PROGRAMMING A BLOCK micro cycle – 1 training week Workload (Training Stress) – Volume and work intensity When working with someone work on Micro cycle first or figure out a split To figure out a split look at past injuries, things that have worked in the past, see what goals they have, and their life schedule Categorize Lifters – Male – Lightweight, Middleweight, Heavyweight Female – Lightweight, Middleweight, Heavyweight Lightweight females/males need more stress in training because they can recover easier than heavyweight females/males Create a perfect Micro cycle by: Exercise selection, correct workload, and split Making too much progress can lead to injuries and this is caused by too much workload, Slow to moderate range is recommended to keep athletes safe. How to make an intro block for a new lifter Take in: Age Gender Weight Class Leverages Technique Establish Patterns to be able to correct problems in the future Things to consider: Hypertrophy, specificity, technical proficiency Age: How to progress in new lifters: Muscle Mass – More hypertrophy work and full rom Movement variability – Variations to help the athlete perform better Technical proficiency – Have “good” technique Gender: Female lifters require higher volumes, intensity, and frequency Males are “opposite” Weight classes Lighter weight classes require more frequency and maybe more intensity. Heavier weight classes require less frequency and maybe more space between intensity jumps Leverages Can influence frequency, volume, rep ranges, intensity and specificity Technique Will influence the sane things as leverages How to progress for “seasoned” lifters: Durability - Be able to prioritize primary days. Specificity – Try to increase specificity and workload Technical efficiency – Limit Range on motion Intro Block An intro block should be focused on what worked and remove unnecessary variables Maximize predictability throughout the block Gradually increase intensity Finde Tolerable workloads on each lift (Volume) yield good progress without injuring Find certain rep ranges that work for an athlete Find intensities that are “Golden” on each lift for an athlete Find the pace of progression that in order to maximize predictability and progress Variables Main Lift Frequency (Should be able to figure out after looking at previous history) Main Lift Volume Goals of Each Session and Workload Allocation Scheduling Rep Ranges/RPE Variations Accessories Pacing and Block Duration Frequency To Maintain frequency – Consistent progress previously, there is some fatigue but it is manageable, if more frequency has led to injury, To Increase frequency – When the background doesn’t make progress, no signs of fatigue, movement feels weird, they are having high set session (6> sets) To Decrease frequency – No more progress previously, Lifter feels overworked, constant pain/injury, Not sustainable with schedule Volume To Maintain Volume – Consistent progress previously, some fatigue but it’s manageable, movements feel refined To Increase Volume – Not Stressed following main lift workload, no more progress previously, no signs of fatigue To Decrease Volume – No Progress is yielded, feeling overworked, lifter has pain/injury Stay at the same volume that works; don’t add sets in the same block Goals of Each Session and Workload Allocation What days does an athlete require low, moderate, or high stimulus and does the athlete need more of one type than another Chronic fatigue is across a block, acute fatigue is across a training week Distribute volume so that primary day will feel best. Don’t push primary day too hard or work quality declines. If a lifter can’t recover from a big 3 lift then use accessories to increase volume Scheduling If not “knowing” how to do a lift then move a lift closer to another day. Primary Day placement – High predictability for competition day. Higher Frequency leads to fickleness. Line it up with meet day. Secondary Day Placement – minimize disturbance for interference with same lift/other lift. Know the purpose of this day. Priming or Recovery Rep Ranges/RPE What is a Top Set? – used to evaluate progress during the intro phases of a lifter. Rep ranges for top set - should be around 1-3 rep range to ensure top end strength is predicted and that maximal force is displayed. How to determine exact range – meet them where they’re at. If they’re not training frequently then go towards a higher rep range to get away from a higher percentage of 1rm. If momentum is being carried then singles/doubles can be used. Rep Ranges through a Micro cycle – Asses goals of each session (high vs low reps), evaluate sensitivities throughout past history. How to determine RPE – Asses goals of each session, see if you can truly push both days as the block progresses. Variations Maximize transfer to the main lift while minimizing fatigue. Use them to build up weak points and to improve on positional faults in a movements Accessories Can be used to have hypertrophy, but it should not cause any fatigue with the big three movements, If lacking muscle in a specific area then prescribe accessories to gain muscle Pacing and Block Duration Start Conservatively (RPE 6) if too strong then start at a lower RPE. Observe and Adjust Accordingly during the block, if rpe was undershot then keep being conservative. Block Length – Maintain the best recoverable volume, find the critical point to where progress makes a big jump or a big dive.
