Kathie Ingram Owen

Periodization, A Necessary Component in Fitness Gains



Posted: Monday, September 04, 2006

by
Body Designer

You have been working hard and consistently for 2 months on the same fitness program and all of a sudden you have hit a brick wall. Your results seemed to have tapered off and you just don’t see progress. You are stuck in a plateau.

It turns out that your body has just adapted to all your hard work. Your body needs a shock or a jump start. You need to give your program a new challenge periodically if you want to continue making gains. That goes for both strength training and cardiovascular training.

The very reason so many people succeed in beginner fitness programs is because their bodies have adapted to the “couch potato" lifestyle. Then they begin a brand new fitness program and drop the pounds quickly because they just periodized from the couch to the gym. Often times they hit that plateau and become discouraged and have no idea what just happened to them was body adaptation.

Periodized training is the key. Instead of doing the same program month after month you change your training program at regular intervals or “periods" to keep your body working harder, while still giving it adequate rest.

For example, you can alter your strength training program by adjusting the following variables:

There are many different types of periodized strength training and cardiovascular programs. As your Certified Personal T rainer I can help you find the best one suited for your needs. The most common strength training periodization is a program that moves you from lighter weights and higher reps to heavier weights and lower reps. Such a program will allow your muscles to strengthen gradually and is appropriate for anyone interested in general fitness.

Research and my general experience shows that periodized training does produce better results. It has been proven that those who practice periodized training showed substantial gains in lean muscle, greater reductions in body fat, and more substantial gains than the non-periodized trainees (#footnote) .

You must also periodize your cardiovascular workout for the same reason - to further challenge your body, while still allowing for adequate recovery time. For example, if I have you on the elliptical trainer - my favorite piece of cardio equipment, I would have you change your intervals, incorporate higher levels and /or steeper inclines to provide adequate periodization. Often times I change equipment and/or types of cardio activity to provide the same benefits.

What you don’t want is for you to do the same cardiovascular exercise every time for months on end! If it becomes too easy, and you don’t push yourself you won’t see progress. And chances are you’ll get bored. Conversely, high-intensity training will lead to burnout or even worse, injury.

Periodized training will ensure that you continue to make measurable progress, which will keep you energized and interested in reaching your goals. As your Certified Personal T rainer I can keep your periodization schedule on target for your specific goals. That is possible for my "in - person " clients as well as for my online fitness training programs.

# Marx, J.O. et al. (2001) Low-volume circuit versus high volume per iodized resistance training in women. Medicine & Science Sports & Exercise, 33:635-643.

Kathie Ingram Owen is a Certified Fitness Trainer in the Houston Area. She is also a Certified Specialist in Older Adult Fitness and a Certified Specialist in Sport Conditioning as well as a Certified Life Coach with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Houston. She has a studio in Rosenberg, Texas where she uses the TheraPlex Unit as her main form of exercise. Please visit Kathie's Fitness Blog for more information about Kathie and to read all her FREE articles and information.

This Article has been viewed 806 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.