You could learn a lot from an Escrima master…

Programming is one of those subjects with the potential for almost unlimited complexity, and it’s a subject of endless debate, discussion, and confusion among coaches and athletes alike. That being said, it’s important to recognize that effective programming can be accomplished within realistic timeframes by almost anyone willing to put in the work.

One reason that so many people find themselves perplexed on the subject is the almost endless number of potential scenarios that are possible. Truth be told, no two situations are alike, even if they involve the same person! So in order to develop confidence and practical expertise on the subject, it’s important to take a principle-based approach.

Allow me to share an analogy from the martial arts world…

Most Japanese and Korean styles of martial arts utilize a “technique-based” approach to self-defense. In other words, if your opponent throws a punch to your face, you defend with “technique A.” If he throws a kick to your ribs, you respond with “technique B.” And if he tries to stab you with a knife, you counter with “technique C” and so forth. The problem with this type of approach is that you need as many counter-defenses are there are possible attacks, and that’s a lot of techniques to learn.

An alternative solution can be found in the Filipino martial arts, such as Kali and Escrima. In these fighting arts, all attacks (whether they be foot, hand, or weapon) are categorized into 12 different groups based on the angle of the incoming attack. For example, any straight thrust to your midsection is a “number 5.” Any sweeping attack from the side is a “number 4,” and so on. Using this system, the martial artist only needs 12 different defenses as opposed to the hundreds he’d need using another system.

As lifters, we need to think like this. Even though the number of possible training scenarios is vast, most of them can be categorized into a relatively small handful of groups. This is the essence of the principle-based approach to programming.

The good news is that you probably already have principles that you use on a regular basis. The trick is to identify them and use them in a systematic way. This article features seven of my core programming principles, which I present for your consideration. Please feel free to borrow, steal, or otherwise employ any of them, or simply use them to spur your own creative thinking on the subject.

Principle One: Don't fix problems when they don't exist

I’m going to start off with one of my “big guns.” It’s an idea that’s so sublimely simple you may miss the significance at first. However, stay with me because this one idea has the potential to completely revolutionize your approach.

Let me start by asking a question—to what degree do you currently use corrective exercises? In other words, do you use drills to correct posture, scapular control, and core stability? Do you use them every session? Do you never use them? Do you use them somewhere in between? If so, how do you justify your decision making on the issue?

Here’s how I justify mine…

At Staley Training Systems, we work off of an “A-B split” programming template. This simply means that everything I want the client to do over a 5–7 day timeframe is apportioned into two workouts—an “A” workout and a “B” workout. Then the client performs these two workouts in successive, alternating fashions, resting between one and three days between sessions. The “A” workout’s second module is always a “lower body bilateral” drill (some form of squat or pull).

Now just like you, I sometimes encounter situations where a client has pain during the performance of squats and/or deadlifts. At this point, many people might just simply skip that exercise, but in our system, we’ll immediately shift to a corrective exercises designed to address the underlying issue that’s causing the pain during the squat or deadlift.

Put another way, in the Staley Training System, you do a particular movement pattern (exercise) and if you can’t, you do a corrective exercise instead to address the problem that’s preventing you from performing the exercise. It’s one or the other. We do NOT perform corrective exercises unless there’s something to correct. If you can pull and press in all directions without pain, we don’t do scapular control or rotator cuff exercises. If you have pain on a vertical press on the other hand, we substitute out that exercise for a corrective exercise.

The take home lesson is, don’t fix it unless it’s broken. And just as importantly, if it IS broken, then fix it. That’s how I decide whether or not to use corrective exercises.

Principle Two: Whenever possible, opt for specificity

Let’s say you need more mobility in your squat. Should you:

  1. Do static, AIS, or PNF (or whatever your favorite method happens to be) stretching for the involved musculature or
  2. Squat more, working diligently on proper position

For me, the answer is “B.” The principle of specificity convincingly justifies this decision. Similarly, you can develop cycling endurance much more rapidly by cycling as opposed to running or rowing.

Incidentally, squatting is more specific to squatting not just in terms of the movement pattern but also because it’s load-specific— performing loaded movements is more specific to loaded movements than unloaded drills.

Of course in any situation specificity has its limits. If you’re a competitive powerlifter, you need to squat, bench, and pull heavy weights. However, you can only do so much of that, which is when assistance lifts come in. So there’s a place for non-specific work, which happens to be after you’ve reached your limit on specific work. And remember, there are diminishing returns when you stray further and further away from specific means. Plan accordingly.

Principle Three: Track developmental and maintenance benchmarks

I’ve written about this subject in previous articles, but I’ll also summarize the concept here. As outdated as the concept may seem, linear periodization is effective, provided that you identify and track what I call “developmental” and “maintenance” benchmarks.

A developmental benchmark is a functional indicator of the progress you’re making for whatever phase you’re in. On the other hand, a maintenance benchmark is a way of preventing excessive deterioration of qualities you developed during previous phases. By tracking both types of indicators, you prevent deterioration of previous gains while you work on the current task at hand.

In practice, you’ll find that this approach doesn’t really look much like the linear periodization you read about in textbooks because at any given point, you’ll be working on two or more developmental areas as opposed to focusing on a single motor quality or training focus.

Principle Four: Strike while the iron is hot

One of the most perplexing problems you encounter when using any form of periodization format is an unexpected great performance during a phase that doesn’t expect or reward it. In other words, you’re in a hypertrophy phase and over the course of a heavy set of six on the front squat, it becomes immediately evident that you could hit a new PR today. Too bad your program didn’t anticipate that, huh?

So what do you do? Well, there are only two possibilities— either stick with the plan or ditch the plan and nail that PR. Personally, I’ll always opt for the latter approach, and here’s why:

  1. Potential peak performance remains only a potential until and unless you exploit it. The body is asking for the opportunity, so why not grant it? High performance should always be rewarded. If you’re primed to hit the biggest triple of your life, why on earth would you chug away at four sets of eight even if the program calls for it?
  1. PR’s inspire confidence and future great performances. You can’t overstate the value of confidence in my opinion. Confidence is the engine of consistency and intensity— two essential pillars of successful training.
  1. The body doesn’t know anything about your periodization philosophy, and it’ll peak when it’s good and ready. So your choice is do you want to take advantage of that peak or not? If you look for and exploit these opportunities, you’ll find that your ability to predict a peak becomes more refined over time. But if you try to plan your peaks, they’ll never happen.

Principle Five: Performance dictates loading

This principle pertains to short- and medium-term planning. This is just my way of thinking, but I’ll never understand how a coach or trainer can plan for a client to do “4 X 8” or “5 X 5” or whatever six days from now. What happens if your client isn’t performing well that day (for whatever reason)? I’ll tell you. Typically, the trainer will reduce the planned load to permit the performance of the pre-planned set/rep scheme. This is a bad idea. The intensity of load determines the result of the session, and for that reason, it should never be subjugated to any set/rep format.

A better way is to let performance dictate the day’s loading. Here’s an example that we use for power training. During warm ups, identify or estimate an 85 percent load—meaning 85 percent of 1RM for that day. Using one-minute rests between sets, you’ll perform sets of two, but we don’t know at the outset how many sets will be performed. Instead, you’ll bang out doubles until either you complete 14 sets or you miss the second rep on any given set.

Here’s the rationale…if you can perform more than 14 sets, the load is probably too light, and we need to increase it for the next repeat. If you hit the wall on the seventh set (for example), the motor quality you’re working on has been sufficiently trained, and you now have a target for the next repeat (in this case eight or more doubles).

Principle Six: Select great exercises

One little appreciated characteristic of a great exercise is its ability to be continuously modified without changing its fundamental essence. Using this criterion, “great exercises” are almost always closed chain, free weight, multiarticular movements.

Examples can be found in each category of the 6–7 (depending on how you like to classify them) primary movement patterns—squatting, pulling, pushing, pulling, twisting, and lunging.

Looking at the lunge for example (and by lunge I’m referring to any closed-chain, unilateral lower body pattern), you can quickly develop a long list of variants:

  • Alternating leg, long-step lunge (posterior chain emphasis)
  • Stationary, short-step lunge (quadriceps emphasis)
  • Pistol
  • Box pistol
  • Lunge (front foot elevated)
  • Lunge (rear foot elevated)
  • Side lunge
  • Walking lunge
  • Overhead lunge
  • Jumping lunge (switching legs in mid-air between reps)
  • Step-ups (essentially a form of a front foot elevated lunge)
  • Numerous lunge/press and/or pull variations

The list is potentially endless, but movements like lunges (and squats, presses, and pulls) add real value to your program because they allow you to exploit the “same but different” principle—long-term programming that finds the sweet spot between specificity and variability. Too much specificity leads to psychological and orthopedic burnout. Too much variability leads to little or no progress. However, the ideal blend between the two means all of the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Browse through the last 30 days of your training journal and see what percentage of your exercises are machine-based, closed-chain, or uni-articular versus my preferred movement patterns described above. If you've got more of the former than the latter and if you're not making the progress you're looking for, this could be your answer.

Principle Seven: Define your target

I’ve saved the most important principle for last. Consider it your reward for hanging in there with me.

There’s a danger when you start talking about defining your goal or objective. The danger is that you’ve heard it 10,000 times already and this is 10,001. However, let me hit you with a powerful realization that I want you to experience. Maybe you’ve heard it 10,000 times, but have you grasped the significance of it? Have you incorporated it into your system? If you haven’t, here’s why you should…

The value of every decision you make depends upon context. If you say that you need stronger pecs, I’d fire back “for what reason?” Or, in other words, relative to what context? If you’re a powerlifter, I’m guessing you have a good context. If you’re a fencer, maybe not. However, in all cases it’s critical to first define your ideal end game. Or as I often ask my clients during our first interview, “What has to happen in the next 12 weeks in order for you to consider this partnership a success?” Once you come up with that answer, make sure it’s measurable and trackable.

A few years ago an interesting study (1)was performed, which serves as a metaphor for understanding the value of having an explicit goal. Two groups of collegiate soccer players performed vertical jumps. One group had an overhead target and the other did not. A force plate and video analysis examined the features of the jumps. The result was that the players who had an overhead target to aim for jumped significantly higher than those who didn’t. Remember that the next time someone tries to tell you that goals aren’t important.

I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours

I hope these seven principles have got you thinking in new, more productive directions. Of course, we could argue all day long about what the “ideal” or “correct” principles are, but that discussion can’t take place until you’ve got principles to start with. If you’d like to share your training principles, please visit Charles’ website at www.StaleyTraining.com.

References

1.      Ford KR, Myer GD, Smith RL, Byrnes RN, Dopirak SE, Hewett TE (2005) Effects of an overhead goal on a drop vertical jump maneuver. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37(5), supplement abstract 629.

His colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “the secret weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in physical education throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles Staley’s methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show. Find Charles online at www.StaleyTraining.com.

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