How I am Using Applied Periodization for My Clients
Last week, I was asked to write a lifting program for a friend who is also in the fitness industry who is also a trainer. At first, I thought nothing of it and I said “Sure, why not?” Typically, when someone asks me to do a program for them it is very simple. It’s usually a client that has some minimal levels of fitness and therefore easier for me to just throw something together (not saying this is right but for me general fitness programs are on autopilot). The average person needs some sort of general preparation (GP) when they start a fitness regime. When thinking in terms of periodization, I feel as though a lot of my clients stay within the GP phases and some definitely get to the more specific phase of periodization but not too much after that. I am starting to question myself as to why this happens or rather am I allowing this to happen?
This is normal within the general population for fitness. Unfortunately, I’ve also used this as an excuse. A lot of trainers such as myself will see clients for a few mesocycles (training blocks) and their clients will fall off or the trainer will keep repeating the same LP (linear periodization schemes) over and over again. And there is NOTHING wrong with that especially if the client really just needs to be consistent and stay in the gym, they will still see results, regardless. However, I am making an effort to be more deliberate in my programming and give people a better product of training. And this blog is here to state that.
With the help of dusting off some of my old exercise science books and a few research articles I dove (after years of being out of school) back to my roots. With a very basic approach to periodization, I programmed for my friend. However, I am designing more of a powerlifting style program. Her goals are to get stronger, stay healthy and manage the program with some small injuries.
I took a very general approach. I progressed her in either intensity or volume for three weeks and then I have a deload on week four. I don’t really know her maxes on certain lifts so I am having her go off some projected maxes and mainly off of a RPE scale. Rate of Perceived Exertion. This is a scale of 1-10. In my words, if you are an RPE of “1” you could do this all day. If you are an RPE “9” you have 0-1 reps left “in the tank”.
For example:
Her Squat to a box is at 70% or an RPE of 7. Let’s say her one rep max is 200lbs for a back squat. This means her working sets are at 140lbs if she is working off of 70% of that 200. If she can rep out 5 and not start to “feel it” on the last rep I want her to go up. That is why I have the RPE 7 in place. If 140 feels like an RPE of 5 then we need to go up to elicit a training stimulus from this session.
Like I said before, I generally only program for people to just GET to the gym. In an article about applied periodization it states: The General preparatory phase is aimed to provide fundamentals physical and technical conditioning (basic strength, endurance, flexibility and basic motor skills) in order to support the further development of the specific capacities and motor sport skills (Siff, 2004; Verkhoshansky, 1996). This is usually what I run on. I don’t get much more specific than this. And I am looking to change that in the future as I learn and grow more as a coach. I would love to progress someone more in a specific sense. For example increasing performance for lacrosse or before a powerlifting meet.
Programming for someone is always just a guide even if there is a specific performance goal in the end of a macrocycle. My powerlifting coach Kevin Cann has taught me this. Even during what seems to be a very specific training session he will tell one of his athletes to change up the weight on the bar and will make adjustments on the fly. Periodization is not as rigid as a concept as I feel coaches make it seem to be and how I learned in school.
Kevin says, “The program carves out the path for the coach to guide a lifter. However, there are bends and forks in the road where the coach needs to adapt and make choices. It’s like playing the Oregon Trail.”
I am learning as I go. We all are. If you meet a coach that claims to have the perfect program for you, it is time to find a new coach.