define the outcome
specify the visual or performance adaptation and the time horizon in which it will be judged.
FRAME by jesse
technical document · 02
programme design under constraint.
a technical FRAME method note for coaches and experienced practitioners. familiarity with RIR, hypertrophy programming and fatigue management is assumed.
return to the FRAME methodRIRrepetitions in reserve
ROMrange of motion
VLvelocity loss
SFRstimulus to fatigue relation
01 · operating premise
variables do not act independently.
a programme is a constrained system. effort alters fatigue. fatigue alters recoverable volume. exercise selection alters stimulus delivery, joint cost and the validity of progression.
the advanced FRAME method therefore treats each prescription as a hypothesis with defined constraints, verification signals and an exit criterion.
no variable is advanced outside the context that gives it meaning.
02 · diagnostic hierarchy
diagnosis before prescription.
the hierarchy prevents a preferred method from being mistaken for the solution. the constraint determines the intervention.
locate the constraint
identify whether the present limit is tissue development, execution, force, work capacity, recovery or adherence.
select the intervention
change the smallest variable capable of addressing the constraint while preserving the rest of the diagnostic environment.
define verification
decide in advance which performance, physique and recovery signals would support or reject the intervention.
03 · technical modules
eight domains of programme control.
select a module to examine its operating principle, prescription logic, verification and failure condition.
01
effort prescription
RIR · task failure · calibration
principleRIR is an estimate of proximity to momentary task failure inside a defined execution standard. the failure definition must remain stable before the number is useful.
prescriptionprescribe an RIR range by exercise, repetition range and fatigue cost. compounds with meaningful technical or safety constraints may finish farther from failure than stable isolation work while still producing a useful hypertrophy stimulus.
verificationcalibrate reported RIR against completed repetitions to failure in selected validation sets, changes in repetition velocity and the lifter's exercise specific history. accuracy is treated as a learned skill.
failure conditionthe prescription has failed when RIR is used as a universal intensity target, when technique drift changes the failure criterion or when the fatigue cost compromises subsequent priority work.
04 · decision matrix
observation becomes intervention.
these examples show the reasoning order. they are not universal prescriptions and remain dependent on training history, exercise and objective.
| observation | likely interpretation | first adjustment | verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| target tissue is not the local limiter and a synergist repeatedly terminates the set | stimulus delivery or exercise constraint | modify setup, execution or exercise before adding volume | target limitation, repeatable setup, stable joint response |
| performance is stable for several exposures while technique and recovery remain strong | insufficient overload or marginal stimulus | progress load or repetitions, then consider a small volume increase | performance response across the following two exposures |
| output declines across multiple sessions with wider RIR drift and reduced readiness | residual fatigue exceeds current recovery | reduce the highest cost work while preserving specificity | output restoration, soreness pattern, sleep and motivation |
| target performance progresses but joint irritation rises with loading | exercise tolerance is the emerging constraint | alter ROM, setup or resistance profile before removing the pattern | joint response under a comparable target stimulus |
| conditioning output and lower body resistance performance suppress one another | concurrent sequencing or dose conflict | separate high cost sessions and reduce local modality overlap | quality of both priority sessions across the next microcycle |
swipe horizontally on a phone to read the full matrix
05 · evidence library
research defines boundaries, not absolutes.
evidence informs the expected range of response. the coach still has to identify whether the research question matches the athlete, exercise and outcome in front of them.
01resistance training volume and frequencydose response meta regressions02proximity to failure and adaptationsystematic review and meta regression03RIR as a load prescription methodreliability study04training to failure and acute fatiguesystematic review and meta analysis05velocity loss thresholdssystematic review and meta analysis06range of motion and adaptationsystematic review and meta analysis07frequency when volume is equatedsystematic review and meta analysis08autoregulation in resistance trainingsystematic review
the source library is provided for technical context. findings should be interpreted through study design, population, measurement method and the precision of the estimate.
06 · applied judgement
the advanced method is not more variables. it is better control of uncertainty.
the main FRAME method explains the philosophy. this document exposes the coaching logic used when response becomes less obvious and the cost of a poor adjustment becomes higher.