What does periodization involve in training?

Periodization in training refers to the systematic planning of athletic or physical training aimed at optimizing performance over time. It involves manipulating acute training variables such as intensity, volume, frequency, and exercise selection throughout a training cycle. This structured approach seeks to promote adaptations that lead to improvements in strength, hypertrophy, endurance, and overall athletic performance while reducing the risk of overtraining and injury.

By adjusting these acute training variables, fitness professionals can effectively manage the training load and provide the necessary stimuli for adaptation. For example, a periodized program may alternate high-intensity training phases with low-intensity recovery phases to ensure continuous progress and peak performance at specific times throughout the year, such as before a competition or event.

The other options, while they may play important roles in overall training strategies, do not encapsulate the full essence of periodization. Adjusting rest periods, changing exercise selection, and monitoring nutrition are all important aspects of a well-rounded training regimen, but they do not specifically denote the systematic approach to varying training variables that periodization entails.