The Basics of Training Planning - by Max Glas
When we plan our training, we ask ourselves a variety of questions. The two most common questions are how much should I train and how hard should I train. These two questions are discussed in the Training planning is answered by volume and intensity. They form the basis for every training plan. In this article I want to give you everything you need to write your own training plan and to be able to fundamentally assess whether a training plan is better or worse for a certain goal.
intensity
If training planning were like driving a car, the intensity of your training would be your steering wheel. This allows you to control the direction of your training, whether it is more towards maximum strength, strength endurance or muscle growth. Intensity describes the level of resistance with which you train. What percentage of your maximum performance capacity do you have to use to move the resistance? There are two traditional ways of specifying this, either in percentage or in reps in reserve (RIR).
In many training plans, the intensity is given as a percentage of your 1 repetition maximum (1RM, the heaviest weight you can lift just once). For example, it says 3x10@70% (= 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 70% of your 1RM).
This way of specifying intensity is probably familiar to many. However, your 1RM may fluctuate due to fatigue or stress, and 80% may feel very hard one day and relatively easy another. Therefore, it can also make sense to specify intensity in RIR. RIR describes how many reps you could have done after the end of your set. 3x10 @RIR2 means that you choose a weight with which you could do 12 reps, but only do 10 reps. So only after the end of your set will you know whether you used the right weight. Otherwise, you simply adjust the weight accordingly so that you would only have managed 2 reps after the end of your set. That's intensity.
volume
If training planning were like driving a car, the volume of your training would be the car's accelerator. With your volume, you can control how quickly you move towards your training goal. To compare volume with a car again: Volume determines how fast you drive to get to your goal. Volume describes the amount of your training, i.e. how many sets and repetitions you train. To make it more measurable, it is important to look at the volume over a certain period of time, for example per training session or per training week. Usually, the stimulus-triggering sets are counted in training planning. Stimulus-triggering sets are all sets that contribute to your training goal. Of course, which set is considered stimulus-triggering depends on your training goal. Warm-up sets do not count here. That is volume.
These two variables must always be seen in relation to each other. You can do less volume with 90% of your 1RM than with 60%. The ideal combination varies depending on your goal (e.g. muscle building, maximum strength). However, the rule of thumb is: For muscle building, a moderate training weight (60-80% 1RM) with 15-25 sets per muscle group per week is suitable. For maximum strength, a heavy training weight (80-95% 1RM) with 5-15 sets per movement per week is suitable. These are scientific recommendations. It is important that this always has to be adapted individually. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to write to me at @maxdavidyuma
progressive overload
We can describe and control training with volume and intensity. We can plan training with progressive overload. What Karl Ess and co. propagated on fitness YouTube in 2012 is still true today. In order to make progress and force our bodies to adapt, we must somehow manage to overload our training over the medium to long term. Overloading training simply means doing a little more than the last time you did this training session. More weight, more sets, shorter breaks, slower movement speed. We can do more of this in many ways. In reality, three main options are used for training planning: increasing the weight, doing more sets, or doing more repetitions. In exactly that order. If possible, increase the weight. If that doesn't work, do more sets, and if that doesn't work, aim for more repetitions. It is important that this overloading takes place over the medium to long term. It is absolutely clear that you cannot make progress in every training session, but you should try to increase it over time so that you make progress.
exercise selection
The question of which exercise is the best is also often asked. And unfortunately, the answer is sobering: There is no such thing as "the best exercise". The exercises that are good for you are the ones that bring you closer to your goal. There are no bad exercises. If you want to build muscle, training with machines can be very good. If you prefer to train functionally, I would advise against machines. This example shows you that it is important to choose our exercises based on our goals. As a rule of thumb, you can take the following with you: For maximum strength, it tends to be smarter to use exercises that move several joints. Multi-joint movements are also known as compound exercises in gyms. For muscle building, it tends to be smarter to train an intelligent combination of exercises that involve both single and multi-joint movements. Single-joint movements are also known as isolation exercises.
Based on these four points, you can now create your own training plan and evaluate whether a training plan is effective. At this point, I would like to emphasize the individuality of training planning: Every person has a different body and different goals. Therefore, two training plans can be very different, but still effective for the respective person. There are no bad training plans, only effective or not so effective training plans. In addition, training planning is presented very roughly here. There is still so much that influences it. Nevertheless, you have the basics here and can go deeper into training planning from here and make even more progress.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please DM me at @maxdavidyuma or email me at max@bigperformancecoaching.com .