In our current blog series on strength training, I’ve introduced a few durability-related concepts:
Post One: Habits
Post Two: Exercises
Post Three: Programming
In this fourth post, I’ll discuss a few ways to make sure that your programming lays the foundation for progress instead of a plateau.
Doing More Work
Simply put, you must progressively do more work to continue getting stronger. This training fundamental is called “progressive overload” [1].
Here are three commonly used elements of progressive overload in barbell training:
- Increase intensity – More weight
- Increase repetitions – More reps
- Increase sets – More sets
While more experienced lifters use a variety of programming variables, novice lifters can build strength and muscle by remaining focused on a single progressive element, adding more weight to the bar on subsequent workouts [2].
Leveraging RPE
The challenge of constantly adding weight is obvious. Eventually, all your efforts become maximal, leading to failure, injury, or burnout.
The most practical safeguard against injury or burnout is combining an expectation of adding weight to the bar with a sub-maximal Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) [3].
Let’s assume you’re new to lifting and in your last workout executed 3 sets of 6 reps at an RPE of 7 (3 X 6 @ RPE7).
You completed this squat exercise at 115lbs, with around 3 repetitions in reserve (RIR) at the end of each set. This effort translated to roughly 7/10 on the RPE scale.
In shorthand, you record the working sets (3 X 6) like this:
6 @ 115lbs/RPE 7
6 @ 115lbs/RPE 7
6 @ 115lbs/RPE 8
With a workout like this in the books, it would be reasonable to shoot for 3 X 6 @ 120 lbs (a 5lb jump) on your next workout, sticking to the same general RPE target of 7.
Making Adjustments
What happens if your new weight of 120 lbs. greatly exceeds your RPE target of 7? Do you push through generating a maximal effort or do you strip weight off the bar and respect the RPE target?
This is where a smart warm-up comes into play in not only preparing your body for progressively heavier loads but also providing guidance on how to manage your next progression in weight.
In the next post, we’ll cover how to build a warmup routine that maximizes long-term gains in strength, decreases your risk of injury, and steers you clear of burn-out.
References
- Haff, G. and N.T. Triplett, Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning. Fourth edition ed. 2021, Champaign, US: Human Kinetics Champaign, US.
- Rippetoe, M. and S.E. Bradford, Starting strength : basic barbell training. 2017.
- Helms, E.R., et al., RPE vs. Percentage 1RM Loading in Periodized Programs Matched for Sets and Repetitions.Front Physiol, 2018. 9: p. 247.