We are all familiar with the importance of strength training when it comes to increasing an athletes’ performance. Strength training is a very important tool, but we must remember that it is that, a tool.

One question that I always get when it comes to strength training is:

How much should I lift per session per set?

Now I admit that I always didn’t have a system in place for “how much” an athlete should lift during every training session. As I got to know my athletes I just used my instincts based on how they usually perform during a training session. My “instintive” approach worked for some groups but not for others. Some of the more experienced lifters were easy to gauge but not my younger athletes.

Now I was always told to use percentages, but it was never fully explained to me how to set up the percentages on sessions, weekly or monthly basis. Now I was getting by with my informal “trial and error” approach to load selection but I could not always duplicate the same results in the same amount of time with every level athlete I trained. Yes this is true, I admitting to not having known a few things and even though I call myself “The Kinetic Guru”, guru is a sanskrit term that means teacher. And ALL teachers must keep learning in order to remain effective.

Then I came across Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 manual and it helped for me to systemize all of the loads (weights) that I assigned to ALL of my athletes.  The way Jim set up the percentages is very simple, practical and effective. Now I still use my instincts to select the loads used in auxillary and assistance exercises but the addition of the 5-3-1 load planning to the core lifts has made tracking progress in squatting, pressing, and pulling variations for both the upper and lower body has been quite effective.

Exercise selection is an art, but load selection is a science. – Rob Williams

So I am officially giving Jim Wender’s 5-3-1 manual the “10 Laws Strong!” elite stamping.

Grab your copy today by clicking here, it the best $20 you’ll ever spend.

Train hard, help somebody and recover fast.

Live Your Legacy!

-Rob “The Kinetic Guru”