1: Set the Bar with Baseline Measurements
2: Choose Jump-Boosting Exercises
3: Discover Your Velocity Zones
4: Enter the Velocity Tracker
5: Dare to Set Velocity Targets
6: Dial in the Intensity
7: Visualize progress
8: Periodize your training, monitor and adjust
9: Recover and Thrive
Step 1: Set the Bar with Baseline Measurements
Every great journey begins with a clear starting point - in order to measure progress you’d need to first measure your current vertical jump performance to establish your baseline. This crucial step will help you track your progress as you embark on your VBT adventure. Would you use the Calibrex app to measure your vertical jump? Give this an upvote on features.calibrex.com
Step 2: Choose Jump-Boosting Exercises
Prepare to spring into action! Select exercises that specifically target the muscles involved in vertical jumping. From classic squats and deadlifts to explosive box jumps and plyometrics – these power-packed moves will lay the foundation for your soaring success.
Step 3: Discover Your Velocity Zones
Velocity zones are like speed highways leading to your ultimate jumping potential. Uncover the "accelerative strength" and "strength-speed" zones, your golden ticket to explosive and dynamic gains in vertical jump performance. Leave a comment below if you’d like to see a dedicated post on velocity zones.
Step 4: Enter the Velocity Tracker
Equip yourself with the latest tech wizardry – the Calibrex 2! The cutting edge form factor allows you to clip the device on your waistband, shirt, sock or sports bra and test your vertical jumps with no friction. Who wants to carry a box with a string to carry around?
Step 5: Dare to Set Velocity Targets
Gamify your workouts and crush your goals with precision! Set specific velocity targets for each exercise, custom-tailored to your unique abilities and aspirations. Stay motivated as you aim for those thrilling speed benchmarks during box jumps, squats, and more. If you’re using a Calibrex, it’s super easy to set it up and get real-time feedback. First, you already know what your best scores are from previous tests. All you need to do is set a new speed target before you start the exercise.
Step 6: Dial in the Intensity
Say goodbye to one-size-fits-all training percentages! With VBT, you have the power to fine-tune your intensity levels. Lift with a velocity-based approach, where every rep counts, ensuring you push yourself to just the right degree – not too little, not too much, but just right.
Example: If you’re training before a big game, you don’t want to reach high fatigue levels (>40%) which would require longer recovery times. You’d do a lighter workout and end sets at a lower fatigue level (15-25%).
Step 7: Visualize progress
Witness firsthand how your jump height and movement velocity surge to greater heights. If you encounter plateaus, fear not – adjust your strategy and keep reaching for new gains.
Step 8: Periodize your training, monitor and adjust
Implement periodization principles to progressively overload your training. This involves gradually increasing the complexity, intensity, and volume of your workouts over time to optimize adaptation.
Real-time monitoring of velocity during training sessions is crucial. Aim to consistently hit or exceed the targeted velocity threshold for each exercise. If you consistently surpass the threshold, consider increasing the load or intensity. Conversely, if you consistently fall short, consider reducing the load or intensity.
Step 9: Recover and Thrive
Remember, even champions need their rest. Embrace recovery, allow your muscles to rejuvenate after exhilarating VBT sessions. Strike the perfect balance between hard work and well-deserved relaxation.
Ready to defy gravity with velocity-based training? Trust the process, stay focused, and let your vertical jump increase to new heights. Remember, the journey is just as rewarding as the destination – embrace the thrill of becoming the ultimate vertical leap powerhouse!
]]>
Of course you are.
Many coaches use one rep-max testing as a way to measure lifting progress. The problem is that it can be time-consuming, draining, and often risky. Yes, you know how much your athletes can lift. But, nothing tells you how well they lifted it. What was their ROM? Bar balance? Could they lift more tomorrow after a better night's rest? The crazy thing is, maximal strength fluctuates by as much as 15% throughout the days and weeks. Now, you’re going to use that number for most of their programming? An athlete's 1 RM changes daily, and the classic testing does not account for that.
Incorporate velocity testing to give you a clear snapshot of your athletes’ gains over the past training block. Take advantage of technology. Predict your 1-RM daily to account for fluctuations in strength. Then adjust lifting parameters to account for signs of fatigue or improvement on a daily scale. Test for readiness with warm-up sets to see BRV at varying loads, creating a fuller picture of how well your athletes are moving weights. By making a dynamic program to match fluctuating bodies, athletes will get the desired results you want to see.
Here are two velocity testing methods to give your team a sharper edge:
Max effort warm-up reps
The best way to get started is to make a load-velocity profile (LV). If you'd like to learn more about the LV profile, click the link; however, the short notes are as follows: Load and velocity have a linear relationship where they increase at predictable rates. With 4 or more data points, you can accurately predict the fastest speed someone could lift any weight. Profiling helps you see how well an athlete expresses power throughout the year.
Create an LV profile to get a birds-eye view of your athlete's power output at varying loads.
Here's how:
Choose 4 weights between 30% - 90% 1RM
Complete 4 maximum effort reps at each weight
Take best rep velocity (BRV) from each trial
Enter into an excel chart (or use our free logbook!), add a linear trendline.
Compare in 4 - 8 weeks.
BRV is the key for predicting daily 1-RM. Let's say your BRV for a 250lbs squat was at 0.6m/s. If you lift the next week and notice a drop off to 0.5m/s, recovery needs to be addressed. That could be sleep, nutrition, workload, stress, etc. The point is that you know how well your athletes perform every session and can adjust accordingly.
The best aspect of velocity data is the consistency across different weights. You can use this to your advantage by programming warm-up sets before the main lift. For example, jump squats with an empty barbell are a great way to express power and speed before lifting heavy. You can tell your athletes, "look, I want two warm-up sets of jump squats. This screen will tell you whether you moved faster or slower than last week. Your job is to beat your previous score. Got it?"
Now, you've got your athletes engaged and ready to compete. Plus, you get to see how they express power from warm-up to working weight.
As you become more familiar with velocity data, there are plenty of exciting options to create a fun, competitive, and safe environment for your team. Ditch the past and use VBT to sharpen your edge. Take control of your programming and give your athletes the tools they need to win championships. It all starts with velocity testing.
Use our free logbook to start programming like a professional today!
Strength is moving a heavy weight through a full rep range regardless of the time it takes. For example, you're at the end of a set and know you've got one more good rep. You push the weight up as hard as possible and feel yourself slow down at the sticking point. The weight almost stops moving, but you have just enough oomph to force it through the mud.
Suppose your goal is to feel stronger and lift heavier; read closely. Below is a simple guide on how to use velocity data to train for your goals with professional precision.
Absolute strength relies heavily on the coordination between your nervous system and your muscles. Your brain dictates when and how many muscle fibers fire and your muscles do their best to match the demands.With time and practice, those firing patterns become more efficient and fine-tuned to complete the task.
Using VBT, you can crush strength records by maximizing neuromuscular adaptations. A lifter familiar with a specific movement will recruit muscle fibers in a more effective pattern than an inexperienced lifter. Notice high-level lifters have little to no wasted motion in their reps. They reinforced their mind-to-muscle connection repeatedly to perform with top-notch quality.
Strength depends on drilling heavily-loaded movement patterns to improve the mind-to-muscle connection.
All athletes know the feeling of muscle fatigue. You feel sluggish, slow, a step behind. Terrible feeling, right? In the same way your muscles get tired, so does your nervous system. One rep max lifts or pushing until failure is incredibly taxing on your nervous system and muscles. Minimize neuromuscular fatigue to allow for more frequent heavy training.
Improving strength comes down to two essential factors.
Minimize neuromuscular fatigue
Maximizing neuromuscular adaptations
We've all seen powerlifters in the gym. They rack up a ton of weight on the barbell and spend 90% of their time resting between sets. Experienced lifters realize the difference between muscle fatigue and neuromuscular fatigue. After moving heavy weight, the neurons that tell your muscles to fire have used a large portion of their resources. The neuromuscular system takes a longer time to recover than just muscles.
If you're training for strength, emphasize 1- 5 reps, 3-5 min rest, and a low velocity cutoff.
For strength training, you will move weights at a much slower rate. A typical velocity range when training for absolute strength with a back squat would be 0.5 - 0.35m/s. You want to stay close to the MVT (roughly 0.3m/s) but avoid overtraining by tracking your daily readiness and setting a velocity cutoff (in this case it’s 0.35m/s).
Believe it or not, your strength changes daily based on factors like sleep, nutrition, stress, previous training, etc. To get the most out of your training, you should go hard on days when your body is ready to perform and take it easy when fatigued. Learn how to track your readiness and predict your 1-RM daily here.
The significant difference between strength and hypertrophy training is volume. You want to focus on heavy load, quality reps, and managing fatigue for strength improvements. The best way to limit overtraining and maximize gains is to train at < 25% velocity loss. For example, a typical strength training regimen for deadlifts is lifting between 0.4m/s and 0.3m/s. Once your rep falls below the threshold, rest and prepare for the next set. If you're moving faster than the maximum velocity, increase the weight. Simple as that. You can set velocity ranges in your Calibrex app so it will alert you while you work out.
Velocity loss >25% has no additional benefit to strength. Strength training is not about volume. It's about the neuromuscular stimulus.
Training to build muscle is solely about volume and recovery. You want to isolate the desired muscle group and pump in as much blood as possible. When using velocity-based training, you can use objective data to confirm you are lifting to a stimulating level of fatigue and allowing for optimal recovery.
Let's say you want to grow your chest using bench press. The ideal velocity range would be 0.5 - 0.25m/s because it is heavy enough to improve strength and wide enough to allow fatigue. Your cutoff should be at a 25% - 50% velocity loss to avoid overtraining and extending recovery times. Lift heavy and leave very few reps in the tank. Focus on form and pumping blood into your muscles. Train targeted muscles 2-3x per week. Results will follow.
Building muscle is all about volume and recovery. Lift until close to failure to limit overtraining and improve frequency for muscle groups. Lifting till failure is great for stimulating muscle growth, but the recovery takes over three days. The key is to leave a few reps in the tank so you can recover quicker and train that muscle group more frequently. The more often you train a muscle group, the better the adaptations.
Use VBT as a measuring stick to know you're optimizing each workout. Test yourself once a month to measure progress. Start close to a 12 rep-max and pick three different weights until you reach a 4 rep-max. Lift each rep with maximal effort. Take note of your best rep velocity for each set. Compare these numbers to the previous month. You'll be able to see whether to add weight or stay where you are.
The most well-known concept in the strength and conditioning world is the SAID principle — specific adaptations to imposed demands. Your body will adapt to the challenges you put in front of it. Runners grow dense capillary beds in their legs to improve blood flow. Weightlifters develop fast twitch muscle fibers to lift enormous weights with explosive power. Seems like common sense, right? We know that specific training is essential to high-level performance, but how can we maximize it with modern technology?
VBT offers the opportunity to train with the top-notch precision required to unlock elite adaptations like power, speed, and strength. Coaches can program velocity ranges to help athletes peak at the right time and test daily readiness to adjust sessions accordingly.
With VBT, you have more control over your programming than ever before. Coaches can set minimum velocities to prevent eager lifters from choosing excessive weight. You can select a velocity range to stimulate muscle growth, power output, or absolute strength changes.
For example:
"Use as much weight as you like but don't go under 0.5 m/s for any rep."
"Choose a weight that you can lift between 0.5 - 0.4m/s."
Calibrex offers live feedback that drives maximum effort and engagement with each repetition. When evaluated, athletes put their best foot forward. With VBT, you can see the quality of your athletes' lifts and gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. To get the biggest bang for your buck, have athletes compete with themselves and their friends on new PRs like power output and best rep velocity!
Coaches can do daily 1-RM testing within the flow of their workout by comparing best rep velocities (BRV) between sessions. Keep track of BRV for specific lifts to get an idea of your athletes' readiness to perform for the day. Adjust if you see significant improvement or reduction in BRV from one workout to the next.
If you see > 10% improvement, increase the weight, add a set, or add a few reps. Your goal is to determine what's working and double down on it. Consider factors like training style, sleep, nutrition, stress, etc.
If you see > 10 % reduction, decrease weight, drop a set, and lower the reps. Your goal is to prioritize recovery. Look into factors like sleep, nutrition, stress, and training frequency to find out what is holding them back.
As a coach or an athlete, you want to ensure your training environment is safe and challenging for everyone involved. With VBT, you can adapt your sessions to any skill level and promote the same athletic adaptations.
Velocity-based training (VBT) uses the linear correlation between load and velocity to determine exertion levels. Many lifters use RPE or RIR and claim it does the same thing as VBT. Not so fast. RPE and RIR are subjective measurements that cannot be relied upon, especially in younger male athletes who often have trouble being honest with their abilities. Everyone can train at similar exertion levels and speeds using an objective measure like velocity. Now, all athletes have a chance to gain the exact adaptations that you programmed.
The goal of in-season training is to maintain strength and manage fatigue. The best way to do so is to train at a high intensity and within a small velocity range. High intensity means lifting heavy loads (>80% 1RM) to stimulate strength benefits. A small velocity range implies the speed of your first and last rep should be within 25% of each other.
For example, "Complete your working sets between 0.5 - 0.4 m/s."
Higher intensity and lower volume workouts allow athletes to recover quicker and compete more frequently. The velocity range is slow and narrow to promote strength stimulus and minimize recovery time. Essentially, you are lifting heavy but leaving reps in the tank.
Off-season training aims to improve strength, build muscle, and improve athletic capacity. Typically, coaches prioritize high volume and a more extensive velocity range. More volume means lower weight to increase sets and reps. A larger velocity range is anything from 25% - 50%.
For example, "Complete your working sets between 0.7 - 0.35m/s
The velocity range is fast and wide to promote maximum muscle stimulus and a longer recovery.
Monthly single leg testing is a valuable option for athletes to identify injury risk related to egregious imbalances or wacky compensations. Pick a few relevant movements like SL RDLs or skaters squats and use Calibrex to monitor bar balance and best rep velocity. Complete three or four trials at increasingly heavier weights. Notice any significant differences? How did things feel from one leg to the other? Compare and contrast how you felt with the objective data. Address any concerns for a few weeks, then re-test.
Tracking workout progress with sets, reps, and weight is typical for anyone serious about lifting. The problem is that it often feels like guesswork. Effectively programming is a tall task for coaches and athletes alike. With velocity-based training, you can take the guesswork out of your programming and know what went down in the weight room. A simple system for progressing weight is to set a velocity target.
Let's say you're stuck at 300lbs for your deadlift, but you desperately want to lift 315lbs. You can reach new PRs consistently and keep quality form with a straightforward change. Set a velocity target of 0.35m/s. Once you can do all five reps for three sets above 0.35m/s, add 10 lbs and repeat.
The challenge is finding the right velocity target for your training goals. Once you find your standards, the rest is quite simple.
To get specific results from your training, like more power or strength, you will need to know your minimal velocity threshold (MVT) for each exercise you want to track. Researchers determined these numbers assuming you are lifting with maximal effort. The MVT is the slowest speed you can move weight and still complete the entire movement.
Here are some of the accepted MVTs for standard lifts:
Find your MVT for any exercise by lifting until failure and checking your last rep velocity. Your MVT for any movement will be the same whether you lift 400lbs or 100lbs.
Example:
1RM at 300lbs = 0.3m/s
20th and final rep at 140lbs = 0.3m/s
There is no need to lift your actual one rep-max to find out your MVT. Lifting any weight to failure will give you the same information. Prioritize safety and have a spotter ready if you plan to lift to failure.
You need to know the MVT to use it as a guide to train for specific adaptations like power or strength. The closer you are to the MVT, the more you prioritize strength gains. As you move away from the MVT, you encourage more power-related adaptations.
For example:
A typical velocity target when training for power with a back squat would be 0.65m/s.
A typical velocity target when training for absolute strength with a back squat would be 0.4m/s
Start with a weight that you can move above the velocity target for no more than a couple of reps. It would be best if you fell below the target velocity by the end of the first set. Stay at this weight for a few weeks and watch your best rep velocity (BRV) improve over time. Once every rep for each set is above the velocity target, add a reasonable amount of weight.
Experiment to find the velocity range you enjoy. Stay consistent and you’ll have a proven system to maintain quality reps and continue increasing weight.
Do you feel a bit off balance when you're lifting? Think that one leg is working harder than the other? Notice twisting during your squat or deadlift?
If you answered yes, then I'm sure you realize how tough it is to know what's straight when you've been practicing a certain way for so long. Receiving instant feedback is helpful in making those changes stick. The problem is, many people don’t always have a gym friend to help maintain their form.
Wouldn't it be nice if someone was there to help you adjust and stay symmetrical through a lift?
Calibrex gives you live feedback on how evenly you are lifting the barbell. If you are tilted, crooked, or shifted, you will hear a beep in one ear. This feedback allows you to adjust and build quality habits that keep you healthy and confident when lifting.
The most common lifts you'll see in a gym are bilateral movements. Think squats, deadlifts, leg press, and hip thrusts. They allow the dominant leg to compensate and pick up the slack. Single leg lifts like lunges, RDLs, and pistol squats expose hip, ankle, or core control weaknesses.
We all have one leg that's not as strong as the other. It's easy to overlook imbalances when squatting or deadlifting with two legs. But weaknesses become apparent when challenged in isolation. Remember, you're only as strong as your weakest link.
If you want to feel symmetrical, reduce injury risk, and improve your PRs, add single-leg lifts into your workouts!
Here are three exercises to try:
Single Leg RDL
Step-ups
Lunges
The convenience of the three exercises listed above is that you can scale these to any skill level and still track progress.
Let me explain.
Here are two strategies to try:
Train bodyweight lunges for 8 weeks and use Calibrex with your double leg lifts to track bar balance progress.
Track barbell lunges and barbell squats for 8 weeks, then compare your improvements.
The first option is best for less experienced lifters. Practicing single-leg exercises with body weight will be challenging and allow you to focus on your form and balance. As you become more coordinated and confident, start adding load with dumbbells. Continue tracking bar balance data with double leg lifts to see your progress.
The second option is best for experienced lifters who only find imbalances under heavier loads. Gathering barbell data for single and double-leg lifts will allow you to see where you have deficits and how well you have addressed them over time. With this strategy, you can compare key data like best rep velocity, velocity loss, and bar balance from one leg to the other.
Tracking bar balance is a simple and valuable way to build quality habits that propel you toward your workout goals. Make sure to keep an eye on it as the weights get heavier!
I hope this helps you crush your goals and lift smarter than ever before. Until next time.
Looking to take your training to the next level? Pro athletes use these metrics to make better informed training decisions. So can you.
Track your progress, get real-time feedback and minimize risk of injury.
Every athlete had a coach that pushed them to the absolute limit. Some days it was sprinting until you puked. On other days it was lifting until you couldn't walk. This coaching style is appropriate in a few scenarios but counter-productive in most.
On days you're feeling strong, weak, or somewhere in between, VBT provides the numbers you need to make the right training decisions. That way, you can avoid overtraining and maximize your time in the gym.
If you're guilty of overtraining, the number you need to pay attention to is velocity loss within a set. Velocity loss is the speed change from your fastest to your slowest rep. You can influence recovery speed and athletic adaptations if you manipulate velocity loss.
Research has shown that lifting until a 25% velocity loss leads to better short and long-term results than taking a set to a higher velocity loss or even failure. In simpler terms, quality beats quantity.
A velocity stop is a cutoff point for your lift. You set a minimum speed, and Calibrex will warn you once you have dropped below the threshold.
Green light, keep it going
Red light, stop and recover for the next set
Here's an example:
"Use as much weight as you like but don't go under 0.5 m/s for any rep."
The graph above shows a 25% velocity loss from the first to the last rep. This approach helps improve power and manage fatigue. Shorter recovery times allow for more frequent training sessions.
The graph above shows a 52% velocity loss from the first to last rep. This approach is helpful for muscle building and offseason strengthening. Extended recovery periods are needed to avoid overtraining.
Manipulate the velocity ranges of your lifts to create the adaptations you want. Both graphs are the same data set. The first was cut off at six reps to promote higher quality reps and powerful patterns. The second was cut off at failure to stimulate muscle growth and endurance.
It depends on your goals. Are you looking to gain muscle? Power? Maintain strength in-season?
Incorporating velocity stops into your training emphasizes the adaptations you are pursuing.
Here's a guide for you:
"I want to be more explosive."
Set a cutoff at 20% of your best rep velocity (BRV). That way, you drill in high-quality reps and allow for a quick recovery.
"I want to gain more muscle."
Set a cutoff at 40% of your BRV. You can get in a good pump to stimulate muscle growth. But, you will need more time to recover.
"I want to be better at olympic lifts."
Olympic lifts are explosive movements that need a ton of speed. You'll require specific technical skills to unlock your full potential. Prioritize the highest quality reps and avoid pushing through fatigue. Set a cutoff at 10% for power exercises like cleans and jerks.
"I'm in the middle of my season, but I want to stay strong."
Continue to lift heavy but put a velocity cutoff at 15% BRV. That way, you can limit fatigue and maintain strength.
Set velocity stops for your lifts to maximize sessions and avoid overtraining.
Stay Tuned...
In the next post, we will be discussing bar balance and single leg lifts!
Looking to take your training to the next level? Pro athletes use these metrics to make better informed training decisions. So can you.
Track your progress, get real-time feedback and minimize risk of injury.
Athletic profiles are the foundation of VBT. Profiles are a collection of your athletic abilities organized into a simple graph. Elite athletes use this all the time to maximize every rep. Now with VBT technology, you can use it too.
Here's an introduction to creating athletic profiles with VBT.
The two most common profiles are:
Load Velocity Profile (LV)
Load Power Profile (LP)
The heavier something is, the slower you're able to lift it. Obvious, right?
Of course it is but imagine this.
You're training to hit a new PR in the back squat. You've been stuck at the same weight for the past few months and can't seem to break through that plateau. But today you’re feeling good. You walk into the gym on a mission.
For the first few ramp-up sets, you have the barbell flying up faster than usual. So, you check your Calibrex app and see that you broke velocity records in your first two sets.
Well, that's interesting.
You weren't planning on maxing out today but there may be a change of plans. By comparing today's results to your LV profile, you see your 1 rep max (1RM) prediction is higher than ever before.
Now, adjust your workout to build up to a 1RM and break through that plateau!
With an LV profile, you can take advantage of your good days by knowing exactly what you're capable of.
Here's how:
The fastest speed you can lift a weight is very easy to calculate once you have a few examples. In fact, they have a linear relationship, so all you need is four trials to get a predictable trend.
Check this out.
This graph predicts the fastest speed you can lift any weight.
For example:
At 100kg this person can move the barbell just above 0.6m/s
At 40kg they can move the barbell around 1.2m/s
Before we use this graph there is something you need to know.
For any lift, you must reach a minimum speed to complete the movement. This is called the minimal velocity threshold (MVT).
Use the MVT and your LV profile to find your predicted 1-RM.
In this lifter's case, their predicted 1-RM for back squats is 140kg.
You want more power, huh?
Good. Here's a simple way to train for explosive power.
The most common way to use an LP profile is to find out two things.
Peak power output
Weight where max power is produced
This graph shows your peak power output. In this case, it is about 550W.
Now you know you can use this graph to find and track your peak power output, but how do you train to improve it?
Here's where the magic happens:
Find the highest point on your graph
Draw a line straight down
See where your line ended up? That's the weight you should lift to train peak power output.
Power is about intention.
Make sure each rep is done with maximum effort.
The more you understand the information within your load velocity profile, the better you can tailor your training to address the factors limiting your success.
I recommend starting to track one metric for one exercise.
Keep it simple and choose one goal.
Here are some exercises:
Bench Press
Squat
Deadlift
Overhead Press
Here are two metrics:
Readiness
Predict your max strength daily without lifting it!
Early in your workout, compare your best rep velocity to your profile to see if your body is fresh or fatigued.
If your best rep velocity is <10% lower today, then you may need to take it easy and prioritize recovery.
Peak Power
Power is the speed you move a weight from point A to B.
VBT helps you find the weight where you produce the most power.
Lift this weight with max effort and track your progress.
Pick one of each and try out different strategies to reach new personal records!
Looking to maximize your workouts?
Check out our free logbook that'll help you create an athletic profile without the hassle.
There are two simple ways to track progress in the gym. Add more weight, add more reps. Obvious, right? For most people this is enough, but something is missing for you. You feel like there's more to it than that. There has to be!
Turns out you're completely right, something is missing.
It's common to know how MUCH you can lift over time, but nothing tells you how WELL you are lifting that weight. Research has shown that lifting harder does not equal better results. Instead, you must lift smarter.
I'm going to share a simple tool you can use to do exactly that.
The rest of this article will explain why you should pay attention to your best rep velocity and how you can use it to achieve new heights.
Get buckled in, we're going for a ride.
One of the advantages of VBT is instant feedback after every rep. You are constantly competing with your best self. Set a velocity cutoff for each rep and be notified if you failed or succeeded to hit it.
After two consecutive red lights, stop the set and recover for the next one.
You could lift the same weight and reps for four weeks straight and see major changes in the quality of your lifts just by watching your best rep velocity. That way, when you decide to increase weight or reps, you'll be prepared to dominate the new challenge.
No matter what you're training for, every athlete thrives from competition. Track your best rep velocity each set and crush your previous PRs.
Everyone has bad days. Sometimes you feel lethargic and know your workout will reflect it. Best rep velocity is a great indicator of how well your body is prepared to perform that day.
If you complete your first two sets and your best rep velocity is significantly lower than usual (~10%) you will want to lower your weekly workload and prioritize recovery. Focus on improving sleep, nutrition, and stressors.
If you complete your first two sets and your best rep velocity has reached new heights, then you're golden. Spend some time identifying what is helping you the most and double down on it.
Gathering stats over time is a habit that all lifters wish they had at some point. Think about when you first started lifting compared to now. Maybe that's a few weeks ago or even a few decades. Either way, it would be fun to go back and look at how much and how well you lifted over time.
By using the Calibrex app, you can track data from all your training blocks to see what works and what doesn’t. We make it quick and easy for you to get the absolute most out of your sessions. A simple and proven way to do so is by tracking your best rep velocity.
Velocity Based Training (VBT) is a lifting strategy designed to give instant feedback on the QUALITY of your reps.
Everyone is familiar with tracking reps, sets, and weight. There's tons of information on tracking the quantity of your workouts, but almost nothing on the quality.
VBT is a simple tool that shows how WELL you performed.
Athletes have been using this for decades to maximize their sessions in the gym.
By measuring how fast you lift a certain weight, you can see your bar speed and power for each rep, set, and workout.
Okay, why does that matter?
VBT shares valuable insights that guide you towards your athletic goals quickly.
Here are some examples:
Test your 1RM daily without actually lifting it.
Hit more PR's in new categories like speed, power, and range of motion.
Get instant feedback on every rep so you can adjust and maximize sessions.
Keep track of the quality and quantity of your lifts, so you know exactly what is going on during your workouts. Calibrex makes it easy to see the important numbers and understand how well you are performing that day. By comparing data over time, you can see what patterns lead to a great session and others that lead to burnout. Learn about your body. Manage your workload. Limit sluggish days at the gym.
You know that feeling when you hit a new record? It's pure satisfaction when that weight seemingly flies up from the floor. With VBT you'll soon realize there are more records to break than reps and weight. Speed, power, and range of motion are useful metrics that apply directly to every athletic event.
A sprinter needs explosive power to accelerate out of the blocks.
A weightlifter needs elastic range of motion to catch and lockout enormous weights
A boxer needs vicious speed to move away from punches and quickly unload his own.
With VBT you can identify your weaknesses and track your progress as they become strengths.
One of the best advantages of VBT is that instant feedback drives you to lift with powerful intentions.
You see the green light and know what you need to do for the next rep.
You see the red light and push harder to improve.
Every athlete thrives on competition.
Compete against your best self with VBT.
There's no better tool for showing how WELL you're lifting today compared to other days.
VBT is the modern solution to maximizing your workouts consistently. Here are three takeaways.
Velocity Based Training:
Measures the quality of your workout.
Allows you to train for more speed, power, and range of motion in your lifts.
Gives Instant feedback to bring the best out of you.
In the next post, we will be discussing how to create a Load-Velocity profile
Looking to take your training to the next level? Pro athletes use these metrics to make better informed training decisions. So can you.
Track your progress, get real-time feedback and minimize risk of injury.
Advancements in technology have helped shift our society to a more connected, data-driven day-to-day. You use your phone to keep track of your friends, your bank account, and life-changing decisions, every day. So why shouldn't you use it to make the most out of your workout, too?
Training feedback can make a significant impact with fitness trackers and advanced technology like FitBit, the AppleWatch, Whoop. It's a way to translate your effort into real-time data, workout in numbers, and sweat equity into data-tracking progress.
How Can This Help?
By tracking various fitness metrics, from heart rate to calories burned, steps taken to reps completed, you can review how well your workout went—or how much you need to adjust to reach your short-term goals.
All of this data interpreted in the right ways can help with:
Breaking a plateau — Suffering from a setback? Knowledge of progress—even in the slightest—can motivate you to keep coming back for more, day after day.
Knowing you're still on track with pace and weight increments can be the real-time feedback you need to move forward.
Adaptation — Need to know where you are on your fitness journey? Fitness tracking and data-driven statistics can give you the details to precisely pinpoint your progress.
This real-time feedback can help you adapt your workouts to improve results. Having that kind of control can be reassuring and motivating throughout your workout regiment.
Monitoring Fatigue — Know how many reps you want to hit. If you're training a day before the big game you'd best not go all out, and vice versa, during prep season you want to know that you're giving it your best, wether that's training at your 80% or higher.
Real-Time Improvements—Not feeling like you're making the most out of this workout session? It's possible that you're not.
By tapping into your heart rate, metabolic rate, and energy levels and comparing your workout to past recorded ones, tracking devices can give you real-time feedback to help you make the most of what you're doing—right now.
Getting access to real-time feedback through technology gives you access to so much more than your rep count and weight level.
With your training, knowledge IS power.
Show up to each workout with the knowledge of how you can get stronger, fitter, and better every single day.
Looking to take your training to the next level? Pro athletes use these metrics to make better informed training decisions. So can you.
Track your progress, get real-time feedback and minimize risk of injury.
Read More
Adriana is a content writer at Calibrex.
Before joining Calibrex, she was a former professional soccer player, who competed as a D1 Collegiate Level, the international professional level, and the world stage.
Her passion for fitness helped her reach high levels of competition, as she earned CAPS playing for both the Brazilian U-17 National Team, the Portuguese U-19 National Team and vesting the Portuguese crest on the Full National Team, competing in World Cup Qualifiers and other international friendlies.
Real-time objective feedback has scientifically proven to enhance training performance in just 6 weeks. Feedback is used to drive motivation, and increase lifting intent and competition.
It’s important to note all participants were professional rugby players and Mr. Nic Gil - New Zealand All Blacks head coach, participated in the study. The athletes were given the same programs, loads, %RMs reps, and rest intervals. The only thing that was different was that one group was receiving real-time feedback on their jump squats.
It was higher quality of work and higher/better adaptation as a result of simply having the feedback of velocity. It doesn’t just matter what you do, it matters how you do it.
After first meeting with @michael_boyle1959 about 6 months ago, we came back to @mbscofficial to get Michael’s feedback on our progress and had a great discussion on monitoring velocity, his ideal tool for MBSC, and more.
Tune into the conversation 🙂
00:30 - Why should anyone bother tracking velocity?
02:48 - Which sports would benefit the most from monitoring their athletes’ velocity?
5:30 - Is measuring both concentric and eccentric movements equally important?
07:25 - How important is real-time feedback?
10:25 - What would the ideal tool look like for @michael_boyle1959 and @mbscofficial