Workout Periodization

The term periodization is often thrown around when discussing resistance training, however it is not always a very well understood concept, and it will be applied differently depending on what training goals we are referring to. So I will discuss how periodization of training will differ between strength versus hypertrophy training. First we need to define what exactly periodization means.

Essentially, periodisation in the most literal sense refers to breaking training up into periods, or blocks of training, with different training goals. This is usually achieved by taking the training cycle or year, splitting it into phases, and further breaking this down into mesocycles or blocks of training. Traditionally, each phase has a specific training quality we are trying to develop, and each block is a small step towards achieving this goal.

However, modern sport science and practice has developed over time to a point where periodisation doesn't always refer to this specific method of planning. Rather, a more loose definition of periodisation is probably more applicable. So I will simply define the term periodization as the long term management of training variables.

So l am not referring to any specific model or type of periodisation here, rather l am simply defining it as any form of long term management, which could take multiple forms. Now that we understand what periodization means in a general sense, let's now explore how it can be applied to both strength and hypertrophy training. To understand how periodisation applies to each training goal, we first need to understand the adaptations we are trying to achieve.

Let's now cover what exactly hypertrophy and strength are from a physiological perspective. First, we have muscle growth. This simply refers to an increase in the size of a muscle, primarily occurring via an adaptation that we call hypertrophy.

Hypertrophy is basically an increase in the size of the muscle fibre cells, resulting in an overall bigger muscle. Hypertrophy is essentially a technical term for muscle growth, so muscle growth and hypertrophy can be used synonymously.

The important thing to understand here is that hypertrophy is a structural adaptation, meaning it is something that occurs at the local muscle tissue. Strength on the other hand, is a performance outcome. Strength is solely focused on how much weight can be lifted.

Strength doesn't care about what your physique looks like, the only goal here is to lift the most amount of weight possible. It should also be understood that strength is specific to our goals. This means we must train specifically for a certain lift or multiple lifts.

In most cases, this refers to the power lifts, the squat, bench press and deadlift, performed for a single repetition or a one-wrap max. The important thing to understand here, is that unlike hypertrophy, strength is a performance outcome, not a structural adaptation. So now that we understand the difference between strength and hypertrophy, let's now cover how to best train for each goal.

First let's explore how to train for muscle growth. Like l mentioned, there is only one adaptation we are after when aiming to build muscle, and that is hypertrophy. As a very general summary, here are the variables which tend to be most important for muscle growth.

First is proximity to failure. When training for muscle growth, we want to take each set close to failure to ensure the target muscle is maximally stressed. Next is the rep ranges and loads used.

For muscle growth, we can train anywhere from as little as around 6 reps up to around 20 reps per set, as long as we are training close to failure. We also want to train with fairly high volumes. We generally find that more volume tends to result in superior muscle growth, assuming our training quality remains high.

And the last important variable to maximise muscle growth is lifting technique. We want to use a technique which maximally stresses the target muscle. This means exposing the muscle to a biomechanical advantage, lifting with full range of motion and a controlled eccentric tempo.

As a general guide, this will be the most effective training strategies to maximise muscle growth. Next let's talk about training for strength. Now, unlike muscle growth, there are actually more than one adaptation that will contribute to strength gains.

There are three primary adaptations which will contribute to maximal strength. These are hypertrophy, neural efficiency and technical efficiency. However, neural and technical efficiency are basically trained in the same way, so I have combined them into one category.

Let's now cover how to best train for each adaptation. First let's discuss hypertrophy. Hypertrophy will contribute to strength gains by increasing the amount of muscle tissue that can contribute to force production.

If we have more contractile tissue in the muscles which can contribute to a lift, then there are simply more units to contract and pull on the joints. A simple analogy to explain this would be that having more people in a tug-of-war contest, which is analogous to having more muscle tissue, helps to pull with more force.

So as a quick summary, we want to train close to failure within the approximate 6-20 rep range with high volumes and strict technique. Next let's discuss how to best train for the other contributing adaptations to strength, which are neural and technical efficiency. These are two slightly different adaptations, but are essentially maximised in the same way, which is why l have grouped them together.

Neural efficiency is the ability for the nervous system to produce more force with the given muscle mass we have. This is achieved via a few different mechanisms. We just need to understand that we can train a muscle to become stronger without actually making it bigger.

Technical efficiency, on the other hand, refers to making our technique more biomechanically efficient. Over time, we can learn to leverage the load in a more efficient manner, meaning that less work is required to perform the same movement pattern. This is achieved by manipulating the positions and angles of our limbs and torso, and altering the path of travel. 

So to maximise both of these adaptations, the training methods are essentially the same. Essentially, we want to follow the principle of specificity, meaning training should be similar to the competition demands. This means lifting with the specific exercises that you want to get stronger at.

So if you want to get stronger at the squat, bench press and deadlift, you will need to perform those lifts in the same way as they are performed in competition. This also means lifting with heavy loads. To maximise neural and technical efficiency, we need to practice lifting heavy weights, somewhere in the 1-5 rep range.

And lastly, lifting technique is important to improve maximal strength. Here we want to lift in a way that allows us to lift the most weight possible, within the constraints of what is legal in competition. So we don't really care which muscles are being stressed more than others, we just want to lift the most amount of weight possible.

So as a general guide, this is usually considered the most effective methods to develop neural and technical efficiency. So now that we understand the fundamentals of strength and hypertrophy training, we can finally explore how training can be periodised to maximise each training goal. First let's look at periodisation of strength training.

Essentially, we want to periodise our training in a way that allows us to lift the most amount of weight at a certain point in time. This would usually be for a competition if you're a strength athlete, or it could just be to test your 1RM's for a casual lifter. Either way, we need a definitive time to peak, so that we can plan training in the correct time frame.

Once we have this time frame established, we can then start to plan our training. Essentially, we want to emphasise hypertrophy earlier in the training cycle, and emphasise neural and technical efficiency later in the training cycle. This will build a foundation of muscle mass, which can then be used to maximize efficiency when we need to peak.

This can be achieved by manipulating the following variables. Earlier in the training cycle, we want to implement variations of the competition lifts, not the exact same movement. We want to choose exercises which are better for training the prime movers of the lift, and those with lower joint stress.

Then, as we transition closer to our time to peak, we want to implement the specific lifts that you want to get stronger at, exactly as they are performed in competition. For example, a lifter may implement a high bar full range of motion back squat earlier in the training cycle, and transition to a low bar competition style squat closer to their peak. These lifts should also be performed with different rep ranges, based on where we are in the cycle.

Earlier in the cycle, we want to lift with higher rep ranges, in the approximate 8-12 rep range, to emphasise muscle growth. Then, as we get closer to our peak, we should perform lower rep ranges with heavier loads, in the 1-3 rep range, to maximise efficiency. Training volume will also differ between phases.

Earlier in the cycle, we probably want to perform more sets for the primary lifts to maximise muscle growth. And closer to our peak, we want to perform less volume, because we simply cannot handle many sets when lifting with very heavy loads, and also to reduce fatigue, so that we are in a fresh state. And lastly, accessory lifts to train the prime movers should always be present, but in different amounts.

Earlier in the cycle, more accessory lifts should be implemented to maximise hypertrophy.  This can be achieved by either doing more total exercises for the muscle group, or by doing more sets of the same exercises. Then later in the training cycle, we want to do fewer accessory lifts, or less volume of each lift, so we can allocate more energy to the competition lifts.

Next, let's discuss how to periodise hypertrophy training. This is where many people often get confused. Periodization doesn't really apply to muscle growth in the same way.

This is because hypertrophy is a structural adaptation, not a performance outcome. This means that there is no time to peak, we just want to keep growing muscle over time. So rather than having a specific method of periodising training, we basically just want to try and get the best stimulus possible at all times.

Training may still change over time, but there is no change in what adaptations we are trying to emphasise. Trainees should strive to always improve their training methods over time, by manipulating exercises, volume, technique and more, but this is always done in response to how they are looking, feeling and progressing, not in a planned sequence. So as a summary, let's overview what we have covered.

First it should be understood that strength and hypertrophy are two different adaptations. Strength is a performance outcome where the goal is to lift the most amount of weight possible, while hypertrophy is a structural adaptation where the goal is to increase the size of the muscle. So although they are interrelated to some extent, they are ultimately different outcome goals.

To maximise strength, we want to periodise training in a way to peak at a specific time of the year. Each cycle should start by emphasising hypertrophy adaptations, and then shifting to a more neural and technical efficiency emphasis, as we get closer to our time to peak. Hypertrophy, on the other hand, isn't a performance outcome, so there is no time to peak.

So trainees don't really need to periodise training, at least not in the traditional way. Rather, trainees should simply adjust training over time, in response to how they look, feel and progress, and always try to provide the best hypertrophy stimulus possible.