Periodization

The systemic organization of training periods (usually measured in time) to facilitate the most efficient path from goal setting to goal attainment.

This path includes planned changes to the FIIT variables.

Foundations

- Supports a client’s skill acquisition, ensuring that they learn proper form and technique before they move on to more advanced exercise variables (e.g. set performance, ROM, load, stability)

- At this level: A client will learn to brace their core while breathing effectively, their body will respond to exercise through increased muscular strength and endurance, and they will improve their ability to maintain proper movement positioning because of their enhanced mobility + stability + skill

- This level often lasts 2 - 12 weeks

Evolution

- At this level, a client will: learn to maintain proper body positioning with heavier resistance, accelerate their baseline muscular or cardiorespiratory capacity and skill, and notice more results since they are steadily able to move more efficiently + lift heavier weights + complete higher intensity cardio

- A smart strategy for a client in evolution is to program using linear periodization

- They are ready to progress to the next level when they have mastered the foundational movements with significant progressions and any limitations they have appear only when they are striving to achieve a new challenge or personal best

Mastery

- At this level, a client will: become a well-conditioned and advanced athlete in their own life. They will be getting closer to achieving their initial outcome goal, having mastered the process goals from both the foundations and evolution levels.

- A PT selects more advanced periodization models for their mastery client (e.g. wave-loaded and block-periodization)

- A client will be ready for weeks of training peaks and deloading, which will help reduce the likelihood of hitting a plateau. Recovery is essential during the mastery stage.

Phase 1: The alarm stage

The body perceives stress and reacts by initiating a fight-or-flights response carried out by the sympathetic nervous system.

Phase 2: The resistance stage

The body ideally adapts by supercompensation so that the stressor can be dealt with more easily in the future.

Phase 3: The exhaustion stage

Occurs when the stressor becomes too great for the body to handle. If this occurs, the body’s resources become depleted, resulting in inability to maintain normal physiological function

This is the cumulative effect of training that the body experiences over the period of weeks, months, and years.

When evaluating a program, we are looking at the sum of training effect. This cumulative effect will have different outcomes based on how effective the periodized program is at managing the body’s stress stimulus and recovery in the workout itself, from session to session and from one period to another in the overall training plan.

A macrocycle is the largest component of a periodized program, which usually consists of several months to several years (e.g. a client who is training for an obstacle course race coming up in 10 months; an Olympic athlete’s four year plan).

Starting with the macrocycle (the amount of time your client potentially has to reach their goal), you can reverse engineer their training plan.

To do this, you organize workout stress and recovery into sections of time (called mesocycles) based on the ongoing improvement of the client’s skills and fitness level.

Remember that because of the long length of the macrocycle, sections may need to be adjusted depending on how a client’s goal or life circumstances change during that period.

This is the intermediate component of a periodized program, which usually consists of one to several months.

A mesocycle period is meant to accomplish a particular process goal that will help the client move toward their outcome goal.

The grouping of consecutive weeks tends to have a primary focus of training the same skill or physical quality.

One way to plan mesocycles is to base them on progressing a client through more advanced levels.

Another method is to focus a mesocycle on an aspect of training such as muscular hypertrophy, strength, and endurance.

A client’s goal and their dynamic assessment results will inform how long the mesocycle is.

This is the smallest component of a periodized program, which usually consists of 1 to several weeks.

A microcycle is not usually shorter than 1 week because reliably measuring progress in such a short period is difficult.

During the microcycle, the client is performing the distinct group of workouts that you design for them.

For example, a client may have two different workouts (e.g. upper body and lower body) that they complete three days per week, with rest days in between, over a microcycle of two weeks. When the two-week microcycle is done, the PT provides new workouts that align with the goal of the mesocycle.

This form of periodization (also known as western periodization) gradually increases intensity (i.e. weight) and decreases volume over multiple mesocycles.

i.e. as the rep range decreases throughout a training cycle, the intensity increases

In this model, a client is gaining both strength and efficiency as their body adapts to recruit more muscle fibers.

A large element of skill acquisition occurs in linear programming, such as developing proficiency in the main exercises with excellent movement quality that is engrained at a subconscious level.

Example:

Week 1 - 3 sets of 12 reps at 65% 1RM

Week 2 - 3 sets of 10 reps at 70% 1RM

Week 3 - 3 sets of 8 reps at 75% 1RM

Week 4 - 3 sets of 6 reps at 80% 1RM

Week 5 - 3 sets of 5 reps at 82.5% 1RM

Week 6 - 3 sets of 4 reps at 85% 1RM

Week 7 - 3 sets of 3 reps at 87.5% 1RM

USE AND APPLICATION

Clients can use linear periodization to progress through the evolution level.

For clients who need to establish baseline muscular or cardiorespiratory capacity before they try advanced training styles, linear periodization will slowly build a base skill or physical quality as it relates to the client’s goal.

This process can be repeated multiple times, which is especially helpful for clients new to focused training protocols.

In the case of resistance training, the client’s competency in their lifts is more important than the amount of weight they are lifting.

Clients can also use linear periodization to peak for an important event. It is conducive to training toward a progressive peak. For example, if a client has a marathon goal, initiate their program about 10 months beforehand and slowly build mileage (endurance) and muscular strength until they peak for the event while avoiding injury.

LIMITING FACTORS

One major drawback relates to the main exercises whereby certain qualities like hypertrophy, strength endurance, maximum strength, and power are addressed only for a portion of the training cycle.

This problem can be partially addressed by changing variables for the supplemental and accessory exercises in the program.

Also, advanced lifters and those struggling with recovery have a high risk of overtraining and under-recovering if deload weeks are not scheduled.

Wave-loaded periodization builds in recovery to each mesocycle of progressive overload.

As with the linear periodization model, intensity gradually increases each week by changing training variables.

The difference is that a client builds to peak intensity at the end of a mesocycle, and then has a deload week built into their program every four weeks.

Deloading is a planned period during which training variables such as intensity, volume, and frequency are purposely decreased.

A deload workout could include speed work with 55% of a client’s 1RM, for example, allowing fast muscle activation with strong form and technique. Clients who believe that constantly pushing hard in their training is important may connect more with a “speed week” rather than a deload week.

Another method is to have the client complete only the warm-up reps and sets that they are used to from the first three weeks of the wave (e.g. 40% - 60% 1RM) during their 4th (deload) week, without adding on their normal workout volume and intensity. This approach allows continued practice of the main exercises while still having a restorative effect.

USE AND APPLICATION

Wave-loaded periodization helps clients manage overall stress while continuing to progress toward a goal.

For general population clients, wave-loaded periodization applies well to the cumulative stress that most people experience in daily life. Your clients need to recover not just from their workouts but also from life. Consider that most people cannot progressively overload every week forever. Your clients will face obstacles such as a busy work or family schedule, or an injury or illness that requires a drop in frequency, intensity, or volume.

Wave-loaded periodization works well for intermediate to early advanced lifters who have hypertrophy and body composition goals and also want to improve their strength capacity.

Wave-loaded periodization works well for intermediate to early advanced lifters who have hypertrophy and body composition goals and also want to improve their strength capacity.

Wave-loaded periodization is best for long-term programming. It is typically used in the mastery phase of training and not any sooner. Because the wave-loaded model allows a client to build multiple fitness skills over a long duration, it works well for those who will be training for at least 6 months and beyond. Clients will experience ongoing gains while avoiding under recovering, overtraining, or plateaus.

LIMITING FACTORS

Wave loading requires a longer phase (often 16 or more weeks) to complete, and 25% of the weeks involve deloads.

Because of this longer duration, clients may not experience results as quickly as they might in other periodization models.

For beginner lifters, introducing planned deload weeks may slow their progress initially because they require repetitive movements over weeks or months to develop neurological (subconscious) abilities to perform their main exercises well.

Nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy a person expends outside of sleeping, eating, or athletic movement.

It ranges from walking to a transit stop or parking spot, completing household chores, typing on a computer, or even fidgeting.

When designing a periodized plan, consider what else your client is doing outside their session with you to prevent overtraining. Danger lies in not recognizing the many other activities that a client builds into their week.

On average, 66 days are needed for a new habit to become automatic.

So to help your client make lasting behavior change, schedule one small lifestyle adjustment every 2 months.

Plan to reassess your client every 4 weeks when they are new.