How to plan your season

The new year 2021 is approaching, and one of your resolutions should be to plan your season, taking into account your health assessment, your gym, your coach… but most importantly, your periodized program to achieve your goals…

To make the most of your time and investment, you must understand the basic principles of training and how to plan your season, taking into account your goals, whether competitive or not, including supplementation for 2021.

Simply going to the gym and exercising will help you for a while, but without a plan, you will eventually plateau and fail to achieve what you want.

What is periodization?

Periodization is a training system used to prevent overtraining and reduce the risk of injury by progressing slowly from one phase to the next.

You can start by using a light weight or simply your body weight and performing more repetitions, gradually progressing to a heavier weight and fewer repetitions… so far, so boring!…

Bodybuilders and coaches use several periodization models, including traditional, stepwise, undulating, and long-range models.

Now, if this is your first time following a periodized training program, it is recommended that you start with a traditional program to learn how the system works when planning your season.

Phase 1: Fundamental strength and endurance

This phase introduces your body to training and prepares your ligaments and tendons to lift a heavier weight:

• Duration: 3–4 weeks.
• Volume: 3×12–15 with 30 to 90 seconds of rest.
• Intensity: light weight.

Phase 2: hypertrophy

Phase 2 is about building muscle: you should perform high repetitions with moderate weight to challenge your muscles to fatigue, stimulating growth.

• Duration: at least 4 weeks.
• Volume: 3×10–12 with 30 to 90 seconds of rest.
• Intensity: 50–75% maximum.

Keep in mind that when performing exercises in this phase, you should lower the weight in a slow, controlled movement, as your goal is to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible, and whether you train to failure depends on each session/set.

Phase 3: strength

Phase 3 builds on the hypertrophy phase, beginning to develop overall muscular strength by lifting heavier weights and performing fewer repetitions.

• Duration: at least 4 weeks.
• Volume: 3–5×4–8 with 1.5 to 2 minutes of rest.
• Intensity: 80–90% maximum.

Phase 4: power

The final phase converts the strength gains you achieved in phases 2 and 3 into explosive power that you can use in any sport or activity. This phase is primarily designed for major lifts, such as squats, cleans, bench presses, and deadlifts.

• Duration: 3–4 weeks
• Volume: 3–5×2–5 with 2–3 minutes of rest
• Intensity: 75–95% maximum.

After completing this 12-week cycle, ask your trainer to work with you on redistributing things, assessing your physical and mental condition, and planning your season for the time remaining.