The Seasons of Strength: Why You Can't Always Hunt at 100%

Progress is not a straight line

If you have been doing the same three sets of ten for the last six months, you are not training — you are just exercising. To get truly strong, you have to respect the natural cycle of the body. You cannot live in a permanent state of “testing your max.” Even the most elite warriors knew when to build and when to strike.

This is what the scientists call periodization, but I call it the Seasons of Training.

Season 1: The Building

This is your accumulation phase. Think of this as the time of year when you are gathering wood for the winter. You are not trying to show off — you are building the raw materials.

The goal: Build muscle and toughen your tendons.

The feel: High volume, lots of reps, and a serious pump. You will leave the gym feeling tired, but not crushed.

The rule: Do not chase personal records here. Chase the burn. Build the foundation that will support the heavy iron later.

Season 2: The Sharpening

Now we take that new muscle and teach it how to work. This is the transmutation phase. We drop the reps and put more weight on the bar.

The goal: Turn that new mass into raw power.

The feel: The weights start to feel heavy in your hands. You are moving from “bodybuilding” to “strength building.”

The rule: This is where the magic happens for most of us. Your body is realizing the potential you built in the previous weeks.

Season 3: The Strike

This is the realization phase. You have done the work, you have sharpened the blade, and now it is time to see what it can do.

The goal: Express your maximum strength.

The feel: Very heavy, but very few reps. You are focused, intense, and primal.

The rule: You cannot stay here long. If you try to “strike” every week, you will break.

The wisdom of the deload

A lot of lifters think taking a light week is a sign of weakness. They are wrong. It is a strategy.

Think of it like a bowstring. If you keep a bow strung at full tension 24/7, eventually the wood loses its snap or the string snaps. You must unstring the bow to keep it powerful. Every 4 to 6 weeks, drop your weight by 30%. Let your joints heal. Let your central nervous system breathe. When you come back the following week, you will be stronger than when you left.

Do not lift with your ego

The biggest mistake I see is “ego lifting with a calendar” — trying to hit a new max every time you feel good. True strength requires the discipline to follow the season you are in.

• If it is Building Season, do your reps.
• If it is Sharpening Season, respect the weight.
• If it is Deload Season, have the courage to go light.

Master the cycles, and you will never hit a plateau again.