If your fitness strategy is to “show off and hope for the best,” it’s time to rethink your approach. Without a clear plan, one of two things is inevitable: you’ll hit a plateau and stop seeing results, or you’ll overtrain, which can lead to burnout and injury.
When a fitness professional creates a plan for a client, they often use a concept called periodization, which divides a long-term training plan in phases or cycles.
“There are four main types of periodization: linear, undulating, blocky, and conjugate,” says Trevor Thieme, CSCS, executive director of nutrition and fitness content at Beachbody. “They’re all based on the same principle and goal: to vary your training volume and intensity over time (usually several months to a year) to avoid plateaus, maximize adaptation, and optimize your progress.”
For example, Sure Thing with Megan Davies incorporates periodization training — or “Type Training,” as she calls it — as the foundation of her latest program.
If you are following a periodized training program, some phases may focus on hypertrophy (muscle growth), while others may be designed to promote muscle power or endurance.
These constant and carefully calculated variations allow you to continue to adapt and reduce your risk of hitting a plateau.
Undulating periodization is a type of periodization that is becoming particularly popular.
Here’s what you need to know about it to maximize your results.
What is undulating periodization?
The classic approach to periodization is the linear model.
“Basically, you hit heavier weights every few weeks, going from low weight/high reps (muscular endurance) to high weight/low reps (strength),” Thieme says. “Another way to think about it is to go from high volume low intensity training to low volume high intensity training.”
Undulating periodization takes a different approach.
“You vary the volume and intensity of your training on a daily or weekly basis,” says Thieme. “So one week your goal might be strength, and the next week endurance, for example.”
If you were to use a graph to map your training variables, they would ripple (rise and fall) over time instead of linear (a straight line).
“One of the benefits of undulating periodization over linear periodization is that it helps provide short-term variety, eliminates training boredom and monotony, and fuels motivation and motivation. consistency,” adds Thieme.
How to use undulating periodization
Creating a periodized training plan requires an in-depth knowledge of training principles and how to apply them to achieve a desired goal while considering lifestyle, fitness level, and work constraints. hourly.
If you’re looking for an accessible fitness program that uses undulating periodization and can be tailored to your fitness level, check out Sure Thing.
Undulating periodization is the foundation of Sure Thing, says Thieme, but Beachbody Coaches have put their own spin on it.
“We call our approach ‘Type Training’,” he says. “During the eight-week program, you’ll alternate between Endurance weeks, which target your endurance-focused Type I muscle fibers, and Power weeks, which focus on your larger Type II muscle fibers. and stronger.”
“Every fourth week is dedicated to ‘Functional Recovery,’ where you’ll perform workouts that combine the training principles of the other weeks and focus on mobility,” adds Thieme. “The result is a comprehensive, results-driven training program that’s as fun as it is effective.”
Sure Thing consists of five 30-45 minute workouts per week, along with simple nutrition and supplement advice.
To get started, you will need light, medium, and heavy dumbbells, as well as strength slides.
A periodized training plan can help you maximize your progress and avoid plateaus, burnout, and overuse injuries.
Join BODi to access Sure Thing and experience the benefits of Undulating Periodization – and feel stronger than ever.
