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Extended sets can be highly effective for hypertrophy, strength development and work capacity, but only when the trainee has earned the right to use them.

In this episode of Between 2 Racks, the KILO Crew breaks down how extended set techniques work, when they belong in a program and why adding intensifiers to every workout can quickly become counterproductive.

The discussion covers:

• 1 1/4 reps
• Double Barrel
• Rest-Pause
• Max-Rep sets
• Reps for Time
• Post-Fatigue Partials
• Assisted Reps
• Drop Sets
• Mechanical Advantage Extended Sets
• Variable Muscle Action, or VMA

You will learn how strength curves determine where partial reps should be performed, how to introduce intensifiers gradually, which techniques are better suited to B and C series, and how training age, recovery capacity and technical failure should influence programming decisions.

The central coaching lesson is simple: a trainee must first learn how to execute a standard set with genuine effort and technical control. There is nothing valuable to extend when the original set was never taken close to its true capacity.

Extended sets are tools. Use them in the right phase, for the right goal and with a trainee who can recover from the additional demand.

Learn more about KILO’s Specialty Techniques course and education for strength coaches.

Subscribe to Between 2 Racks for weekly conversations on program design, periodization, strength training and the coaching process.

0:00 Intro to extended sets
1:29 What is an extended set
3:00 1 1/14 reps
6:24 When to 1 1/14 reps in programming
10:46 Earning the right to use intensifiers
17:45 Double barrel technique
18:35 Rest-pause sets
22:27 Max reps
25:06 Reps for time
27:41 Post fatigue partials
29:41 Assisted (cheat) reps
32:38 Drop sets
37:33 Mechanical advantage extended sets
43:11 Variable muscle action (VMA)
47:47 Wrap up and coaching takeaways

Stay Connected with KILO:

Have a question? ⁠Submit it for a Rapid Fire episode⁠.

Learn more at ⁠trainkilo.com⁠

Follow KILO on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠.

Send us Fan Mail

What movement patterns are commonly neglected in general population programming? How should training change as a client progresses from novice to intermediate? And what can volume load tell a coach about the actual demands of a program?

In this Rapid Fire Q&A, the KILO Crew works through a wide range of programming and coaching questions.

The discussion begins with the squat, hip hinge and overhead patterns, including why discomfort should not automatically lead a coach to remove an entire movement pattern. The better approach is often to find an appropriate regression, establish a workable starting point and progressively rebuild the client’s ability to perform the movement.

The conversation then moves into the transition from novice to intermediate training. Stéphane and Pauric explain how movement repetition, exercise variation, loading accuracy and periodization can evolve as a trainee develops greater technical competency.They also clarify the difference between total and relative volume load, how accumulation phases build the work capacity required for intensification, and why higher-volume training can improve a trainee’s ability to express strength later in the program.

The episode concludes with early signs of under-recovery, the limitations of wearable data and a practical framework for abdominal training. The crew covers where ab training should begin, the role of stabilization, how to progress trunk and hip flexion exercises, and which movements they most often use with clients.

For trainers and strength coaches, this episode is a reminder that better programs are built through sound decisions, logical progression and an understanding of how each phase prepares the trainee for what comes next.

Build the base, then earn the progression.

0:19 Over- and under-prioritized movement patterns

1:34 Regressing and rebuilding the squat pattern

11:43 Using linear periodization with new clients

14:54 What is volume load?

17:55 Relative volume load in program design

21:28 Old-school Nautilus and Arthur Jones’ training philosophy

23:03 Why work capacity supports intensification

25:11 Buffers versus straining under load

26:58 A sprinting analogy for work capacity

28:38 Signs a client is under-recovered

29:23 Wearables and recovery metrics

30:45 The Charles Poliquin grip test story

31:47 Ab training and stability basics

33:18 Where should ab training begin?

35:51 Favorite ab exercises

39:46 Final principles for training abs

Stay Connected with KILO:

Have a question? ⁠Submit it for a Rapid Fire episode⁠.

Learn more at ⁠trainkilo.com⁠

Follow KILO on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠.

Send us Fan Mail

The systems used in strength training today were built through decades of coaching, research, experimentation, and education.

In this episode, the KILO Crew traces the people and resources that most shaped their understanding of programming, periodization, strength development, power, and coaching.

Stéphane explains how Charles Poliquin first expanded his view beyond bodybuilding and introduced a more technical approach to exercise selection, tempo, loading, and nervous system development.

The conversation then moves through Ian King’s systematic thinking, Joe DeFranco’s ability to blend training philosophies, Larry Vinette’s role as a true mentor, and the foundational work of authors and researchers including Vladimir Zatsiorsky, Yuri Verkhoshansky, Mel Siff, Mike Stone, Tudor Bompa, Carmelo Bosco, Dan Baker, William Kraemer, Steven Fleck, and many others.

They also discuss why understanding research requires more than reading an abstract, how trusted educators can help coaches interpret science, and the importance of knowing where the principles behind modern strength training came from.

The episode closes with an important distinction: the KILO system is not presented as the only successful approach to training. It is a connected framework built from established principles, years of application, and a clear understanding of how the pieces fit together.

Know where the ideas came from, then learn how to apply them.

RECOMMENDED READING

12 Essential Books That Shaped Our Strength Training Philosophy, read the full article ⁠here⁠.

Science and Practice of Strength Training

Vladimir Zatsiorsky, William Kraemer and Andrew Fry

Supertraining

Yuri Verkhoshansky and Mel Siff

Poliquin Principles

Charles Poliquin

Strength and Power in Sport

Paavo Komi

The Physiology of Training

Gregory Whyte and Neil Spurway

Strength and Conditioning: Biological Principles and Practical Applications

Marco Cardinale, Robert Newton and Kazunori Nosaka

Strength and Conditioning in Sports: From Science to Practice

Michael Stone, Timothy Suchomel, W. Hornsby and John Wagle

Periodization of Strength Training for Sports

Tudor Bompa and Carlo Buzzichelli

Scientific Foundations and Practical Applications of Periodization

G. Gregory Haff

How to Write Strength Training Programs

Ian King

Fitness and Strength Training for All Sports

Jurgen Hartmann

Developing the Athlete: An Applied Sport Science Roadmap for Optimizing Performance

William J. Kraemer, Nicholas Ratamess and Thomas Newman

0:00 Introduction OGs of strength training

1:07 Charles Poliquin the foundational influence

6:56 Ian King

18:29 Joe DeFranco

20:09 Eric Cressey and Christian Thibaudeau

22:15 Larry Vinette

26:09 Gilles Cometti and Supertraining

27:38 Science and Practice by Zatsiorsky

30:10 Mike Stone

36:04 Schmidtbleicher and German research

38:12 Bompa

39:19 Carmelo Bosco

40:28 Dan Baker and the Australian research boom

42:27 Scandinavian researchers and conditioning science

43:46 How to actually approach research today

52:08 Closing thoughts and recommended reading

Stay Connected with KILO:

Have a question? ⁠Submit it for a Rapid Fire episode⁠.

Learn more at ⁠trainkilo.com⁠

Follow KILO on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠.