Microcycles Course

The course is organized into six modules. Each module contains one or more lessons that will help you perfect and boost your microcycle programming.

The lessons are designed for athletes who are writing their own training plans (self-coached), for people coaching other athletes, and anyone who wants to learn more about strength training.

In this first video of the Fundamental Training Principles, Mike is providing an overview of the needed background knowledge. This includes the discussion on the principles of training: specificity, overload, fatigue management, variation, periodization, and a quick mention of the auto-regulations.

1. Specificity – Determines the direction of the training effect (Exercise selection, dynamic correspondence, specific-general continuum).
2. Overload – Overload provides a magnitude of the training effect in the specificity direction. Think about specificity and overload like a *vector*: specificity sets the direction, overload sets the magnitude.
3. Fatigue Management – Allows the body to stay in an adaptable state. This is very similar to via Negativa principle.
4. Variation – Helps to mitigate repeated bout effect and diminishing marginal return. Variation always moves things towards the general side of the specificity spectrum.
5. Periodization – The plan that helps manage the other variables (i.e., specificity, overload, fatigue management, and variation).
6. Auto-regulation – Focuses on finding the right overload and fatigue management to keep things in balance.