Making a Development Block: With Emerging Strategies

[@Aboveaveragemaster]

Very useful and informative. So clear how the process is intended to work.

[@chrisbrown_coaching]

Really good video! Thank you 🙏

[@KennyAllen-RTS]

Thanks Chris!

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

Very helpful video in showing how you organize training considerations and refine programming overtime based on client feedback and coach analysis. With the program you have on screen at the very end, for the Monday session it shows wide lat pull down for 1 set of 12 at an RPE 9, then 5 sets of 3 at an RPE 5? Am I reading that right? Just curious to understand why one would program such little reps and so many sets at a light intensity on an accessory movement like that?

[@KennyAllen-RTS]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Great question about the protocol. That is a unique type of training called "myo-reps." It's a way to condense hypertrophy work into a much shorter time frame by relying on short inter-set rest periods to keep fatigue high and keep motor unit recruitment high. How I usually describe the protocol to my lifters is this: "12@9 then sets of 3 with the same weight until RPE 10. Cap at 5 sets of 3. 20 seconds of rest between all sets." If you've never done this type of training before I'd give it a try - a lot of people find it really fun and effective.

[@CourtneyBishopPOA]

@KennyAllen-RTS ah, thank you! I've definitely heard of it, and I think done it, but I've never written it out in programming or seen other write it out so it didn't click. As I prepare for my next season of cutting, this seems like an effective strategy to get great STF and keep volume lower. Thanks again!

[@KennyAllen-RTS]

@@CourtneyBishopPOA my pleasure!

[@Smithster80]

What’s the lowest RPE you might programme on a top set for an athlete that might not need much higher intensity exposure during the week to see top end strength increase? Do you count anything below RPE 5 for example? Would you focus on a different part of their training?

[@KennyAllen-RTS]

For top sets I don't think I've gone below RPE 5, and in those cases where I use RPE 5 the top set RPE is intended to increase as the weeks continue (RPE 5 week 1, RPE 6 week 2, etc.). If the lifter isn't tolerating "top set" work of at least RPE 6-7 there's a good chance there's some training limitation (total workload too high, injury, unsustainable technique, they are actually hitting a much higher RPE, etc.) and focusing on the bottleneck would be a better pursuit than aiming for top sets. But for backdown work I've prescribed things as low as triples at 65% of estimated 1 rep max for someone before which is so light it shouldn't register as an RPE. I've also used "RPE 3" for a handful of lifters as well. Sometimes people respond to strange things, or these ultra low RPE protocols can help bridge the gap while you work to improve some quality of their training that is currently limiting them.

[@Smithster80]

@@KennyAllen-RTS thank you for the info

[@KennyAllen-RTS]

@@Smithster80 my pleasure!

[@johnbessman]

Is time-to-peak only really applied in the final block before a meet? With 2X squat/DL per week but 4X bench, you'd have double the bench exposures at the end of the block. Is it not as important for development blocks far from competition? Or just a quirk for this athlete?

[@ReactiveTrainingSystems]

TTP is based on the exposure of stimulus. You can train a movement pattern multiple times a week with different variations. Which makes the stimulus different. CE bench and 3ct pause bench, isn't the same stimulus. TTP determines the block length and we tend to hold all block lengths to that time frame.