In this article I'd like to provide our readers with a simple Training Program for Maximum Strength. This program was so practical and efficient that we applied it multiple times with our Beast Strength Lab customers, with great satisfaction.
This routine was applied multiple times with volleyball, basketball, rugby and american football players of intermediate experience. Lately, some more technical Powerlifters adapted this program as well, adding a lot of accessory work with success.
Since Strength comes from multiple traits this training program is based on 2 different weekly sessions. This might seem quite an amount of work compared to the norm, however AUTOREGULATION AND VBT make it possible: it is easier to deal with volume and intensity because both the stimulus and the feedback are controllable by the coach and the athlete. We're about to show you how.
The two weekly session should be separate by 72 hours to ensure optimal recovery so we generally trained at the beginning and toward the end of the week.
This same model adapts well to lower body or upper body compound movements like Squat, Deadlift, Bench and variations: this is why we only displayed the basics training prescriptions. For the same reason there is no %1RM: I can explain further how to convert this into percentages, either I don't think it would be useful. Just drop us an email.
The same periodisation can be applied twice to your weekly split: 2 sessions each for lower body and upper body totalling 4 sessions per week.
Because each exercise is performed twice a week, the training stimulus must be varied and alternated: this is why a more intense first session and a less intense but more volumetric second session were combined. For those who know, this is the Conjugate Method.
There you go, just like a good recipe!
Once again the great thing with Velocity Based Training, FEEDBACK AND TESTING ARE AUTOMATICALLY BUILT INTO THE TRAINING PROGRAM. The Final week of the cycle, Week 8, can be used as main evaluation of the results, altho every week is a chance to monitor the reaction to the workouts.
Week 8 might be as well a deloading opportunity, with 1 session instead of 2. This represents a better opportunity if you are a fan of testing. Week 8 might as well be the beginning week for another training cycle.
Once again, it is not optimal to repeat training stimuli over long periods of time, however if the intention is to increase Maximal Strength working with intermediate athletes, it is easy to bring little variations to this periodisation such as variations in the exercises and still being able to mantain the prescribed speed, reps and sets schemes. For example, you might begin with Squat and repeat the same cycle moving to a Box Squat in the next.
If you are more experienced or working with shorter cycles, the same principles can be used to create a 3/4 weeks training cycle. I leave this act of creativity to you.
The way the program is built, it is pretty easy and time efficient to gather data from the test.
LOAD VELOCITY PROFILING gives us a wider and more holistic approach to evaluating Strength and you can take advantage of this by Conjugate Periodisation. Not only Maximum Strength but also all other Dynamic Strength Traits will be monitored (they should improve as well).
Simply by repeating the same weekly target speed prescription each athlete has a chance to control improvements over short periods of time. For example, loads should be increasing on the second session of the week comparing Week 2 and Week 5 or Week 3 and Week 6.
Also Session A is repeated week in a row (example, Week 2 and 3 at .4 m/s): this is the first opportunity to evaluate how your CNS is responding and recovering one week with the next. Aim for a higher load moved at the same speed, this will be a good sign of recovery and improvement in Maximum Strength.
We're now giving you tools to adapt what you're doing following the feedback.
Whatever you do, make sure Range and Quality of Motion are the priority. Solid technique is fundamental.
Now, because this is about Maximal Strength, use THE FASTEST REPETITION of your earliest set to control weight. We're looking for maximal single performances, so sets are short and must be high intensity, this is what we evaluate.
Starting with the very first week of training, you might not have any clue about how much to put on the bar. Start with roughly your 80% 1RM and move from there looking for values inside .05 m/s the prescribed speed.
You want to be rigid with this range otherwise you will not be able to distinguish between following training sessions.
When you need to adjust weight, keep in mind a good rule of thumb for basic powerlifting exercises, 10% DIFFERENCE IN BAR WEIGHT WILL VAY BAR SPEED BY ROUGHLY 0.1 m/s. Adjust accordingly.
This Training Program is pretty heavy on your CNS and a slight Velocity Loss with each set will be quite natural, especially with Session A in the week. Control this by taking longer rest times and if you can't prolong it anymore, evaluate between cutting volume or diminishing the load to mantain the speed.
The orginal suggested number of reps was taken from the Prilepin chart.
If you experience greater than 20% INTRA-SET VELOCITY LOSS this might not be optimal for you and you will need to adapt. Take less Reps for each set, avoiding extra VL but still trying to maintain the same amount of total repetitions in the session.
Once again some practical example, in Week 1 we're starting from .5 m/s this should result in .1 m/s difference between the first and the last repetition (20% VL). This is going to be applied very similarly for each Session B moving on the cycle.
Some additional care when working close to 1RM speed at very high intensity, doing triples and doubles close to .35 m/s. This is where you might do doubles and singles instead of triples and doubles if you experience a drop. Yet, try to maintain the total number of repetitions around 10-12.
The key here is to be aware of what we're trying to improve: Maximal Strength differs more Maximal Strength resistance. You want to repeat your best performance for how many times as possible in the first case, you want to stay at a level close but minor to your best performance in the second. Managing Velocity Loss and reps is the key to achieve this difference. You might be interested in Clustering going down this path and I should write an article about it.
More regarding Velocity Loss in this article.
We though this program strategically to increase Maximal Strength with an alternating stimulus and still leaving the opportunity to monitor and grow other Strength Traits at the same time. This is a key component for Team Sports Athletes and a staple of te Conjugate Program.
Beside the initial and final week of the cycle there are different opportunities for feedback and you will have the chance to gain knowledge about how to continue with future programs.
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VELOCITY BASED TRAINING (VBT) is a modern approach to Strength Training which utilises objective metrics such as Bar Speed and sometimes Power as a means to motivate, prescribe and support real-time adjustments in an athlete's training plan. Typical decisions in strength and power programming and periodisation plans are such as the choice of exercises or the manipulation of reps, sets, loads and rest time as a means to calibrate training stimulus in the pursuit of specific adaptations.
Most commonly, Velocity Based Training is used on main strength and power movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press and the olympic lifting variations. Values such as mean velocity, mean propulsive velocity and peak velocity are logged in real time to motivate, monitor performance and compare it with the prescribed training session, control and optimise fatigue levels in individual athletes or across teams or groups.
Velocity based training has an incredibly wide range of use cases and applications in strength and conditioning but first, let's see the principles supporting it.
When training for strength and power, athlete should aim to apply as much intent as possible to their movements. In strength training, Intent is Acceleration. This is not an opinion but a consequence of NEWTON'S 2ND LAW OF MOTION , relating Force to Mass AND Acceleration. Strength production with a certain weight can only be maxed with acceleration. Speed will come as a resulting combination of acceleration, range of motion and resistance relative to one's capabilities.
Also, there is a physiological factor to promote Maximum Intent when lifting: an athlete will accelerate and increase the recruitment of their largest, strongest and more powerful type II motor units through the Henneman Size Principle.
If maximum intent is applied, the heavier the relative load, the slowest the resulting speed of motion in the concentric phase. So the main idea behind Velocity Based Training is we can manipulate different loads to generate different Speed, therefore targeting different Strength Traits. STRENGTH IS DEFINED BY SPEED
We already met the SAID Principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demand) and if you are here you probably read about the Principle of Dynamic Correspondence by Yuri Verkhoshansky so it is easy to derive there are different kind of strengths. As previous researchers like Hill and Bosco pointed out, Velocity is the defining trait for each one of them.
ISOMETRIC STRENGTH | v > 0 m/s |
CONCENTRIC STRENGTH | v = 0 m/s |
ECCENTRIC STRENGTH | v < 0 m/s |
Next, another chart displaying the relationship between Concentric Force and Velocity, highlighting different Concentric Strength Traits.
While more on the Force Velocity Relationship and Strength profiling can be found here, we would like to focus here on the most practical and immediate applications of these concepts and how to effectively use Speed to target Strength.
STRENGTH TRAIT | MEAN VELOCITY | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|---|
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH | < 0,5 m/s | express the highest amount of force possible |
ACCELERATIVE STRENGTH | 0,5 - 0,75 m/s | pushing against a heavy load as fast as possible |
STRENGTH-SPEED | 0,75 - 1,0 m/s | high power output constrained by moving heavy weight |
SPEED-STRENGTH | 1,0 - 1,3 m/s | high power output constrained by moving very fast |
STARTING STRENGTH | > 1,3 m/s | explosive strength at high speed of motion |
Strength Training was conventionally prescribed by %1RM. One great example is the Prilepin Table: this chart may still be unknown to most yet is the best reference to prescribe loads, optimal sets and reps once the %1RM has been set. Few knows back in the old Russian Days the table itself was designed by Prilepin itself by measuring Speed of repetitions in conditions of optimal training on a large group of Soviet Athletes with the help of Velocity based Training Devices.
Also don't forget INTENTIONS MUST ALWAYS RULE THE TRAINING PRESCRIPTION. The priority is to target the Strength Trait to develop: from there Coaches had to go through a specific %1RM to prescribe the training conditions. One of the most common coaching mistakes is a misalignment between the prescription with the execution: in the simplest terms athletes are not doing what they or their coach think they should be doing: Theory and Practice do not correspond.
Now we know, Bar Speed is the solution and Coaches and Athletes owning a Velocity Based Training device can now just skip a step going from Intentions to Prescription via Bar Speed. Why? Strength Traits are defined by Bar Speed, not by %1RM.
When comparing these two approaches there are other important factors: Fatigue Management and Optimisation. Research has shown what everybody experienced after a decent amount of regular training: our performance capability floats depending on different life factors like sleep, nutrition, food, social life. We're not always ready to perform our average level, sometimes we're really good, sometimes we're bad. 1RM or Maximal Strength Levels, just like many other abilities of ours, floats and by prescribing training based on our latest 1RM test we might just get it wrong.
The information Coaches and Athletes consider here is that Maximum Strength levels floats to almost a fifth of one's capability. So think about this: training prescription based on %1RM suffers from almost 20% variability and an average 65% 1RM might become 50% 1RM making the workout too light or might as well become 80%1RM when the Athlete is tired, accumulating fatigue in an already critical situation.
Spanish Researchers Gonzalez Badillo and Sanchez Medina has shown in a paper named "Movement Velocity as a measure of Loading Intensity during Resistance Training" that 1RM Speed is basically constant with an exercise just like the relationship linking the entire %1RM to velocity.
By applying Velocity Based Training devices Coaches and Athletes can retrieve main feedbacks. Bar Speed is the main metric to reference when going from Training Intentions to goal to proof that plan is really well executed in the lifting room.
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]]>Speed at which the RM is reached, for different exercises.
— Lorena Torres, PhD (@lorenatorres07) September 3, 2015
Velocity-based training #VBT pic.twitter.com/7WhzAKb24q
Repost of a recent episode of "Performance Talks Podcast" by our friends Obbiettivo Performance with Riccardo Villa and Andrea Spada hosting Beast Founder Tommaso Finadri
Obbiettivo Performance is one the fastest growing italian Coaching Communities for Strength and Conditioning coaches and you want to join this channel if your eager to become a better coach by learning and staying updated about anything getting stronger or faster. In this episode Andrea, Riccardo and Tommy had an in depth chat of Velocity Based Training techniques, from the basics to more advanced strategies to be applied in Team Sports.
If you liked this episode, you can listen to more episodes of the "Performance Talk" podcast here. Also you can be part of the community and visit their website , give them a follow them on Instagram and eventually joining their very active Telegram channel.
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More contents with our friends at il Coach will come in the next months, they have been working really hard highlighting the most effective methods to train both the technical features of Sprinting, Hurdling, Jumping and specific Strength and Conditioning means for Sprinting.
Andrea Dell'Angelo and Andrea Uberti are young yet pretty experienced Track and Field coaches and they are always eager to learn new methods and techniques. As early adopters of VBT methods and Beast Sensor, they met Beast founder Tommaso in Italy in early 2017 through coach Carlo Buzzichelli during ISCI workshops.
You can find more informations about Il Coach here
Enjoy!
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In the first article dedicated to Strength Profiling we went over a strategy to obtain immediate feedback and more informations about the readiness of the athlete during warm up or leading up to the training loads.
Let's review two main ideas that will be useful now:
in this case, assume a 1RM between 150 and 180 kg (330 to 400 lbs)
To be able to build a Load Velocity Profile just during your warm up sets is another plus for this huge time saving approach: we can avoid dedicating rare time to test our athletes.
Strength Profiling aims to describe all the different Strength Traits for a specific exercise, it is athlete-specific and exercise-specific. Since, as we learned, Strength is made by Speed, it is made by two main charts describing the relationship between loads, bar speed and power. These relationships come from very simple mathematical models: any coach or athlete can use them 360 degrees to gather the main informations to program and prescribe training sessions, but also to monitor progress:
Two easy mathematical formulas describe the relationship between Load and Velocity (or Bar Speed) and between Load and Power.
The Load Velocity Profile is represented by a line, defined by steepness and a starting value: it is a linear relationship:
Bar Speed = m * Load + b
where m represents the steepness of the chart. I know we're getting a little bit nerdy right here but I'll come back to these important parameteres and you might want to remember those for later: they are juicy.
B is the intercept instead, or the Speed value when the Load is zero. The higher, the fastest the athlete: great parameter to describe explosiveness.
The same relationship can be inverted:
Load = m* Bar Speed + b
In this case b represents the load at zero bar speed and you might already connect this to a 1RM or to a maximum isometric load.
Which differences between the two versions?
We can rapidly predict Bar Speed for a specific Load and relate or compare to the daily performances with the first version. The second version help us predicting the heaviest load moved at a specific Speed (or for a specific Strength).
Don't worry, there are tools available more than your Beast Sensor that can take care of building and predicting this relationship.
The Power profile is a little bit more complex, being a quadratical relationship: the chart is a convex parabola. Yes, there is a belly in the chart and it is facing downward. This is very important as the vertex of the parabola describes the conditions of Maximal Power Output, one of the main parameters.
Power = A * Load ^2 + B * Load + C
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While we're on a journey to explore ourselves, what we can do, what we can accomplish, the way we feel is only a partial assessment to understand where we really are. Objective Metrics are the best value to judge and to base our training decisions and plans upon and with long term analysis we can learn how to associate our feelings to numbers.
“Without Data, you’re just another person with an opinion”
W.Edwards Deming
Accelerometers have lab like capabilities ,only they weight 40 grams and you can wear them on your wrist.
STRENGTH TRAITS
|
TARGET%1RM
|
MAX SPEED
|
VL10
|
VL20
|
VL30
|
Max Strength
|
90%
|
0,32 m/s
|
0,29 m/s
|
0,25 m/s
|
0,22 m/s
|
Strength-Speed
|
55%
|
0,8 m/s
|
0,72 m/s
|
0,64 m/s
|
0,56 m/s
|
Power
|
47%
|
0,95 m/s
|
0,85 m/s
|
0,76 m/s
|
0,66 m/s
|
Hypertrophy
|
75%
|
0,5 m/s
|
0,45 m/s
|
0,4 m/s
|
0,35 m/s
|
Figure 5 - Data Overview for the Exercise: Speed data from the exercise. Target Speed was set to 0.40 m/s with a 14% Inter Set VL.
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Back to Table 1, we need only 4 steps to collect the data we need. Get your spreadsheet ready, you're going to repeat this for each set.
Step 1 – Begin your set and make sure you are exerting maximum intention, that is you are accelerating the bar as fast as the load allows you to;
Step 2 – Insert the load in the Excel table; in the corresponding line
Step 3 – Insert the resulting Bar Speed beside the load (more on this at the end of the list)
Step 4 – Read the Power value from the Beast App and place in the third slot of the line;
Step 5 – Repeat the same steps by using increased loads
There are different strategies to choose the value for Speed and Power that goes into the profile. Average Set Values can be used when there is little to no fatigue accumulated during the set: these values can be displayed in the first widget: Velocity Based Training values (picture below). Also in the same Set Values screen, the Power Set Average can be found by switching tab.A different strategy consist in using the best values for each set. If this is your choice, please go to Edit Reps, on top right corner of the App “Rep Edit View” and pick the values by choosing the tallest bar.
Before we begin, please write to support@beast-technologies.com requiring your free Strength Profile Excel spreadsheet, we'll be happy to support you !
To correctly estimate 1RM we are using the Load Velocity relationship. As explained before, we can use the relationship to estimate a load with a specific velocity. Thus, we need to determine the 1RM speed to have 1RM load. 1RM speed is the lowest speed attainable in that exercise, as a matter of fact it is also called Minimum Velocity Threshold (MVT). You can find out MVT yourself by performing a set to failure and pick the slowest rep before failure. Use that as your best estimation. Each exercise has its own MVT. In Figure 4 below you can see some the MVT for some of the most common exercises.
A lot of research regarding MVT was summed up in Spain by Sanchèz Medina and Lorena Torres, the second one reviewing the research of the Spanish Professor Sanchez Medina and Gonzalez Badillo, pioneers of VBT research. (4)(5)(6)
Two main strategies to find out 1RM Speed (Minimum Velocity Threshold):
In my experience most coaches use the second strategy to estimate MVT since it is safer and easier to stay far from the risks of 1RM, for some coaches an estimate of the 1RM is better than having the Athlete really perform the 1RM lift, also they simply want a heavy load to be estimated at a slow reference speed even thou the prediction does not really reflect the 1RM. This last condition comes handful when assessing progress for a Strength profile over time.
Practical example: let's say that 1RM looks over or underestimated, since MVT might not be accurate: if that 1RM Load increases over time using the same MVT, this still indicates an improvement.
Do not overthink MVT, most of the times you are simply trying to get an estimation and you can treat this more like a score than a real number: it and all the other load/speed estimations are still valid and correct. This is a linear relationship connecting speed to load: if the same speed predicts increasing loads over time, that is a clear and real indication for improvement. This is a real advantage of assessing the Strength Profile by using Speed and only 4 sets are necessary.
After you have data, daily conditions can be assessed: It might be a good day or a bad day, we like to call bad as "challenge yourself" day. One of the best answers I've ever got by a Powerlifter was " can you please estimate my 1RM so I can try and beat it ?" It is a match, man versus math. Think about the spark in your eyes discovering a new and increased 1RM: this might even happen before you ever start your training session.
Most of the times in Sports Performance Absolute Strength is not enough, coaches must consider and trim the Maximal Power output. The relationship between Power and Velocity is descibed by a convex parabola (belly of the parabola facing down) and therefore there is a critical point: its vertex is somewhere around 50 to 80% of 1RM. Some considerations following this:
Max Power is the highest Power Output attainable by the Athlete in that exercise and it is a parameter useful for different evaluations. We can rank different exercises to understand which provides better conditions to express and train power. Which exercise is better for lower body power production: Squat or Deadlfit? Power Cleans or Squat Jump?
Vertically projecting the parabola to the X axis we can find Max Power Load (7). This is once again a critical parameter to reference for many coaches. Heavirt Loads than Max Power will provide Strength Speed while loads lighter than Max Power Load will provide Speed Strength. These absolute load values will vary and obscillate and there is no other way other than speed to prescribe these training conditions around Max Power. Quantification is one of the most precious features of Velocity Based Training.
To hit the Training Goal, just cross informations between the two Chart, Load Velocity and Power Load, so you can estimate informations regarding Max Power Speed. This is the Training Zone to increase Max Power, Strength Speed or Speed Strength. This is also the basic condition for the Maximal Power Training Method.
It is a Sacre Graal for those coaches using this method (8), iust like the Dynamic Effort Method (9) coming from the classic Russian Strength and Conditionign.(10) (11)
Dynamic Effort Method, as described by Zatsiorsky or in Westside Barbell Periodisation consist of undulating periodisation of training intensities and volumes in exercises like Squatting and Deadllfting (training submaximal loads at maximum intention).
Since we have a reference with Maximal Power Conditions (Load, Speed, Power Outout), slower days will correspond to less Power and viceversa. Bang, you just got more powerful!
Practicality of data management is the difference between using Velocity or Power when Coaching or lifting: it is easier to remember a double digit number, just like in the case of Speed rather than a triple digit number, as with Power. Also since Speed does not depend on Load, some reference Speed might be sorted out because recurrent and they will be easy to remember. As an example Power Conditions for Squat, Deadlift and Bench Press are all around .8 m/s
This is just scraping the surface of Velocity Based Training and there is more and more research for those who are curious about it. (15)(16)
Beast Sensor makes this training method more accessible and classic and effective Training Strategies like the Maximal Power Method can be applied and adapted to every training session.
Every single performance may provide its one profile therefore a Strength Profile created with single repetitions or best values taken from one single session should be treated like fresh milk as adaptions will be quick and the references are going to expire within days. This is the reason to gather data for a longer time span (3 weeks for example) and create a profile over that time span with average values.
If that is your goal, filter the data over a longer time span such as 3 weeks or an entire mesocycle, A greater set of data will results in a more stable-in-time profile and will last for more weeks. This is one of the most robust strategies to evaluate the results obtained over more than one training cycles and to compare adaptations over different mesocycles.
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In most cases it is however not necessary to do any math at all. In Powerlifting for example, bar speed is relatively slow and we can simply approximate our speed threshold by ceiling or roofing the value ( 0.45 m/s --> values between .4 m/s and .5 m/s).
In my session I can assess a good recovery from the previous training since I experienced +10% in average bar speed (Mean Speed): I was feeling pretty good and the value confirms that.
The next question from reading is quite obvious: what to do when bar speed doesn't improve? How to manage a fatigued state?
Take it easier than expected, there is no other way. The most intense the training prescription is, the higher the risk, so stick with your prescribed speed, but definetly use lighter loads and most of the times, deload volume: in other words, work less.
If the plan said Maximum Strength and you can't re-schedule your Training Session, you should definetly deload some plates (target speed will allow you to autoregulate): now try to mantain the same training volume (total number of repetitions for each set) but remember to resepect the demand of your body for recovery. A minimum of 20% up to 50% of volume deload is suggested in this situation, depending on how tired you feel. Common strength programs prescribe 4.5 heavy doubles, you will be happy with only 2-3 sets. I'm just warning you and myself, in case of dramatic reductions of bar speed, wise and successfull coaches would reschedule the training session and investigate on the habits or the events leading to the missed recovery. Nevermind, you're a tough guy and you want to complete the session anyhow, then you can use bar speed to Autoregulate the intensity of the exercise: in case of Absolute Strength, keep .35 ms/s as target and stop anywhere below .3 m/s. I mean really stop the set as soon as your bar speed hits close or below that. A lot of coaches use this approach to autoregulate training when their training schedule is forced by events.
Follow up to the Second Part of this Article series dedicated to Strength Profiling, we'll go in depth for Strength profiling and finally in Part 3 we'll see how to create your individual Load Velocity Profile using Beast Tools.