Challenging the paradigm of periodization & system development

Most system development is looked at from a pyramid style viewpoint. “You can only build a .... as big as it’s base.”

An aerobic (oxidative) base is something a lot of coaches aim to accomplish. Rightfully so as it’s the base for both the glycolytic and ATP/CR-P systems. The same goes for strength in terms of repeat power and speed.

A question that is posed often in S&C is how strong is strong enough? Without quantifying & reducing to numbers, I flipped the pyramid upside down. If a funnel is too wide at the top and too narrow at the bottom, it’s will overflow quickly if too much liquid is applied.

The vision here is that focusing on purely strength &/or aerobic development as a base without also consideration of the other systems will leave athletes with “leaks” in their performance.

The flywheel vision came in as “what about athletes that their sport is purely strength or aerobic.” The Flywheel shows the image that the bottom of the funnel also aids the top and all that was gained at the base doesn’t just come to an point.

This could be envisioned in two marathoners with identical VO2 Maxes. If reducing and deciding a winner based purely on numbers you’d then expect the marathoner with a higher lactate threshold to win if everything else was held constant.

*I’m not trying to challenge a pyramid type view, rather just help with envisioning what a system would look like under developed.