Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training

Tudor O. Bompa, PhD, revolutionized Western training methods when he introduced his groundbreaking theory of periodization in his native Romania in 1963. After adopting his training system, the Eastern Bloc countries dominated international sports through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Bompa began applying his principles of periodization to the sport of bodybuilding. He has personally trained 11 Olympic medalists (including four gold medalists) and has served as a consultant to coaches and athletes worldwide.

Bompa’s books on training methods, including Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance and Periodization of Training for Sports, have been translated into 19 languages and used in more than 180 countries for training athletes and educating and certifying coaches. Bompa has been invited to speak about training in more than 30 countries and has been awarded certificates of honor and appreciation from such prestigious organizations as the Ministry of Culture of Argentina, the Australian Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, NSCA (2014 Alvin Roy Award for Career Achievement), and the International Olympic Committee.

A member of the Canadian Olympic Association and the Romanian National Council of Sports, Bompa is a professor emeritus at York University, where he taught training theories since 1987. In 2017, Bompa was awarded the honorary title of doctor honoris causa in his home country of Romania. He and his wife, Tamara, live in Sharon, Ontario.

Carlo A. Buzzichelli is a PhD candidate at the Superior Institute of Physical Culture and Sports of Havana (Cuba), a professional strength and conditioning coach, the director of the International Strength and Conditioning Institute, a consultant for the Cuban track and field Olympic team, an adjunct professor of theory and methodology of training at the University of Milan (Italy), and a member of the President’s Program Advisory Council of the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). Buzzichelli has held seminars and lectures at various universities and sport institutes worldwide and was an invited lecturer at the 2012 International Workshop on Strength and Conditioning of Trivandrum (India), the 2015 Performance Training Summit of Beijing (China), the 2016 International Workshop on Strength and Conditioning in Bucharest (Romania), and the 2017 Track and Field National Team Coaches Forum in Havana.

Buzzichelli’s coaching experience includes the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the 2003 and 2017 World Track and Field Championships, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. As a strength and conditioning coach for team sports, his senior teams have achieved a first place and a second place in their respective league cups, and his junior teams have won two regional cups. As a coach of individual sports, Buzzichelli’s athletes have won 23 medals at national championships in four different sports (track and field, swimming, Brazilian jiujitsu, and powerlifting), set nine national records in powerlifting and track and field, and won 10 medals at international competitions. In 2015, Buzzichelli coached two Italian champions in two different sports; in 2016, two of his athletes earned international titles in two different combat sports.