Challenges of Periodization in Training Programs

In this episode of Hypertrophy: Past and Present, Jake Doleschal and Chris Beardsley dive into a 1955 arm specialization routine from Peary Rader and use it as a launchpad to challenge one of the most common misconceptions in hypertrophy programming today.

They explore whether exercises can “bias” specific muscle regions, and what the implications are for hypertrophy programming.

Key topics include:

• What it really means to “bias” a region of a muscle
• Why the idea that a single exercise can train the whole muscle and “bias” a region is false
• The critical role of voluntary activation deficits and neuromechanical matching
• Practical implications for programming, periodisation, and avoiding fibre-specific atrophy