Master the Science of Programming: The Key to Building Successful Mesocycles

In two articles for CoachLogik, I explored how to structure the training day and training week (or microcycle). In this article, I will zoom out and think about structuring training over a training block, commonly known as a mesocycle.

I'm not here to claim that any one structure is the best – I want to give examples as food for thought. There's no single way to plan a mesocycle, as many different approaches can and do work in practice.

However, understanding the concepts underpinning a mesocycle can lead to better decision-making when planning training for yourself or your athletes.

Progressive Overload

When considering long-term training, we often encounter the principle of progressive overload. The idea is straightforward: for the body to continue adapting to training, the stress placed on it must gradually increase. You may have heard this concept illustrated through the story of Milo of Croton.

Legend has it that Milo carried a newborn calf on his shoulders every day. As the calf grew, so did Milo's strength. Eventually, he was carrying a fully grown bull. His body adapted day by day, week by week, becoming stronger as the calf grew heavier.

Whether or not Milo could carry a bull is up for debate, but the concept of progressive overload makes sense. As the body becomes more capable, it needs to be challenged more to continue adapting. It relates to the idea discussed with the general adaptation syndrome model when planning the training week.

However, many people understand progressive overload as deliberately adding weight to the bar or increasing training volume each week. But that's putting the cart before the horse.

It isn't adding weight each week that creates an adaptation — it's adapting that allows you to add more load to the bar.

Driving the point home again: adding more weight to the bar each week isn't what causes adaptation. It's your adaptations that allow you to lift more weight.

Consistency is Key

Before we dive into specific examples, I want to touch on something critical to this discussion: consistency.

In this case, I'm not talking about training consistently. That should be a given — if you want results, it's a given to train regularly. Here, I'm talking about keeping aspects of the training itself consistent.

Examples of Mesocycle Structure

To show some of the ways you could structure a mesocycle, we're going to speak at a high level about a few options. Again, none of these are perfect — each comes with its potential advantages and drawbacks, and it is far from an exhaustive set of progression models.

Example One: Weekly Increases in Load (Constant Volume)

This approach increases the load lifted each week while maintaining the number of sets and repetitions. It could look like:

Week One: 3x5 at 80% (of 1RM)
Week Two: 3x5 at 82%
Week Three: 3x5 at 84%
Week Four: 3x5 at 86%

Example Two: Weekly Increases in Volume (Constant Load)

This approach increases the volume performed each week while keeping the weight the same. It could look like:

Week One: 3x5 at 80%
Week Two: 4x5 at 80%
Week Three: 5x5 at 80%
Week Four: 6x5 at 80%

Example Three: Increases in Load with Decreases in Volume

Week One: 5x5 at 80%
Week Two: 4x4 at 84%
Week Three: 3x3 at 88%
Week Four: 2x2 at 92%

Example Four: Constant Training Throughout

Week One to Four: 3x5 at 83%

Example Five: Emerging Strategies Approach

Weeks One to Four: 3x5 @ 8 RPE

Concluding Remarks

As you've seen, there are many ways to structure progression during a training mesocycle. The structure you choose should be driven by the specific goals of the block, the athlete's experience level, and their recent training history.

There is no single "correct" approach. What's important is viewing a mesocycle through the lens of progressive overload — ensuring that, over time, the athlete is exposed to an appropriate stimulus that drives adaptation.

But most importantly, I hope it encourages you to design your training thoughtfully and intentionally.