physics

Velocity based training

Velocity based training is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Velocity based training rather than just read about it. In short: Velocity based training (VBT) is a modern approach to strength training and power training which utilises velocity tracking technology to provide rich objective data as a means to motivate and support real-time adjustments in an athlete's training plan. Typical strength and power programming and periodisation plans rely on the manipulation of reps, sets and loads as a means to calibrate training stressors in the pur…

Key takeaways

Velocity based training belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Velocity based training to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Velocity based training from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Velocity based training (VBT) is a modern approach to strength training and power training which utilises velocity tracking technology to provide rich objective data as a means to motivate and support real-time adjustments in an athlete's training plan. Typical strength and power programming and periodisation plans rely on the manipulation of reps, sets and loads as a means to calibrate training stressors in the pursuit of specific adaptations. Since the late 1990s, innovations in bar speed monitoring technology has brought velocity based training closer to the mainstream as the range of hardware and software solutions for measuring exercise velocities have become easier to use and more affordable. Velocity based training has a wide range of use cases and applications in strength and conditioning. These include barbell sports such as powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting and Crossfit, as well as rock climbing. Velocity based training is widely adopted across professional sporting clubs, with the data supporting many periodisation decisions for coaches in the weight room and on the field. Most commonly, velocity based training is used on compound strength and power movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press and the olympic lifting variations. Values such as mean velocity, mean propulsive velocity and peak velocity are recorded in metres per second (m/s) and logged over time to monitor performance and fatigue levels in individual athletes or across teams or cohorts.

Physiology of velocity based training Velocity Based Training is built on the training principle of intent to move and Newton's second law of motion.

Intent to Move When training for strength and power, athlete should aim to apply as much intent as possible to their movements. By trying to lift weights as explosively as possible, an athlete will accelerate and increase the recruitment of their largest, most powerful type II motor units through the Henneman Size Principle. This higher effort and intent in training in turn increases rate of force development, preferential type II fibre hypertrophy through the SAID principle. Until recently, tracking this intent relied on a keen coaches eye and subjective feedback methods. The ability to track and monitor objective metrics such as velocity and power has become a key coaching tool for providing motivation to athletes, improving training adaptations and reinforcing this higher intent to training.

The load velocity profile In most traditional strength movements, as the amount of load an athlete aims to lift increases, the velocity at which they are able to move decreases. The relationship between load and velocity follow a predictable and consistent linear pattern. The stability of this load velocity relationship has made Velocity Based Training a useful tool to be able to predict and estimate strength levels, fatigue and readiness to train.

The load power profile Similarly to the velocity profile, power and load share a stable relationship, however its shape is a single factor polynomial, with the point of peak power occurring between 30 and 80% of 1RM varying based on the exercise and individual.

Minimum velocity threshold The minimum velocity threshold (MVT) is the slowest velocity at which a repetition can be completed for a given exercise. This value is therefore synonymous with the 1 repetition maximum, a common test and indication of an athletes strength levels and progress in the gym. The MVT has been shown to be consistent for a number of common strength training exercises, although the homogeneity of the research cohorts, variations in lifting technique and differences in velocity values given by different tracking technologies used across exercises may suggest a wider level of individual variation in the minimum velocity values than is currently presented.

Velocity based training use cases Velocity based training has many varied uses and applications in training. While the use of standardised speed zones have been historically popular for the pursuit of specific training qualities, recent research has highlighted that high variations can exist between individuals, and therefore individualisation of load velocity profiling and VBT program design can lead to superior training adaptations.

Feedback and motivation By using velocity as a marker of quality in strength training, coaches and athletes can take this feedback to motivate and compete on these metrics. Two studies showed that providing real-time objective feedback to athletes could lead to instant improvements in jump performance and ultimately greater jump improvements over 6 weeks of training by simply displaying jump performance to the athletes as they completed their repetitions. A further study utilised velocity feedback on the squat exercise in a group of rugby players and showed that those athletes who were exposed to their velocity data during the training session achieved greater improvements in speed and power following the training plan. The addition of an objective target, in this case higher velocity, leads to increases in athlete intrinsic motivation as they pursue personal bests or compete with teammates in the gym environment. This extra motivation can be especially valuable for athletes in certain sports and demographics where strength training can be seen as monotonous.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Velocity based training

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Velocity based training claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Velocity based training before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Velocity based training ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Velocity based training

In research: Velocity based training appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Velocity based training in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Velocity based training is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Sports biomechanics, Weight training methodologies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Velocity based training outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Velocity based training in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Velocity based training means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Velocity based training out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Velocity based training in simple terms?

Why does Velocity based training matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Velocity based training?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Velocity based training.