If you’re still programming by percentage alone, you’re leaving speed on the table.

Percentages are illusion. Bar speed is truth.

Many coaches still cling to the spreadsheet like it’s gospel instead of a guide: 80% for 5×5, add weight, rinse and repeat. That’s passable for strength in the off-season, but a recipe for disaster in-season. Athletes don’t show up the same every day. Some days they’re flying and some days they’re barely alive. If they hobble into the weight room sore from games and practices, grinding reps are an injury waiting to happen. That’s why velocity-based training (VBT) keeps winning when you care about jumps, sprints, and actual performance instead of gym glory.

We’ve been advocates of VBT for over 10 years now, because it just works. It puts a speedometer on every rep so you can load by output, not mood. Tons of research exists on this, and it all points the same way. Here’s a big one:

A 2022 study pooling randomized trials compared several approaches (traditional %1RM, reps-in-reserve, and VBT). They found that loss-limited VBT ranked best overall for strength, jump, and sprint outcomes. Low velocity-loss (VL) variants led the pack for jump performance. Cap the speed loss inside the set and you keep power while minimizing junk fatigue, which is exactly what transfers to the field. Cut the set when the speed drops, not when your soul leaves your body.

Bar speed is a scoreboard for your nervous system. You’re either moving fast enough to justify the load or you’re not. Good day? You’ll lift heavier at the same target velocity. Off day? The device calls your bluff and trims volume before the session turns into a slow grind. A simple rule of thumb for athletes who need pop is to live in the 10–20% VL range most of the year.

Higher VL (≥30–40%) drives more fatigue and hypertrophy. Great for strength building off-season blocks, but not when you’re chasing jump height and acceleration. A 10-20% cut-off preserves fast-twitch behavior and rate of force development instead of burying you in junk reps. You stay primed in the competitive season.

The Rules of In-Season VBT (Tattoo These in Your Mind)

• Load by speed, not ego. You want more weight? Move the bar faster. Open with a few singles to find today’s load at the target velocity. Then do work sets there. If speed tanks early, you’re under-recovered. Slice a set and move on. If the bar’s flying, add a little weight and ride the wave.

• Keep the leash short in-season. Most sport blocks should cap sets at ≤10–20% VL. You’ll keep the output you actually need on game day. Save the 30–40% VL grinders for hypertrophy blocks or the deep off-season when you can afford to feel like concrete.

• Chase the right speed zones. Match the lift’s average velocity to the adaptation. Ballpark “power zone” targets: back squat ~0.60–0.70 m/s, trap-bar deadlift ~0.70–0.80 m/s, bench ~0.50–0.60 m/s, loaded jump squat ~0.90–1.00+ m/s. If you’re moving slower than the zone calls for, can it. That set isn’t power training.

• Match bar speeds to game speeds. In-season, bias strength-speed and speed-strength zones. Keep the grindy stuff on the shelf. That rule, paired with low VL, is exactly what the meta-analysis links to better jump/sprint transfer.

• Lose accessories, not speed. You don’t earn bonus points for frying your system with “finishers” for conditioning. Conditioning isn’t speed. When in doubt, keep accessories low-fatigue (e.g. isometrics, single-leg stability, trunk work) and protect the outputs that matter.

A Simple In-Season Example (low loss, high transfer)

• Day 1 — Lower (strength-speed, VL ≤15%)
  • Back Squat: find load at ~0.60–0.65 m/s, then 3–4 × 3; stop each set at ≤15% VL
  • Trap-Bar Jumps: 4 × 3 @ 0.90–1.00 m/s, full reset between reps
  • Accessory (low fatigue): split-squat ISO holds 3 × 20–30 s
• Day 2 — Upper (strength-speed, VL ≤15%)
  • Bench Press: ~0.50–0.55 m/s, 4 × 3, ≤15% VL
  • Med-Ball Scoop Toss: 5 × 3, crisp intent
  • Pull-up (bodyweight or light load): 3–4 × 3–5, leave 2–3 reps “in the tank”
• Day 3 — Lower (speed-strength, VL ≤10%)
  • Front Squat or Safety Bar: ~0.70–0.75 m/s, 3 × 3, ≤10% VL
  • Assisted or Bodyweight Jumps: 5 × 3
  • Hamstring hinge (RDL): 3 × 4–6 @ 0.60–0.70 m/s, cap at ≤15% VL

Notes: keep set counts modest, separate lift days from your highest-neuromuscular field work when possible, and front-load carbs/sleep before the fastest session. The trend is clear: low-VL work cuts dead weight and preserves the outputs that matter on game day.

When to Tighten the Cap or Shut It Down

• The first work rep is already ≥5% slower than your usual at that load/velocity target
• Two consecutive sets slam into the VL cap in under 3 reps
• Morning red flags: morning HR is up, sleep is trash, warm-up feels like syrup

Solutions: drop load 2–5%, cut one set per lift, or pivot to med-ball work and isometrics. Protect output, bank recovery, sprint better tomorrow.

Of course, to respond you have to actually measure your athletes first. If you do, great. If you don’t, start.

Bottom line

Drop the “grind” for in-season training. You can worship percentages and treat your athletes like robots, or you can put a speedometer on the bar and train the qualities you actually want. Measure bar speed, cap fatigue with low velocity loss, and let daily speed guide the load. You’ll keep athletes fresher, make them jump higher, and sprint faster…without smashing them into the floor.

Sources (Study + Useful Reviews)

• Network meta-analysis (Frontiers in Physiology, 2022): Held S, Speer K, Rappelt L, Wicker P, Donath L. The effectiveness of traditional vs. velocity-based strength training on explosive and maximal strength performance: A network meta-analysis. Open access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.926972/full .
• VL thresholds — acute & chronic effects review: Jukic I, García-Ramos A, Weakley JJ, et al. Sports Medicine (2023). Low-to-moderate VL (≈10–20%) optimizes speed-strength qualities; high VL increases fatigue/hypertrophy.
• VL thresholds meta-analysis: Hernández-Belmonte A, Pallarés JG. Applied Sciences (2022). Low-to-moderate VL outperforms higher VL for athletic tasks like jumping/sprinting.