Periodization
Why use periodization?
Periodization is simply how we evolve our training over time. What you do right now might not work for you in a year. You may need different amounts of volume, different exercise selections or different frequencies. In a program we should clearly define how we plan our training will evolve over time. Using periodization can help manage fatigue, manage overuse injuries, prevent plateau's, resensitize your training stress and much more. Having a plan for all of these subjects is essential for the long run for athletes.
SRA(Stimulus Recovery Adaption) Cycles
The SRA Cycle (stimulus recovery adaptation) is the cycle in which a trainee gets exposed to a training stimulus which disrupts homeostatic, which requires the body to recover, which in turn allows the body to adapt to the stimulus. This cycle is shorter for beginning trainee's (2-3 days), while more advanced trainee's might need cycles that are longer than a week. This will also depend on training styles.
Over time these SRA Cycles allow us to slowly progressively overload a certain movement. In the image bellow you can see an example of a simple 3x10 progression where every session a weight increment is made session to session for squats.
This process for a beginner lifter we call linear progression. Bellow this text you can see a basic linear program. There is little room for recovery. We do a squat and two days after that we do squats again.
SAMPLE PROGRAM
​Monday
Squat 3x10
Bench 5x10
Deadlifts 1x10
curls 3x10
Wednesday
Squat 3x10
Bench 5x10
Deadlifts 1x10
JM presses 3x10
Friday
Squat 3x10
Bench 5x10
Deadlifts 1x10
curls 3x10
As we become stronger and more used to the same training program we start to run into problems. the 3x10 stops getting the same PR's as before and it slows down. It might even feel like we stall at that point. There is need for more recovery per session since we are stronger and can disrupt our bodies more. We also want to introduce some form of novelty since our body has become pretty good at our current training progression.
Lastly the rate at which we can make PR's is now lower. Before we were able to make 3 PR's per week, while now that might only be once a week or less.
Now lets have a look at the image bellow. Line A shows the SRA curve of a beginner lifter. They don't need any kind of novelty just yet. B shows an intermediate lifter, who needs variation throughout the week. Line C shows the SRA curve of advanced lifters. Advanced lifters need variation for multiple weeks to months to still make progress. The more advanced you get the longer the SRA cycle gets.
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Introducing novelty, recovery and a lower rate of progression is where special periodization styles come into play. That's what this article tries to help you build into your own program. There are many style of training to accomplish this, but a decision for a style has to be made in order to make optimal progress.
Bellow you can see an example solution to the minimal program made above. We have way more recovery, each day offers a different training stimulus (rep ranges and exercises) which keeps the training novel, and the rate at which we make PR's has slowed down to once a week. This method of progression is called the Texas Method and it is one of the first steps to extension the progression from a Linear progression to a full periodized one. Do note that the original TM uses a static rep range of 5 for everything. Than again the TM is more of a template than a program.
On the right there is also the program Madcows 5x5. This program also allows for more recovery, novelty and a slower rate of progression. Both are intermediate strength programs but the basic principles are the same for bodybuilding and most other sports.
SOLUTION EXAMPLE, Texas Method
​Monday
Squat 5x10
Bench 5x10
RDL 3x10
Wednesday
Front squats 2x10
OHP 3x10
​chin ups 3x10
Friday
Squat 1x10
Bench 1x10
Deadlifts 1x10
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SOLUTION EXAMPLE, MADCOWS 5x5
​Monday
Squat 1x5
Bench 1x5
Rows 1x3
Wednesday
Squats 2x5 (Low RPE)
OHP 1x5
​Deadlifts 1x5
Friday
Squat 1x3
Bench 1x3
Rows 1x3
​
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Wave Periodisation
This method is used a lot in sports training and strength training for hypertrophy blocks and bodybuilding. It spreads your harder training sessions further apart, making the training stress more novel and allowing you to recover more than if you were to do high volume every week.
The basic idea of wave periodization is to start low on training volume/stress and slowly build it up to more volume to keep stimulating your muscles with new adaptations in volume. After a wave you deload your volume and resensitize the muscle or lift. You are now prone to grow from lower amounts of volume and you can repeat the cycle. Preferably we want to model our training so we can keep a stress novel as long as possible while still growing from it. There are a lot of ways to do a wave periodization, the examples below should give you some insights on the concept of waves.
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1) Below you can see an example of a simple wave progression. We start of with relatively lower volume in the first week. We ramp this volume up until we hit a very high amount of volume in week 3. After this we resensitize ourselves to volume again by lowering it to less sets while increasing the percentage.
Week1: 3x10
Week2: 4x10
​Week3: 5x10
Repeat Week 1 with +2%
2) You can also extend the 3 week wave by doing a week where you switch up the rep range. This keeps the progression fresher and it also helps you peak for strength.
Week1: 3x10
Week2: 4x10
Week3: 5x10
+6%
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Week4: 3x8
Week5: 4x8
Week6 5x8
Repeat week one with the 10's phase with +2% on your 1rm. Or do week 7,8,9 with +6% and do a week of 6's
​3) You can also switch up the rep range week to week. This allows you to intensify your training while also ramping up volume. This way the 10's will feel extremely fresh after a week of heavy 6's. There is a big difference in how you train in week 1 and week 3.
Week1: 3x10
Week2: 4x8
​Week3: 5x6
​Repeat Week 1 +2%
4) If you love training to failure you will probably notice that you become adapt to a training stress pretty quickly. You progress very fast but you also run into a wall very quickly. This is when you might want to do beyond failure training with myoreps, drop sets or any other intensity trick to get more volume in. This allows you do still introduce a new training adaptation. This is a method you might want to use om movements with very low fatique, like a lateral raise.
​Week1: 2x10-15
​Week1: 3x10-15
​Week2: 2x10-15, 1x10+ 5 second Myorep
​Week3: 2x10-15, 1x10+ 10 second Myorep
​Repeat!
​Rotation Periodization
Training in multiple joint angles is one of the more established methods to gain size in sports. It can allow you to focus on your weak points in main lifts while also reducing injury. Rotating movements can be useful for building a base, but it can also be used for peaking. You can see this with Westside Barbell's conjugate method where you preform a 1rm with different movements each week.
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​1) This method allows for a huge amount of recovery. Since you don't do the same movement for weeks. The example bellow has you do a 3 week rotation but you can extend it to as far as you want theoretically.
Week1: Bench Press
Week2: Close grip Bench
Week3: Larson Press
Repeat Week 1 to 3 with +2% on your lift​
​2) You might also not want to rotate a lift every week. You are also able to combine wavy periodization with rotations. Allowing for an even more complex style of periodization. This method allows you to adapt to the volume on the lifts you're rotating before completely swapping them out week to week.
Week1: 3x10 Bench Press
Week2: 4x10 Bench Press
Week3: 5x10 Bench Press
Rotate movement pattern
Week4: 3x10 Close grip Bench
Week5: 4x10 Close grip Bench
Week6: 5x10 Close grip Bench
Rotate a new movement again or start at week 1 again and add around +2%
3) Another way to rotate lifts is by auto regulating it based on how much progress you make on it. The example below has you rotate a lift when you start to miss reps. This is a method used a lot in bodybuilding since most bodybuilders love training to failure to accumulate a lot of volume.
Week1: Squat 99 kg, 1x10
Week2: Squat 100 kg, 1x9 (one missed rep)
Week3: Squat 100 kg, 1x9
Week4: Squat 100 kg, 1x9
Week5: Squat 100 kg, 1x9 (We didn't make progress for 3 weeks)
Rotate lift and run it through the ground again
Week6: Leg press ...
Specialization Phases
After you become more advanced you may notice weak points in your strength or body. You may want to run a specialization phase to bring up lagging areas in your body. This method has you put some training qualities on maintaince, or at lower volumes, while other training qualities get more work. The things you put on maintaince slowly "reverginize", which makes them more novel to training in later blocks.
​1) The example bellow shows a simple outline of the amount of sets you might want to do in a training program. In the first few months shoulders are put on low volume, while chest gets more work. In later months we reverse it. This keeps both shoulders and chest more novel to training stress. You also see more progress on a specific muscle group, which can be more motivating.
Month 1-3: 20 sets chest, 10 sets shoulders.
Month 4-6: 10 sets chest, 20 sets shoulders​
2) Of course we can also choose to train multiple qualities with extra volume at the same time. See the example bellow.
Month 1-3: 20 sets legs, 10 sets chest, 10 sets arms
Month 4-6: 10 sets legs, 20 sets chest, 20 sets arms