Karsten Jensen's Blog (57)

Long term periodisation of the number of effective exercises for a given athlete and client.

It is often stated that beginners should use a high number of different exercises in order to create a "base".

However, some beginners are so unfit that there a very few exercises that they can perform correctly and safely. In other words there is only a low number of exercises available that will help them move forward towards their stated goal.

This observation highlights an…

According to the dictionary "general" means can have several related meanings for example 'not specialised", "not specialised", , "including micellaneous items", "applicable or true in most cases". All these meanings of the word general can relate to the concept of "general strength training" and "general physical preparedness".

The meanings of the word "general" may convey the idea that exercises and training methods in "general strength training" can be chosen without particular…

Recently I had the privilege to be interviewed by Ron McKeefery on his Iron Game Chalk Talk.

The topic was periodization.…

This is the 35th blog post dedicated to write my next book called “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection”

February’s blog posts include excerpts from Section 1.3: Step By Step Completion of The Needs Analysis

Step 3B: When a particular movement pattern is adapted to the constraints of a particular skill or sport it is called a skill.⁽¹⁵⁾ The last component of…

February 5th, 2013

This is the 31st blog post dedicated to write my next book called “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

Based on requests, January’s blog posts focus on examples of the different types of needs analysis previously mentioned.

• Movement analysis – Analysis of movement patterns, forces, velocities and joint angles used to execute the specific joint and whole body actions produced by…

This is the 14th blog post dedicated to writing my next book called “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

This post is an excerpt from Section 1.2 “How To Create A Needs Analysis”

In the fall of 2002 I started working with Danish water skier, Jesper Cassoe, who, at the time, was already close to world class level in the jump discipline with…

This is the 12th blog post dedicated to writing my next book called  “BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

Below is an excerpt from section 1.1 What is a Needs Analysis

There are several reasons that “physical training” is the bottom of the pyramid:

• Certain levels of physical ability might be needed to be able to perform the desired technical movement.…

This is the 11th blog post dedicated to write my next book called “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

Below is an excerpt from section 1.1 What is a Needs Analysis

1.1 What is a Needs Analysis?

At the largest perspective, the needs analysis answers the question “What is needed to survive the environment?”  I typically prefer to slightly rephrase the questions and ask “What is needed to…

This is the 10th blog post dedicated to writing my next book “BEYOND Functional Training: Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection.”

Below is the introduction to chapter 1: The Needs Analysis

1.The Needs Analysis

“What does it take to dominate the environment?”

When I started working with Danish wrestler Mark O Madsen, in 2006, Mark had already won silver in the…

Dear Strength Coach/Personal Trainer

This is the 9th blog post dedicated to write my next book called

“BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through

Science-based Exercise Selection”

Below is the description of chapter 6 excerpted from the introduction.

Chapter 6 - Exercise Instruction and Trouble Shooting

Instructing (and trouble shooting) exercises is the last step…

Dear Strength Coach/Personal Trainer

This is the 8th blog post dedicated to write my next book called

“BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through

science based exercise selection”

Below is the description of chapter 5 excerpted from the introduction.

Chapter 5 - Program Design

The content of Chapter 5 relates strongly to the 9 Steps of The Flexible Periodization…

Dear Strength Coach/Personal Trainer

This is the 7th blog post dedicated to write my next book called

“BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through science based exercise selection”

Below are the descriptions of chapter 3 and chapter 4 as excerpted from the introduction.

Chapter 3 - Exercise Creation

Many strength coaches or personal trainers are limited to learning new…

This is the 6th blog post dedicated to my next book called

“BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through Science-based Exercise Selection”

Below is the description of chapter 2 excerpted from the introduction.

Chapter 2 – The Principles of Exercise Selection

The principles of exercise selection are, in themselves, not dependent on the needs analysis. Chapter 2, The Principles…

Dear Strength Coach,

This is the 5th blog post dedicated to my next book called

“BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection”

Introduction – How to read this book.

The purpose of this book is to go beyond buzzwords like functional training and, from a scientific view point and with practical examples, examine the whole “food chain” of decisions needed to give…

Dear Strength Coach,

This is the fourth blog post dedicated to write my next  book called

BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects Through Science-based Exercise Selection

Today’s blog post features the third part of the preface.

The “what the hell effect” implies that the transfer was not planned and it is not known why the transfer happened. With what the hell effect, transfer between exercises remains magical,…

Dear Strength Coach,

This is the third blog post dedicated to write my next book titled

BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through science-based exercise selection

Today’s blog post features the second part of the preface

As the subtitle of this book indicates, Beyond Functional Training is about “Exercise Selection” – possibly the most potent of the acute program variables, so…

Last week I told you that my blog space for the next long while will be used to write my next book called

BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through science-based exercise selection

Today’s blog post features the first part of the preface.

“No athlete wants to sit in the locker room and brag about their 1RM squat after they’ve lost in the first…

Today is the beginning of a NEW way for me to use this blog space.

Over the next many months, probably exceeding a year (maybe 2), I will use this blog space to write my next book with the title

BEYOND Functional Training:

Maximizing the Transfer of Training Effects through science-based exercise selection

I first learned about this way of using a blog, from Sonia Simone (…