The Blog Of Eric Herdman

MESO, MICRO, MACRO = Get fit. Get fast, Get Strong…. the smart way!

Periodization defined by an image

As promised I wanted to start posting some information on periodization, mesocycles and macrocycles. Some of my clients are familiar with these terms but if you are not here is a quick set up. I am getting ready to start a 3 week MESOCYCLE (3-4 weeks of training). My MESOCYCLE is filled with MICROCYCLES (5-7 days, mine are 7 days). These MESOCYCLES will fill my MACROCYCLE (Several Months, mine are 3 months usually ending with a race).

The workhorse of these cycles are not the MICROCYCLES that you might think but the MESOCYCLES. I find, by focusing on the week you can see small or big enough (depending on how you look at it) to feel in control but not far enough out to be overwhelmed by all of the work you have in front of you. Plus, this lets you obey rule #1 of exercise programing… plan in pencil, log it in pen! It also helps with E’s New Rules… (I am up to 12 so far, blog post on them TBD) One of my new rules is NEVER BE AFRAID OF CHANGING A WORKOUT BECAUSE OF RECOVERY RATES! When I am looking at my week I can easily make adjustments up or down based on my recovery or failure to achieve success with a workout. This my extreme workout friends is a key to your success. That is 3 sacral, 2 pelvic and 1 metatarsal FRACTURES talking. Listen when I tell you. Don’t want to listen to me? Fine! Kenny Rodgers said this way “you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”

The goal over any cycle is to increase intensity and duration of exercise.

So what the hell do you do with all of this meso-micro bullshit E?

Use the time in the cycle to build. Build your endurance. Build your speed. Build your strength. That is the beautiful thing about periodization, you can build whatever you want safely and intelligently. Enough said. Why? Most of us (Old me included) just grabbed some workout/training ideas threw them at the wall and waited to see what would stick=work! Sad part is… most of the the time it worked. However, a large part of the time it worked by happenstance not by science and purpose filled direction. When science is used with the drive and determination (the mind) of a skilled athlete… BAM! That’s where the magic happens. These cycles give you the ability to be simple, safe and smart! All at the same time. End result…. you come in to the event fit, healthy, and ready to kick some motherfucking ass!

Low tech is fine when it comes to big results!

What do I do to get started?

Grab a calendar, find a race, get some new shoes at RRRC (I have to promote that) and get to planning! Good Luck! And get your run on!