Placeholder content. Real draft coming soon.
Words like progressive, linear, and periodized get used interchangeably in fitness writing. They are not the same thing, and for a beginner choosing a sprint program, the distinction matters.
Progressive: the easiest version first
A progressive program starts with the easiest version of the exercise that still counts as training, and increases difficulty only when the easier version is mastered. Progression is not automatic, it is earned by performance on the prior rep.
For sprinting, this means the first weeks are not "sprint faster, week over week." They are move better, build tissue, earn the right to sprint fast. By week six, a beginner on a good progressive program can produce a better max-velocity rep than most people who started week one with max-effort flying sprints.
Linear: predictable direction of change
A linear program has a fixed direction: each week increases intensity (or volume, or complexity) in a predictable way. The sprntr program is linear because beginners benefit from knowing what comes next. Surprises are a source of motivation loss.
Linear is not the opposite of progressive. It is how the progression is scheduled. A program can be both (sprntr is), or neither.
Periodized: organized by phase
A periodized program groups weeks into phases with specific goals. sprntr's phases are Foundation, Acceleration, Max Velocity, Speed Endurance, Test, Peak Performance, Final Test, and Maintenance. Each phase serves the next. Foundation builds structural tolerance so Acceleration work does not break you. Acceleration builds neural patterns that Max Velocity extends.
Periodization is what keeps you from training the same thing for 52 weeks and getting diminishing returns.
Why beginners need all three
For a beginner, you want:
- Progressive, so the first week does not feel crushing and the twelfth week is not the same as the first.
- Linear, so you can look at week 14 and know roughly what to expect.
- Periodized, so the program adapts to what your body is ready for next.
The sprntr app is built to deliver all three without making you think about any of them.
Where to go next
The methodology is the long version of this argument. For the honest version of "what to expect," read the beginner's guide.