Tom Sheppard | How To Individualize Strength Training Programs

While nearly all training programs can work if certain principles are followed, individualization is needed to truly maximize training outcomes. In this episode, strength coach and author Tom Sheppard joins to provide a deep dive into the most important factors to individualize and how coaches can leverage them to write better programs.

The discussion starts by highlighting the nuance of exercise selection and how body proportions, training goals, and programming stages can influence exercise choice. Tom breaks down how the concept of the 'one optimal exercise' is flawed and how a great exercise for one person can be an ineffective exercise for another. He then delves into how a coach can use body proportions to identify a client’s weak and strong points, and how that can guide exercise selection for strength, hypertrophy, and health.

We round out the episode by discussing the importance of understanding levers when evaluating exercise technique and using specialization training to further individualize a client's program in order to achieve new gains.

Time Stamps:

[8:45] Tom's new book The Overload System for Strength and how writing can make you a better coach

[14:37] How lifters in the pre-steroid ear built elite strength

[22:44] Important factors to individualize in training

[35:47] The importance of fitting the program to the individual

[39:40] Troubleshooting when athletes have pain with a movement

[46:19] Assessing body proportions and how they impact training decisions

[104:26] Overview of Tom's 2023 SWIS presentation on specialization training

Tom Sheppard is the head coach at Thibarmy and works with a wide variety of high-level athletes from all backgrounds. His philosophy is based on learning how to use the body as one integrated unit and optimizing athletes’ lifting mechanics based on their body type. In the sport of powerlifting, he has produced countless British, European, and world champions and record holders. In addition to his role at Thibarmy, he also works closely with EliteFTS, creating educational material, working with high-level lifters to improve their performance, and delivering seminars on the international stage, including the 2022 & 2023 SWIS Symposiums. He is also the co-author of The Overload System for Strength: A Modern Approach to Old-School Training.

You can learn more by following Tom on Instagram and checking out his articles on T-Nation, EliteFTS, and Thibarmy.

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