Periodization

As an athlete, it is very straining and dangerous for your body to keep a peak level all year long. Many calisthenics practitioners injure themselves from this constant pursuit of the next level because most of them do not apply the concept of periodization.

In this article we will see how you can effectively periodize your training to have consistent, fast and most importantly safe progress.

## Cycles

Cycles are the most known form of periodization. Looking at professional athletes' schedule, we can see that their training is divided in macrocycles (over long period of time, from 4 months to more than a year). These macrocycles are then divided in mesocycles (roughly 2-3 months long), which themselves are divided in microcycles (they last for a week). Each type of cycle is different and serves different purposes.

* The macrocycles have as an end goal a competition. It is realistic for a professional gymnast to not have more than 2 or 3 competitions in the year.
* The mesocycles are usually the cycles that will lead to the competition. There is often 3 mesocycles in a macrocycle. Using gymnast periodization as an example, the first mesocycle is based on general conditioning, the second one on unlocking skills prior to the competition (and still some conditioning), and the last one on being able to perform these new skills in a combination.
* The microcycles are the smallest training entity after an individual session. They usually follow the goals of the mesocycle they are in, basing the different session on the different links that need to be improved.

As we can see, the most important cycles to build are the mesocycles. The microcycles easily follow.

The main problem for street workout athletes is the macrocycles. Because competitions are not previewed a year before but rather a month, and due to the constant pressure of social media to always be at your peak, macrocycles do not really have a place to be.

## An example of periodization for calisthenics

The easiest example that comes to my mind is yearly periodization, where you decide to peak once or twice during the year. The moments you decide to peak will be entirely up to you and depend on personal factors. For me, I'd preferrably peak during summer and/or during vacation. For a summer peak, I will have the whole spring to unlock skills, and the good weather will allow me to train combinations outside with friends.

To be able to complete such a program, you must detach yourself from the social media pressure.

### One peak a year

Let's say it is October and you want to peak during the summer (July-August). The macrocycle will last the whole year and wil be divided in several mesocycles.

* The first and longest one will be general conditioning, from October to February (5 months). During these times, you will not train outside because of the cold (it hinders performance and makes you prone to injuries). The microcycles will be divided as so: one session of maintaining your current skills, and other sessions of conditioning for them, whether it be specific work (for example Zanetti flies for maltese), general strength (bench press or deadlift training), isolation (to focus on the weak muscles, like bicep curls or front raises), or corrective training (face pulls, angel & devil as examples of exercises). Do not expect to progress on your current skills, but rather to the point that they become rather easy. It is not the point of this mesocycle. Do not forget to add some cardio once in a while. You can also progress from very general microcycles to more specific ones throughout the mesocycle.
* The second mesocycle (from March to May so 3 months) will be the most strength-oriented one. We will focus mainly on new skills to unlock. They will come fast thanks to the added strength and conditioning you have from the previous mesocycle. You can get your best skills after only 3 months of smart training. Beware to never go too hard too soon, as your body still needs to adapt to the new stimuli. The microcycles are divided are so: most of the sessions are dedicated to specific skill training, but you can still keep one session of conditioning in the week. Still incorporate some cardio, it will be useful for the last mesocycle.
* For the last mesocycle (from May to July or August so 2-3 months), we will focus on combining those newly acquired skills and be able to create a routine. The main focus will be strength endurance, the ability to maintain good form and power for a longer amount of time (60-75 seconds). Cardio will kick in real hard, that is why you must still train it. The microcycles can be built as so: one session of pure strength training where you improve your current skill (do not try to unlock new ones unless you are really close at the end of the second mesocycle, or you will not be able to combinate them), and the other ones where you perform your skills for a long time (45 seconds or more).

### Two peaks a year

It makes sense to have the two peaks separated by 6 months. You will use two mesocycles each time: one of 3 months for general conditioning, and the other one will consist in unlocking skills and combining them at the same time.