Periodization: Make the Most of Your Weight Training While Preventing Injuries
There tends to be two different extremes in how people spend their time in the weight room. One is where someone finds a few exercises they like, and then do the same number of repetitions (movements) and the same number of sets (groups of movements) every time they work out. Another is what some people call “muscle confusion”, but others may call a disorganized mess. Used properly, the muscle confusion approach can work, but only in the hands of someone who knows exactly how to use it.
What many recreational “gym rats” aren't aware of is that there is a happy medium called periodization. It was developed by Soviet sport scientists who discovered that their athletes' performances improved the most when the focus of training changed throughout the year, as opposed to doing the same workouts continuously. Although this system was created for elite athletes, the principles easily “trickle down” to benefit mortals like us, much in the same way that auto racing technology can be adapted to improve passenger cars.
The basis of the system is to repeat the same workouts for 3-4 weeks, then slightly change the numbers of sets and reps for the next cycle to develop a different capacity in the same muscle groups. The process starts by building a foundation of endurance, then builds muscle mass (hypertrophy), then further builds strength through neuromuscular improvements. Those training for a sport requiring explosive movements can then move on to develop power, or force applied quickly. Each of these phases can entail either one or two 3-4 week cycles.
The endurance phase uses 1-2 sets of 15-25 repetitions. This develops endurance, improves fat metabolism, and strengthens connective tissues (bones, ligaments, and tendons) to prevent injuries in future cycles. In this cycle, your workout uses a circuit format, in which you do the first set of all exercises, and then do a second set of all exercises. Preferably, you will sequence the exercises so that each one follows exercises of unrelated body parts (for example, not doing two upper body exercises in a row) so that you can go straight from one to another with no recovery time in between. You may be panting through the whole workout, but that's good for you. This is one of the most productive cycles for anyone who is working on losing weight.
The hypertrophy cycle uses 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions, and to save time, you can employ supersets, or paired exercises with no recovery in between. In this case, you alternate between two exercises until you have completed all sets of each. The most popular way with my clients is to alternate between exercises of opposing muscle groups (Ex.: arms pushing with arms pulling). This way one muscle group is getting active recovery while the other is working. Another way is to pair unrelated muscle groups. If you want to truly torture yourself, superset two exercises of similar movements, but alternate between heavier and lighter weights. In the long term, hypertrophy can help you lose “excess” weight because larger muscles need more food to survive, therefore causing you to burn more calories when you're doing nothing.
The strength cycle is potentially the most dangerous cycle and should not be undertaken by just anyone. Past injuries can make this cycle risky and it should never be done without having developed a foundation from the preceding cycles. This cycle uses 4-6 reps of weights that can only be lifted 1-5 times. A full recovery is important between sets. This cycle works by teaching your nervous system to activate a greater proportion of your available muscle fibers. If you are pursuing strength gains, this is the cycle where you will see the most significant progress.
The power phase is not necessary if you aren't training for a specific sport that calls for explosive movements. There are varying methods for developing power, but all include lighter weights and quick, explosive movements. Plyometrics is a popular method for training power using only body weight and sometimes medicine balls. Although plyometrics is quite trendy right now, it is not right for everyone and carries a significant risk of injury if done by the wrong person, at the wrong time, or the wrong way.
After completing all cycles that you plan to use (most people simply can alternate between different incarnations of the endurance and hypertrophy cycles), you can just start back from the beginning. By limiting each cycle to 3-4 weeks and each phase to 4-8 weeks, you allow just enough time in each cycle to progress, and then introduce a new workout before you hit a plateau. You'll find that each change is difficult initially, and then you'll adjust to the stress and see progress. Getting into a routine allows you to finish a workout sooner and do the workout by memory. Regularly changing the routine introduces variety just often enough to keep you challenged and interested. In later issues, I'll provide more details on the specifics of periodization.