Strength programming 101: how to program for maximal results in the gym
Note: I continually update this blog with the intention to create a resource that explains the broad strokes of programming, so keep an eye our for updates!
Many people initially make great progress in the gym in there first 6 months of training. The human body has an incredible ability to adapt to a new stimulus, and the results colloquially referred to as your "newbie" gains. This is an extremely satisfying start to your journey with the iron - you gain strength rapidly, build visible muscle, burn fat at an incredible rate. But then you hit a brick wall. It all slows down, and suddenly you're confronted with the fact that you don't know what to do next.
One of the issues is that most personal trainers don't even know how to help you past this point - their businesses are built on guiding an ever revolving conveyer belt of clients going through their newbie phase. An ugly secret of the PT industry is that most personal trainers don't actually know how to write programs past this point - and those that do focus on training athletes and don't really provide the information openly.
I fall into a weird category of personal trainer and strength coach - I coach experienced, competivie athletes but have a passion for training beginners. Hell, it's the reason we opened Strength Block - make high level coaching accessible to everyone. This blog is a long term project aimed to give you some insight into how to program for long term progression in the gym. If you learn all these things, you'll know more about exercise programming than 90% of the personal trainers you'll find in commercial gyms - so enjoy!
Understanding Meso, Micro, and Macro Cycles in Strength Programming
In strength training, a well-structured program is critical for optimal results. Such programs are often broken down into cycles - the macrocycle, mesocycle, and microcycle. These cycles allow an athlete to progress towards their goals with a systematic approach, reducing the risk of injury and ensuring consistent progress. Let's delve deeper into each of these cycles.
Macrocycle
A macrocycle is the longest of the three cycles and can range from several months to a year. It represents the overall training period and encompasses the athlete's long-term objectives. For instance, if an athlete is training for a powerlifting meet that's six months away, that six-month period would be considered a macrocycle.
The macrocycle is typically divided into different phases such as preparatory, competitive, and transition or rest phases. Each phase focuses on different aspects of fitness, like building general strength, specific strength, and then peaking for a competition.
Mesocycle
Within the macrocycle, we have several mesocycles. A mesocycle lasts between 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the program. Each mesocycle has a specific focus, which contributes to the overall goal of the macrocycle.
For example, in a powerlifting program, one mesocycle may focus on hypertrophy (muscle growth), the next on strength, and the following one on power. This progressive approach allows the athlete to build upon the gains made in each mesocycle. This may be even more specific if the mesocycle is leading up to a competition, in which case a common order of mesocycles would be as follows:
Mesocycle 1 - Accumulation phase: Building up volume and greasing the groove of the squat, bench and deadlift using higher volumes at between 60-75% of a lifters 1RM
Mesocycle 2 - Bridge Phase: Lowering the overall volume and bumping the working percentages between 70-90%
Mesocycle 3 - Overreach Further lowering overall volume and performing heavier singles, doubles and triples approaching 100% of a lifters 1RM
Mesocycle 4 - Taper and Peak: Tapering down volume and intensity to dispell fatigue in order to peak/set a new PB
Microcycle
A microcycle is the shortest cycle and usually represents a week of training. However, it can be as short as a single training session or as long as two weeks. Each microcycle within a mesocycle has a specific purpose that aligns with the mesocycle's overall goal.
For instance, in a hypertrophy-focused mesocycle, a microcycle might involve four training sessions in a week, with each session focusing on a different muscle group, where as a powerlifting micro cycle would dictate the frequency of how often the squat, bench and deadlift are trained in a week alongside their accessories.
In Summary
Macro, meso, and microcycles are all integral parts of a well-designed strength training program. They ensure that the program is structured and progressive, allowing the athlete to build towards their long-term goals in a systematic and effective manner. By understanding these cycles, athletes and coaches can create more effective training plans tailored to individual needs and objectives.
The beginner powerlifting blueprint is a perfect macro cycle for people wanting to learn how to powerlift.
I know learning proper programming can sound incredibly confusing. I’ve been a coach for over 10 years and I’m still learning more about it every day. We have made it easier by offering professionally written programs in a convenient app for you to take advantage of our extensive coaching knowledge.
A popular program is “The Powerlifting Blueprint” - a 6+ month macrocycle with multiple mesocycles that teach you everything you need to know to go from a complete beginner to an intermediate powerlifter.
Starting a New Training Program or Training Block
Mastering Exercise Selection for Strength Training
When it comes to strength training, exercise selection is a critical component that can make or break your progress. Many individuals fall into the trap of choosing exercises based on personal preference rather than their effectiveness in achieving specific goals. To optimize your training, understanding the hierarchy of specificity is essential. This concept will guide you in selecting the right exercises to enhance your strength and muscle building.
Understanding the Hierarchy of Specificity
The hierarchy of specificity helps you evaluate how closely an exercise relates to the primary movement you aim to improve. This hierarchy can be organized into four levels:
The Primary Movement: This is the exercise itself, such as the bench press, which directly targets the muscles and mechanics you want to develop.
Secondary / Modified Primary Movement: This includes variations of the primary movement with one factor altered. Examples might be a paused bench press or an incline bench press. These variations still focus on the same muscle group but introduce slight changes to challenge the body differently.
Tertiary / Assisting Movements: At this level, you might select exercises that support the primary movement but change multiple factors. For example, skull crushers or dumbbell presses can assist in building the muscles used in the bench press without replicating the exact movement.
Isolated Movements: These exercises target specific muscle groups but do not closely resemble the main movement. Examples include tricep pushdowns or bicep curls. While they can contribute to overall muscle development, they have the least impact on improving the primary movement.
Allocating Your Training Efforts
Once you understand the hierarchy, the next step is to allocate your training efforts effectively. A recommended approach is:
50% of your effort should focus on the primary movement.
25-30% on the modified primary movements.
15% on assisting movements.
5% on isolated movements.
This distribution ensures that the majority of your training is concentrated on improving the specific movement you are targeting, while still allowing room for accessory work that supports overall muscle development.
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to select the right exercises and how to allocate your training efforts can significantly enhance your strength training results. If you prefer a more structured approach without the hassle of programming yourself, consider using the Strength Block App, which offers expertly designed training programs tailored to your goals. With a 14-day free trial, you can experience effective strength programming risk-free.
By mastering exercise selection, you'll be on your way to achieving your strength training goals more efficiently and effectively.
The First Week of a Training Program Should Be Easy
"Hey coach - I finished my first week of training and it's to easy. Can you make it a bit harder?" You have no idea how often I hear this when training new clients. This isn't an accident. Its by design, there's two main reason for this, let me explain.
First of all, your first week of training is usually resetting a major training factor. If you're new to strength training, its an introduction to the barbell, and if you're experienced, this might mean going from a peaked intensity block into a volume accumulation block. While the overall effort may essentially lowered, we are usually being reintroduced to a neglected training stimulus. An easy opening week means that you adapt to the parameters of the program and exercise selection, greasing the groove, noting technique, rather than crossing your wires and chasing strength or hypertrophy outcomes. Think of it as setting yourself up for success. This approach allows for what I like to call "technical adaptation", allowing your body and nervous system to get used to the training methods in place before we start layering on traditional progressive overload going forwards.
Secondly, the biggest issue i see with people hitting a brick wall in their training is going to hard, to fast and to early. Nothing is worst than over reaching in the first block, recovery tanking in the second block, and then injuring yourself in the third before you even get to peak. If we are striving to reach new heights in our training, it's usually best if we take a few steps back so that we can get a bigger run up towards our target. It's all about training momentum - so follow the program and trust
Now that you understand how to start a training program, the next step is figuring out which progression model suits your needs. Just as there are many ways to skin a cat, there's many way to get stronger, build muscle and improve your performance in the gym. All progression models have one thing in common though - they are designed to to evoke progressive overload.
What is Progressive Overload in Resistance Training?
Progressive overload is a fundamental concept in resistance training that revolves around the idea of gradually increasing the demands on the musculoskeletal system to stimulate muscle growth, strength gains, and improvements in physical performance. Essentially, it means making your workouts progressively more challenging over time. This can be achieved by incrementally increasing the weight lifted, altering the number of repetitions or sets performed, adjusting the rest periods between sets, or changing the complexity of exercises. By consistently challenging your body in this way, you encourage adaptation processes that lead to enhanced muscular endurance, strength, and size. Progressive overload ensures that your fitness levels continue to advance, avoiding plateaus and maximising your training efficiency.
Now that thats out of the way, let's begin to look at some common progression models to get you started.
Classic Linear Progression
The simple, most straight forward of programming progressive overload is classic linear progression. As the name implies, this is a simple process of increasing the difficulty of a workout in a straightforward manner. To keep it simple, you only increase one training variable, usually reps or sets - anything more and you'll be running a different progression model. For the sake of getting stronger, the metric you would choose to increase is the amount of weight lifted.
This means that every time you step into the gym and perform an exercise, you increase the weight slightly from the previous time you performed that exercise.
If you've spent anytime online trying to figure out how to program, you'll most likely have come across a 5x5 linear progression plan - usually Starting Strength or StrongLifts. I personally think this is a great starting point for people new to strength training, and with enough patience you'll be able to build a really strong base
How does 5x5 linear Progression Work?
The 5x5 linear progression plan is a strength training program that focuses on two things: simplicity and incremental progress. It revolves around performing five sets of five repetitions for major compound movements - typically the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. The core idea is that with each workout, you'll aim to slightly increase the weight you lift for these exercises, promoting steady strength gains. This increment is usually around 2.5kg (or 5 pounds) for upper-body exercises and roughly 5kg (or 10 pounds) for lower-body exercises. The simplicity of the 5x5 plan makes it especially appealing to beginners, as it allows for a clear and manageable progression path. Over time, the incremental increases in weight challenge your muscles, triggering the adaptations necessary for improved strength and muscle growth, all within a framework that minimizes the risk of burnout or injury.
Important Note on Linear Progression
I believe that linear progression is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal. It's great for building a base as a beginner, as well as rebuilding strength for more advanced lifters if you've had some time off or are learning a new compound variation. It has enough volume to build muscle (especially with programs that have higher weekly lift frequency), with low enough volume sets to actually tap into your nervous system to build strength.
However, linear progression will crush you if you don't put your ego aside. You want to start the progression lighter than you think. For beginners, this may be an empty bar, and advanced lifters an RPE 5. This allows you to really grease the groove, get comfortable with the program, and really be able to dig deep when the weights start getting heavy.
Double Progression Method
Another effective approach to progressing in your strength training is through the double progression method. This method intertwines the increase of repetitions with the increase of weight to ensure a more nuanced and sustainable growth in strength and muscle size. Essentially, double progression means that you first aim to increase the number of repetitions of an exercise until you hit the upper end of a given range, say 8-12 reps. Once you're able to perform 12 repetitions at a certain weight, it's time to increase the weight and drop the repetitions back to the lower end of the range, aiming for 8 repetitions with this new, heavier weight.
How Does Double Progression Work?
To put double progression into practice, you might start by lifting a weight that you can only perform 8 reps with. As your strength increases, you'll work up to performing 12 reps with that same weight. This indicates that you've grown stronger at this particular exercise and weight. The next step is to increase the weight slightly, dropping your effective repetitions back to 8 but at this higher weight. Over time, this method continuously challenges your muscles by altering two fundamental variables of training intensity (weight) and volume (repetitions), promoting consistent strength gains and improvements in muscle hypertrophy.
Benefits of Double Progression
The beauty of double progression lies in its adaptability and the leveled approach it offers towards increasing training intensity. It caters to the body's need for gradual adaptation, minimizing the risk of overuse injuries and overtraining. This method also provides a clear structured path for progression, making it easier to track improvements and set achievable goals. It's particularly suitable for intermediate and advanced lifters who may find linear progression models too demanding or unsustainable as they advance in their training journey. Additionally, double progression can be applied across a variety of exercises, making it a versatile tool in strength training programming.
Triple Progression Method
As the name suggests, triple progression builds upon the principles of double progression by further breaking down the progression across three variables - most commonly sets, reps and load. This method allows for a more nuanced and refined approach to increasing training intensity, making it suitable for advanced lifters or those looking to fine-tune their strength programming.
How Does Triple Progression Work?
We usually arrange these progression so that their overall affect on training volume reduces with each progression. eg - adding another set is a larger increase in volume than adding another rep. so a 4 week meso cycle may look something like this.
Meso Cycle 1
Week 1: 3x5 @ 100kg
Week 2: 4x5 @ 100kg
Week 3: 4x6 @ 100kg
Week 4: 4x6 @ 105kg
Meso Cycle 2
Week 1: 3x5 @ 105kg
Week 2: 4x5 @ 105kg
Week 3: 4x6 @ 105kg
Week 4: 4x6 @ 110kg
Benefits of Triple Progression
Triple progression allows for more precise control over training volume and intensity, making it a valuable tool for advanced lifters looking to break through plateaus or push past performance limits. Don't get me wrong - it takes some patience to implement it but is the perfect example of how to begin to apply "big picture thinking" to your training. It promotes gradual and sustainable progress while minimising the risk of overuse injuries or burnout. Additionally, this method provides a structured approach to progressing across multiple variables, catering to individual needs and goals in strength training.