Periodisation is a structured training approach used by athletes (and fitness enthusiasts) to optimise their performance and achieve their sport (or fitness) goals. Periodisation involves dividing a strength training programme into distinct phases, each with a specific focus and objective. Strength training periodisation for ultramarathon performance involves synchronising ultramarathon training phases with supplementary strength training. This allows ultrarunners to systematically target different aspects of physical development throughout the training cycle, leading to more efficient progress and a reduced risk of plateaus and injuries, and arrive in peak condition on race day.
With sports science spreading wide and aspirational athleticism on a steady rise globally, the concept of periodisation is no longer left to elites and professional athletes alone. Effectively planning periodisation is one of the most important ingredients of crafting a training programme, whether it's for a competition, or for general progression of fitness. The key principles behind periodisation are:
Specificity: A training program should be specific to one's sport or fitness goals. For example, a runner's training program will look different from a weightlifter's program. By incorporating exercises and movements that mimic the demands of your chosen activity, athletes develop the specific strength, power, and endurance needed to excel in their respective sports.
Progression: A core principle of periodisation is progressive overload. This means gradually increasing the difficulty of workouts over time, either by increasing the load lifted, the number of repetitions performed, the sets completed, or by reducing rest periods. Progressively overloading muscles forces them to adapt and grow stronger, leading to improved performance and muscular efficiency.
Adaptation: The body constantly adapts to the training stimulus that's provided. Periodisation acknowledges this adaptation process and incorporates periods of recovery and reduced training volume to allow one to rest, rebuild, and come back stronger.
Variety: While a training program should be specific to one's goals, incorporating some variety can help to prevent boredom, reduce the risk of overuse injuries, and target different muscle groups and energy systems. Periodisation allows for strategically incorporating variety into a training program while still maintaining a focus on sport-specific goals.
This article focuses on strength training periodisation from an ultramarathon perspective, with the intended takeaway being how athletes preparing for an ultramarathon can infuse strength training into their event preparation.
Why is Periodisation Important in Training Programmes
Periodisation involves dividing a training program into distinct phases, each with a specific focus. This allows athletes to systematically target different aspects of physical development throughout the training cycle. For example, one might focus on building a strong foundation of foundational strength and general conditioning in one phase, before transitioning to developing sport-specific strength and power in a later phase. By strategically manipulating training variables like volume, intensity, exercise selection, and rest periods, athletes can overload their muscles in a controlled manner, forcing them to adapt and grow stronger. Periodisation provides a framework to implement specificity, adaptation, progressive overload and variety effectively, thereby giving the means to evaluate and achieve sports performance in a measurable manner.
For ultrarunners, this translates to systematically building the required mechanisms to tackle running for long durations, or moving strong over those punishing climbs, or descending swiftly on those rocky downhills. While it can be argued that any form or amount of 'S&C work' is better than none, a periodised approach - especially that syncs with ultramarathon training - just capitalises on much more potential for a stronger and faster outcome.
Implementing Strength Training Periodisation for Ultramarathon Preparation
There are several ways to implement periodisation in a training program. The most common approach involves dividing a training period - usually, the duration from when one starts training till the event, competition or goal that one is training for - into macrocycles (typically lasting several months), mesocycles (lasting a few weeks), and microcycles (lasting one to two weeks). Each macrocycle has a specific goal, such as building general strength or peaking for competition. Mesocycles within a macrocycle are then designed to progressively overload specific muscles that help achieve the goals of the macrocycle. Then microcycles within a mesocycle manipulate training variables on a day-to-day basis to ensure that athletes are constantly challenging their muscles to force adaptation. Finally, deload or rest phases are intentionally planned in order to give the body time to recover and prepare for the next cycles.
Athletes training for an ultramarathon may immediately notice that this is no different from how their ultramarathon coach has programmed their event preparation - and they're right, it's no different. Periodising strength training is simply a means to supplement the main event preparation by providing the required stimulus that causes adaptations resulting in improved ultrarunning performance.
Implementing training periodisation requires a clear understanding of an athlete's goals and the intent behind each macro, meso or microcycle. This section will delve into the three main 'preparatory' macrocycles of strength training periodisation, tailored specifically for athletes preparing for ultramarathons, and illustrated as a 16-week training programme.
Macrocycle 1: General Physical Preparation (GPP) (8 Weeks)
The GPP lays the groundwork for the entire training program by establishing a well-rounded foundation of strength, stability and conditioning. The focus here is to gradually progress towards maximal strength - which refers to the greatest amount of force a muscle can produce in a single contraction. Athletes begin with general strength exercises that target major muscle groups and then progressively increase the weight and intensity of their workouts. While experienced athletes may start with heavier weights, beginners will often start with bodyweight versions of the same exercises.
How the GPP helps: Just like VO2max, maximal strength is a capacity metric. The higher an athlete's maximal strength is, the greater their power output will be. It, therefore, follows that as ultrarunners move into their 'build' phase of running (where the focus shifts towards lactate threshold workouts), their maximal strength correlates to improved capability for generating more power at their threshold efforts. This is, again, familiar territory for ultrarunners as this directly translates to the ability to maintain hard efforts for longer durations.
Microcycle progression thumb rules: Start with general strength and compount movements with lower training volumes and intensities, gradually increasing them throughout the phase. This allows your body to adapt to the training stimulus and build a base for future progress. Manipulate sets, reps, weight, and rest periods to achieve progressive overload.
Macrocycle 2: Specific Physical Preparation (SPP) (4 Weeks)
The SPP is the next phase in strength and conditioning, where the focus shifts from general strength movements to movements specific to the sport. For ultrarunners, this would mean an increasing focus on single-leg work, triple extensions, jumps and generally isolated powerful lower body movements. This helps in developing the specific strength, power, and movement patterns required to perform in an ultramarathon. Plyometric exercises are a valuable tool in this phase, as they help develop explosive power, which is essential for not only power production, but also to help strengthen the components of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC), which is one of the key mechanics of running, and to make the body resilient by 'stiffening the springs' to reduce injury risks.
How the SPP helps: The shift from foundational movements towards specificity primes the body for power output and rate of force development (RFD), both of which are important indicators for running performance and economy. By programming a SPP phase, ultrarunners can mimic and strengthen the core movements that are specific to the demands of their target race.
Microcycle progression thumb rules: Perform single-leg variations of foundational exercises, e.g., split squats, single-leg glute bridges, single-leg deadlifts etc. Introduce powerlifting and plyometrics into the programme. Pair heavy resistance exercises with plyometrics that employ the same movement patterns - e.g., deadlifts paired with broad jumps, split squats paired with RFESS jumps - into contrast sets.
Macrocycle 3: Sport-Specific Preparation (SSP) (4 Weeks)
The SSP is the last phase of the preparatory period and leads to the competition phase(s). In SSP, the focus is to refine sport-specific skills, optimise neuromuscular efficiency and prepare the body to perform at its peak during competition. In this phase, ultrarunners continue to develop sport-specific strength and power, but with a sharper focus on replicating the demands of the competition movements. For example, mountain athletes may perform loaded step ups for uphill strength and eccentrics for downhill specificity. Ultrarunners preparing for a flat course may also incorporate technical drills to refine their movement patterns and enhance neuromuscular efficiency. By practicing under conditions (physical, environmental as well as mental) similar to those faced in competition, ultrarunners and athletes can develop skills that are crucial for peak performance.
How it feeds into the next phase (competition): The SSP is typically followed by the Competition phase, and all the adaptations developed in the preparatory periods are carried to race day via a pre-competition taper where the focus is on maintaining intensity but lowering the volume of training.
Microcycle progression thumb rules: As you near competition, strategically taper your training volume. This allows your body to recover fully and peak at the right time on race day. Perform the same exercises as in the SPP, but shift the focus towards high-intensity training specific to the demands of your sport, while reducing overall training volume.
Summary and Conclusion
The preparatory periodisation model can be summarised as shown below.
Phase | Duration (Weeks) | Focus | Exercises |
General Physical Preparation (GPP) | 8 (7+1) | General Strength, Maximal Strength | Bodyweight and core exercises, compound lifts, stability drills |
Specific Physical Preparation (SPP) | 4 (3+1) | Sport-specific Strength and Power | Plyometrics, compound lifts, single-leg exercises |
Sport Specific Preparation (SSP) | 4 (3+1 or 2+2) | Sport-specific Muscular Endurance and Competition | Event-specific movement drills, single-leg eccentric loading, mobility and maintenance |
Periodisation is a powerful tool for ultrarunners looking to maximise their potential and performance in ultramarathon events. By tailoring the training to focus on specific aspects at different points in the season, ultrarunners can build a strong foundation, develop event-specific strength and power, and then peak at the right time to achieve competition success. However, it's important to remember that training needs to be individualised and this is simply a blueprint. The event-specific needs, athletes' experience levels and individual biology will all play a role in how a training programme is structured. At IronStride, we'll help you with exactly that.
Comments