Periodization, Programmed Response Training and Smart Tools
The training programs within the WorkoutSmart.com system incorporate unique tools to help you get the most out of your program. Each person responds and recovers differently on a daily and weekly basis. This could be from purely physical reasons like simply going through a very hard training week or from daily life stressors like job deadlines and family responsibilities. These “smart” tools were developed to help a person easily adjust their program based on their individual recovery levels
Most training programs developed today use a form of planning called Periodization. This is a macro organization of the training volumes and intensities throughout a specific length of time, workout phase, season etc. It is the big picture and the foundation of your Training Schedule. Programmed Response Training or PRT is sort of like a “best friend” to Periodization. It is more of a dynamic, micro view of your daily workouts and helps determine how well you recover from these workouts. Periodization is the plan. PRT makes the plan more fluid and individualized to you.
Below are the tools that help you fine tune your program depending on how you feel and your time availability for that day.
On the top right hand side of your workout screen you will see these Workout Smart Tools:
Clicking on these tools will add or remove specific sets throughout your daily workout in a global or “smart” way. When would you do this? It simply depends on how you feel or your overall time availability for that day. If the workout calls for 45 minutes of training and you only have 30 minutes, simply click on the SmartExpress It! tool and we will do the rest. Or, if you have more time or energy click on the SmartPower Up! tool. 
Don’t be afraid to try it out. Just hit the Reset button and your workout will go back to the original.
Located next to your actual exercises you will see these Exercise Smart Tools. If you’re using a phone just click on the drop down box on the right hand side of the exercise to open them up.
Here is what they do:
Individual Exercise Adjustment Icon
Clicking this tool does basically the same thing as the Workout Smart Tools but it does it for one specific exercise at a time and also includes an exercise exchange button and a way to delete the exercise as a whole. This just gives you one extra step in customizing your program if you choose.
Individual Exercise Feedback Icon
Clicking this tool allows you to let us know how the routine for a specific exercise felt overall. This gives us your RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion. For example: If you couldn’t complete all your reps for a set just click on Too Hard. If you easily completed everything just click on Too Easy. You get the picture! We will then make adjustments to the weight of the exercise and track it. The next time you do this exercise your feedback will be reflected in the workout. We call this function Verbal Feedback. You don’t have to adjust the numbers in your workout, just click on the verbal feedback you want and we’ll take care of adjusting your workout.
Individual Exercise Set, Rep and Weight Adjustment Icon (SRWA) – Clicking this tool allows you to put in exactly what you did including changing, adding or deleting sets, reps and weight.
Individual Exercise Information Icon– Clicking this tool gives you tons of information about a specific exercise including calories burned, total sets and reps, strength/performance levels, descriptions, video’s, workout phases, INOL and workout INDEX score. Everything you need to know is right here!
