Block XIII- Peak & Taper 

Running from November 28th-December 23rd, Block XIII will conclude the off-season training for our winter sports & activities. Intensity will be the highest as we peak, or test, during the week of December 5th. For more accurate results, it is recommended that members only test if they have been consistently utilizing the off-season programming. If your training has been less consistent or you have been using in-season programming, continue doing so and test next time.  

After max week, we will begin tapering over a 14-day period (December 12th-25th) to prime the body for optimal physiological fitness. This process involves systemically decreasing load & intensity as well as volume and is just as important as the peak in your training. Dropping your training routine, without tapering, can be detrimental to all the hard work you’ve done during the off season. Ultimately, it can lead to detraining or may negatively impact how your body adapts to exercises.  

The week of December 26th – 30th will be dedicated to the deload process. We’ll implement a significant decrease in volume and intensity, prior to beginning the next block on January 2nd. Doing so will further allow us to remove highly taxing exercises and allow for recovery and adaptation to the current block of training, while preparing for future training.  

As always, rest and recovery are high priorities. As intensity increases during max testing, allow your body to fully recover in between sets to execute your highest quality reps & sets. It’s also important to be cognizant of bodily cues! If your form is breaking down or you’re not completing every rep, decrease your weight. On the other hand, if you’re executing reps with great form and feel you could have easily done 2-3 more reps, increase the weight.  Our goal is not to beat you down or tire you out with mindless workouts but rather to train with purpose.

Gadient, W., & Deutsch, J. (2020). A systematic approach to athletic development. Journal of Human Sciences, 17(4), 1014-1021.  

Wilson, Jacob M MSc, CSCS1; Wilson, Gabriel J MSc, CSCS2. A Practical Approach to the Taper. Strength and Conditioning Journal: April 2008 – Volume 30 – Issue 2 – p 10-17