Today we’re going to talk about one of the most crucial yet overlooked concepts in all of fitness - periodization. Periodization is the cornerstone of any programming. Whether it’s meso-cycles or micro-cycles, you need some type of periodization to make your programming intelligent. Forget about muscle confusion and program hopping and so on. Periodization is all you really need to reach your goals efficiently. To put it simply, periodization is the concept of structuring your training systematically to meet specific goals. Various types of athletes have their own specific terms and methods of periodization. As well as goals that they focus on. Most well-rounded lifters, for example, have an intensification phase and an accumulation phase. We’ll explore that as well as other examples later.
Periodization is important because it allows someone to train intelligently instead of like a chicken with their head cut off. It completely crushes ideas like muscle confusion which was completely and deliberately taken out of context to promote a commercial cookie-cutter fitness program. While there is some validity to muscle confusion, it doesn’t work like it was purported to when it was presented to the laymen. And the concept of periodization that had been used for decades and decades prior had already taken care of that. The next big key when it comes to periodization is goals. Everybody’s got em. Everyone’s trying to reach them. For most of you Bar Athletes you have a handful of goals that you’re trying to reach either simultaneously, or one at a time. These goals often include:
These goals can be pretty lofty and as such, require dedicated training time and practice. While some of them can be trained concurrently, the loftier - the more exclusively dedicated time it will take. I’m not saying this is the rule but it is the case more often than not. What periodzation does is allows you to cycle your training so that you’re not spinning your wheels trying to train everything at once, or dedicating a year exclusively to one type of goal. And while the latter is not bad at all, it’s not ideal if you want to be well-rounded. Periodization puts you in these training cycles that focus on one goal, or a couple that can be trained concurrently. And you rotate them with the next goal. And so on and so forth. Some cycles last for weeks and others for months. So you see, it’s actually a pretty simple concept. Why some people overlook it is beyond me. Other than the lack of education. And that either comes from the lack of information on it (there isn’t any real lack as of late) or the inability to sit through and comprehend all of the scientific jargon that accompanies fitness articles and videos these days. This is why my articles are always written in the most straightforward manner with as little complicated terms that need explanation as possible. And now that we’ve done that with what periodization is, let’s take a look at the how with a brief word on cycling as well as some examples for different types of athletes. How to Structure Periodization - Meso and Micro Cycles The Macro Cycle Okay, so you know how when you play a video game you have a map in the corner with an overview of the entire region? That’s basically what a macro cycle is. It’s your overview of your entire 52 week training plan. It’ll include every phase of your training. All of which varies depending on the type of athlete you are. When planning my periodization I typically don’t get into the particulars when drawing up my macro cycles. Mine typically look something like this. Keep in mind that when designing your macro cycle you will almost always change things throughout the year because it is a long period of time and things will change. Also, in my case, this is just a rough mock up and I’ll probably cover my exact periodization in a future post. Especially because I typically include barbell strength somewhere in these cycles. Spring
Meso Cycles These are typically 4-6 weeks give or take. This is usually where you train a specific goal that would take about this amount of time to make progress in. That’s the simplest way to put it. For example, if you wanted to work toward a one arm pull up, this would be where you do that. Any goal can be worked on during meso cycles. But it’s especially good for those that take a month or two to make progress on. Micro Cycles These are usually only a week long. In an intelligently designed program, these are used to meet goals that can be attained in such a brief amount of time. In my experience I’ve used them for people trying to meet muscular endurance goals, among others. Linear Periodization This is the traditional model. Most of you may be familiar with this. Where you simply increase volume increase intensity and volume throughout each mesocycle. It doesn’t get anymore classic than this. I won’t get into what it’s good or better for. I’ll post further reading and sources and allow you to decide for yourself. Undulating Periodization This would be the less traditional method. This is where your body is challenged in a completely different way. Making changes on a weekly or daily basis. Your body basically never gets the chance to really adapt. In Conclusion Periodization is one of the cornerstones of fitness. No matter what your goal or focus. No matter what your style or sport. You need periodization to become more efficient. Any coach or trainer worth their salt is absolutely using a very specific periodization model for their athletes and clients. But you shouldn’t leave it up to them to understand these concepts. And you shouldn’t wait until you hire one or are on their roster to have it incorporated into your training. Periodization will help you reach the goals that you’re aspiring to, so long as you understand it and implement it correctly. It doesn’t matter what you want to do. But remember, one model is not necessarily better than the other. That’s entirely dependent on the athlete and their goals. And now that you’ve got a basic understanding, I implore you to do some further reading and incorporate this crucial concept into your training. Not only will you see a difference that becomes more apparent over time. You will be rewarded for it in strength, skill, and aesthetics. Further Reading Guide to Periodization Periodization Bodybuilding Periodization
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Shredded ShamanLifelong athlete and martial artist. I'm on a mission to bring back the good old days of Physical Culture and make this fit lifestyle a lot more enjoyable. Archives
October 2022
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