Developing a Microcycle for Powerlifting

One of the most fundamental aspects of writing a training program is the development of a microcycle (which typically consists of one-week of training). Multiple microcycles in a row make up a mesocycle (4-8 weeks of training), while multiple mesocycles make up a macrocycle (typically 6+ months of training). 

There are many individual factors that go into the development of an athletes microcycle such as the lifters experience, age, size, injury history, and how far out they are from competition. These individual factors determine another set of factors, which are volume, intensity, frequency, variation, and progression. 

In my opinion, knowing how to develop a microcycle is the most important tool a coach must possess because it is the basic building block of an athletes training season. What the microcycle looks like changes based on where the athlete is in their training year.

 An athlete in the offseason might opt for slightly higher training volume, increased variation, and a subsequent decrease in competition specificity. As an athlete gets closer to a competition, their training should become more intense and specific to what they will need to be able to perform during their competition. In the case of powerlifting, this means more competition squatting, benching, and deadlifting, with higher peak intensities (or percentage of one-rep max). 

As the coach and athlete work together, what the athlete responds better to, should become more apparent and the microcycle should become more refined to cater to the athlete’s individual response to training variables. The initial microcycle will be based on many of the variables previously mentioned but will likely be heavily influenced by the coach’s preconceived notions of what MOST athletes respond well to. 

From that initial starting point, the microcycle should become more specific to the individual athlete.