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If you look at the current sports training literature or speak to anybody connected with training athletes, a word, periodization, keeps popping up. In fact, big fat tomes have been written on periodization and its many different forms. You might be wondering how does this pertain to somebody who is not an athlete and just wants to improve his/her fitness. Actually, the answer is very simple and it becomes clear if we peel away all the jargon and define the term for the lay person.
Defining periodization
An athlete’s goal is to perform well at a competition – this could be at any level – district, state, national or international. All the training plans are geared towards that one goal. Similarly, for the regular person, their entire effort in the gym and outside should be towards attaining their fitness goal and a training plan makes all the difference between achieving their fitness goal or getting frustrated or even injured. “The simplest definition of periodization is planned variation within a long-term training program”. Nobody should go to the gym and do random stuff, hoping that they would reach the desired result.
Alternating high load and high volume
A lot of newbies in the gym make a mistake of trying to do too much in the gym. If working out 3 days is good, then 6 days should be even better! That is good route to crash and burn. A more reasonable plan would be to alternate between high volume lifting – lighter weight but lots of exercises, sets and repetitions and high load – heavier weights, fewer exercises, low number of sets and repetitions.
This is how to set up a high volume/muscle hypertrophy block:
•4-6 weeks in duration.
•Workout 3-5 days a week.
•Use a push, pull, legs split. Push includes chest, shoulders and triceps, pull includes back and biceps, legs includes quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.
•High volume – 2-3 exercises per body part, 3 sets per exercise and 8-12 repetitions per set.
•Feel the movement, do not just lift the weight.
•Eat lots of protein – at least 1.5 grams per kg of body weight.
Strength focused block:
The aim is to progressively lift heavy for 4-6 weeks:
•The emphasis should be to get as strong as possible on a few big exercises – squat, bench press/overhead press, deadlift and barbell row.
•The volume is deliberately kept low – sets are 3-5 per exercise and reps do not go over 8 per set.
•Avoid training more than thrice a week.
•Try and increase the weight on the bar week to week.
•You should feel pleasantly tired at the end of the workout.
•Eat lots of protein – at least 1.5 grams per kg of body weight.
This periodized plan is simplicity itself. You can follow this method for a very long time and get good results. By alternating hypertrophy and strength training, the pitfalls of only lifting in one style can be avoided. In fact, they complement each other – increased strength in the big lifts helps do more volume at higher load on the smaller exercises which will result in increasing muscle size. The increased muscle size will allow you to get stronger.
Try it over several months and get back to me with your results. Now go and do it.
Kamal Singh is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist who has been coaching for 15 years
From HT Brunch, March 20, 2022
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