensive use of restorative means, which
will allow for the athlete to display proper sports’ form in the competitive
exercise in the successive microcycles.
The second microcycle will be classified as a loading cycle with a higher
load level than the previous week yet still far lower in volume than that of the
transmutative block. During these two microcycles, there will again be four
primary strength training sessions, two of which are considered key workouts.
The key workouts will be dedicated to event (sports) specific simulation (SSS)
through the use of the competitive exercise under competitive conditions. As the
meet for which this program was developed includes only the bench press and
deadlift events, the key workouts will focus on these competition exercises
under as a close an approximation to competitive conditions as possible.
The athlete will perform three attempts, utilizing a load very close to the
opening competition weight with the competitive equipment (bench press shirt,
wrist wraps, briefs, squat suit, and belt) with long (5–10 minute) rest periods
approximating those experienced at the same competition the previous year. The
general and special warm ups for these sessions will model the progression and
weights the athletes will use in the warm-up room at the meet as well. This is
considered to be maximal effort work and is CNS high intensive. However, with
respect to achieving a restorative effect throughout the mesocycle, the volume
of work (three singles at approximately 90 percent of maximum) done using this
method will be kept low using the guidelines set by A.S. Prilepin’s chart.
The other two strength sessions will be dedicated toward the retention of
maximal strength through the submaximal effort method in special preparatory and
developmental exercises. The bench press, deadlift, and box squat will be used
for these means without the use of competitive powerlifting gear. These workouts
will be considered CNS non-intensive. The training sessions at this stage will
be kept short because not many general or special preparatory exercises will be
included. The development of these general abilities is no longer a goal in the
current mesocycle.
Other work during these microcyles will be directed toward restorative
measures including aerobic restoration, flexibility/mobility, soft tissue work,
and relaxation. The final microcyle will be entirely devoted toward these
restorative means as the competition falls on the Saturday at the end of the
final microcycle.
Results and closing thoughts
The author achieved excellent results upon completion of this program. At the
bench press and deadlift contest, the author improved his competition personal
records in the bench press and deadlift by 40 and 70 lbs, respectively, narrowly
missing a 70-lb personal record in the bench press. The author’s training
partner also had excellent results on the program as well, achieving a 60-lb
personal record in the bench press as well as his highest deadlift since a
serious hamstring injury. These achievements were made using the same
competitive gear from the previous meet and participating in the same weight
classification. It is the opinion of the author that the design of the training
program contributed greatly toward this improved level of achievement. Thanks
must also be given to the training partners and fellow lifters who assisted the
author in training and at the competition itself.
It is the opinion of the author that the block periodization approach has
great potential for training toward achievement of sports mastery in the sport
of powerlifting. In a sport with such distinct goals to be developed during the
preparation plan, it is very logical to follow an organizational plan that
systematically develops these traits in concentrated blocks in order to ensure a
higher level of achievement as the sportsman moves closer to the most important
competitions.
With a training plan that maximizes the carryover of training residuals from
the more generalized traits developed early in the training stage through the
specialized and competitive abilities developed later, it is possible to attain
a true peak in sports performance at precisely the time of the most important
competitions of the annual or multi-annual plan.
It is suggested that interested readers examine Dr. Issurin's text upon which
this program was based for a much further in-depth discussion of the principles
of block periodization and its application to sports training.
References
- Bondarchuk AP (2007) Transfer of Training in Sports. Ultimate
Athlete Concepts: Michigan.
- Issurin V (2008) Block Periodization. Ultimate Athlete Concepts:
Michigan.
- Siff MC (1999) Supertraining. Fourth edition. Supertraining
International: Denver.
- Verkoshansky Y (1977) Fundamentals of Special Strength Training in
Sport. Sportivny Press: Michigan.
- Zatsiorsky V (2006) Science and Practice of Strength Training.
Second edition. Human Kinetics.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
