An exercise cycle is typically structured into mesocycles, training phases lasting several weeks, each with a specific focus such as hypertrophy or strength. These phases are designed to progressively overload the muscles while allowing for adaptation and recovery.

How Mesocycles Work

A mesocycle is a training block, typically 4-8 weeks, within a yearly plan (macrocycle), focusing on a specific objective such as hypertrophy, strength, power, or endurance. These blocks are arranged in a periodized sequence, each building on the previous one to support long-term progress toward a goal, like improved athletic performance or lifting capacity. This structure ensures steady advancement while managing fatigue.

The progression typically unfolds as follows:

• Hypertrophy: Begins by increasing muscle size using moderate weights (60-80% 1RM), higher repetitions (6-12), and sufficient volume. This phase establishes a base, providing more muscle for subsequent development.

• Strength: Follows hypertrophy to enhance force production. Heavier weights (80-95% 1RM), lower repetitions (1-6), and extended rest periods strengthen the newly gained muscle, improving its ability to generate force.

• Power: Builds on strength by combining moderate weights (70-85% 1RM) with fast, explosive movements (e.g., jumps, cleans). This develops the muscle’s capacity to produce force quickly, which is essential for dynamic activities.

• Endurance/Peak/Maintenance: Later phases may focus on sustaining effort with higher-repetition exercises or refining sport-specific skills, reducing intensity to optimize performance at the right time.

• Recovery: A lighter mesocycle (low weights, reduced volume) is included to allow physical recovery and adaptation.

Within each mesocycle, weight or repetitions increase gradually to drive progress until transitioning to the next focus. The sequence is logical: muscle size is built first, then strengthened, and finally trained for speed, ensuring each step supports the next for effective overall development.

Can be done year-round if you don’t want to do any other cycle. If you play sports, this one would typically be done early off-season. BIOS uses Jake Tuura’s “Hypertrophy Cluster Protocol”. This science-based program cleverly uses cluster sets making this more of an athletic way to get buff. Traditional bodybuilding-only approaches suffer in the strength and speed department. HCP does not.

The new muscle tissue from the previous cycle needs to be strengthened in producing force. Here you lift the basic compound lifts very heavily for a few repetitions interspaced with ample resting time (3-5 minutes).

This can be done with any typical strength plan. For example, in StrongLifts 5x5, the trainee performs just five compound barbell lifts per week: the deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press, and bent-over row. It's a three-day-per-week program that employs an A/B split, which means there are two different workouts (Day A and Day B) alternated throughout the training week, with a rest day between each training day.

For this phase, BIOS uses established traditional strength programs that have been updated slightly to be less bodybuilding or powerlifting style and more athlete style. Examples are Jim Wendler and Louie Simmons’ updated programs.

After the previous cycle comes a focus on strength-speed or power. The previous gains in strength will now be trained for rapid and explosive application. For this BIOS uses Cal Dietz's updated book Triphasic Training. This is where devices such as Excentric’s flywheel will fit in. Another option is contrast training where you do various fast and slow stretch-shortening cycle jumps followed by regular lower body lifts. Or something more elaborate like French Contrast training.

If you are a competitive sports player, this would be part of the bulk of your in-season period. you try to keep the gains you reaped in the offseason work without hampering your game performance. You would probably be focussing on doing heavy loads for a few reps (4-5) to prevent fatigue while adding plyometrics and such and taper off towards match time. But this is getting more sport-specific and is not really what we try to cover theoretically on BIOS Level II. In a general sense, Alex Viada’s book on hybrid training offers a glimpse of how strength work and cardio training (or sports practice) doesn’t have to be problematic. if you don’t participate in any sports, you could restart with the hypertrophy cycle.

Can use Dr. Michael Yessis’s book The 1x20 RM Strength Training Program. It’s a high-repetition, low-intensity method designed to build foundational strength, improve muscular endurance, and enhance recovery or work capacity—especially for beginners, rehabbing athletes, or as a deload phase.

There are other ways to train, certainly for athletes. You could skip the individual cycles altogether and focus on a year-round well well-balanced program covering each modality. This way you would train strength in one day while focusing on the rest of the strength-speed curve across the week. A good example would be Bill Parisi - The Anatomy of Speed.

Altis - Need for speed program (developing game-based speed)

Developing The Core (2024) by the NSCA