JAMES FITZGERALD’S WEEKLY AMA: WHEN IS A CLIENT AN INTERMEDIATE?
James FitzGerald’s Weekly AMA: When is a Client an Intermediate?
In this weeks Ask Me Anything sneak peek, James FitzGerald, answers the question of “What is the best indicator that my client is ready for the intermediate splits?”
James’ Three Training Categories
Before we get into the prerequisites for intermediate training splits we must first explain the three training categories. The three main training categories are beginner, intermediate, and advanced. A client must graduate each of these categories before moving to the next. The progression is a pyramid because, in theory, the client will work their way up until they are an expert. Once they reach their maximal physical potential they will start working back down through intermediate to beginner as they resist entropy.
How Do You Know A Client is an Intermediate?
James tackles this question by saying “There is no hard and fast answer, everyone is different and the prerequisites will vary between clients”. But here are some sample characteristics of an intermediate.
Sample Characteristics of an Intermediate Client:
A high level of relative body strength
A higher chronological age
A high training age
A higher amount of accumulated reps (over their lifetime)
A high level of resilience
Intermediate Training Splits
Once you know for certain that the client is indeed an intermediate you can begin to program different training splits. Intermediate clients have now graduated from training full body resistance every day to specific pattern splits.
Sample Intermediate Training Splits:
Day 1: upper, core
Day 2: lower, core
Or
Day 1: bend, push, core
Day 2: squat, pull, single leg, core
It Really Depends on the Individual
The sample characteristics and the splits above are a great starting point for intermediate clients. But, in order to get the best results from your programs, you must first understand the principles behind writing programs based on client’s training age.
Learn these fundamental programming principles such as the Strength Continuum, Muscle Endurance Tree, Dose Response, and Energy System Training in our program design specific course Programming: Principles.