strength-dominant phase, explosive-dominant phase etc. Isn’t this just basic linear periodization? Isn’t it better to focus on all qualities so you don’t lose any of them?
A: There is often quite a bit of confusion as to what conjugate periodization is so let me clarify that. A lot of people think true conjugate periodization is where you train all the necessary strength qualities at the same time without getting away from any of them. For example, you'd train maximum strength, reactive strength, explosive strength, and endurance with equal volumes during the same training week so as to address every quality. But that’s not really true.
There are essentially two main systems of organizing long-term training:
A: The concurrent system
B: The conjugate sequence system.
The concurrent system involves the simultaneous training of several motor abilities, such as strength, speed, and endurance, over the same period of time, with the intention of developing all of them simultaneously. Sound familiar? Although research has corroborated the effectiveness of this system, the subjects used in these studies were generally conducted on athletes of lower qualification. While the negatives of the concurrent system are not apparent with less advanced athletes, they become very noticeable with elite athletes. It produces only average results in higher level athletes
simply because, when you try to train everything at the same time, you limit the amount that you can focus on any given quality. Advanced athletes tend to need more focus on a given quality in order to improve that quality.
To create a more powerful training effect in advanced athletes it is better to use intense phases with a singular focus and to arrange these phases in an order that produces a sum greater then it's parts. This is precisely the purpose of the conjugate system.
The conjugate sequence system involves successively introducing into the training program specific phases, each of which has a progressively stronger training effect, and sequencing them in a way that creates favorable conditions to grasp a greater net effect of all the training loads.
The conjugate sequence is characterized by a concentrated focus on developing individual specific motor abilities (strength, speed, strength endurance etc.), each of which is confined largely to a given period.
So each phase builds off the next and because of the concentration used, each phase has delayed effects, which carry over into the next phase. To give you an example, for someone in a speed dominant sport the sequence of phases would look something like this:
Gpp (4-6 weeks---->Strength-(4-12 weeks)---->explosive strength (4-12 weeks) (shock/plyometric/speed)---->competitive
Gpp builds a base of basic fitness by using a higher volume of low intensity work. This leads into a strength phase, which uses a high volume of strength loading. This leads into a shock phase where the focus is on displaying strength. During this phase, the total amount of work is lower but the intensity is higher. Not only will the body be adapting positively to the shock loading itself, but it will also be super-compensating positively from the previous phase of high volume strength work, as fatigue is allowed do dissipate.
So, as you’re entering an explosive oriented phase you get the delayed transformation effect of the previous strength work, therefore you're getting stronger, faster, and more explosive at the same time.
It should be noted that reversing the order of the training sequence will not always produce the same summation of training effects. It's also worth noting that some phases can be lengthened, that's just a general outline. Simple enough!
There was an old Soviet study done pertaining to the vertical jump that really helps elucidate this topic. What they did was take 4 groups of athletes and had each group perform one of 4 different types of training for 4 weeks each over a total of 16 weeks.
All 4 groups hit each type of training but in varying sequences. The various phases looked like this:
A: Basic low intensity jumps
B: Heavy weight training (squats and assorted lifts)
C: Lighter explosive weight training and jumps with weights D: Intense plyometric training (depth jumps).
One group performed D for 4 weeks followed by B for 4 weeks, followed by C for 4 weeks, followed by A for 4 weeks.
Another group performed B, followed by D, followed by A, followed by C, for 4 weeks each
Another group performed A, B, C, and D all at the same time.
Another group performed A, followed by B, followed by C, followed by D, for 4 weeks each.
At the conclusion of the study, it was found that the group that performed A, B, C, and D all at the same time got inferior results compared to the other groups.
It was found that whenever any group happened to be performing D they got a quick boost in vertical jumping ability, but stagnated just as quickly. In other words, the group that performed depth jumps in the second 4-week period did improve their vertical jump during that period, but failed to improve through the final two 4 week phases.
The group that performed A, followed by B, followed by C, followed by D got the best results overall, and the results improved linearly nice and smooth through the entire study. It makes sense if you think about it.
They started off with basic low intensity jumps, which allowed the athletes to establish basic movement efficiency and ingrain basic motor patterns.
They followed that up with heavy weight training, which allowed them to build up their relative strength levels.
They followed that up with explosive weight training and jumps with weights, which allowed them to better display the strength they had built.
They followed that up with depth jumps, which provided a means to further intensify the display of strength in a high intensity manner.
So: movement efficiency, strength, strength expression.
Now does that mean when you're focusing on one quality that you should totally avoid the other qualities?? No! It just means that those other qualities would be maintained with less volume and intensity. If you were a speed athlete and you were in more of a strength
focused phase, your speed workouts might consist of performing low intensity technical drills and running one day per week. If you were in a speed phase your strength work might consist of lifting done as infrequently as once per week consisting of 3 x 3 at 80-85% for a few movements.
In summary, beginner and low-level intermediate athletes do fine working on all qualities simultaneously, but more advanced athletes will need more focus.
Q: I have a question about what you said regarding there not being much of a need