Your training program encapsulates multiple phases that we've established to create a periodized schedule that varies based on your individual goal. Below are each of the phases present in our system and the appropriate manner in which you should go about lifting. Each phase may or may not be present based on the fitness goal that you select.
Stability Progressions/Regressions:
This is how to make stability exercises harder/easier. The most stable way to do an exercise is in the supported seated position and the most unstable is on a single leg, on the most challenging object you have. From most stable to most unstable, follow the chart below to adjust your exercise according so that it is challenging for you.
An example of this using the Shoulder Press:
Muscle Endurance
Your resistance exercises here are in a supersetted fashion to deliver more work in less time. Your tempo also changes from the first exercise in the pair to the second. The first exercise will be your strength exercise. This will be an exercise that you will be challenging yourself with how much weight you can do with the prescribed rep range. You should choose a weight that makes it very difficult to get all the reps with. The exercise is supported (generally) so that you can push more weight. The second exercise is a stabilization exercise. If you have already done the stabilization phase, you will be familiar with this. With this exercise you will aim to challenge yourself not through how much weight you can do, but by how unstable you can make the exercise, yet still perform it. The weights will be light and the tempo will be much slower than the strength exercise. Choose a weight that will allow you to complete all the reps prescribed, but not more than 1 or 2 extra - if you feel that you can do several beyond the prescribed reps, than you need to make the exercise more unstable. By combining these two types of exercises together your muscles will be under tension for a long time and your body will adapt by allowing you to produce more force over longer periods of time.
Hypertrophy
The tempo here is a little slower than you are probably used to with tradition weight lifting. The purpose is to get full contraction out of your muscle, to take advantage of the eccentric portion of the lift, and to keep your muscle under tension for a longer period of time forcing it to adapt and grow. You should choose a weight that you can barely get all the reps with. If you feel you can do more than 1 extra, add more weight. Work through full ranges of motion and stay controlled through the movement, especially as you fatigue. Don’t cheat because you are getting tired!
Maximal Strength
The goal here is to lift as much weight as you can. You will be trying to move the weight as fast as you can (although sometimes it won’t move that fast because its really heavy). You want to choose a weight that you can get all the reps with, but err on the side of heavy. Its better here to pick a weight that’s a touch heavy than too light. Stay controlled and lift as heavy as you can!
Power
Here we are mixing heavy weights with high velocity movements. The first exercise you see of the superset will be a max strength exercise that you will be trying to move as much weight as you can. The second exercise of the pair will be moving a light weight as fast as you can. For weighted exercises here (typically deemed “light” by name) you want to use a weight that is around 25-30% the weight you would normally use when trying to lift heavy. This will feel really light, that’s the point - you are trying to move it as fast as you can. Stay in control though tiger; you’re in the gym to get better, not get hurt. For body weight exercises, explode as hard as you can - these are all out efforts that are meant to be performed with intense effort.
This is how to make stability exercises harder/easier. The most stable way to do an exercise is in the supported seated position and the most unstable is on a single leg, on the most challenging object you have. From most stable to most unstable, follow the chart below to adjust your exercise according so that it is challenging for you.
- Seated Supported (ex: using a machine)
- Seated UnSupported (ex: on a bench with no back support)
- Seated Unstable (ex: on a stability ball)
- Standing
- Standing on Unstable Object (ex: a bosu ball)
- Single Leg Standing
- Single Leg Standing on Unstable Object (ex: a half foam roll)
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An example of this using the Shoulder Press:
- Shoulder press machine
- Press sitting on flat bench
- Press sitting on stability ball
- Press standing on floor
- Press standing on bosu ball
- Press standing on one leg
- Press standing on one leg on a bosu ball
- Anchor point stable
- Anchor point unstable
- Anchor point unstable and if possible, exercise point unstable
- Push up normal
- Push up with feet on stability ball
- Push up with feet on floor and hands on stability ball
- Push up with feet on stability ball and hands on stability ball
- Whole body supported
- Shoulders supported, core unsupported, feet stable
- Shoulders on unstable object, core unsupported, feet stable
- Shoulders on unstable object, core unsupported, feet unstable
- Press on flat bench
- Press with just shoulders on the bench (usually done perpendicularly)
- Press with shoulders on a stability ball
- Press with shoulders on a stability ball and feet on half foam rolls
Muscle Endurance
Your resistance exercises here are in a supersetted fashion to deliver more work in less time. Your tempo also changes from the first exercise in the pair to the second. The first exercise will be your strength exercise. This will be an exercise that you will be challenging yourself with how much weight you can do with the prescribed rep range. You should choose a weight that makes it very difficult to get all the reps with. The exercise is supported (generally) so that you can push more weight. The second exercise is a stabilization exercise. If you have already done the stabilization phase, you will be familiar with this. With this exercise you will aim to challenge yourself not through how much weight you can do, but by how unstable you can make the exercise, yet still perform it. The weights will be light and the tempo will be much slower than the strength exercise. Choose a weight that will allow you to complete all the reps prescribed, but not more than 1 or 2 extra - if you feel that you can do several beyond the prescribed reps, than you need to make the exercise more unstable. By combining these two types of exercises together your muscles will be under tension for a long time and your body will adapt by allowing you to produce more force over longer periods of time.
Hypertrophy
The tempo here is a little slower than you are probably used to with tradition weight lifting. The purpose is to get full contraction out of your muscle, to take advantage of the eccentric portion of the lift, and to keep your muscle under tension for a longer period of time forcing it to adapt and grow. You should choose a weight that you can barely get all the reps with. If you feel you can do more than 1 extra, add more weight. Work through full ranges of motion and stay controlled through the movement, especially as you fatigue. Don’t cheat because you are getting tired!
Maximal Strength
The goal here is to lift as much weight as you can. You will be trying to move the weight as fast as you can (although sometimes it won’t move that fast because its really heavy). You want to choose a weight that you can get all the reps with, but err on the side of heavy. Its better here to pick a weight that’s a touch heavy than too light. Stay controlled and lift as heavy as you can!
Power
Here we are mixing heavy weights with high velocity movements. The first exercise you see of the superset will be a max strength exercise that you will be trying to move as much weight as you can. The second exercise of the pair will be moving a light weight as fast as you can. For weighted exercises here (typically deemed “light” by name) you want to use a weight that is around 25-30% the weight you would normally use when trying to lift heavy. This will feel really light, that’s the point - you are trying to move it as fast as you can. Stay in control though tiger; you’re in the gym to get better, not get hurt. For body weight exercises, explode as hard as you can - these are all out efforts that are meant to be performed with intense effort.
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