How To Be Smarter With Your Training: Periodisation 101
How To Be Smarter With Your Training: Periodisation 101
Do you go to the gym and lift the same weights for the same number of reps every time? If so, you might be sabotaging your progress. There are many ways that you can train smarter rather than harder, but the most overlooked strategy is periodisation.
What is periodisation?
Periodisation is when we structure your training in a cyclic manner to maximise your performance. There are variations in the training intensity and volume that help you progress towards your goals while keeping the risk of injury and plateauing to a minimum.
It is often used with athletes to allow them to peak around their competition dates, but you can also use it to reach your general fitness goals as well.
Why do we use periodisation?
Periodisation is a must for avoiding the common mistake of overtraining. This can happen when you’re continually performing the same amount of reps but using more and more weight, with little opportunity for the body to adapt or recover.
As a result, you can develop symptoms of Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) including:
Unusual muscle soreness and fatigue
Low energy/fatigue
Reduced motivation and mood
Lowered immune function (leaving you prone to illness and slow recovery from injury)
Increased resting heart rate and blood pressure
Plateau in your training progress
Higher risk of injury
Loss of strength and endurance
Higher risk of flares in those with chronic injuries/illness
That’s why we want to follow a program that allows your body to recover and adapt. Incorporating different stages may feel like you’re not progressing as fast as you could, but it reduces your risk of needing weeks or even months off to recuperate from OTS!
Psst - want to learn more about building your perfect training program? Give this a read.
With that in mind, let’s have a look at 3 key phases used in periodisation.
Metabolic phase
In this phase, you are burning a lot of energy. This is a phase that can be great for changing body composition and encouraging fat loss, although it’s important that your nutrition is on point as well!
The metabolic phase includes:
More time under tension
Shorter rest periods & longer working periods
Increased production of lactic acid (you feel this as a burning sensation)
Lighter load compared to the other phases
Greater requirement for carbohydrates
However, this phase is not just about fat loss! It can also be used to complement hypertrophy or neurological training goals. For example, it could be used as a de-load phase.
Hypertrophy phase
This is the phase that most gym-goers are familiar with. Hypertrophy training encourages muscle protein synthesis with the goal of adding size to muscle cells, as well as increasing the number of muscle cells. Basically, it’s muscle ‘building’!
The hypertrophy phase includes:
Moderate rest periods and working periods
High number of sets to failure (compared to the other phases)
Moderate load (greater than metabolic, less than neurological)
But while muscle gain is a big focus for this phase, it’s not the only phase you should use if your goal is increasing muscle mass. You’ll still want to include the other phases as a de-load or prep before jumping into another hypertrophy phase.
Hypertrophy can also be used for fat loss if you’re also managing your nutrition to support that goal.
Neurological phase
This third phase focuses on allowing your nervous system to adapt. For example, it can improve your ability to contract more muscle fibres, which is called neurological efficiency.
The neurological phase includes:
Fewer reps
Longer rest periods and shorter working periods
Heavy loads
Less time under tension
Fewer sets to failure
It’s often referred to as the ‘strength phase’, but strength building is not the only benefit! Nervous system adaptation is a must for other phases of training, and it plays a critical role in both fat loss and increasing muscle mass.
Feeling overwhelmed by all of this?
There is a lot of science & different factors to consider when it comes to a well-planned training program.
This is why working with a trainer can make such a difference! Not only does it keep you more accountable, but it also means your program will have periodisation built in to protect you from injury and overtraining while keeping you progressing towards your goals.
Need a training program that is tailored to your needs & goals?
If you’re sick of feeling unmotivated, discouraged and unsure where to start, now is the time to take action.
Together, we can overhaul not only your nutrition and training program, but also boost your motivation and master your mindset – learn more about my 1:1 coaching here.
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
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While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.