The Current State Of The Fitness And Training Industry

Over the past few years, social media and online interactions have been one of the main drivers in the fitness, personal training and coaching industry. The general population now have access to the most knowledgeable coaches, the best training advice and the most informative articles with just a click of a button. Trainers and coaches from all around the world also get to discuss the latest training and dieting protocols and sell their services to others. 

However, with any good thing, come the negatives. Call-out culture, trolling, underqualified trainers and coaches, lies and accusations about other trainers, over-saturation of information, I'm sure we've seen it some of these to an extent. With that said, is this new age of fitness and personal training really a good thing.

This article is a reflection of the current state of the fitness industry and my opinion on the most commonly debated topics. 

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Facebook

I've only been in the game for 5 years, but I'm lucky to be connected with the most brilliant minds in the fitness, nutrition and strength & conditioning realm. Our industry is special in that training methods, diets, and expert opinions can all be criticized and scrutinized on an open platform, Facebook, without much anonymity. Despite the stereotype that Facebook can't be used for serious and civil conversations about any complex topic, it's surprising that trainers and coaches around the world can participate in scientific discourse about all things related to human fitness. Anything you say or post will be read by your peers and can be criticized and improved on; so long that you're connected to the right people and not committing cases of confirmation bias on the daily basis (avoiding criticism or change, always seeking out people and information who agree with you).

I also remember when this was not the case. I remember when Facebook was just a platform to share your fitness routines and update your friends on your latest physique or strength progress. Over the years Facebook has become a vehicle for distributing truthful, evidence-backed fitness and nutrition advice. At the same time, a tool for trainers and coaches to market and sell their services and information. I don't understand fully how this came to be, but I have a few theories:

Fitness is a personal pursuit, but has a big social impact.

Improving health, fitness and looking great naked is a personal pursuit. YOU have to put in the time in and YOU have to put in the hard work to benefit YOURSELF. However, humans are social creatures. Some post pictures of themselves to motivate others, some workout to show off their bodies, some want validation and approval from others. Whatever the intentions are, sharing your fitness journey on Facebook has a huge impact on your circle of friends on Facebook. This is akin to foodies posting pictures of great local meals or car enthusiasts showing off their newest car mod; there's something positive and gratifying about being able to share your own experiences with others.

Social media is the perfect platform for marketing personal training services and, but can be very dangerous.

Social media can also be a platform for marketing personal training services and diet plans. Often paired with paragraphs about why and how your methods are scientifically proven to be effective or the best. I do this, many other trainers and coaches I know do this. It's an effective way to reach an audience you've already built through friendships in high schools or a way to acquire clientele through the acquaintances you've crossed paths with from work or weekend-hobbies. 

Marketing on social media can also be very dangerous. It's easy to subscribe to too many different trainers with different view points, or at worse, subscribe to someone who teaches ineffective training methods and gives out dangerous nutrition advice. This results in an over-saturation of information for the general trainee and trainer, leading to something many people call "paralysis by analysis": over-thinking fitness and nutrition to the point where the trainee or trainer fails to stick with the basics or is confused to what steps to take to reach a goal.

Related to this topic: I've written about fitness and nutrition pyramids, and why they're so useful for trainees and trainers. Sticking to the basics and prioritizing certain training and dieting principles is the best way to avoid "paralysis by analysis".

Peer-reviewed scientific papers do not have the same reach and impact as a evidence-based coach that can effectively communicate to the masses.

Scientific journals and papers are made for scientists and researchers to communicate with each other, using statistics and logic to come to a consensus about a particular topic. The use of complex scientific terms is crucial for maintaining consistency in the field, but might not be the best for communicating with the masses on Facebook. Using scientific jargon and anatomical terms may be valid, but the average trainee or local personal trainer that don't possess the same vocabulary will be lost in the forest.

Share a breakthrough scientific article on carbohydrates and weight loss. You might get 100 views.

Read a breakthrough scientific article on carbohydrates and weight loss, dissecting the main points and communicating those points using both scientific and lay-man terms so the masses can understand and put to practice? Watch your view count go through the roof and your social impact increase. 

This is what is so great about podcasts like Danny Lennon's Sigma Nutrition Podcast and research reviews like Alan Aragon's Research Review. They speak with respected researchers in the field and are able to package information in a way most people can understand.

This is not to say peer-reviewed scientific papers and research studies are not useful, far from it. Rather, we should be mindful of the way we communicate with our audience. Using the right terminology or using communication techniques like analogies can help, and are very important.

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Call-Out Culture

Also related to Facebook and social media, I wanted to talk about "call-out culture" in the context of the fitness and nutrition world. This topic came to my mind after a thoughtful coach raised a question on Facebook on what the term "evidence-based" really means in the fitness industry and where to draw the line to divide people who are truly evidence-based away from those people who aren't.

Some trainers, researchers and coaches pride themselves for calling out bullshit they see in the industry, whether it be training methods that aren't scientifically backed or nutrition protocols that are considered fad diets. Some go as far as publicly shaming them on a Facebook status or write a whole article about why someone is wrong.

While I believe trainers who give out shady and dangerous advice should be called out, we have to examine their intentions:

A trainer who is purposely promoting stupid training methods and useless supplements for financial and egotistical gain at the expense of their follower's health and money, is an asshole and should be called out.

A trainer who has good-intentions but has mistakenly spread false information either from a lack of education or lack of carefulness, should not be bashed.

Much of the false information and pseudoscience I see being spread is by the latter group of trainers (I could be wrong...)

The best way to go about this problem is not to fight negativity with negativity, rather smothering them with positivity and giving them a chance to improve their critical thinking skills by providing them with sources (articles, podcasts, videos) that publish good information. Approach the coach or trainer in a respectful manner and challenge their ideas by making sound, logically points as to why they've made a mistake or that their information is outdated. If they fail to acknowledge the new information, your options are to 1) leave them alone, 2) reconsider your own stance and how to approach these types of trainers in the future. Forcing your ideas, or belittling them in a threatening manner benefits no one.

Positivity is something I've picked up from being a business owner. Trainees and potential clients are much more likely to be drawn to you if you're passionate about making a positive change. Constantly shitting on other trainers and failing to provide any useful advice to your own audience is a recipe for failure, something I've learned personally. Spending more time on honing communication skills and having good intentions is the key to making a positive impact you want to see in your clients, athletes and audience.

I understand that a budding scientist that dedicates their life to a particular area of research would be more likely to take offence to a personal trainer online spewing out false information about his/her area of expertise. The said scientist would then be more inclined to participate in call-out culture. 

Call-out culture is bad for business and social impact, but may be practical for keeping misinformation and psuedoscience out of scientific discourse. It's all about context. 

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Stay in your own lane

"Stay in your own lane". The most dangerous, yet best advice any personal trainer and coach can receive.

Dangerous in the sense that this piece of advice can convince a trainer or coach to not branch out of what is currently comfortable to them; suppressing creativity and continuing education.

Best in the sense that trainers should not attempt to use practices and methods they are not fully comfortable with just to make a quick buck or play a know-it-all guru.

I do believe trainers and coaches should go out of their way to learn about topics they're not comfortable or educated on. Well-roundness and adaptability is what every professional should strive for. Learning about areas outside your scope of practice can provide perspective and benefits that "staying in your own lane" cannot achieve. I became a much better strength coach after dabbling in the world of pure endurance training, which lead me to researching about concurrent training theories and methodologies; ultimately improving my program writing abilities. This is just my personal example. I've seen some physiotherapists branch out into the strength training world, integrating strength training principles into their rehabilitation system to better understand and change the lives of their clients. Some have even completely overhauled how they look at the world of physiotherapist after understanding strength training, the adaptability of the human body, and how everything is interconnected. 

A more common example would be trainers studying for a nutrition diploma or certificate to better understand how to adjust their clients' diet and dietary habits in order to fully reap in the benefits of fitness training.

So what's wrong with branching out? Why shouldn't trainers and coaches stay in their own lane?

The biggest problem is the self-inflated confidence of trainers and coaches that believe they are experts in areas they have barely scratched the surface of. Obviously this is a grey area. There is no line to draw to know when you're informed enough to give out advice on a particular topic. This part involves a lot of self-reflection and objectivity, so it's no wonder trainers get it "wrong".

There's a spectrum of people who don't stay in their own lane. Trainers who play sport nutritionist only having learned about "if it fits your macros" a few months ago. Personal trainers who play manual or physio-therapist despite not receiving any formal education in the area. Trainers who receive a NKT or cupping certificate over the weekend and think they're rehab gods or have figured out the code to rehabbing injured patients (don't even get me started on this). I could go on and on...

To make a quick buck, or to make themselves look like more of an expert. It doesn't matter. It waters down the field and is completely disrespectful to the professionals that have been in the trenches and have put in years learning the particular area or topic. It's not only stubborn to think that one can learn the in and outs of an area over the weekend, but dangerous to the potential clients, athletes and patients that follow these trainers.

Do some self-reflection on how much you really know of a topic before you decide to sell your services. Learn how to say "I don't know, I'll refer you to someone or I'll try to find out for you" to your clients and athletes. Be curious and sell the best services you can to your clients, but be humble.

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The Fitness Industry Moving Forwards

With the rising popularity of celebrity diets, Instagram model-sponsored supplements, squats on bosu balls and all the problems I've been discussing above, is the state of the fitness and personal training industry the worst it's ever been?

I don't believe so. I think it's actually the best it's ever been and is improving a greater rate than ever before.

Availability heuristic is a cognitive bias that causes you to make incorrect assessments and assumptions, making you believe something happens more frequently or is more prevalent than it actually is. 

If you ask the majority of people, they'll think poverty, murder and terrorism is much more serious and more prevalent than it was a few years or decades ago. When in fact, poverty and mortality rates have been as low as they've ever been, and other areas like literacy and basic education have been steadily improving (look at the figure below).

The increased exposure to social media, news outlets and daily news has made us believe these problems are more rampant than they actually are. People believe ISIS is the worse group ever in the history of the world, when there have actually been multiple factions of terrorist groups that have carried out the most gruesome massacres and genocides before the popularity of social media and news.

On a less serious note, some people in the fitness and personal training industry suffer from this availability heuristic. You see advice about knees not being allowed to go past your toes while squatting? You might be convinced the majority of trainers still don't know how to teach a proper squat. 

Yes, there are still trainers spewing out garbage, big supplement companies are still cashing in money on people gullible enough to buy a plethora of useless supplements. But don't forget about the increased financial awareness of consumers in the age of technology, the ability to read reviews on fitness products, as well as the thoughtful debates and discussions about fitness and nutrition on Facebook (I use the word "thoughtful" loosely haha).

Anecdotally, I also noticed the personal trainers down at the local commercial gym have been improving as the demand for higher quality training from more self-aware consumers has been increasing. It's much harder to get away with heavy squats on a bosu ball nowadays without getting your fitness page and reputation ripped to shreds. 

Here's a list of why I think the fitness industry is the best it's ever been:

• The growing skepticism and awareness of consumers drives companies to create higher quality products
  

• Amalgamation of professionals from different niches (Personal trainers, dieticians, strength & conditioning coaches, sport psychologists, rehabilitation therapists) on Facebook and online forums
  

• The rise of evidence-based training and nutrition plus the growing demand for these methods
  

• The benefits of strength training are reaching and influencing a greater number of people
  

• More women are buying into the benefits of strength training and competing in strength sports
  

• The pure strength training circle is starting to see the performance and health benefits of including cardio and endurance training
  

• The biopsychosocial model of pain and rise of pain science is changing the way rehabilitation professionals look at injuries and chronic pain management
  

• Trainers and coaches are able to help a wider range of clients worldwide through online training
  

• Evidence-based nutrition recommendations plus knowledge of flexible dieting and intuitive eating are helping people reach their body weight and body transformation goals more effectively; alleviating body image issues and eating disorders

There will always be myths to bust and fad diets to tell people to stay away from, but I believe the fitness industry is improving. Maybe I'm suffering from avaiability heuristic myself, but as a trainer that used to be very vocal and cynical about bro-science and poor advice, I can't help but accept the fact that this industry has improved significantly since I started and can't wait to see what the future holds.

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Have an opinion? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Comment down below or visit me on my Facebook page!

How To Pack On Muscle - Diet Tips For The Hardgainer

Forget those gross weight-gainer shakes that taste like concrete. Fuel your muscle-building workouts by eating lots of whole foods and developing dietary habits that are sustainable for YOU. Here are 5 tips to help you create good eating habits to pack on size. 

1. first, Create A relationship with food, not numbers.

You can count calories and protein all you want. As a matter of fact, I'll teach you how to do so later in this article. But first, you need to create a good relationship with food or your journey to being jacked will not be a sustainable one. What do I mean by "creating a relationship with food?" I simply mean:

• Enjoy the foods you're eating - One of the easiest ways to eat more is to eat delicious foods. Even if you're a "picky eater", there's no excuse. Find the foods you love eating, eat them often.

• Learn how to cook - There's nothing like a home-cooked meal made by mom but when you're trying to become self-sufficient and take control of what nutrients go into your body, learning basic cooking skills and recipes is a must (plus it saves you money!!). Youtube and find easy recipes to make at home. Use ingredients you're familiar with but don't be afraid to try new things.

Create a good relationship with food before worrying about calories. Gradually eat more, your exercise and activity should fuel your hunger. If you already have a good relationship with food and have done all of the above, then its time dive into the details like maintenance calories, and optimal protein intake levels.

2. Rethink The Term "Hardgainer"

“A hardgainer is an arbitrary label that describes a person who practices bodybuilding but finds it challenging to develop musculature regardless of the amount of effort put in.”

— Wikipedia

There are most likely no genetic factors preventing you from putting on size, nor are there anyone stealing your muscles overnight. The term hardgainer really just means your appetite and the amount of calories you consume day to day is not up to par with your metabolism. In other words: YOU'RE EATING LESS THAN YOU BURN. Simple as that.

Aside from height and weight, our metabolism is dependent on the amount of physical activity we perform and our NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Any energy we expend outside of exercise is considered NEAT: How much are you walking a day? Do you have an active or sedentary job? Are you doing chores around the house?

All of these factors contribute to the amount of calories you burn in a day. These are factors we can control. 

3. Learn how to count

The amount of calories it takes to maintain your current bodyweight is often referred to as maintenance calories. We can find out what this number using 2 methods:

Estimation: The Calorie Maintenance Level Calculator

Enter your weight, height, and activity level to instantly receive an estimate of your maintenance calories. While this method may be quick, it may be  inaccurate for some. Which leads to the second method:

Tracking: Using MyFitnessPal (or similar app)

Weigh yourself in the morning everyday for one or two weeks. At the same time, eat your regular diet and input all your food into the MFP app. Granted you've maintained the same body-weight, find your average calorie intake by adding up all your days and dividing by 7 or 14 (days). Congrats, you've found your maintenance calorie level. 

I recommend using the tracking method right off the bat, and comparing that number to the calculator's estimation. Unless you have abnormal levels of physical activity or have tracked your food inaccurately/inconsistently, there shouldn't be a huge discrepancy.

Now that you've found your maintenance calories, increase your calorie intake in order to see bodyweight changes and muscle gain. I recommend increasing your intake by ~300-500 calories (start off at 300 and keep it consistent for several weeks and go from there). There are 2 ways to increase calorie intake:

1) Increase Meal Frequency: Add a meal to your current dietary habits. Whether its a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a protein shake, or eating an extra lunch, the point here is to eat more often.

2) Increase Portion Sizes: Maintain your current number of meals, increase the portion size for 1 meal or all your meals/snacks.

Increasing calorie intake does not mean stuffing your face with whatever you see in front of you. Where will those ~300-500 calories come from then? For most of you, a combination of high quality carbohydrates and protein.

4. Increase protein intake to 0.8g+ per pound of bodyweight a day

Proteins are the building blocks of our muscles, and the nutrient responsible for repairing our muscle tissues after exercise. The current protein recommendations set out by health organizations and our government target sedentary populations so if you're looking to build muscle, increasing protein intake is a must! I wrote a detailed article on optimal protein intake for people looking to pack on muscle, read it here.

For the beginner trainee and the hardgainer, increasing daily protein intake to 0.8g/lb of bodyweight while eating ~300-500 calories above your maintenance calories is a fail-safe method of gaining weight and packing on muscle. For a 145lb person, aim to consume ~115g of protein a day.

While carbohydrates ultimately fuel our work outs, there should be no shortage of carbs in your diet. Like I alluded to earlier, the extra calorie surplus should come from high-quality carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, rice, bread, pasta  and high-quality protein like egg, whey (milk), chicken, fish and red meats.

5. Acknowledge personal preferences

While meal distribution, protein intake frequency and other minutia may be important, its not a detail a hardgainer should be worrying about.

Whatever schedule allows you to more easily and more enjoyably consume the food required for you to reach your health or aesthetic goals, is the schedule you should stick to. For me personally, I like to backload my calories: eat most of my big meals in the evening and night. I'm simply just not as hungry in the day, and you know what? That's okay, it's not the end of the world if you skip breakfast. It may become a problem if you struggle with maintaining proper energy levels and it impedes your ability to stay productive in your work, school or social life. Address those issues if you run into them.

For now, stick to the basics:

1. Create a good relationship with food
2. Learn how to cook and become self-sufficient
3. Increase calorie intake and protein intake
4. Prioritize whole foods and high-quality nutrients before you satisfy your sweet tooth or dive into that box of cookies.

Happy gaining!

Coaching vs. Programming: Is There a Difference?

initially a note post on my Facebook Page

Wait, if you’re programming for an athlete, aren’t you coaching them? I don’t see it that way.

Programming is writing out a specific training or nutrition program to cater to an athlete’s goal, whether it be improving their powerlifting total or body composition, etc. A knowledgeable exercise physiologist or personal trainer will be able to control training parameters well enough for their athletes to reach their goals effectively but a coach’s role extends beyond that.

Along side programming skills, a coach must be able to:

• Work WITH the person, not on.
   
• Dictate the training process and outline process-oriented goals
   
• Ensure that the athlete is tune with the process. So much can be learned working with a coach compared to jumping on a cookie cutter template program... HOWEVER, it is not uncommon for athletes to perform better on a cookie cutter program (over-individualization is problematic, more on this in another article).
   
• Effectively communicate with the athlete; this means communicating in a way the athlete can best understand what you expect out of them and what you’re teaching them
   
• Create curiosity in athletes, encourage questions and appropriately answer them (not just a “I’m the coach, you’re doing this cause I say so”)
   
• Understand that training and performance is multi-factorial, and that your athlete experience multiple stressors out of your control
   
• Care about their athletes. If you don’t give a shit about your athletes or clients, just write a training template and sell that. Simple as that.

A Lifter's Best Friend [PART 1]

Picture courtesy of Crossfit Fanatico

Whether you're a bodybuilder, powerlifter, Crossfitter, Olympic weightlifter or strongman, there are always tools to help you reach your goals more effectively. Aside from perfecting your technique and consistently training hard and smart, the following is a list of the best sidekicks/pieces of technology that can make a lifter's life easier and their training process more fun and effective.

1. A Coach

It doesn't matter if you're new to strength training, or if you're a seasoned lifter. Hiring a coach can eliminate any biases your own program may have. Even if you're well-versed in programming, having another coach adjust your programming variables or monitor your progress can add some objectivity and accountability to your training.

Benefits of working with a coach:

• Objectivity, accountability in day to day training

• Planned progression --> know when to go hard, know when to back off

• Ability to learn from your coach --> pick his/her brain, don't be afraid to ask questions!

2. Cardio/Endurance Training

I'm very well aware cardio has been a controversial and often joked-about topic within the strength training community. Specifically, many lifters believe that performing any amount of endurance training will significantly hold back their powerlifting total and steal their hard-earned muscle mass gains: to the point where any mention of cardiovascular/endurance training in a strength training program can't be taken seriously among strength training circles. I'm not sure if this stems from laziness, a social stigma in strength sports, or just a case of misinformed lifters (I'd like to think the latter).

Without getting too much into detail about endurance and concurrent training in this post, the truth is: cardio will not steal your gains when done at the correct intensity and at the right time in your microcycle. 

So how will cardio/endurance training help a lifter? Some benefits include: 

• Increased general work capacity --> which means less fatigue over the course of a training session, more sets and reps can be done in each training session over time

• Quicker recovery in between sets

• Great for promoting blood flow and recovery after training --> cooldown

• Most importantly: mental health and cardiovascular (heart/blood vessel) health --> cardio can also be a form of active meditation (it is for me)

2.1. Heart Rate Monitor

As I mentioned above, cardio will not steal your gains when done at the right intensity. Similar to how weight on the bar is used to gauge intensity in strength sports, heart rate (beats per minute - BPM) is used to gauge intensity during cardio/endurance training. For a serious strength athlete looking to optimize muscle mass, strength, and power, LOW-INTENSITY steady-state cardio will be the best for maximizing aerobic adaptations without interfering with strength adaptations. Hard 30 minute runs or multiple sets of high-intensity intervals simply detract too much energy that could be used for strength training. Also, the recovery costs are also too high when performed on top of a dedicated strength training routine.

A heart rate monitor either in a watch-form or chest-strap will be useful for helping you pace/limit your intensity during cardio. The number to aim for is 55-70% of your Maximum Heart Rate for anywhere from 30 to 180 minutes (please note these values may change slightly depending on your level of fitness or any endurance sporting aspirations). The goal here is to work well below your anaerobic/lactate threshold; in layman's terms, work at an intensity where you can hold a conversation with the person beside you, and where you don't feel the burn in your muscles, as this may cut into your strength training recovery. 

2.2. Bike/Rower

Ah, the bike and the indoor rower, the two things I like to call a lifter's best friend next to barbells and freeweights. The bike and rower are a much more favorable modality of cardio/endurance. training as they have less of an eccentric muscle action component to it compared to running. While running, the ankle, knee and hip joint take much more of a beating due to contact with the ground with every step you make. This stress from having to decelerate your whole body is potentially problematic, especially for larger lifters. Biking and rowing has less of a recovery cost compared to running and won't cut into recovery from your lifting session to a significant degree. However, if running is preferred, I recommend starting off at a slow pace for a short distance, slowly increasing distance as your running technique and joint health improves.

-- In Part 2, I will talk about :

personalized intensity charts for each of your lifts,

the value of good training partners,

as well as other tools to help track your progress and to aid in recovery --

Any questions? Comment below. While you're at it, feel free to give me a follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Random Thoughts On Training: Accessory Work

I've been noticing a couple of things watching people lift on Instagram: bodybuilders (or trainees that have spent more time doing a wider variety of exercises) who transition into powerlifting or Olympic lifting tend to 1) Have larger muscle mass 2) Have better form on their "accessory" lifts.

In the world of powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting, accessory lifts are exercises done to supplement the core movements (Squat, bench press, deadlift in PL) (Snatch, Clean & jerk in OL), particularly to bring up weak/lagging muscle groups or to maintain muscle/joint health in order for the core movements to progress further. However, this is only true if the accessory lifts done CORRECTLY to begin with. I see lifters try to put size on their lats/back in order to bench press more but fail to perform a proper chin up or pull up. I see lifters attempt to increase their hamstring strength but put themselves in an unfavorable position during Romanian deadlifts, or fail to target their hamstrings to the full extent during lying hamstring curls.

So this is a reminder: Make it a goal to improve your technique on "accessory exercises", you'll see your weaknesses improve and your core lifts progress more effectively.

5 Tools To Get You Stronger

Aleksey Lovchev's 264kg World Record Clean & Jerk this past week at IWF World Championships (via All Things Gym)

~1100 words ; 5-8 minute read

Its 2015, there are lots of free resources you can use (via the internet) at your disposable to become bigger and stronger. When it comes to designing a resistance training program either for yourself, or someone else, prescribing the right amount of reps and the right amount of weight is crucial for increasing strength and preventing injuries. Monitoring your progression and adjusting your training accordingly is also crucial for long-term progress.  Here are 5 tools to get you stronger!

1. 1 RM calculator

There is no better way to find your 1 rep max other than to lift the heaviest amount of weight you can, for 1 rep. However, testing 1 rep maxes to monitor your progress is very taxing on your body. The second best way, is to estimate it using a calculator. There are many different formulas used for calculating 1RM; none of which are 100% accurate. How do you know which one to use? AllThingsGym - ATG has coded a 1RM calculator that accounts for several different formulas created by fitness authors and exercise physiologists. 

The fact that this site gives you an average of all the e1RM calculations is particularly useful. Especially for those who find that some formulas are inaccurate (usually due to lifting technique, experience, male vs. female differences, etc).  

Okay you've found your 1RM, now how do you write a program based off of that 1RM?

2. Prilepin's Table

Prilepin's Table/chart was created by an Olympic weightlifting coach and sports scientist by the name of Alexander Sergeyevitch Prilpepin. Known for producing multiple world champions, he systematically analyzed the training of hundreds/thousands of strength athletes and put together a table that includes the optimal number of reps to do given a certain % of your 1RM. 

Although this chart was created for weightlifters, it also works well for powerlifting and strength training in general. In fact, many of Boris Sheiko's Powerlifting programs are based off of this chart. 

Prilepin's Table does not account for individual differences in training age, training experience, and current training protocol, but it gives good guidelines for prescribing volume given a certain intensity.  P.S: I would include reps up to 8 per set for loads ranging from 55-70% of 1RM if this chart was used for powerlifting.

3. RPE to % Conversion Chart

Another way to regulate intensity and volume is using rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to gauge effort levels during and after cessation of exercise. In strength training (powerlifting), the use of RPE to auto-regulate training has been popularized by Mike Tuchscherer and the Reactive Training Systems. Using a scale of 1-10, a 10 RPE set would mean the lifter has put in maximal effort, no extra reps could be done and no extra weight can be added to the bar. A 9 RPE set means near-maximal effort, where 5-10 pounds can be added to the bar or the individual can execute 1 more rep. Because the values of the RPE scale are fairly arbitrary, the term "reps in reserve" (RIR) is also used in place of RPE. 1 RIR being equavilent to ~9RPE and 2 RIR being 8 RPE. This chart made by Mladen Jovanovic (@complimentarytraining), is useful in tying together the concepts of RPE, Prilepin's Table and the conventional usage of 1RM, 5RM, 8RM (as a % of 1RM) and show us how intensity, effort and volume are related.

4. Video Footage

Video footage has been my favorite, and one of my most-used tools for training and monitoring technique or muscular imbalances. Progression in technique is sometimes more effective than producing strength gains than any advanced periodized program. Utilizing various angles will help you observe different nuances in your lifting/movement, therefore it is critical to know how and when to use certain angles when filming yourself.

Side View

The side view is perhaps the best angle to judge and analyze the bar path of the big compound lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift, clean, snatch, etc). Because most strength training exercises (related to strength/lifting sports) are executed in the sagittal plane of movement (mainly flexion and extension movements), the side view gives us the most information. We can analyze how close the barbell is relative to the body, if the barbell is lined up with our midfoot during a squat, and analyze the movement of our pelvis (to see if butt-wink/rounding of the lumbar spine is present), amongst other things. 

Head-on View

Front View
BLUE DOTS indicate faulty biomechanics, in this case, right knee valgus and right foot arch collapse.
GREEN DOTS indicate proper biomechanics for squatting, knees tracking outwards with the foot, foot arch is present

The head-on view can be used to identify faulty hip or knee biomechanics that can be an indicator of instability or injury. A common example is using the head-on view to look for knee valgus during squatting or jumping movement patterns or shoulder/lat imbalances during the front rack position of a front squat. 

Rear-View

Aside from getting a booty shot for Instagram, lifting footage taken from behind a lifter is useful for identifying left-right asymmetries (in the hip, shoulders, etc) that you may not other wise see from a frontal view. One thing I look for is collapsing of either of the athlete's foot arch. A collapsed foot arch may stem from knee, hip or glute injuries/inactivity.

What angle you can capture during your training will be depend on the availability of training partners to help you film, whether you have a tripod or not, and whether you have the time or space to do so. 

5. Your Brain

Arguably THE best tool in the universe, your brain! Always think critically about what you read or hear about strength training, its beneficial to have a healthy amount of skepticism. Realize that what works for one individual might not work for another. A big mistake I spot among lifters is their inability to think about and recognize confounding variables. How will your work or school schedule mesh with your training schedule? What external stressors are you overlooking that might be impeding your progress? What are some reasons why a certain training program isn't working for you? Hows your diet? These are questions you should be asking yourself regardless of the progress you are making if you want to be the best you can be.

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Off-Season Program for Size and Athleticism

 I wanted to create a program for myself that incorporated Olympic weightlifting exercises once or twice a week without sacrificing time on bodybuilding and powerlifting movements. What initially started as a simple training split, developed into a well-rounded program for general strength, hypertrophy and athleticism. This program is by no means beginner-friendly; it requires you to have at least some experience with compound exercises (bench press, squats, deadlift, dips, overhead press etc) and Olympic weightlifting movements (power snatches, power cleans). In this blog post, I will do an overview of the whole program and highlight the details and nuances of each training mesocycle.

Program Overview

Training-Split Layout

• MONDAY (Full body): Olympic Lifts w/ Front squats, Abs

• TUESDAY (Upper body): Chest, Back, Biceps

• WEDNESDAY: ACTIVE REST

• THURSDAY (Lower body): Lower body with quadricep/squat focus

• FRIDAY (Upper body): Shoulders, Chest, triceps

• SATURDAY (Lower body): Lower body with posterior chain focus, Back

• SUNDAY: Rest

3 Mesocycles

• Weeks 1-3 is considered a high-volume hypertrophy block

• Week 4 is an active rest/deload

• Weeks 5-9 is considered a strength block (with Week 9 being a back off on volume (not a full deload)

• Weeks 10-12 is a power and conditioning block

Frequency

• Unlike a typical bodybuilding bro-split, frequency is moderate - high to ensure muscle protein synthesis (MPS) is kept above baseline for each body part throughout the whole week
  

• The moderate-high frequency done in this program is also good for motor learning/technique-acquisition and improvement, as well as neuromuscular efficiency (with the exception of the Olympic lifts, which I will address in the final section of this post)
  

• Quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings are all being hit 2-3 times a week throughout the whole program
  

• Chest and triceps are being hit at least twice a week
  

• Back and pulling movements are being done at least twice a week
  

• Shoulders (specifically the lateral head of the deltoid) are only being hit once a week, but it should be noted that the anterior (front) and posterior (back) delts are stimulated on other days via pulling and pushing exercises anwyays
  

• Ab exercises are included in the program at least once a week

Placement of Rest Days

• Rest days are placed strategically to mitigate muscle soreness (delayed onset muscle soreness - DOMs) and ensure adequate muscle recovery
  

• Wednesday's rest day is to ensure the lifter is recovered before 3 back-to-back sessions (Thursday, Friday, Saturday).
  

• Monday is definitely the most technique-intensive day out of the whole program, therefore adequate muscle recovery (reducing DOMs) must be made during Sunday's rest day in order to reduce injuries and increase skill acquisition.
  

• Adequate rest in between 2 sessions that stimulate the same muscles (eg: Chest is being stimulated on Tuesday, then again on Friday. Wednesday and Thursday gives a chance for the chest to recover; right when MPS of the chest drops back to baseline on Thursday, Friday's session will increase it once again up until Sunday/Monday)
  

• Lower volume works requires less time to recover from (Thursday's posterior chain work is pretty low volume, therefore the posterior chain can be worked again on Saturday without any decreases in performance)
  

• Spacing muscle groups out evenly throughout the week is essentially taking advantage of the Stimulus-Recovery-Adaptation curves of each muscle (concept taken from NSCA, Dr. Yuri Verkhoshanksy and Dr. Mike Israetel).

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Weeks 1-3

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

• Week 1 starts off easy; volume ramps up every week, adding a set to most exercises will keeping the weights the same
  

• Volume peaks at Week 3 (Week 3 should be brutal, you should be sore)
  

• Since Week 1 is fairly easy, Wednesday will be an active rest.
  

• Weeks 2-3 will be much harder and more taxing, therefore Wednesday will be a full rest (no lifting/little to no physical activity, but do stretch and foam roll)

Exercise Selection

• More unilateral work (1 legged RDLs, Bulg. Split Squats, 1 Arm Pulling etc) in order to eliminate muscle imbalances and improve balance/coordination
  

• There is more isolation and arm exercises (Biceps, leg extensions, rear delts etc) compared to Weeks 5-9
  

• Muscle snatches and muscle cleans are used for the first 3 weeks to build up the shoulder musculature and to practice technique (bar acceleration, triple extension) in preparation for power snatches and cleans.
  

• Snatch grip deadlifts with slow eccentrics are used to practice lat activation and increase hamstring hypertrophy in preparation for the conventional deadlifts in Weeks 5-9 (strength phase)

Main Focus

• Weeks 1-3 are important for dialing in technique and setting a good base for the strength and power phases of the 12-week program
  

• The focus should be on work capacity, and volume. Do not worry TOO much on weight progression, stay within 8-8.5 RPE (What is RPE? This is covered in the FAQs at the end of this overview) for most compound movements. Feel free to go to failure and apply a supersets/dropsets to isolation/accessory exercises.
  

• Again, Week 3 should be very high volume. It should feel brutal and you should feel beat up.

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Weeks 5-9

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

• Overall all weekly volume is decreased in the strength phase because the intensity is increased
  

• Squat frequency goes up from 2x/week to 3x/week (Monday - Front Squat, Thursday - Back Squat, Saturday - Pause Back Squat)
  

• Deadlift frequency stays at 1x/week, but stiff legged deadlifts are introduced in Thursday workouts
  

• Focus on weight progressions through the weeks (eg: Week 8's 4x5 should be heavier than Week 5's 5x5 sets)
  

• Volume drops on Week 9 in preparation for the power and conditioning phase in Weeks 10-12
  

• Frequency of Power cleans increases from 1x/week to 2x/week (more practice!)

Exercise Selection

• The focus shifts from dumbbell work into barbell work so you can handle more weight (Dumbbell RDL's into Barbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press turns into Incline Barbell Bench Press)
  

• A switch from muscle snatch and cleans to power snatch and power cleans
  

• If you cannot get a hold of a glute-ham raise machine, do weighted lower back extensions
  

• Conventional deadlifts replace snatch grip deadlifts (again, so you can handle more weight)
  

• For triceps on Fridays, I recommend any of the following compound movements: 1) Close-grip bench press 2) JM Press 3) Dips 4) Lying Tricep Extensions (Rippetoe variation)

Main Focus

• The main focus for Weeks 5-9 is to move heavy weight while still maintaining proper form (however, one should always seek technique improvement)
  

• Stay within 8-9 RPE for compound exercises in Weeks 5-8. Stay within 7-8 RPE for Week 9.

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Weeks 10-12

Training Variables (Volume, Intensity, Frequency)

• Volume is very low to keep fatigue low. Low fatigue is the best environment to express and practice athletic characteristics such as power, speed and strength
  

• Intensity should be high, you should be moving very heavy weight (>85% of your 1 rep max) for a few reps and sets
  

• Frequency of the main lifts do not change
  

• Conditioning exercises can be done by feel, the sets and reps written down are very rough, do what feels good. Stop when you notice a large decrease in your speed and effort

Exercise Selection

• This power and conditioning block focuses on a lot on heavy lifting, mixed with explosive power movements
  

• Introduction of medicine ball exercises are good for working on rotational power (transverse plane of motion)
  

• Box jumps can include any variation of your liking, normal box jumps, rotation box jumps, depth jumps etc.
  

• Snatchs and/or cleans can be substituted by power snatches and power cleans if your snatch and clean technique is not yet up to par

Main Focus

• The main focus of Weeks 10-12 is lifting close to your one rep max (stay within 9-9.5 RPE), being explosive in your power movements (medicine ball slams, jumps, sprints) and anaerobic conditioning

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Final Points

• Because there is at least one day of Olympic weightlifting exercises in each week of the program, athletes do not have to worry much about losing their athletic ability while trying to build muscle
  

• The periodization (sets x reps over the span of the 12 weeks) provided in the program is rough and very general. Feel free to change training variables to fit your priorities/goals.
  

• The main focus of this program is the training split and phases.
  

• Exercises can be substituted in but try to stick with the main themes of each day (training-split)
  

• Again this program is not intended for beginner-lifters. Some experience with barbell and resistance training is recommended.
  

• A high volume block transitioning to a higher frequency block is a concept I've taken from block periodization an a concept I've used from Greg Nuckol's newest hypertrophy article "Grow Like a New Lifter Again"

PROS 

• Lots of variation in exercise selection, useful for program adherence and training many different movement patterns
  

• Higher frequency of compound lifts will be beneficial for muscle hypertrophy and strengthening of the nervous system
  

• Speed of exercise execution varies, wide variety of exercise tempo (Eccentrics, pauses, explosive/power movements)
  

• Rest days are strategically placed to improve performance and to fit the stimulus-recovery curves of each movement/muscles

CONS

• This is a GENERAL program for size and athleticism and like all general programs, this program may not fit the needs of all sports.
  

• Olympic lifting movements are not trained frequent enough in this program so do not expect large improvements in form. Lifters looking for a program to specifically improve their Olympic weightlifting should look elsewhere. Here are some to get you started: Catalyst Athletics - Breaking Muscle - Pendlay - Russian Approach (via All Things Gym) - Dan John
  

• Although this program does include the powerlifts (big 3 compound exercises), it does not prepare you for a powerlifting competition. Lifters looking for a powerlifting-specific program should look elsewhere. Here are some to get you started: GC Strength & Conditioning Individualized 12-Week Program & Coaching - Candito Training HQ - Sheiko Powerlifting Programs (via Joe Skopec) - Connor Lutz Training Template - Juggernaut Method - 5/3/1 - Cube Method.

Be mindful of comments added to exercises (indicated by a red triangle in the top right of an excel block). They contain useful information about the particular exercise.

GOT ANY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM? GOT ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENT BELOW OR EMAIL ME AT geoffrey@gcperformancetraining.com

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