MAPS Performance Program Review

I just finished MAPS Performance and figured I'd write a review of it. I've learned a lot from listening to their podcast and decided to give one of their programs a shot. This is an athletic performance based program designed to increase power and strength in different directions as well as improve mobility and increase endurance. It consists of four phases - strength, proprioception, power, and endurance - each lasting 3 weeks. The program consists of 3 lifting days and 4 mobility days per week. I ran this program while reverse dieting out of a caloric deficit and eventually into a 500 cal surplus. I didn't do a body comp scan, but I noticed the biggest changes in my quads, glutes, abs, and shoulders. I can definitely say that no program has done for my quad development than this one. Unfortunately I did not have a barbell available due to the shutdown so I make some modifications, replacing squats with bulgarian split squats, and using dumbbells with resistance bands for deadlifts, bench press, and OH Press. One thing I liked is that all deadlifts are done with bands. You can use the bands with different anchor points to focus on different parts of the lifts. I primarily focused on the lockout because that is where I struggle.

Strength Phase: The strength phase is pretty standard of any other program you'll see. Big compound lifts with 2-5 sets of 3-6 reps and long rest periods on most exercises. The squats are slow, 5 second eccentrics with explosive concentrics. Core work consists of cable chops and suitcase carries.

Proprioception Phase: I got a lot out of this phase as it was something my body wasn't accustomed to doing. These are 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps per exercise and incorporates a lot of rotational movements. The matrix lunges turned out to be one of my favorite exercises. They have videos online but it's basically DB lunges in 3 different directions. I also enjoyed the one arm KB squat presses, rotational lunges, and zercher squats. The high reps squats are killer. Core work in this phase consists of renegade rows and landmine rotations. The third workout of the week was a little weird. You're basically just pushing a stick against a wall in different directions. The idea is to apply force in different directions and build your resistance to being pushed over from the side but it took me a while to really get what I was trying to accomplish with this workout.

Power Phase: I enjoyed this phase a lot as well. It's more plyometric oriented...box jumps, plyo push ups, dumbell snatch, lunge jumps, etc. but still includes squats and deadlifts as well. It's mostly high reps again. 4 sets of 15-20 reps with long 3-5 minute rest periods. The Ice Skaters were an interesting exercise that I had never done before which I think contributed a lot to my quad development.

Endurance Phase: This ones a bitch. You alternate between 2 workouts here. The first one is a circuit of barbell squats, pull ups, and push ups for 30-45 secs each. Complete 4 rounds of this and then hop on a treadmill for a 15 minute HIIT session without rest. The second one is a circuit of 4 kettlebell exercises - swings, front loaded squats, rotating shoulder press, and depth push ups for 10-20 reps each for a total of 4 cycles.

Mobility sessions: These are done on all non-lifting days and were perhaps the most beneficial part of the program for me. It's a lot of foam rolling, resistance band, and mobility stick work (I used a piece of PVC pipe). Theres also a lot of core work in here including various forms of farmer carries and cable twists. There's also some trigger session style leg work mostly centered around lunge variations and some bodyweight work for the upper body such as dips and pull ups. The mobility sessions greatly helped with my form and my recovery. I will continue to use them often.

In conclusion, I think this is a great program for anyone wanting to focus on longevity and functional strength. It's not going to give you huge bicep pumps or anything like that, but I really enjoyed it. The changes in rep ranges and tempo with each phase kept my body feeling challenged each week. I feel younger and better and will likely try to run this program at least once a year for the rest of my life to preserve my mobility as I age. This isn't really a program for someone trying to make huge size gains, but I like that it addresses both strength and mobility at the same time.