A lecture I gave on basic concepts of strength training theory.

1. Science and Practice, Chapter 1

2.  All gains in fitness during training are because of
adaptation
 Adaptation can be defined as the adjustment of an
organism to its environment
 In a training program, physical activity is the
typical stimulus used to produce adaptation

3.  Magnitude of the Training Stimulus
 Accommodation
 Specificity
 Individualization

4.  In order to make
training gains, an
overload in the
training program must
be applied
 The magnitude of the
training load must be
above the normal level,
in other words,
homeostasis must be
broken.

5.  Two ways are available to cause adaptation
◦ An increase of the training load or volume
 These are known as qualitative changes
◦ Change the exercise modality (type of lift/drill)
 These are known as quantitative changes

6.  An example:
◦ If I am working to increase my bench press, and have
been doing 3 sets of 10 with 135lb for the last 8 weeks,
my body has most likely accommodated to this load. I
need to break the homeostasis that this load has induced
by either:
 Change the weight and sets, say to 5 sets of 5 with 155lb,
OR
 Change the type of lift, I could switch to 3 sets of 10
suspended pushups with weight.

7.  Stimulating
 Retaining
 Detraining

8.  To increase in fitness/ability over time, there is a
need for progressive resistance training.
When the strength of an athlete improves, the
training load must be increased in order for further
improvements to occur.
 The training load (work capacity) of elite athletes
is around 10x greater than that of a beginner with
6 months of training.
◦ Elite weightlifters lift 5000 tons a year of weights while a
beginner will only lift around 500 tons.

9.  If an athlete keeps doing the same exercise for a
period of time, they will see less performance
improvement the longer they keep using that
same exercise.
 Principle of Diminishing Returns

10.  I am working to improve my leg strength and use only
the leg press machine to help increase my
performance. Even if I keep changing the sets and
reps, the fact that I am repeating the same general
motor movement will cause my body to adapt, and it
will be difficult to achieve overload as time goes on. If
I change my exercise from leg press to barbell front
squat, I will get greater gains until my body adapts to
that exercise, which means I will have to change it
again in a few weeks or months.

11.  On the elite level, some coaches will save the
most effective exercises in their arsenal for the 4th
year of a 4 year olympic training cycle.
 If they were to use these exercises in the first,
second or third years of the cycle, it would
diminish the training effect of using them the 4th
year.
 An example would be using high altitude drops in
the olympic year for an elite high jumper.

12.  Training should be specific to the sporting skill that
is trying to be improved.
 A basic example of this would be: If I am trying to
improve my quickness and short speed (<40
meters), I am not going to spend most of my time
doing endurance based workouts such as
distance running or circuit training.

13.  Specificity is largely based on what is known as
“transfer of training results”.
 The transfer of training refers to how well a
certain exercise will improve a sporting skill.
◦ For example, a barbell pullover might help a
quarterback’s throwing ability more than a flat barbell
bench press
◦ Repeated maximal efforts in bench press will not help an
elite distance runner cover a 10k distance more
effectively

14.  Specificity can include
◦ Muscle Groups
◦ Joint Angles
◦ Joint Velocities
◦ Energy Systems
◦ Types of Muscle Contractions (e.g. isometric)

15.  The higher the training level of the athlete, the
more specific the training needs to be
 Beginners will make performance gains from
almost all types of exercises. Advanced athletes
need more specific work than beginners to provide
a positive adaptation.

16.  Everyone is different, not every training setup
works the same for everybody
 Attempts to mimic the training efforts of famous or
championship athletes have proven unsuccessful
 This typically represents the “art” portion of
coaching more than the “science” portion, i.e. this
is something you have to have experience in the
field to become better at

17.  A generalized training theory is a simple model
that a coach can use to plan out their training
cycles and workouts. There are two main types of
theories.
◦ One Factor Theory (Supercompensation)
◦ Two Factor Theory (Fitness-Fatigue Theory)

18.  Workouts deplete biochemical substances in the
body and reduce performance temporarily

19.  After a rest or ‘restitution’ period, the biochemical levels
rise above their previous levels in the point known as
‘supercompensation’

21. Figure 1.6 The overloading microcycle of the supercompensation theory. Rest intervals
between the first three training sessions are too short to allow full restoration, so fatigue is
accumulated. The interval between the third and fourth training workouts is longer than
usual but optimal for the situation. The next workout coincides with the
supercompensation phase after the first three training sessions.

22.  A supercompensation phase for many muscle
metabolites has never been proven. ATP
concentration in muscle does not change
substantially after hard workouts.
 The restoration of different biochemical
substances takes different amounts of time.
 It is too simple to be correct….a PhD’s view.

23.  Based on the idea that the athletes potential sport
performance (preparedness) is not a stable entity.
It varies with time.
 The two components of two factor theory are:
◦ Gain in fitness prompted by a workout
◦ The fatigue generated by that workout

24. Figure 1.7 Two-factor theory (model) of training. The immediate effect
of a training session is characterized by the joint action of two
processes: fitness gain and fatigue. Athlete preparedness improves
because of fit­ness gain and worsens because of fatigue.
Workout

25.  The fitness that is gained in a workout is of a
moderate magnitude but is long lasting.
 The fatigue that accumulates in a workout is of a
high magnitude, but does not last very long.
 Typically fatigue will be three times shorter in
duration than fitness. (a crude measure)
 If the fitness levels of a workout lasted 72h than
the fatigue would last about 24h

26.  Largely in peaking athletes
 1FT would have athletes doing hard workouts all the
way up until peak, but just fewer workouts at peak.
2FT would have athletes doing maintenance workouts
towards peak to reduce fatigue, but since fitness is
longer lived, would not need hard workouts.
 Vern Gambetta, “You cannot make an athlete in one
workout, but you can break an athlete in one
workout”.

27.  2FT allows for more weekly workouts and a little
less guessing generally speaking. In the 2FT the
next workout will be done when the effects of
fatigue from the previous workout wear out rather
than at the estimated moment of
supercompensation as in the 1FT.