What is periodization?
When it comes to working out, your body can become so confident and familiar with the exercises that it adapts to it. In this case, you need to shock or surprise your body periodically in order to achieve your fitness goals.
This concept can be useful for both strength training as well as cardiovascular training. This type of training is called periodization and can be applied to competition training as well as your every day workouts. Rather than doing the same workout routine continually, you change your training program at regular intervals or “periods” to make sure that your body is being challenged, while still giving it the necessary rest.
Examples of periodizing
This can be done in various forms for both strength training and cardio training. Here are a few examples:
Strength
- Change the number of reps or number of sets for each exercise
- Increase or reduce your resistance
- The length of rest time between each set or even the time between workouts
- The speed of your workouts
- Moving from low resistance and a high number of reps to high resistance and a lower number of reps
Cardio
- Switching between hill repeats and easy flat surface cardio
- Increasing or decreasing the speed of the workout
- Incorporate strength training by doing sets of body weight exercises throughout the workout
- HIIT training for cardio
- Recovery time between workouts
- Distance or length of time for the workouts
Periodization for Races
With race season upon us, it’s important to use a periodizing program while training for the race. What you don’t want to do while training is complete the same run every time. If you run too easily, and don’t push yourself, you won’t progress. And chances are you’ll get bored. On the other hand, too much speed or high-intensity training will lead to injury or burnout.
If you are serious about improving your time in a 10K or completing a half marathon or even a full marathon, you’ll need a periodized program geared to each type of race. A Momentum Personal Trainer Hamilton can prepare a program for you and help you throughout your training.
