 The most common question we've received so far for the new KING Strength app has been: how do I cancel a class??? Read on to see the steps.
Congratulations, you just completed January's rigorous block German Volume Training. Your prize is Advanced German Volume Training, the name is pretty self explanatory it's the more advanced version...
 Everything relating to the gym's quarterly KPI Testing:
GREYSKULL LINEAR PERIODIZATION.
The theme of December's strength block is Greyskull Linear Periodization (Greyskull LP). This program is famous for its effectiveness at building strength and size rapidly (hypertrophy). But what exactly makes it one of the best beginner weight lifting / power lifting programs? The answer lies in the name: "LP" aka LINEAR PERIODIZATION. We're finishing October's accumulation strength block where the theme was Escalating Density Training (EDT). For November, we're jumping into an intensification block. We'll be focusing on developing our speed, power and strength. Unique to this block, we're manipulating the rest between reps and utilizing a concept known as Cluster Training.
We're entering an accumulation block. What does that mean? The goal of an Accumulation block is to use as much total energy in a session as possible. This maximum energy expenditure increases muscle tissue and fitness levels while decreasing body fat. You might be wondering what "maximum energy expenditure" means or what it's going to feel like. It means these training sessions are going to be very spicy. Escalating Density Training (EDT) is a training protocol developed by Charles Staley in the early 2000s. While most people tend to mostly look at load (weight) and volume (sets x reps), EDT manipulates density. To be specific, the goal of EDT is to complete more sets in the same amount of time; each successive workout, you aim to achieve more work in the same time period. How are the workouts going to be set up? Each workout will consist of three separate series of exercises. Series A: Main, Compound Movements (20-minute time frame) Series B: Accessories Series C: Core Work / Finisher For the A series of our main, compound movements. We'll put a prescribed weight on the bar. That weight stays the same for the next 4-weeks. Week 1, the weight should be challenging enough to get around 10 sets in 20 minutes. After that, it's all about getting as many sets as possible in 20 minutes while maintaining quality* of movement. * A note on quality * When we say quality, we mean maintaining great position, technique & range of motion. More work in the same time. Rather than the same work in less time. This is an improvement in overall work rate, you will become more efficient. Each week, you should aim to increase the number of sets performed within the designated 20-minute duration. So what does Density mean in Escalating Density Training? What is Density? Your training density is the work you're able to do in a given amount of time. Training density is the amount of sets multiplied by the number of reps completed within a certain time frame. There are two methods for increasing Density: Method 1. Increase the amount of work in the same time frame. Method 2. Keep your workload the same while decreasing your work time. We're going to be increasing our training density by increasing the amount of work in the same time frame.  The changes in density caused by reducing rest but keeping volume and intensity up work like pressure changes in physics. The theory is that, all else being equal, less time with the same effort and training volume will elicit stronger signaling to the body. If the amount of rest is insufficient and intensity drops, the session is simply less effective than the original workout. Escalating Density Training (EDT) is really f*cking hard. Here's the scientific reason why... The burning of energy through the storage forms of carbohydrates (glycogen and glucose), fat (adipose and fatty acids) and potentially proteins (amino acids) lead to an acidic environment, or an accumulation of hydrogen at the local level. This acidity corresponds with increases in anabolism (building proteins) post-training through natural levels of growth hormone and testosterone. The most important takeaways you need for the next 4-weeks of this strength block: With such demanding training, our progress is exclusively determined by how well we recover from week to week. Rest and recovery are absolutely necessary. You will not get progress in this block without the appropriate rest and regeneration. We don't advise you perform any two-a-days during this strength block because over-training will hinder your results. Recovery is key. It's fundamental. It's essential. If you report excessively high RPEs and your workloads increase drastically - your countermeasures have to match it. If not, your progress will not occur resulting in either a plateau or possibly worse performance. Sleep, nutrition, and regeneration are the keys to success in this strength block. They must be placed at the highest priority if you want to maximize the benefits of EDT. Rest reduction increases fatigue and leads to technique and strength decay. Our goal is to make our clients better, not tired.  Utilizing the TrainHeroic app allows us to accurately track and measure what we do during each training session. * A note on why we track your progress * Assessing your progress week to week will be one of the core principles of our programming going forward. It's going to be the primary tool we use to assess if the load was appropriate from week to week based off how you adapt. The term for this systematic tracking of progress and loading of the bar is called Progressive Overload. A large misconception is that progressive overload only means increasing intensity or load. But with progressive overload, you can increase the number of sets at a specific load, you can increase the repetitions at a specific load, or in this case - you can increase the training density at a specific load.  What is RPE? RPE is short for Rate of Perceived Exertion. Based off a lot off research, RPE is a fairly accurate representation of your exertion during a training session. If your heart rate is higher, you report a higher RPE. And vice versa - if your heart rate is lower then you report a lower RPE. Take your RPE number and multiply it by 60-minutes of activity and you can calculate a workload. So with an RPE of 5 x 60-minutes = workload of 300. Our goal is to manage that workload and tie that into a progressive overload based model. Usually, we follow a "traditional" progression with our loading which, means we order our weeks with 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% of relative intensity. With this block, it will be the same Relative Intensity for 4-weeks, which changes the focus from progressive increases intensity to increases in density. REFERENCES:
Street D, Bangsbo J, Cartsen J. Interstitial pH in human skeletal muscle during and after dynamic grade ncsf d exercise. J Physiol. 2001 Dec 15; 537(Pt 3): 993–998. Velloso CP. Regulation of muscle mass by growth hormone and IGF-I. Br J Pharmacol. 2008 Jun; 154(3): 557–568. Haff, G., & Triplett, N. T. (2016). Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Fourth edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.nat “RPE Scale (Rated Perceived Exertion).” The Fit Tutor, May 2019, thefittutor.com/rpe-scale/. Valle, Carl ValleCoach. “Training Density: How to Improve It and When to Leave It Alone - SimpliFaster.” SimpliFaster Blog, 15 May 2017, simplifaster.com/articles/training-density-improve-leave-alone/. “RPE Scale (Rated Perceived Exertion).” The Fit Tutor, May 2019, thefittutor.com/rpe-scale/.“RPE Scale (Rated Perceived Exertion).” The Fit Tutor, May 2019, thefittutor.com/rpe-scale/. We're capping off Q3 of training with an intensification block. July and August's programming focused on volume, body composition and work capacity; September changes the game, the programming's purpose is to get you as strong and as powerful as possible heading into Q3 KPI testing week 9/27-10/2.
Break strength and size (hypertrophy) barriers with this tried-and-true strength training method. The 1-6 Principle with contrast sets is a powerful training program that allows individuals to train for absolute strength and functional hypertrophy. For the 1-6 Principle you are going to alternate between 1 rep maxes and 6 rep maxes on an exercise. The 1 rep max sets potentiate your central nervous system so you can lift more weight on your 6 rep max sets. This is based on neurological phenomenon called post-tetanic facilitation (PTF). PTF suggests that a more powerful muscular contraction can be achieved if that strong contraction is preceded by a strong muscular contraction. The 1-6 principle is a practical application of PTF, using loads to increase the activation of the nervous system before performing sets of higher reps. This effect enables an individual to use heavier weights in those 6-rep sets, which will enable you to build bigger and stronger muscles - breaking strength and size (hypertrophy) barriers. 1-6 Principle Protocol A1.) Main Compound Lift: 6 sets consisting of 1, 6, 1, 6, 1, 6 reps, 60s rest after 1s, 180s rest after 6s, 4/0/X/0 A2.) Antagonist: 6 sets consisting of 1, 6, 1, 6, 1, 6 reps, 60s rest after 1s, 180s rest after 6s, 4/0/X/0 B1.) Assistance Lift B2.) Assistance Lift C.) Core / Conditioning The 1-6 contrast sets are a lot like wave loading. Wave loading refers to a grouping of work sets in "series." You are trying to increase the amount of weight that you can use on each of the "waves." There will be 2.5-5% jumps on the bar on each subsequent sets of 1 rep. You would do the same thing on each subsequent set of 6 reps. We'll be running a 3-day strength training split: Monday: Deadlifts Wednesday: Chest + Back Friday: Squats The goal is to get the most out of the last set of 6 reps. It's not about the heavy 1 rep. It's about using that 1 rep to allow us to get more out of the 6 reps. We're continuing the chase for hypertrophy and improved body composition to end our summer's on a high note. August's strength block will be the last accumulation block of Q3 meaning we'll be ramping up our training intensity in September in preparation for Q3 KPI Testing. Let's do a quick review on the following training terms: Accumulation block, Time Under Tension and the Size Principle. What does Accumulation mean and what is the goal of an accumulation training block? Accumulation is just getting as much volume as we can. The difference from intensification is we’re deliberately trying to work body composition, such as improving our fat-mass to muscle-mass ratio, to get more muscle. It’s okay to say that we want to look better, as well as perform better. This accumulation block will build muscle mass and set a foundation for the heavier lifts to come. This accumulation phase will transition nicely into our later intensification phase where we’re going to be in better condition to handle higher weights more frequently. We will also have greater tensile strength of our joints and ligaments to handle these higher intensities and these heavier loads. We’re going to push through a threshold that we potentially didn’t have before, especially when we’re doing multiple sets of intensities above 80% when your legs are feeling a little tired. There are a couple of central themes behind Accumulation Blocks: Hypertrophy, Improving Body Composition and Muscular Endurance. August's accumulation blocks focus is Hypertrophy. TRAINING PRINCIPLE: TIME UNDER TENSION (TUT) When it comes to building muscle, there are a lot of factors that come into play. You have the basics: rep ranges, total sets, rest periods, technique, and exercise selection. However, there is one variable that often gets neglected, if not forgotten altogether. The amount of time you actually spend lifting the weights per repetition. The tempo of your repetition. Time Under Tension (TUT) refers to the time that a muscle is under load or under strain during a set of a particular exercise. The graph below depicts how variable times under tension require different energy system utilization.  TRAINING PRINCIPLE: THE SIZE PRINCIPLE The Size Principle states as duration and load increases you recruit more and larger motor units to meet this increasing demand. Muscle fibers are connected to motor units and these motor units are selectively activated depending on the task. As a task becomes more demanding, more motor units are recruited and subsequently more muscle fibers. This was the key reason why July's strength block 6/12/25 was selected prior to this month's block. The more you train, the faster you can access higher threshold motor units. This means more experienced lifters are more efficient each session. Due to their nervous systems recruiting more effectively and adapting appropriately.  BRINGING IT TOGETHER: THE 6/12 METHOD
The 6/12 method paired with time under tension radically impacts the nervous system with differential loads. The differential loading refers to alternating between heavier sets and lighter sets with more repetitions. This has a huge effect, sudden increases in intensity (heavier loads) and volume (more repetitions) lead to drastic responses from the nervous system. Volume As we all have seen from July's block 6/12/25, increased volume leads to fatigue. By depleting muscle glycogen and increasing muscle acidity. With increased fatigue, the nervous system begins to recruit more muscle fibers to meet the demands of a given task. Intensity Increased intensities require higher-threshold muscle fibers, such as Type IIx and Type IIb. These "faster-twitch fibers" are capable of more force production aka power. And are needed to handle heavier loads. This is the beauty of the 6/12 method: By alternating between heaver and longer sets, your nervous system becomes more efficient by recruiting more muscle fibers and higher threshold fibers. This will allow us to handle more stress and intensity each week leading into next month's Q3 KPI testing. Welcome to the summer time, hypertrophy and body recomposition focused months. We're shifting gears, increasing the volume and intensity of our strength training programming to elicit metabolic and hypertrophic effects on your body. We'll be building on top of the programming we completed in June and challenging you in different ways all with the focus of getting you to be as efficient as possible with your energy expenditure. BASE TRAININGWhat is BASE Training? Getting strong doesn't need to be complicated but it also requires a solid base. Base training is a stripped-down way to build lean muscle, solidify movement patterns, and get the most ROI from training. It simplifies the number of barbell movements, incorporates more kettlebells, and focuses on time tested, scientifically proven strength building exercises. This is a 3 day training split. What to expect during a BASE Training session:
We highly encourage all clients to make time for BASE Training in June. It doesn't matter if you're on your 7 Day Trial or if you've been with us for 3 years, it will help sharpen up your technique and train better. * New Members will be required to complete at least one month of BASE Training prior to re-assessment qualification for Strength. Safety is our priority. *  STRENGTH BLOCK: POLIQUIN'S 6/12/25 METHODThis is a 3 day training split. Advanced clients can include BASE Training sessions into their weekly calendar but we encourage appropriate rest and recovery. What does accumulation mean and what is the goal of an accumulation training block? Accumulation is just getting as much volume as we can. The difference from intensification is we’re deliberately trying to work body composition, such as improving our fat-mass to muscle-mass ratio, to get more muscle. It’s okay to say that we want to look better, as well as perform better. This accumulation block will build muscle mass and set a foundation for the heavier lifts to come. This accumulation phase will transition nicely into our later intensification phase where we’re going to be in better condition to handle higher weights more frequently. We will also have greater tensile strength of our joints and ligaments to handle these higher intensities and these heavier loads. We’re going to push through a threshold that we potentially didn’t have before, especially when we’re doing multiple sets of intensities above 80% when your legs are feeling a little tired. Let’s dive in a bit deeper on what an Accumulation Block actually is. There are a couple of central themes behind Accumulation Blocks: Functional Hypertrophy, Hypertrophy, and Muscular Endurance. This block’s focus is Muscular Endurance. We’re looking to tax some of the fatigue resistance muscle fibers. Also known as type 1 muscle fibers.  You know those "SPICY" shirts that you see people wearing around our gym? This is the infamous spicy strength block. That should scare the hell out of you in a good way. You're going to get everything that you've ever wanted to accomplish in one training block. June's French Contrast Method strength programming introduced everyone to the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat (RFESS) and we're going to build on that by introducing more unilateral exercises to accompany our axial loading with barbells (barbell front and back squats). Unilateral loading allows us to train a little more asymmetrically so we can get everything lined up again and focus on isolating any muscular imbalances or compensations. Also, when you train one leg, you're getting twice the metabolic demand as you would with training two legs at one time so your conditioning / work capacity improves too. 6/12/25 burns load a shitload of fat. From a program design standpoint, we're using a higher rep scheme designed to burn fat for the energy we use during the session. We specifically start the training sessions with 6 reps of fast twitch muscle fiber movements like front squats, bench press, bent over rows or deadlifts. Beginning the session with these movements first fatigues fast twitch muscle fibers and leaves the more fatigue-resistant muscle fibers to finish the task. This design burns more glycogen at the top of a session and sets us up to burn more fat throughout the session. A key concept to understand for this block is Size Principle. “This Size Principle is a naturally occurring process to prevent overexertion. Essentially, we utilize slower twitch muscle fibers at the start of an activity to defer the use of faster twitch muscle fibers later. The sequence is important because it impacts our response to training.” In this block, we’re reversing the Size Principle by utilizing higher threshold motor units at the top of the session in our compound lift of 6 in our 6/12/25 rep scheme. When we transition to 12 and 25 reps, we’ll utilize lower threshold motor units and intermediate/slow twitch muscle fibers.  And what’s the goal of taxing all muscle fibers to the extent of their capabilities? The goal is to maximize our response to training; making our bodies respond to what we’re going through. Which brings us to our next point: Hypertrophy. There are essentially two different types of hypertrophy: Sarcoplasmic and Myofibril Hypertrophy. The “pump” sensation is what comes from sarcoplasmic. When you do higher-rep, lower intensity work it causes increased blood flow to an area. This increased blood to the area helps with long-term recovery by removing waste post exercise and inflating of mTOR pathways that repair broken down tissues.  “When you do higher-rep, lower intensity work it causes increased blood flow to an area. This increased blood to the area helps with long-term recovery by removing waste post exercise and inflating of mTOR pathways that repair broken down tissues.” A second key component of hypertrophy is using all energy stores in the muscle. In this case, specifically glycogen. When glycogen is burned for energy during training, it’s called glycolysis. Glycolysis usually occurs during anaerobic exercise where we need immediate energy for work but we don't have a lot of oxygen present. So in hypertrophy, we first use available glucose and then glycogen stores. When we continue the duration of training, we exhaust glycogen stores and look for different types of fuel to burn. In our case, we are hoping for fatty acids. In our training program, by structuring a combination of higher threshold motor units in our set of 6 and lower threshold motor units in our sets of 12 and 24 we can hopefully burn glycogen faster and subsequently utilize more fatty acids for fuel during the session. In conclusion, the goal of this block to use higher rep schemes that tap into burning fat for energy. We’re starting with high-threshold, motor-units and fast twitch muscle fibers to get more out of our higher rep schemes than if we would if we just went into higher reps. This structure will burn more glycogen and lead to better utilization of other fuel sources. Resources:
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