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Strength Training Program Essentials

The document outlines a comprehensive approach to programming for strength, emphasizing the importance of muscle mass, technical skill, and healthy joints. It provides guidelines for setting up a training program, including considerations for volume, intensity, frequency, and flexibility, as well as the principles of periodization. The focus varies by experience level, with beginners encouraged to build skill, intermediates to build size, and advanced lifters to perfect technique and address weaknesses.

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6 views7 pages

Strength Training Program Essentials

The document outlines a comprehensive approach to programming for strength, emphasizing the importance of muscle mass, technical skill, and healthy joints. It provides guidelines for setting up a training program, including considerations for volume, intensity, frequency, and flexibility, as well as the principles of periodization. The focus varies by experience level, with beginners encouraged to build skill, intermediates to build size, and advanced lifters to perfect technique and address weaknesses.

Uploaded by

Anju
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

PROGRAMMING FOR STRENGTH

GREG NUCKOLS & OMAR ISUF

1) Three keys: Muscle mass, technical skill, healthy joints

a) Muscle mass
i) ALWAYS a good thing
(1) Powerlifters vs. bodybuilders – not valid
comparison

(2) Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy?

ii) Relationship between muscle mass and strength (from


strength potential articles)

b) Technical skill
i) Specificity
(1) Muscles, ROM, load, and speed

ii) Comfort

iii) Degree of arousal

c) Healthy Joints
i) Technique to avoid acute injuries

ii) Variation to avoid overuse injuries

2) Setting up a program
a) Has to fit into your schedule and be somewhat enjoyable so you
can stick to it (consistency trumps all)

b) Overall training volume


i) General recommendations from Wernbom and Kreiger
(40­70 reps, 4­6 sets, 2­3x/muscle/week; also Peterson
and Rhea)

ii) Give it a shot and monitor


(1) HRV

(2) Subjective assessment (mood, fatigue, soreness,


sleep quality every day. Track and look for dips)

iii) Simple decision tree for whether you need to increase or


not (applies lift by lift)

c) Intensity
i) Far out from a meet (70­85% primarily; find range that
lets you maximize volume while minimizing fatigue)
versus peaking (more 85­95% work). Overload work and
its role as well
d) Specificity
i) Far out from a meet (depends on needs and level of
proficiency) versus peaking (highly specific)

e) Frequency
i) Dictated by per­session volume and varies per lift and per
lifter

ii) More frequent is better to a point


(1) Positive training effects marginal increase drops
off with increased volume per session

(2) Negative training effects marginal increase is


roughly linear with increased training volume
(a)Sketch out two factor model acutely
f) Flexibility
i) For each lift during a session (RPE, bar speed, etc.)
(1) How to use RPE, and how it corresponds to %’s

(2) How to use bar speed (set up personal charts)

ii) For sessions within the week (McNamara)

iii) Overall structure of your program if you’re not


progressing at the pace you’d like to, or progressing faster
than you’d planned

iv) If not using RPE, semi­regular testing to reset training


maxes.
v) Degree of flexibility largely dependent on how much
you​
flexibility ​ can handle and how much you want.
Biology (nonlinear) vs. psychology (need for structure vs.
rebelling against structure)

3) Periodization
a) Bulk of your training: simple matter of balancing consistency
and variety (keily)
i) DUP is not a training program

ii) Organized on different time scales (microcycle, mesocycle,


macrocycle)

iii) IN GENERAL, DUP within the week, and having waves in


increasing intensity on main lifts and increasing volume
on accessories has tended to work best; personal
experience.
b) Peaking
i) Get into 2­factor model

ii) ­⅔reduction in volume while maintaining or slightly


⅓
increasing intensity

iii) Length of taper depends on sex/volume/size/etc.

4) What to focus on
a) Beginner ­ build skill

b) Intermediate ­ build size

c) Advanced ­ perfect skill, obliterate weaknesses

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