Macro cycle, Meso cycle, Micro cycle.

The idea

Periodisation is organised into three nested cycles. The macro cycle is the whole training plan, typically a full year or a season, and it contains the long-term aims such as the main competition and the phases leading to it. The meso cycle is a block within that plan, commonly several weeks to a few months, each with a focus such as building an aerobic base, developing strength or peaking. The micro cycle is the shortest unit, usually about a week, and it sets out individual sessions, their order, their volume and intensity, and the recovery between them. The cycles fit inside one another: several micro cycles make a meso cycle, and several meso cycles make the macro cycle, so a change at one level affects the others.

What earns the marks

• Defines the macro cycle as the overall long-term plan, such as a season or year, containing the main aims.
• Defines the meso cycle as a block of several weeks to a few months within the macro cycle with a specific focus.
• Defines the micro cycle as the shortest unit, typically around a week, covering individual sessions and recovery.
• Explains the nested relationship, with micro cycles forming meso cycles and meso cycles forming the macro cycle.
• Applies the levels to a named activity, for example placing base building, strength work and peaking in successive meso cycles.
• Recognises that volume, intensity and recovery are planned at each level and that a change at one level affects the others.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Reversing the hierarchy, for example calling the macro cycle the weekly plan.

  Put it right: , the macro cycle is the longest unit and the micro cycle is the shortest.

• Treating the three cycles as separate plans.

  Put it right: , they are nested, so micro cycles build into meso cycles and meso cycles build into the macro cycle.

• Giving a meso cycle the length of a single session.

  Put it right: , a meso cycle is a block of several weeks to a few months, while individual sessions sit within a micro cycle.

• Assuming every meso cycle has the same focus.

  Put it right: , each block has its own emphasis, such as base building, strength development or peaking.

Exam tips

• Match the time span in the stem to the correct cycle before considering the other options.
• Use the nesting relationship as a check: the shortest unit must sit inside the middle unit, which sits inside the longest.
• Look for the stated focus of the block, because a specific emphasis over several weeks points to a meso cycle.
• Reject options that describe a single session as a macro or meso cycle.