DEMYSTIFYING STRENGTH TRAINING: Are They Supercompensating for Something?
- Josh Hezza
- Mar 19
- 14 min read
DEMYSTIFYING STRENGTH TRAINING: Are They Supercompensating for Something?
Demystifying Strength Training: Stop Letting The Bastards Bamboozle You
Strength training is supposed to be simple—lift heavy things, get stronger, repeat. But somewhere along the way, the industry became overrun with jargon-slinging charlatans, sports science buzzwords, and periodisation priests who would rather hear themselves talk than actually help you lift more weight.
If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram or read a coaching article and thought, “What the f*** does that even mean?”—you’re not alone. The strength and conditioning world is filled with people who love to intellectualise the process, using complex terminology to make themselves sound clever while offering very little in the way of actual, useful training advice. Instead of helping you squat more, deadlift more, or press more, they seem more interested in impressing each other with who can use the biggest words while sitting around in a circle wanking each other off about “force vectors” and “phase potentiation.”
The reality? Most of these fancy-sounding concepts boil down to basic principles that lifters have been using for decades—long before sports science wrapped them in unnecessary complexity. The problem isn’t the knowledge itself; it’s the way it’s presented. Instead of empowering lifters, it’s used as a barrier to entry, as if understanding “General Adaptation Syndrome” is more important than actually doing the work.
The Paywall of Knowledge—How Jargon Keeps You Weak
Ever notice how some coaches make everything sound impossibly complicated? That’s not an accident—it’s a business model.
The fitness industry thrives on confusion. The more intimidating and mysterious training sounds, the easier it is to convince you that you need them to figure it out for you. They’re not just trying to educate; they’re gatekeeping information so they can charge you to unlock it.
This is why you see entire certifications built around concepts that real-world lifters figured out decades ago. People were box squatting, using speed work, and training for peak performance long before anyone called it “neuroplasticity in force absorption dynamics” (or some other ridiculous buzzword).
So, next time you hear someone overcomplicating a simple training principle, ask yourself: Are they actually trying to help, or are they just making their invoice look more impressive?
Strength Training is Meant to Be Done, Not Just Discussed
Here’s a question: How many of the loudest voices in strength training are actually… strong?
There’s a whole subset of people who love talking about training—but when you look at their numbers, their actual lifts are pathetic. They might be able to write a ten-page dissertation on force vectors, but they couldn’t grind out a heavy triple to save their lives.
Strength training is meant to be done, not just theorized. A coach who throws around phase potentiation but hasn’t put weight on a lifter’s total is no different from a personal finance guru who’s actually broke.
There’s a reason you don’t see elite lifters overcomplicating their explanations. They know what works because they’ve lived it. So before you start obsessing over whether your concentric velocity is dropping by 3% on week five, take a step back and remember: it’s about lifting heavy shit—not sounding smart on the internet.
This article is here to cut through the bullshit. We’re breaking down the terminology that gets thrown around in strength training—whether it’s from high-performance coaches, science bros, or Westside disciples—so that you actually understand what’s being said without needing a PhD in Pretentious Nonsense.
By the time you finish this, you won’t just know what these terms mean—you’ll also recognise when someone is using them to try and sound smarter than they are. Because at the end of the day, good training doesn’t need a thesaurus. It needs a barbell, a plan, and some goddamn effort.
Science is Useful—But Only if You Can Apply It
Let’s be clear: science isn’t the enemy. The problem isn’t that sports science exists—it’s that too many people treat it like a tool for posturing rather than performance. Jargon and complex terminology are supposed to clarify training, not turn it into an academic pissing contest.
The best coaches—whether in strongman, powerlifting, or any strength sport—use science to enhance their methods, not to replace common sense. They understand when a concept matters and, more importantly, how to apply it.
So, before you get roped into another thread about Henneman’s Size Principle or Triphasic Loading Curves, ask yourself: Is this actually helping me lift more weight, or is it just mental masturbation? If a coach can’t explain it simply, they probably don’t understand it fully.
Here is a breakdown of 150+ complicated-sounding strength & conditioning, periodisation, and sports science terms—because sometimes, all this industry jargon is just a fancy way of making “train hard and smart” sound academic.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): The body’s response to stress: alarm (shock), resistance (adaptation), and exhaustion (overtraining).
Supercompensation: The magic period post-recovery where performance temporarily exceeds baseline.
Accumulation Phase: A high-volume training block aimed at developing a base of work capacity and muscle mass.
Realisation Phase: The final phase of a training cycle where intensity is maximised, and volume drops to allow peak performance.
Detraining: The loss of performance and muscle when you slack off for too long.
Overreaching: Strategic overloading that temporarily fatigues an athlete before recovery leads to greater adaptation.
Overtraining Syndrome (OTS): When overreaching goes wrong—chronic fatigue, strength loss, and burnout.
Tapering: Reducing training volume and intensity before competition for peak readiness.
Peaking: The process of timing training cycles so you hit your absolute best strength on competition day.
Reversibility: If you don’t use it, you lose it—strength and endurance fade when training stops.
SAID Principle: Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands—your body adapts to the exact stress you put on it.
Adaptation Energy: The body's limited capacity to handle stress before it needs recovery.
Progressive Overload: Gradually increasing training stress to force continued adaptation.
Undulating Periodisation: Varying intensity and volume within a microcycle (e.g., heavy day, light day, medium day).
Block Periodisation: Dividing training into blocks, each targeting different physical qualities (strength, power, endurance).
Linear Periodisation: Gradually increasing intensity while decreasing volume across a training cycle.
Concurrent Periodisation: Training multiple qualities (e.g., strength, speed, endurance) simultaneously.
Accumulated Fatigue: The gradual buildup of tiredness from high training loads.
Fitness-Fatigue Model: Your performance is a balance of fitness gains and fatigue accumulation.
Accommodating Resistance: Using bands or chains to modify resistance across a lift’s range of motion.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): That deep soreness you feel 24-48 hours after a tough session.
Neuromuscular Adaptation: When your nervous system learns to fire muscles more efficiently.
Muscle Fiber Recruitment: Activating more muscle fibers to generate greater force.
Rate of Force Development (RFD): How fast you can generate explosive power.
Time Under Tension (TUT): How long a muscle remains under strain during a set.
Post-Activation Potentiation (PAP): A priming effect where a heavy lift enhances explosive performance shortly after.
Central Nervous System (CNS) Fatigue: Overloading the nervous system to the point of reduced performance.
Peripheral Fatigue: Localised muscular fatigue affecting performance.
Reactive Strength Index (RSI): A measurement of explosive power from a depth jump.
Bioenergetic Systems: The energy pathways (ATP-PC, Glycolytic, Oxidative) that fuel performance.
Hormetic Stress: The idea that small doses of stress improve resilience (applies to training and recovery).
Cyclic Loading: Fluctuating training stress to maximise adaptation while preventing burnout.
Mechanical Tension: The force generated by muscles under load—one of the primary drivers of hypertrophy.
Metabolic Stress: The “pump” effect from high-rep training or intensity training, triggering muscle growth.
Isometric Training: Holding a position under tension without moving (e.g., planks, paused squats, bench vs pins).
Eccentric Training: Lowering a weight slowly to emphasise muscle lengthening.
Concentric Training: The lifting phase of an exercise. And only the lifting phase.
Plyometrics: Jump training to develop explosive power.
Ballistic Training: Lifting with maximal acceleration (e.g., medicine ball slams, speed squats).
Functional Overreaching: Temporary fatigue accumulation leading to a greater performance boost post-recovery.
Hysteresis Effect: Residual fatigue that lingers after training but can be managed with proper recovery.
Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS): The lowest speed at which an athlete reaches VO₂ max.
Anaerobic Threshold: The point at which lactate accumulation outpaces clearance.
Lactate Buffering Capacity: The body's ability to tolerate and clear lactic acid.
ATP-PC (Adenosine Triphosphate-Phosphocreatine) System: The immediate energy system for short, max-effort bursts (<10 sec).
Glycolytic Energy System: The medium-duration energy system used in intense efforts (30 sec – 2 min).
Oxidative Energy System: The endurance-focused energy system for long-duration activity.
Hormonal Periodisation: Adjusting training loads in sync with hormonal fluctuations for optimal recovery.
Autoregulation: Adjusting training intensity based on daily readiness and fatigue levels.
Conjugate Method: A training system using rotating max effort lifts, dynamic effort, and repeated effort work.
Westside Method: A powerlifting system developed by Louie Simmons, built on Conjugate principles.
Max Effort Method: Training with maximal or near-maximal weights to develop top-end strength.
Dynamic Effort Method: Training with submaximal weights at high speed to build explosiveness.
Repeated Effort Method: Performing submaximal lifts to failure for hypertrophy.
Mechanical Advantage Drop Sets: Adjusting body position or leverage mid-set to extend work capacity.
Contrast Training: Alternating heavy lifts with explosive movements (e.g., squats + jumps).
French Contrast Training: A brutal sequence of heavy, explosive, and reactive exercises in one set.
Wave Loading: A set structure alternating between heavy and lighter loads to stimulate adaptation.
Cluster Sets: Breaking a set into smaller mini-sets with short rests to maintain force output.
Density Training: Completing more work in the same amount of time to enhance work capacity.
Fatigue Management: Controlling training load to prevent overtraining and maximise adaptation.
Force-Velocity Curve: The inverse relationship between force and speed—stronger athletes move slower at max effort.
Reactive Strength: The ability to absorb and reapply force quickly (critical for jumping and sprinting).
Occlusion Training: Using blood flow restriction to promote hypertrophy at lighter loads.
Safety Squat Bar (SSB): A specialty barbell that shifts load forward, reducing spinal compression.
Reverse Hyper: A Louie Simmons favorite—used to decompress the spine while hammering the glutes and lower back.
Swiss Bar: A bar with multiple grip options, used for joint-friendly pressing variations.
Duffalo Bar: A specialty bar with a slight curve to reduce shoulder stress in pressing movements.
Monolift: A powerlifting rack attachment allowing lifters to squat without walking the bar out.
Yoke Walk: A strongman event requiring athletes to carry a heavily loaded frame across a distance.
Triphasic Training: A method focusing on eccentric, isometric, and concentric strength phases for each lift.
Velocity-Based Training (VBT): Using bar speed to dictate load and volume instead of percentage-based programming.
Rate Coding: How quickly motor neurons fire to produce maximal force.
Intermuscular Coordination: How multiple muscle groups coordinate to produce force efficiently.
Intramuscular Coordination: How efficiently muscle fibers within a single muscle contract together.
Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT): Intentionally accelerating through the entire lift for maximal force production.
Dynamic Correspondence: The degree to which an exercise carries over to a specific sport or movement.
Neuroplasticity in Strength Training: The brain’s ability to rewire itself to improve movement efficiency.
Pre-Activation Training: Using an isolated exercise to “turn on” a muscle before compound lifts (e.g., hamstring curls before deadlifts).
Delayed Transformation: A tapering concept where a training stimulus only fully manifests after fatigue dissipates.
Joint-Angle Specificity: Strength gains being most pronounced at the angles where you train them.
Movement Economy: The efficiency of an athlete’s technique to reduce energy waste.
Neuromechanical Matching: Selecting exercises that reinforce competition movement mechanics under fatigue.
Metabolic Cost of Training: The energy demand of a given exercise or training session.
Eccentric Quasi-Isometrics (EQIs): Holding a muscle under tension in an elongated position for strength and mobility gains.
Iso-Dynamic Contrast: A method combining isometric holds with explosive movement in the same set.
Microdosing Strength Training: Using short, frequent, low-volume sessions to maintain strength while minimising fatigue.
Seismic Training: The idea that oscillating forces (like shaking weights) can enhance stability and neuromuscular control.
Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Techniques: Breathing and movement strategies to correct muscular imbalances.
Supra-Maximal Loading: Training with weights heavier than your 1RM through partial reps or assisted eccentric work.
Anatomical Adaptation Phase: The initial training phase focused on preparing muscles, tendons, and ligaments for heavier work.
Tonic vs. Phasic Muscles: Tonic muscles (postural) resist fatigue, while phasic muscles (power-based) generate explosive force.
Excitation-Contraction Coupling: The link between nervous system activation and muscle contraction.
Electromechanical Delay (EMD): The time lag between muscle activation and force production.
Autogenic Inhibition: When a muscle stops itself from contracting too hard to prevent injury.
Henneman’s Size Principle: The order in which motor units are recruited—from smallest to largest, based on demand.
Pyramidal Training: A method of gradually increasing and then decreasing intensity within a single workout.
Giant Sets: A brutal series of four or more exercises done back-to-back with minimal rest.
Heartshock Training: Jogging, then loading a sandbag, repackaged as an “innovative” method—because marketing is everything.
Mechanically Similar Movements: Exercises that mimic competition lifts without being identical to them (e.g., SSB Squats vs. Back Squats).
Assistance Exercises: Movements designed to improve primary lifts by targeting weak links.
Accessory Work: Lighter movements to build muscle, reinforce stability, or correct imbalances.
Olympic Wave Loading: Using undulating rep schemes based on Olympic lifting cycles.
Force-Velocity Profiling: A method for determining whether an athlete needs more strength or speed emphasis.
Tendon Stiffness Modulation: Adjusting training to either increase or decrease tendon elasticity based on sport needs.
Hybrid Periodisation: Combining multiple periodisation strategies within a single training block.
Transmutation Phase – A transitional block between accumulation and realisation phases, refining strength into sport-specific performance.
Concentric Strength Deficit (CSD) – The gap between how much you can lift concentrically vs. eccentrically.
Rate of Force Development (RFD) – How quickly you can generate maximal force—critical for explosive sports.
Overreaching vs. Overtraining – Overreaching is temporary fatigue accumulation for performance gains; overtraining is digging a recovery hole you might not crawl out of.
Selective Recruitment Theory – The idea that highly trained athletes can skip smaller motor units and recruit fast-twitch fibers faster.
Complex Training – Pairing a heavy lift with a high-speed movement (e.g., squats & jumps) to enhance power output.
Concurrent Training – Training multiple physical qualities (e.g., strength & endurance) at the same time.
Oscillatory Isometrics – Rapidly pulsing isometric contractions to improve reactive strength.
Reactive Neuromuscular Training (RNT) – Using resistance bands to pull a movement into dysfunction, forcing the body to correct it.
Iso-Holds for Positional Strength – Holding a weak range of motion under load to improve stability (e.g., paused squats).
Descending Pyramid Loading – A rep scheme where weight is reduced each set, allowing for more volume at near-maximal intensity.
Ascending Pyramid Loading – The opposite: increasing load each set, peaking at the heaviest effort.
Cluster Sets – Breaking up a heavy set into mini-reps with short rests to maintain power output (e.g., 5x1 instead of 1x5).
Myonuclear Domain Theory – More muscle cells = more growth potential. Why training volume matters.
Fascial Stretching for Strength – Stretching muscle fascia to allow for more hypertrophy (controversial but often cited).
Moment Arm Advantage – How different squat depths, grip widths, or bar positions change leverages.
Impulse-Momentum Relationship – The longer force is applied, the greater the resulting acceleration (useful for sprinting & lifting).
Proximal-to-Distal Sequencing – Generating force from the core outward for efficient power transfer (key in Olympic lifts & throwing).
Deceleration Training – Training to slow down under control (important for injury prevention).
Multi-Planar Training – Moving in all directions (sagittal, frontal, transverse) instead of just up and down.
Sled Sprint Paradox – The argument over whether heavy sled sprints help acceleration or just slow you down.
Dynamic Isometrics – I would also call these STATIC OVERCOME BY DYNAMIC Alternating between static holds and explosive contractions within a single rep.
Interference Effect – When endurance training starts killing your strength gains.
Tonic Neck Reflex – A neurological response where head position influences muscle activation.
Longitudinal Strength Adaptation – The idea that strength gains take longer to solidify than hypertrophy gains.
Hysteresis in Soft Tissue – How tendons absorb and release energy during movement.
Force Absorption Capacity – The ability to absorb and redirect force (why eccentrics are crucial).
Metabolic Power Output – The total energy output of a movement, not just how strong you are.
Auto-Regulation in Periodisation – Adjusting volume/intensity based on readiness instead of a rigid program.
Anisometric Training – A training style that deliberately avoids any type of stretch reflex (dead-stop lifts).
Reverse Band Loading – Using bands to assist at the bottom of a lift, allowing for heavier weights at the top.
Tripod Foot Positioning – The gold standard for stable foot positioning: weight balanced between heel, big toe, and pinky toe.
Load Vector Training – Applying resistance at different angles to manipulate force output (e.g., banded RDLs for horizontal force).
Undulating Periodisation – Fluctuating intensity & volume across training days instead of following a strict linear progression.
Hypergravity Training – Wearing weighted vests during training to adapt to greater loads.
Contrast Training – Pairing heavy lifts with explosive movements (e.g., deadlifts + jumps) to improve power output.
Bilateral Deficit – The phenomenon where a person can lift more with two independent limbs vs. using them together.
Muscle Pennation Angle – The orientation of muscle fibers, which affects strength & hypertrophy potential.
Load Velocity Profiling – Assessing how bar speed changes under different loads to optimise training zones.
Neuromuscular Fatigue Monitoring – Using jump height or grip strength as indirect measures of CNS fatigue.
Proprioceptive Demand Scaling – Adjusting training difficulty based on balance & stability requirements.
Body Tempering - A soft tissue recovery method using heavy rollers or bars to apply sustained pressure to muscles, promoting blood flow, tissue quality, and mobility.
Phase Potentiation - The structured sequencing of training phases where one phase enhances the effects of the next, e.g., hypertrophy → strength → power for peak performance.
Sliding Filament Theory - The foundational explanation of muscle contraction where actin and myosin filaments slide over each other to create force, enabled by ATP and calcium ions.
Impulse Response Model (Fatigue Masks Fitness) – Training stress causes both fitness improvements and fatigue; performance is a balance between the two.
Repeated Bouts Effect – The body’s reduced response to the same training stimulus over time.
Neuroplasticity in Strength Training – The brain’s ability to adapt to new movement patterns and improve coordination under load.
The Myth of the “Optimal” Training Split – Different training splits work depending on an athlete’s experience level and recovery capacity.
Force-Velocity Curve – The fundamental trade-off in lifting: heavy weights move slow, light weights move fast. Training across the spectrum ensures you’re both strong and explosive, not just a grinder under heavy loads.
Accommodating Resistance – Using bands or chains to modify resistance throughout a lift, forcing acceleration and eliminating weak points. If your lockout sucks, this is why.
Strength-Speed – Lifting heavy weights explosively. This is where max effort meets power training—moving near-max loads as fast as possible to develop high-force output under load.
Speed-Strength – The other side of the power equation—moving lighter weights at maximal velocity. Think dynamic effort squats, Olympic lifts, and plyometrics for developing rapid force production.
The Stretch-Shortening Cycle (SSC) – The rapid switch from eccentric to concentric contraction that allows you to produce more force. Why a squat with a bounce is stronger than a paused squat. Train it or waste it.
Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training – Using tight wraps to restrict venous blood flow while lifting light weights. Triggers hypertrophy with minimal load, making it useful for rehab or when your joints hate you.
Electromyography (EMG) Studies to Determine Muscle Activation – Sticking electrodes to muscles to see how hard they’re working. Looks cool in research but doesn’t always translate to better training—just because a muscle “lights up” doesn’t mean the exercise is the best choice.
How to Spot a Bullshitter: The Jargon Hustle Checklist
Want to figure out if someone is actually a good coach—or just another jargon-slinging fraud? Run them through this checklist:
✅ Do they make everything sound complicated but never actually lift heavy? (They can explain every detail of a force-velocity curve, but their total wouldn’t even win a local meet.)
✅ Do they talk about “optimal” but have never coached anyone strong? (They think they’re smarter than actual champions—but their best lifter is still stuck at a 500lb deadlift.)
✅ Do they parrot big words but can’t give a clear, simple explanation? (If they can’t explain it to a new lifter in 30 seconds, they don’t understand it themselves.)
✅ Do they call Conjugate outdated but still squat high in knee sleeves? (They trash Conjugate but can’t handle a straight bar for 3 weeks without blowing their knees out.)
✅ Do they regurgitate research without actually applying it? (They’ll argue about rep schemes for hours but couldn’t program a peak if their life depended on it.)
If you answered “yes” to more than two of these, congratulations—you’re dealing with a textbook bullshitter. Keep scrolling.
Don’t Fall for the Jargon Hustle
At the end of the day, strength training isn’t complicated—people just want you to think it is. They throw around words like “phase potentiation” and “sliding filament theory” to sound clever, but half the time, they’re just regurgitating concepts they don’t even apply in their own coaching. Knowing the terminology is fine, but it doesn’t mean sh*t if you can’t translate it into results.
You don’t need to wade through a sea of sports science buzzwords to get strong. What you do need is intelligent programming, consistent effort, and a no-nonsense approach that prioritises actual progress over mental masturbation. That’s where real coaching comes in.
If you’re tired of being bamboozled by overcomplicated nonsense and want actual results, my mentorship program is here to cut through the fluff. Whether you're a coach who wants to learn how to program properly or an athlete looking to level up, I’ll teach you how to apply these principles in real training, not just in theory.
And if you’re a lifter who’s ready to get stronger without wasting time on methods that don’t work, my coaching services will get you there. No BS, no unnecessary complexity—just effective, results-driven training that’s built around your needs.
🚀 Ready to stop overthinking and start making real progress?
🔹 Sign up for my mentoring services– Learn how to coach, program, and build a bulletproof training system.
🔹 Sign up for coaching – Get stronger, move better, and train with a system that actually works.
Hit the links, send a message, and let’s get to work.
At this point, you’ve got two options.
🔹 You can keep overthinking training, getting lost in the jargon maze, and arguing on the internet with people who have never actually been strong.
🔹 Or you can train with someone who gets results—someone who cuts through the noise and actually makes you stronger.
Your move.
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