As an Adidas Ambassador, it’s an honor to be a part of a community of amongst other notable empowering females like Olympic Gold Medalist Ice dancer, Tessa Virtue.  When the 2016 campaign “Here to create” launched with Adidas- I had the opportunity to work with Tessa for the first time and get to know her.  While Tessa is an absolute powerhouse in sport and business- she is one of the most humbling and down to earth women I know and getting to know her has been an amazing journey!

 

I’m always excited to have time between shooting on set with Tessa Virtue to chat about fitness and nutrition and how to balance out the demands of our careers when it comes to our health and fitness We both agree that to Perform at your full potential, you don’t always have to be in peak performance mode!

 

Even Professional Olympic dance skater athletes like Tessa Virtue don’t train for competition every day and apply periodization in preventing plateaus, over-training and avoiding physical and mental burnout!

 

The science behind Periodization and what you need to know!

 

That’s why A highly effective method that professional athletes have always applied to competition is known as periodization- An annual systematic training plan designed into various cycles of training, nutrition and mindset principles within a certain time frame to prepare your mindset, get your head in the game and perform in action in achieving your goals through adaptation and recovery.

 

 

This has been a highly effective system that not only have I used with clients but for my own personal success a few times a year!

 

This includes more than just the physical transformation, you’re also preparing your mindset to take on new challenges and strengthening your habit forming neural pathways through this adaptation in making these habits also a part of your lifestyle.

 

While goals are easy to set, we can sometimes find ourselves getting stuck because our process needs some work- That’s why I’ve applied this science behind all of my programs.

 

Periodization brings an element of science and planning to your workout performance in order to reach a specific goal!  Periodization is like building blocks of progression with enough recovery before taking it to the next level.

I love incorporating Mesocycles into my programs specifically designed into varying 4-week progressive training phases and intensities to challenge the mind and body.  From a physiological standpoint-This allows the body enough time to neurally adapt to a specific training stimulus (Positive stress) to progress with enough recovery to prepare your body for the next phase to achieve a specific goal every 4 weeks!

 

Less is More

For example, when it comes to achieving the “Afterburn” in my” Metabolic Shape up” Fitness App program designed to retrain your metabolism while holistically conditioning your entire body through strength, cardio, Pilates, and flexibility. (Available in my Fitness App)

 

 Train smarter, not harder

 

It’s not necessary to overtrain and boot camp your way through life!

You can Perform 2-3 workouts a week with progressive science and get the same results as if you were training 5-6 days a week so you can train smarter, not harder!

 

Based on the real science behind each 4-week MESOCYCLE within 12 weeks, you will condition your body to achieve more results in less time based on retraining your metabolism while holistically cross-training your cardio, strength, flexibility, and mindset.

 

For the workouts to become more intense through progression, we need to prepare your body to achieve this more advanced phase. This is where I break down the training principles in a progressive process for you to achieve the desired outcome, without overtraining and working your way up to higher intensity in less time.

 

When it comes to this approach of training- I’m all about the return on investment as Your body will adapt to the metabolic demands as you progress through various phases of cardio methods, designed to activate your “Afterburn”.

 

This is known as EPOC- where eventually you will continue to burn more calories at a higher rate even when you’re not working out!

 

 

This is what makes Periodization highly effective and safe because it cycles through progressive methods based on the latest science to prepare your body for the next level of performance designed to maximize results.

 

 

This also encompasses nutrition to support the demands of your fitness goals to fuel workouts, recover faster and incorporate these healthy eating habits into your lifestyle. When you feel more confident as your fitness level progresses, it becomes a chain reaction of making healthier choices and decisions that support your goals!  One can’t forget about the role of proper nutrition and how much our day to day nutrition affects how we feel and perform!

 

How it works

Periodization is based on 2 important concepts: The progressive-overload principle and the general adaptation syndrome. The progressive-overload principal is when you allow your body enough time to adapt to a new training stimulus of workouts over a specific period of time to deliver results.

This is also where muscle soreness subsides and you are more conditioned and confident to take your performance to the next level as you reach super compensation!

You will not only take your fitness to the next level, but it will prepare your mind for what’s next to come as you will be much more confident in your abilities and performance to take on the next phase.

 

 

Recovery is Where the Magic Happens!

So, you’ve come to the end of your first 4-week cycle within the 12-week Mesocycle- within that 4 weeks, the body may get broken down and fatigued as a result of new stresses and demands placed on it during a progressive 4-week phase. When you have enough time to adapt during every 4 weeks of a Mesocycle, your fitness level such as cardio, strength, power, flexibility improve as you are ready to take on more advanced demands of the program.

 

Building recovery time into any training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise or any other physical work causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and the depletion of energy stores (muscle glycogen) as well as fluid loss. That’s why I include Active recovery between higher intensity workouts!

 

Periodization accommodates these down cycles by bringing an element of science and planning into exercise variation. It’s not just a matter of taking a break now and then. Rather, it’s a progressive regime that cycles through the various principles of training and recovery to achieve a specific result!

Mesocycles based on the science of Periodization is a great framework that can be incorporated a few times a year to prevent plateaus and take your results to the next level! Just remember to have a specific process in place backed by science, and to allow enough recovery after the 12 weeks before starting the next Mesocycle!

 

What Tessa has to say about my programs!

“is as someone who constantly traveling, having a personalized training app like Kirsty’s is a game changer! I love the variety of workouts offered, and appreciate the supportive, empowering community vibe. I may be working out alone, but I am not on my own on this quest to be my best self!”
– Tessa Virtue, Ice Dance Olympic and World Champion