Great stuff. I will agree with Bob that periodisation adds another dimension to most bodybuilding routines but we must also take in to account the chaotic lives of our clients.

Ive found the majority of my athletes (and I use the term loosely) fall in to a three day a week cycle by hook or crook. We will often use an upper-lower-total split or three full body depending on their level of experience.

I try to encourage 1-2 times periods during the year when we focus intently on goals such as fatloss, muscle gain, etc while the rest of the time is spent slowly building with a three day split. In this scenario, we will either undulate rep ranges or alternate between short intensification and accumulation phases.

In reality, my reply overly complicates the basic fact people need to lift heavy stuff to look and feel better. But great points above and I look forward to reading the second post.