How to Create a Training Program

Terms:

Intensity- weight on the bar

Volume- number of sets, reps, training sessions.

Tonnage- function of volume (sets x reps x weight)

Hypertrophy- an increase in size. In this context, increased size of muscle cells (sarcomeres)

Periodization- programming broken into timespans dedicated to specific training goals.

Block- long periods of training focused on improving one adaptation e.g. hypertrophy

Linear- a type of programming which starts with high volumes and low intensities moving towards low volumes and high intensities as a competition gets closer.

Conjugate- a style of training made famous by Louie Simmons and Westside Barbell. High intensities of different exercises similar to the competition lifts during one part of the microcycle followed by speed work using bands/chains during the other part of the microcycle. There are other nuances to this style but, for what follows, training heavy singles frequently is the takeaway.

Daily Undulating Periodization- workouts during a microcycle focus on hypertrophy one day, strength another, and power on another day.

Macrocycle- largest period of time between competitions. Can be months or years in length.

Mesocycle- medium length of time. Generally weeks to months in length of time.

Microcycle- smallest period of time. Can be days to a week or two.

Peak- period of time dedicated to competition specific training. In the context of powerlifting, training volume will decrease, intensity will increase, and sets/reps will look exactly like or close to competition.

Macronutrients- carbohydrates, protein, and fat

Stress, Recovery, and Adaptation

There’s no one size fits all training program. Good programs progressively load the athlete over time. Stress, recovery, and adaptation is how biological organisms improve. Too little stress does not induce an adaptation and too much can literally kill the organism, or in this case the athlete. There’s a balancing act between stress and recovery. Stress has to be dosed at the right amount to not cause overtraining, injury, or a hiatus from training, but just enough to cause the body to adapt. Over time the athlete will improve based on the context of the stressor(s).

Stressors include but are not limited to: intensity, volume, and the athlete’s environment (e.g. rough day at work, break up, etc.). Recovery includes: sleep 7+ hours undisturbed each night, enough calories/macronutrients. Balancing the amount of work done in training versus recovery resources is how adaptation occurs over time. Finding the minimum effective dose is key. This means adding just enough stress to initiate adaptation while simultaneously “keeping tools in your tool box” for when progress stops down the road.

In practice an athlete will be given a training program the coach thinks will work based on research and previous experience. This program will be run until progress starts to stop on one or more exercises. The minimum effective dose is usually to add another exercise or something even more drastic like adding several and changing the structure of the program. DUP type programs are one example of what may be helpful during the week/microcycle. Where the coach and athlete started and what the coach thinks the athlete needs/could handle will be the determining factors for what is prescribed. An example of this situation is the athlete was performing 5×5 squats. Intensity hasn’t increased for a couple weeks. The coach now adds the minimum effective dose of adding 3×8 back off sets of squat in addition to the 5x5s. This addition of volume should be enough to increase the weight on the bar again over time.

Program Organization

There are many ways to organize training. The mostly widely used is Block Periodization. Each block focuses on developing one adaptation. For example, a hypertrophy block focuses on building muscle size, the strength block focuses on general strength, and a peak block prepares the athlete for competition. Within each block, different training methodologies are used. These include Linear, HLM (Heavy Light Medium), DUP (Daily Undulating Periodization), or Conjugate. Before going further, the four methods just listed are sometimes used independently of block periodization. However, for the most part, they fit the block organizational structure extremely well. These methods, practiced correctly, follow the SRA curve described above.

The lifter’s and coach’s preferences will determine which method will be used within this larger organizational structure called block periodization. Adherence to the program by the athlete is of utmost importance. It is secondary to the coach’s own preference. If an athlete has no experience programming or little knowledge of programming, the coach’s preference should override athlete preference. Sometimes athletes, though knowledgable, will defer to a coach’s preference because they want something new. The athlete/coach relationship should have open communication and make changes as needed. As long as intensities increase over time, any method will work.

Exercise Selection, Set/Rep Scheme

Exercise selection is determined by the following parameters.

• Uses multiple muscle groups aka is a compound movement
• Can be loaded almost to infinity
• Movement is specific and has a lot of transfer to competition movements

Most exercises falling within this criteria will use a barbell and will be some variation of a squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bench press. The previous exercises, I call the “Big 4”, will be the foundation of the program. There are of course other movements that should be trained e.g. rows. 4-6 exercises are typically the maximum amount of exercises practical per workout.

Sets and reps will be determined by the goal of the block.

• Hypertrophy- 8-10 reps is the most used range but reps 6-15 are also used.
• Strength- 3-6 reps
• Peak- 1-3 reps

Conclusion

There a many different ways to program, which is why this post isn’t very specific. Athlete/coach experience and preference are significant variables in addition to sport specificity. There will be a lot of trial and error. However, any training program which adds weight to the bar over time will cause the athlete to get stronger. This is of course if the athlete is sufficiently recovering. It is important to have an organized, thoughtful plan which accomplishes a certain goal. Athletes will reach goals they never thought possible following such a program.