One of my favorite ways to apply precision point training to periodization is to use marker set training. There are a couple forms of marker set training, but the one that I will be discussing in this article is based on using poundages that allow you to maintain a steady even rep pace for every rep of a set consisting of a predetermined amount of reps. Sets of the same exercise are repeated every two to three minutes until you reach a set where your rep speed slows down when you reach the last rep of the set. This would be your marker set because it marks the set where you can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace for every rep that is performed for a predetermined number of reps. An example will help to explain this.
An Example of Marker Set Training
We will imagine that Mike is using marker set training for his bench press workout. He chooses to use 60% of his single rep max for sets of ten reps. When doing his first set, Mike has no problem maintaining a steady even rep pace for ten reps. He repeats sets of ten reps with 60% of his single rep max every three minutes until he reaches a set where he experiences a decrease in performance. This will occur when he reaches a set where fatigue forces him to use a slower rep speed on the tenth and last rep of the set. When this happens, Mike will stop repeating sets of the bench press because he has reached his marker set. The marker set marks the set where he can no longer maintain a steady even rep pace for all ten reps. In Mike’s case, he hits his marker set on his seventh set.
Notice that when Mike uses the marker set method, he does a predetermined amount of reps. In the example given, Mike did ten reps per set. At the same time, Mike did not do a predetermined amount of sets, instead, the number of sets was determined according to the point at which Mike reached his marker set.
Add Weight To Each Successive Workout
When Mike does his next workout, he will add five to ten pounds to the poundage he used in the previous workout. He will once again use marker set training to determine how many sets of ten reps he will perform. Most likely, he will only be able to do five or six sets instead of seven sets, because the weights are heavier. Mike keeps adding five to ten pounds per workout for four workouts. At that point, he has reached a workout in which his rep speed slows down on his tenth rep when doing his very first set. For this workout, he can continue repeating sets in which his last rep slows down, however, he should stop when he reaches a set where his last two reps slow down. This occurs on Mike’s third set and it also marks a decrease in performance, which is the reason Mike should stop his bench press workout after his third set.
Starting a New Cycle
Since Mike has reached a poundage where his rep speed starts to slow down on the tenth rep of his very first set, he can go back to the starting poundage of his first workout, and start the cycle over again with ten reps. His goal for the new cycle would be to reach a heavier poundage than the previous cycle before he needs to terminate the cycle. As a second option, he can start a new cycle that begins ten to twenty pounds heavier than the starting poundage of the previous cycle, and he will do eight reps per set, instead of ten reps per set. The cycle will once again consist of marker set training as a means for determining how many sets he will perform for each workout. When Mike finishes his marker set cycle with eight reps, he can start a heavier marker set cycle with five reps per set, followed by a heavier marker set cycle with three reps per set. The starting poundage for each new cycle of predetermined reps should allow three to four workouts using the same amount of reps before the cycle needs to be terminated.
Marker set training and marker set cycles are designed to provide you with a method for determining how many sets to perform according to your capacity for quality sets. The quality sets are determined by your ability to perform every rep of a set using a steady even rep pace. When you lose this ability, your rep speed will slow down at the end of a set, which means the quality of your training has transitioned into a suboptimum performance. Suboptimum performance is your signal that it is time to stop repeating sets of the same exercise.
If you are experiencing progress using the training method(s) that you are already using, keep doing what you are doing until it stops working. On the other hand, if your strength gains have stopped, it never hurts to try a different training method. The marker set method provides you with a training option that you can use if you come to a point where it would be helpful to try a different method. Never stop in your efforts to get better, and may God bless you with the best of training.