Rapid Fire Q&A: Strength Reserve, Specificity & Smarter Peaking

Send us Fan MailIn this Rapid Fire Q&A episode of Between 2 Racks, the KILO Crew tackles a wide range of coaching questions around specificity, strength reserve, long-term planning, and how to make better training decisions when the answer is not obvious.The episode opens with a discussion on preparing for HYROX and other strength endurance events, including why most athletes should spend more time building a strength reserve before rushing into highly specific work.From there, the conversation moves into lower body hypertrophy for speed athletes, examining when full range knee-dominant work is useful, when it may need to be reduced, and why the demands of a pure sprinter are not the same as those of a team sport athlete.The crew also breaks down how to think about hypertrophy-focused years versus maximal strength-focused years, especially when applying concepts from specialization courses. They cover heavy inertia work for maximal strength, how rep ranges depend on range of motion and time under tension, and why percentage-based answers often fall short.The episode closes with practical guidance on returning high-training-age athletes after injury and choosing between rapid eccentrics, overcoming isometrics, inertia, and more traditional contrast methods during peaking phases.For coaches, this episode is a reminder that the best training decisions come from understanding principles, not copying methods.Stay Connected with KILO: Have a question? ⁠Submit it for a Rapid Fire episode⁠.Learn more at ⁠trainkilo.com⁠Follow KILO on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠.