It appears that one of the main issues non competitive trainers (by this I mean guys like me who train like athletically for fun/health) face when using VI and other forms of periodization is that they are geared towards a competitive phase. Although I have no intention of joining a club and/or competing, what about implementing my own ‘competitive season’ and train/race as if I were? Not only would this fit the models but should also lead to increased performance (times/weights/physique).
When I look around the spectrum of athletic endeavours it appears that those that compete have the best of it be they track and field, powerlifters or bodybuilders. Some will say “why not just compete”, well I just don’t want to for various reasons, this may be a way around it. There may be some drop off in performance due to not racing otheres but in general I think it could work. Comments?
Whether you compete or not, a varied training approach and will prevent you from plateauing. The main adjustment is to return to a GPP type approach after a special prep period without going into a pre-comp or comp phase of training. This will generally result in you having more training blocks in a given training year.
