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WHY The Flexible Periodization Method?

Your purpose is not something you find. Your purpose finds you. And when it does, you must be ready to listen to and to follow your gut feelings.
Karsten Jensen


When I began studying exercise physiology at the University of Copenhagen in 1991, I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation. I just liked exercise. 

During the track and field sessions in our second year, my first 100m sprint was clocked at 14.28! That experience ignited my interest in strength and conditioning: What kind of training does it take to make a tortoise in to a hare, or, at least, a faster tortoise? 

I started reading all the books about training I could find in the small university library, including everything about Periodization; and one day I felt deep in my gut and knew that I would be a strength coach. 

Due to fortunate circumstances, and my own initiative, I secured a position working with world class tri-athletes, world class badminton players, national and international level volleyball players and international level figure skaters between 1993 and 1999 while I was still in university. 

“You only get one chance at this,” my mentor, Mikael Trolle, advised when I was offered the first full-time strength coach position in Team Danmark (the governing body for all elite sports in Denmark) in 1999. 

His words did not really make me nervous; I knew that position was my purpose.

As Chief of Sports in Team Danmark I hired Karsten Jensen as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for Danish top athletes from various federations, including badminton and table tennis. His primary job responsibility was individualized training of 20 international elite athletes and talented players with the purpose of optimizing their sports performance and prevent injury. Karsten Jensen has, with his integrity, very high skill level and commitment, contributed to international results achieved in the years 2000 to 2007. I highly and warmly recommend Karsten Jensen as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. 
- Susanne Hedegaard Andersen, CEO -

I was specifically hired to create individualized programs for a select group of both young and very seasoned athletes. 

I continued to study everything I could get my hands on regarding kenneth_jonassenweb.jpgperiodization and found valuable information in all resources. However, even though my knowledge was now an accumulation of almost 10 years of studying, I still found myself with many unanswered questions when I created training programs. As a result, I developed an insatiable desire to learn more about what it takes to create better training programs

Because of the wide range of diveristy in the athletes I worked with, ...

  • Age range 15-31

  • Sports: Wrestling to figure skating (14 different sports total at the time).

  • Preparation period: From 1-2 weeks to 6 months. 

... no single Periodization system served my needs for all the athletes I worked with.

I contemplated “hopping” between systems for a very short period of time, but very soon realized that I needed a system that was flexible enough to allow me to create a program that was a perfect fit for the needs of any athlete. I am proud to say that the Flexible Periodization Method is, in fact, the only system that meets this requirement. 

Around 2003-2004 I felt that I had the beginning of a separate system. Some of the first athletes to benefit from the Flexible Periodization Method competed in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. In 2005 I taught an early version of The Flexible Periodization Method in a workshop held by the Danish Sport Federation. 

I wrote the first version of The Flexible Periodization Method between 2008 and 2010 (interestingly, when I started I thought I could finish the book in three weeks!). 

Many of us share the desire for never-ending-improvement. While teaching the Flexible Periodization Method in workshops I continue to refine and expand the Method. Our current specialist programs reflect the Flexible Periodization Method Version 2.


Learn more about the Flexible Periodization Method Specialists distinctions.

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I have had Karsten Jensen as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for almost 8 years.
We started working together in 1999 after I got injured in my shoulder; a long injury as
it turned out. I was away from tournament tennis for 19 months. In those 19 months
Karsten helped me get in the best physical shape of my life and that was of priceless
importance for me; coming back to the ATP Tour as fast and good as I did. I believe
that I played better tennis after my injury and a big reason for that is Karsten's help
with my strength and conditioning. Karsten is an excellent strength and conditioning
coach and it's very motivating to work with him. He is very professional and incredibly
good at making you push yourself to the maximum. I can highly recommend Karsten as
a Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Kenneth Carlsen, Professional tennis player
3-time ATP-tournament winner - 1998, 2002, 2005



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All information contained on yestostrenth.com is intended for use by individuals who are healthy, injury-free adults aged 18 years and older who possess sound knowledge and skill execution of strength training exercises and their application and a thorough understanding of proper exercise technique and their application. We urge you to exercise care and caution when attempting any of the exercises, combinations, tips and strategies mentioned and to seek competent help and counsel from trained medical or fitness experts before beginning any new exercise program, or if you have any questions about your health. Yestostrength.com and Karsten Jensen are neither responsible nor liable for any harm or injury resulting from use of the information described herein.