Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. You might have heard of this foodie Netflix series. If not, check it out! We watched it recently, and I found it fascinating and practical because it is so simple and works pretty well for making delicious meals with only a few ingredients. I’m already a better wannabe cook when I try :).
Why does butter make everything better? Salt and fat (S+F), obv.
Why do I like to put jalapeños on everything? That acidity elevates nominally good dishes (S+F+H) to a-mazing (S+F+A+H)!
I’ve had a few clients recently ask about creating their own workouts, but I was stumped for a moment to be honest, because designing workouts in its rawest form, like creating tasty dishes — is complex. Exercise Science/Physiology is… a science, along with Biomechanics, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, and all the pieces that integrate into the end product you appreciate as The Workout of The Day (WOD). It’s also an art, as there is plenty of subjectivity and interpretation of basic definitions (like what exactly is Strength, Fitness, Functional, Cardio, etc.).
It occurs to me that I probably have some ego/pride about this too, because it is part science and part artform too, and therefore elements of it can be like a personal little secret. “My recipes?! You cannot haz *my* recipes ;).”
But is this absolutely so? I think not. Thanks to the Netflix show, it occurred to me to write for you a SFAH equivalent for your workout design. Is it oversimplified? Yes. Could it get you into trouble? Yes. Am I disclaiming this all now so you can’t hold me liable? Yes! Might it still help you get off the couch and get moving more independently? Yes!
Last disclaimer to clarify some important assumptions here: the model below works well for General Fitness goals, either to create mixed Conditioning workouts or Accessory/untimed muscle-building workouts. It does not work well for niche applications like developing Absolute Strength or Specific Conditioning goals.
Here it is: Equilibrium, Percent, Time, Volume (EPTV)
E – Equilibrium of Extension vs. Flexion based exercises: Good workouts and plans should over time have a balance of flexion and extension based exercises at all the major joints being developed. Flexion exercises decrease the angle at a given joint. Extension exercises increase the angle. Do a quick bicep curl where you are now: that’s elbow flexion. Stand up from your chair: That’s hip and knee extension. We are always endeavoring to balance the forces at each joint. It’s precisely how to build strength and resilience while staying healthy and injury-free.
Often, one mode gets worked too much, such as doing a ton of bicep curls, which would over time likely lead to bicep tendonitis, and that’s where imbalance and eventually pain manifest. This can also happen if you have a job that skews towards highly repetitive work in a single mode, like a chef using a knife all day with their dominant hand. The solution lies in finding the right complementary exercise(s), and getting the ratios right. Sometimes we design balance into one workout. Other times we do this over weeks and months. For simplicity, it’s easiest to think of one workout.
Workout A:
Main exercise → Hip Extension → Deadlift
Complementary exercise → Hip Flexion → Hanging Knee Raises
Real life example: Yesterday I had a couple of clients do a workout with Deadlifts as a single strength exercise, working up in weights. Then, we finished with some Hanging Leg Raises (HLRs) mixed with conditioning. The conditioning isn’t relevant here, but the connection between the Deadlifts and the HLRs is.
Workout B:
Main exercise: Shoulder Flexion → Standing Strict Press
Complementary exercise → Shoulder Extension → Strict Overhand Pull-ups
Real life example: Anytime I do heavy overhead lifts like Overhead Squat or Jerk, nothing feels as good as hanging from the bar. Strict Pull-ups and Ring Rows balance vertical and horizontal pressing, respectively.
P – Percent of Max Effort: If working with percentages makes your head hurt, you can also think of this as rough Perception of Max Effort (often called “PE” for “Perceived Exertion”) on a 1 (easy) to 10 (maximal) scale. Your efforts for well-balanced workouts should fall within the 30-70% (3-7 PE) range for balanced couplets (2-movement combos) and triplets (3-movement combos). This is a generalization, but it will help you keep it simple. A 30% effort should allow for about 20 reps at a time. A 70% effort about 10 challenging reps.
For Weightlifting exercises, like a Deadlift, you need to know your max lifts, such as a 1-rep max (1RM). For Gymnastics exercises, like a HLR, max reps will suffice in most cases. If you don’t know your max reps, which I imagine most people don’t, just try a few reps and then think: “how many reps of this could I do in a row if I pushed myself?” Then apply the daily intended percentage/PE for each movement.
Workout A:
Main exercise → Hip Extension: Deadlift → 1-rep max is around 225#. 50% is ~115#.
Complementary exercise → Hip Flexion → Hanging Leg Raises max reps is about 20. 50% is 10 reps.
T – Time Equivalence: This is how we balance exercises that take different amounts of time and energy to complete a single repetition. To balance forces at the joint, the goal is to work for roughly the same amount of time on each exercise. For example, a beginner doing a proper Deadlift with a reset takes about 6 seconds (give or take) to do a repetition. A HLR, being a shorter range of motion and simpler exercise, takes about 3 seconds per rep. Therefore, for Time Equivalence there should be about twice as many HLRs as Deadlifts in order to balance them properly.
Main exercise → Hip Extension → Deadlift: 1-rep max is around 225# → 50% is ~115# x 5 reps
Complementary exercise → Hip Flexion → Hanging Leg Raises max reps is about 20. 50% is 10 reps.
V – Volume Control: Simply put, lack of volume control is why you’re so sore 24-72 hours after exercise when you do too much. This usually happens when starting exercise after not doing anything for a while (going from 0 – 60 mph), or when you make a big jump in your volume even if you are exercising regularly (going from 60 – 100 mph). Our bodies need weeks and months of time to make normal, incremental tissue adaptations to stress. Do yourself a favor and start keeping track of your volume on your main exercises (e.g. squat reps, miles run, pull-ups etc.), and see if you can draw some correlations to the days after when you’re the most tired/sore, or not. Remember, some soreness can be a satisfying feeling of accomplishment, but it is not strictly necessary or sufficient to make meaningful progress to your goals.
In general, I like to restrict most exercise pairings to the 20-50 rep range. For the above Workout A example, 4 sets would be a fine starting point.
The higher the Percentage (P), the lower the reps should be. Most people simply will never need to be able to do 100 reps of anything, but for those that find long workouts irresistible, make sure you have earned your way there by adding no more than 10 reps per workout per week from where you start climbing, and use the lowest percentages/PE scalings available. Or be prepared to be very unnecessarily sore ;).
There you have it: EPTV! I truly do use this model of thinking when writing workouts for my clients and myself. But I also lean on a lot of experience that I can’t write into a 4-letter acronym, and make last minute changes while watching people move all the time. Just remember to play it safe with your creativity (go lighter and do less), people do this professionally and still make mistakes.
Find this whole thing head-scratching or intimidating? Well, that’s why the divisions of labor exists: hire a pro to do it for you instead.
And if you want to learn more check out Science and Practice of Strength Training by Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky. With methodical thinking and a creative spirit, you too can one day make delicious workouts, without necessarily becoming a Chef of the Iron.
Coach Mauricio