Periodizing Your Volume and Intensity
The main reason your bodypart training frequency will fluctuate as an intermediate is that you should now begin “periodizing” your training. Periodization simply means manipulating the different variables of your training regimen to maximize results. Even bodybuilders who train and compete for a living don’t go pedal to the metal year-round. Instead, they vary their intensity in cycles. Both Shawn and Laura follow the intense training and dieting that precedes a major contest with a month or more of downtime. (Shawn doesn’t even set foot in the gym during this time; “I let my body heal, ” he says. Laura does light, maintenance-type work. )