Book excerpt: Learn how to train for maximum gains with Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Guided by the expertise of Tudor O. Bompa, the pioneer of periodization training, and leading periodization researcher G. Gregory Haff, you’ll learn how to vary the intensity and volume of training to optimize the body’s ability to recover and rebuild—resulting in better performance and less risk of injury. Translated into nine languages, Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training has become one of the major resources on periodization for sport scientists, coaches, and athletes throughout the world. Since the introduction of this groundbreaking training theory by Tudor O. Bompa in 1963, periodization has become the basis of every serious athlete’s training. Now in its fifth edition, Bompa’s classic text combines the concepts central to periodization and training theory with contemporary advances in sport science, physiology, and coaching. No other text discusses planning and periodization in such detail or with so many specific, practical examples from a variety of sports. With the fifth edition of Periodization, you can learn the principles, objectives, and components of a successful long-term training program and how to plan the right program to achieve your performance goals. Periodization also contains proven strategies for optimal peaking and specifics on training for better motor ability, working capacity, skill effectiveness, and psychological adaptability. Better organized and easier to read, the fifth edition of this definitive text presents the latest refinements to periodization theory: • New research on rest and restoration, specifically countermeasures used in facilitating recovery plus practical suggestions for implementation • How the use of sequential training and delayed training effects can produce optimal performance at major competitions • A comprehensive discussion, grounded in scientific data, on applying various methods of peaking to ensure optimal performance for competition • New information on how concepts such as conjugated sequencing and summated microcycle structures can maximize strength gains and direct training • Expanded information on the development of sport performance characteristics, including speed training and sport-specific endurance Chapter summaries will help you review and reference major concepts throughout the text. Plan and document each training program with ease using the duplication-ready annual and four-year training plan charts included in the appendix. When it comes to designing programs for optimal training, Tudor Bompa’s expertise is unmatched. The fifth edition of Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training presents the latest refinements to Bompa’s periodization theory to help you create training programs that enhance sport skills and ensure peak performance.