Strength Training Manual: The Agile Periodization Approach

Strength Training Manual represents my ongoing pursuit in understanding both strength training and training theory in general, by providing an overview of the conflicting opinions, but also giving practical, heuristic solutions to common problems and their reconciliation. The framework for such an approach is the Agile Periodization, which approaches planning from uncertainty perspective, iterations, and experimentation while providing satisficing and robust solutions. Besides being very rich in theory, Strength Training Manual is also rich in forum-for-action solutions, including reference tables, useful heuristics, and more than 1,900 set and rep schemes provided and analyzed. It also provides the best practices from other experts tinkering in this field. Paperback edition of the Strength Training Manual comes in two volumes: Volume One & Two, and Volume Three. Volume One and Two of this manual is an in-depth look into strength training planning and general training theory, as well as an introduction to the Agile Periodization framework. I believe that I haven’t left any stone unturned in Volume One and Two. But to do that I had to go full circle: I had to go deep into nitty-gritty details, show issues, assumption, flawed reasoning, and finally present simple solutions or even different paradigms. Volume Three is straighter to the point and represents a collection of all the useful tables and heuristics from Volume One and Two that you can use as a starting point when designing your strength training programs. Volume Three is my original writing intention, but when I started writing I realized that some things needed a more thorough description and explanation (and besides, I went off-the-track to explore some concepts that emerged during the writing process), rather than do-this-and-not-this perspective. Volume One and Two covers the following topics: The philosophical underpinning of the Agile Periodization Exercise classifications and their relationships Testing approaches for establishing 1RM used for percent-based prescription as well as the novel Estimation through iteration approach Prescribing training loads using various methods and their modifications A thorough discussion of the training dose concept, as well as dose -> response models Anatomy of set and rep schemes and their archetypal variants Mladen’s Methodological System of classifying Set and Rep schemes Horizontal and Vertical planning perspectives (This will cut through all the periodization crap you have been fed over the years) Novel planning strategies and concepts such as robustness, microdosing, Don’t break the chain and Markov Chain A thorough discussion on what individualization really is (and what it should be) Review and Retrospective practices including updating planning 1RMs between phases and phase potentiation ideas and critiques (and novel iterative approach) Discussion on predictive and causal modeling in strength training Strength Training Manual will give you not only a practical solution to tackle everyday problems of planning, prescribing, and monitoring strength training, but also critical thinking skills. You can use these essential skills of thinking and tools in other types of physical preparation and training in general.