In Part 1, we answered when to schedule velocity-based training: inside the workout, across the training week, and during periods where readiness fluctuates.
In Part 2, we answered a more practical question: what is velocity actually telling you? At the most basic level, did you pick the right weight for today’s workout?
Now we take the next step: What numbers should you actually be using?
Because at some point, everyone runs into the same problem:
• What velocity equals strength?
• What velocity equals power?
• What should I actually be aiming for?
Starting Point: Simple Velocity Ranges
If you need something you can use immediately, start here:
• Strength → ~0.30 to 0.50 m/s
• Power → ~0.50 to 0.80 m/s
• Speed → anything above ~0.80 m/s (lighter loads moved fast, not sprinting)
That’s enough to get going.
But those numbers are not exact. They’re not like percentages. Velocity reflects what is happening right now.
Two athletes can lift the same percentage of their max and get different velocities, and even the same athlete won’t move the same load the same way from one day to the next. Fatigue, sleep, stress, and execution all show up in the speed of the bar.
That’s not a flaw in the system—that’s the entire point of using it.
What You’re Actually Looking For
Instead of chasing perfect numbers, you’re looking for patterns. Over time, each lift starts to tell you:
• where your best reps tend to occur
• where things start to break down
• how fatigue shows up in your movement
The technical term for putting numbers to that is a load–velocity profile. But you don’t need to formalize anything yet.
All that really means is you’re learning how your body moves different loads at different speeds. You’re not trying to hit someone else’s numbers.
You’re trying to understand your own.
Case Study: Firefighter Training in a Garage
Take a firefighter training in his garage.
Basic equipment, nothing fancy, and a schedule that doesn’t always cooperate. This week he got called out more than usual, didn’t sleep as much as he normally would, and is coming into the session more fatigued than planned.
So whatever was written on paper is already questionable.
He starts the session the right way: faster work first, then heavier work.
Power and “Speed” Work
He opens with jumps or Olympic variations (cleans, jerks, etc.). The goal here is simple: move fast and stay explosive every rep.
Up to this point, we’ve mostly been talking about average bar speed (or mean velocity), meaning how fast the bar moves overall during the lift. Once the movements become more explosive, what matters more is peak velocity—the fastest point reached during the movement.
Now he’s watching for:
• reps that are fast and sharp
• no drop in speed from rep to rep
• movement that stays explosive
The moment speed drops, the set is over.
Not because he’s completely exhausted, but because the goal of the work has changed. What started as high-output power work has now turned into something slower and less effective.
Strength Work
Now he moves to heavier barbell work and stays roughly in the 0.30 to 0.50 m/s range.
Over time, he notices something consistent. His best reps tend to land around ~0.45 m/s.
What does “best” mean here? It means:
• bar speed is consistent across reps
• positions stay stable
• no grinding
• effort is high, but controlled
• roughly an RPE of 7.5 to 8
Once the bar slows closer to ~0.35 m/s, things change. The reps don’t just get harder—they get different. Bar path shifts, positions start to break down, and speed becomes inconsistent.
That’s not just “working hard.” That’s a different stimulus. So instead of forcing whatever percentage was written down:
• if the bar is moving too slow, he reduces the load
• if it’s moving too fast, he adds weight
Now the session actually matches what it was supposed to be.
The Point of All This
Velocity isn’t about hitting perfect numbers. It’s about making sure what you’re doing in the gym lines up with what you’re trying to get out of it.
Are you trying to build strength?
Are you trying to move lighter loads fast?
Are you actually doing that, or just going through the motions?
Velocity gives you a way to answer that without guessing. It tells you when the load is off, when fatigue is creeping in, and when the quality of the work has changed.
Why This Matters for Sets and Reps
Many people get stuck asking questions like: Is 5x3 better than 3x5? Should I do 8 reps or 12?
What they’re really asking is this: How much fatigue is acceptable before the set stops doing what it’s supposed to do?
Because once fatigue changes how the bar is moving, you’re no longer training the same quality. What started as strength work turns into grinding. What started as power work turns into slow, low-quality reps.
The problem is, without velocity, you’re guessing where that line is.
Where This Leads Next
So far, we’ve covered when to use velocity, what it tells you, and what numbers to start with.
But we haven’t answered the question that actually ties all of this together: How do you know when a set should end?
Not based on a number written in a program. Not based on how you feel alone. But based on what is actually happening rep to rep.
That’s where velocity loss comes in. And that’s where this system becomes far more precise than percentages or even RPE.
Where We Could Go Next
Do us a favor and drop us a line. Tell us where you want to go next.
• How to use velocity loss to regulate fatigue
• How to build a load–velocity profile
• How to adjust training week to week
• Which velocity devices are actually worth using
• How VBT compares to percentage-based training, RPE, and RIR