Quote Originally Posted by the hulkster
abc, why don't you tell him briefly what perioduzation is, I have read quite a few articles and research peices by hatfield, I have actually done a few college credited research peices using hatfield as one of my references, especially in my ex. Phys class, when I am less under the effects of alcohol I will post a excerpt from hatfield for you pumped but for now hold in a buit and i'll get back to you.


Whatcha gonna do...
good idea.

real brief because there is so much to it. periodization is pretty much a training cycle broken down into phases. you start with adaptation (high reps/lighter weight) and gradually move through 3 to 5 phases of training. the phases can last any number of weeks but the more training experience you have the shorter the phases should be (3 weeks is usually the wall). the reason for the shorter phases is your body quickly adapts to your training and will begin to minimize the cns stimulation and muscle activation so your using less energy/muscle to go through a workout - leads to plateaus.

so figure 1 training cycle could last 16 weeks and have a few phases. it's not limited to that time period as we see with olympic athletes whose phases encompass an entire year/years where their competition period is included and training is shaped around their need and competition phase.

i use 4 phases seperated by 2 weeks where i utilize dropsets, super sets, exhaust sets, and tempo training. the phases during my cycles usually go in this order:
adaptation, hypertrophy, strength, power, 2 week break period, repeat. every workout should be prepared before you do it and the best thing to do is write down your entire cycle before it starts so you can see where you start and end.

hope this helps. it's not that detailed but it's good. check out the books that warrior has on his signatures. i've read almost all of them and they are great.