For High Schools, It's No Contest

PERIODIZATION OR BFS? FOR HIGH SCHOOLS, IT’S The Total Program: Sets & Reps 3. The 2-3 sport athlete: Universities and Russian / Europeans normally deal with only one sport athletes.

The BFS Set-Rep System is perfect for the high school situation.

A periodization program done halfway properly in a It is superior to the most sophisticated Periodization System.

NO CONTEST! high school could drive a coach nuts with its complexities. For example, after football, 15 players go Russian or Bulgarian System. The BFS Set-Rep System into basketball, 20 go out for wrestling and the flows perfectly from one sport season to the next. It is remaining 30 kids are in an off-season program. Then, perfect for a team concept approach. High school athletes in March, 12 of those football players who are out for will make more progress with greater winning intensity basketball go out for a spring sport. Seven go out for and be more motivated than any other system worldbaseball while five go out for track. The other three wide.

To be sure, these are bold statements, so let’s basketball-football players join the off-season program. analyze why they are true.

However, the other 30 kids who were in the off-season What is Periodization: Phases of training periods divided throughout an annual plan. program have a split. Twenty have decided to enter a Some people say: spring sport. In the summer, 17 football players also preparatory, competition and transition phases. These play baseball, while others attend basketball, wrestling phases are normally broken down into sub-phases and and football camps etc. Wow! Did you get all that? macro or micro cycles. In simple terms; sets, reps, excercises, percentages and training intensities are varied cycles all at different times, requiring many different to help an athlete peak at just the right time.

schedules and programs. It would be a nightmare.

Athletes would be running in and out of phases and What is the Russian or Bulgarian System: You tell me.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a periodization/cycle Does anybody really have it? Our Swedish BFS Staff type program that beautifully adapted itself to all those member Stefan Fernholm laughs when he remembers situations where the transitions from sport season to hearing Russians snicker at the foolish Americans that sport season required no extra work by the coach. think they really have something. We have mountains of Wouldn’t it be nice to see your athletes continually research from Russian and East European compendiums. progress throughout every in-season and reach their My advice; Let your competition take a Bulgarian fullest potential with superior team intensity.

That weightlifter’s routine and use it for a high school football describes our BFS Set-Rep System! team.

4.

Accurate Maxes? An athlete has a 175 pound Clean Why is the BFS System Superior? On the surface, and he’s supposed to train with 60% - 110 Ibs, 70% - 130 periodization which is used by the East Europeans and Ibs., 80% - 150 Ibs. etc. Yet, I’ll go to a clinic and teach Russians seems to have great merit. Many top universities that same athlete about intensity and technique and espouse periodization. So why shouldn’t high schools do very typically he will then Clean 225 pounds. So now it? what? In all probability, much of his training with 110 and 130 pounds for a 8-week periodization cycle was THERE ARE FIVE REASONS: 1.

Periodization was originally intended for the individual: Many universites have their athletes train in small groups. Individual workouts are put on a computer printout. High schools have an advantage They can workout as a team. The football coach can organize the workout like he would a practice. With the BFS system, team and individual intensity levels can reach incredible heights. Periodization systems are much more sporadic when it comes to intensity. 2.

Peaking is a Major problem: When do you peak? Do you intensity filled, challenging and motivating training sessions. Computers don’t allow for daily variances in strength. The BFS System corrects itself on a set by set basis during the actual workout. You don’t have to wait for long periods of time to break a record. On the BFS System workout.

Periodization can hold high school teams back, while our BFS System propels teams forward week after week at break-neck speed. championship or the playoffs? In Bulgaria, you would unproductive. 5. Progress Is Too Slow: The BFS Set-Rep System provides THREE WAYS TO GET THE BFS SET-REP PROGRAM peak for one major contest once a year. In American football, we'd better have some kind of peak every week or we won't have to worry about a playoff peak.

From BFS Magazine — November/December 1989. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).