Summary
Eric Helms and Omar Isuf cover everything you need to know about velocity-based training (VBT) -- what it is, who it's for, and whether the expensive equipment is worth it. They discuss how bar speed can autoregulate training intensity, the research behind VBT for strength and hypertrophy, and practical ways to implement it in your own program.
Key Points
- Velocity-based training (VBT) uses bar speed to autoregulate intensity: when speed drops below a threshold, you stop the set or reduce load.
- VBT removes the guesswork from RPE-based training by providing objective, real-time feedback on fatigue and readiness.
- For strength, target bar speeds of 0.5-0.75 m/s; for power, target above 0.75 m/s; for hypertrophy, slower speeds with moderate loads work best.
- A velocity stop (ending the set when speed drops 20-30% from the fastest rep) prevents junk volume and excessive fatigue accumulation.
- VBT devices range from affordable phone apps to expensive linear position transducers; most recreational lifters can start with a budget option.
- VBT is most useful for intermediate to advanced lifters who have already established baseline strength and can benefit from daily readiness-based autoregulation.
Key Moments
Using velocity to gauge proximity to failure
Tracking bar velocity helps lifters objectively measure proximity to failure and daily readiness, offering a more precise alternative to subjective RPE ratings.
"my proximity to failure and more accurately gauging RIR if you can understand your velocity at different loads you can get an idea of how explosive in my today you know what is my general idea"
Individual variation in reps at a given percentage of 1RM
A study of trained males given 70% of their 1RM showed a range of 6 to 26 reps to failure, demonstrating that percentage-based prescriptions miss huge individual differences.
"we took college-daged train males with at least a 1.5 times body weight squat so a relatively homogeneous group that is trained and we gave them 70 percent of their 1RM and we had them do reps to failure and yes the mean was somewhere around 14 or something like that exactly what you might expect but the range depending on which one of the two studies went from I believe nine to 26 reps"
Cluster sets produce equal strength and hypertrophy gains
A meta-analysis of 17 studies found no significant difference in strength or hypertrophy between traditional sets and cluster sets when total volume is matched, though cluster sets are better for power.
"to plug our own meta analysis the proofs in the pudding when you look at you know 17 studies on this topic we see no significant difference across the studies in terms of strength or hypertrophy comparing you know which which I think is surprising because you're you're reducing fatigue which might reduce the actual amount of training stimulus for individual fibers you know but but ultimately you're still doing the same amount of volume so there's a bit of a trade off there but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference so strength hypertrophy similar outcomes in the meta analysis we did"
Using velocity loss thresholds with cluster sets
Cluster sets break traditional sets into mini-sets with intra-set rest, preventing large velocity drops and managing fatigue while maintaining the same total training volume.
"threshold this is something that I've been playing with is you can use cluster sets and rest distribution sets so just to kind of illustrate the point traditional sets would be something that we do all the time so for example you do if you're a pilot or you do five reps you rest one hour then you do five reps again"
