FitBySci

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐄

When it comes to training volume, a great approach to progressing over time is to add more sets and reps as your program moves forward. However, studies have shown that there is a dose-response in training volume and muscle growth. (1,2) This means that there is such a thing as TOO MUCH volume that will actually have a NEGATIVE impact on your gains

Our recommendation is to make small, modest increases in volume as opposed to huge jumps week by week. This is a more sustainable and favorable approach to progressive overload and prevents a huge accumulation of fatigue. 

Continue making these increases until you have reached a point where your workouts have started declining in quality and/or your performance in the gym suffers. This may suggest that you have reached the maximum recoverable volume for your body to handle.

At that point, go into an active recovery phase or deload for 1 week and then begin training at lower volumes again so that you can gradually build yourself back up, and repeat the cycle all over again.

This topic was previously addressed in one of our Research Roundups. Please refer to that video or our full article to get more details, especially regarding the studies that are referenced.

References 📚
1. Schoenfeld BJ et al. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
2. Heaselgrave SR et al. Dose-Response Relationship of Weekly Resistance-Training Volume and Frequency on Muscular Adaptations in Trained Men.

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

One of the most important things to remember when attempting to make a change in your life is that it takes weeks and weeks of consistent hard work and patience.

If you take a look at those who have undergone crazy physique transformations or even Olympic-level athletes, you’ll know that these people didn’t get to where they’re at overnight.

Ask each and every one of them and you’ll learn the truth.

It’s taken hours of practice. It’s taken hours of hard work. It’s taken hours of blood, sweat, and tears.

So give yourself more credit and acknowledge that you are taking the correct steps in making a positive change within your life.

Be patient with yourself. You’ll get there.

👏 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 👏

Let’s celebrate some gains made by one of our clients Matt, who has made some great gains in terms of both muscle size and strength.

WEIGHT
Left (Starting): 125 lbs
Right (Current): 140 lbs

PRs
Squat: 255 -> 350
Bench: 145 -> 205
Deadlift: 265 -> 355

Week after week, Matt’s been working hard in the gym and tackling everything that we’ve thrown at him thus far headstrong.

Super proud of Matt and we can’t wait to see what he accomplishes in the next few months of his training!





 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐

A lot of coaches out there pride themselves on creating the PERFECT workout program that is GUARANTEED to get their clients shredded and muscular. They brag about having the best exercises, training splits, and rep/set schemes that are optimal for gains.

But what does it matter if someone has the “greatest program in the world” if the client isn’t following it? The issues with these programs is that they’re not client specific. Maybe the client has some aches and pains during the workout or has some physical limitations preventing them from sticking to the workout. Or what if the client is a beginner in the gym and the workouts are too long or too intense to keep doing day-in and day-out.

A lack of individualization for workout regimens can lead to issues with adherence. Catering the workouts to what the CLIENT likes and what they respond to is much more important than hitting the magic number of sets and reps. Asking and being receptive to client feedback is key not only to crafting a program, but also to maintaining adherence on your client’s part. Treat them like a human being and be there to support them! Instead of focusing on your program, put all of the focus on the client. Building up their confidence in exercise and giving them the belief in themselves that they can accomplish their goals is MUCH more powerful than a “perfect program” (1,2,3)

References 📚
1. Exercise self-efficacy - confidence - psychosocial components
2. Andersen LL et al. Influence of Psychosocial Work Environment on Adherence to Workplace Exercise
3. Brassington GS et al. Intervention-related cognitive versus social mediators of exercise adherence in the elderly.

𝐑𝐏𝐄

The RPE scale or Rating of Perceived Exertion scale is a measure of how difficult a set is based on the # of reps in reserve that a lifter has when they complete a set - more casually referred to as “reps left in the tank”. Essentially, it describes how close a lifter is to failure. 

A set where the lifter would not be able to complete any more reps would be assigned an RPE 10 (0 Reps in Reserve). If a lifter was able to complete a set and thinks they could do 1 more rep, this would be assigned an RPE 9 (1 RIR). The same principle applies for RPE 8, RPE 7 and so on. The closer the RPE is to 10, the more difficult it is and the further away it is, the easier.

Above we have a table (based off of one produced by the authors of MASS) that breaks down each RPE level and even includes 0.5 values

This scale is primarily used by powerlifters and coaches to create training programs but it can be used in a wide variety of places. Using RPE can help with autoregulating weights throughout training sessions if you’re feeling off or feeling really good and they can even help predict new 1 rep maxes!

When it comes to gaining muscle, studies show that training relatively close to failure (RPE 7-9) would facilitate greater hypertrophy. (1) HOWEVER, it is important to note that training to failure each set is NOT necessary. By saving a few reps in the tank, you’re allowing yourself to do more training volume. Training to failure does not lead to a significantly greater amount of gains so you’d be training smarter by doing sets just shy of failure. (2,3,4)

Keep in mind though that determining RPE does take practice and lifters may not be accurate all the time when judging their own RPE. 

A key takeaway from using the RPE scale is that most gains happen at higher RPEs. Makes sense right? After all, lifting weights at low RPEs would pose little to no challenge to you and thus would not lead to any significant muscle gains. So think about this when you’re working out next time and really reflect on if you’re working out hard enough. Are you leaving 6+ reps in the tank per set? Or are you really pushing yourself to get those reps in just close enough to failure?

🙌 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 🙌

Today we are celebrating another client’s success story! Karen has been training with us for a few months now and she has seen some great gains along her fitness journey.🎉

Karen is a long distance runner and competes in marathons throughout the year. We were able to help her improve her PR time (from 1:42 to 1:38)🏃‍♀️

We used a few different training variables to help periodize her training blocks and help her achieve the best possible results! Drop sets, super sets, compound exercises - you name it!

Karen was able to provide us with a short testimonial:
"The various workout blocks that FitBySci crafted for me led me to being in the best shape of my life and beating my personal best half marathon time! Their ability to constantly tailor and customize a training program to help me reach my goal was exactly what I needed, and it's evident that it played a big part in my success. Thank you for setting me up with a great foundation for my training that I will carry with me to all of my future races and workouts!"

We have two goals with training our clients:
👉Make sure that our clients are making gains. You come to us and we give you the tools to ensure your success!
👉Provide our clients with the fitness knowledge to create a strong foundation to build upon with training down the road. We want you to continue to make gains after your training with us and set you on the path for great success in the future!

If you want to make a change in your life, reach out to us and we can help you!

Sign up at our website below⬇️

www.fitbysci.com

⚡ 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋 ⚡

🏴 Supersetting is a really common technique in resistance training used to intensify your workouts by adding extra workout volume with the goal of fatiguing your muscles

🔔 While the general concept of how to do a superset is universal, there are multiple types of supersets - some having potentially more benefit than the other types

📑 Take a look at the full article on our website to find out what current exercise research says about supersets and which type of superset helps you make the most gains!

LINK TO ARTICLE BELOW AND IN IG BIO
https://www.fitbysci.com/articles/not-all-supersets-are-created-equal

🙌 CLIENT TESTIMONIAL 🙌

Our team at FitBySci has worked with clients of different fitness levels. Our individualized coaching programs build a foundation around your starting ability and we work from there. As time goes on, we make adjustments to make sure that your workouts are just right.👍

The thing with coaching is that each and every client is DIFFERENT. Something that works for one person may not work for another. That's why you can't give every single person the SAME EXACT program. That's just not going to work.🙅‍♂️

Coaching should be catered to the individual. Coaches should be working with the individual. Period.💯

That's why our programming works. We listen to your needs, to your wants, to your goals. We give you the RIGHT tools to succeed.

👉Take for example one of our previous clients Anu. She is a fit, working mom who has tons of experience exercising. On top of that she had ongoing shoulder pain/instability. Our focus with her programming was making sure her workouts were challenging while at the same time developing strength and stability in her weakened shoulder. Anu was able to follow our program perfectly and she got amazing results! 💪

Here's what she has to say:
"I love the personalized workout built for me to meet my fitness goals. I had been working out for a while, but this program challenged me, motivated me, and produced results! I saw improved muscle definition and improved strength, and the 6-week program helped me build a routine that I have continued to maintain even after the program ended. The macro diet was easy to follow using MyFitnessPal for tracking. I would highly recommend this program!"

If you want to make a change in your life, reach out to us and we can help you!

Sign up at our website below⬇️
www.fitbysci.com