What is intensity? In terms of training it’s generally referred to as the load on the bar. So, let’s say I’m trying to develop maximal strength what intensity should I use. Well, any body that knows anything will say you need to put a heavy load on the bar to recruit the most motor units possible. GREAT! So what is heavy?
Heavy for a single is different than heavy for a triple. I can develop strength with a rep range of 1-6, but what intensity should I use to get the best results? Depending on whom you read or if you follow the dreaded NSCA you’ll see a percentage range of 80-100% of maximum. Well, great…that really helps.
I’ve seen a bunch of these nifty charts that give rep ranges with percentage ranges. Some even get real exact, like a good strength stimulus would be 85% for 5 reps x 3 sets. That makes a lot of sense, that’s equivalent to a 1RM…I’d love to see the guy or gal that completes three sets at this intensity. From my experience, most athletes end up failing on there last rep of the first couple sets and then they can’t even complete their last set. By that time their CNS is burned out. Then we look out about 6 weeks to test date and the athlete will only see a 10lb improvement on the squat. Coaches get pissed and the viscous cycle begins. To compensate for the athlete’s lack of “effort” we schedule extra sessions and then we end up over training the athlete.
I’m about to rock a bunch of people’s world…I’ve never had an athlete plateau on any lift! I remember back in high school working out and about every 4-6 weeks I’d hit a major plateau…or course I didn’t know anything about periodization or unloading, but a bunch of collegiate athletes experience this. Obviously as our training age increases we won’t see the same jumps that we saw when we were a bright eyed 18 year old with enough testosterone to train twice a day every day. So what's the secret? It's called relative intensity...
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