Periodized Case Studies/Literature     Various studies have found that muscle strength increases by approximately 40% in untrained individuals, 20% in the moderately trained, 16% in trained, 10% in advanced and just 2% in elite level athletes over periods ranging from 4 weeks to 2 years through periodize workouts. The main way to utilize periodization is by progressively overloading the body by gradually increasing stress on the muscles. Some of the more common ways to achieve this are through weight increases of an exercise, adding more reps and sets, and increasing or decreasing the amount of rest between sets. One study that was done at the University of Connecticut included two groups of athletes who lifted two to three times per week for nine months. One group performed the same exercises in conjunction with the number of reps and sets, while the other group performed the same exercises but cycled through periodized workouts of two to four sets. The periodized group performed 4-6 reps on one day, 8-10 reps on another day, and 12-15 reps on a third day. Although both groups were stronger after four months, the bench press test indicated that the periodized group made an impressive 27% gain while the other group only improved by 6%. The other interesting fact showed that the periodization group lost 3% body fat while the other group experienced no change in body fat percentage. ( Landon Dean)   Landon Dean, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT 8500 NW 106th St Oklahoma City, OK 73162