periodization

[mommacody]

Could someone translate this for me? I have read the definition of what it means, but i'm still not clear on how to accurately apply it, nor when to apply it. could i get some help from you guys? thanks!

 

[kathryn]

It basically means planning your workout rotations so that you have different phases with different focuses. It comes from athletic training, where athletes may train to build muscle at a certain point, then train more specifically for their sport to prepare for competition, then go through a recovery phase.

For the rest of us, it just means cycling through rotations in a way that provides for recovery periods as well as work periods. P90X is an example of a periodized program that has 3 more intense weeks of work followed by a lighter recovery week focusing on flexibility and core work.