Even if you’re an Olympic weightlifter, body builder, elite athlete or a person with little weight training experience you need to do Mesocycle #1. Just because Mesocycle #1 uses lighter weights does not mean it is an easy workout. With this cycle the weights may be lighter, but they will still be heavier than probably what 95% of exercisers normally use. The "rest" will also be shorter and that means these workouts have teeth!
But now let me tell you the real reasons why you should do the muscle endurance Mesocycle #1. Periodization is not a new theory; it has been used by strength coaches and personal trainers for years. There are countless studies showing that exercisers following a periodization workout will get better and faster results than those who don’t.
The biggest mistake most lifters make is always to do the same exercises lifting the same weights. If you want to be guaranteed to hit a plateau and to suffer burnout I know of no better way to accomplish this than to always lift the same weight and do the same exercises. Muscles need rest, they need to be worked to the max, they need to be worked for a long period of time, they need to be worked intensely for short durations, they need to be worked from different angles and most importantly they need to be confused! Periodization will do all of these and the results will be superior to any static heavy lifting program.
I have never met a strength coach that doesn’t use periodization for their athletes. It works for them and it will work for you. I know common sense tells you to lift as much weight as you can handle, but common sense in this case is wrong. By cycling the intensity in your workouts you will reach goals that you will probably never be able to achieve if you don’t cycle.
