SpeedEndurance.com » Weight Training

ESPN on Strength, Power, Speed.. and Coordination

Jimson Lee — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:40:00 +0000

This is part 2 of How to Run Faster… at any Age.

UKA’s David Lease, famous for Jason Gardiner’s coach, mentioned in his podcast the most important element in sprinting is coordination (thanks to Mark Collins who sent me the interview. NOTE: UKA audio and videos are restricted to UK residents)

To sum it up, Sprinting the 100 meters is approximately 45 large hops or bounds, synchronized to optimize air time, ground contact time, and distance covered. It’s all about “covering ground” as fast as possible (Tom Tellez used that term at the 2008 SuperClinic)

So if you want to run faster, consider improving coordination, especially at a young age (i.e. pre-teen) to develop neuron myelination. Myelin is the material that forms the myelin sheath layer of a neuron and nerve cells.

This is why I feel physical education (i.e. gym class) should be taught in schools, at least every second day. Even in my Junior College (CEGEP), gym was a required course as one of my 7 courses every semester to graduate.

Listen to the Experts

But don’t take my word, or David Lease’s word, on why coordination is so important in developing young sprinters.

Dan Pfaff talk about acceleration development as a “complicated neuromuscular equation”. (search YouTube for Dan Pfaff videos.. excellent coaching material)

Gary Winckler says “90% of speed development is technique”. (The CACC sells some of his excellent videos, which I’ll review later)

Boo Schexnayder says acceleration is about finding the “resonant frequency of oscillatory patterns” to improving the efficiency of forward motion. (Boo has a great 4 DVD set which you can buy here on sale until Friday, as a set, or singles)

StrengthPowerSpeed.com on ESPN

In a recent article on ESPN, they quoted my coaching partner Derek Hansen on our new site www.strengthpowerspeed.com

Michael DiRocco talks about the importance of an Olympic-style lifting program with the Florida Gators. (article here)

"Total body movement, so when you pair [Olympic lifting] exercises, you’re going to get a complete, total athlete. Not only are they going to be strong, they’re going to be fast and explosive."

Proper technique is a must, Gadeken said, but once lifters perfect the technique, they can progress into heavier weights and the result is explosive power and better conditioning.

That’s a perfect match for football. Most plays last between four and seven seconds, and players, especially linemen, must be quick and strong off the ball.

According to an article written for StrengthPowerSpeed.com by Derek M. Hansen, Olympic weightlifting movements are done quickly with heavier weight and require significant coordination and muscle control. That helps athletes with such quick movements as sprinting, jumping or firing off the line of scrimmage.

Hansen also wrote that Olympic lifting results in a strong core and better coordination and balance.

"Olympic lifters are some of the most powerful, explosive lifters on the planet," Gadeken said. "They’re able to lift a lot of weight, and they’re able to do it quickly and explosively. That mimics football."

"It’s rough to do a set of five or four power cleans or snatches," Gadeken said. "That’s very, very taxing on the body. It’s hard to do. It’s mentally challenging. It’s going to get your guys mentally stronger because they completed the workout."

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

How to Run Faster… at any Age

Jimson Lee — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Every week, I get several emails from readers on how to run faster. Some are from parents of pre-teen children in Track, Soccer and Football. Other readers include Masters athletes.

I’ll share some of the highlights from my various phone calls here in this article.

And, as per usual, I’ll keep it simple and to the point.

There are only 2 things to know on how to run faster:

technical competency and efficiency
force production

That’s it!

So when these gurus offer the next greatest DVD or expensive training camp, the above 2 points is all you really need to know.

(At least when I hold a private training camp, you get to enjoy the wonders of Italy… food, culture and history!)

Technical Competency

Being efficient in whatever you do is the key to success. Anywhere from your golf swing, studying for exams, or cooking an Italian dinner. Sprinting is a skill that must be coached. Granted, having the right genetics help, but the point is anyone can ran faster if you improve your technique, and become more efficient at it.

If I prescribe 10 x 200m, or 8 x 300m at 65-70% max speed, I can assure you any bad technique will be corrected. Whether it’s overstriding, or flailing arms (I swear these kids are holding invisible school books under their armpits), eventually you will learn how to run efficiently to get through the workout without throwing up. That’s where I come in and give constructive criticism on your interval runs.

Think of the early Beatles playing 7 hour gigs in Hamburg, Germany. You have to become really efficient with your guitar strumming and vocal chords, or you will be in a world of hurt!

When mechanics are perfected, the only way to increase speed is to develop the ability to generate force at greater range of motions.

I’ll skip the technical sprinting tips for another day.

Sprinting and Physics 101

Sprinting is a game of physics. It’s all about vectors and I outlined that in my recent book The Rocket Sprint Start (with Bud Winter). Even the wind has vectors, especially in the 200m.

So here are some considerations when developing a strength program, from Youths all the way to Masters athletes.

The stronger you are, the more force you’ll be able to apply to the ground, which will make you faster. To get faster, strength training is based on two equations:

Force = Mass x Acceleration
Power = Force x Velocity

That’s it!

So here are 7 tips I recommend to everyone who wants to run faster and be a better sprinter.

Start with GPP and general strength training. You have to be fit first, and I’ve always said you have to be an athlete first before you can become a sprinter. Lazy athletes need not apply.

Keep strength exercises on stable footing, and even surfaces. (i.e. foot contact with a non-moving ground) These include squats and deadlifts. Keep in mind the specifc movements to the skill of sprinting, that is, muscle and joint angles for the triple extension of the hip, knee, and ankle.
The point I am trying to make is don’t do the bench press while resting on a physio ball on your upper back. Or squat while standing one leg on a bosu ball.

Incorporate single leg exercises, but be careful. These can include bounding or hopping for plyometrics, lunges or Bulgarian/Borzov split squats. For the latter, I like to advance the single legged squat in 3 phases: (1) bodyweight only (2) holding a weight plate for added load (3) add an explosive jump when you go up. You get the picture.

Plyometrics, including hurdle hops, depth jumps, and med ball throws. I covered this topic in several blog articles in a 6 part series on Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting.

Get a base of strength first, before training for power. Again, you have to be an athlete first before you can become a sprinter.

Olympic lifts, including power cleans (i.e. clean and jerk without the jerk). Save the snatch for elite and more serious athletes. I recommend as young as 14 or 15 years old to start doing Olympic lifting, and really pay attention to technique. Use a broomstick as the very first set… seriously. Don’t rush the workout.

Different loads must be used for power training.
The greater the force, the lesser the speed. The greater the speed, the lesser the force. Thus for maximum power, there is a sweetspot between the two (see the 4 part series on force velocity curve and work backwards). As a percentage of 1RM, peak power can be obtained as low as 30% of 1RM. It’s all about the maximum rate of force development (RFD).

This was my demise during my College years. I was fairly big & muscular and very strong in the weight room at the static lifts like bench press and squats, but I could never translate that to the track. I never broke 7.00 seconds in the 60 meters. Years later, I realized I didn’t have that explosive power required for the first 30 meters. My teammates would gain 2 meters in the first 30m, and I could never make it up.

For example, sprinting is at speeds up to 5 strides per second, or at velocities up to 12 meters per second (over 27.8 miles per hour, or 44.7 Kilometers per hour, to be exact). There’s no way you can do squats, or pushups, or even sit-ups at that speed movement. So if your 1RM is 405lbs for the squat, you should be doing doubles or triples (2 or 3 reps) as slightly less weight (i.e. 90%), and considering doing 3-5 reps with an explosive upward movement at even lighter weight.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Dynamic Isometrics & Sprinting: Explosive Strength Training (Part 6)

Jimson Lee — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:47:00 +0000

This is Part 6 in the series titled Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting.

Part 1 Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting was simply to demonstrate the faster the movement, the shorter the ground contact time.

Part 2 covered How to Weight Train without Weights and it focused on speed strength.

Part 3 was Driving Resistance Band Training with a video from Remi Korchemny.

Part 4 discussed the 5 different types of “strength training”.

Part 5 was a presentation by Tim Egerton on Explosive Strength Training

What the heck is Dynamic Isometrics?

This is not to be confused with regular isometrics as I discussed in the past article on Isometrics and Core training back in 2009.

In a way, I’ve been doing them for years without knowing it.

For example, in the bench press, I would do 3 x 3 with 275 lbs (125kg) as my goal was benching 3 plates on each side (315lbs or 140 kg). Instead of a the standard movement of “up and down”, I would take the bar off the rack, slowly with control going down until it touched my chest, pause, then explode up on a rapid but controlled movement. Rinse and repeat. I called them 3-pause-3.

Dynamic Isometrics are a form of weight training where a prolonged stop is maintained at a specific joint angle within the range of motion during an exercise. In this case, the arms are in a position to throw or push.

Sarcastically, I don’t know of an Olympic sport where you are lying down on your back with someone sitting on your face, and you have to push them off!

You’ll have go back and review Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting (Part 4) to understand all the different types of strength training.

The logic behind this is often the movement is stopped in the same position for that particular portion in sports. You can argue the starting blocks where the optimal knee angles are 129 and 95 degrees (see diagram below). Or, a baseball outfielder in a half squat position with your hands and glove on your knees.. In most cases, you have to hold the position for 2 or 3 seconds followed by the explosive push in the concentric phase (and not eccentric phase, that’s another story)

With baseball (and track) a “game of inches”, that first step is important!

The Delayed Squat

You can thank Michael Yessis and the Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and Training for making Dynamic Isometrics popular. Back in 1987 he described the “delayed squat” where you do several “stops” before the explosive concentric phase.

For weight numbers, they recommend 60-70% of the one RM squat with only 2 or 3 reps. (see my chart on calculating 1RM and Weight Percentages as well as Weight Training, Reps, Intensity and Benefits)

To perform the delayed squat:

slowly descend by bending hips and knees until there is a 160° angle in the knee joints, and hold this position for 3-4 seconds.
Lower with the same controlled speed until there is a 145° angle in the knee joint, and hold again for 3-4 seconds.
Again lower to 115°, hold 3-4 seconds,
and then finally to 90° and hold again.
Rise in an explosive push, if you can!

As you can see, the whole movement takes 12-16 seconds. This method develops explosive power out of a static position.

Another study came from Weineck 2004 and they suggests 6 sets 6 repetitions using 60-70% of the one repetition maximum, but I think that is overkill.

Sprinting Applications

I like bench press for 2 reasons: bragging rights, and holding my arms steady in the SET position.

For sprinters and developing leg power and strength, you can use angles of 129 and 95 degrees, since those are the numbers coming out of the blocks “SET” position. Even back in 2007, Ralph Mann suggested you train at those angles with the force-velocity considerations.

Optimal theoretical starting “set” position. Illustration by Derek Hansen of Running Mechanics.

So Dynamic Isometrics for sprinters would look like this (adjust your weights and reps accordingly):

Using a squat rack, lift the bar off the rack.
Lower to 129°, hold 3-4 seconds,
Lower to 95° and hold again 3-4 seconds,
Rise in an explosive push

Remember, this isn’t the one-all-end-all for squats. We squat to parallel AND squat PAST parallel to ensure adequate hamstring involvement. (see the series on hamstrings)

Okay this is the end of Part 6. Still so much more to cover…

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Viagra and Nitric Oxides (Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids)

Jimson Lee — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

This is part 6 of a multi part series. Part 1 was the ESPN radio interview. Part 2 looked at the history of Ethical Cheating or Ergogenic Aids and some of the disgusting food choices. Part 3 discussed coffee and caffeine. Part 4 discussed Nootropics. Part 5 discussed baking soda and beta alanine.

Let’s go over some of the common products you can buy today over the counter and NOT test positive, and remember this is only a short list.

Here are some of the food groups, common sources, chemical names, and classification (in no particular order):

coffee, caffeine, stimulants
RedBull, 5 Hour, Vitalyze, phenylalanines including Tyrosine & Taurine, nootropics
baking soda, TUMS, sodium bicarbonate, beta alanine, lactic acid buffers
Viagra and other Nitric Oxide products including L-Citrulline Malate and L-Arginine, vasodilators
Quercetin (new product… discussed briefly here)
IHT or Intermittent Hypoxic Training methods (tents, chambers, masks, etc.) to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels and therefore increase red blood cells.
Others?

Viagra and Nitric Oxides

Nitric Oxide products are extremely popular in the weight room for both weightlifters and bodybuilders.

The theory behind Nitric Oxide (and Viagra) is with increased vasodilation (increased blood flow), you get additional blood to the muscles carrying oxygen and glucose, and at the same time, the removal of waste products like lactic acid.

One way to increase Nictric Oxide is to consume more L-arginine, because L-arginine along with Nitric Oxide Synthase, you form L-citrulline and nitric oxide. (It also requires certain B complex vitamins, plus Iron and Calcium)

The biochemical pathway for the other direction, L-citrulline to L-arginine produces ornithine, and that is why you’ll see L-ornithine in “nitric oxide” and “mental alertness” products.

Arginine has a double benefit, as it can also stimulate the release of growth hormone from the brain’s pituitary gland.

To get Arginine through foods, you would have to eat 100 grams of chicken just to get 1.5 grams of arginine. And you need to get those arginine levels to 5 or 6 grams per day! Maybe that’s why Usain Bolt success is eating a diet high in chicken! (or else he’s superiorly gifted and trains hard… yeah, that’s it)

L-Citrulline also has a double benefit. As part of the urea cycle, L-citrulline plays a pivotal role in removing ammonia from your muscles.

The recommended dose for L-Citrulline is also around 4-6 grams per day.

There are tons of products in the supplement market, and funnily enough, they are all expensive! Here are are some examples in no particular order:

They have proven increasing arginine **will** increase nitric oxide levels in the blood. But like the beta alanine studies, they just haven’t proved it increases performances in sprinting or 400 meters.

In the above dosages, we are talking about grams, not milligrams, worth of supplements.

But the best advice is to eat more fruit and vegetables which are naturally high in nitrates and nitrites, and thus gets converted to nitric oxide. See, your mother was right all these years!

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

How to Train Speed, Power and Control for the Long & Triple Jump

Jimson Lee — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:00:00 +0000

I started my Track career at nine years old as a Triple Jumper, so the horizontal jumps has a special meaning to me. Because speed training is vital for jumpers, I also ran the 4x200m relay, then eventually became a specialist in the 400 meters.

The Long and Triple Jump doesn’t have the glory as the 100 meters or the Mile, but the event requires the speed of a sprinter and superior explosive power. And like a fast car, it requires control at maximum speeds (not my car!)

Looking back, here were my top 3 issues, and I see these same problems coaching jumpers even today:

the approach run sets you up for the jump phase just like the start in the 100 meters. Thus, a lot of errors can be attributed to the 30-40 meter approach run.
consistency throughout the rounds, including getting the ratios right. One bad phase (takeoff, hop or step) will flow to the next phase.
Lack the strength and explosive power for the correct height and distance for each phase, especially the 2nd phase, the STEP.

If you have the luxury of a dedicated sprint coach specialist, or a jumps coach, great. Otherwise, most sprint coaches coach the hurdles or the horizontal jumps. Here’s how you can learn what you need to know to coach the jumps.

If you’ve been to enough USATF and USTFCCCA clinics, you’ll recognize the name Irving “Boo” Schexnayder. His resume includes 19 NCAA Champions and 10 Olympians.

>> Click here for Coach Schexnayder’s Complete Horizontal Jumps Training Program.

His latest 4 DVD package is the most complete training for the long and triple jump that I have come across.

Each DVD is about 1 hour, and it covers:

DVD 1: Teaching Long Jump Technique
DVD 2: Teaching Triple Jump Technique
DVD 3: Weight Training for Speed and Explosive Power
DVD 4: An entire training inventory for 40 circuits, 400 exercises, & Specific Warm-up Routines both Static and Dynamic

The entire package is regularly $129, but you can get it on sale for $99 until Friday Midnight October 21. (Each DVD has a retail price of $39.99) Both beginner coaches and advanced coaches will benefit from this package.

>> Click here for Coach Schexnayder’s Complete Horizontal Jumps Training Program.

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Rehab for Hamstring Pulls and Strains (Part 4)

Jimson Lee — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Part 1 started with the article Hamstring Injuries, the Iliopsoas and Imbalances. Part 2 was titled Controversial Hamstring Workout for Rehab (Part 2). Part 3 was titled More on Stretching and Movement (Part 3)

So this is Part 4 of Part ?… Thoughts of Lyle McDonald somehow come to mind…

You know that silly expression, “Once a cheat, always a cheat”? Same rule applies with hamstring pulls.

Once you pull or strain it, the chance for re-injury is high. But it doesn’t have to be that way!!! There are several reasons for this.

Recurrence in Hamstring Injuries

First question, why do we reinjure our hamstrings? (we talked about why we injure it in the first place)

I have several theories, and none are proven:

adaptive changes in stride biomechanics
decreased flexibility of the muscle tendon unit (MTU) as well as reflex inhibition
decreased strength (absolute, elastic, speed strength, etc) on the muscle as well as surrounding musculature
decreased tensile strength (tensegrity) in scar tissue of muscle and/or fascia
blah blah blah (any Ke$ha fans out there?)

In Part 2, I mention briefly about hamstring injuries occurring during “backside mechanics” and a reader (Mike) made a good point in the comments about this. Hamstring injuries from the running cycle standpoint usually occur in the late forward swing of your stride and the push off (some researchers call this the “toe off”, but I dislike this term, because you don’t run on your toes. There is, however, force applied during contact time and that includes your toes)

Why is this the case? Because in this phase of the cycle, the hamstrings decelerate hip flexion and knee extension resulting in large eccentric loads. (look up the definition if eccentric contraction, and you’ll know why)

So before I get into Specific Exercises for rehab, we need to look at the entire Injury Life Cycle Chart and the progressive steps required to get “back on track”.

Injury Life Cycle Chart

Logical Steps

NOTE: Stretching alone is not sufficient! So here are my first 3 goals in rehabbing the hamstrings:

restore health
restore ROM (range of motion)
restore strength

And here are my 6 steps that I prescribe to my athletes for proper rehabilitation of a hamstring injury

Initial treatment
Restoring ROM
Initial strengthening
Low-velocity eccentric strengthening
High-velocity eccentric strengthening
Sport-specific progressions

Specific Exercises

Here is a sample of exercises that we do, but you can come up with a lot of variations, depending on your weight room or physio clinic.

hamstring stretch
RDL
Nordic hamstring exercise
hamstring bicycles (with foam rollers, physio ball)

You can check out the series on How to Improve Acceleration Part 6 as I discuss a lot of these same exercises

I hope this series of articles helps you (or your athletes) get back on the track as soon as possible from this unfortunate injury!

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

How to Improve Acceleration Part 6: Weight Training Examples

Jimson Lee — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:00:00 +0000

This is Part 6 of a multi-part series. Part 1, which discussed hip mechanics, can be found here. Part 2 discussed several types of Resistance Running. Part 3 and 4 discusses The Role of Strength and Power Training in Part 3 and examples in Part 4, both written by Jim Hiserman. Part 5 discussed a 10 week progressive Plyometric plan based on Dr. Don Chu.

Let’s start with a confession.

I really hate to give copy/paste weight room workouts for sprinters.

Why? A beginner athlete’s weight training requirements are different than an Elite athlete with 8-10 years of “training age” under his belt. I feel for a beginner track athlete, the 1st year and/or 2nd year should be a general strength training program.

Then every year (or two) you have to start adding and removing some exercises. I try to keep the entire weight session under 1 hour, or better yet, 45 minutes. As the athlete gets stronger, the requirements change over time. Since I don’t like to change mid season, September (or October) is when I start with a new program.

Other than that, I only have (at least) 2 house rules for my track athletes (power lifters and body builders are another ball game):

No lifts to failure (no non-functional hypertrophy).
No 1RM (one rep max), only doubles or triples (2 or 3 rep) sets, at 85-95% of 1RM (see calculator).

Since my group trains hard 3 days a week, we only hit the weight room 3 days a week, AFTER the running session. John Smith of HIS and Clyde Hart of Baylor prefers weight training 2 hours BEFORE track practice, but I don’t prefer it that way.

3 Days a Week

You have 3 main exercises performed twice a week, which I label A, B, and C where:

Monday = A + B
Wednesday = B + C
Friday = A + C
Ancillary exercise EVERY session (i.e. reverse hypers and Glute Ham raises)
Abs and core EVERY session (read articles from the core category here)

Everyone is different in their needs. Even the training age matters. Year by year, it should change with the proper help from a S&C coach. I am lucky to have Derek Hansen and Al Vermeil as my “go to” guys when it comes to S&C. Remember it’s all about gaining functional strength and power without the added muscle mass.

Weight Training Exercises to Improve Acceleration

Here are some of my favorite exercises to improve acceleration:

Deadlift and variants such as RDL
Power Clean and variants such as hang cleans
Bench Press (for the ego trip)
Regular 2 legged Squats
Bulgarian Squat (made famous by Valery Borzov), regular, with a weight, with an explosive jump up, or both
(ancillary) Reverse Hypers (and regular hyperextensions for lower back)
(ancillary) Glute Ham raises (instead of traditional hamstring curls)

If you need more information on increasing your Bench Press, Squats, or Deadlift, check out Andy Bolton’s Explosive program.

Monthly Structure

You perform these every 3 weeks, with the 4th week being an easier week or testing week. But never test 1RM, only doubles or triples.

Month 1 – A=Power Cleans, B= Regular Squats, C=Bench,
Month 2 – A=Dead Lifts, B=Borzov or Bulgarian Squat , C=Box Push Ups (see speed strength)
Month 3 – mix it around with variations,
Month 4 – easy week, testing week

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

On Chalk, Straps, Gloves and yes, Sponges

Jimson Lee — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:02:00 +0000

Two years ago, I talked about using wrist straps and weight belts.

I have since ditched the weight belt, and I still own a pair of gloves, but I use those mostly for chin ups or pull ups.

However, if there is one piece of equipment I can’t live without, it’s my chalk for my cleans and deadlifts.

Yes, the same stuff you write on blackboards while in school.

And I’m not a shot putter. Or gymnast.

I simply buy a block of chalk from any Rock Climbing store like Mountain Equipment Coop in Canada, Northface, REI, etc. and store it a plastic container with a lid. You can even buy a cute matching rock climbing bag.

Some people prefer a chalk sock like the refillable Metolius Super Chalk Sock.

Just apply it to the areas of your hands where you feel “hot spots” when lifting.

Unless I am at a University weight room with proper lifting platforms, I try not to be too messy, but I can see the gym staff give me an evil eye sometimes. Especially in posh Hotel gyms where I am forced to workout while travelling. I have considered brining my own mini vacuum cleaner or “dust buster” just to shut them up.

The rule is, if you have free weights, expect a few sprinkles of chalk dust here and there. It’s part of the game, unless you have an allergy to chalk. And that would be bad.

Sponges

I’ve seen people use sponges instead of weight gloves. These are super cheap, and you can add a touch of water when they harden and dry up.

Just choose one that’s not so thick, unless you have very large hands.

But whether you use chalk, straps, gloves or sponges, if you weight train regularly, you will build up resistance over time and get some callouses along the way. It’s part of the sport.

Plus, you will develop nice strong forearms and a firm handshake. If there is something I HATE when meeting new people, it’s those who have limp “dead fish” handshakes. WTF?

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

How to Improve your Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift

Jimson Lee — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:30:00 +0000

If you are into Powerlifting, then the name Andy Bolton comes to mind.

Even if you are interested in improving your lifts in the Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift, then you’ll love these books. Of course, improving these numbers will carry over to the Olympic lifts such as Cleans (power cleans, hang cleans, etc.)

Who The Heck Is Andy Bolton?

Andy Bolton is one of the only 6 guys in the world to Squat over 1200 pounds, the first guy to Deadlift 1008lb and he even broke the British Bench Press record.

Not only that, Andy is also an author, public speaker and strength coach. So he obviously knows what he’s talking about when it comes to technique in the 3 power events.

So to show his credentials, Andy is offering free videos and tips below to show he is the real deal.

>> CLICK HERE for his special 9 book offer for Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift, Pull Ups, and Recovery

How to Improve Your Bench Press

Facebook and RSS readers click here.

Here are Andy’s tips to improve your Bench Press:

Force Your Shoulders Back and Down
Squeeze Your Glutes Tight
Get Your Feet Wide
Grip the Bar as Hard As You Can
Bring the Bar to Your Lower Chest/Nipple Line

He gives more tips and explanation on his private web page (found here)

How to Improve Your Squat

Facebook and RSS readers click here.

He gives more tips and explanation on his private web page (found here)

>> CLICK HERE for his special 9 book offer for Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift, Pull Ups, and Recovery

How to Improve Your Deadlift

Facebook and RSS readers click here.

Here are 8 tips for the Conventional Deadlift:

Wear flat-soled shoes and a belt (for your heavy sets at least)
Shins an inch from the bar and take a mixed grip
Arch your lower back, relax your upper back and keep your arms straight
Take the flex out of the bar
Initiate the pull by driving your heels into the floor
As the bar comes past the knees, drive the glutes forwards
Try to pull your shoulders behind the bar all the way to lockout
Squeeze the bar hard throughout

He gives more tips and explanation on his private web page (found here)

Special Offer (Time Limited)

Here is the link to his special 3 book offer (each book dedicated to Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift), plus 6 extra bonuses, including:

Powerful Pull-Ups: Learn how to master what’s considered the "upper-body Squat"… and how to finally go from struggling to do a single rep, to doing sets of 12 strict pull-ups in 8 weeks or less!
12 Week Big Bench Program: the exact training program Andy used to Bench Press 754lb (British record)… and how you can use it when Benching raw for quick results
Spartan Strength Secrets: This ebook shows several Deadlift variations, including one you can do if you’re recovering from a back injury

You’ll even get:

Conditioning & Recovery Workouts: Quick workouts you can do outside, at home or at the gym to improve your fitness while increasing your recovery for Squats, Bench and Deadlifts.
7 keys To Rapid Recovery: Powerful methods you can use to recover more quickly from your workouts so you stall less, eliminate soreness almost overnight and arrive fresh at the gym

>> CLICK HERE for his special 9 book offer for Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift, Pull Ups, and Recovery

This Special Offer expires Friday Midnight on July 22, 2011

So go ahead and Explode Your Squat, Bench And Deadlift!

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video

Driving Resistance Band Training (Part 3)

Jimson Lee — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 08:01:00 +0000

Part 1 started with Plyometrics, Ground Contact Time, and Sprinting which showed the faster the movement, the shorter the ground contact time. Part 2 of this series was covered in How to Weight Train without Weights and it focused on speed strength. So this is Part 3.

I want to review strength and resistance training again, instead on focusing on specific track workouts.

Why? Because I believe when it comes down to 2 athletes with the same height and leg length, with the same Stride Rate and Stride Frequency, improvement all comes down to STRENGTH and who is “stronger” at the right times in the kinetic chain. (Technique and injuries aside)

I’ll break down the term “strength” into 5 areas:

Absolute strength, or Maximal strength
Power, or speed-strength
Explosive strength (Plyometrics is a good example)
Reactive strength, or elastic strength
*Strength endurance (added for fun and pain, not really part of this discussion)

These areas have been discussed in detail throughout this blog (I use the category weight training for this purpose), but I want to dig deeper (no pun intended) into the 4th category, reactive strength or elastic strength.

Coaches and Exercise Physiologists know that a rapid switching of concentric contractions proceeded by eccentric contractions produces high amounts of force during the eccentric phase. Thus, reactive strength (or elastic strength) is based on the body’s ability to quickly and efficiently change from eccentric to concentric contractions. Your body needs the corresponding eccentric-concentric strength.

Even isometrics has its place in training!

So how do you train eccentric-concentric strength? Easy, by adding “weights” or resistance. There are a handful of ways to add resistance training while sprinting:

You can use a strong headwind, a weight vest, uphill training, towing a sled, and isorobic ropes. (Here’s an article on how not to do sled training). The converse (or corollary, to be exact) of resistance training is overspeed training using ropes, or a slight downhill.

Let’s look at an example of using these ropes.

Driving Resistance Band Training

In the video below, we have Baseball’s Marlon Byrd training with the Driving Resistance Band under the watchful eye of Remi Korchemny.

Yes, there is a SNAC connection to this video as Remi Korchemny was part of the BALCO incident that was made famous in September 2003. Moreover, Marlon Byrd is one of the few athletes who publically stated he used SNAC products religiously, and the ONLY MLB player who uses it (well, at least publically). Remember, Maurice Greene “bought” steroids for friends with his own money?

Even after the 2003 raid, I wrote an article on why I loved Proglycosyn that was printed in the 2005 Summer edition of GeezerJock magazine. (You can read the article here) Even today, I still recommend ZMA (both regular and the latest ZMA-5), which was created by SNAC but now their original formulation is sold through a variety of supplement companies.

In the YouTube video below, Remi trains athletes with the Driving Resistance Band to specifically help reduce the lapsed time between eccentric and concentric muscle contractions. He believes that improving reactive strength or elastic strength is one of the major factors in speed development.

One has to be careful as too much load will severely increase the ground contact time of the runs, as every exercise you choose has its place in the Force-Velocity curve. Just ask anybody doing plyometrics and depth jumps. You can increase the load by adding a weight vest, or you can raise the height of the box.

At a certain point, you lose the efficacy (and logic?) of the workout and you are entering another area of muscle and tendon specificity. (i.e. muscular strength only vs the elasticity of muscle and tendon) Maybe high hurdles hops are a better exercise for you?

Like all my workouts, ask questions first. Why are you doing this? What you intend to train should be the specific quality you are training. And not a simple cut and paste from another superhero training log.

NOTE: The Driving Resistance Band is custom made and not commercially available. More on this later.

For further reading, see:

Most Popular articles for 2011:

400 meter Training and Racing:

800 meter Training: Training 800 meter runners

Sprint Starts: Usain Bolt training regimen video: The Start

Football 40 Yard Dash: 40 yard dash times for Usain Bolt & Ben Johnson

Baseball 60 Yard Dash: Baseball 60 yard dash: What’s a good time?

Recovery: Ice Baths for Workout Recovery

Supplements: Nutrition for recovery: The Post-workout drink controversy

Analysis: Usain Bolt’s 100m 10-meter splits and speed endurance

Strength Endurance: Matt’s 60-second pull up World Record Video