How To Use Periodization Like A Pro

Periodization can turn a good workout program into a great workout program.

It’s a very powerful tool which can be applied no matter whether your goal is fat loss, building muscle, or gaining strength.

It involves learning how to structure your program in order to manipulate certain variables over the course of a few weeks/months (such as knowing when to switch rep ranges), and when done correctly it can help you achieve vastly superior results and keep you safe from injury.

Very few people in the gym seem to know about periodization, but once you do, I promise you’ll feel like fucking Thanos with all the Infinity Stones!

Periodization Explained

You’ll generally meet three types of people at your local gym:

• Those who do the same thing every time they train
• Those who make up something different in each workout
• Those who use periodization

In order to show you the full benefits of periodization, let’s take a look at all three.

First up, let’s discuss people who do the exact same thing every time they train.

Most people get into a routine of of doing the exact same exercises with the exact same weights for 8-12 reps – even though results stopped long ago!

They’ve hit a glass ceiling in terms of how heavy they can lift, so they key muscle building pathway they are trying to target (progressive overload) isn’t actually being achieved, and that’s why results have stagnated even though they continue to show up and put the effort in.

Also, it’s no coincidence that these folks are riddled with little injuries…

Because aside from the obvious lack of variety here, training in this way can wreak havoc on the body in the long-term, as the joints and central nervous system start succumbing to the stress caused by months/years/decades of being asked to lift heavy in every single workout, leaving the trainee feeling more broken than fixed.

– Russ Howe PTI

Now let’s look at the folks who go the complete opposite way, inventing their workout on the fly depending upon what they feel like training that day.

Making it up as you go certainly offers greater variety, but it comes at the expense of structure and safety – and ultimately leads to the same lack of progress.

People who do this usually over-complicate their routine by replacing proven fundamentals with obscure exercises they’ve seen on social media, and it’s also damn near impossible to achieve any kind of progressive overload when everything is being changed so often.

– Russ Howe PTI

Now let’s take a peek at using periodization.

These are the annoying fuckers who seem to blast past your results without a problem! They rarely miss a workout, they’re never injured, and they don’t appear to get stuck.

That’s because they’re using periodization, which breaks down their long-term goal into several different phases. The goal is to hang around in one “zone” long enough to unlock the results it offers (e.g. the muscle building results from a high rep phase) and then switch to another phase before any of the negative adaptations occur (e.g. reduced strength).

Essentially, it gives you the best of both worlds.

– Russ Howe PTI

The Variables We Can Use

We can focus on any of six variables:

• Rep range
• Number of sets
• Rest between sets
• Exercise selection
• Rep tempo
• Exercise order

Those who have used my training programs will know that I usually focus on the top four. That’s not because the others are bad (trust me, it all works!), but because the top four are the most flexible when it comes to designing programs intended to be used b tens of thousands of people.

As an example, if you want to get bigger and stronger I’d have you train in the hypertrophy rep range (8-12 reps per set) and gradually decrease this over time, peaking at the end of the program. Alternatively, if you wanted to boost your fitness and muscular endurance I’d recommend gradually increasing the total volume (number of sets) in each new phase of the program.

Structuring a program in this manner is essentially the difference in how an athlete would train versus how a regular person would train, and it yields significantly better results!

Also, while most of my programs switch to a new phase every 2-3 weeks, you can stretch this over a much longer period of time if you need to. That means you could apply periodization over a 6-10 week program in largely the same manner as an athlete training for 4-years for the next Olympic Games.

Now let’s look at some of the best periodization models.

Classic Linear Periodization

Best used for: Strength.
Programs which use this: Classic Size, HGV.

Created by Russian sport scientist Leonid Matveyev, the classic linear periodization model is the most commonly used type.

It’s best applied to strength training, and in each phase of the program a trainee will steadily increase their workout intensity (weight lifted) while decreasing the volume (reps).

For example, you’d start your program off with a hypertrophy phase (12-15 reps per set), and then move into a power phase (6-8 reps per set), and then finish off with a very heavy phase which uses 3-5 reps per set.

It’s a fantastic way to build strength. All three phases combine to force the body to make certain adaptations (e.g. the hypertrophy phase helps you build more muscle and become familiar with the exercises, and the power phase builds explosivity) so you unlock even better results when you reach the strength phase. (1, 3)

Reverse Linear Periodization

Best used for: Muscular endurance.
Programs which use this: Figure of 8, The Cut, Big Sweat.

As the name suggests, reverse linear periodization flips the classic method on its head.

That means you’ll start in the lower rep ranges of a power phase (6-8 reps), then move into a hypertrophy phase (12-15 reps), and peak in the muscular endurance zone (15-30 reps).

It’s ideal for trainees who want to improve muscular endurance and overall fitness, and you can expect to finish your program feeling like Rocky Balboa training to fight Drago in Russia, on Christmas day, with the whole world on his back! (3)

Undulating Periodization

Best used for: Hypertrophy.
Programs which use this: Reach Your Peak, Biceps Boom, Chaos Theory.

This model is also known as Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP), and you’ll move between different phases in a non-linear fashion.

It works fantastically well with full-body workouts.

For example, instead of spending long periods of time in one training zone (e.g. a 4-week power phase) you’ll do an endurance workout on Monday (15-30 reps), a power workout on Wednesday (6-8 reps), and then a hypertrophy workout on Friday (12-15 reps), and repeat this cycle for the duration of the whole program.

If you’re a bodybuilding fan you’ll recognize this as Joe Weider’s “muscle confusion” theory , and you’re right, that’s precisely what it is!

Also, the reason I ditched the word “daily” from the title and referred to it purely as “undulating periodization” is because people often mistakenly think they can only use this form of periodization with full-body workouts.

Sure, if you are doing a full-body workout you’ll find it easy to train in the manner I described above, but you can also do this with a regular split. The goal of DUP is that you stick with one style of training until your whole body has been trained, so if you’re doing a full-body program that’ll be one single workout, whereas on a more traditional program that might take a week.

You’d still move through each phase in non-linear fashion, like this:

• Week 1: Endurance phase (15-30 reps)
• Week 2: Power phase (6-8 reps)
• Week 3: Hypertrophy phase (12-15 reps)
• Week 4: Strength phase (3-5 reps)

This form of periodization is wonderful for building muscle. (1, 2, 3, 4)

It won’t help you gain as much strength as classic linear, and it won’t boost muscular endurance as much as reverse linear, but your results won’t be a million miles off the pace either, so this is the form of periodization I usually recommend for people who want to build muscle, burn fat, and incorporate lots of variety into their routine (which is most guys in the gym). (2, 5)

Pendulum Periodization

Best used for: Hypertrophy.
Programs which use this: Beach Bum.

The three forms of periodization shown above are the most popular, but now let’s look at some of the more obscure stuff… starting with pendulum periodization!

It’s best used for long-term programs where the goal is to achieve a happy medium of strength, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance. It combines the classic linear method with the reverse linear method, so you’ll begin with a hypertrophy phase (12-15 reps) then drop into a power phase (6-8 reps) and a strength phase (3-5 reps) before moving in the opposite direction with a power phase (6-8 reps), a hypertrophy phase (12-15 reps) and an endurance phase (15-30 reps). (6, 7, 8)

The name comes from the fact that the rep ranges swing like a pendulum.

Oh, and just like all other forms of periodization, each phase can be designed to last for a couple of weeks, or even for a couple of months, depending how long the period of time is that you’d like to stretch your program over.

Oscillating Periodization

Best used for: Hypertrophy.
Programs which use this: RPE 20.

Oscillating periodization might appear more random than other models at first glance, but that’s just because you have to look closer to see the structure.

As per the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of “oscillating” is:

“To vary in magnitude or position in a regular manner about a central point.”

With that in mind, a program built for hypertrophy would begin (and make its “central point) x12 reps. In the next phase it would move you one notch below this rep range (x9 reps), and then in the next phase one notch above the central point (x15 reps). In the next phase you’d go two notches below the central point (x6 reps) and then two notches above the central point (x18 reps).

So it makes more sense when viewed like this:

Weeks 7/8	Weeks 3/4	Weeks 1/2	Weeks 5/6	Weeks 9/10
6 reps	9 reps	12 reps	15 reps	18 reps

The good thing about this periodization model is that it’s packed with variety, and if you wanted to double the length of your program you could do so as easily as reversing the journey (e.g. gravitating back towards the central point in weeks 1/2!).

it’s a great muscle builder, and you’ll be training to failure across several different rep ranges throughout the course of the program, so you can expect to see a fantastic body transformation. (6, 7)

Antagonistic Periodization

Best used for: Hypertrophy.
Programs which use this: MuscleMania, Afterburner, Chisel.

Here’s where things get a bit unusual… this form of periodization has you using the classic linear and reverse linear methods at the same time!

I created the antagonistic model for advanced trainees who use programs which contain lots of volume.

There’s three ways to apply it; the most common is to have six workouts per week and hit your whole body with low reps during the first three workouts and high reps during the second three. In subsequent phases of the program your low rep workouts go even lower, and your high rep workouts go higher.

As the rep ranges begin to pull away from each other (hence the name antagonistic) it creates a unique training experience where you’ll be pairing very low rep work with very high rep work. This is not a coincidence. I programmed it in such a way because the two forms of training begin to compliment one another in terms of recovery, as your central nervous system doesn’t have to work as hard during super high rep workout, giving you a one-of-a-kind periodization model which allows you to train both heavy and high volume!

So your training schedule might look like this:

• Monday: Shoulders and arms (low)
• Tuesday: Back and chest (low)
• Wednesday: Legs (low)
• Thursday: Shoulders and arms (high)
• Friday: Back and chest (high)
• Saturday: Legs (high)
• Sunday: Off

And your periodization would look like this:

Schedule	Low Rep Days	High Rep Days
Weeks 1 & 2	10-12	12-15
Weeks 3 & 4	8-10	15-20
Weeks 5 & 6	7-8	20-25
Weeks 7 & 8	5-6	25-30

The second way to apply this technique is to use this low/high structure in each workout, instead of having designated low and high days (as seen in my MuscleMania program).

It’s the same concept but this time we start the workout with low rep work and end with high rep work for a different muscle group, and then flip them around later in the week to ensure all muscles have been subjected to both types of training.

So your schedule might look like this:

• Monday: Shoulders (high) and arms (low)
• Tuesday: Back (high) and chest (low)
• Wednesday: Hamstrings (high) and quads (low)
• Thursday: Arms (high) and shoulders (low)
• Friday: Chest (high) and back (low)
• Saturday: Quads (high) and hamstrings (low)
• Sunday: Off

And your periodization would look like this:

Schedule	High Rep Muscles	Low Rep Muscles
Week 1	20	12
Week 2	25	10
Week 3	30	8
Week 4	20	12
Week 5	25	12
Week 6	30	8

The third and final way we can do this is by pairing low and high exercises together into one set.

We do this in my popular Afterburner program.

It’s a supersets-based program where the first exercise (e.g. bench press) uses the low rep structure and the second exercise (e.g. dumbbell flye) uses the high rep structure. This way enables you to use antagonistic periodization without needing to hit each muscle group twice per week, so it’s a bit more flexible, although it creates some very nasty combinations where you’ll be going from heavy weights to light weights which burn like fuck!

So your training schedule might look like this:

• Monday: Chest and shoulders
• Tuesday: Back and arms
• Wednesday: Legs
• Thursday: Chest and shoulders
• Friday: Back and arms
• Saturday: Legs
• Sunday: Off

And your periodization would look like this:

Schedule	Exercise A	Exercise B
Weeks 1 & 2	10-12	12-15
Weeks 3 & 4	8-10	15-20
Weeks 5 & 6	7-8	20-25
Weeks 7 & 8	5-6	25-30

Choosing The Best Periodization Model For Your Goals

Okay, so now you know how periodization works and you’ve also got several useful models to play with.

Some of these models are better suited to certain goals than others, so here’s a quick guide:

• Strength: Classic linear, DUP, Pendulum
• Hypertrophy: DUP, Classic linear, Oscillating
• Endurance: Reverse Linear, Antagonistic

It’s also important to remember that you’re never exclusively locked into one style.

For example, most of the people who use my training programs will tell you they’ve used almost all of the methods shown above, and they’ve discovered which type(s) they enjoy the most (because at the end of the day when a program is structured correctly they’ll all help you see great results!).

So there you have it!

Now go experiment with each of them on your own, or jump in to one of my ready-made programs on the website. I’ve added some of my personal favourites just below.

Further Reading:

If you enjoyed this blog, then you’ll probably also like reading these.

>> How Much Volume Do Our Muscles Really Need?
>> High Reps vs Low Reps For Muscle Growth
>> The Rules To Ripped

References:

1. Kraemer W., et al. Physiological changes with periodized resistance training in women tennis players. Med Sci Sports Exerc (2003).
2. Marx J. O., et al. Low-volume circuit versus high-volume periodized resistance training in women. Med Sci Sports Exerc (2001).
3. Rhea M. R., et al. A meta-analysis of periodized versus nonperiodized strength and power training programs. Res Q Exerc Sport (2004).
4. Willoughby D. S. The Effects of Mesocycle-Length Weight Training Programs Involving Periodization and Partially Equated Volumes on Upper and Lower Body Strength. J Strength Cond Res (1993).
5. Peixoto D. L., et al. Muscle Daily Undulating Periodization for Strength and Body Composition: The Proposal of a New Model. Int J Exerc Sci (2022).
6. Phillips M. B., et al. Tools and Benefits of Periodization: Developing an Annual Training Plan and Promoting Performance Improvements in Athletes. The Sport Journal (2020).
7. Williams T. D., et al. Comparison of Periodized an Non-Periodized Resistance Training on Maximal Strength: A Meta-Analysis. Spors Med (2017).
8. Rodrigues B. M., et al. Traditional vs daily undulling periodization in strength and local muscle endurance gains on trained men. J Human Sport Exerc (2012).