The Quadrant Management System (QMS) has been a core element of my strength training philosophy for many years. It developed from my background in education and from reading management journals, particularly the Harvard Business Review, where a version of this first caught my eye and prompted me to adapt it to the strength-training process. As a by-product of this systematic approach to training development, it also created a high degree of player autonomy and buy-in by allowing players to choose how to develop their individual programs under the strength coach's eye.

The key to this system is continued education of the playing group, which is paramount if the coach is asking them to make informed decisions about how they manage and develop their program over time. There is no set time frame for movement through the quadrants, and players may decide to stay at a particular level and have the coach program elements for them. I have had senior players with a high training age tell me that they prefer to be told what to do in the weight room and trust what I put in place for them, while others prefer to be more free-range in their decision-making around the components of a session.

Whichever group they fall into, the key—and I believe this to be the Holy Grail of gym programming in team sports—is to ensure that each player's program is individualized to their particular needs. Regular formal monthly meetings should be scheduled, as well as check-ins with each player before and during every gym session. Ideally, no two programs should be identical. Apart from showing that you recognize each program reflects the needs of that particular player, it also shows that you care about them as a person first and that, as a coach, you are not generating generic programs and trying to fit players into them.

Q1 — Full Coach Control

Since there are no degrees of freedom in Q1, the coach is responsible for all elements of the program, after, of course, discussing them with each player and the medical team. The coaching staff knows what is required to ensure that each player is game-ready each week during the season and is doing the required loading for development during the off-season and pre-season.

In Q1, it is also important for the coach to ensure that players are exposed to a variety of exercises, sets-and-reps protocols, and week plans (full body, split body, and movement-category approaches) to give them the tools for the decisions they will be asked to make as they progress through the system.

Q2 — Exercise Selection Freedom

In Q2, players can self-select exercises that yield the greatest return on their training investment. I have used an exercise selection chart based around specific movement categories, heavily influenced by both Bill Starr and Dan John. It is updated regularly as I review each training year and decide if there is a need to add or subtract certain movements based on the specific group I am coaching. This is my most recent version:

Players are asked to stay with a particular exercise for at least one three-week loading cycle before selecting an alternative movement, as I once read: "Variation hastens adaptation." By changing movements over time, each player has a better chance of avoiding accommodation to the exercise stress and having progress stagnate.

Q3 — Weekly Structure Freedom

In Q3, players can self-select their week plan. There is literally a plethora of options, so I usually provide a reduced list that considers the other elements of the training week plan that are more set in stone, helping avoid scheduling issues and potential injury risk. In season, the sport—in my case, rugby—takes priority, so discussing what the coaching staff requires first will help you decide which variations you can appropriately offer the players.

In-Season Gym Week Plans (Saturday Game Day)

In-Season Option

Off-Season and Pre-Season Variations

Off-season and pre-season training present their own unique challenges, and here are a couple of variations that I have used.

Gym-Only Programs Based on Specific Needs

The following are gym-only programs that offer a variety of options based on specific needs. They have been designed for specific players but can be easily adapted for anyone.

Upper Body Dominant Off-Season Plan

Change exercise selection every three weeks (one cycle). This can be easily adjusted to a two-day-a-week plan if desired.

Two Sessions per Week, Standard Balanced Off-Season Plan

Off-Season Squat/Deadlift Cycle

Week/Cycle 1 — Establishment. Week/Cycle 2 — Development. Week/Cycle 3 — Attainment.

Q4 — Sets, Reps, and Loading Freedom

In Q4, players now have the option to self-select the sets-and-reps plans they feel give them the best results in the gym and the greatest transfer to the field. They will have had experience with most of these programming options while still in Q1, enabling them to make informed selections. I primarily program in three-week loading cycles, heavily influenced by the writings of Louie Simmons and the conjugate periodization style.

As you can see in the chart below, I tend to use a loading cycle in the 70–80% range and a recovery or deload cycle in the 60–70% range. This chart details strength-and-power programming, or, in my classification, mechanical and neural programming. I use a completely different sets-and-reps plan when discussing hypertrophy programming with players; for example, in my articles where I use an armor-plating/body-part approach.

Loading MethodPrilepin’s Chart to Determine the Sets & Reps Element of Q4