Module 9A Resistance Training Program Design

Resistance Training Program Design

Training Systems vs. Training Principles

• Focus on applying training principles within different systems.
• Stone's training system: A robust system developed with scientific integrity, applicable to various populations (children, older adults, elite athletes, special forces, high school, and professional athletes).
  • Based on scientific inquiry and informed by practical experience.

Development of the System

• Developed in the 1980s by Professor Mike Stone and his graduate students:
  • Harold O'Brien
  • John Garhammer
  • Jim McMillan
  • Ralph Rosnick
• Initial development at Louisiana State University.
• Mike Stone's background:
  • Scientific expertise.
  • Head strength and conditioning coach for Division One college football.

Theoretical Model of Strength Training

• Based on Harold O'Brien's doctoral dissertation.
• Foundation of sequential development of training.
• Key individuals: Stone, O'Brien, and Garhammer (strength coaches and researchers).

Seminal Textbook

• Weight Training: A Scientific Approach by Stone and O'Brien (1987).
• Highly relevant and scientifically proven.

Basic System Construct

• Preparation, transition, competition, transition.
• Aligns with the classic model of periodization.

Basic Strength Targets

• Strength endurance:
  • Builds work capacity, underpins basic strength.
• Basic strength.
• Strength power.
• Peaking:
  • Maintenance for long competitive season.
• Active rest:
  • Non-sport-related activity transition.

Set Paradigm

• Strength endurance:
  • Sets: 3-10 (target sets).
  • Reps: 8-12.
  • Days/week: 3-4.
  • Sessions/day: 1-3.
• Basic strength:
  • Sets: 3-5 (target sets).
  • Reps: 4-6.
  • Days/week: 3-5.
  • Sessions/day: 1-3.
• Strength power:
  • Sets: 3-5 (target sets).
  • Reps: 2-3.
  • Days/week: 3-5.
  • Sessions/day: 1-2.
• Peaking/maintenance:
  • Sets: 1-3 (target sets).
  • Reps: 1-3.
  • Days/week: 1-3.
  • Sessions/day: Not specified.

Loading Weeks Paradigm

• Strength endurance:
  • 2-3 loading weeks followed by 1 unloading week.
• Basic strength:
  • 2-4 loading weeks followed by 1 recovery week.
• Strength power:
  • 2-3 loading weeks followed by 1 unloading week.
• Peaking/maintenance:
  • Based on competition schedule.

Global Intensity and Volume

• Strength endurance:
  • Low intensity, high volume.
• Basic strength:
  • High intensity, moderate to high volume.
• Strength power:
  • High intensity, very low volume.
• Peaking/maintenance:
  • Very high to low intensity, low to very low volume.

Set Best Intensity

• Based on XRM (percentage of one-rep max).
• Zones:
  • Very heavy: 90-95% .
  • Moderately heavy: 85-90% .
  • Moderate: 80-85% .
  • Moderately light: 75-80% .
  • Light: 70-75% .
  • Very light: 65-70% .

Important Clarification

• When you see a program from Professor Stone using 80% for sets of 10, it is based on the 10RM, not the 1RM.

Microcycle Variation

• Young and novice athletes need less microcycle variation.
• More trained athletes and more frequent training sessions require more variation in training load.
  • Crucial for adaptation and overcoming.

Hoff's Adaptation of Intensity

• Super maximal: > 100% (eccentric actions).
• Maximal: 100% .
• Very heavy: 95-99% .
• Then follows a similar categorization to Stone.

Programming with Percent Best

• Example: Moderately heavy day, sets of 5 → 85-89% of 5RM.
• Example Calculation:
  • 5RM = 86 kg, use 85-89% of 86 kg.
• Conversion to 1RM:
  • Multiply by 73-77% for cross-transference of data.
• Calculating 1RM estimate from changes in 5RM:
  • Get a way to check the athlete without constantly testing 1RM.

Providing Ranges

• Athlete autonomy:
  • Feeling good: higher end of range.
  • Feeling bad: lower end of range.
  • Unsure: start at the bottom, adjust.
• Coach intervention if necessary.

Avoiding Monotony

• Avoid: Same 80% every week, which causes monotonous program.

• Equation for computing monotony:
  $\text{Monotony} = \frac{\text{Average Training Load}}{\text{Standard Deviation of Training Load}}$

• Equation for computing strain:
  $\text{Strain} = \text{Monotony} \times \text{Training Load}$

• Vary training loads to reduce injury risk (lower monotony and strain).

Example using 6 loaded day with 1 recovery day:

1. Uniform loading every training day with training load of 4,320 arbitrary units:
   $\text{Monotony} = 2.268$
   $\text{Strain} = 9797$
2. Varied Loading using heavy and light day structure (training load = 4,310):
   $\text{Monotony} = 1.347$
   $\text{Strain} = 5806$

Stone's Basic System

• Three loading weeks followed by one unloading week.
• Average intensity across the three weeks determines loading paradigm.
  • Not every session is the same intensity.
• Example:
  • Moderately light week: heavy, light, moderately light, light days.
  • Moderate week: heavy, moderately light, moderate, moderately light days.
  • Moderately heavy week: very heavy, moderate, heavy, moderate days.

Basic Microcycle Loading Structure

• Monday/Thursday:
  • Push days: squatting and pressing (back squats, push presses, bench press, dips).
• Wednesday/Saturday:
  • Pull days: power cleans, power snatches, deadlifting, Romanian deadlifting, bent-over rows, pull-ups.

Strength-Focused Microcycle

• Strength training loading:
  • Monday/Wednesday: moderately heavy.
  • Friday: moderately light.
  • Saturday: light.
• Offset loading for running and tactical training.

Volume Load Paradigm

• Keep rep ranges consistent in a block, adjust intensity to manage training load.
• Training volume load should decrease across the week.
• Hardest days: Monday and Thursday.
• Unloading days: Tuesday and Saturday.

Example With Strength and Sprint Training:

• Moderately heavy strength day on Monday, moderately light sprint training on Tuesday, moderate strength on Wednesday, moderate running on Thursday, Friday lowest intensity resistance training with higher volume, Saturday higher intensity spring training.

Technical Focus Adjustments

• Reconfigure components to shift emphasis.
• Problem with the original example: every training session is the same.
  • Suggestion: moderately heavy on Monday, moderate on Wednesday, and moderately light on Friday, while emphasizing technical skills during the other days.

Implementation in Basic System

• Strength endurance block: maintain three sets of 10.
• Maximal strength block:
  • Three sets of five with a down set of five.
    • Benefits of down set: increased volume, growth hormone response, conditioning.

Sequential Progression

• Weeks 1-2: strength endurance and basic strength and repeat.
• Week 9: overreaching week with a large stimulus increase.
• Final week: Transmutation/Realization with high quality effort to drive adaption.

Exercise Selection

• Always large mass, multi-joint exercises.
• Monday/Thursday (strength emphasis):
  • Squats, push press, bench press, dips.
• Wednesday:
  • Power snatch, snatch grip shrugs, snatch pulls, bent-over rows.
• Saturday:
  • Power snatch (very light), clean grip shrugs, clean pulls, bent-over rows.
• Tuesday/Friday:
  • Short sprint build-ups, heavy medicine ball tosses, sit-ups, abdominal work, stretching.

Shift to Power Focus

• Squats in a power rack (from pins).
• Push jerks, incline presses, dips.
• Wednesday:
  • Power snatches, shrugs, pulls, pull-ups.
• Saturday:
  • Clean grip variations.
• Load can be higher on Saturday (cleans vs. snatches).

Power and Explosive Emphasis

• Quarter squats coupled with box jumps (PAPE complex).
• Variations of power snatches and cleans.

Criticisms of the Sequential Nature

• Loss of adaptation from previous blocks.
  • Example: losing endurance capacity when shifting from strength endurance block.
• Potential issue: not training everything simultaneously.