OVERVIEW OF YEARLY(PERIODISED) TRAINING PLAN

(Ideally there should be different overviews for different positions)

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INTRODUCTION TO PERIODISATION

Please note the following is taken from a series of notes I have made. Hence it probably doesn't read very well.

Periodisation of training is a technique used by virtually all competitive athletes. It is a method of systematically planning training so as to optimise performance and reduce the likelihood of overtraining. The training period leading into competition is divided into different periods or cycles. Each cycle emphasises development of a particular component and the components are developed in a structured sequential progression until a peak is attained.

Initially periodisation was developed in Eastern Europe to develop optimal strength for sports such as weight lifting and throwing events. The principle of periodisation was later modified and developed for a number of different sport events. This principle of training tended to be far more effective than replicating the same type of training day after day or altering training in an unplanned and irregular way. While a sport may only require optimal conditioning of a few components (eg aerobic, anaerobic, strength, speed, power etc) developing these components often requires good conditioning in other "pre requisite" components.

Examples of this follow:

While 400m performance may be predominantly due to anaerobic capabilities, aerobic conditioning is essential for anaerobic performance. A good aerobic base will lift anaerobic performance and enable a greater volume of anaerobic training to be performed.

Similarily power performance requires a good strength base as power is strength at speed (ie strong movements performed quickly). Poor strength not only limits power development but it can also increase the risk of injury as strength training also strengthens joints and bones which are under tremendous strain during power activities. Development of strength in turn requires development of muscle size through a hypertrophy program.

Many alterations have been made to the original periodisation model due to the various sports having many different timeframes and requirements. The traditional model was developed for Eastern Block athletes who trained full time, in an extremely disciplined environment with full time professional coaches and they peaked for one maybe two events per year.

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PERIODISATION AND RUGBY

Rugby on the other hand has many difficulties for developing an effective periodisation model some of which are included below

1) Performance in rugby often requires the development of a large number of components which could be very time dependent.

2) Different positions in rugby require different components. EG while all players need to be strong it is essential for a front row forward as they cannot compete if they are weak. On the other hand while backs need to be strong if they are not they could still play in these positions

3) The competition structure often features one or two qualification rounds to reach the final combined with a very long season. So when should you peak - for the final (and in doing so fail during the qualification rounds due to insufficient conditioning) or for the qualification round (and in doing so lose the final)

4) The lack of off-season conditioning and poor pre & in season training habits also make a training plan difficult to formulate (do you try and develop a little of everything or a lot of a couple of components - most teams I have dealt with tend to concentrate on aerobic-anaerobic endurance with no or little emphasis on strength, power, speed and flexibility)

Therefore the traditional periodisation plan will not work for rugby and another model needs to be developed. Please note that an effective periodised model needs to be developed for each individual player taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, prior conditioning, genetic ability, time availability, motivation, season priorities (when and if a peak/s is required), injuries, goals, available finances (will effect training options), position played, age, stage of development (why spend hours training aerobic endurance of you are fit enough and your strength is poor) likes and dislikes etc. In the development of the training model the athlete and coach needs to evaluate what part of his or her training have worked or not in the past and the reason/s for this (an effective periodised program may take year to develop optimal conditioning therefore every years program should relate to an learn from the previous year/s). All these factors are important for developing an effective program and this process requires someone knowledgeable in this area to help out until the Athlete and Coach are familiar with the process.

So what is an effective periodised model for a rugby season??? I have some ideas (see model above) but I believe that this question needs to be investigated further.

To develop a good model the components need to prioritised for each position and the time frames needs to be determined.

Eg

Props: Strength, Power, Flexibility, Anaerobic endurance, Aerobic endurance, Speed

Loose forwards: Anaerobic endurance, Power, Strength, Aerobic, flexibility ….

Outside backs: Speed, Power, Anaerobic endurance …..

Etc etc.

This is obviously difficult to do as in my own experience the nature of the game can be quite difficult from week to week (eg some games are seemingly continuous and free flowing resulting in moderate speed long duration running while other games are stop start affairs with extremely intensive bursts followed by very long rest periods).

Two big questions before you start developing your periodised program-

To peak or not to peak: Should you try for a couple of peaks in the season or a series of small peaks or try to maintain a reasonable level for the whole season (remember the higher the peak ie the closer to optimal conditioning, the less time the athlete can hold it)

How long should each component be developed

For each position what is the optimal and mimimal level of

Lots of questions:

Answers ?????

My answer is the model above, which will be adapted depending on performance, feedback and fitness test results.

Concerns:

A well-trained player peaking for club competition who then makes NPC may struggle to maintain high levels of conditioning without a rest. Similarly players trying to maintain a peak for a long period (super 12 - club - NPC - International) without periodising their training program (peaks and troughs) will struggle to develop good conditioning. The danger exists that players pushed into full time rugby without a good training program may not develop good conditioning increasing the risk of injury and reducing their chances of developing good conditioning.

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