Fitness Primer: What Is Periodization and Why Does It Matter?

While persistence might be the first requirement of fitness, there’s a science to exercise optimization.  

Periodization is a concept used to break down a long or complicated process (like building fitness) into more manageable phases.

It refers to the fact that training our bodies to 1) improve physiological functions, 2) gain new physical abilities, and/or 3) transform our physiques is a process that can’t necessarily be rushed through the requisite phases. 

The human body has amazing capacity to adapt to many different situations, but it adapts best when it’s brought through certain experiences in a methodical manner, known to many fitness professionals as periodized training.