Training IntensityScience and practice: Chapter 4

Why is training intensity important?

•Without the regulation of training intensity, it is difficult to create programs that will allow for a smooth increase in performance over an extended period of time.

•Unfortunately many athletes train in the weightroom without paying much attention to their training intensity and will not achieve the gains over time that they could if they used the correct training percentages/intensity.

Measuring training intensity

•1. Magnitude of the resistance expressed as a percentage of the best achievement (1RepMax) in a weightlifting movement. (%1RM)

•2. Number of repetitions (lifts) in a set that are performed consecutively.

1 Rep MAX (1RM)

•This stands for: the most that an athlete can lift in a given resistance training movement, for example. If I can bench press 200 pounds and I miss at 205, than 200 pounds is my 1RM. If I wanted to work at 70% of my 1RM that would be 140 pounds.

•1RM can be broken down into competition max and training max.

Competition and Training Max

•If you are dealing with strength athletes who are ever involved in weightlifting competitions, there will be a competition max (C1RM) and a training max (T1RM)for each athlete.

Training Max•The maximal training weight is the maximal

weight an athlete can lift without a significant amount of emotional stress (that of a competition). Basically, how much you lift/fast you can run/high you can jump in training.

•Some experienced athletes/trainers will measure heart rate before lift attempts to determine if the athlete is going out of their ‘training zone’ and over-exerting themselves for the given exercise.

Competition Max

•The competition max (C-Max) represents the most that an athlete can lift under competition stress. This will be around 12.5±2.5% for experienced weightlifters. So basically, if I can squat 500 lbs in the gym without getting my heart rate too high, I am going to be able to squat around 560 pounds in an intense competition.

Competition Max•This is also true to a degree in other tests of

athletics, such as track and field events. Nobody sets the 100m or 10k world record in practice, they don’t have the competition adrenaline to facilitate it.

•Also, C-Max efforts drain the CNS much more than T-Max efforts. Experienced weightlifters will be drained for a long period of time after and intense competition, even though they performed only 6 lifts.

Take Home Knowledge

•The more “psyched up” a lifter is when performing heavy resistance training, the greater drain that lift will have on their central nervous system, and recovery time will take longer.

•It is a good practice to watch your psyche level when training when you are considering your other training sessions in that week (for many programs).

1RM Testing

•When testing 1RM in the weightroom, a good deal of warmup sets should be undertaken before the max out attempts.

•Example: Squat, est max: 300•135x10, 185x6, 225x4, 250x2, 275x1, max

attempt (300), if make +15 pounds, if miss, -15 pounds.

Two measures of training intensity• #1. % of 1RM (either T1RM or C1RM, usually

C1RM)• #2. Another nice measure of intensity is in

terms of RepMax. For example, 5RM. An athletes 5RM is going to be the highest amount of weight they can lift 5 times. For example, if I put 200 pounds on the bar for power cleans from the hang position, and try to lift it as many times as possible, and get 5 reps and miss the 6th, 200 pounds is my 5RM in the power clean from the hang.

Testing RM

•There really isn’t much of a point in testing a 5RM or 10RM, because it is too much of a hassle in finding the correct weight, and not getting too tired in the process.

•You can, of course use charts to estimate your 1RM, or 2,3,4,5RMs, but these are not always completely accurate.

•The reason being is that some athletes may be able to lift submaximal loads better than others.

An example chart:

100% 95% .92.5% 90% .87.5% 85% .82.5% 80% .77.5% 75%

1RM 2RM 3RM 4RM 5RM 6RM 7RM 8RM 9RM 10RM

295 280 272.8 265 258 250 24 236 228 221

290 275 268 261 253 246 239 232 224 217

285 270 263 256 249 242 235 228 220 213

280 266 259 252 245 238 231 224 217 210

275 261 254 247 240 233 226 220 213 206270 265 249 243 236 229 222 216 209 202

265 251 245 238 231 225 218 212 205 198

260 247 240 234 227 221 214 208 201 195

255 242 235 229 223 216 210 204 197 191

Assigning Training Intensity• You can assign a training intensity based on

either %1RM or RM, but….to be accurate, you need to test the 1RM on a somewhat regular basis (every few months). Many coaches do not like to max out very often, because of the high stress levels involved, and/or chance of injury.

• In many programs, the % or RM is assigned and the athlete will basically just make their best guess towards what their weight should be. A lot of athletes have PROBLEMS with this. Guys will go too heavy and girls will go too light.

Relationship between %1RM and xRM

•The relationship between %1RM and xRM is not the same for everybody. For example, one athlete may be able to lift 80% of their 1RM 15 times. Another athlete might be able to only lift 80% of their 1RM 8 times.

• It has been suggested that athletes with a higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers will be able to lift %s of their 1RM fewer times than their slower twitch counterparts.

A chart showing %1RM lifting ability of a weightlifter and wrestler

So which is better?• There is no research that would support either

side. It mostly just depends on what you think is easier for your athletes to use if you are not planning on maxing out all the time.

• Generally speaking the relationship between 1RM and training percentages is as follows.

• 70% of 1RM is going to be about 15RM for most athletes.

• 80% of 1RM is going to be about 10RM for most athletes.

• 90% of 1RM is going to be about 5RM for most athletes

So what if I don’t mind maxing out every now and then?

•A simple way to make sure that athletes are performing a program that will allow gains is to max out after a introductory lifting period (for safety reasons) and then use a template which can be used for the next couple months.

•A few examples

  Sets and Reps Load Rest Period Weekly Emphasis

Week 1 4x5 70% 3-4 minutes

Introductory

Week 2 5 x 5 80% 4-5 minutes

Volume

Week 3 3x3 65% 3 minutes Rest

Week 4 3x5 85% As needed Intensity

Week 5 4x5 75% 3-4 minutes

Introductory

Week 6 5 x 5 85% 4-5 minutes

Volume

Week 7 3x3 70% 3 minutes Rest

Week 8 3x5 90% As needed Intensity

Week 9 4x5 80% 3-4 minutes

Introductory

Week 10

5 x 5 90% 4-5 minutes

Volume

Week 11

3x3 75% 3 minutes Rest

Week 12

3x5 95% As needed Intensity

You will notice by week 12, you are working 95% of your old 1rm for 3x5 at 95%. If you look at the1RM chart in the previous slide, you will realize there is no way that this is possible, but in the program, it is because by the timeweek 12 hits, your 1RM should have gone up significantly from week 1!

“Plug in Programs”• These type of programs usually are created in

excel where you will type in your 1 rep max and it will automatically create a program for you over a given time period.

• Example “Hatch Squat 12 week program”

• Many strength coaches who don’t like making their own programs will just use program templates that someone else made and plug in 1RM values. Nothing wrong with this. Does not allow for individualization however.

Metabolic Effects of Training %•Training with weights that are a heavier % of

the 1RM will cause a higher level of protein degradation than lighter %s of the 1RM.

•Although high %s have high protein degradation, total reps will be lower when working high %s, so the total metabolic effect of the set will be somewhat low.

•A balance needs to be struck between %s and reps when looking for metabolic changes in muscle.

Protein Metabolism Chart in Lifting

Resistance (RM)

Rate of protein degradation

Mechanical Work

Total amount

(# of reps) of degraded protein

1-5 High Small Small10 Average Average Large

>25 Low Large Small

Resistance Training Intensity by Goal

•Strength (Increasing Fmm)•Power (Increasing Fmax)•Hypertrophy (size)•Endurance

%’s for strength (supertraining)

•Load % of 1RM: 80-100•Reps per set: 1-5•Sets per exercise: 4-7•Rest between sets: 2-6m•Duration (sec/set): 5-10•Speed per rep: 60-100%•Training sess/wk: 3-6

%s for power (supertraining)

•Load % of 1RM: 70-100•Reps per set: 1-5•Sets per exercise: 3-5•Rest between sets: 2-6m•Duration (sec/set): 4-8•Speed per rep: 90-100%•Training sess/wk: 3-6

%s for hypertrophy (size)

•Load % of 1RM: 60-80•Reps per set: 8-15•Sets per exercise: 4-8•Rest between sets: 2-5m•Duration (sec/set): 20-60•Speed per rep: 60-90%•Training sess/wk: 5-7

Training %s for endurance

•Load % of 1RM: 40-60•Reps per set: 25-60 (*disputed)•Sets per exercise: 2-4•Rest between sets: 1-2m•Duration (sec/set): 80-150•Speed per rep: 6-80%•Training sess/wk: 8-14

Another Helpful Chart

Average Training Intensity of Elite Athletes•A lot of research has been done on the

average lifting intensity of elite olympic weightlifters.

• It should be noted that generally speaking, you probably don’t want to train sport atheltes the exact same as olympic weightlifters, but, since olympic weightlifters are extremely strong and explosive, it is helpful to take a look at their average training intensities throughout a year.

A note on training intensity and timing•Although as a strength training

community, we have developed good methods for strength development, we do not know precisely what the BEST methods are.

•The human body and its training responses are extremely complex, and it is almost impossible to know exactly what a certain athlete needs as a given point in time, but you can get close.

A chart of average training intensity/Olympic weightlifters

Avg. Training Intensity for elite athletes. •Notice that the largest percentage of lifts

was in the 70-80% 1RM range. The average weight in a set lifted by superior athletes is equal to 75% of their C1RM. This would probably be around 80% of their T1RM, which is a variable most coaches would be more familiar with.

Average Repetitions of Elite Athletes

Exercise type and set/rep selection

•The number of repetitions that is used per set varies by exercise.

•For actual olympic weightlifters, the majority of sets in the clean and jerk and snatch are 1 to 3 repetitions.

•In auxilliary strength exercises, where the motor coordination only partially resembles the coordination in the snatch and C&J such as the front squat, the average number of reps is 3 to 6.

Exercise rep selection (OWL)

•As the exercise moves farther away from the motor pattern of the primary movement (in this case snatch/c&j) the higher the reps that can be used. So in the case on a glute ham raise, which resembles the olympic lifts even less than a squat, the average reps is typically around 5 to 7 reps per set.

Differences in training Olympic Weightlifters and average athletes. •For the most part, the reps are typically a

little higher, unless with advanced athletes.

•Aside from this, it depends on the sport and the needs of the athlete. ▫Strength▫Size (Relative vs Absolute strength)▫Endurance▫Speed

Average Reps C&J and Snatch (OWL)

•1-3

Average Reps for Squats (OWL)

•3-6

Average Reps for Glute-Ham(OWL)

•5-7

Optimal Training Intensity

•Beginners: 60% of 1RM 3 days a week with 4 sets per muscle group.

•Advanced athletes: 80% of 1RM seems to be the best balance between max strength and speed, i.e. power. Of course not ALL sets are done with this weight, but the majority find themselves in the 75-85% range.

Strength Training Methods▫Ways that deal with maximal

tension/recruitment•Max Effort Method (ME)•Repeated Effort Method (RE)•Dynamic Effort Method (DE)

▫also•Submaximal Effort Method (not maximal,

probably the most common in average weightlifting programs)

Maximal Effort Method• ME method is basically lifting a maximal load.

This is usually 1-3RM, sometimes 5-6RM. Powerlifters and olympic lifters will usually go closer to 1RM than team sport athletes.

• This method will bring forth the greatest strength increments. It will activate the maximal number of motor units.

• When training muscles rather than movements becomes the primary part of the drill, the reps will go up. For example, GHR will be higher reps than cleans.

Maximal Effort Drawbacks

•High risk of injury▫Learn proper technique first

•Smaller number of reps produce less hypertrophy

•This method will burn out a lot of athletes fairly quickly. This will especially happen if loads about T1RM are used, or when the athletes become very psyched up in the weight room to push max weight.

Burnout in ME method

•The CNS stress of full body movements will be greater than those of smaller movements.

•For example, doing ME method in clean and jerk will take a larger toll on the CNS than doing ME method with the bench press. This is because more muscle groups are activated for clean and jerk, and also there is a large amount of balance and coordination that must be present.

Repeated Effort Method

•Repeated effort (RE) is when a nonmaximal load is lifted to failure. In the final few repetitions, the muscles are developing the maximal force possible in a fatigued state.

•This type of work is going to be more effective in creating muscle hypertrophy.

•It is a common belief that going to failure in RE is better for hypertrophy than not going to failure in RE.

So which is better for athletes?

•A similar analogy can be brought up with the training of an 800 meter runner in track and field….should the 800 meter runner run distances longer or shorter than 800 meters for their training? The answer is both.

•This is the same for training athletes with ME and RE, both types of strength should be worked…although in my opinion, the ME work should be kept around 5RM.

Dynamic Effort Method•Lifting or throwing a non-maximal load with the

highest attainable speed possible. •Used to increase the rate of force development.•Not really used to increase maximal strength

(Fmm) but more to improve the rate of force development in motor units already activated.

• I would argue that with lighter weights this is true, but when using heavier weights (80%1RM) and moving as fast as possible, such as 8x3 ala Waterbury, some Fmm strength will be gained.

A quick summary of the 3 methods

Method   Immediate Purpose

Maximal Efforts Improve neuromuscular coordination MU recruitment Rate Coding MU synchronization Coordination Pattern Repeated Efforts Muscle hypertrophy (size)

Dynamic Efforts Increase the RFD of already recruited units

Putting it all together

•Let’s look at 3 different strength training programs

•Joe DeFranco style training (football)•Westside Barbell style training

(powerlifting)•My strength training program (track and

field jumpers)

Joe DeFranco Setup

MONDAY – Max-Effort Upper BodyTUESDAY – Dynamic-Effort Lower BodyWEDNESDAY – OffTHURSDAY – Repetition Upper BodyFRIDAY – Max-Effort Lower BodySATURDAY – OffSUNDAY – Off

DeFranco ME days work-up sets•95 X 5

135 X 5185 X 3225 X 3275 X 3295 X 3315 X 3

•(if 315x3 is the 3RM)

ME Upper Day• MONDAY – Max-Effort Upper Body• Max-Effort Exercise – work up to a max set of 3-5 reps in one of the

following exercises:• Thick bar or regular barbell bench press• Barbell floor press• Rack lockouts / Suspended chain lockouts• Incline barbell bench press (regular grip or close grip)• Supplemental Exercise – perform 2 sets of max reps in one of the

following exercises. (Choose a weight you can perform for 15-20 reps on the 1st set. Use the same weight for both sets and rest 3-4 minutes between sets).

• Flat DB bench press (palms in or out)• Incline DB bench press (palms in or out)• DB floor press (palms in)• Barbell push-ups (wearing weighted vest)• Blast strap push-ups (wearing weighted vest)

Lower DE day• TUESDAY – Dynamic-Effort Lower Body• Jump training – choose one of the following

exercises and perform 5-8 sets of 1-3 jumps:• Box jumps• Vertical jumps• Broad jumps• Hurdle hops (jump over hurdle and land on

ground)• Box squat into box jump• Depth jumps (onto box)• Weighted Reactive box jumps

Upper RE day• THURSDAY – Repetition Upper Body• Repetition Exercise – choose one of the

following exercises and perform 3 sets of max reps OR 4 sets of 12-15 reps:

• Flat DB bench press (palms in or out)• Incline DB bench press (palms in or out)• DB bench press on Swiss ball (palms in or out)• DB floor press (palms in)• Push-up variations• Chin-up variations• Barbell bench press (55-60% of 1RM)

ME LOWER DAY• FRIDAY – Max-Effort Lower Body• MAX-EFFORT LIFT – work up to a max set of 3-5 reps

in one of the following exercises:• Box squats (regular bar, safety squat bar, cambered

bar, buffalo bar)• Free squats (regular bar, safety squat bar, cambered

bar, buffalo bar)• Straight bar deadlifts (traditional style, sumo style)• Trap Bar deadlifts• Rack pulls (partial deadlifts)• Tire flip – (remember, your max-effort lifts don’t

necessarily have to be limited to just barbell exercises!)

Westside Barbell Setup

•Sunday – Dynamic Effort Bench•Monday – Max Effort Squat/DL •Wednesday – Max Effort Bench Press •Friday – Dynamic Squat/DL

•4 days are also repetitive effort training

•Note (this is a template for POWERLIFTERS, not so much athletes)

Westside DE Bench

•Dynamic bench press – 8 sets of 3 repetitions; all sets done are done with 55% of raw 1RM. Rest periods are approximately 60 seconds, but have never really seen the purpose of this, personally.

•The whole goal of speed day is to move the bar quickly on the concentric. If you need to take an extra minute to accomplish the goal of the day, then by all means, do so.

Westside ME Bench Press• Max effort bench press – this includes a variety of

exercises, but the most common are the floor press, 2 board press, 3 board press, incline press and close grip bench press.

• On max effort bench press day, you pick one of these exercises and work to a 1RM. Most will switch to a different exercise every 1-2 weeks and simply try to break their record.

• On this day, based on your 1RM for THAT day, you will try to do 3 lifts at or above 90%. You can take as much rest as you want, but I would probably say around 3-5 minutes between your heaviest sets.

Westside DE Squat• Dynamic Squat – All sets done on a parallel box. A

three week wave is used using the following sets and reps.

Week 1 – 10x2 @ 50% Week 2 – 10x2 @ 55% Week 3 – 10x2 @ 60%Upon completion of the 3rd week, you simply start the wave over again. All %'s are based on your best squat. This is not conditioning, this is speed work. Save your conditioning for another time.

Westside ME Lower Body• Max Effort Squat and Deadlift – Similar to the max effort bench press,

one exercise is used per week and worked up to a 1RM. Because most people have eliminated good mornings as a max effort exercise, I will choose the following for your exercises. I understand that many do not have these bars that I list, but this is the list, nonetheless:

Safety squat bar squat Cambered bar squat Manta Ray squat (All squats are done on a low (1-2" below parallel), parallel or high (1-2" above parallel) box. As you can tell, there is a great many variations with these three exercises. Rack deadlifts (or pin pulls) Deadlifts while standing on elevated platform Reverse band deadlifts

A sample program of mine

•Monday: RE Lower Body (submax)•Tuesday: DE Lower Body (maximal

plyometrics)•Thursday: RE Lower Body (submax)•Friday: DE Lower Body (maximal

plyometrics)

•Other elements: 2 long sprint days, some acceleration work on the DE days, 2 general strength/fitness workouts per week.

Sample Strength for Jumpers: RE DAY

•Monday, RE lifting Day▫Olympic Lift: 6x3 with up to 80%1RM▫Lower Body Main Lift: 4x5 with up to

80%1RM▫Accessory Lift: 3x6 with up to 80% 1RM▫Calf Raises: 3x10▫Skipping/Jumping drills for cooldown

Sample Strength for Jumpers: DE DAY

•Tuesday: Lower DE

•Some sprint acceleration work: 100m total

•3-4 Max jumps off 1 leg •Bounding: 250 meters of various types•Hurdle Hops: 5 sets of 4 hurdles

Sample Strength for Jumpers: RE DAY2• Thursday, RE Lower

▫Olympic Lift 6x3 with no more than 80%1RM▫Lower Body Main Lift: 4x5 with up to 80%1RM▫Accessory Lift: 3x6 with up to 80% 1RM▫Calf Raises: 3x10▫Skipping/Jumping drills for cooldown

▫On this day, the main difference from Monday is that all the exercises are different except calf raises

Sample Strength for Jumpers: DE DAY2•Tuesday: Lower DE

•Some sprint acceleration work: 100m total

•3-4 Max jumps off 2 legs •3 step jumps over high hurdles•100m bounding•Hurdle Hops: 3 sets of 4 hurdles•Single leg Hurdle Hops: 3 sets of 4

hurdles

Final Notes

•These templates do not even come close to showing what all is out there. It is very important to understand the reasons behind the templates, which can help you decide which ones might be good for the athletes that you coach.