Periodization is how you structure cognitive load across a training block. It keeps the brain adapting, prevents stagnation, and ensures athletes develop sustainable cognitive resilience instead of accumulating fatigue. There is no single way to periodize cognitive training.
Soma uses two core models that both work well:
Progressive Overload and Undulating Periodization.
Both methods use the same tools.
They simply apply them differently.
Periodization works by manipulating three variables:
• Task intensity
• Session duration
• Session frequency
Progressive
Progressive overload increases cognitive demand a little bit each week.
It is simple, structured, and one of the most reliable ways to build long-term cognitive adaptation. The idea is straightforward. When the brain is given slightly more challenge over time, it must adjust, learn, and expand its capacity without becoming overwhelmed.
Why it works
Progressive overload stops the brain from getting comfortable.
If a task stays at the same difficulty for too long, the brain learns to complete it efficiently rather than improving from it. By increasing the load in small steps, you keep the brain in a learning zone where adaptation continues.
The increases do not need to be large.
Even a small rise in task intensity is enough to stimulate change, because the brain responds to repeated exposure to slightly harder demands, not to sudden spikes of difficulty.
Consistency is the key.
One intense session will not create meaningful improvement, but steady weekly progression will. With repeated exposure to a gradually higher load, the brain develops better focus, decision-making, and fatigue resistance.
Over time, this structured rise in demand builds predictable and measurable improvements in cognitive endurance and control.
How to apply it
Increase task intensity
Raise intensity by 10 percent per week.
This small increase keeps pressure high without overwhelming the athlete.
Increase session duration
Start around 20 to 25 minutes per session.
Add about 5 minutes per week until sessions reach 40 to 45 minutes.
Increase session frequency
Start with two or three sessions in week one.
Add one additional session each week until you reach five or six sessions.
Progressive overload: build week by week
When periodizing a cognitive training plan, choose one method or combine several. Run it for about four weeks, then change it.
The simplest way to periodize is to use progressive overload and make small weekly changes in intensity. If a task does not have its own intensity settings, you can increase the load by applying Modes in Soma Analytics. Adaptive Mode is especially useful because it adjusts difficulty automatically based on performance.
Progressive overload is easy to remember.
You make each week slightly harder.
If you increase intensity, the athlete completes more reps in the same time.
If you increase duration, they complete more reps overall.
If you increase frequency, they complete more total reps across the week.
All methods share one goal.
More load than the previous week.
Undulating periodization works differently but with the same purpose.
The load changes each week instead of rising steadily.
It is slightly more complex to set up, but it keeps training fresh and engaging.
No matter which method you choose, the key is simple.
Keep the load evolving so the brain keeps adapting.
Undulating
Undulating periodization uses planned variation instead of steadily increasing load. Some weeks are harder, others are lighter. This constant fluctuation keeps the brain adapting instead of settling into a comfortable routine.
Why it works
When training stays the same every week, the brain becomes efficient at it. Efficiency feels good, but it stops adaptation. Changing the load from week to week prevents the brain from settling into predictable patterns.
Progress is not linear.
The brain improves when the load changes rather than staying static. When the load rises, falls, and rises again, the brain is forced to keep adapting. Heavy weeks extend capacity, and lighter weeks reduce fatigue so the gains can stabilise and carry forward.
Variation keeps adaptation alive.
By alternating intensity, session length, or weekly frequency, you keep the athlete’s attention, reaction, and decision control improving rather than plateauing. Each shift in load places a slightly different demand on the brain, which strengthens cognitive flexibility over time.
This approach also protects against overload.
Planned lighter weeks help reduce cumulative mental fatigue and prevent the athlete from burning out. Instead of constantly pushing harder, undulating periodization creates a healthier rhythm where the brain can grow, recover, and grow again.
Over a full training block, this leads to stronger long-term resilience and better adaptability during real competition, where demands are never the same two days in a row.
How to apply it
Fluctuate task intensity
Alternate between higher and lower intensity weeks.
For example, start around 60 to 70 percent in week one, drop slightly in week two, and rise again to 90 to 100 percent in week three.
Fluctuate session frequency
Vary the number of sessions each week to keep the brain responsive.
Some weeks may include two or three sessions, while others may include four or five.
Vary session duration
Alternate between longer and shorter sessions.
For example:
Week 1: 30 minutes
Week 2: 20 minutes
Week 3: 40 minutes
Week 4: 30 minutes
Undulating periodization: adapt through variation
Undulating periodization changes the load up and down each week instead of increasing it in a straight line.
Some weeks are harder.
Some weeks are lighter.
The load keeps shifting.
This variation stops the brain from getting comfortable.
When training feels predictable, progress slows.
Changing intensity, duration, or frequency each week keeps the brain alert and adapting.
High-load weeks challenge focus, control, and expand capacity.
Low-load weeks allow recovery so gains can stabilise and carry forward.
This rise and fall creates a natural rhythm that prevents fatigue from building too much over time.
Undulating periodization is slightly more complex to set up, but it keeps training fresh and engaging.
It is ideal for athletes who get bored easily, respond well to variation, or need a balance of harder and lighter weeks.
The goal is simple:
Keep the overall load changing so the brain never settles into comfort.
When the load keeps shifting, adaptation keeps happening.
The brain adapts like the body. Load it. Track it. Progress it.
FAQs
Which method should I use?
Use Progressive Overload if:
• You want a simple, predictable structure
• The athlete is new to cognitive training
• You want clear weekly progression
• You want fast setup and easy monitoring
Use Undulating if:
• You want more variation week to week
• The athlete adapts quickly and needs novelty
• You want to avoid monotony or stagnation
• You want a more advanced structure
Both work.
Choose the one that matches your athlete’s needs and schedule.
What should I avoid?
This prevents 99 percent of programming errors.
Common mistakes:
• Keeping intensity the same every week
• Increasing everything at once
• No recovery weeks
• Too much load close to Game Day
• No monitoring with PVT-B or RMF
• Switching tasks constantly instead of progressing load
• Forgetting that cognitive fatigue accumulates like physical fatigue
The goal is stress, not chaos.
Control the load.
How do I adjust if an athlete is not adapting?
If variation keeps rising → reduce intensity 10 percent
If lapses stay high pre session → add an extra recovery day
If reaction time plateaus → increase task duration 5 minutes
If motivation drops → switch to undulating for one block
What tools should I use?
Which tool checks readiness and load
→ PVT-B before and after sessions.
How do I measure subjective mental fatigue
→ RMF scale.
How do I see trends across a session
→ Trends and Soma Profiling.
What if a task has no intensity settings
→ Apply a mode such as Time Pressure, Adaptive, or Consequence mode.