If you’ve been exposed to the world of powerlifting you might already be familiar with Compensatory Acceleration Training (aka CAT). I first heard this term used by Hall of Fame powerlifting champion Dr. Fred Hatfield. Hatfield was also known as Dr. Squat for his great advocacy of the barbell squat as the best overall exercise. He actually squatted over 1,000 pounds in competition at the age of 45 and was one of the co-founders of the International Sports Science Association (ISSA) which is one of the original, largest, and most prolific fitness training certification companies in existence.
Hatfield stated that in order to train to lift heavy poundages it was necessary to use a force not only greater than the poundage but delivered with maximum acceleration. That by purposely exerting as much explosive force as possible during key multi-joint movements like the squats you are stimulating the muscles involved to get stronger and to become more capable of handling heavier loads than you would with “normal” repetition speed. Hatfield stressed that using acceleration allows you to better explode through the normal sticking point and beyond.
Hatfield explained that you don’t train to do 1,000 pounds squats by actually squatting 1,000 pounds but by squatting say 600-700 pounds explosively with as much force as you can to learn how to generate the needed amount of force and develop the greatest amount of strength.
This is a bit different from typical power training where the speed at which you are moving the weight is a key component (P=W/T or, power equals work divided by time). In typical power training, the loads are intentionally kept light to moderate so as to allow for a greater speed factor. In compensatory acceleration, although the attempt is being made to move or accelerate the weight rapidly, the actual amount of weight being used (typically 60-70 percent of your 1 rep max) limits this so it’s not power but an increase and maximization of force development that is the goal. (F=MxA or force equals mass times acceleration). Compensatory acceleration according to Hatfield is a way to train the muscle to be able to generate more force and develop greater strength.
To be clear, just developing strength in and of itself does not always lead to an increase in size. Hatfield himself for all of his squat strength was not known for massive leg development. Typically the goal of strength training is to efficiently and effectively move the load, not to stress the muscles involve. But if greater strength is developed by using specific strength-building techniques, and then heavier weights can be used in conjunction with typical size-building programs and techniques, that can and should lead to improved growth potential and adaptation, leading to more muscle growth/size (hypertrophy) as well. In other words, if you can do your typical training movements, sets, and reps with heavier weights, you should stimulate greater muscle growth! Compensatory Acceleration is another way to build up your muscle strength which can then be used to improve your muscle growth.
One key to using CAT is that all the reps should be done in this manner. That means that even the lighter, warm-up sets are done with a controlled eccentric or lowering phase followed by a much more forceful accelerated raising/lifting or concentric phase. Of course, as the load gets heavier, the actual bar speed may reduce but the effort should still be consciously made to drive the weight up. As you might imagine this is a popular principle in many competitive powerlifting circles and generously applied to the 3 core lifts of the sport; bench press, squats, and deadlifts. That same principle can be applied by anyone looking to gain strength and lift heavier weights in their training.
A final big key when using CAT is that the exercise form must be stellar! Moving increasing heavier weights with greater force opens the door to a greater possibility of injury if the body gets out of position so proper form and technique should be emphasized over prioritizing the load. If you choose to try CAT, first make sure you are properly warmed up. Select a multi-joint moment like squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press, rows, etc. Plan to do that movement twice per week. Choose a weight that’s 60-70% of your 1 rep max and do 3-5 sets of 5 repetitions. Track your strength over a period of 4-6 weeks to evaluate how well it’s working for you. As you gain experience, the technique can be applied to a number of different movements, but typically strength-building cycles can only be done for periods of time (4-6 weeks) before a backing-off period of 1-2 weeks would be beneficial.
Training for maximum strength as in powerlifting or Olympic lifting is a science in and of itself and there are a lot more details involved that’s beyond the scope of this article. But if you just want to improve your strength and use heavier weights in your training, try adopting and experimenting with this proven-effective principle of Compensatory Acceleration Training. It just may open up a new door of fitness progress for you!
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