Periodisation means organising training over time so stress rises and falls on purpose instead of staying flat or creeping up forever. At the biggest scale (often called a macrocycle), you might map a season or several months toward a performance goal. Inside that, mesocycles are shorter blocks—often several weeks—where you emphasise one main adaptation (e.g. capacity, strength, or peaking).
Classic linear periodisation gradually shifts emphasis from higher volume and moderate intensity toward lower volume and higher intensity. Undulating models vary intensity and volume within days or weeks (e.g. heavy, medium, light sessions). Both work when progression and recovery are respected; pick the style that fits your schedule and how you recover.
Within each block, define clear outcomes: what lifts or movements matter most, what rep ranges and effort levels you will use, and how you will know it is time to change phase or take a deload. Write it down. Small adjustments beat restarting from scratch every month.
Try this: Plan your next three weeks as one mesocycle—same core lifts, progressive weekly targets (load or reps), then schedule a lighter recovery week before the next block.