Progression and Regressions

In team sports environments, where athletes' training experience can range from beginner to advanced, the coach’s ability to adjust exercises to match the athlete's ability is essential. Each individual’s ability to tolerate load will be influenced by internal factors such as strength levels, physiology, medical history, injury history and mental health, progressing or regressing exercises allow coaches to tailor training to each athlete's needs and abilities. The primary factors that can be modified when adjusting an exercise include the level of exercise difficulty, the training load, and the tempo of the exercise. By carefully managing these variables, coaches can ensure that athletes continue to develop at an appropriate pace, regardless of their experience level.

Exercise progression or regression can be effectively managed by adjusting various aspects of the exercise. One key factor is the exercise difficulty. For example, bodyweight exercises can be progressed to counterbalance exercises, and eventually to weighted exercises. Additionally, bilateral movements can be made more challenging by transitioning to unilateral variations.

Another factor is the training load, which can be altered to make an exercise easier or harder. If an athlete is struggling with an exercise, reducing the load is an effective way to regress the movement. This could involve lowering the weight or switching from barbell to dumbbell variations, which often provide greater control.

Finally, exercise tempo, or the speed at which the movement is performed, can also be manipulated. Slower tempos increase mechanical tension, making the exercise more challenging. Tempo adjustments can be applied during different phases of the movement, such as the eccentric (lowering), the bottom position, or the concentric (lifting) phase.

Outlined below is a progression for each type of movement: