Whenever you research or study Strength & Conditioning training, you will invariably at some point run across the term “Periodization.” Because the concept of periodization was popularized in the 1980s by many Eastern Bloc countries, it scares some people. When discussing periodization, many start envisioning complex programs based around percentages and formulas. You know, the kind of program that one has to have a degree in Algebra to figure out.

While some periodization programs are this way, more often that not, this isn’t the case. All the term priodization means is that a program has scheduled and defined “periods” in it. These periods all have a different focus, and your sets and reps ranges are adjusted to reflect such. Usually, there are three periods focused on – endurance, strength (or strength-hypertrophy), and power.

To make it simpler, think of periodization as just structured cycling. We all know that we can’t lift heavy all the time – sometimes you have to back off. Sometimes you need to lift heavy, sometimes you need to lift light, and sometimes you need a good cross between the two. Instead of going by “feel,” or just lifting “randomly,” periodization just gives your program structure so that you know when you’ll be performing what type of exercise.

By “type of exercise,” I mean what sort of sets and reps ranges. Remember before I said that the three phases most commonly used in periodized workouts are endurance, strength, and power? Well, example sets and reps ranges might be 5-6 sets x 13-18 reps for endurance, 4-6 sets x 5-8 reps for strength, and 5-8 sets x 2-3 reps (done in explosive fashion) for power.

Exercise selection may also change. To develop power (i.e. – a combination of heavy weight and rapid movement), the Olympic lifts and their power and athletic versions would be a good choice. If standard compound lifts are used, this will be the heaviest phase of training, and bar speed will still be of importance. During the strength phase, compound lifts are best utilized. Endurance training, since it’s many times used for either de-loading the body or re-acclimating the body to exercise after a layoff, can not only take advantage of compound movements, but it’s Ok to throw in the occasional isolation movement. (Olympic lifts and their versions are not good for the endurance phase. While they are very metabolically demanding, form is the key issue, and performing higher reps may lead to a breakdown in proper form. This, in turn, could lead to injury.)

How long should each phase last? That is an interesting question with a few different answers – none of which are necessarily “right” or “wrong.” Really, it depends on what you’re training for and what your competition schedule is like.

The “style” of periodization that most are first introduced to is the kind in which each phase lasts quite a while – usually 6-8 weeks. This sort of program is often used with athletes that have definite competitive and off-seasons such as football or baseball. Training intensity can be built upon and ramped up during the off-season, leading to the next competitive season.

Another “style” is a toned down version of the last one – each phase only lasts 2-3 weeks. This sort of program is better for somebody that tends to burn out or get bored with their program quickly. It doesn’t allow you to get in a “rut” and can be adapted much easier to fit a broader range of goals.

One of the most extreme versions of periodization compresses each phase into a single week. In other words, you’d perform a day dedicated to each phase at least once per week. As an example, let’s say you had a whole-body program consisting of 5-6 basic exercises: Clean & Press, Chins, Medium Grip Bench Presses, Curls, and Squats finishing up with abdominal, grip, and neck work. You’d perform this workout 3x/week (e.g. – Monday, Wednesday, Friday), with each day having a different focus. Monday would be for endurance, Wednesday would be for strength, and Friday for power.

Out of all the variants I’ve seen of distinct periodization, I like the last one the best. It allows you to work on a broad range of goals at one time. This way, you’re not losing strength and power while targeting endurance or losing power and endurance while targeting strength. You may not progress quite as quickly in any one phase (although there have been studies and a bit of anecdotal evidence that suggest the contrary), but you’ll be better at more.

In my opinion, it is this style of periodization that has the most potential benefit to a fighter. Many, if not most, fighters don’t have the luxury of knowing they have a fight coming up months ahead of time, thus giving them time to go through an extended periodized schedule. We read all the time about fighters (even at the top levels of the professional ranks) taking fights on just a few weeks’ or even days’ notice. If a fighter isn’t in good “all-round” condition (endurance, strength, and power) all the time, this wouldn’t be possible. (Imagine a relatively up and coming fighter getting a shot in the UFC at the last possible minute because the fighter originally scheduled withdrew due to injury. Can you see him declining the offer because he’s only at the beginning of his strength phase of his periodized schedule, therefore, isn’t ready? Or worse yet, he takes the fight anyway, but because he’s not in good “all-round” shape, he has a poor showing, maybe killing his chances at a future shot in the UFC?) Using a highly compressed periodization schedule will help a fighter keep him/herself in good condition all the time.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.