MESO—03MESOCYCLE

Power Realisation — 4 Weeks

Low-volume, high-quality speed and power work that converts an existing strength base into expressed force. Every set stops while it is still fast.

GOAL: Power & Athleticism
LEVEL: Advanced
LENGTH: 4 weeks
SESSIONS: 4 per week

This block converts strength into speed. It follows a strength intensification phase and assumes the force is already there — it will not build a base, only express one. Weeks 1 and 2 develop each quality separately: Olympic derivatives, jumps and throws, kept to low reps with long rest. Weeks 3 and 4 combine them, adding change-of-direction work and contrast pairs so heavy and fast sit in the same session. It sets up a competition period, a sport pre-season, or a return to accumulation. Total weekly volume is deliberately low; the sessions are short and the rest periods are long, and both are the point.

WHO IT'S FOR

→Athletes coming out of a completed strength block with tested numbers
→Field and court athletes entering a pre-season
→Lifters who move heavy loads slowly and want that to change
→Anyone with a competent hang clean and push press already in their training

BEFORE YOU START

→Three or more years of training, including at least six months of barbell Olympic derivatives coached in person
→Squat at or above 1.5× body weight and a hang clean at or above 0.75× body weight
→Able to land a box jump quietly and absorb a depth drop from 40 cm without knee collapse
→Coming directly out of a strength block — do not enter this from detraining or a layoff

EQUIPMENT

BarbellBoxMed ballConesDumbbellWall

DevelopmentWeeks 1–2

Train each power quality on its own day with full recovery between efforts, so quality never degrades inside a session. Volume is intentionally low.

MondayOlympic Derivatives — Hang Clean and Push PressSets of 2 and 3. Stop when speed drops.Power · 55 min
TuesdayEasy 30 min bike or walkFlush only. Nothing that leaves legs heavy.
WednesdayLower Body Power — Jumps and BoundsMeasure the first jump. Stop when you are 5 percent below it.Power · 45 min
ThursdayRest
FridayContrast Training — Heavy and Fast PairsHeavy set, 90 s rest, then the fast pair.Power · 60 min
SaturdayMed Ball Power — Throws and SlamsIntent on every throw. Low total reps.Power · 40 min
SundayRest

PROGRESSIONHold load constant across both weeks and add one set per session in week 2 — never reps within a set. Every set ends the moment bar speed, jump height or throw distance drops below 95 percent of the day's best effort, even if sets remain on the sheet. Rest a full 3 minutes between power sets.

RealisationWeeks 3–4

Combine qualities and add change of direction, so force is expressed under less predictable conditions. Weekly volume drops again while output rises.

MondayOlympic Derivatives — Hang Clean and Push PressFewer sets than week 2, same or slightly heavier bar.Power · 55 min
TuesdayEasy 30 min bikeLegs must be fresh for Wednesday.
WednesdaySpeed and Agility ComboFull recovery between reps. This is not conditioning.Agility · 50 min
ThursdayRest
FridayContrast Training — Heavy and Fast PairsHeavy set at 85 percent, then the jump inside 2 min.Power · 60 min
SaturdayLower Body Power — Jumps and BoundsLow volume. Highest single jump of the block should land here.Power · 45 min
SundayRest

PROGRESSIONCut total power sets by roughly 20 percent from week 2 and add agility work in its place. Loads on the Olympic derivatives move up 2.5 kg only if week 2 bar speed held across all sets. In week 4, drop to two sets per movement and keep the rest — this week should feel easy and fast, not hard.

PROGRESSION RULES

→Sets end on speed, not on the rep count written down. A slow rep is the last rep.
→Rest 3 minutes between power sets, 90 seconds inside a contrast pair. Cutting rest turns this into conditioning and defeats the block.
→Add sets, never reps within a set. Power sets stay at 2 to 3 reps throughout.
→Load moves on the Olympic derivatives only when bar speed held across every set the previous week — then 2.5 kg.
→Weekly volume falls across the block. Week 4 should be the lightest and the fastest week of the four.
→Any joint pain on landing stops the jump work for that session. Substitute med ball throws and reassess next week.

WHAT WE MEASURE

→Countermovement jump height, measured on a mat or by reach, at the start and end of the block
→Standing broad jump distance, best of three, same two points
→10 m sprint time from a standing start, timed with gates or on video
→Hang clean 3-rep max, tested in the week before the block only
→5-0-5 change of direction time, tested at the end of week 4

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