Per iodization helps in improving health and fitness, and gives a potentially more effective way to train. It is a method for structuring training programmes using cycles of stimulating loads, maintenance loads, detraining loads and rest to elicit improvements in fitness and performance, the idea of dividing a training program into stages began in Europe in the 1910s, with the focus on sport performance training. It was during that time that athletes began to train year round.

But since coaches thought that athletes should not train hard for long periods of time, the need arose for a more structured overall training programme. The first attempt at this structure focused on different stages of training, such as general, preparatory and specific. General training was meant to develop the respiratory system and muscular strength; preparatory training aimed to develop strength and endurance by means of different, more sport-specific exercises; and specific training was intended to prepare for certain sport.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the structuring of clearly defined cycles of training began to emerge. Recommendations during that time included that the training process should present a clear alternation of work and rest to form an undulating rhythm of training, that the training should gradually decrease in volume for the same amount of work that it would gain in intensity, and that each specific training period should rest on a generalized base.

Many coaches have had great success using per iodization to train athletes. The concept of per iodization rests on a sound physiological basis, but it is a concept that is difficult to scientifically scrutinize, since many factors outside of the specific training programme can affect how an individual adapts to training.

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But anecdotal evidence supports that athletes can perform better using the per iodization method. Although per iodization is most commonly used for elite athletes to enhance sport performance, it can also be used by anyone who wants to get the most out of their exercise programme.