Strength and Conditioning Knowledge Center

First, you should know what the weight of your maximum rep (1RM) is.   To know the weight we have to lift we have to know how close or far it is from our weight of a maximum repetition (1RM). The weight of a maximum repetition is the load we can lift only once and …

Reasons why it’s important to know how to measure bar velocity The average velocity at which we move the bar can be used as a very good estimate of the relative load we are lifting. In 2010 this finding was first published in English (J. J. González-Badillo & Sánchez-Medina, 2010), but its origins go back …

Surely, you’ve already taken a multiple-choice test or had an option in which all the previous ones were correct. That happens when we ask ourselves “how many days of rest should I have per week?” Multiple answers are valid since there is no single solution. It will depend on our level of training, the qualities …

Before you know if you should train with stiffness, what is it? Image taken from Bruce Mars (Unsplash) Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a functional muscle disorder caused by eccentric muscle contractions or unknown forms of exercise (Hotfiel et al., 2018). By performing biopsies at the muscular level, it has been proven that there …

Periodization of training in sport: what is it and where does it come from? Image taken by Joel Muniz (Unsplash) The periodization of training is the tool that coaches have for athletes to respond to the training load with beneficial adaptations for their sports performance (Medicine, 2013). If the load used is less than necessary, …

How did you plan to study for an exam? Most students focus on studying the days leading up to the test, but they know that they would do much better if they spread out those hours of study over the months. Many of us have experienced the end result firsthand: if you are lucky, you …

Differences between planning, periodization and scheduling   There are three terms that are often confused when we want to capture in a calendar the objectives of the training and the sessions that we are going to carry out to achieve it. Planning, periodization, and scheduling are often interchanged, but each term refers to different functions …

When we plan a season we put on the calendar the moments where we will need to be fresher to compete, so training sessions should not be a great stress. Based on this, we periodize an alternation of training blocks that will have a greater impact with others that will help us recover. The discharge …

Cluster method: what it consists of The traditional method for strength training consists of performing a certain number of repetitions, followed by ample rest until a new series is performed. The cluster is a strength training methodology that introduces breaks within the same series.  This technique introduces more shorter breaks within the same series,  instead …

Velocity Based Training can help you do a lot of great things in the gym to enhance your performance. However, there are probably some other things that you do not want to do. For example, VBT is not about getting fancy and making things complicated. There are some other things as well, which we are …

Strength training is a basic pillar to gain muscle mass, but we need is a second basic pillar for such muscle growth to occur. A properly designed diet will allow you to gain muscle mass, accumulating as little fat as possible. In this diet it is necessary to control the calories ingested, as well as …

What is hydrate loading?   Carbohydrates are the main source of energy during physical exercise, especially if it is of a certain intensity (Cermak & Van Loon, 2013). These carbohydrates are stored in our body in the form of glycogen (Adeva-Andany, González-Lucán, Donapetry-García, Fernández-Fernández, & Ameneiros-Rodríguez, 2016). The main glycogen stores are the liver (approximately …