#LEAN14 guest post: nicole on periodization {aka organizing randomness}

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I recently was chatting with my friend Nicole about how I really love getting back into fitness, but a lot of times I just don’t even know what workouts I should be doing. Nicole, who is a Fitness Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, started telling me about something athletes do called “Periodization.” I loved the concept behind it because it was something I could really see putting PURPOSE and a GOAL behind my workouts.

So I asked Nicole if she would write a post all about Periodization…AKA “Organizing Randomness”…for non-athletes like you and I. Enjoy!

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I’m sure we have all heard sayings such as “muscle confusion”, “constant variation”, etc. when it comes to fitness… And they are totally right! Our bodies are absolutely incredible when it comes to adapting to the demands we impose upon it. Performing similar workouts week after week will no longer be challenging to us so mixing it up is crucial. However, it is very important to have order within the randomness of our exercise program to ensure balanced training throughout muscle groups and development of physical skills.

Periodization allows for evolving goals, modalities and styles of your workout. This variation in workouts forces planned times of less intensity and/or volume, which decreases risk of injury, keeps motivation high and minimizes the dreaded plateau!

Athletes follow periodized programs throughout the entire year to ensure peak performance during their sports season. For those of us who are not professional athletes, we have the luxury of choosing our “in season” time frame of the year. In season can be winter for the skiers and boarders, the date of the half marathon you signed up for, or a bride preparing for her wedding day. The most common In season I hear about is summer of course! Summer is a super social season with BBQs, pool parties and weekends at the shore. We want to feel confident in short shorts, tank tops and bikinis.

Let’s use summer as our in season for a training year. Use these guidelines when planning your workouts for #LEAN14: *Volume = Work Load of the workout (reps and sets) / Intensity = Weight (resistance)*

Off Season (October – February)

WORKOUT: Recovery Phase – Keep volume and intensity low. “Master the basics of gymnastics (body control and fundamental movements): pull ups, dips, rope climb, push ups, sit ups, handstands, flips, splits, and holds.” (CrossFit Training Guide pg. 16). Start lifting! Make your way up to lifting heavy by tightening technique. “Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, clean & jerk, and snatch.” (CrossFit Training Guide pg. 16).

FOOD: Support your body – Recovery is key when lifting. Feed your body plenty of protein, carbohydrates from veggies and fruit (low glycemic) and fats (unsaturated) to ensure proper muscle restoration. Oh, and LOTS of water. When you think you have had enough water, drink more!

Left: Handstand Hold As Long As Possible - 5 Reps // Right: Barbell Front Squat – 75lb 7 reps 3 sets

Pre-Season (March – May)

WORKOUT: Get Sculpted – This is the time to PEAK and crush goals. Volume stays low but intensity switches to high. Now that your strength has increased, shake it up by incorporating metabolic conditioning into workouts. A great way to challenge your body is to begin High Intensity Interval Strength Training (HIIST) into the workout mix. Lifting + Metabolic Conditioning (Cardio) = HIIST. “Bike, swim, row, jump rope, skip, run hard and fast.” (CrossFit Training Guide pg. 16).

FOOD: Same as off season but add 1 grain carbohydrate (low glycemic) sometime before 12:00 noon. This will help with energy since we are adding additional training stressors.

Left: Barbell Deadlift 95lb 5 reps 4 sets + 400m Row // Right: Reverse Lunge with a Twist 10lb Sand Bell 10 reps 3 sets

In Season (June – August)

WORKOUT: Stay Sculpted and Explore– This is the time to maintain our progress. Continue to keep activity levels high but lighten up a bit. Enjoy your hard work and play on the beach! Branch out and experience different ways to exercise such as classes at the gym, a home workout series, play in a sports league…stay moving in fun ways =)

FOOD: “Eat meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.” (CrossFit Training Guide pg. 16).

5 mile hike up the foothills in Palm Springs, CA

Post Season (September)

WORKOUT: Get Strong – Volume turns high and intensity is low. This phase is great for reinforcing technique on key lifts. The high rep low weight range is prepping for the off season training adventures.

FOOD: Protein and Veggies are king… But pumpkin spice lattes are delicious ;)

***Every 4-5 weeks = Decompression***

Do something fun and completely different: Decrease the load, give your joints a break and allow your body the time it needs to revive and adapt to all of your training!

Snowboarding New Years Eve 2013… Enjoying nature and putting my training to real life use!

Ways to vary workouts: practicing just one of these variations will drastically change your workout.

1. Stability – change the size or position of your body’s base of support

  • Static Vs. Dynamic = Split Squat Vs. Lunge
  • Stationary Vs. Moving = Lunge Vs. Walking Lunge

2. Tempo – change your speed of movement

  • Eccentric – muscle lengthening phase
    Take 4 seconds to lower to the bottom of squat
  • Isometric – no change in muscle length
    Hold the bottom of your squat for 15 seconds
  • Concentric – muscle shortening phase
    Take 2 seconds to lower into a squat and 2 seconds to stand

3. Resistance – change the load

  • Increase weight while keeping reps the same
  • Change the body angle
    Hands elevated in a Push Up

4. Combination Movements

  • combining multiple movement patterns
     i. Squat
     ii.Squat -> Shoulder Press
     iii. Squat -> Bicep Curl -> Shoulder Press

5. Range of Motion – change the distance you move during an exercise

  • Push Up with Dumbbells – Your chest has space to lower further to the floor

6. Rest Periods Between Sets

  • Increase or Decrease rest
  • Dual Sets, Tri Sets, Quad Sets, etc.

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Feel free to contact Nicole with any questions, training tips, etc. She also offers certain services and classes in Southern New Jersey if you happen to live in the area!

Nicole Wolf
CSCS . NPTI Certified Personal Trainer . CrossFit Level-1 Trainer . CorePower Certified Yoga Sculpt Teacher. Email: nicolewolf427@gmail.com Instagram & Twitter: sweat_face

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Have you ever heard about or trained in the style of Periodization? Is it something you’d be interested in trying?

ask G, part 5.

by 5 Comments

1. I’m moving into NYC soon and know nobody there. How do I find a Christian roommate? – anonymous

If you definitely want a Christian roommate, I would check out classified listings on church websites. I know Redeemer has a great one, as well as Trinity Grace. Getting plugged into a church and using word of mouth is a great way too.

2. Hi! I recently came across your blog and love it! I was wondering how you become successful and what the best blog platform is? I am afraid if I start one no one will pay attention. I currently have Tumblr but only “reblog” or post pics. – anonymous

Thanks so much! I gained a blog audience over a period of about six months, and the top ways I did so was by: social media, befriending other bloggers, and posting content often. I have more blogging tips here and here.

I’m personally a huge fan of WordPress, but I love Tumblr as well. I think you just really have to ask yourself what type of content you want to put out there. I use WordPress for GML because I find it better for writing posts/articles, but I find Tumblr to be easier and more visually appealing for photo posts. Here’s a great article breaking down the pros/cons of WordPress and Tumblr.

3. I am a Christian, blog-obsessing, college freshman in hopes of becoming a doctor one day. I absolutely LOVE your blog and am wondering if you know of any other great blogs for Christian college students? – anonymous

You should check out Andi’s blogroll! She has a handful of Christian and inspirational blogs listed there :) I’m always getting blog/article recommendations from her.

4. What sort of exercise and nutrition plan are you on? Can you share more of that in your blog posts? I’m a college student trying to stay healthy, and you’re such an inspiration! – Alex

Thanks Alex! I really try my best to practice and convey what it looks like to lead a healthy, balanced, and NORMAL lifestyle (more on that here). I see way too many bloggers overdoing it with health and fitness to the point that it seems to take over their lives, and I feel a responsibly to portray a more realistic and healthy view of what that should look like. So yes – I will try to start posting more of that :)

With that being said, I’m not on any exercise or nutrition plan. I try to exercise at least 3 times a week (a mix of strength training and cardio), but I don’t care if I go a week without any exercise at all. As for nutrition, I just…do my best. Haha. I try to get as many veggies in during the day as I can, and I try to avoid wheat/gluten if possible (I find it upsets my stomach sometimes). But I don’t have any rules when it comes to what I can or can’t eat. I also go out to eat often, and I always just order whatever I want and practice portion control. To me, enjoying life is the most important thing, so I never let health/fitness come before that.

5. Do you have any pets?

Nope, and I don’t plan on having one any time soon. If I were to get a pet it would be a big dog (a boxer, probably), and that’s just not conducive to living in a small NYC apartment.

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Please note that I’m *not* an expert and that this advice is based solely on my own experiences and thoughts. Have a question? Feel free to leave it as a comment on this post or ask me anonymously.

What about you – any pets? If you could get a pet, what would it be?