I'm a big believer in 'periodizing' your workouts. Your workouts should change based on performance, time, adaptation, and goals. In other words, you should change the variables in your training program over time. The body is an amazing vehicle that can adapt to almost any situation. Given your training is appropriate and stressful enough, your body will be forced into a state of adaptation. Over time, your body will eventually adapt. To avoid long-term adaptation, you must introduce variety when the time comes and not willy-nilly or because you get 'bored'.
There certainly exists a multitude of ways to progress, but one of the best ways to keep the body 'guessing' is to manipulate volume (repetitions) and intensity (percentage of one-rep maximum). Even if you keep your core lifts the same or very similar, manipulating these two variables will bring about favorable physiological changes. Keep in mind that the method that you use depends on what your goals are. Goals, goals, goals.
Goal: Mass
Volume Accumulation Training. Lifters should keep weights relatively stable while increasing reps as long as possible on the core lifts. Once they reach a point where they cannot add weight, they stick to the same weight and add reps over time.
Example:
Week 1: 225 x 5 x 3
Week 2: 225 x 7 x 3
Week 3: 225 x 8 x 3
At 12 reps, the lifter will then increase the weight by 5-10 pounds and repeat the process.
Intermediate and advanced lifters
For these cats, they can flip the volume/intensity scheme. Instead of working up in volume, they can work down in volume, similar to strength athletes (refer to below examples). The biggest difference is that they start at higher repetitions, so instead of having a ceiling of 8-10 reps, they may have a ceiling of 15 reps. Additionally, lifters whose main goal is mass and size will have decreased rest periods and longer time under a weight (time under tension).
Goal: Strength
For beginner to intermediate lifters, they should keep reps relatively stable while increasing weights as long as possible on the core lifts. Once they reach a point where they cannot add weight, they drop the volume, or reps.
Intermediate and advanced lifters
Once reps drop, the lifter can then add more weight. Eventually, this method will also stop working. At this point, the lifter will vary volume and intensity more frequently. For example, if the lifter was doing 25 total reps for the squat each week for 3 weeks, the lifter will then progress to doing 25, 20, and 15 reps, all while increasing intensity. This method is what I call Weekly Undulating Periodization (WUP) and is almost exclusively prescribed for upper-intermediate to advanced lifters since their bodies adapt at such quick rates.
Other ways intermediate/advanced lifters can incorporate periodization:
- Daily Undulating Periodizaton (DUP): changing volume and intensity each training day (exercises stay the same). Mike Tuscherer's Reactive Training System and Mike Zourdos' system reflect this method. It is crucial that lifters stay in the sub-maximal range, meaning performing weights that are not excruciatingly heavy but not ridiculously light. Example:
Day 1: 8 x 3 @ 60%
Day 2: 4 x 4 @ 70%
Day 3: 6 x 4 @ 65%
Day 4: 3 x 5 @ 75%
- They can mimic Volume Accumulation training.
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