Training & movement
A · High confidenceAmerican College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults
What this means
Advice for beginners: loads you can lift 8 to 12 times, 2 to 3 days per week. Raise the load by 2 to 10% once you can do 1 to 2 repetitions more than planned.
Nicholas A Ratamess, Brent A Alvar, Tammy K Evetoch, Terry J Housh, W Ben Kibler, William J Kraemer, N Travis Triplett · 2009 · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
What does this rating mean?
Multiple consistent meta-analyses or a position stand. Sufficient basis for a fixed choice in the coaching.
Findings
Resistance-training prescriptions should be status-dependent: novices train at 8-12 RM, 2-3 days/week; intermediate and advanced trainees need periodised programming across a wider RM range, 4-5 days/week with greater volume and variation. For intermediate and advanced trainees the position stand recommends a wider loading range (1-12 RM) in a periodised fashion, with eventual emphasis on heavy loading (1-6 RM) and 3-5 min rest between sets.
Who this applies to
Healthy adults, from beginners with no training experience to advanced lifters with years of experience.
What to keep in mind
This is a professional body's position statement with advice, not new research. The authors say the advice depends on your goals, physical capacity and training status.
Practical conclusion for REZA
The basis for why REZA programmes novices differently from advanced trainees — though this position stand has been partly superseded by more recent evidence (the 2026 ACSM review) suggesting fewer variables matter than once assumed.
View method and source
Methodology
Position stand
Population
Healthy adults across training statuses: novice/untrained, intermediate, advanced, and athletes
Intervention
Resistance training prescriptions differentiated by training status (load, volume, frequency, exercise selection, rest, velocity, periodisation)
Outcome measures
Maximal strength, muscle hypertrophy, muscular power, local muscular endurance
Limitations
Published 2009 and superseded in several respects by the ACSM 2026 overview of reviews, which found fewer prescription variables matter than previously assumed; expert consensus rather than systematic review; training-status categories defined pragmatically.
Original source
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670 · PMID: 19204579
View on PubMed →This information is general education about scientific research. It is not personal medical advice and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a doctor or other healthcare professional. If you have symptoms, a medical condition or take medication, consult your GP or treating professional before changing your training or nutrition.