WHAT IS PARAMETRIC TRAINING?
In practice parametric training strategies are a veritable jack-hammer of a training tool. By keeping one training parameter at a time constant (e.g. speed, distance, number of reps…) while increasing others, an athlete can make enormous strides in speed, power, endurance, and efficiency in a very short period of time.
The parametric training concept is one of the most important theories ever introduced in the field of the methodology of sports training. It explains the reaction of the human body to different types of training strategies, and offers a quantitative method to study and evaluate it. The theory was first introduced by Dr. Sergei Gordon in 1968, and was further refined by a group of young scientists under his guidance (Dr. Sergei Beliaev, Super Sport Systems’ founder among them).
Dr. Gordon is our scientific advisor and not coincidentally also one of the founders of Super Sport Systems, the parent company of Makrotona. This and many other training concepts that you may already be using were developed and studied by him and other members of our founding group. Until the early 90’s parametrics and other core concepts used in our protocols were classified as “state secrets”, which was not an unusual thing in Olympic level competition where national honor was at stake. Super Sport Systems was the first to make use of these modern training methods, and made them and other training concepts available to coaches worldwide through its subscription services, leveling the playing field for anyone looking for that elusive competitive edge.
The theory of Periodization was introduced by the noted Soviet sports scientist Lev Matveyev in the early 50’s, and was popularized in the West by Tudor Bompa. Although crucial to the development of sports science, the original theory lacked a quantitative explanation, which prompted researchers to “close the gap” and find clear and practical solutions to what they believed was a key process in understanding intelligent sports preparation. The parametric training method offers a clear alternative to classic periodization (aka block approach), when it comes to studying the development of special work capacity and devising a season plan based on adaptive abilities and not merely training volume. The development and formalization of this method (1968-2012) allowed a deeper understanding of the process of sports training, and more importantly the ability to achieve consistent results with generations of athletes.
Parametrics in a Nutshell
The essence of Parametric Training Theory is simple: you need to manage specific training variables and maintain one parameter of training constant, while changing the others. Selecting the managed parameter will influence the time at which the body will exhaust its adaptive reserves. Therefore, the abilities we are trying to develop during the season can be connected with strategies that are most effective in each particular case or season phase. Our study of the parametric concept disclosed the fact that the effectiveness of different training strategies varies over time. By finding the optimum combination of different strategies during the season, we can maximize individual progression rates from season to season. Additionally, the rate of improvement can be different for each energy producing system and managed separately using our training design tools (Subscribe for a FREE TRIAL and find out what you are missing by testing 3S tools and platform).
Our program is based on the parametric training concept, and offers tools to manage the training season with very high efficiency. Applying the parametric concept has also led to further formalization of training exercises and their role in achieving specific training effects. In that sense our program is not only a tool to manage training, but also an educational aid for coaches and specialists who are eager to learn and advance in their profession.
Although the theory behind parametrics is extremely complicated, its use in daily practice is not. Parametric sets will appear in daily training schedules according to the phase of the season. All an athlete or coach has to do is follow these recommendations, just as he would any other set. The results are then virtually guaranteed!
Our knowledge about Parametric Training is based on proprietary multi-decade research, which is not available anywhere else. We ought to know. We invented itShare