.....going to the gym, sucking down protein, and spending countless dollars on supplements without seeing any end results. Then by all means keep up that good work...

However, maybe it's time to try a different approach than the traditional three sets of ten to muscular exhaustion!

Try a little something called Periodizaiton.  Periodization, in basic terms, is the organization of training.  Now, some of you are probably saying to yourself what could that possibly mean? Well the great thing about Periodization is that it can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

Here is a basic model of a periodized program. Let's say you have six months until you hit the beach...

Weeks 1-3:     Adaptation or Preparation Phase 

Weeks 4-15:   Hypertrophy Phase

Weeks 16-20: Strength Phase

Weeks 21-24: Muscle Definition Phase

That right there is the whole deal. Obviously you can program the phases accordingly to best suit your needs, but it doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Create a program and work the program. Notice I didn't say you have to do the program exactly as it's written down at all times.  Come on people this isn't the Soviet Union here. 

Start the program and adjust it accordingly.  The preparation phase is a must because it prepares your body to handle the increased loads to come, but if after week 8 you're as big as you were hoping than there is no need to do more hypertrophy work is there! Simply continue on with the strength phase and spend that extra time getting that superior muscle definition that's going to turn heads. 

Stay tuned for more detailed information about how to set up each phase...