A lot of templates and programming talk for the advanced lifter out there focuses on competitive lifters, or lifters seeking to become competitive, and competition comes with a few assumptions. One, that getting as strong as possible, and pushing for new 1RM's, is the most important thing in training. Having one clear goal (getting stronger on 1RM's) certainly makes programming easier to talk about, but is that really what the average lifter is concered about?

 

If you're not a competitor, you probably don't need to use the same approach that competitors do to reach your strength and body composition goals. Practical experience has told us that you can achieve fairly high levels of strength and good body composition without using many of the features of advanced competitive training programs: high volume, high frequency, block periodization, etc. The process may take longer, and your overall results may not be quite as good, but you can manage fatigue, recovery, and lower your injury potential in the process --  as Coach Trent says, maintain "momentum" in your programming and keep training fun.

 

Weights & Plates: https://weightsandplates.com

Robert Santana on Instagram: @the_robert_santana

 

Trent Jones: @marmalade_cream

https://www.jonesbarbellclub.com