SHOCK MICRO CYCLES - IS DENSITY/FREQUENCY THE NEW FRONTIER IN THE PHYSICAL PREPARATION AND PEAKING OF BOTH ELITE ENDURANCE AND TEAM SPORT ATHLETES?

In elite sports where large training volumes are common, but performance and physiological improvement can often be small, novel ways to induce progressive overload are a focus for athletes, coaches, and sports scientists alike. Block periodization, and specifically shorter shock micro cycles, have been shown to improve markers of endurance physiology and performance quickly and effectively. Often this has been achieved with lower overall training volumes (i.e. training time) compared to more traditionally designed programmes. There is even suggestion that this training method may also provide the ability to concurrently develop strength and power alongside endurance qualities. Key elements of this innovative style of training include the use of short ~6-14-day micro cycles containing mostly successive sessions focused on a specific training quality (often high intensity interval training) with other qualities either maintained with lower frequencies or disregarded entirely. This training intervention has been shown effective during the preparation period and as an overload prior to the taper in endurance athletes, as well as during the preparation period in team sport athletes. However, these methods do come with added risk given the potential spike in acute load during the shock micro cycle. Therefore, this directed topic provides several key considerations for the application of shock micro cycles for both well-trained and elite endurance and team sport athletes. This guidance is provided to give athletes the best chance to realize performance and physiological benefits. Furthermore, a theoretical example relating to the use of shock micro cycles in preparation for a highly concentrated tournament (i.e. World Championships or Olympic Games) is provided for team sport athletes. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR