VBT Topics
Core topics and principles to help you understand velocity-based training. Each topic introduces the concept and links to the articles that go deeper.
Load–velocity profiling
The central idea in velocity-based training, and the one most coaches stop short of using properly.
Velocity zones
Bands of bar speed mapped to training adaptations. The popular five-zone model has real problems; here's how it works, where it breaks down, and the simpler three-zone model we use instead.
Velocity loss & fatigue
The cleanest single number for "how much fatigue is in this set", and the autoregulation metric that holds up best with real athletes.
1RM estimation
Calculating max strength from sub-maximal sets, without ever loading a real one.
Intent & effort
Bar speed under sub-maximal loads is mostly a measurement of intent. Athletes who chase faster bars tend to get stronger faster.
Programming with VBT
Translating bar-speed data into actual training plans: sets, reps, loads, and the day-to-day adjustments that follow.
VBT for strength
Velocity-based training applied to maximum strength: for powerlifters, weightlifters, strongman, and any sport that puts a number on the bar.
VBT for power
Using bar-speed data to train power output: the loads, the velocities, and the contrast methods that produce force × velocity.
VBT for hypertrophy
Velocity loss is a sharper tool for hypertrophy programming than rep counts.
Technology
The hardware and software that turn a barbell rep into a velocity number, and why every device gives you a slightly different one.