The Power of Regression: “Can You Do This With a Pencil?”

Load: Primary Objective

In the weight room, I believe the primary objective, or physical quality, we should aim for is strength. Strength transfers to practically all general physical attributes regarding athletic performance and longevity. The more strength you have to hit the ground when sprinting, the more length you can create per stride and the more speed you can achieve. Strength is part of mobility. More strength means more sub-maximal loads to generate mechanical tension, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance.

So, what defines strength? I think strength in the weight room is defined by maximal movement. While force can be related to strength, and there is an acceleration component in force, acceleration can be hard to measure (notice that acceleration is not velocity, but the change in velocity, and a lot of the VELOCITY-based technology measures velocity). To simplify that, I will define maximal movement as moving as hard as you can against as much resistance as possible. Thus, if we increase the resistance that we oppose, movement will be slower. In summary, maximal movement against enough resistance that slows you down. Note that while you are moving slowly, you are still moving maximally.

How do we measure strength in the weight room? The simplest answer I can give is load. Are there other ways to determine strength? Yes, like peak force measured through overcoming isometrics. Yet, that is something many places and people do not have access to and, therefore, cannot be universal or as standardized as load. Load is the easiest way to quantify how much force we can produce (taking the force formula F = ma, load equals m = mass). Load is the resistance that opposes our strength movements. It is also a simple way to track progress over time in the gym.

Yes, in my opinion, load is the main priority in the weight room. But what happens when something does not allow you to maximize load in a certain area or exercise? Should you not do it? Should you not do anything with the area affected and avoid everything that is moving? How do you know what to do? Can you do this with a pencil? If so, the load might be the issue. Yet, there are so many variables you can play around with before calling it quits, like the ones in this blog.

Volume: Building Capacity For Load

Volume is defined as the total amount of training work performed: sets × reps. It can play a key role in building strength capacity and eventually maximizing load. By accumulating volume, we prepare the body to tolerate heavier loads in the future. Consider volume a regression strategy or an essential phase where a foundation is built to progress to heavier lifts. For this blog, we will include frequency as a factor for volume, defined as the number of times per week a certain muscle group or movement pattern is trained.

The relationship between volume and strength is a balance. While maximizing load, too little volume can cause too little capacity and be insufficient to continue progress. Too much volume and the athlete risks too much fatigue accumulation. For athletes, managing this balance means strategically increasing volume to build capacity, setting the stage for greater maximal loads.

Volume serves as a tool to improve muscular endurance, tendon health, and joint capacity, which are all important for handling heavier weights. Higher volume may lay a good foundation for technical efficiency and standardization for beginners or those returning to training. It is not as advanced, but I believe in a more concurrent method. We know that the ability to do higher loads is lost after some time of not doing heavy loads. And, the higher the rep scheme is, the less load you can use. While we try to keep some high-loading training, the volume could be added to the program through less fatiguing exercises (high-rep warm-ups or accessories). Sometimes, either because you want to or you have to, we can use main exercises with more volume (reps, sets, or frequency), but remember that 1) High absolute loads are the goal because they are the closest to forces experienced during sport, exercise, or life 2) High loads are a skill that you lose if you do not attempt them for some time (around 20-30 days or more)

Always keep some volume work in the program, especially for anything that you think is a weak link.

Range of Motion: Bang For Your Buck

Range of motion (ROM) refers to the distance and direction a joint can move through. Focusing on ROM can be an initial tool to build mobility and strength simultaneously in positions that may be important for handling heavier loads in specific exercises. By training through a full ROM, athletes increase the effectiveness of their exercises, potentially setting the stage for greater load tolerance in the future. This is what we refer to as “bang for your buck.” Training through full ranges of motion allows us to hit several areas of general athleticism time-efficiently. ROM is one requirement of joint health; strength through that range of motion builds mobility and increases tolerance in positions where you might find yourself in sports or life. Emphasis on stretch positions will also cause more hypertrophy in those given muscles.

So, more often than not, exercises performed through a full ROM in the weight room yield MORE (not better) adaptations than partial ROM. For example, a full-depth squat simultaneously builds mobility, strength, tolerance, and hypertrophy. Does that mean we should only do full ROM? Is it BETTER? Well, as always, it depends on what you are trying to achieve in this field.

First, building full ROM is a must-base for joint health. Your knee should be able to bend, your hip should be able to move around… However, ROM should be adjusted to the individual’s current abilities. Temporarily reducing ROM can act as a regression for those currently hurting, with the goal being to build the ROM back up. Reducing ROM can also act as a way to increase the experienced load for a little bit. For instance, if you want to get used to pushing through more challenging forces and loads, maybe doing pin or box variations of squatting might allow you to use more load than a full range of motion. I often use it with athletes close to the peaking phases to increase maximal output and CNS drive.

Prioritizing ROM offers a significant return on investment by enhancing mobility, strength, hypertrophy, and coordination. Yet, temporarily decreasing the range of motion can achieve other goals you otherwise could not reach. Based on the phase an athlete is in, decide with their feedback what the priority is and work based on that.

Compound vs. Isolation: What is The Goal?

The choice between compound and isolation exercises is often influenced by how they contribute to maximizing load in the future. Compound exercises, like squats, deadlifts, and presses, are essential for building the systemic strength and coordination needed to handle heavier loads and produce maximal force. These movements are defined by the use of multiple joints and muscle groups, providing a system through which we can produce more force, lift more load, and, in turn, gain more strength.

While not as impactful on systemic strength, isolation exercises play a crucial supportive and regressive role. They can address weaknesses that may limit the ability to maximize loads in compound lifts. For instance, targeting the hamstrings with isolation exercises like leg curls can enhance posterior chain strength, ultimately improving deadlift performance. They may also be used as a regression to said compound movements for strength. For example, if you cannot squat but your goal is to strengthen your knee extensors, you can use leg extensions (if they feel good) for lower repetitions than usual to do that and work on getting back into squatting with less load. When substituting a compound movement for an isolation exercise, I ask myself: what is the goal? For example, pressing for weightlifting sometimes does not feel good, the goal is strengthening lockout, so when changing the training, I use triceps isolation exercises as their substitution. In addition, isolation exercises can be added to the program as volume because they are less fatiguing than compound movements.

An effective program strategically integrates compound and isolation movements. Compound lifts focus on maximizing load, while isolation exercises can support heavier lifts in multiple ways. Again, I believe in a concurrent method where no type of exercise or physical qualities have to be left out at any given point. I think that there is no need for isolation exercises, but they can be valuable and helpful in some scenarios. I believe that if you do not feel pain or discomfort through compound movements, you are going to get more in less time from more sets of those exercises than adding more isolation exercises and having to do fewer sets of the compound lifts (with one exception: high-intensity leg curling or knee flexing).

Isometric: Lowest Barrier of Entry

Isometric exercises involve holding a position without a change of muscle length. You can have yielding isometrics, where you are holding a position in space, or overcoming isometrics, where you are pushing against an immovable object.

Isometrics are an excellent regression tool for building the strength to progress to heavier loads in dynamic movements. By strengthening specific positions, they create a foundation for future loading. They also seem to significantly affect connective tissue building and health, which is critical for lifting at high intensities frequently. Isometrics also allow athletes to target weak points or specific joint angles, reinforcing holding good positions or pushing through where it is most needed for heavier lifts.

Isometrics are accessible, making them a low-barrier entry point for strength training. Athletes can safely build strength without requiring advanced technique or heavy weights. Over time, static holds or pushes can transition into dynamic movements, supporting progression to maximal loads.