Exercise Progression

One of my clients recently asked me, "What is the appropriate rate of progression for resistance exercises?"

"That is a hard question," I responded. I began to seriously think about this issue. Then I remembered that the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published a position statement on this issue. So I decided to paraphrase the position statement for the ease of brevity.

ACSM introduces the issue by defining the goal as "...stimulating further adaptation toward a specific training goal(s), progression in the type of resistance training protocol used is necessary."

Ok, I get this. Now since resistance training is such a broad subject, ACSM begins to narrow the scope of exercises covered in the the statement.

"The optimal characteristics of strength-specific programs include the use of both concentric and eccentric muscle actions and the performance of both single-and multiple-joint exercises."

Now, the actual recommendation includes: "It is also recommended that the strength program sequence exercises in order to optimize the quality of the exercise intensity (large before small muscle group exercises, multiple-joint exercises before single-joint exercises, and higher intensity before lower intensity exercises)."

Notice, that this recommendation addresses those clients on a strength program.

"For initial resistances, it is recommended that loads corresponding to 8 -12 repetition maximum (RM) be used in novice training."

Ok, for new clients use a load that they can perform 8-12 reps per set. Next, ACSM recommends periodization, tempo and rest periods for advanced clients.

"For intermediate to advanced training, it is recommended that individuals use a wider loading range, from 1-12 RM in a periodized fashion, with eventual emphasis on heavy loading (1- 6 RM) using at least 3-min rest periods between sets performed at a moderate contraction velocity (1-2 s concentric, 1-2 s eccentric)."

The next part of the recommendation is very interesting. ACSM gives a range of acceptable increase in the load for advanced clients.

"When training at a specific RM load, it is recommended that 2-10% increase in load be applied when the individual can perform the current workload for one to two repetitions over the desired number."

Frequency of exercise is also addressed in the statement. "The recommendation for training frequency is 2-3 d•wk 1 for novice and intermediate training and 4-5 d•wk 1 for advanced training."

So, I was right. It was not an easy question, but one which you must consider the exercise program for the client,(i.e., strength, hypertrophy, power or endurance), the client's goals, the client's physical capacity and his training experience.