We all know the exhilarating feeling of pushing ourselves in our chosen sport—the ‘high’ from training, breaking personal records, and for some, even competing and winning. For me, this journey began with sprinting, where I was introduced to strength and conditioning, commonly known as hitting the gym. Over the years, it became clear how crucial resistance training is to athletic performance. Whether it's blasting out of the blocks, sprinting to the finish line, or scoring a rugby try, effective strength and conditioning play a critical role.

So, how do we build and run a gym programme to support athletic performance? The key pillars to making substantial gains are phase potentiation, periodisation, and proper nutrition. This blog will cover the overarching structure of your program.

Understanding Periodisation

Periodisation involves breaking your entire training program, which could span several months to even a year, into phases such as foundational conditioning, hypertrophy, strength, and power (in some cases). This also includes deloading—reducing training intensity within phases and between phases to aid in fatigue management.

On the track, we typically follow this programmed approach throughout the year leading up to the competition season.

Why Periodisation is Effective

The primary benefit of periodisation is an effect called phase potentiation. Moving through each phase sequentially enhances the results of the next phase. Here’s how it works:

1. Foundational Conditioning:
   We start with basic conditioning to prepare your body for the greater training demands that lie ahead. This is essentially "training to train." The focus here is on aerobic conditioning, mobility (can you squat deep?), and accessory work, all while keeping fatigue low. The goal is to build a solid fitness base without experiencing constant muscle soreness (DOMS).

2. Hypertrophy Phase:
   Once you're fit, the next step is to build muscle. The aim is to incrementally increase muscle mass—perhaps by a kilo or two over the entire training program. However, remember that we're not bodybuilders here. Excessive mass can hinder performance; I've seen track athletes get slower and MMA fighters become less mobile due to excessive muscle gain. During this phase, you’ll do more volume and gradually increase weights. You might even forgo squats, deadlifts, and cleans early in this phase if you're coming off an intense training season, giving your body a break.

3. Strength Phase:
   After a deload week, you transition to the strength phase. Here, you shift to lower rep ranges while focusing on increasing weight, with an emphasis on key lifts like cleans, squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. These lifts are essential to any training program and highly effective in building functional strength. A typical routine might involve 4-5 sets of 4-6 reps. Personally, I prefer a mix of heavy and moderate days for squats, progressively adjusting the load throughout the week.

4. Peak Strength and Power Phase:
   After several months of strength training (with deloads), you’re ready to lift even heavier and lower the rep range. At this point, you’ve gained muscle and strength, making you ready to peak the nervous system. This phase is ideal when aiming for a PR or preparing for a competition. The rep range drops to 1-3, with 2-5 sets. The goal here is to prime the nervous system for maximal strength, not hypertrophy, as the low volume isn’t enough to cause significant muscle microtears. You might employ techniques like wave loading while staying injury-free and managing fatigue.

5. Power Development (Optional):
   For those focusing on running or jumping sports, a power phase is beneficial. Here, you lower the weight to around 50% of your max and perform more explosive movements. This conditions the nervous system to recruit muscle fibres quickly, enhancing your ability to apply force rapidly.

Achieving Athletic Performance Gains

By the end of these phases, you'll have added muscle, taught your nervous system to recruit and drive that new muscle, and learned to use it explosively. As a result, you’ll be stronger, faster, and more powerful, ultimately improving your athletic performance.