Are you interested in long term results and effectiveness in your training? Then you better have at least a basic understanding of 'periodization'.
Are you interested in long term results and effectiveness in your training? Then you better have at least a basic understanding of "periodization." This 2 part article will give you the basics and then some on one of the hottest debated topics in strength training for sport as well as bodybuilding. Hang on tight; it's going to be a wild ride!

What Is Periodization?

In basic English, periodization is simply the organization and planning of training. In sport, this planning is usually based upon achieving maximum physical abilities (strength, speed, power, etc..) for a given competition or period of competitions. In bodybuilding, the training might be organized around a specific bodybuilding contest.

Most bodybuilders actually plan or instinctively "periodize" their training in line with specific goals anyway (lose body fat, bring up a lagging body part, etc ). In general, if you have a specific goal for a period of time, then essentially you are using periodization. Let's take a look at where this concept originated but first, here's a list of the common terms for the different stages and components of modern periodization:

Training unit - Refers to the actual "daily" workout
Microcycle - Usually refers to a week of training
Mesocycle - Usually refers to a period lasting 2-4 months
Macrocycle - The largest unit of time lasting anywhere form 1 to 4 years(Olympic cycle)

To the athlete or sportsman this type of terminology might serve useful. However, for the average bodybuilder and physique competitor these terms are not used much and might serve as a source of confusion for some. Therefore a will not use them in this article.

Where Did Periodization Come From?

In reality, periodization, has been around since the ancient Greeks in their preparation for the Olympic games.

(1) In fact, many ancient civilizations used forms of organized training to physically and mentally prepare their armies for battle. However, the modern and popularized approach to periodization was developed by Russian sports scientist Leo Matveyev.

(2) Matveyev's basic premise with periodization was that training(for sport) should begin with a general physical preparation phase(GPP) where the training intensity is kept low and the volume is kept high.

This in turn would help to develop some basic hypertrophy, strengthen ligaments, tendons, other connective tissues, and basically build a "base" from which further training could take place. Think of the GPP phase as a foundation of a house; the larger the foundation, the bigger the house.

As the training continued, intensity would gradually rise to become more sport specific while the volume would be reduced. Also, more time would be spent in actual "practice" of the specific sport so less overall volume of supplementary resistance training would be necessary. The trend in classical periodization is basically to go from general conditioning activities and progress to more specific physical preparation (SPP) activities for the sport. A common example of the classical approach to periodization is shown below. It should be noted that there are many different types of periodization schemes to follow. The following is a popular version or what is know as the "western" or "linear" approach to periodization.