In the early 1960s a Russian physiologist named Leo Matveyv was tasked with optimizing the state sponsored training regimens of the Olympic programs for the Soviet Union. Matveyv was in charge of influencing the way the Soviets trained to help their athletes achieve better results. Matveyv began by picking up on the research Hungarian endocrinologist, Hans Selye who had made tremendous advancements in the study of stress in weight training back in the 1920s. Out of Matveyv’s research came one of the most influential scientific philosophies regarding growth the world has ever seen. His research was on the theory of periodization. An understanding of periodization can provide the missing link for leaders to avoid burnout.

Research on periodization has advanced greatly since the 1960s but Matveyv set in motion a tremendous insight transforming weight training philosophies even to this day. The periodization model is based on creating a long term training cycle in which at various times the athlete places heavy stress on a particular muscle or muscle group. The heavy stress is followed by purposeful rest and recovery. 

Muscles are only able to grow under ‘stress’. ‘Stress’ being weight and challenge. After a stressful period the athlete will give their body adequate time to rest and recover. They will alleviate all stress of the muscle allowing it to heal. As the muscle heals and adapts it becomes stronger allowing the muscle to bear more stress next time. The theory of periodization was the first to establish an understanding that muscles cannot remain under constant stress without rest. Muscles need rest and recovery to grow just as much as they need the stress of weight. Periodization in strength training would look like this. 

1. Isolate the muscle you want to grow

2. Stress the muscle - put it under weight 

3. Rest and recover 

4. Repeat - adding a little more stress each time

World class athletes master the cycle of periodization. They understand the dynamics of when to go hard and when to rest. They have optimized plans to circle through this cycle continually allowing for growth. The most disciplined championship athletes prioritize rest as much as they do hard workouts. 

What Matveyv didn’t realize is his research would have implications far beyond weight training. His theory of periodization is applicable to almost any domain in which a person is seeks to grow. Just as muscles are able to grow under stress, so are other skills. 

Outside of the athletic realm, creative geniuses may follow a similar pattern. Instead of putting muscles under stress - creative thinkers, authors, filmmakers, and musicians might use periodization for their creative work like this: 

1. Put the work under stress. Total immersion in the work. Deep focus. Total engagement. Distraction free work environment.

2. A period of rest and disengagement from the art form. Intentional focus on other things.

3. Return with a fresh perspective. Creative breakthroughs.

4. Repeat - adding a little more stress each time. Longer periods of deep work.

Similar to building muscle for athletes, creatives find a breakthrough after resting and disengaging from the load of their task. Steven Pressfield the author of The War of Art and The Legend of Bagger Vance was known to take hour long walks when he was experiencing “writers block.” Pressfield realized staring at the computer screen constantly would not allow his words to flow to produce the kind of work he desired. He needed to give his mind a break.

How can the theory of periodization transform the work of leaders?

Most leaders have failed to account for a proper personal stress management system in their leadership. Most leaders are under tremendous stress as they manage the operational, strategic, and personnel aspects of leading their organization. In general, our society understands the idea of pushing hard, but devalues the idea of resting hard. Add in a driven and ambitious leader who is eager to enact change in their organization and it can be a recipe of extreme stress leading to burnout.  

Technology has not helped this dynamic at all. A 2019 study done by the Harvard Business Review found that over 50% of employees in the United States feel they must check their email before going to bed to keep up with work. With email on our phones, we are constantly connected to work regardless if we are ‘at work.’

With their wide view of an organization’s challenges, leaders can be bombarded with endless emails, to-do lists, initiatives, and goals - and those are all before personnel issues or crisis events. The weight of leadership is heavy and the responsibility is felt on the shoulders of all leaders. Constantly being connected to our work via phones, tablets, and computers at home while also not being able to create mental and emotional separation of the stress of leading would be the equivalent of putting our muscles under stress of weight constantly and expecting the muscle to grow. If our muscles are constantly under the stress of weight -they break down. And so it is in the life of a leader. If a leader is constantly under the stress of the weight of leadership and the challenges ahead - they will break down.

We must find methods to rest. The only way to optimize our hard work is to compliment it with hard rest. Hard work and rest must go hand in hand if we are to make the growth needed to evolve as a leader personally and professionally. The best in any field understand there must be a period of challenge. A period of extending comfort zones and pushing the boundaries and limitations. We must push the edge - no one would dispute that. But, there must also be periods of rest and recovery. Recharging and reflecting. Just as Leo Matveyv discovered periodization with weight lifting - we can discover periodization in leadership.

Here are 3 strategies to optimize your rest

1.) Prioritize Great Sleep

Recent sleep studies have shown about 195 million Americans report getting less than the medically recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Forty percent sleep less than 6 hours a night. In 1942 the average American slept 7.9 hours a night. Today, the average American sleeps 6.8 hours a night. Many leaders can feel “there are not enough hours in the day” so we take our work late into the night or into the early hours of the morning. If you want great sleep, limit light from technology before bed. Put the laptop away and get some sleep. When we are running on low sleep, we allow stress to negatively affect our bodies making us far less capable of navigating the many challenging dynamics of leadership.

2.) Create The Habit of Going For A Walk

Researchers from Stanford University have done extensive study on the benefits of walking. Not walking with phone in hand and scrolling social media, but rather a purposeful walk to step away from work. Their findings were fascinating and indicated the effects of going for a walk can be profound for creative work. In their study, people who took as little as a six minute walk outdoors increased creativity by more than 60 percent than those who remained seated at their desks. Walking occupies the mind just enough to give us a break from whatever we are working on or stressed about. However the activity of walking doesn’t occupy the mind ‘too much’ preventing us from allowing our minds to wander. It is the perfect activity for the subconscious mind to stimulate insights. Going for a walk can usher in great clarity.

3.) Disengage From Technology

A recent study from Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne found that 89 percent of college students suffer from “phantom vibration syndrome.” These college students report that once every two weeks they felt their phone vibrating when it actually wasn't. Our phones, tablets and computers are incredible. Certainly they add tremendous value to our lives both personally and professionally. However, technology can curb motivation and has a way of pulling us away from the work that matters. I'm not sure if it is a good thing for our minds and souls to be constantly connected to the 24-hour breaking news cycle or the mass opinions via social media. Sometimes it’s best to just tune technology out. Common intruders of deep focus enabled by smartphones include: text messages, emails, social media, internet. None of which are inherently wrong, but all of them in abundance will create more stress rather than relieve stress. It’s in our best interest to control our phones so they don’t control us. Set limits for certain apps that are overused and set your phone to shut off certain functionalities later in the day.

We’re not made to constantly be under stress. When it’s time to work hard - work hard. When it’s time to rest hard - rest hard. The cycle of work and rest can help us manage stress and avoid burnout.

Stay The Course,

JB