Sportsmith I couRsEs

Isometric
strength training
Part 4a - RSIST progressions, annual
planning, peaking and periodisation for the
LTAD pathway

In part 4a of the course, Alex will go through various periodisation

models, explain how RSIST fits into an LTAD pathway, how its
used with an advanced athletes and how RSIST integrates with
eccentric training plyometrics and traditional strength training.

@ Sportsmith and Natera Performance Solutions

Hi all. Welcome to this section of the course. way through, but actually putting KPis
For me it's my favorite section. It's where we around our progressions through this
put everything together we've gone through; model. For any stage of an athlete's
the theory we've gone through, the technical development an iso-push can be just as
elements, and it's now about planning and effective as an iso-switch, it just depends on
periodization and how to construct sessions. how we put that together in a periodized
We'll even deviate off of performance and plan.
look at the medical aspects, looking at return
to play and tendon management. So let's talk a little bit around some of these
KPis. Let me revisit some of the normative
Let's talk about RSIST and the progression data that we're looking to establish. In our
of RSIST training. There's clearly a pathway ankles we've got normal ranges from 2.75 to
to RSIST, however the temptation to run 2.99 times body weight forces as a 'normal'
through the pathway and tick boxes is often measure. We then climb to 'really good'
there and I want to try and discourage measures of 3 to 3.24 times body mass and
people from that because in all fairness each then 'excellent' values of 3.25 to 3.5. So
element of the RSIST pathway is important that's what we're aiming for and I just want
for training. Like any good training to reiterate that again.
program, a lot of elements of training are
within a normal periodized plan. We For knee iso-push values we're looking at
generally start with the iso push exercises. 'normal' values between 3.75 to 4.19 times
They have less skill requirements and they body weight, we're looking at 'good' values
don't have the same level of soreness and from 4.2 to 4.49 and 'excellent' values at a
fatigue off the back of iso-holds, for massive 4.5 to 5 times body weight forces
example. We normally go from iso-push and on that knee on that knee isometric push.
then go into more ballistic formats like the
ballistic iso-push. We then delve into the When we're looking at hip values we're now
iso-holds now that we've developed some looking at system weight remember so it's
level of rate of force development and can just what's actually measured on the force
then go from bilateral shares to unilateral plate at the heel when you're in this supine
high load sharing in the iso-holds. position. 'Normal' values are somewhere
between 2 to 2.19 times body weight 'good'
We can then work towards the ballistic values from 2.2 to 2.49 and for 'excellent'
iso-holds again challenging speed of values we're looking at 2.5 to 2.75 times
contraction and then from there we then your system weight which is really
prepare ourselves effectively to move on to approaching very close to body weight
the quasi-isometrics. The iso-switches rather than system weight forces.
initially and then moving to the more
advanced versions like the advanced W hen we look at putting this together in
iso-switch and then to the very end of the terms of KPis that are going to inform our
pathway which is the iso-catch. It's really progression safely, I want to make a really
important again, and I want to emphasize strong indication of where we need to start
that it's not about ticking boxes all the

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

from or where we need to aim for when then gives us the green light to move on to
we're looking at our iso-push levels. I'm a the really high intensity work.
little less passive when it comes to the hip.
When it comes to the hip I really want to Let's look now at the knee iso-push. Again
push targets on the hip a little bit more than the aim is a massive 4.2 times body weight.
the knees and ankles. The reason why is I Not everyone will achieve that but we're
want to stop people getting to this last stage aiming to get there . We're going to push that
of the progression without actually boat out on week one to try and get those
establishing key objectives along the way. So scores. However that doesn't necessarily
what I'm suggesting is we're aiming for that hold us back because as long as we're
2.49 times system weight which is around holding for about eight seconds a knee
62 to 63% of body weight in the iso-push iso-hold of a 2 to 2.25 times body weight
exercise for the hip. mass on your shoulders and holding that
solid for eight seconds, we then have the
We won't always get there unfortunately. green light to move on to the advanced
There's genetics that get in the way and iso-switches.
there's training and all other things that get
in the way but that's what we're aiming for. That then gives us the green light to move
We're trying to get there and these values are on to catches I'd like to see my athletes
essentially towards the upper end of the doing an advanced iso-switch with around
'good' target zone for hip iso-push. I've done 1.5 times their body weight before we then
that on purpose to really hold us back from have that next step up into the iso-catches.
progressing before we're ready.
Looking at the ankles again, the aim is three
We then move on to the holds and if we're times body weight. It's not achievable to all,
able to hold for around eight seconds, if but certainly a concerted effort over
we're able to hold over two times your multiple years to try and get to that level of
system weight, or to put that into a strength.
bodyweight perspective about half of your
body weight at the hip, then gives us a green No matter what, we might have to move on
light to move on to the switches and and that's absolutely fine with the specificity
certainly the advanced switches. That's not of iso-holds. But what i'm suggesting here is
to say you can't be doing some low level an 8 second hold at 1.5 times body weight
iso-switches but certainly moving on to the of an ankle iso-hold. Establishing that
most advanced switches we need to have criteria first can then lead us on to
established these KPis first. progressing to these more advanced
iso-switches. Again, we can do basic iso
Then moving from advanced switches to the switches in the lead up, we can also be doing
really high intensity catches we need to have our ballistic work. But to establish an
established at least a training phase of plus advanced iso-switch progression we need to
1.5 system weight loads equivalent to have been controlling 1.5 times body weight
around 37 to 38% of your body weight at on an ankle iso-hold before we then move to
your hip with a dynamic iso-switch. That 1.25 times body weight iso-switch, an

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

advanced version that then gives us the can apply the highest loads that these
green light if we can do that in a controlled athletes would ever achieve. Fantastic to be
format without deviations and we can switch able to prepare them more effectively for
really aggressively and hold our shapes we their running demands on their sports. So
then have the green light to move on to the what we generally tend to do here, while the
highly advanced iso-catch exercises. athlete is a novice and doesn't understand
the isometric strength training aspects, is to
So these sort of progressions should keep us introduce them first of all to some
accountable as coaches and athletes to make iso-holding work. We look at longer holds
sure that we're ticking off each criteria to be around 30 to 60 seconds. Again, we have
safe. Remember, it's not a process of having this great vascular occlusion and the benefits
to get to the end because we're already being of this type of work is absolutely perfect for
very specific in the way we're doing our this developmental athlete, to have this
exercises. They're already specific to change architecturally and morphologically
running. High force is generated in high fast with higher volume work. We don't really
times and specific muscle actions. Don't feel have a good understanding of what sort of
the urge to advance before you've actually load to give them because we haven't done
hit criterias. iso-push work and assessment yet, so what
we do is we program around RPEs, rate of
Let's get into some of these periodization perceived exertions. We're looking at pretty
models. What i'd like to say here though is low levels of RPE, between two to four. If
that a lot of these periodization models I'll we like we can start applying body weight
explain today and a lot of the sessions that I perspective loads so in this case between 20
explain and detail are actual sessions. to 40% body weight is what we generally
They're sessions that I've either start these young developing athletes with. I
implemented or I have collaborated with should add here it doesn't have to be a
others to implement within their particular young developing athletes on this LTAD
context and their scenarios. So the skill is for model, it might just be more of your novice
you, the attendee, to try and see what trainers or your novice athletes who are new
elements of this course and which of these to resistance training.
descriptive elements around periodization
and session planning you can then After a period of time where we've done
implement into your own scenarios. these iso-holds, we've educated the athlete,
they're starting to understand the feel of
The youth athlete isometric training and we've gradually
increased loads over time, we then start
So onto LTAD, long-term athletic incorporating the iso-push work. We're
development. RSIST form of exercise is a looking for longer duration work, eight to
fantastic part of a long-term athletic ten seconds but the the intensity of work is
development model. Most of the time lower at between 70 to 90%. Again, the
athletes are still learning how to technically athlete is getting used to it so we don't have
lift well and how to apply high loads to their to feel pressured to think we're not
system but with run specific isometrics we experiencing 100% loadings yet because this

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

70 to 90% represents far higher loads than isometric holding work. We do this now with
they'll actually be able to achieve with true loadings. So we have assessed them
traditional strength training. We can be over time now to get a true max loading and
patient here and we can embrace the longer we can then program them accordingly like
iso-push work with the lighter intensity we would do with a more advanced athlete.
work. This work could go on for the best So we're working at 30 to 40% of their
part of a year. iso-push values and we're doing that for 20
to 40 seconds. What you'll see here as we
After that process we can then start progress is the 20 to 24 second repetition
dropping the duration of iso-push work and durations stay there for multiple years or
raising it up to 90 to 100%., perhaps into certainly over a year and a bit. And what
that second year of their training. In the happens is we keep those durations but we
third year we can really get back to some of give higher intensity work. We go from 30 to
the prescriptions that we would normally 40 to 40 to 50 and towards the end of their
prescribe more advanced athletes; two to second year we're up to 50 to 60% loads at
four second pushes with again that 90 to quite high holding times. This is really done
100% work. Although the intensity hasn't to try and drive more morphological and
changed, their ability to access higher levels architectural adaptations at the muscle and
of output has changed and therefore we tendon level.
have the luxury of them dropping some of
their volume of training in terms of their Eventually around year three we start
repetition duration. There's also probably a picking up the loads that we'd be giving
concomitant demand in the specific training iso-hold loadings to more advanced athletes.
of their sport that rises as we go through We're still holding our times at 15 to 20
these years and therefore we have to be seconds, are still quite high again building
cognizant of that and adjust volumes of this great capacity and and great base of
training accordingly. training to develop the younger athlete to do
more advanced work later on. We then
While we're doing all this work, we've had a finally, towards the end of their final year in
bit of a rest from the iso holds early on and this progression, we go to much longer
the reason why is it's a more technically iso-hold durations similar to an advanced
demanding isometric exercise and it is of athlete, around five to 10 seconds. We're
course higher levels of fatigue produced and now really starting to push those loads up to
so on relatively speaking. The young athlete 70 to 80% and what you'll notice here is the
isn't just going to be doing isometric work, only variant we've done is the ballistic
they're going to be doing plyometric work, iso-push and that's prepared them in this
they're going to be doing traditional strength phases for the higher intensity holding work.
training, they're going to be doing a whole
heap of movements and learning how to be After this they may well have developed well
a professional athlete. enough to then go into more of the ballistic
iso-holds, starting to do some iso-switches
But what we do is around one and two and then to the more advanced
years, we start increasing the intensity of our quasi-isometrics.

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

Advanced athlete hybrid iso-switch push exercises.

This time we're more focused on adaptation. Linear based periodization

Our periodization is an adaptation-led
periodization plan. Just to recap on some of So let's look at a more linear based
our theory and I'll only be very brief with periodization plan and we're going to
this one. We have the implementation of us interchange some of these titles as we go
is to have an architectural morphological through depending on the sport you work
change at the soft tissue level. We also have with whether it's a team sport and you have
an implementation to increase force. We off-seasons, pre-season and in-season. Or
have an implementation to increase the rate whether you have transition phases, early
of force development and also this stiffness GPP, SPP and competition phases. Just use
or reactive components and when it comes them interchangeably as we go through
to running the coordinative or synergistic these processes. So what we might find here
strategies of running and the is sometime after a little break in the
implementation of RSIST for that. transition phase you might then give your
athletes some longer muscle length holds
So when we put all of our variants together between 50 to 70% and you'll look at the
what we can see is that we cover that whole longer duration holds 20 to 40 seconds.
spectrum and that's what we want to be You'll do that first and you'll do that to
thinking about when we're designing these increase the adaptation, clearly at this
programs. We can see at the architectural muscle tendon level. Towards the end of the
morphological change level we've got long transition phase you'll start implementing
muscle length work with the holds and the your heavy isometric push work. But you'll
pushes. When we're looking at increasing be looking at the longer pushing work
force we're looking at the isometric pushes because you can in this particular phase of
and certainly the isometric holds and those training without the demands of running in
heavier variants of holds. When we're pre-season. We'll look at five to ten seconds
looking at increasing rate of force of work between 80 to 100% with your
development we're looking at these ballistic iso-push work and we'll then start bleeding
isometric pushes and ballistic isometric in towards the latter parts of the transition
holds. When we're looking at affecting phase your ballistic iso-push work. Again
stiffness or reactivity really specifically we're hitting between these quick half second to
certainly looking at the iso switches and two second high impulse type rate of force
partly some of the advanced iso switches development work. The reason we do this is
clearly and the iso catches. And when we're and you'll hear this a few times through this
starting to look at these coordinative presentation is we're looking to "run before
synergistic strategies i.e creating right we run". So we're looking to prepare our
muscle tension before you strike the ground athletes in the transition phase to hit the
or this intricate interplay between muscle ground running in the early GPP or early
action and relaxation. Then we're looking pre-season phases.
very much at these advanced iso-switches.
Then covering quite a few elements in our There's evidence out there to suggest that

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

this prior isometric work can really help the progressions for a more developed athlete.
eccentric work that's going to follow in
terms of the running demands and change Mini cycling of peaks into competition
of direction demands. So therefore we're
actually preparing our athletes to hit What we have here is this mini cycling of
pre-season running loads more effectively. peaks into competition. This can either be a
team sport where you're highlighting and
As we get into the pre-season or GPP, we're targeting specific games or it could be a
looking at changing from our long muscle sport like athletics, for example, where
length holds, which clearly induce a little bit you've got key competition within six to or
more soreness and fatigue, to going into eight weeks apart from each other. What we
more specific muscle length work now and go through here is a phase where we have a
actually dropping the duration down. This is small implementation of isometric push, we
because we have to be cognizant of the go into ballistic isometric push, isometric
running demands in training and we're hold, ballistic isometric hold, isometric
looking at five to 10 second iso-holds and switches and then advanced isometric
we're going through the full spectrum now switches in order to peak for competition.
from 50 to 80/85%. So the really heavy We then come back and recover off the back
iso-hold work which is very specific to of that and cycle through it again to the next
running. We're also looking at introducing competition.
then after a brief phase of iso-hold work,
after the heavy iso-holds we're looking at In the majority of circumstances, with the
this ballistic iso-hold, switching this majority of our athletes, we normally have
transition from bilateral to single load share some sort of conjugated program running
rapidly. The loads then are dictated around through the periodized plan. So we generally
50 to 65% as we suggest. That then prepares start with isometric pushes somewhere in
us effectively for the iso-switch work. This the transition phase all the way through to
iso-switch work is anywhere from 30 to competition so we keep this level of stimulus
50%. Again that prepares us for the coming into the system. We're looking at
advanced iso-switch work, again 30 to 40% anywhere from 10 to three second durations
and finally moving through in those athletes of isometric push work and again 80 up to
who have clearly achieved the KPis we've 100% of intensity. We bring in our ballistic
discussed to then go on to their iso-catch isometric pushes, working from the higher
work at 20 to 30% and then fly into the ranges around two to two and a half seconds
competitive phase. In that competitive phase but more around 0.5 to one 1.5 seconds
we might actually pull back on all the other ranges as we get into the pre-season and
elements of the iso work and even traditional moving forward. We then bring in our
work in some stages and just concentrate on isometric holds and again each of them
the ballistic isometric pushes. They seem to staying and layering on top of each other
be able to keep a lot of these adaptations with our isometric holds working through
together for a certain period of time. the higher intensities of 70 to 80% with
holding times varying from eight down to
This is an example of these linear based four seconds. That changes with higher

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

duration work earlier on to lower duration around the transition phase moving to a
work closer into the season itself. hypertrophy phase, a maximum strength
phase and then a power phase into season.
We also incorporate our ballistic isometric Now to complement this from an RSIST
holds with with the majority of our athletes, standpoint, because a lot of this traditional
again a little bit of a reduction in load here work is very concentric biased, we tend to
because of the demands of the ballistic work use our holds rather than our pushes. So we
and it's between 60 to 70% Each of these kind of flip the script a little bit. We
layering in preparing one phase to the next complement some of the work done earlier
and then all staying in as part of the library with this longer duration isometric holds, so
of exercises that we can choose from in the 10 to 20 seconds and the lower intensity
season and in the latter stages of SPP or late holds 50 to 65%. We then move classically
pre-season. into shorter durations six to eight seconds
with higher intensity work 65 to75% as we
Now for those who have earned the right, go into the preseason. The reason we're
we also have iso-switches between 45 to doing that is we still need to prepare for the
60% of intensity, we have the advanced running demands of pre-season and later
iso-switches at 35 to 45% and of course for pre-season and competition. So we still have
the real elite we have the isometric catches at to have that work in there, it's just that we're
20 to 35%. All of them are now becoming not doubling up on the concentric biased
part of the repertoire that we can use once work. We then finally hit the intensities that
we've earned the right from a KPI we really want to be in and we're at that four
perspective, but also earned the right in to six seconds with the isometric holds
terms of adaptation through the preparatory around 75 to 85%intensity. So right up there
phase to then incorporate them into a at the upper echelons of the isometric hold
library of exercises within the season itself. prescription.
Although this is run specific isometric
strength training and therefore designed for We then move through our maximum
upright running based athletes, it's naive to strength phases where we can then start
think that there's other sporting elements becoming a bit more advanced with our
that we need to prepare for like acceleration, isometric holds. This can start with doing
like certain types of jumping, change of the iso-catch work, then on to the isometric
direction and so on. Of course, with every switches. Again, that's perfect segway to
good program there's elements of traditional prepare the body for the quasi-isometrics.
strength training work. So we move from advanced isometric holds,
60% work which helps us for the more rate
Overlaying traditional strength of force development focus work in our
training with RSIST traditional training. We start doing some
faster actions essentially and then we move
Let's have a look at overlaying some of the on to our isometric switches completely in
more traditional strength training type line with our power work from a traditional
periodization plans. So we can see here strength training perspective. Then when
we're starting at general strength training we move into the season itself we're then

Spmtsmlth I CQl, 1..,E.s

incorporating our isometric push work, both highly adapted to this new stimulus that's
the ballistic variants and the maximal or the being able to effectively help them peak into
grinding variants. One of the reasons we're the season.
doing that is there's less fatigue from the
pushes versus the holds and we can then use Integrating eccentrics and RSIST
these more effectively with our power
training modalities in season, reducing the A personal favorite of myself is to put
negative and fatiguing effects of traditional eccentric work alongside isometric work at
strength training. least in the early preparation phases. I find
that most of my successful run specific
Using RSIST for peaking isometric strength training comes off a rock
bed of eccentric strength training. After all,
Looking at overlaying traditional strength the contractions are pretty similar albeit one
training work with isometric work there is far more fatiguing and causing of muscle
also a strategy of peaking when we use run damage than the other. What I tend to do is
specific isometric strength training. It's a do my early phase eccentric duration work,
strategy where we stay with our normal the longer time and attention work, early
route of traditional strength training and moving on to shorter time and
periodization work through the in season attention, higher intensity work as we
but we actually also use run specific approach the season and the running
isometric strength training as a bit of a demands become more significant in
peaking block. There's evidence out there to pre-season. To complement this I do
say that this peaking can really occur off a iso-push work. Holds and eccentric work are
really short block of between four to six too similar so we really look at the more
weeks, let alone two to three at stages. So in concentric dominant type work in the
this case we run through our general iso-push stages. The iso-push goes from 80
strength, our hypertrophy, our max strength - 90% loads with longer durations; five to
and our power phases and there's probably eight seconds through to very quickly. That
some overlap in particular this example of a leads onto the higher intensity pushes of
periodized plan that i've used previously. three to five second durations hitting those
And what you find here is that what we do is maximal outputs. It's not until the eccentric
just towards the latter stages of pre-season strength training phase comes to a
that's when we incorporate our higher load culmination somewhere at the latter stages
isometric push work, our maximal or of early pre-season that we then start to
grinding intent work at 90 to 100%. We also incorporate the isometric holds. The
can commonly use our ballistic isometric isometric holds come in and take over.
push work of 0.5 to 1.5 seconds work which Isometric holds are very similar to eccentric
is RFD focused. That then peaks us nicely work and therefore take over what might
as we come into the season. Then we drop have been left out or lost after eccentric
off on some of this heavier maximal strength training cessation.
load and we just use this to facilitate a
fantastic run into the season where athletes
are fresh, they're charged up and they've
Overlaying plyoinetrics with RSIST more. We start to lessen the load from the
shock training to the high intensity reactive
When we look to overlay our run specific work and we have small doses through the
isometric strength training work with in-season period. We complement that with
plyometrics, what we're looking at is each our isometric switch work.. Again,
time as we step through the process, the run quantifying the load on each perspective to
specific isometric strength training work not overload in these impact type
helps to prepare for the next stage of performances. Again we use an iso-switch
plyometrics. In this case we might do more variant rather than an iso-advanced
propulsive work early on and then more iso-switch variant which has clearly more
eccentric landing based work later in the impact loading and we have our isometric
periodized plan of plyometrics. We then push all the way through the season to
might go into some stretch shortening cycle maintain some of that maximum isometric
activity as we start some low intensity force. or develop it as we often see. A bit
reactive work. We then might step up the more of a passive loading format in this
intensity with some loaded jumping, periodisation plan particularly when we've
applying external load to the jumps and gone through the early stages of developing
some higher intensity reactive work, plyometric activity and also isometric
eventually finishing on some very high strength work through to the in season.
intensity work later on in the phases. Each
time we implement one specific isometric Recoininended resources
strength training strategy to prepare us for Article - Protective effect conferred by
the next stage. In this case we're developing isometric preconditioning against slow- and
force effectively with the isometric pushes fast-velocity eccentrci exercise-induced
and clearly complementing a concentric muscle damage - Renan Vieira Barreto and
dominant type of jumping strategy. We then colleauges
incorporate some faster work before we look
at the landing strategies. We then look at
isometric holds before again, this more of an
eccentric nature to isometric holds until we
look at the reactive work with faster isometric
hold work before then the higher intensity
reactive work. Eventually we get to the shock
training methods. From then on we start to
back off on some of the isometric, the
quasi-isometric work and the higher intensity
run specific isometric strength training work
to allow for the load to be effective in the
higher intensity plyometric work.

As we move through to the in season periods

or later parts of pre-season to in season, we
start to complement the work a little bit