Between 2 Racks

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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.

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In this Rapid Fire Q&A episode, the KILO Crew breaks down several programming questions that strength coaches and personal trainers run into with real clients.
The episode starts with a practical coaching problem: how to fit remedial, accessory, and supportive work into a 40-minute full-body session for a beginner who trains three days per week. From there, the conversation moves into session structure, exercise pairing, training economy, warm-up integration, and how to decide what belongs in the program when time is limited.
The crew also discusses when a client actually needs more direct isolation work versus when they simply need better execution and more time under the bar with compound lifts. That leads into a deeper discussion on functional hypertrophy for body recomposition, why it works well under a moderate deficit, and how the right training structure can support both hypertrophy and strength retention.
The episode also covers ascending and descending mesocycle loading, when each strategy makes sense, why they are not beginner tools, and how they can be used to organize fatigue, volume, and strength expression across a phase. Finally, Pauric explains the difference between acute and chronic training load, and when those metrics become useful for coaches managing mixed-modality athletes.
This episode is about making better programming decisions, not adding more exercises for the sake of it.
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.

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Hybrid training is everywhere right now.
From HYROX and run clubs to recreational sports, Pilates, conditioning, mobility work, and strength training, more general population clients are adding multiple training modalities into their week.
But more training does not automatically mean better results.
In this episode of Between 2 Racks, the KILO Crew breaks down how coaches should think about programming for hybrid clients who want to build strength, improve conditioning, move better, and still recover.
We discuss why recovery capacity has to guide the program, how parallel emphasis differs from pure parallel training, when strength work should shift to maintenance, and why simply adding more volume can quickly become a problem.
Steph and Pauric also explain how to adjust strength training when cardio, running, sport, mobility, or fat loss are part of the goal, including when to use full-body training, upper/lower splits, buffers, zone two work, higher-intensity conditioning, and mobility exposure.
The big takeaway: cardio does not kill your gains. Poor programming, poor load management, and ignoring recovery do.
If you coach clients who lift, run, play sports, take classes, or want to feel athletic again, this episode will help you make smarter decisions with program design and periodization.
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.

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Progressive Anatomical Adaptation Blocks, or PAABs, are among the most misunderstood components of the KILO system.
In this episode of Between 2 Racks, the KILO Crew breaks down what PAAB actually is, how it differs from structural balance, and why it should be viewed as strength preparation rather than simply rehab or remedial training.
Steph and Pauric explain the difference between building strength ratios and preparing the joints, tissues, and movement patterns required for harder training later on. They cover when a client may need PAAB, when it may not be the best use of time, and why strong trainees, athletes, beginners, and beat-up lifters can all benefit from it in different ways.
The conversation also walks through how PAAB sessions are structured, why the work is organized around joints and tissues, and how longer time under tension, slower tempos, eccentrics, isometrics, and controlled ranges of motion help build the foundation for future strength training.
This is not about keeping clients in low-level corrective work forever.
It is about knowing when to prepare the body, how to progress that preparation, and when to move on to more advanced strength work.
PAAB is the foundation that lets better training happen next.
0:00 Introduction to PAAB
1:41 Origins of structural balance
4:51 Structural balance vs anatomical adaptation
6:56 What PAAB actually is
11:53 When a client needs PAAB
14:06 PAAB session structure walkthrough
21:16 Building joint work capacity
27:52 Specialty methods
34:23 Why PAAB blocks are six weeks
38:08 How long to stay on PAAB
45:17 Progressive shoulder rehab example
47:55 MAP assessment and PAAB
49:15 Importance of lower back training
54:58 Explaining PAAB to clients
56:23 Wrap up and final thoughts
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.

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In this Rapid Fire Q&A episode of Between 2 Racks, the KILO Crew works through a wide range of programming questions that strength coaches and personal trainers run into when building real programs for real clients.
The conversation starts with whether different body parts can be trained for different goals within the same macrocycle, and why the answer depends on how far apart those goals are, the client’s limitations, and the recovery cost of the overall plan.
From there, the crew discusses why KILO has moved away from certain older testing models, including maximal strength deficit testing, and how assessment should evolve as coaching systems improve.
The episode also covers how bench angle changes triceps extension variations, why seated, standing, lying, and kneeling leg curls should be viewed more as programming variations than strict progressions, and why limiting lifts do not automatically belong on the first training day of the week.
Later, the discussion moves into neck training, conditioning across different macrocycle goals, nutrition adjustments around conditioning sessions, and the difference between relative strength ratios and strength ratios.
This episode is a reminder that good programming is not about memorizing rules. It is about understanding the principles well enough to know when a rule applies, when it does not, and what changes downstream when you adjust it.
Better coaching starts with better decision-making.

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.