You are no stranger to hard work. Showing up and grinding year in and year out is habitual. But sometimes your body aches and the program still says go. Sometimes you are bored but you tell yourself to stay the course. And sometimes you are feeling strong and the program tells you to take it easy. A good coach recognizes that as normal. But does it always have to be?
We may be accustomed to the hurt, the boredom, and the plateaus. But there is a better way. A a good bar speed device and a solid understanding of velocity loss gives your program the ability to live and breathe the way your body does. It responds to you in real time, knowing when you are fresh and when you are spent, when to push and when to pull back. Not just on a given day, but across the week, the month, and the year.
Most of us train hard. This guide is about training smart.
What Is Velocity Loss?
Every rep produces a measurable bar speed in meters per second. As a set progresses and fatigue builds, bar speed tends to decline. Velocity loss is how much slower a given rep is compared to the fastest rep of that set, expressed as a percentage.
The formula: VL (%) = (fastest rep in set − current rep) ÷ fastest rep in set × 100
Depending on the exercise and the individual, velocity can peak on the first, second, or even third rep as the nervous system activates and the movement settles. What matters is that every rep is performed with maximal intent so the device has an accurate peak to work from.
As fatigue builds, bar speed reliably drops, and that decline tracks how hard the body is actually working across both single sessions and longer training blocks. It gives you a practical, real-time indicator of where an athlete is on any given day, without any extra testing required. [1, 5]
Why it works better than fixed rep counts
Fixed rep prescriptions treat every day the same. And we know no two days ever are, especially in performance. Velocity loss gives the program a way to respond to reality. Instead of "do 6 reps," the prescription becomes "go until bar speed drops 20%."
What VL-based training does is help standardize where a set stops relative to that athlete's capacity that day. The total reps can float while the relative effort stays more consistent. That gives coaches a clearer handle on fatigue and makes training responses easier to read over time. [5]
Setting Your Threshold
The threshold you set determines where the set ends, and that decision shapes the adaptation you get. A lower threshold generally keeps quality high and tends to favor strength and power qualities. A higher threshold means working deeper into each set, which tends to build more size and work capacity for most people. Both are valid. The key is matching the threshold to what your training needs right now.
| Goal | VL Threshold | General intent |
|---|---|---|
| Max power and speed | 0–10% | Explosive reps. Minimal fatigue. |
| Maximal strength | 10–20% | High force, high quality. |
| Strength and hypertrophy | 15–25% | Moderate fatigue. Volume accumulation. |
| Hypertrophy and endurance | 25–40% | Higher fatigue. Metabolic demand. |
These ranges line up with how most VL studies group low, moderate, and high thresholds and with how many coaches now organize adaptations. [3, 4, 5] They are starting points, not hard rules, and should act as a guide as you begin your velocity based training journey. Remember that each athlete will respond a little differently. Higher thresholds on main lifts are not off the table. Fifteen reps on a squat at 30% VL in an off-season hypertrophy block is a deliberate and reasonable training choice. The real question is whether the athlete can maintain sound technique as fatigue accumulates and whether the phase calls for it.
In Practice
Every rep should be as fast and intentional as possible. Moving with maximal intent improves strength and power adaptations regardless of the exact loading scheme, and the data is only as good as the effort behind it. [6] Make that expectation clear from day one.
A practical example: back squat, 15% VL threshold, off-season strength day. The athlete loads so the peak rep lands around 0.65 m/s. When a rep falls to 0.55 m/s, the set ends. One athlete gets there after 7 reps, another after 4. Neither is chasing an arbitrary number. Both did the right amount of work for where they are that day.
Zooming out to the week, there is no single right way to arrange thresholds. Start with lower VL when athletes are freshest and let it rise as the week goes on. As you get more familiar with how your athletes respond, you can begin rotating thresholds across sessions or adjusting them by exercise within the same session. There's a lot of utility with their use. We could discuss the various training methods and periodization models, but that is a conversation for another blog.
Across a Training Block (Mesocycle)
It is often useful to let VL thresholds evolve across a 4 to 8 week block. Starting higher builds volume and work capacity. Tightening progressively as you move toward the performance peak mirrors how higher VL drives more fatigue and volume, while lower VL favors quality and freshness. [3, 4, 5] As the primary emphasis shifts, other qualities are maintained at a lower dose so nothing detrains while the main goal is being developed. Speed and power qualities can begin to decline within a few weeks if the stimulus drops too low, especially in trained athletes, so even in a strength-focused block, some low-threshold explosive work helps keep those qualities alive. [14]
The table below is a starting guideline for a general strength block. Your block may look different depending on the goal, the sport, and the athlete.
| Week | Phase | VL threshold |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Accumulation | 20–25% |
| 3–4 | Intensification | 10–15% |
| 5 | Realization | 5–10% |
| 6 | Deload | 0–10% |
A hypertrophy block holds higher thresholds longer. A power block stays predominantly low. Either way, the principle is the same: know what you are building toward and make sure nothing else quietly falls behind. [8]
Across the Full Year (Macrocycle)
VL should be highest when you have the most time and room to recover, and lowest when you need to perform. The ranges below blend what VL studies tend to show with traditional periodization concepts. [3, 4, 2, 5] Different sports and situations will call for adjustment, but the overall pattern holds up consistently: higher VL when you can afford the fatigue, lower VL when you need to perform. Shifting the emphasis across the year does not mean abandoning the other qualities. The focus changes. Everything else is maintained at a level that keeps it from slipping away.
Off-season: In the off-season, thresholds can run higher than any other phase. A range of 20 to 30% is a reasonable place to start. If the goal calls for it, pushing beyond that makes the most sense here. This is where athletes are built, not refined. The emphasis is strength, tissue, and work capacity. The foundation gets laid here, and higher VL thresholds support the volume that requires. [9] Keep some speed and power work, likes sprints and jumps, in the mix at a lower dose. Those qualities detrain faster than most, even when they are not the priority. [14] As with VL, tracking progress like measuring speed improvements tell you what, if anything, needs to change.
Pre-season: In the pre-season, thresholds come down. A range of 5 to 15% is a reasonable place to start. The goal is expressing what was built, not compromising it with too much volume. Studies comparing lower and higher VL thresholds suggest that keeping VL lower works better when the goal is strength, power, and movement speed rather than just accumulating volume. Make sure to include various plyometric methods and sprint work as part of a complete program with your VL thresholds. That lines up with pre-season priorities, where fast, explosive reps matter more than additional fatigue. [3, 4, 5] Strength work does not disappear, it just steps back. Keep enough of it present to hold what was built while the lower threshold work takes center stage. [10]
In-season: The weight room supports competition, not the other way around. [10, 14] Once the season starts, thresholds come down to their lowest point of the year. A range of 0 to 10% is a reasonable place to start. Lower volume. Same intent. Several studies suggest that relatively low training frequency and volume, sometimes as little as one to two focused sessions per week, can be enough to maintain performance when intent stays high. [14, 11] If bar speed at a standard load starts dropping early in the week, that is usually a sign the body needs less work, not more. [1]
Transition: No thresholds. Rest completely before starting the cycle again.
| Phase | Recommended VL range | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Off-season | 20–30% and above | Volume, tissue, strength |
| Pre-season | 5–15% | Power, speed, athleticism |
| In-season | 0–10% | Quality, protection, freshness |
| Transition | Not tracked | Recovery |
Every situation is different. High VL builds. Low VL expresses. The art is knowing when to do which, and how much of each to hold onto along the way.
A Few Things Worth Watching
Trends tell you more than any single session. If bar speed at a standard load has been running lower than normal across several sessions, something is off. Chronic drops in bar speed at a given load tend to mirror accumulated fatigue and reduced readiness. [1] It might be fatigue, poor recovery, or a hard week of practice. The right move is usually to pull back on volume and give the body a chance to catch up before it becomes a bigger issue.
The threshold table is a starting point, not a finish line. What works for one athlete or one phase may not work for another. Let the data and the athlete in front of you shape the decision.
Thresholds should move as the training does. What made sense in week one of a block probably needs revisiting by week four or five. Check in at the start of every new phase and adjust accordingly.
Set your technical standards before velocity becomes the focus. The device measures what the athlete does within the standards you set. Define those first, or the numbers will not mean what you think they mean.
The Bottom Line
You have always been willing to do the work. The question was never effort. It was whether the effort was pointed in the right direction on any given day.
Velocity loss gives you a concrete way to judge when you have likely done enough in a set and a session, and to keep weekly and yearly workloads in a productive range. It does not replace the coach or the athlete. It just makes sure the decisions both of them make are based on something real.
The hurt, the boredom, the plateaus. Those do not have to be the price of progress. With the right feedback, training becomes something you can actually navigate rather than just endure.
References
- Sánchez-Medina & González-Badillo (2011) — Velocity loss as an indicator of neuromuscular fatigue during resistance training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
- Weakley, Mann et al. (2021) — Velocity-based training: From theory to application. Strength and Conditioning Journal.
- Pareja-Blanco et al. (2017) — Effects of velocity loss during resistance training on athletic performance, strength gains and muscle adaptations. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
- Rodríguez-Rosell et al. (2020) — Velocity-based resistance training: impact of velocity loss in the set on neuromuscular performance and hormonal response. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
- Jukic et al. (2023) — The acute and chronic effects of implementing velocity loss thresholds during resistance training: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine.
- González-Badillo et al. (2014) — Effects of velocity-based resistance training on strength and power in bench press. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
- González-Badillo et al. (2017) — Velocity loss as a variable for monitoring resistance exercise. International Journal of Sports Medicine.
- Pareja-Blanco et al. (2020) — Velocity loss as a critical variable determining the adaptations to strength training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
- González-Badillo et al. (2014) — Maximal intended velocity training induces greater gains in bench press performance than deliberately slower half-velocity training. European Journal of Sport Science.
- Mann, Ivey & Sayers (2015) — Velocity-based training in football. Strength and Conditioning Journal.
- Bryan Mann (2021) — Developing Explosive Athletes: Use of Velocity Based Training in Athletes (3rd ed.).
- Rodríguez-Rosell et al. (2021) — Effect of velocity loss during squat training on neuromuscular performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
- Suchomel, Mann et al. (2025) — Velocity-based training with weightlifting derivatives: Barbell and system velocity comparisons. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
- Mujika & Padilla (2000) — Detraining: Loss of training-induced physiological and performance adaptations. Sports Medicine.
