I was recently asked the question, “If there was one major change you would make in the training process in the past, what would that be?” My answer was my models and ideas on muscle endurance and its progression. You see, sometimes things take time to grow. Things like motor control. Things like strength. Things like movement proficiency.
 
It was a very quick decision to make, actually, as it was highlighted many times for me with my clients. Again and again I would see someone not reaching what I knew deep down was their maximum potential, and they could not get there because their resistance training base was not built.
 
You see, the base of the typical resistance training proficiency model has flaws. Many think that the reason novices do not get consistently stronger for years is due to the wrong program, the wrong reps and sets, the wrong ideals. We forget though that basic human function--biology and the brain and cells that make us up--have a lot to do with that improvement. Basic biological function begins with learning, and in this case, it begins with motor learning.
 
If one wishes to start a journey on resistance training, the main limitation that’ll stop them from having improvements for a long time is motor control. When someone initially learns how to bend over with a good lumbar position, hang from a chin-up bar, lunge, step up, get down to the ground and back up, hold a plank, or perform a push-up or a squat, their limitation is not that they don’t understand the Prilepin's chart, or that they don’t have a Texas Power Bar around, or that they are not INTENSE enough. It’s quite simple. They have not learned the movement effectively enough for long-term success of the movement in various intensities and modalities. Reps are required for each of these movements - a LOT of reps.
 
When some coaches and intense fitness participants hear that, all you hear is, “It takes so much time, and it’s boring,” or “Reps won’t make you strong, man,” or “15 reps of anything will make you weak,” or “We can’t put that in our class setting.”

 
It’s okay if it makes you feel a little uncomfortable, but to that I’d ask, what is the goal of the participant in resistance training? If it’s to help them live long and prosper without pain, then continue listening. If it’s sports performance, then move on from the conversation.
 
Much of the accepted dogma of high reps required to get stronger come from elite lifting models that know how to take someone from being okay to great. THAT program though is not the same program that is required to get someone started on resistance that is sustainable for a lifetime. In fact, it’s vastly different.
 
One cannot apply low reps, high effort, and only multiple-joint complex movements to a new brain. This is done with intense group classes now in resistance training, because this is on the board for the day. 

Push Press - 3,3,3,3,3,3,3  (or Deadlift- 2,2,2,2,2,2, or Split Jerk - 1,1,1,1,1,1,1); rest as needed.
 
It means that even Janice who has two months of experience in lifting is doing it. This method is called fast tracking in resistance training. What you get is faster absolute results but a stagnant future for Janice. She will hit PRs in the first two years and then none for years to follow.
 
If she were to do the slow game, she would still get PRs in two years, albeit at a slower rate, but she’d still be getting for years and years to come. The slow game is not as fancy and is harder to sell, but it actually works as it is based on biological adaptation.
 
The exact scientific premise of it is not hard to understand if you see every resistance movement for a beginner as a skill. It is well known in motor development of skills that you need this order to create success long term of intensity and precision:

 

1. Deep practice and low intensities and high repetition.
2. Add low intense variability to the skill in context, along with the deep practice to reconsolidate the skill.
3. Consistently train the skill at the level attained, and introduce new variables at that level of the skill for improvements.



 
In the resistance training world, it would be like this in a very simple state.

 
Early on:  
2x/week - RDL @ 1010; 20-25 good reps

 
Weeks later:

1x/week - RDL @ 1010; 15-20 good reps

1x/week - KB sumo DL @ 1111; 15-20 good reps


 
Months later:

1x/week - RDL @ 1010; 10-15 good reps

1x/week - Russian KBS - 15-20 good reps

1x/week - DB back extension @ 1010 - 15-20 good reps


 
This is a very simple example, but it highlights the points above in skill progression for resistance.
 
Remember, the main limitations for novices are motor control, muscle endurance, and learning the movement. Therefore, what should go into the program at this time is just that - repetition at their level. They will continue to get stronger. Don’t worry about that. Anyone who has actually worked with new people continually over for years can attest to this. They learn during every workout, as they should - they are NEWBIES.
 
Those that don’t believe in this model have either only worked with talented athletes, or have lost a lot of people after two years as they reached the high and never persevered beyond that. (Or they read a book on an elite strength program and thought that was the bible but never actually trained anyone, only wrote about it on the web.)
 
I’ll use the sport of CrossFit as my example for where the system of training for the sport creates these stagnation points and why. (This example that can carry over to any other sport setting using resistance training.)
 
Many who participate in CrossFit as a sport need to make all kinds of contractions aerobic. Those who can keep contractions as calm as possible for as long as possible while putting out the best power they can eventually become the better CrossFit athletes.
 
The journey of most who are successful in the sport is built on YEARS of resistance in various ways:  swimming, cycling, weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, gymnastics, or other sport settings. When asked in 2007 publicly about what I thought the main programming it should be to make the best CrossFitters, my answer was bodybuilding. *Crickets.*
 
Now in 2016, it’s not hard to see that the best CrossFit athletes do a lot of accessory work in the off-season, GPP focused on specific areas like strict gymnastics and weightlifting volume, and not as much on “varied, high intensity” anything.
 
This is not an “I told you so” story, as even I knew what it would take for long-term progress in the sport. I fell prey to the fast track as well. I was misaligned at times with competitions, the limelight for the athlete, and faster progression. I only have this insight now that I have done it and can look back.
 
I would not have had people compete as often. I would have made a long-term development program that focused on reps and resistance for YEARS before dynamic contractions and fatigue. I tell you this because I know it’s hard to change. I understand that many will tell you differently.  In many cases, though, you might only see what you want to see, not what is actually the truth. 

Here are some simple principles to remember for coaching novices.
 
Simple before complex. Ensure they get movements down with frequency and aptitude for a long while before adding pieces to it.
 
Isolate before integrate. Ensure they get movements that focus on full-body movements, core to extremity, per session as you begin. Add complexity and challenge over time.
 
Slow before fast. One cannot produce force or sustain it for long periods without having motor control first.
 
Think of progression as motor control —> muscle endurance —> strength endurance —> maximum contractions —> contractions with fatigue. The time you will spend on each one is based on the client’s resilience, fragility, lifestyle, etc., so take care and control what you can before ramping things up. One can spend years in each area. Once you fast track and speed up the progression, it can be hard to retrain, so take the time and keep longevity and maximum potential in mind when designing resistance programs.