A percentage on a spreadsheet assumes two things. One: your 1RM today is the same as the 1RM you tested six weeks ago. Two: that 1RM, whatever it actually is, can be expressed every session regardless of how you feel.
Both are lies most of the time.
Velocity-based training — VBT — fixes both problems by replacing the assumption with a measurement. You put a small sensor on the bar. Every rep gets a speed reading. The speed tells you what the load actually is, today, in this body, on this set.
Where It Came From
VBT isn't new — the Soviets were measuring bar speed in the 1970s — but it stayed in elite Olympic lifting circles until the 2010s, when affordable linear position transducers (Tendo, Open Barbell, Vitruve) and phone-camera apps (PUSH, RepOne, MyLift) made it accessible to anyone with $200 and a willingness to track numbers.
Bryan Mann's research at the University of Missouri and Mladen Jovanovic's writing turned VBT into a programming tool the average coach could use, not just an elite assessment metric.
The Key Terms
A few definitions before we go further:
- Mean velocity: the average speed of the concentric phase of a rep. The default VBT metric for compound lifts.
- Peak velocity: the highest instantaneous speed of the rep. More useful for jumps, Olympic derivatives, and ballistic work.
- Velocity loss: the percentage drop from the fastest rep to the slowest within a set.
- Load-velocity profile: the individual relationship between load and bar speed. Highly personal — your profile is not your training partner's profile.
- Minimum velocity threshold (MVT): the slowest speed at which a given lifter can still complete a true 1RM. Below this, the rep fails.
The Velocity Zones
| Training Quality | Mean Velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| Maximum strength | 0.30–0.50 |
| Strength-speed | 0.50–0.75 |
| Power | 0.75–1.00 |
| Speed-strength | 1.00–1.30 |
| Maximum velocity / ballistic | > 1.30 |
These are general targets — your personal profile may shift them slightly. The point is that bar speed maps to training adaptation. If you're trying to develop power but every rep is moving at 0.45 m/s, you're not training power. You're training strength under heavy load.
Velocity Targets for the Big Lifts
Approximate mean velocities at common percentages of 1RM for the back squat:
| %1RM | Approx. Velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| 60% | 0.85–1.00 |
| 70% | 0.70–0.85 |
| 80% | 0.55–0.70 |
| 90% | 0.35–0.50 |
For bench press, mean velocities run slightly lower at the same percentages. Deadlifts are messier — grip and setup variance make peak velocity the more reliable metric there.
Velocity Loss Thresholds
The other way VBT controls training is by capping set velocity loss. The first rep is your standard; you stop the set when the slowest rep drops a defined percentage below it.
| Training Goal | Velocity Loss Cap |
|---|---|
| Max power / speed | 5–10% |
| Strength-speed | 10–15% |
| Strength | 15–20% |
| Hypertrophy | 20–30% |
| Density / fatigue work | 30%+ |
The harder you cap velocity loss, the more you preserve quality at the cost of total volume. A power-emphasis set might be 3 reps; a hypertrophy set at the same load might be 12. Same weight on the bar, very different stimulus.
The Daily Readiness Probe
This is the single most practical use of VBT for a serious lifter. Pick a standardized submaximal load — say 70% of your training max. The first rep against that load is your readiness signal. Compare to your personal expected velocity:
| First-Rep Deviation | Action |
|---|---|
| Faster by 5%+ | Raise loads 2.5–5% — you're primed |
| Within ± 5% | Train as written |
| Slower by 5–10% | Proceed but don't escalate top sets |
| Slower by 10%+ | Drop to deload intensity for the day |
That's a 30-second check at the start of the session that tells you whether to push or pull back. No subjective wellness questionnaire required. The bar tells you.
Best Lifts for VBT
Some movements are reliable VBT candidates. Others aren't.
Great for VBT:
- Back squat, front squat
- Bench press, push press
- Trap-bar deadlift
- Jump squat
- Olympic derivatives (clean pull, hang clean)
Trickier:
- Conventional deadlift — grip-limited reps mask real strength
- Long-ROM unilateral work — bar path varies too much
- Dumbbell variations — no fixed measurement point for sensors
If the bar path is consistent and the lift has a clean concentric, VBT works. If grip or setup is the limiting factor, the velocity reading isn't telling you what you think it is.
When to Use It
- Strength athletes wanting objective autoregulation alongside RPE
- Power athletes training the strength-speed and power zones — bar speed is the whole point
- Coaches with multiple lifters — gives consistent objective data across a roster
- Returning from a layoff — finds your real working loads in 2–3 sessions instead of weeks
When to Skip It
- Beginners — no stable load-velocity profile yet, so the readings are noise
- In-season athletes on minimal lifting volume — overkill
- Pure hypertrophy blocks where total volume is the goal, not quality
- Equipment-limited gyms — phone apps work but require setup every session
The Catch
VBT requires hardware. A Tendo unit runs $400–600. Good linear position transducers run $700–1500. Phone-camera apps are cheap ($10–30 one-time or subscription) but require steady camera placement and good lighting to be reliable.
Most serious lifters don't need VBT to keep progressing. Most serious coaches benefit from it, especially when managing multiple athletes. The decision comes down to whether you'll actually use the data — and whether the data will change what you do.