Adapting Your Training Split: When to Change (and How to Do It Right)

#36 – Strength & Speed Coaching – Pursuing Your Best ⚡

You’ve chosen your split. You’ve structured your sessions. You’ve got momentum.

But here’s the reality: the best systems don’t stay static. They adapt.

And knowing when to pivot your training split—and how to do it without losing continuity—is one of the most important things a coach can master.

Because athlete needs change. Seasons change. Schedules change.

In this final part of our Training Split series, we’ll walk through:

• Key signs it might be time to adjust your current split

• Questions to audit your structure and goals

• Smart ways to shift your plan mid-season or mid-year

Let’s close the gap between rigid plans and real-world coaching.

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Why Training Splits Need to Evolve

No training split is bulletproof forever.

What worked in August might fall apart in February.

Here’s what changes over time:

• Sport schedules: Games ramp up. Practice times shift.

• Academic pressure: Finals, ACT prep, or seasonal fatigue hit hard.

• Training age: What worked for a green freshman won’t challenge a senior.

• Facility access or staffing: Winter schedules, early dismissals, or weight room conflicts pop up.

If your split is locked in and immune to context… you’ll eventually run into friction.

Adaptability isn’t weakness—it’s one of the most important coaching skills you can develop. Roll with the punches!

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5 Signs It’s Time to Adjust Your Split

1. Missed days are stacking up.
If athletes are frequently missing a key day in your split (e.g., always missing Friday upper body), they’re not getting balanced development.

2. Athletes are constantly sore or flat.
That’s not “hard work”—that’s poor planning. If your structure isn’t allowing for recovery, output suffers.

3. Movement quality is declining.
Sloppy reps? Poor posture or energy during lifts? It might be a workload or sequencing issue.

4. Strength gains have stalled.
Sometimes the issue isn’t the exercises—it’s the frequency or pairing. Switching from a 4-day upper/lower to a 3-day total body split can refresh adaptation. Or even a 3-day total body split to a 2-day.

5. You feel like you’re always behind.
If you’re racing through sessions, skipping warm-ups, or feeling like every day is rushed—it’s time to rethink the format.

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Audit Your Current Split: A Coaching Self-Check

Ask yourself:

• Is our split aligned with the seasonal priorities?

• Are we consistently able to train at least 2–3x/week?

• Does this split allow us to pair sprint, jump, and lift work logically?

• Are we covering all movement patterns across the week?

• Do athletes feel energized or drained after sessions?

If the split supports your training goals and athletes are making progress—great.
If not? Let’s adjust with purpose.

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Pro Tip: Plan Transitions Around Semester or Sport Blocks

Change splits at logical checkpoints—not random mid-weeks.

• Semester change? Great time to reset.

• Off-season begins? Shift from 2 to 3 days/week.

• Pre-season intensifies? Reduce lifting frequency but increase focus.

• Finals week or spring break? Micro-dose your training.

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Final Thoughts: Let the Split Serve the System

Your split is a means to an end—not the end itself.

Let it serve your:

• Athletes’ development

• School’s schedule

• Coaching bandwidth

• Training priorities

Don’t be afraid to pivot. Just make sure you’re doing it with intention, not impulse.

The best programs don’t just train hard. They adapt smart.

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What’s Next?

Next Up: Summer Training: Building a Smarter Summer That Actually Transfers

As summer approaches, we’re kicking off a new series focused on what matters most during summer training:

• How to balance strength, speed, and recovery without burning athletes out

• What to prioritize for multi-sport athletes and large group settings

• How to keep intent and consistency high when school structure disappears

Whether you’re leading a full team lift, coaching PE groups, or supporting athletes who train on their own—this series will give you practical tools to build a summer that sets the tone for the entire year.

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Need Help Structuring Your Training Split?

If you’re looking to clean up your current setup—or design a brand-new split that fits your schedule, athletes, and goals—I offer consulting for PE teachers and Strength & Speed coaches.

Whether you need help with:

• Building split-based templates for different seasons or age groups

• Matching sprint, lift, and jump work across the week

• Transitioning from outdated training models to performance-based systems

…I’d love to help.

Just reply or shoot me a message. Let’s build a plan that works for your school.

Until then—let’s keep pursuing excellence together.

— Preston ⚡️

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Paid Subscriber Resources Preview:

Upgrade your subscription to Pursuit PE to get access to these resources ⤵

• Adapting the Tier System for Efficiency
  By Gage Rosier, M.S., CSCS

  • This real-world case study shows how Gage Rosier and his staff adjusted the Tier System to better serve a packed schedule, limited space, and a 3-day total body format. If you’re looking to get more from your sessions—especially in a busy school or small-college setting—this template offers practical ideas for organizing loadable movements early and maximizing impact with limited time. A great read for any coach running multiple groups across the week.

• Making the Most of a 4-Day Upper/Lower Split

  • This short article outlines how we used to run a 4-day upper/lower training split at Mount Vernon in the early days of Mustang Strength & Speed and why we eventually moved to a 3-day total body model. It’s a helpful resource for coaches working in settings where a 4-day schedule is possible and appropriate. Learn how to structure your week, align sprint and lift themes, and adapt training to fit your athletes, time, and facility constraints.

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