Rapid Fire Q&A: Volume Load, Work Capacity and Ab Training

What movement patterns are commonly neglected in general population programming? How should training change as a client progresses from novice to intermediate? And what can volume load tell a coach about the actual demands of a program?

In this Rapid Fire Q&A, the KILO Crew works through a wide range of programming and coaching questions.

The discussion begins with the squat, hip hinge and overhead patterns, including why discomfort should not automatically lead a coach to remove an entire movement pattern. The better approach is often to find an appropriate regression, establish a workable starting point and progressively rebuild the client’s ability to perform the movement.

The conversation then moves into the transition from novice to intermediate training. Stéphane and Pauric explain how movement repetition, exercise variation, loading accuracy and periodization can evolve as a trainee develops greater technical competency.

They also clarify the difference between total and relative volume load, how accumulation phases build the work capacity required for intensification, and why higher-volume training can improve a trainee’s ability to express strength later in the program.

The episode concludes with early signs of under-recovery, the limitations of wearable data and a practical framework for abdominal training. The crew covers where ab training should begin, the role of stabilization, how to progress trunk and hip flexion exercises, and which movements they most often use with clients.

For trainers and strength coaches, this episode is a reminder that better programs are built through sound decisions, logical progression and an understanding of how each phase prepares the trainee for what comes next.

Build the base, then earn the progression.

0:19 Over- and under-prioritized movement patterns

1:34 Regressing and rebuilding the squat pattern

11:43 Using linear periodization with new clients

14:54 What is volume load?

17:55 Relative volume load in program design

21:28 Old-school Nautilus and Arthur Jones’ training philosophy

23:03 Why work capacity supports intensification

25:11 Buffers versus straining under load

26:58 A sprinting analogy for work capacity

28:38 Signs a client is under-recovered

29:23 Wearables and recovery metrics

30:45 The Charles Poliquin grip test story

31:47 Ab training and stability basics

33:18 Where should ab training begin?

35:51 Favorite ab exercises

39:46 Final principles for training abs