The Buchenholz Method Volume 1: Power Training Basics by Dietrich Buchenholz
Volume 1 : Power Training Basics Being successful as an athlete is simple; How much power can you produce? Strength development is one piece to solving the puzzle but it’s definitely not the “holy grail” of performance development. Sure, some coaches may trick you into thinking they know a lot about “sports training” by flooding your mind with their knowledge of “strength training”. But don’t be scared to use the “bullshit meter” if you have to. Just ask yourself; “Does it make me a better player on the field?” Forget about the numbers in the gym, they’re pointless. Does it improve your stats on the field? In other words, don’t worry about the fact your strength coach keeps giving you shit because he can “out-squat” you. If he’s really a bad ass then why can you shake him like Shakira’s booty on the playing field? What you need to worry about is not wasting your efforts in pursuit of your goals. Make the most of your time and you will go the furthest- Very simple advice to train and live by.
I always laugh when NFL strength coaches bitch about how weak their new recruits are and how crappy these athletes old strength programs must have been. These strength coaches obviously don’t have a clue! The athletes’ “piss-poor strength” was good enough to land him a job in the NFL, right? I mean, why didn’t you just draft the insanely strong guy if that’s what’s so important? Trust me, any one of these gym freaks would be glad to give up their nighttime telemarketing job to play in the NFL. The reason you picked up the “weak guy” is because he is powerful as hell. And if you think that the stronger you get the more powerful you’re automatically going to become, get out of the profession now while you’re dignity is still in check!
Bottom line: the more some of you learn about Power the more you realize your strength training efforts have been an over-kill! Heck, you may even be surprised to learn how your strength training efforts have actually hindered your development on the playing field! “Strength” “Gee, that’s a strong firecracker you got there!” Sit in the stands and watch an athletic event- any athletic event- and you’re sure to hear onlookers make claims like; “Boy, that athlete has a strong arm”…or “Look at how strong his leg is!” But unless you’re sitting in the stands of a powerlifting meet their claims of “strength” are often misplaced. What they are seeing is “power”, not strength. Ever see Pedro Martinez throw a baseball? Forget the fact that he can light up a catcher’s glove like a Christmas tree…the guy looks like he should be selling blankets on the beaches of Cancun, not striking out the likes of Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols. Ever see Kim Collins run a 100 meters? Once you get past the fact you can literally see the food digesting in his gut if he’s wearing a wifebeater (he’s transparent with his shirt off), it’s hard to ignore the fact that he rakes the track like a madman! Strength? Ha! Put it this way, the guy thinks “box squatting” means sitting down to take a shit.
The truth is that there are different types of “strength”. For instance, if you are looking to develop
“explosive-strength” then your efforts should center-around “strength-speed” work. But if you need to raise your “explosive-power” development you would be better served with “speedstrength” work (hold on, I’ll answer your questions in a second). All in all, there are four main types of “strength” work you can employ: “absolute-strength”, “strength-endurance”, “strengthspeed”, and “speed-strength”. As a side note, there are two other modalities of work you can employ as an athlete- “restorative warm-up” exercises and “speed endurance” exercises.
Most people understand that absolute-strength is simply a test of how much weight you can lift, and these same people have usually learned by now that strength-endurance is a measure of how much force you can continually produce over a given interval. But most people get confused about strength-speed versus speed-strength, so let’s turn our attention there.
“Power Percents” The most important value to know when weight training is not how much you can lift but at what percent of your max strength do you produce peak power. This is the divide between speedstrength work and strength-speed work. Research has shown that athletes may put out peak power in a range of 51% AW 1RM and 74% AW 1RM (with some athletes producing peak power with slightly lower or higher values). Yes, this means that you can raise or lower your relative power output. Just as interesting to note is the fact that you can increase the “time to rise” of power achievement (but more on that latter). Getting back to what I was saying, if you use my Appropriated-Weight techniques detailed in “The Sports Book” then you will be able to use the same percents for every movement in the gym. If not, you will have no way of knowing if the athlete is even strong enough to begin power training methods!
The reason why most research keeps drawing out different conclusions about how much weight an athlete needs to work with to achieve peak power in the gym is because they are using straight-weight percents, not appropriated-weight percents. Appropriation of weight simply means that you are taking the athletes bodyweight into consideration for a given movement. For instance, an athlete will have to lift 92% of his bodyweight in addition to bar weight in the squat, and approximately 8% of his bodyweight in addition to bar weight in the bench press. You should already be able to see why using the same straight-weight power-percents for the upper body and lower body is a huge mistake!
As mentioned earlier, most athletes will put out peak power within the range of 51% and 74% of their Appropriated-Weight one rep max (or “AW 1RM” for short). Athletes who have had a long stay with strength training methods will put out peak power with lower percents than athletes who have been using more power based training protocols. In practical terms, this means that you could very well have a pair of 200 lb athletes, one of them a 300 lbs bencher and the other a 442 lbs bencher, and they both produce the same amount of power! That is, they are both moving 217 lbs just as fast as one another even though one guy is obviously much stronger. Which if you put it into boxing terms, the 442 lb bencher had better be stronger because he’ll need to keep pushing himself up from off the canvas!
Even though this example is extreme, there are literally countless athletes with this problem. They pack the strength but lack the power! You will be able to understand this more as we take a look at the neuro-muscular changes in relation to different regimes of strength in future editions of “The Buchenholz Method: Power Training!” series.
Strength-Speed Training The purpose of strength-speed training is to develop “explosive-strength”, which is defined as “the ability to realize strength quickly”. What this really means is that you will be increasing your “rate of force development”(RFD). Take a pair of NFL lineman who weigh the same and squat the same, both with sound technique and nor a leverage advantage to either one. The one who is going to win the battle at the line of scrimmage is the one who has better explosive-strength development. This is not only because he is going to be delivering more force to his opponent but also because he will reach this point of peak force output quicker. That, my friends, is like playing No-Limit Poker with a pair of Aces up your sleeve! That, my friends, is explosive-strength development!
AW percents for strength-speed training are 20% above your peak power output. Since the average athlete will put out peak power with 63% AW 1RM, the general guideline is to use 6383% AW 1RM for your strength-speed work. However, some less-explosive athletes will want to use 51-71% AW weights and some more-explosive athletes, such as basketball players, may be better served with 74-94% AW 1RM when looking to develop explosive-strength. Again, it all comes back to your relative-power output in respect to your absolute-strength.
Speed-Strength Training The purpose of speed-strength training is to develop “explosive-power”, or “the ability to achieve peak velocity as early in the rebound action of the movement as possible”. What’s the difference between an elite baseball player and an elite softball player? We’ve tested them both to be able to swing over 90 mph with a baseball bat, but only the baseball players had enough rate of force development to accelerate the bat head fast enough to achieve peak velocity rapidly after the start of the swing. The softball players had a longer acceleration track, not to mention much slower reaction time scores. It should be noted at this point that explosive-strength development and explosive-power development are both reliant on proficient rate of force development display.
Moreover, take a pair of baseball players and have them bat off the same pitcher, and cut out any other variables you can think of (such as pitch type, pitch location, etc). Assuming both of them are able to put out the same amount of power, the one who can realize it sooner will have the advantage. Watch a living-immortal like Barry Bonds hit and you know what I’m talking about. The ball looks like it’s almost past his front knee before he even thinks about swinging! The critical factor isn’t his 95 mph bat speed- lots of guys do that- the critical factor is his ability to go from 0 to 95 mph with his bat head quicker than most of us “humans” can blink an eyelash! That, my friends, is explosive-power! The critical factor is teaching your system to develop force faster. You do this by stimulating your neuromuscular system to achieve peak-twitch as quickly as possible within the given movement.
Let’s take another example- not so much to help you but because I’m having fun with these! You have two basketball players who can jump just as high as one another. They are driving the lane stride-for-stride, one on offense and one on defense. The offensive player can achieve peaktwtich 20 ms into the concentric phase of the jump and the defensive player takes 45 ms into the concentric portion of the jump to achieve peak-twitch. Knowing that the quicker the achievement of peak-twitch the greater the rate of force development of the athlete (which means the quicker the athlete will achieve peak velocity and consequently get off the ground quicker); Who do you think is going to win this battle? Can you smell chin-nuts, anyone?
The fact is that there are lots of baseball players who can swing 90 mph and lots of basketball players who can jump 35 inches. But when they have to display these abilities at “game speed” only a few of them survive. Why? Poor explosive-power development (read: not enough speedstrength work in their training programs).
Speed-strength training embodies everything below your relative-peak power AW percent. The goal is two-fold: teach your system to activate peak-twitch sooner and teach your system to release peak tension quicker. Most athletes will work with 63% AW 1RM and below, with only 43%-63% AW 1RM having a strong direct-impact on their peak power scores and explosivestrength development (even though all speed-strength percents will feed into explosive-power development). Again, some athletes may work with 54-74% AW 1RM to influence their relative power output whereas others need to work with 31-51% AW 1RM.
Closing Thoughts It’s easy for us as coaches to sit back and yell “quick feet” or “explode to the ball.” But is any of this really doing the athlete any good? Let’s say an athlete weighs 200 lbs and squats 150 lbs. Is he strong enough to move quickly, let alone start a speed-strength training program?
The answer is “no!” Always take the lower AW percent value to answer these types of questions. For him, this means that he squats 334 lbs(bodyweight included). 51% of that is 170.34 lbs. Take out his bodyweight (92% of 200 lbs, or 184 lbs) and you can see that he would have to work with negative-weights (-13.66 lbs) to try and develop explosive-power! Now you can either chop off an arm or train him in an exo-skeleton, but why not just get him strong! Remember, a good coach never has to scream about technique because all technical aspects are rooted in the nervous system. In other words, manipulate your nervous system properly and you will take care of your technical problems!
Finally, remember what Alexsei Medvedyev said when looking to build peak power; “there are no special exercises to develop speed or strength; they all develop speed-strength to a greater or lesser extent.” Training is a relatively simple thing to do. Sure your training prescriptions have to get more and more precise the closer you get to achieving the most of your performance capacity. But if you ever get confused don’t go digging deeper and deeper for answers, take a step back to make sure you’re headed in the right direction to begin with! Hopefully some of these “Power Training Basics” have given you a nice refreshing break from Flex Fantasy Magazine, and maybe even helped steer you back on course!
The Buchenholz Method Volume 2 : How to Become a Freakshow Athlete! by Dietrich Buchenholz
Volume 2 : How to Become a Freakshow Athlete! Let's face it, mediocrity is for losers! If you are one of the millions upon millions of athletes in this world who just wants to "squeek by" then do me a favor: Stop reading this article right now! You think I'm fucking around? Think again! I'm not about to share some of the greatest sports training secrets my "vault" has to offer to some sorry ass clown of an athlete who tries to "look" like he's working hard to achieve his goals. That's not disrespect, it's just fact. And if my words offend you then you better go find comfort in reading all the works from those pussy ass writers and coaches that try to rip my shit off and degrade me at the same time. (Or from that block-head at your gym who regurgitates everything he can remember from all the muscle mags he reads) You know who I'm talking about. And if you seriously don't, just wait a little while until you see the following information stamped on every sports training advertisement and article from here to Mars. But before I get into presenting you with a bunch of information that 99% of the "strength coaches" in this world are flat-out NOT smart enough to comprehend, let me tell you why I sound so pissed off. For starters, I am! Everywhere I look these days there's some joker talking about how he discovered the secret to sports training success. Sad fact is, not one, let me repeat myself, NOT ONE of these characters has yet to come even remotely close to hitting the bullseye. (SIDE NOTES: no wonder EVERY coach/writer we've challenged to "sack up just once" (SUJO Challenge) and train one of my associates so he can report his gains/losses has run with their tail between their legs- some with a plethora of excuses in hand! You'd be amazed at who has turned down "the challenge" so far...or maybe not? After all, who has the confidence in their system to do what I have done with the original "Challenge"?!) Anyways, if you still don't know why this pisses me off then you don't know me at all. My number one priority is the athlete. I'm not here to make friends with fellow coaches or researchers. Nor do I care how many Christmas cards I recieve...or if what I've said keeps you up at night. All I care about is giving every athlete the opportunity to become a "freakshow athlete"- the absolute best of the best. I don't give a shit about winning any popularity contests, believe me. If I did then you'd know it because I would change my act and run for "Ambassador of Earth". But, again off-topic, the only way I'd do that is if we captured one of those damn UFO's everybody keeps "spotting" just so that I could be the one to tell the aliens to "bloody fuck off, our land is full!" But that's beside the point. I'm pissed off because the only coaches and writers that are even coming close to figuring out how to train an athlete properly are those that keep ripping off my information, changing the words around a little bit, and then pushing it off as their own creation. So let's cut the crap right here and now and give them something to really plagarize- What do you say? Be Warned! The reason why we have so few performance coaches that can really help an athlete achieve greatness is because we have too many dumbasses in this profession! I don't expect them to understand the following information. In fact, I will bet my last cent that more than one coach will try to take this article and water it down to the point that it doesn't even retain it's original meaning. But, hell, what do they care...they never understood it in the first place! Bottom line: if you don't get it then you probably never will!
The Power Development Cycle The number one factor for power production is power absorption (e.g. high velocity/high force yielding, a.k.a. “eccentric power output”) because it leads to the greatest degree of stretch-reflex potential in the muscle-tendon complex. And it's no secret that the more energy you take in the more energy you can put out. Just think about a quarterback throwing the ball like a drunken
dartsman versus a quarterback who throws like, well, a quarterback. Or it may help you to relate the concept to jumping out of a chair versus a typical down-up vertical jump?
The number one factor for power absorption development is strength development. Research shows that as your muscles get stronger your ability to absorb more force increases, which in turn gives you the potential to absorb more power. And this if obviously important because the more power you can absorb, the more power you can produce! Power is defined as the product of force and velocity whereas force is defined as the product of mass and acceleration(or mass and “deceleration” in this case). Just think, force plate studies show a sprinter will encounter about 5 times his bodyweight in force on a single leg at peak velocity. That's tremendous force executed at tremendous velocity...or "power" as some of us like to call it. Consequently, the main difference between power absorption and force absorption is the velocity component. It's best to think of force absorption as slow-negatives with relatively heavy weight (Force = MASS x deceleration), even though it can also be thought of as lighter weight with a greater deceleration component (Force = mass x DECELERATION) and a moderate mass yielded at a moderate deceleration value (Force = mass x deceleration). But, it helps me to think about how fast the body or loaded-limb is moving prior to the point at which the object is slowed down (decelerated) whenever I want to get my arms around the power absorption concept. If you take a power movement and perform it in “reverse” or just the first-half of the movement then you will absorb a good deal of power. The landing of a depth-drop from a high box; the catching of a barbell during a beta-snatch movement or drop-squat movement and of course AMT landings (i.e. 'over-speed depth drops’) are all good examples of power absorption movements. In terms of methods explained in “The Sports Book”, amplitude-drop-absorption (ADA) methods where you drop, absorb and stabilize can all be classified as power absorption methods. Forcedrop-absorptions (FDA), also detailed in “The Sports Book” are another group of power absorption methods. In terms of force, which may be easier for many of you to understand, power absorption methods can be thought of as “Force = mass x DECELERATION”. That is, the force register during power production and power absorption movements isn't necessarily high because the mass of the object being moved is great but, rather, because the acceleration/deceleration factor is so big. Think of them as fast acting eccentrics where a good deal of force is taken into the muscle and you should be able to understand what a research scientists is talking about when he uses the term power-absorption. In example, the reactive (REA) method and the reactive-acceleration (RA) method also contain a good deal of power absorption. Again, the more velocity going into the absorption/yielding phase of speed-strength and strength-speed movements the greater the chance you have to absorb power (or put out “eccentric power” as science calls it). You can absorb a lot of power during full range movements, as well, just be sure to focus on rapid yielding-to-overcoming transitions- "Plyometrics" should ring a bell?
Another way to distinguish between force absorption and power absorption is to compare a heavily weighted squat jump with a reactive box jump and the vertical jump improvements each one makes. Use a force plate to make sure the force values for the weighted squat jumps equal that of the depth-jumps. What you'll find is that the altitude drop-and-jumps increase your vertical jumping ability more than the loaded counter-movement-jumps because more power is absorbed with the former (or less power was absorbed with the latter…however you prefer to look at it). Again, the interesting concept is that the force absorbed is the same but the power absorbed is different. This is yet another reason why AMT jumps out-perform other jump training methods when looking to raise your run-up approach jumping ability, or “reactive-strength” as sport scientists call it.
Another intriguing concept here is most athletes errantly try to raise performance by simply getting stronger. I'm sure you've heard this one before: "Hey coach, how do I get better?" "Easy...get stronger!" That's bullshit! Even though the strength training approach may help them increase their force absorption potential, especially in terms of being able to lower heavy weights under control, it's only when you increase your ability to absorb more power will you realize the greatest gains in your power production development! So much for your cut and dry powerlifting and/or bodybuilding routine, huh? What may interest you bodybuilders and powerlifters, however, is that as your power production values go up then your hypertrophy potential goes through the roof. Once you capture this hypertrophy potential then you will have raised your strength threshold, once again, setting a new stone for power development. That's one you're sure to hear regurgitated by all of my copy-cat coaches out there! As you can see, it's nothing more than a big fat cycle of getting stronger to get more powerful to get bigger so that you can get stronger which feeds into more power development! (whew…that sucked the air out of me!) But hold the press! Before you jump the gun let's see why the application of this merry-go-round process shouldn't be carried out as “color by number" as it may sound. In fact, let's take a look at how and why we don't even "strength train" to make our athletes the best they can become!
Strength Training Problems The problem comes from the adaptability of your nervous system in respect to strength development methods. Teach it to strain and it strains. Teach it to fire and release and it will quickly achieve peak-twitch and just as rapidly release muscle tension, exactly as you conditioned it to respond. But the loophole is that strength work decreases the rate at which your muscles can activate peak tension and prolongs the duration to which they hold onto peak tension. Why is this a problem? In short, your body will be slow to react and your injury potential will be as high as Snoop Dogg (that's right, I said it!).
Let’s say you are a baseball player and you have .30 seconds from the time the ball leaves the pitchers hand to the time it reaches your contact zone (reaction time equates to about a 90 mph fastball). Through practice you can read the pitcher’s release point to know if it’s going to be a ball or strike almost instantaneously. In other words, you don’t have to burn .20 seconds of your available .30 seconds to read and recognize the pitch- which is how long it generally takes random test subjects to respond in randomized scientific settings that guage visual reaction times. Anyways, being able to optimize your feedforward and feedback mechanisms through actual participation of sport (hmm, that's a novel concept of late) means you have a bit more time to respond. But let’s say that it still takes you .10 seconds to recognize the pitch type and location. That gives you .20 seconds to get the bat head on the ball. If you’ve been performing a bunch of reactive work then your neuro-muscular system can be conditioned to achieve peak twitch of your muscle fibers in .20 seconds- no problem! But if you’ve been focusing on strength work then you may actually de-condition your system to the point that you’re recruiting your muscles slower, delaying peak-twitch activation, and increasing the decay of tension-release. For all of you still trying to pay attention, this means "big problem!" In this case you can see that it doesn’t matter that you are stronger because your explosive-power numbers are going to be down on the playing field! In fact, that's all that really matters. Just ask any precision-skill athlete,
especially a power-precision athlete, nothing sucks worse then telling your body what to do but it’s too slow to respond.
Another major problem with strength work is it will teach your system to hold onto tension too long. As a sprinter this can be dangerous. As you “spring” down the track you don’t want to be wasting energy because your muscles won't relax when they need to relax because this will cause you to (a) hit a wall towards the end of the race and (b) produce less power per positive and negative contraction stroke (remember what we said about the relationship between power absorption and power production). A simple way to remember this concept is to know that your reactive ability will be greater following a state of relaxation than a state of tension. One last point about retaining the strength of contraction too long is the poor release of tension has been shown to lead to muscle strains, such as hamstrings pulls.
Power Training Preparation Since strength work can be a detriment to your functional power development (which means we are taking that piece to the puzzle out) BUT we need to develop and maintain strength (force absorption in particular) we have been forced to find a replacement piece to the puzzle that not only fits but actually cures all of the aforementioned strength training problems on the power athlete. The answer? Specialized EMS protocols used in companion with the specialized power training template listed at the tail end of this article. The reason it works is because you will still develop strength to absorb more power but you will also be avoiding the firing problems that strength work imposes on the neuromuscular system. But unfortunately there are far too many athletes, such as the one mentioned at the end of Part 1 of The Buchenholz Method series, that need to develop a strong base of strength so that they are prepared to handle the demands of the power absorption and the power production training to come. So let me present you with one of our power preparation programs that we have found tremendously successful over the years: Block 1 (1) Session 1: Heavy Eccentrics (N x 5-9 seconds. Control as much weight as possible with a soft touch down to support pins/apparatus.) (2) Session 2: Iso-Miometrics (N x 6-10 reps. 3 second iso-pause between each positive contraction. Emphasis on acceleration out of pause- EXPLODE!) Block 2 (1) Session 1: Max Miometrics (N x 1 rep. Bar lifted from rested position at mid-point of movement. Stress the reduction of time between when you begin to apply force to the bar and when the bar actually begins to move! BLAST it up!) (2) Session2: Oscillatory-Isometrics (N x 25-40 seconds. Focus on achieving as much tension as possible before you strive for as much relaxation as possible. Rebound action should come with minimal effort. Flex…release…spring!) Program Guidelines: (Alternate from Block 1 to Block 2 every week for 4-6 weeks)
Upon completion of this program (some athletes will need to stay in it longer than others) you will cease all absolute-strength and strength-endurance work and focus on strength-speed, speedstrength, speed-endurance and specific EMS applications. When the goal is power development and on-field results, you’d be amazed at how little “strength” work you actually need! (And as you'll learn in future installments, absolute-strength will inherently rise with my power program.) Some athletes may finish this 4-6 week strength wave (above), move on to my power template
and keep pushing up their power numbers for years on end before they have the need to come back to a strength-dominant routine. Others may last only a few months. That's where individual specificity comes into play. Also, when you understand that the average 300 lb bench presser can either peak out his power potential or raise his bench to 442 lb to achieve the same level of performance, you should start to re-think your strength-dominant program (to say the least)! But before we get ahead of ourselves once again, let’s address one of the critical elements that makes this training schedule so successful: electrical muscle stimulation.
Electrical Muscle Stimulation What if there was a way you could reap the rewards of strength training without having to take a step back towards your power development goals? That time is now, friends! You can increase the structural strength of the muscle and bypass the negative neuromuscular after effects of strength work, such as poor rapid-fire function and awful muscle firing characteristics, by simply implementing electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).
We first experimented with EMS as a substitute for absolute-strength and strength-endurance work with our elite soccer players. We divided the team into two groups and had the first group perform the same soccer drills as the second group (both groups continued their regularly scheduled team practices). The only difference was “Group 1” performed absolute-strength work in one session and strength-endurance work in a companion session whereas “Group 2” performed high intensity electrical muscle stimulation two times per week after each of their two speed/power training sessions (no strength work!). The athletes were tested for absolute-strength on the barbell squat exercise, reactive-strength on the depth jump exercise(electronically measured), and performed various sprints and agility patterns with an automatic timing gates. Not only did the “Group 2” (STIM) athletes improve their speed and power abilities exponentially over “Group 1” (STRENGTH), but the “Group 2” (STIM) athletes actually held their own with the “Group 1” (STRENGTH) athletes in the absolute-strength post-test! What’s more, the advantage to the “stim group” seemingly increased as time went on (which we now attribute to the way we wave load the STIM work and organize the physical contents of training)! Since then we have given up most strength building efforts and have been using a variety of speed, power and external stimulation means to drive up performance at a faster rate.
Why is EMS plus speed and power work so effective? For one, strength work will tell your system to turn on slow and sustain tension. Speed work on the other hand will tell your system to turn on quick and release tension rapidly. These are obviously two completely different “neuromuscular programs”. Which ones do you want to teach your system? Remember, only the “quick to rise, quick to release” athlete will survive in elite sports this day and age, so there’s really no question that your sports training efforts should center around power development strategies. This is why you have powerlifters calling NFL football players “weaklings” and bodybuilders toting around in, well, whatever queer-eye outfit their boyfriend-slash-training partner tells them to tote around in (actually that last part had nothing to do with this discussion...I just like ripping on queers, excuse me, "bodybuilders" as the politically-correct police have now taught me how to say it). As a side note, if you were to mix strength and speed in a single training session, single training day, or in "companion session" format the development of each independent element (speed, strength) would decrease since your system doesn’t know if it should adapt to the speed stimulus or to the strength stimulus (i.e. increase its rapid-fire ability or increase its strain-time ability). This basically means that you can waste your time training speed and strength together- there’s plenty of coaches who do that- but you are going to be holding your strength development back with your speed work and you are going to sabotage your speed development with your strength work! Why work your ass off to go nowhere?
Othe r great benefits of EMS utilization (in place of strength work in your power program) are: (1) allow your system to master technical aspects of sport, which are rooted in perfecting neuromuscular interactions (i.e. if your sprint form sucks then it means your nervous system is wrongly conditioned), (2) increase your ability to absorb more force and, resultantly, (3) absorb and produce more power. Oh yeah, optimizing "muscle-stiffness" as it relates to power performance, as research supports, could be reason number four (if you're counting). Strength work doesn’t allow you to do any of this, really. Remember, strength and hypertrophy work are merely used to lead to an increase of power-absorption through an advancement of force absorption potential, if carried over properly. But strength and hypertrophy work will destroy your firing patterns related to high speed of movement and rapid reaction ability which means this “carryover” is often never realized.
If your relative power output scores are closer to 51% AW 1RM than 74% AW 1RM then there is no question what you need to do with your training: emphasize explosive-strength and explosivepower development methods(a.k.a. Strength-Speed and Speed-Strength Methodics). With the additional EMS sessions you will optimize your muscle stiffness, allow your firing patterns to be synchronized appropriately so that you can increase your rate of force development, increase your ability to absorb more force and power through structural strength and hypertrophy development, and even increase recovery since every high-intensity muscular stimulation session will begin and end with light “TENS-tapping” of low intensity and extended duration.
Still think it’s crazy to train for sports without “pumping iron”? You really need to try this program! Power Specific Program Drum roll please.... All the buildup is finally over. But since this article has well exceeded the length I initially intended, what I'm going to do is present the template to you today and then explain some cool points about it in the next installment.(remember: theory before application my friends!) Hell, if you got this far and even understood a thing or two along the way then I strongly applaud you! You have already begun to break the bounds of mediocrity! Buchenholz Speed-Power Template Session 1: Strength-Speed Work Session 2: Speed-Strength Work and Speed-Endurance Work Notes: The above work is trained in the morning with the EMS work performed in the evening. (simple, eh?) In the next "Buchenholz Method" articles we will take a look at specific applications to this program. You will learn: (1) What exercises to use and tips to magnify their effectiveness! (2) Training Tips to make your training sessions “max-efficient”! (3) Precision EMS and TENS applications that allow this “No-Strength Work Power Program" to be more effective than anything you’ve ever experienced before!
The Buchenholz Method
Volume 3 : EMS Power Program by Dietrich Buchenholz
Volume 3: EMS Power Program In 1971 an innovative Russian by the name of Yakov Kots stumbled across a finding that should have swept the world by storm. He found a way to increase an athletes strength by as much as 20% in just a few weeks! So 35 years later, in the year 2004 no less, we have to ask ourselves a few very important questions; (1) Why do so few performance coaches have the slightest idea of what EMS training is?; (2) How come even less know what it does? and; (3) Most importantly, why in the hell do next-to-nil know how and when EMS should be applied? Maybe it's just me but I think it's about damn time we bring you up to speed with current scientific and practical revelations regarding two very important EMS procedures- STIM and TENS! I assure you that after reading this article and applying its content you'll be running around like credit card commercial: EMS, don't leave home without it! What is EMS Training? Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is the practice of using a special unit to send electrical signals to your muscle in order to make it contract. The motor unit (MU) is the functional unit of muscle contraction, with each motor unit containing a single alpha motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it “enervates” (contracts). The fibers contained in a motor unit grouping are all of the same type and the larger, more powerful muscle fibers (a.k.a. “fast-twitch fibers”) are typically located closer to the skin surface than the “endurance fibers” (a.k.a. “slow-twitch fibers”). Electrode pads are placed over the skin of the muscle with the intent to isolate a specific muscle or sequence of muscles. It’s impossible to isolate a single motor unit because any portion of the muscle where you place the pads will potentially activate fibers belonging to 20-50 motor units.
A single motor unit can have anywhere between 3 to 2,000 muscle fibers. Muscles that control fine movements generally have less than 10 fibers per unit whereas muscles responsible for gross movement patterns will typically consist of 100 to 1,000 fibers per motor unit. What many people misunderstand or overlook is that the general recruitment pattern for strength movements is activation of the motor units with the smallest muscle fibers before activation of the motor units with the largest muscle fibers. However, during EMS training this process is generally flip-floppedthe largest and most powerful motor units are recruited first. Again, we're fortunate that the larger motor units are situated closer to the skin surface or else the use of electrode pads to stimulate the muscle (a process known as “surface electrical muscle stimulation” or sEMS for short) would necessitate a stim unit that could literally penetrate to the bone. Buyers beware: The “depth of penetration/contraction” is often used as a marketing tactic to get you to buy in to the efficacy of a certain product, but proper recruitment is hardly a problem with most units sold on the market today. Of greater concern is finding a unit like ours that will allow you to painlessly crank up the intensity of contraction.
Hi-Stim Biceps
Even though your nervous system and an EMS unit both use electrical charges to shock your muscle into contraction, the EMS contraction is slightly different than a CNS-driven contraction. For one, when the muscle contracts under sporting/training conditions a wave of force flows through the muscle, especially during ballistic movements. With EMS, the muscle contracts more like an isometric contraction (especially during biphasic mode). But that’s okay since your purpose with EMS work is to teach your system to increase its contractile strength, call upon “lazy” fibers and stimulate structural size and strength development. Your muscles don’t know if they’re being recruited by your nervous system, an EMS/TENS unit or even a car battery (idiots beware: a car battery is not a viable substitute for a precision engineered EMS unit, therefore, we accept no responsibility for the death of all dumb-asses who fail to heed this warning)! All your muscle knows is if it gets zapped it needs to contract! If your muscles get zapped enough then the motor unit will increase in fiber count and your fibers will increase in size and strength. There is also a local fat loss phenomenon with EMS that most attribute to the large growth-hormone response. At any rate, the “skin-tightening” will only continue if you stay consistent with your EMS applications and, even at that, it’s short-lived.
Our unit comes with two modes: a “STIM” mode and a “TENS” mode. When people refer to EMS they are usually talking about “stim” unless they specifically say otherwise. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) differs from conventional stim in that the electrical current sent to the muscle is associated with extremely deep, penetrating contractions that are preferred for strength-endurance and hypertrophy development, as well as "pre-set recovery". TENS may also be used for light “tapping” contractions of the muscle which produce rapid recovery between exercise bouts.
Why should I use EMS training? A muscle can be stimulated from internally-driven means (CNS) or externally-driven means (EMS). Instead of comparing and contrasting the two at this time, I'm simply going to highlight a few of the major benefits of EMS training. •
Inverted Size Principle: In classical strength training (relatively heavy weights, relatively low speed of movement) the nervous system will recruit the smaller motor units of the muscle first and ramp up to recruitment of the larger motor units last, particularly as fatigue sets in (this is known as the "size principle"). However during EMS training, along with a few select internally-driven training means, this process is flip-flopped: the faster and larger motor units are recruited preferentially over the slower and smaller motor units. However, it's important to understand that the larger motor units and their
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associated fibers have a lower work threshold than their smaller, less powerful counterparts. Increased Fast-Twitch Fiber Count: It cannot be understated how important it is to raise your fast-twitch muscle fiber count. EMS training allows you to reap this reward two ways: large-fiber conversion and new large-fiber generation (growth). Consequently, virtually every athlete competing in speed, strength or power related events should adopt EMS training for this sole purpose. It should also be pointed out that the opposite fiber composition adaptation can occur. Round the clock EMS treatments at low intensity and low frequency have been found to convert fast-twitch fibers to slow-twitch fibers. Enhanced Strength: Even though published research has found that when training intensities between EMS and resistance training (voluntary contractions) are set equal that the strength gains between the two are insignificant (that is, you can get just as strong in the same amount of time with either method) with rehab patients, and aside from trusting Yakov Kots' research (or any other research publication for that matter), we wanted to see what EMS training could do with our athletes in "the real world". The first thing we did was exclude all training work to find out exactly what EMS training was capable of accomplishing all by itself. After a 4 week period of internally-driven training exclusion (read: no strength training) we determined that EMS training, by itself, consistently produced 20-30% gains in strength with all of our heatlhy "test subjects". We later found that EMS training combined with strength training in the same working set allowed for significantly greater weight to be lifted with all types of lifters (novice, intermediate and advanced)- with some enhancements being as large as 30-40%! This clearly shows that the strength of contraction achieved with EMS training taps into a realm that cannot be voluntarily produced. As suspected, EMS training performed in the same training block as strength training produced significantly greater results than those who trained with either EMS training or strength training means alone. Muscle Re-education and Development: Studies surrounding the denervation of muscle recruitment (particularly following trauma) have found through computerized tomography and electromyogram analysis that muscle recruitment significantly increases with EMS training. Moreover, an increase in muscular size in injured and healthy subjects has been found to be created through muscular growth as well as muscular regeneration. Further research suggests that faulty movement patterns may be corrected through EMS training. Increase Contraction Rate: One of the biggest problems a performance coach faces is teaching the athlete how to read and respond rapidly. This process is usually not limited to the ability of the athlete to receive ample biofeedback of surrounding sport actions but rather the ability to turn his muscles on quick enough to respond to the stimulus in due time. This delay from sensory recognition and physical response is simply known as reaction time. Research from 25 years ago told us that EMS training at ample frequency and intensity will increase the ability of the muscle to achieve peak-twitch quicker, but how many of us actually listened? In my previous article (The Buchenholz Method part 2) we discussed the importance of gaining force absorption with EMS training without disrupting the time-to-peak-twitch properties of the neuromuscular system. That is important to understand for speed-power athletes because the strength gains (force absorption abilities in particular) gained with EMS would severely disrupt the athletes "muscle firing" properties if voluntary contractions (resisted/weight training) were used instead. While this doesn't suggest that speed-power athletes should never strength train, it does help explain why athletes who train on our Power Program with EMS applications were able to achieve greater performance increases and sustain these increases over a longer period of time than any other training strategy. The essential point to understand here is that you want to negate negative peak-twitch and twitch-decay augmentations that strength training inherently induce in the speed-power athlete. In other words, athletes need to turn it on just as quick as they can turn it off yet do so with tremendous power and force. EMS training helps develop these abilities. Restorative Applications: EMS training, especially when set at low frequency and in monophasic mode, may dramatically increase blood supply to a specific muscle group
(as much as a 200% increase!). This pumping effect is not only great for recovery but great for stage-preparation of bodybuilders as well. Other noteworthy restorative benefits of EMS training include: lowered mean tension of the muscle, reduced muscle spasm activity, reduced pain and swelling, increased range of motion, enhanced neural recovery between working sessions, better regulation of hormone secretion, and enhanced electrical cell communication- all of which lead to advanced neural, energetical and muscular supercompensation between training bouts.
Ramped TENS Quad
What else should I know about EMS training? Since we've highlighted a few benefits of EMS training it's only fair that we take a look at the other side of the issue. Specifically, here are a few things to look out for after you've adopted an EMS training regimen. •
Temporary Reduction in Local Work Capacity: Since EMS training bypasses the nervous system it's only possible to fry-out your muscles, not your nervous system. This is important to understand because a lot of athletes actually need more muscular work after their nervous system has achieved its optimal level of fatigue. Nevertheless, due mostly to your systems "acceptance" of the inverted size principle and fiber conversion attributes of EMS training, work capacity may initially take a plunge. Not only should you recognize this with your AREG management techniques but you should regulate it using these same volume management strategies. Again, the larger motor units aren't as fatigue resistant as their smaller counterparts. Now as you revert back to the muscle reeducation phenomenon discussed above, make note that an athlete who can never fatigue, say, his pectorals with bench presses (even though his anterior deltoids and triceps will be well spent after the workout) will find that EMS training of his pectorals will cause them to receive the greatest training effect, thereby achieving fatigue first in his bench press training session. Noteworthy to you "volume freaks" out there who think more is always better, this athletes pectorals will actually strengthen quicker than his shoulders and triceps during this process. Without AREG I strongly doubt many trainees
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would be able to guess well enough to allow for these positive adaptations to occur. Rather, they'd probably end up going until they get the usual burning sensation in their shoulders before they stop counting sets- assuming they don't tear a pec first! I guess I should also point out that it used to be believed that the increased muscular workload of the EMS training addition was the culprit to this temporary loss in work capacity. However, we now know that the inverted size principle and fiber conversion properties of EMS training are the main fuels to this fire. But it's nothing to be alarmed about as long as you stick to your AREG plan. EMS training or not, you still follow the same process: strive to raise your absolute capacity ("initial") and work capacity (number of sets above drop-off). Experienced AREG users will already know that a huge jump in absolute capacity generally corresponds to a temporary loss in work capacity, so don't expect this trend to be broken when you add EMS to the mix. After all, you may raise your absolutes and work capacity scores concurrently, just like you surely have in the past when following my training system- but the only way to do this safely and effectively is with AREG. Enough said, let's move on... Recommended for Professional Use Only: EMS training should be carried out by properly trained personnel only! I say this for the safety of the patient/athlete as well as to protect all of us here at Inno-Sport from all the knuckleheads out there! Employing a coach without previous EMS working knowledge is just as dumb as hiring a personal trainer who has never stepped foot in a gym. Another reason why I'm driving home this message is because the results and integrity of EMS training are at stake every time an unqualified person adopts and implements EMS training without knowing what the hell he is doing. Ever see a guy claim that squats are bad for the back only to later see how awful his squat technique is? Same thing! Precision pad placement as well as various pad placement techniques, volume of applications, in addition to a multitude of other considerations that I'm not going to address here must be understood prior to the engagement of EMS in your training. Simply stated, just because you work in the "transportation business" does not mean you are qualified to run an EMS training camp. I say this out of jest because for reasons I'll probably never understand all the morons of this world somehow end up working in the "transportation industry". Truck drivers, gas station attendants, car wash guys, windshield repair men, tow truck drivers, taxi cab drivers, motor vehicle department employees, etc...they're all idiots! So, in other words, all you idiots out there (C'mon, you know who you are), don't injure someone because of your own stupidity. Thank you! If nothing else, at least use yourself as the guinea pig before dumping what you think are proper EMS methods on your athletes. For More Precautions and Information: Please refer to the 16 page manual that comes with each of our dual-EMS (STIM plus TENS) units.
Restorative TENS Biceps
What do all these knobs mean? When you get your dual unit (EMS and TENS) in the mail the first thing you want to do is open it up and get familiar with your unit! Don't just open the box and stare at it like an animal in the zoo, bring it out into the open and familiarize yourself with the unit through hands on applications. The first thing you'll want to do is understand what all of those knobs staring back at you actually mean and what their functions are. Here's a quick reference guide for you to use as you are gaining your hands on experience: •
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Stim vs TENS: Our units come with two contraction mode settings, stim-mode and tensmode. "Stim" is short for "stimulation" and "TENS" stands for "transcutaneous electronerve stimulation". The major difference between the two from a practical application standpoint is that the stim mode results in a sustained contraction whereas the tens mode, depending upon adjustment of the rate/frequency dial, allows you to "tap" the muscle more like a reactive contraction. For all major purposes, the stim mode is designed for strength development, contraction rate development and reconditioning of the system to adopt the inverted-size principle and fiber composition traits previously mentioned. The tens mode is more like reactive, or plyometric contractions in that each contraction is intermitted with a brief period of muscular relaxation (tension release). Its use is mostly for muscular development and restoration procedures. Alternating/Reciprocating vs Normal: Alternating mode means that the unit will reciprocate between turning on the odd numbered channels and the even numbered channels. For instance, you could set the electrode pads associated with your odd numbered channels on your biceps and pads associated with the even numbered channels on your triceps and the machine will contract your biceps (odd channel activation) then turn off for a brief period before it turns on your even numbered channels, thus contracting only your triceps as your biceps get a breather. The process is much like super-setting between agonist and antagonist muscle pairings in the weight room. We generally prefer to manually control this process, but the availability to raise the efficiency of your workouts with this automatic function is there if you choose to use it. Monophasic vs Biphasic: Monophasic mode means that the electric current flows in one direction (positive electrode pad to negative electrode pad) whereas biphasic mode
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means that the current will travel in both directions. Biphasic mode is recommended during stim applications, especially if the electrode pad spacing is relatively large, because a more equal distribution of motor unit activation will occur. Monophasic mode is better suited for tens applications where the relaxation between contractions is desired to a greater extent, but it may also be used during stim applications if you want to control the initial wave of force/contraction through the muscle (this process is more specific to actual sporting and training movements). Frequency/Rate Control: The rate of electrical impulses sent to your muscles (measured in Hertz) is controlled by adjusting this dial up or down. The general rule of thumb is the lower the rate the deeper the penetration, which results in a stronger contraction sensation. Raising the frequency/rate eventually results in more skin surface irritation and less contraction strength of the desired musculature. You should therefore use the highest frequency that your personally find produces the strongest contraction with virtually no skin irritation. (skin irritation can also be caused by improper pad placement; i.e. a "stinging" sensation with stim mode and a "pinching" sensation with tens mode) Intensity Control: this dial is adjustable from values of 1 to 10. Simple enough, the closer the intensity dial is set to 10 the stronger the resultant contraction. Contraction and Relaxation Settings: our units come with two dials that allow you to control your contraction durations and relaxation durations. The contraction dial is adjustable all the up to 45 seconds and the relaxation dial is adjustable up to 75 seconds. Timer Switch: this dial allows you to set your workout time, if you desire, as well as simply turn the unit "on" and "off". Power Source: you have the option of using the DC adaptor that comes with your unit and/or you can make your unit portable by filling it with the prescribed amount of D-cell batteries.
Loaded Ab Stim
What methods of EMS training should I use? There are three basic methods of electrical muscle stimulation we use, each of which serves a specific purpose: high intensity muscle STIM (HI STIM), Ramped TENS and Restorative TENS applications.
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HI STIM: The high intensity stim contractions are usually performed 6-8 hours after the training session (so as to allow the nervous system to re-stabilize, which is important for supercompensation), but it may also be used during strength training exercises themselves and generally 5-8 minutes before plyometric activities. Since this article is a beginner's guide to EMS training we will focus our attention on the standard procedure of waiting 6-8 hours after your training session. Just like the ramped-Tens applications, you will "warm-up" the muscle tissue and raise your motor unit response by starting the session with low to moderate intensity TENS in monophasic mode with a frequency of roughly 60Hz. As you go through this process make special note of the strength of your muscle contractions. At first the contractions will be very modest. You know your muscle is prepared for the workout when the strength of contraction increases (remember: don't adjust your intensity dial). For most muscle groups the intensity dial will be set at around 3-5 and the warm-up process may take between 2-5 minutes. Generally speaking, you want to continue the light tens-tapping for approximately one minute after the contraction strength picks up. Then you will take a brief break as you set your unit in stim mode, biphasic mode and adjust the frequency dial to around 100Hz(individual muscles and respective athletes will vary). Then, stim the muscle at the highest intensity you can tolerate for 5-10 seconds. These contractions are performed in the stretch, so you will need to anchor your active limbs appropriately to restrict movement. If you work from agonist to antagonist (if applicable) and then to ipso-lateral to contra-lateral muscles (i.e. right hamstrings to right quadriceps to left hamstrings to left quadriceps) then your rest intervals between same motor unit firing will be covered. Nevertheless, the general rule is to allow an average of 90 seconds between contractions of the same muscle tissue. There isn't AREG applications for singular session HI STIM sessions so there are two ways to regulate the amount of work imposed: (1) as soon as the contraction weakens within the set terminate any additional work, (2) instinctively regulate your volume by way of feel. The first option is preferred and, in fact, most athletes should be able to tell you when the "contraction-feel" changes. Either they will have difficulty sustaining the contraction for the desired time frame (i.e. 10 seconds) or the peak contraction obtained at equal intensity will become less intense. Both are signals of muscle fatigue, and the reason you want to stop the session as soon as fatigue hits is so that you can keep your fiber conversion (i.e. IIA to IIB) high and foster the ability to relinquish the inverted size principle in your internally-driven training sessions (i.e. DUR, MAG, RATE sessions). As a side note: it takes very little stimulation to achieve this level of fatigue with your fast-twitch fibers- especially you're new to EMS. Each session is ended with 10-20 minutes of light tens-tapping of the muscle at low-to-moderate intensity and relatively low frequency in monophasic mode. Ramped-TENS: This EMS session is optionally performed the day after your fundamental training session and HI STIM training day. Set your unit in tens and monophasic mode and after warming up (described above) you will set the rate dial at about 45-60 Hz and then crank up the intensity dial, quickly, to the highest intensity you can tolerate. After 10 seconds of this relatively high-intensity tapping you will immediately ramp up the rate dial to as high as you can tolerate (the muscle will go from a reactive to a sustained contraction). These, unlike the HI STIM contractions, are performed free-limbed; meaning, there is no need to inhibit the limb from going into contraction. After ten seconds of high rate you will ramp the rate dial back down, repeating the process 5-10 times. Your muscle should feel extremely pumped, or "jacked" as we call it, after this extended set. This work is good for muscular and energetical hypertrophy, and it helps to decrease the economic cost of movement (i.e. decreases the amount of oxygen required to contract the muscle, which is very important for a wide range of sports) when returning to internally-driven training. The process is also surprisingly good for recovery between training sessions and repair of damaged tissue, not to mention the regeneration of new functional tissue. Beginners should start out with one set per muscle group and advanced athletes may work up from there. A sample intermediate to advanced ramped tens wave over a 3 week EMS block (6 sessions) would be: 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1... or 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1.(*each number dictates number of sets per muscle group) Each session is ended with 10-20
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minutes of light tens-tapping of the muscle at low-to-moderate intensity and relatively low frequency in monophasic mode. Restorative-TENS: The third phase of our EMS sequence involves restorative tens. This is nothing more than the low-to-moderate intensity, relatively low frequency tapping of the muscle in monophasic mode that you perform before and after HI STIM and RampedTENS sessions. These may be performed during your "off" training days, between working sets, or even occasionally during your EMS-off weeks. The general procedure for restoration between exercise sessions is 10-20 minutes of low intensity, low frequency tapping of the muscle. This will release muscle tension and hormone secretion, bring about an enhanced state of relaxation and a promoted state of central (CNS) and local (muscle) system recovery. In a nutshell, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single restorative application that is more effective than this one! Prove it to yourself: restorative-tens one half of your body for two successive days and notice how quickly that side of your body recovers versus the opposing half of your body following an intense workout.
Ramped TENS Biceps
Additional Guidelines The EMS Power Program is preferably used in conjunction with my Power Template, but it may also be used with my Strength Template depending upon the state and needs of the particular athlete in question. In either case, it is recommended that a 1-3 week EMS block be rotated with a 1-3 week block of training absent EMS work. This will allow you to retain the effectiveness of the EMS procedures, allow your system to adapt to all the neuromuscular changes that EMS training produces, give you the opportunity to re-structure your training plan, and resolve a strategy from these "off weeks" findings. For instance, you shouldn't train every muscle in your body during every EMS training block. You should only concentrate on the muscles that need reconditioning and/or restructuring. Let me give you a personal example: I used to be one of those guys who couldn't develop his chest no matter how much pressing work he did. My shoulders and triceps took the brunt of the load and, consequently, grew out of proportion to my pectorals development. Not only was this aesthetically displeasing, but my bench press eventually stalled as a result. After one block of EMS training exclusively on my pectorals (note: I didn't have the need to include my triceps or anterior deltoids, etc) my pectorals,
due to the preferential activation phenomenon and fiber conversion occurrence, started to fatigue before my triceps and shoulders in a bench training session for the first time in my life! Before I knew it, my pecs were the strength of my bench press and my triceps started to become my weak link. We have found that the positive effects of EMS training extend well beyond the cessation period of their work, which means that I was able to use one of my subsequent EMS blocks to bring up my shoulders and triceps into uniformity with my newfound pectorals development. So a word to the wise: only train what is needed. Your results will be retained for longer than you think. In the end, not only will your body thank you...but your results will thank you as well!
Hi-Stim Quad
Restorative TENS Quad
In the next EMS article I will get more in depth about application procedures as well as offer more training tips that will help you troubleshoot any EMS training problems you may be experiencing.
AutoRegulatory Training Volume I by Dietrich Buchenholz
The individual control and systematic manipulation of volumetric management is largely dependant upon the proper integration of critical training variables. Specifically, these elements that must be monitored in training for sport can be generally classified into the broad category of measurement. Training frequency, repetitions, sets, load, force, velocity, time, tension, magnitude of neuromuscular impulse, etc., are a few of the factors that have been found beneficial, both in singular and coupled applications. Adding precision to individual control of these variables with practical rationale for integration into the super compensatory process is known as Auto regulatory Training, or simply the Drop-Off Method. Individual uniqueness is precisely located and accounted for in the ongoing management of such elements, resulting in a personalized model of volumetric control. Repetition and sub maximal integration, absolute and capacitol integers, frequency and work related issues, and drop-off margins as they relate to the end product of sporting form are all part of the omnipotent equation that yields success. Matching training
practice to the neuromuscular involvement in sport, expediting on-field results as a state of overwork is avoided, tabulating prime and pinnacle capacities of work, and bringing all of the aforementioned into an easy to manage system is the foundation of training practice. This is what you are about to learn. The extent to which auto regulatory applications have been used to defy scientific rationale is literally shocking. I will break down some of the more readily available concepts so that immediate integration may be used, as time will no longer be sacrificed in training. As many have found out on their own, time is irreplaceable in preparation for sport. Initial level of preparedness, adaptability rate of a given organism, training efficiency, and the duration (time) available to increase sporting results are the major elements that will determine what one will accomplish. This article is intended to save you time in future preparation work as it focuses on training efficiency and its' relationship to adaptability rate. Even though I can't say that they are the most important factors in preparation for all sports, the most widely malpracticed integers of volume management are sets, reps, and training frequency. We are going to concentrate on the absolute integers of sets and repetitions and relate them to the capacitol integer of sets, evaluating repetition and sub maximal integration methods. The implementation of auto regulatory training may be adhered using drop-off margin (percent) integration. For the most typical window of training construction(1-20 reps per set), I have found a high correlation with corresponding percent values for three different brackets of work. 0-6 repetitions (note: 0 reps is needed for application) yield a drop-off margin strength of 3-5% per repetition, the 6-12 rep range holds a 2-3% value, and 12-20 reps each produce a 1-2% drop-off value. These numbers represent two important extrapolations: 1RM charts are obsolete and the work-frequency relationship is recognized in the application of the rule of thirds. Whether one wishes to regulate frequency off of work or manipulate work off of frequency it is easily manageable with these principles. The rule of thirds is an application that simply gives a baseline in which direction may be garnished. As long as one understands that it only yields a starting point to which future training protocols may be derived, and that it is not a perfect calculation for every athlete all of the time than it may be used advantageously. Depending upon specificity of an athletes unique circadian cycle, nocturnal pattern, biorhythmic cycle, ergogenic assistive application, etc., some will need to train above or below this determined value, whereas some will find the rule of thirds to directly apply to them. Regardless, the rule of thirds states that it will take an athlete a third of the drop-off margin (percent value) in days to be able to duplicate the work again (recovery), and it will take an additional third to peak the super compensatory cycle. I have implemented this basic template to set up drop-off margins and training frequency scales for numerous eventual Olympic medallist. In doing so, the correlation for such application has been found acceptable for athletes that train every 3-12 days (same motor unit involvement), and the correlation reaches its' highest significance for a frequency scale of every 5-8 days. The repetition method and the sub maximal method are two means to which training may be implemented. Both methods can and will eventually produce identical drop-off margins but the distinguishing traits of each are important for various athletes, sports, and positions. The repetition method means that the athlete performs the given work for each set to the utmost of his potential at that particular moment in training. The sub maximal method is critically different because the system analysis of such application reveals that after an initial value is obtained, the desired drop-off margin is tabulated into the commensurate sets until this work becomes maximal. The first and last sets of the two regimes may be similar, but the middle working sets influence the neuromuscular system to various degrees. Furthermore, the volume of work (sets) that is achieved before the drop-off margin is realized is referred to as pinnacle capacity of work when dealing with the repetition method, and prime capacity of work when a reference is made to the quantity of sub maximal work.
Analyzing the game responsibilities of a starting pitcher and a closing pitcher in baseball will add clarity to this issue. The starter will throw an estimated 110 pitches per game with only 5% of those being maximal effort, as maximal velocity is better reserved for critical situations. A closer, on the other hand, will generally only throw around 15 pitches but all will be at maximal velocity/effort. Both pitchers may achieve the same percent drop-off, measured as remaining velocity off of initial, but through two entirely different neuromuscular task dependencies. The training effect will obviously also be different, resulting from each, and this understanding is essential for applying training practice to sport situations. Information is only a waste of breath and/or space unless it can be readily applied in a practical environment. Let's take an athlete that bench presses 300 lbs for 10 reps in his first working set. If this athlete trains every four days then we will apply the rule of thirds to garnish a starting value of 6%. This starting point for volume management may be calculate into the load or the repetitions, or a combination of the two. The end result is 282 lbs and 7-8 reps, using simple math off the initial load and using the rep range chart for drop-off margins. The repetition method would entail the athlete to lift 300 lbs for each set until only 7-8 reps are attainable, or to decrease bar poundage as fatigue from each set is realized (maintaining 10 reps per set) until 282 lbs is left on the bar. In either case, the number of sets should be monitored and recorded as this integer represents the pinnacle capacity of work. If the sub maximal method is implemented then all sets after the initial should either calculate in the drop-off margin for the load or reps to be used as the working stimulus. This would entail lifting 282 lbs until 10 reps is maximal or repeating sets with 300 lbs and 7 reps until this is limit. Any work that relies on reps and load, in any of the three drop-off rep brackets, may be used to precisely implement volume (sets) and a training frequency scale. Some athletes continuously improve only if they manipulate frequency off of work (drop-off margin), others find that a predetermination of drop-off margins (control) as they commensurate to their desired training frequency to work best, and many trainees can only continue improving if they rotate work and frequency dominance-responsibility in different training stages. The simplicity is to use the rule of thirds to establish a starting point, implement repetition or sub maximal work to match sporting demand and current fitness level, and regulate the pinnacle capacity of work and the prime capacity of work in relationship to your specific adaptability rate. This is how volume is managed, frequency is governed, and work is analyzed. Through this process, the answers for lack of strength development are readily available.
AutoRegulatory Training Volume II by Dietrich Buchenholz
The training process must include a critical and determined degree of fatigue, followed by an appropriate duration to which Reserve Strength may be elicited. This is where scientific wisdom falters and practical experience establishes means to which context may be derived. Super compensation may be accelerated or hindered, and often times athletes neglect to fully understand the management of such, let alone a corresponding application of these critical elements to which training relies. Depending upon the sport and individual, a direct or derivative expression of force, tension, and/or speed must be implemented. Each unique facet may be appropriately intertwined into the network of expedited precision of human performance enhancement. Accelerating super compensation while applying beneficial prescriptions as deteriorating products and by-products are avoided, implementing the proper stimulus with complete precision in terms of volume, investigating Singular-Residual and Complex-Residual phenomena, integrating capacity of work scales and frequency modulation patterns, and
incorporating the sum of gathering data will clarify scientific contradiction, explain failure of improvement, and will expedite results to the utmost of human adaptability rate. There is dependence upon which segment of performance is trained with the application of residual fatigue management. In Auto regulatory Training Part 1, strategies were introduced as to how the management of fatigue and adaptation may be regarded for an athlete dealing with load, sets, and reps. There are many extrapolations to this phenomena, but in focusing solely on the strength athlete we may direct attention to important topics. Residual training effects must be monitored under singular and complex formats and later calculated into the drop off margin. Especially as an athlete progresses to higher levels of competition, precision must be carefully implemented to all aspects of the training process. The residual fatigue under the singular emphasis is typically 2-3%. This means that a drop off margin of 6% really represents about an 8.5% drop off. More specifically, when calculating drop off margins it is important to produce three expressions for each localized group of motor units. The first is a direct prediction, explained in the previous article. Secondly, the estimation of singular residual fatigue should be tabulated. This is done by recognizing your individual fatigue rate through practical experience of specified brackets of work or by by using the generic value of 2.5%. The accuracy of the singular residual fatigue sum tabulation takes experience to implement properly but is the precision to which an advanced athlete must regard fatigue and frequency working relationships. Direct fatigue and singular residual fatigue are important, but one must also monitor complex residual fatigue. Direct and singular residual fatigue both represent the degree (magnitude) of the training influence for a specified group of motor units. Complex residual fatigue is the ability to project drop off margins from a composite group of motor units to a more localized sector of neuromuscular constituents. In the bench press the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps are obviously subject to a training effect. However, when a 6% drop off is realized in a multi-joint movement such as this then the registration value of each local group of motor units (muscle groups) is unknown precisely. In theory, it could be all or none. For instance, a 6% drop off in the bench press could be the result of a 6% loss in function of the triceps with 0% deterioration values for the pectorals and deltoids. Ongoing scientific studies, as well as a logical analysis, prove this theory to be a high rarity, but understanding the availability of such is important information. This X-Factor of direct and singular residual fatigue for a localized group of motor units, resulting from one to multiple movements of single joint and/or multiple joint combinations, promotes a few important extrapolations. The debate from contradicting scientific literature regarding single joint versus multiple joint movements is one arena that a full understanding and implementation of the localized drop off margin tabulation will clarify misunderstanding. If one applies synonymous degrees of training influence, residual and direct, for single or multiple joint actions than the end product will also be similar, assuming that a commensurate frequency scale is equal among other factors. Motor units adapt to the degree to which they are stimulated regardless of how many joint axis are involved. Another important note resulting from residual fatigue understanding is that a localized drop off margin must be established in order to systematically integrate a frequency scale. Misinformation is common to circulate in deeper investigations of the training effect, especially as immediate neuromuscular manipulation is implemented. One such case involves the successive set routine of agonist and antagonist pairing. In saving time by not addressing all the irrational theory's available, the factual information regarding this type of working regime on the human organism is multi-faceted. Antagonist inhibition will decrease as a result of fatigue to those working motor units that reciprocate the agonist action. This is an important finding for several reasons. The capacity of work attainable for an equal magnitude of fatigue compared to otherwise natural circumstances, with pinnacle or prime method administration, will be greater with a successive set routine of reciprocal movement actions. As this capacity of work is elevated through neuromuscular manipulation it is important to distinguish the difference between such
circumstances and the Natural Fatigue scale. The degree of stimulus may appear to be identical if one analyzes merely the drop off margin, but the ability to generate increased volumes of work is substantially adequate to understand that there is more than one fatigue scale available for management and manipulation in training. One must address these factors in training to ensure accuracy in fatigue and frequency association models, with the advanced athlete it is one area where increases concentration should reside. The degree to which compensation raises above initial is proportionate to the degree to which fatigue is administered. If an appropriate frequency scale is utilized in accordance to a thorough evaluation of all training effects stimulated then the equivocal value of fatigue can and will be present in a super compensatory degree. Specifically, a 6% drop off from initial in training should yield a 6% elevation from initial the very next training session. However, adaptability rate and tolerance to intricate magnitudes of stimulus is an oscillatory function of the neuromuscular apparatus and should not be perceived as stable. It is the margin of error (oscillatory driven) in determining the exact adaptability rate of a specific individual in a specific training session that eludes perfect implementation of developing a reciprocating value of Reserve Strength, compared to the magnitude of fatigue stimulation. Nevertheless, if one is falling well below this reciprocating reserve value then the fatigue and frequency relationship is inappropriate for that athlete at that given time in training. A margin of error is expected but anything exceeding 1.5% is considered extreme fallacy. Accelerating super compensation is critical to off set the determent of time. Aside from substances that are banned in international competition, there are many ways to promote reserve strength development. These range from psychological to physiological, and complexity of administration matches the training process for serious athletes. Only 30% of a coach's concentration should be on training, the remaining majority is spent to raise performance. Simply stated, if you are spending more than a third of your strategic efforts towards developing fatigue implementation (decrease performance) for a training session then your hindrance is due to a lack of addressing the performance raising capabilities outside of training (supercompensatory effects). Chronologically speaking, there should be only 2.14% spent on training with the other 97.86% working on super compensation. This topic of accelerating adaptation is the topic of a future article.
Dynamic Minimization by Dietrich Buchenholz
Setting many factors aside, one of the things that separates elite athletes with less-proficient athletes is their ability to intricately mix and match static and dynamic contractions in the same movement. Sprinting and jumping ability are just two examples, of many, that rely on staticdynamic combinations in the same effort(i.e. different muscle groups performing different functions). Some may write it off as just ‘poor form’- but ‘technique training,’ alone, will only get you so far. The best approach, and the one that I have used on numerous occasions with tremendous success, is the practice of alternating ‘technical’ training sessions with ‘functional’ training sessions. In this article I will try and relay the concept of ‘dynamic minimization’ to you, relating it to sprint speed development and jumping ability development, tying it all in to the aforementioned training template. The ‘Plyometric Effect’ We know that all single joint actions (in sport and in training) can be categorized as, either, static or dynamic- isometric vs plyometric. That is, unless a joint action doesn’t involve movement then it is classified as static/isometric; all other work can be loosely categorized as
dynamic/plyometric(a.k.a. reactive). In other words, anything that exploits the ‘plyometric effect’even to the slightest degree- is a ‘reactive contraction.’
Rest a bar on support pins in a squat rack at the bottom position of your squat. Load the bar up until you establish a max single(the most weight you can handle while still being able to squat up from this rested-start position to the top of the movement). Then, compare how much weight you used there versus what you can handle in a more conventional down-and-up squat movement. Notice the difference? Undoubtedly, the down-and-up(PIM) version will smoke the weight used in the postive-only(MIO) version. The difference between the two(PIM weight minus the MIO weight) represents a practical definition of the ‘plyometric effect’ for you, as an individual(i.e. the added benefit you are receiving from the ‘pre-stretch’ mechanisms of the PIM version). So not only does this show you that ‘plyometric’ work is not strictly correlated to only high-speed or high-power movement but that it is literally involved in the far majority of sporting actions in existence(speed, power, force and strength training). Also, you should now be able to practically distinguish the difference between ‘voluntary contractions’ and ‘reactive contractions’- 'voluntary' being absent the ‘plyometric effect’ and 'reactive' exploiting the ‘plyometric effect’ to variable degrees. Moreover, as force increases, generally speaking, the reactive contribution(neuro-electric 'reflexive firing' and mechanical 'stretch reflexes') increases. This is why a 100 mph fastball is not necessarily thrown from a ‘strong athlete’ and why a big squatter does not mean a fast runner! Force and strength are not synonymous- force relies on speed of movement, strength does not.
Interestingly enough, even though sprinting and jumping are typically (loosely) defined as being reactive in nature, and a ‘divide’ is usually drawn between plyometric and isometric work, all plyometric work consists of isometric work. That is, movement cannot turn-around and switch directions unless it first stops in the direction it was initially headed. This means that every ‘reactive’ contraction will have an isometric contraction at the point where movement is reversed. Every joint action in the body abides by this principles, too, so that should make it easy for you to remember. It should also now be easy for you to recognized that ‘transitional ability’ is reliant upon a variable degree of ‘static strength’- of which parlay's into balancing muscle-stiffness versus elasticity when looking to magnify the degree of 'plyometric effect' registered per movement.
Moreover, since the term ‘plyometric work' encompasses such a broad scope of training applications, it is important to sub-divide this group into more manageable, accurate modalities. For instance, we took all the work that incorporates the greatest amount of reactive contribution(a.k.a. ‘plyometric effect’) to movement and dumped these methods in the ‘neuromagnitude’ modality; we took all the moderate reactive accompanied work and stamped it in the ‘neuro-rate’ modality, and put all of the negligible ‘plyometric’ work in the ‘neuro-duration’ modality(as tediously described in “The Sports Book”). That is, except for isometric work, all other forms of work are really just variations of plyometric work. For instance, if we were to draw a line(from left to right), with the left end being neuro-rate and the right end being neuroduration(neuro-magnitude falls in between the two), then we can ‘benchmark’ a few important training methods along the path- RFI, RA, REA, and OI. Reflexive-firing isometrics(RFI) are a neuro-rate entity, reactive acceleration(RA) work is on the border between neuro-rate and neuromagnitude, the reactive(REA) method falls on the line between neuro-magnitude and neuroduration, while OI work is placed in the neuro-duration modality. All of which exploit the ‘plyometric effect’, just to variable degrees along this continuum. Technical Aspect Due to the fact that this article is really about ‘dynamic minimization’ and not 'technique training', per say, I’ll keep this section brief. Sprinting and jumping, alike, require as little ‘wasted movement’ as possible for proficient performance. That is, all things equal, the guy with the best
technique wins. One of the most important factors in this regard is to keep everything ‘in-line’ as much as possible. In sprinting, this means that your hips should ‘open-up’ as little as possible. (By ‘open-up’ I mean that your knees and feet should not veer out as your run) For instance, if you’re analyzing an athlete sprinting directly towards you then you should see very little of the ‘in step’ of his foot(inside of his shoe) and, even at that, his ‘knee-caps’ should be facing towards you at all times. This is not to say that the foot will not ‘swing out’(hip abduction) ever so slightly and then ‘back in’(hip adduction) as the leg goes from ‘recovery’ to ‘ground contact’, or that no ‘external rotation’ of the hips will exist(even with world class sprinters), but just that these superfluous actions should be kept to a minimum. Jumpers should also follow suit- watch for wasted hip, knee and ankle action. Statistically, an athlete who runs or jumps with his ‘knees out’ is likely to have one of the following problems: His ‘hip muscles’(i.e. glutes) and ‘knee extensors(i.e. quads) are being over-relied on; he is not activating his hamstrings properly during ‘hip extension’ and/or he has poor ‘knee extension’, ‘ankle flexion’(i.e. calves), and/or ‘toe flexion’(i.e. the muscles responsible for ‘pushing’ the toes into the ground) function(s)/development(s).
Since some of these ‘problems’ are actually on opposite ends of the coin(i.e. knee extensors being a strength in one case and a weakness in another), you should be able to tell that cookiecutter solutions are (without knowing how to say it any better) garbage! To determine the exact ‘problem,’ I/you would have to run the athlete through a series of tests. These could be as simple as video analysis of the athlete under a specific array of movements(note: a deficiency in one movement doesn’t necessitate a deficiency ‘across the board’ with high caliber athletes, but if a general trend is noted then ‘testing’ and ‘training’ can go hand in hand…meaning, we wouldn’t have to 'burn' a session on other realms of functional testing), to more ‘technological’ tests involving special equipment(such as various EMG devices). Nevertheless, once the problem is located then we can fix it through a variety of avenues(to name a few): Make the athlete consciously aware of his flaw(this one is general enough to apply to most cases, but not all, regardless of what other avenue(s) we take) specialized training measures(such as the ‘dynamic minimization’ techniques discussed later in this article) and/or intricate EMS treatments(i.e. when the hamstrings are not involved in hip extension as much as we’d like)
Dynamic Minimization The one that I will discuss today is the one that probably fits the largest scale of novice to amateur athletes- dynamic minimization of the plantar flexors and spine. When a proficient athlete takes off in a sprint he is working off the ‘ball’ of his foot. That is, the static strength development of his plantar flexors(toe-and-ankle flexors) is developed well enough so as to not inhibit hip function(primarily). Needless to say, the ‘hip muscles’ are without a doubt the most powerful muscles in the human body. So in order to allow them to ‘fire on all cylinders’ an athlete must possess adequate plantar flexion ‘strength’(in addition to ‘core strength’ which we’ll get into) because, if the force of sprinting causes your heel to collapse towards the ground then the hip musculature on that side of the body will start to shut off(so as to preserve the integrity of the ankle flexor musculature)- this creates serious problems and inhibits performance considerably. And if video analysis of the fastest sprinters in the world isn’t enough for you to believe that ‘heelto-toe’ action in sprinting is sub-optimal, perform this simple test: (1) Stand fully upright(heels on ground, body erect) (2) ‘Flex’ your hips/glutes as much as you can (3) Without releasing tension from ‘step 2’, keep your knees fully extended as you stand up onto your toes (4) ‘Flex your hips as much as you can, again
What you’ll notice is that not only will your hips ‘kick it up a notch’, but you should feel your hamstrings muscles(involved in hip extension) ‘turn on’. Remember, this is very close to the position you sprint in.‘Hard-coded’ firing patterns for hips and hamstrings activation change per body position- So, to all you powerlifters out there, don’t take this advice to mean that you need to squat on your toes. My beliefs are much contrary- even though this phenomenon is also found in the sprint start position which, to the novice coach, will look synonymous to the 'deep squat' position.(actually, sprint start position is closer to 'good-morning' position)
Moving on- in cutting through all the fine lines and in getting to the real message of this article, your plantar flexors need to possess an appropriate amount of static strength in order to allow the most powerful muscle group in the human body- the ‘hips- to function fully. Also, in obtaining such, you will eliminate wasted movement of the plantar flexors in sprinting and jumping, thus minimizing the dynamic involvement of such whilst allowing preservation of the high-dynamic actions of other joints/muscle groups in the body to do their jobs- thus achieving static-dynamic proficient movement combinations.
In other words, a slower sprinter will run on his heels because his plantar flexion static strength isn’t well developed. This will not allow his hips to function optimally(remember the test above) and it will perpetuate injury(absorption to impact ratio will not be in the athletes favor). Also, a sprinter with poor static strength of the plantar flexors who tries to sprint on the ball-of-foot will experience a drop in ground support forces(the ‘strength’ needed to make you run fast) since the power of the hips will cause the heel to collapse towards the ground. A good comparison/example right now is to compare the two ankles of Mike Vick for the Atlanta Falcons American football team. Checking out of rehab and entering back on the field allowed coaches everywhere to see the proficiency of dynamic minimization in the real world- his recently injured ankle doesn’t have the static strength that his non injured ankle does so the weak-side doesn’t ‘minimize’ the dynamic action as it should. If he doesn’t fix this problem then not only will he never reach get back to full form again but he (is and) will be running a serious risk of injury re-occurrence.
The stabilizers of the spine are also important for installation of dynamic minimization- since the weight of the torso conflicts with the direction of force produced by the hips during ground contact(in sprinting and jumping) the athlete must be stable enough up top so that force production doesn’t deteriorate and/or injury doesn’t result. And this is easy to install since the primary function of the ‘core muscles’(four ‘abdominal’ muscles, spinal erectors, and even smaller muscles such as the ‘quadratus lumborum’) is to stabilize the spine. If the force dampening of these muscles is too great then the hips will essentially ‘shut off’, so turning them back ‘on’ in this case wouldn’t be the answer because, remember, they turned ‘off’, in the first place, to prevent injury. Therefore, train the function of these muscles(static strength) and you should generally be alright. Sample Exercises Some exercises, for sprinters and jumpers, which exploit the dynamic minimization concept are as follows: OI HF Squats with PF DM integration: Perform this gem by placing one foot on a 'elevation' behind you(weight bench should work fine) and the other foot out in front of you(so you are in an augmented 'split squat' position(hip extensors of front leg in stretch, hip flexors of hind leg in stretch). Then, to add the Oscillatory-Isometric(OI) method in, you will follow three distinct phases of execution for each repetition: (1) peak voluntary/isometric contraction, (2) peak tensionrelease(relaxation/'free-fall') and (3) reactive contraction(absorption, stabilization, reaction).
REA Squats with PF DM integration: To perform a reactive back squat, you will position yourself in a good starting squat position. Then drop(free-fall) down to the point of 'reactive contraction'(absorption, stabilization, reaction), at which time you will swiftly go through each subreactive phase in order. After 'bouncing' back to the top you will continue with the desired number of repetitions. AMT jumps with PF DM integration: To perform AMT Jumps you will need to follow a precise order of events. First, work up in drop height until you find your peak reactive jump height. Then start with negligible 'overspeed'(i.e. rubber band/spring) resistance until you find the optimal AMT working zone- defined as roughly a 7-8% drop in reactive jump height obtained in 'step one'. (Don't worry, this drop in performance will not become permanent; contrarily, this sequence will jump your jump height 18-23% after the first session!) RFI Squat Sprints with PF DM integration: Squat down on a mini-trampoline or resiliant spring board. Then try to not let your hips raise as you will rapidly sprint in place from that position. ISO HAb Abs(PAP): Lay on your side with your lower body(knees, ankles) anchored by a partner or by any immovable object of your choosing, but keep your hips-up(torso) free to move down towards the ground and up towards the sky. Then, 'crunch' your abs in tight(as in 'side bend' fashion) so that your abs are fully contracted. Hold that up-top position for the desired training terminal. OI HF Abs: An easy way to perform this movement is to sit in a 'lat machine' as per usual except anchor your legs in especially tight and scoot a bit farther forward in the seat than normal. Lay back so that full tension is on your abdominals and the 'hip flexor' musculature of your upper thigh. Proceed with the OI sequences listed above(peak tension, peak release, peak reaction). REA HF Abs: Similar to the movement as above except that know you will perform a full-range reactive movement(likened to the steps outlined in the REA Squat exercises)...or you may perform FOI(forced oscillatory isometrics) in which the OI function is carried out manually(partner resistance/throws). ISO GM’s(CJC): Set yourself in a 'good-morning' mid-range position(hips back, back arched, abs pushed out into thighs) and hold for time. Note: the exercises performed with plantar-flexion dynamic-minimization(PF DM) allow for a lot of individualization. In the OI HF Squat, for instance, you can move the fore-foot forwards-orbackwards, in-or-out, and elevate the heel up-or-down in order to satisfy your needs. Generally speaking, moving the foot forwards or backwards will allow you to target hip-extension vs kneeflexion functions, respectively; moving the fore-foot in versus out allows you to fine-tune the muscle activation as you want it(i.e. biceps femoris concentration vs semi-ten/semi-mem concentration); and shifting the heel up versus down to the point of DM-hold will allow you to weigh-in such factors as ankle-flexor involvement versus toe-flexor involvement. (simply mix and match these options to form a variation of the exercise to meet your very needs) Sample Program As promised, I’m going to show you how to incorporate all of this into a training schedule. Remember, ‘technical’ sessions(i.e. sprint sessions with conscious form involvement) will be alternated with ‘functional’ sessions (that teach the system the dynamic minimization function) so that the learned trait can be readily applied to the ultimate training objective(i.e. sprinting or jumping in this case). Session 1 OI HF Squats; N x 25-40 sec
ISO HAb Abs; N x 9-25 sec OI HF Abs; N x 25-40 sec Session 2 RA Rebound-Harness Sprints; N x 20 meters REA HF Abs; N x 5-9 sec AMT Jumps; N x 3-5 singles
Session 3 REA Squats; N x 5-9 sec OI HF Abs; N x 9-25 sec ISO GM's; N x 25-40 sec Session 4 RA Sprints; N x 60 meters REA HF Abs; N x 9-25 sec RFI Squat Sprints; N x 5 sec AMT Jumps; N x 3-5 singles Final Notes It’s as simple as that, friend- easy bakin’ pie! Of course, the specifics of every athletes routine will vary. But I hope that you will give these principles a fair shake- and let the results speak for themselves! As always, feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.
Cornerstones of Champions by Dietrich Buchenholz
As a lot of you already know, reflexive-firing isometrics(RFI) and oscillatory-isometrics(OI) are two very powerful training tools. Aside from RFI being a direct "neuro-rate" development method and OI being a direct "neuro-duration" development method, both of them can be qualified as "short range of movement reflexive firing methods that exploit the benefits of the reactive regime." Both of them teach movement efficiency. Both of them yield a considerable rise in nervous sytem output (compared to their same-modality counterparts). And if it weren't for the "neuro-magnitude" modality, you could basically connect the two directly as being a continuum- with load being the obvious difference between them.
Think of it this way; RFI and OI work feed into proficient development of the reactive(REA) method of work(not to be confused with the general categorization of "reactive contractions"). Moreover, REA work is a great "feeder" into reactive-acceleration(RA) work- such as auxometronics(AMT). And as many of you have already experienced, AMT can be quite a jolt to your sporting performance! So let's take a moment to examine these two "Cornerstone's of Champions" a bit more- taking a closer look at what they are, what they do, and even discuss sub-methods for each. Reflexive-Firing Isometrics Reflexive-firing isometrics exploit the "plyometric effect" of movement proficiency- but so do a lot of methods! So, what really separates this method from others is it teaches your system how to rapidly "turn on" and "turn off" via highly concentrated bursts of neuro-electric activity and tension recruitment, alternated with a proficient release of tension as it relates to "neural energy sparing." All of this traces back to intricate functions of the nervous system that make-up contraction rate(CR) ability(i.e. this aforementioned 'rapid-fire' cycle)- interval rate(IR) and transmission rate(TR). That is, not only is it important to recruit what is needed, when it is needed, but the conservation-of-energy effects of this method perpetuate a longer terminal capacity function to be realized(i.e. how long you can keep up intensity of effort before realizing a drop in function). You really don't have to look far to see all of this pan-out in the real-world, either. Take sprinting, for instance. How many times have you seen an athlete pull a muscle as he takes off in a sprint? Poor TR function (and/or poor neuro-dynamic patternization ability). How often have you seen an athlete pull a muscle in the middle of a sprint? More often than not, this is resultant from poor IR function (and/or poor neuro-dynamic patternization ability). In "The Sports Book: Best Training Ever!", I more accurately describe these deficiencies- TRP and RFP. Meaning, it is the onset of tension and the control of this tension(OTC) that will allow you to possess the sought after combination of movement efficiency and movement proficiency. One without the other is like having cookies with no milk. And in keeping with the same example; How long can you up-hold peak sprint velocity before you begin to slow-down? Many sprint training "experts" will define this in seconds- 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds- and they base their opinion strictly off of what they observe- no more, no less. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but unless we all throw paper bags over our heads we are all still unique individuals(right?)! I have seen athletes maintain peak velocity for 9 seconds, or more, and others struggle to maintain speed for even a few seconds. And the only way to know for sure is to test it out. And, remember, poor performance can just as much mean over-training as it does under-training, so you always have to associate the results as being relative to the athlete and relative to his training past and present. Instead of making the mistake of giving you a "cookiecutter" guide to follow, let me do you one better. Bottom line is this- it's all manipulative! Just as you can make an athlete stronger, you can raise a sprinters terminal capacity- how long he can maintain peak velocity. And you want to talk about putting theory into practice- try RFI work on for size! Oscillatory-Isometrics Similar to how RFI work is directly beneficial for a speed-seeking athlete and indirectly (supportive) beneficial for a strength-seeking athlete, OI is directly beneficial for a strengthseeking athlete and indirectly (supportive) beneficial for a speed-seeking athlete. Did I say all that correctly? Okay, good...now we can move on. Built on the same stone as RFI; OI work enhances onset of tension control(OTC), develops movement efficiency via the installment of energy conservation, yet still, it develops proficiency of neural output, magnitude of tension recruitment, and escalates force development. Quite a gift to come all in one package, wouldn't you say? And
just like RFI, it's something that you shouldn't use all the time but, when you do, let's just say that you're not going to turn down the results! It will make your movement more efficient; meaning, terminal capacity can be raised. However, with the applications presented in this article, the first thing you'll notice is that you won't have to "maintain the strain"- you'll be able to blast through sticking points with a vengeance. This is because your system will learn when and how to "turn it on"- a little or a lot- in order to complete the lift with relative ease. Release Methods When "energy sparing" between contractions is sought out, this sub-method works wonders. It can be used with RFI and OI work, and it really taps into interval-rate and transmission-magnitude functions of the neuromuscular system. In order to accomplish this, it entails that a "peak relaxation" phase will lead into the "reflexive firing" phase of the movement. This will allow you to "rebound" out of the reactive contraction phase powerfully, yet, with little "voluntary" strain. Ever get startled bad enough while you were sleeping that it almost caused you to leap through the ceiling? Well then you know the powerful effects that can result in combining relaxation with reflexive-firing methodics! Think about it; When have you ever jumped that high before...let alone after someone just whispered your name! In sports/training, we are talking about the optimization of the 'plyometric effect' via static-spring mastery. RFI-Release Samples RFI-Release Stability Press: Lower yourself into mid-range push-up position on a mini-trampoline or a spring board. From there, you will essentially "run" in place with your hands, firing each hand into the tramp in rapid-fire sequence. Your goals is two-fold; don't allow your torso to rise or fall during which time you will move your hands as quick as you can.
RFI-Release Squat Sprints: Same concept as above; squat down on a mini-trampoline into midrange position with your heels high off the spring board. Then, without allowing your hips to rise or fall, quickly sprint in place, maintaining dynamic minimization of the plantar flexors.
RFI-Release Lateral Raise: Sit down on a bench, grasp a dumbell and raise it with your shoulder musculature so that your arm is in-line with your shoulders. From there, you will release the dumbell. After the release, quickly raise your hand before chasing the dumbell- this will further intensify the rapid-fire functions you seek. Catch the dumbell, allow a quick but effective transition, of which proper absorption will cause the dumbell to virtually spring back up to the start position on its own account(i.e. reflexive firing).
RFI-Release Lateral Barrier Jump: Set a barrier at about knee level. Stand on one side to start. Keep your hips the same distance from the ground as you jump over the barrier and back, repeating this right-left-right-left-etc sequence as rapidly as possible. As you get going, you will find that it is most efficient to position your hips over the barrier and let your feet do all the moving from side to side- that is desireable.
RFI-Release GHG: On a glute-ham machine, extend yourself so that your body is parallel to the ground. From this position, you will come up about 1/3 of the full range of motion for this movement, flex for an instant at that point, then drop down into reaction. That is, you want to see how quickly you can perform repetitions in this limited range, with movement efficiency being found when you relax your system during the drop and "fire" it in harmony during reaction. (note: proper reaction will spare voluntary effort on the positive stroke).
OI-Release Samples OI-Release Pectorals: Lay down on a bench with dumbells in each hand, likened to "pec fly" position. Then as your arms are relatively parallel to the ground(or as high as you need based on your joint mobility) you will achieve basic OI principles: peak voluntary/isometric contraction(flex "stronger" than the weight demands), peak relaxation(relieve as much tension as possible...this will cause your feet/knees to fly up into the air), followed by a rapid, efficient reactive sequence(absorb, stabilize, rebound)- at which time your feet strike down to the floor. Each repetition will follow this exact sequence of events. OI-Release Elbow Extensions: With a neutral(palms facing) grip as you lay on your back in triceps extension position(upper arms perpindicular to floor, lower arms parallel to floor), you will achieve peak tension, peak relaxation, and efficient reaction for each rep induced. Range of motion should be only 1/4-1/3 of the total triceps extension range of movement. OI-Release RBR: On a reverse back raise(RBR), you will flex the weight up to parallel position. Then, achieve as much tension as you can, voluntarily, followed by a rapid release of as much tension as you can, which leads into the efficient reactive phase. If done properly, the only effort you should feel like you are expending is during the voluntary contraction phase- the rest should come almost automatically(i.e. efficiently) if done properly. OI-Release GHG: In parallel position on a glute-ham machine, perform the same sequence as noted in the RFI version except that you will contract much longer and stronger during the initial isometric phase for each repetition. The release during the fall will remain the same, as will the reactive sequence at the bottom. Again, movement range is only about 1/3 of normal(full range). OI-Release Split-Squat: Standing with a barbell on your shoulders, in split-squat stance(one leg in front of the other on the same plane), you will lower yourself so that you have a good stretch on your front hip and rear knee extensors and toe flexors. From that position, flex as strong as possible- beyond the requirement of the load. After that has been completed, release all tension(free fall), then react out to the start position. Manual Methods In sacrificing transmission-magnitude a little bit, and in flushing interval-rate down the toilet, so to speak, you can drive-home transmission-rate ability as it relates to OTC with this sub-method, all in a way that will make other training methods that much better! Even though, neither, manual RFI or manual OI work are devastatingly effective by themselves, they were designed specifically to make other training methods more effective- so they really don't need to be a great singular method. For instance, on the "neuro-rate" side of the coin we may alternate manual RFI work with, say, RA work in order to increase the athletes stability and muscle-stiffness so that his neuro-pattern development at the transition phase of the RA work will increase. Most of the time there are only two ways that we do this: 5 seconds of manual RFI followed immediately with 3-5 reps of RA work in the same set; or 5 seconds of manual RFI alternated with 5 seconds of RA for a total set duration of 30-40 seconds. The former combination is if the RA loading is of neuromagnitude parameters and the latter combination is used when the RA loading is of neuro-rate paramters(note: the manual RFI loading is always neuro-rate). Likewise, we may do 5 seconds of OI work followed by 5 seconds of ISO work(and repeat this cycle as we please per set, 0-4 times), on the neuro-duration side of the coin, if we want to fine-tune our static-spring effect as it relates to strength development and/or peak force development(note: we may even use it as a distant build-up to sky-rocket power or speed development, too- it all depends on the athletes needs). Manual-RFI Samples Manual-RFI Internal Rotation: lay back on a bench with your arm abducted 90 degrees, elbow flexed at about 90 degrees and with your arm extrernally rotated about 90 degrees(i.e. forearm and upper arm parallel with ground). Strive to maintain stability in this position as a partner/coach quickly throws your arm down from the wrist as rapidly as you can rebound your fist back up.
Manaul-RFI External Rotation: sitting upright on a bench, abduct your arm 90 degrees, and flex your elbow 90 degrees so that your upper and lower arm are parallel or the floor with your elbow pointing out towards your side and your forearm directed in front of you. Try to allow as little arm movement as possible as your partner/coach throws your arm down towards the floor, with the force being applied near your wrist. Manual-RFI Bench Press: holding roughly 36-37%AW1RM of your bench press in CJC position in the bench press, try and stabilize the bar as your partner/coach rapidly throws the bar towards your chest. Again, your goal is to not let the bar move. But, since bar movement is inevitable, you will try and spend as much of the set duration at the start position as your coach/partner tries to force you to spend as much of the set duration out of this position. Consider it a contest between you and your partner/coach; the less time you spend out of your start position, the more bragging rights you have left when the set is over- not to mention that your training effects will be that much better. Manual-RFI GHG: position yourself in a glute-ham machine so that you are virtually parallel to the ground. Then perform this exercise one of two ways, depending upon if you need more knee flexion or trunk extension development: (1) with slight flexion in your knees and with your partner applying force to your tail-bone, directed straight towards the ground, you will try and minimize knee extension movement as your partner/coach tries to maximize knee extension movement via applied force. However, these pulses of force should be performed as rapid as possible(i.e. it's not a push versus pull match but, rather, a task of trying to get as many reps as possible in a set time frame). (2) force is applied at your upper back so that the greatest training effect will occur with your spinal erector and hip extensor muscles. Redundantly speaking, try and minimize movement as your partner tries to rapidly throw your torso down, in powerful bursts of applied force. Manual-RFI Abs: in HF Abdominals position, torso parallel to floor, you will stay as rigid as possible as your partner/coach applies rapid pulses of force to your sternum(or off-set version, etc). Again, quality is assessed by quantity- generally the more reps the better. Manual-OI Samples Manual-OI Biceps: laying back on an incline bench, and elbows and shoulders flexed in a way that sets your forearm parallel to the ground, and as you hold appropriated-weight(AW) that signifies neuro-duration work(generally 63%AW1RM or greater), you will try to not let your hands move as manual force is applied to your forearms (close to your wrists) or on your hands themselves. Again, if you try and dis-allow movement then you will most likely achieve as many reps as appropriate, which will lead to you performing the skill execution correctly.
Manual-OI Squats: in deep squat position you will have a partner throw you down from the hips(if hip and knee development is sought out) or from the bar(if upper back, lower back and abdominal development are sought out).
Manual-OI Abs: similar to the RFI version, except that this time around you use greater appropriated weight(AW) for neuro-duration development.
Manual-OI RBR: in parallel reverse back raise position, have secondary force applied so that you have to brace your hips into extension. The less movement you allow with the greatest applied force, the better.
Manual-OI Bench: set the weight in the neuro-duration modality, then fight agains the force pulses applied by your partner/coach so that movement is minimized as much as realistically possible.
Final Notes Even though all four methods develop static-spring functionality, they do so from intricately different "angles". For instance, the choice between manual versus release integration rests on the need for TRP development of OTC(i.e. how much energy sparing development is necessary or appropriate for a particular athlete and particular point in time). All four generally develop RFP(even though RFP is inherently greater with neuro-rate methodics than neuro-duration methodics). Another consideration for inclusion is based on how the work is integrated/structured in a workout(i.e. manual used independantly or as a compound hybrid set). Which reminds me, RFI work is set up based on reps achieved per unit time- "failure" is not a major factor. OI work, however, requires that an "initial" set be determined from momentary fatigue/"failure" with a given weight within a desired time bracket. These principles result in RFI maintaining reps with a drop in time for AREG and OI maintaining reps with a drop in weight for AREG. Not only are these "cornerstones" essentially important for any athlete to integrate into his routine at critical stages within his training plan, but the coach can use these powerful tools as "diagnostic" tests as well(i.e. locate intricate neuro-dynamics profiles in order to determine what to train/develop next). Performance enhancement, injury prevention, and means for locating neuro-dynamic deficiencies...what more could you possibly wish for?
Torsion Training by Dietrich Buchenholz
Where We're Headed With This Imagine an athlete like Yao Ming, for instance, who could control his body like a gymnast. Really, imagine that. Now, if he was taught how to control his body and gain perfect balance at all times, like a cat, regardless of how complicated the movement pattern was, how would that impact his performance? Imagine, now, if he masters these skills, increasing the rate of exection, how easy he would be able to float through the movements commonly demanded of him by sport and how easy he'd be able to dominate the court? Imagine this: An "Allen Iverson" in a Yao Ming body. Got the picture? The Old Approach The reason why such an athlete doesn't currently exist is because most coaches are going about it ass-backwards. Instead of teaching basic movement patterns under force and then increasing the complexity of these movements under force they commonly isolate the only real challenging work to be done in sport, with reliance on basic slow-speed strength training movements being done in the gym. For instance, you could never take a guy like Barry Sanders and have him increase his reaction cordination if you spend a considerable amount of time having him stand on inflatable pillows. In order for an athlete to gain balance in sport he must do so dynamically in training, especially if he truly wants to develop. The same holds true for "agility ladder" work, "dot drills", and the likes; these are good for beginning athletes but are about as useless when it comes to actual on-field development for a top athlete as plucking his eyebrows. In other words, you can stand like a stork on an unstable object but it doesn't mean you won't fall apart when movement, especially variable force, is added into the equation. And, besides, standing in balance is more of a sign that your skeleton is in good alignment for linear mechanics...But, that says little about your ability to cut, juke, twist, turn, etc. Take a sprinter trying to convert to a wide reciever. In the perfect world you would be able to take a 10.0 second 100 meter sprinter and throw him on the football field without a problem. But, in the real world, that isn't as easy at it may sound. Aside from worries regarding if he can catch the football, he has to learn how to cordinate
his body in order to run effective pass patterns(i.e. develop braking skills, lateral movement, rotational movement, body control and joint positioning for each, etc). Needless to say, the fastest track athlete in the world will get burnt time and time again on the gridiron, unless he develops into a football player. The Un-mistakable Demand Make no mistake about it, athletes rarely run straight lines. Baseball players swoop out to round the bases well before they reach it. Stealing a base requires a rapid pivot on the start. In fact, athletes who don't train this will not develop this. Track burners turned baseball players commonly find themselves not recovering from the problems that exist during that simple pivot and sprint movement on the basepath until they are about ready to slide into the next base! Throwing a baseball, hitting a baseball, an outfielder making an effective break on a baseball, etc...all examples of the need for "torsion training". Every football player on the field has to control his body in non-linear mechanics. Spinning to avoid a tackler or to juke a blocker; rushing on angle of pursuit by an outside linebacker; twisting under control to hand off the ball; making an effective cut as a wide-reciever to gain separation; making an effective cut as a defensive back to hug the reciever; etc...all examples of the need for "torsion training." For a basketball player, dynamic balance is huge. Virtually every action on offense and every reaction on defense is composed of a complexity of three-dimensional movement. Every time direction is changed, lateral movement ability is added to the equation(to variable degrees). And it is not uncommon see a defensive player have to rapidly open and close his hips in order to stay in position to guard the offensive player(rotational mechanics), with many of these movement patterns ending in an "awkward" jump(i.e. awkward in the sense that they rarely, if ever, have the chance to perform a purely symetric down and up jump). In fact, aside from a jump ball and the rare "clear out" dunk by a center, the rest of the game is played with a ton of direction change. The New Approach So the question becomes; How do we effectively train for this? We know from "The Sports Book: Best Training Ever!" that the nervous system functions needed in sport must be learned and attached to movement patterns required in sport. This means that "strength training on multiple planes" is definitely not the answer, just as much as training strictly by sport is not the answer. Now, I won't mis-lead you into thinking that sports training is composed of simple solutions- it's not- but I will break it down into general solutions that will allow you to quickly incorporate "torsion training" into your own performance efforts, as well as show a basic flow of events, from novice to elite. Novice To Elite An athlete must learn how to control his body as early on in his sports training efforts as he can. This involves two major criteria: He must be able to move many different ways(horizontal, rotational, vertical), AND he must be able to generate a great deal of force when doing it. Horizontal movement consists of anything that is relatively on the same line of attack. Running, defensive slides, backpeddling, etc...all horizontal movements. Vertical movements are easy to imagine. These consists of any movement where the hips of the athlete are moved up or down. Jumping, a catcher pouncing up to gun out a runner, a running back bracing into a cut and acclerating out of a cut, etc...all consist of vertical movement. Rotational movement involves twisting or turning, spinning and cycling, etc. For the purposes of this article, we are going to
leave it at that. And, in doing so, anything that involves rotational mechanics will be dubbed rotational movement in this article. So, in short, if you watch the hips of an athlete in motion than any movement where his hips slide forwards, backwards, side-to-side, etc, is horizontal; any time his hips rise or fall is vertical; and anytime his hips rotate is rotational. When we talk about the generation of force, especially in dynamic actions such as these, we are concerned about the measure of force "in" versus the measure of force "out". In other words, you could keep increasing the body-to-ground force of a fall by increasing the drop height, but if you don't harness that potential energy given to you on the down-stroke, evident by the release on the up-stroke, then you have wasted your efforts and placed the table for injury. Those of you who are familiar with my reactive jump appraisal test(which I have written about on this site) should now make note that it is allowing you to evaluate this force-funtion graph without having to analyze the somewhat sophisticated force data; precisely like how the "duration test" outlined in TSB allows you to do the same thing. Anyone can read off lab data, friends, the real genius comes from knowing what to do with it (i.e. how to extract it to real world tests such as these). Without that transformation from raw data to usable data, all scientific studies are a waste of time. That said; Another way to analyze an athlete is to perform force tests and analyze the data. And even though these evaluations are very useful for the trained eye when looking for minor flaws in an elite athletes system, I don't think this method is a very practical option for the broad class of sports trainers out there. Not to mention that lessons on deciphering the data(i.e. learning how to understand what it is telling you), which let me remind you is a world of difference from being able to just "read off the numbers", is a topic that requires numerous articles by itself to fully examine. So I will spare you at this time. (but please make note that you will have to leap that hurdle sometime in the future if you want to advance your training once more, especially leading into collecting neuro-dynamic data in respect to each muscle involved in the action) Broad Athlete Classes In order to keep this conversation relatively simple, we are only going to divide all the athletes in existance into two classes: Class A and Class B. The decision as to which category you fall under is important because it will allow you to manage your progression from the three phases we define below, learning a bit more about the approach you should take from a psychological standpoint when training different athletes. Neither classes or phases have much to do with your level of competition, per say, or your age. In fact, the body control of a 12 year old gymnast is often far beyond that of a 22 year old baseball player. But, ensuring that a Class B gymnast is truly ready to evolve to the next Phase may mean the difference between Olympic glory and catastrophic injury. Not only does this tell you that age is mostly a non-factor, but there are different degrees of dynamic body mastery for different sports. Hence, preparing the athlete for sport should never leave the back of your mind. You have to recognize who you are working with just as much as what they are working for. Class A Athlete The first class of athletes are typically slower learners. That is, they have the chance to become good at sports that are relatively predictable but have trouble in sports that have a great degree of variability. For instance, an athlete in this class may do well as a quarterback in a strict system where the movement patterns are consistant. But when he has to become innovative in scrambling or breaking the mold of the original play, it becomes difficult for him. He excels in rhythmic offenses where it is "three-step, release" versus being in a "play maker" offense. He attaches to timing and familiarity. For instance, a baseball player could be of this class. Even though making contact with a baseball is a rather sophisticated set of operations, members of this class typically have the patience and persistance to learn how to do it, and do it well. They usually take a bit longer to match up their timing during spring training, but once they come unto their own they are as good as any hitter in the league. The downside is they are streaky players. Throw off their rhythm and you can easily get them in a slump. In basketball, a Class A athlete is
one in which he may be a great set shooter but his field goal percentage plummets when asked to shoot on the run. From a coaches perspective, he won't learn what you don't teach him. For instance, he may shine during plays you work on in practice, but if you have to draw up a play during a game he can commonly be found out of position. Class B Athlete The Class B athlete has freaky adaptability. He enjoys the challenge and freedom of lessstructured sports. He will commonly be the artistic player who will pack the stands. On the downside, his affinity to challenging conditions may leave him prone to injury. This is especially true in cases where the athlete always asks for a new challenge and the coach always gives it to him. In other words, this athlete needs more discipline and more focus on mastering the basics before he can be cut loose. Don't mistake his courage for readiness. As a gymnast, the Class B athlete will often lay everything on the line for the big skill, but only if you let them. With these athletes, you should critically concerned with finite technical details before progression is announced because they usually won't give you many overt signs of worry, unlike the Class A athlete. Comparisons Between the Two Classes In comparison to the Class A athlete, the Class B athlete gets bored with things like hitting a golf ball (whereas the Class A athlete lives it up). His over-ambition to try new things will leave him at a greater chance for injury if he is not appropriately restricted. The Class A athlete on the other hand with usually only move on to a task that he is truly ready for. This means that a Class A athlete needs a bit more encouragement, and a different angle of psycho-physiological training than the Class B athlete. The Class B athlete wants you to stress detail for him, because he will be more concerned with the ultimate movement objective then the finite characteristics that make up that movement. This is much the opposite to the Class A athlete. He will often focus too much on the subtle details that he will wreck his performance. For example, a Class A sprinter may analyze his technique to death, insomuch that he commonly gets stiff and rigid. This results in unpredictable performance, a lot of times, and may even be so bad that injury become a greater concern. Class X Athlete: Splitting the Divide Even though a fair share of athletes are definitely within one of these two classes, the majority of athletes fall somewhere in the middle. That is, they will love to be challenged but want to know that what they are doing is technically correct. They may over-technique their shooting form in basketball, for instance, yet have only moderate dynamic mastery and control during movements such as driving the lane, adjusting defensively, etc, but go at it full steam ahead. The Coach's Challenge It is up to the coach to determine what athletes are what. They need to assume that every athlete is a Class X athlete, starting out, until the information they recieve consistantly tells them otherwise. Then they need to modify their coaching style to the athlete. The old belief that the athlete needs to modify himself to your coaching style has proven less than as-effective. This doesn't mean that you won't have the respect of your players. It simply means that you will make the necessary accomodations for each player under your wing. Your rules don't change...but you do. For instance, you may have to spend considerable time controlling the Class B athletes on your team. This may even come in a aggressive way. He will constantly feel out the boundaries, so to speak, and unless you draw the line then he will keep roaming. The Class A athlete, on the other
hand, will be much more reserved. He will generally make note of what you find acceptable with the searching Class B athletes, and stay within those confines that you set. So your worry is that they will know when to break the mold and when not to. You will need to spend more time teaching them what is acceptable versus what is not acceptable. A Class A running back may run up the backs of his blockers because the original play was designed for that hole. So telling him that it is okay to move to the open hole may be a frustrating task on your part. The Class B running back, on the other hand, will be quick to dart outside and show off his ability to innovate. So, obviously, coaching a Class B athlete to dart to the open hole as soon as he sees the chance will be counter-productive. He will need you to explicitly state that you want him to hit the hole until he is face mask to shoulder pads with the lineman in front of him, then dart out to the opening. The A Athlete will be better served if you tell him to dart out as soon as he sees the chance And this conversation can be carried over to sports training in the gym. For instance, all of you Class B athletes out there reading this are probably going to leap straight to the last phase that I present below, whether or not you are ready. The Class A athlete will probably understand that when I say "progress based on readiness" that I mean exactly that; assume yourself to be a Phase 1 athlete until you prove the need to advance! Now, can we move on? Three Phases of Difficulty To help you learn the fundamentals of this article, I have broken up the progression to "Torsion Training" into 3 Phases. Each phase will prepare you for the next, and the skills learned in each phase will be assessed functionally as well as technically for readiness to move on to the next Phase. Phase 1: Basic Force Imposed Movements In this phase, you want to familiarize yourself with the basic movements that I will carry through during this introductory lesson of Torsion Training. Understand that this isn't even a comprehensive lower body list of exercises, let alone a complete list of possible movements altogether. It would be impossible to release every movement for every athlete involved in every sport at this time. But hopefully some of the basics rub off on you enough. Notice that this isn't a workout session, it is a progression that is carried through within the phase. Most likely, you will only use one or two movement(s) per session, thrown in with other Neuro-Dynamic components of your training routine. Start this Phase with the first exercise and exit to Phase 2 with mastery of the last exercise. Down and Up Vertical Jump: you should be able to move your entire body in a sequence of fluid motions in order to descend and then ascend into the jump, as well as land softly and under perfect balance(i.e. like the perfect dismount of a gymnast). Forward ADA Drop Squat: step forwards off a box height equal to your vertical jump. Concentrate on enhancing your ability to land effectively. Lateral ADA Drop Squat: step sideways off a box equal to your vertical jump height, landing efficiently in squat stance. Backwards ADA Drop Squat: step backwards of a box equal to your vertical jump height. Don't look for the landing; rather, prepare yourself for the blind-side landing and then once you begin to feel it, quickly absorb the impact and bring yourself into good jump-ready squat position. Blind-Folded Vertical Jumps: seal off your vision completely using a soft cloth material. Set yourself, then perform a down and up vertical jump. Once you can achieve the same jump height as in your standard down and up vertical test, as well as land softly and efficiently, then you can progress to the next Phase. Phase 2: Intermediate Force Imposed Movements
This phase takes the basics of Phase 1 a step further. You will learn how to utlize more neural energy and master exercises that have greater difficulty and much greater carryover to the general sport arena(i.e. related to our goals of being able to respond and react better, as well as cut, juke, and control your body with better overall mastery). Forward ADA Split-Squat Drop: step forwards of a box equal to your vertical jump height with one leg in front. Push off with your back leg in order to give you some horizontal movement. Land in split-squat position, well balanced so that you could explode out in any direction. Lateral ADA Split-Squat Drop: get in staggered-stance position on top of a box equal to your vertical jump height, with your leg closest to the side you wish to drop-off of in front. Take your front leg/close leg and reach it out sideways, effectively stepping off the box laterally. Land in split squat position, with the step off leg in front. You should be controlled in the landing, building energy throughout your system so that you could explode out in any direction if needed. Backwards ADA Split-Squat Drop: using a box height equal to your vertical jump ability, step off the box backwards and land in a split-squat. Be sure to have your feet make contact at the same time, stress good plantar flexion dynamic minimization of the rear leg, and be in ready position to move in any direction required. Single Leg ADA Landings: performed from a height equal to 40-55% of your vertical jump height, this is actually 6 movements rolled into one. That is, landing on one leg with your free floating leg held behind you for one version and in front of you for the other version, you will master landing on each leg for each step off(forwards, backwards, and sideways). A deficiency in either one restricts you from further progression. RA Squat Jumps: using the same format listed in my reactive jump appraisal, find your peak reactive jump ability for a two-legged squat-style forwards reactive jump, sideways reactive jump and backwards reactive jump. That is, step off in each direction, land as you have learned in the previous steps, but this time you will react out into a vertical jump. Phase 3: Advanced Force Imposed Movements This phase builds upon what you just learned one degree further. Now you will be requested to arouse your feedforward mechnisms of your body to a greater degree, which will really help bridge the divide between visual reaction times and physcial reactiveness. In real world terminology, this means that you will better your ability to physically react to visual stimuli in sport. Many athletes can visually recognize what they need to do, but it is only the ones that have the skills to physically do it that prevail. To extend the old cliche; You can tell your body what to do but it doesn't mean it will do it...unless you teach your system how to do it. And to say that turning visual recognition into physical reaction is a huge player in being a successful athlete is like saying converting more horsepower to the wheel is something that may help make your car go faster. Duh! (My friend and associate calls it "the difference between an arm-chair quarterback and an NFL quarterback".) ADA Cycled-Split Drops: we commonly do these one of three ways so I'll list them all here. The first way is a forward step off from your peak reactive jump drop height. Step out and off the box with one leg in front, and push out with the hind leg. As soon as you are in free fall, quickly bring your rear leg to the front and your front leg to the rear(cycle in mid-air), effectively landing in splitsquat position. Again, you should land in perfect balance, so if I cued you to react out in any direction after impact that you could do it, quickly. The lateral version is a lot the same. Step off sideways with your close-side leg and push out(not down or up) with your trail leg. The instant you get off the box you need to bring your step off leg in a rapid front-back-front cycle, with your trail leg(inside step off leg) in a rapid back-front-back cycle. You will then land in the ground with your step-off leg in front and on outside(away from the box). You should be well balanced when doing these on both sides(be sure to always land with outside leg in front). The third way is to step off backwards with one leg, pushing back with the lead leg. Once in flight, rapidly switch the back leg to the front and the front leg to the back, landing in a perfectly balanced split-squat position.
AMT Landings: using your reactive jump height box, you will fasten enough overspeed band resistance so that your reactive jump with those shooting down(released at contact) will be about 7-8% less than your normal reactive jump height. Perform forward, backward, and lateral stepoffs and landing in a jump-ready squat position. ADA Torsion Drops: using split-squat style because it is much more sport specific than a squat stance, you will perform three somewhat difficult movements. The first entials that you stand in split squat position on the top of a box. Whichever leg is in back will be the side you jump off. The goal is to perform a 180 degree turn in the air, landing with the front leg on the outside(away from box). You can initiate the turn in both directions(clockwise or counter clockwise) for each side, just be sure to always land with outside leg in front. The next movement is a backwards jump off from split squat position. Rotate so that as you jump back and turn you are facing away from the box, but don't forget to land so that you are absorbing the force of impact with your front leg hip abductors. This means that whichever direction you are spinning just prior to impact, that side-leg should be in front. (If you are spining to the right, right leg in front..visa versa) You may also perform these by jumping off forwards in split-squat position. Simply rotate to the side of the frontleg and land facing towards the box in split squat, jump-ready position. As your balance gets better, you may integrate cycled-split actions in the air. AMT Jumps: this one doesn't need much explaining, especially since it has been covered before. Just remember to react out after your absorption phase is complete. Far too many athletes try to turnover too quick. Step-offs in all directions will better prepare you for sport than just a step-off in one direction. Remember that. AMT Torsion: at this point you have developed the ability to know where your body is at all times, when and how to crank up the dial for your nervous system output, how to use feedforward processes to increase your firing rate, increase your ability to react, and you have effectively put it all together. Now you need to be challenged with a moderate degree of difficulty(I call this the advanced phase, but it doesn't end here). Selectively perform any or all of the movements previously detailed, using AMT methodics. Torsion Training As you can see, I place a good deal of stress on developing the ability to be under control at all times. An athlete out of control is an athlete at risk of injury. An athlete in control is an athlete who can perform. That is, his body does exactly what it is supposed to do, and exactly what he tells it to, when it it is supposed to. The material listed in this article is by no means the end. In reality, the information presented in this article is not even the tip of the iceberg(heck, we haven't even talked about upper body movements, let alone anything other than "drop-jump" variations). Considerations have to be made in order to integrate these movements and the Torsion Training Philosophy into a complete training program. This takes knowledge of my SuperSeven Sports Training Principles, detailed in "The Sports Book: Best Training Ever!", for starters. This takes knowing what Athlete Class you are in so that you don't feed your flesh to the sharks, so to speak. It takes understanding that horizontal and vertical training has its limits, especially if the imposed force is slow to build(i.e. much in contrast to going from 0 to 600kg of force...in under 0.10 seconds...with your upper body when bracing from fall in sport!). But, force isn't the only answer. Balance isn't the key either. The solution is to progressively work with your system, building it to the point where it can regain balance from awkward positions, regardless of how much force is present in the movement. This is what makes you elusive as a running back, "sticky" as a defensive back, evasive as a quarterback, effective as a basketball player, "sponge-like" as a baseball infielder...and bombproof from injury no matter what sport you play! The key is to learn how to manage force in any circumstance, regardless of what position your body is in, and regardless of how it ended up in that position. You don't have time to think about it in sport(sorry A Class Athletes). You have to be prepared to handle anything that comes your way. You can't shy away from the nasty situations you will get in on the playing field, you have to
attack those head on with intelligence(keep this in mind, B Class). Squatting off-balance is definitely not the answer, as anyone with any Modality understanding knows this. And beachball workouts don't cut it either, unless you are preparing for the circus. You must be able to move any which way at the drop of a hat, and do so with so much force that you can stomp a hole in the ground! Welcome to that league, my friends. The first progression is called Torsion Training, and it is now in your toolbox. Now stop screwing around...go become an athlete today so you are prepared to be a champion tomorrow! There is no opposite!
Systematic OverTraining by Dietrich Buchenholz
You think that sex sells in the entertainment business? Ha! You should take a look at the marketability of muscle in the sports training world! Forget about the fact that the current world record holder in the 100 meter dash- the very race that retains the prize for “the world’s fastest human”- carries less meat than a buffalo wing! And blind yourself to the fact that sports agents everywhere have “the greed for speed”- the faster their client, typically, the fatter their wallet! This article isn’t about the fact that the longest homerun ever hit in MLB history came 40 some odd years ago by a man standing at a mediocre 6 feet in height and a “soft” 200 pounds(by bodybuilding standards)! It’s not about the fact that “skill players” in the NFL all share the common goal to get faster, and faster, and faster…! Nope; I’m not going to begin to tell you the exact proportions of speed, strength and size that specific positions in specific sports require in order to succeed. In fact, we’re just going to hop on the “gravy train” for a moment as it takes us down to the good ol’ “muscle market.” We’re not going to look out the window during our ride, either, because we sure as hell don’t want to come to realization that maybe we’ve invested too much in the wrong ticket. Besides, it’s much nicer here. Where else can you remain blatantly ignorant to the fact that maybe, just maybe, every single athlete may need to take a unique path if he truly wants to reach his ultimate destination? Oh well, it doesn’t matter now anyways- we’ve already arrived! Size for Sport? The theory is that if you increase the size of your existing muscle fibers, and if you even develop new muscle fibers along the way, that you’ll get faster, stronger, more powerful, and be able to look pretty damn good while doing it. You see, they believe that the muscle fiber is the athletes crutch. They forget that during speed and power movements that it is the elastic constituents(namely the tendons and myo-fascia) that are the major propellants and the muscle fibers take an subservient role. The point at which peak force is developed displays a fair share of muscle fiber versus elastic constituent reliance so it can’t be said that great development of one without the other is warranted, either. But, it can be said that an athletes strength(ability to move heavy weights) is one of the few times where muscle fiber engagement is the “prime mover.” What people also seem to forget is that the quickest way to get “swole” has little to do with sarcomeric growth(i.e. muscle fiber and elastic development) but more to do with sarcoplasmic growth(i.e. energetical “swelling” within the muscle body). This is the classic reason why an athletes strength cannot always be accurately predicted by an athletes appearance. So if you want to get “functional size” than you need then you’d be better off training your nervous system for sport because, then, your nervous system will make the structural changes necessary for you to succeed automatically for you. Remember; your nervous system controls your tissues, not the other way around!
Basic Size Training Principles So, what’ll promote structural growth(sarcomeric hypertrophy)? If you’re building a house, would you rather have 50 workers or 5 workers stacking bricks if the overall employee salary wouldn’t change? As long as you weren't born with a pea-brain, I think you’d take the 50 men. And your nervous system uses the same logic. It knows that 50 “workers” are more efficient than 5 “workers.” And just as each of these workers has a threshold of work it can handle before it needs a break, muscle fibers have a “tension tolerance” threshold. So, as your “foreman”, your nervous system can strategically plan who works, when and in what order to get the job done. It may dictate two shifts of 25 workers so that one group can rest while the other groups works, and visa versa. It could have 10 groups of 5, or even 1 group of 50- it all depends on what needs to get done. Some muscle contractions will call on all the rested fibers to work, whereas, other times it is more efficient to have less workers on the job at one time so that different “crews” of workers can be subbed in and out to keep the work going without halt. Think of your nervous system as the perfect foreman. It will continue to schedule assignments proficiently with the crew you’ve got as long as you let it. But you, being the “general contractor”, can come in and screw all of this up by ordering the foreman to over-work certain members of the crew(or the whole crew all together). In the training world, this is known as “over-training.” And in these short bursts of overtraining, your nervous system will do what any good foreman would do- knowing what your crew can and can’t handle- it’ll go off and bring in new workers. But since you’re the one who pays salary, and your crew works for nutrients that you take in, unless you increase your nutrient intake so that you have enough “scratch” to go around, your new muscle fibers are going to get up and leave. So forget the fact that your existing workers will get bigger and stronger(hypertrophy), you will atrophy because you failed to support an expansion of your “business”(i.e. hyperplasia). Therefore, it can be reasonably deduced that diet plays a major factor in hypertrophy training. And, moreover, just like any other blue-collar worker, your muscle fibers love to get “cash” slipped under the table. But since anabolic steroids are banned by most sport-governments, we’ll assume that you’re a “general” that plays by the rules. Now, your nervous system can sit atop its high horse and dictate orders to your measly muscle fibers longer than each of them can individually expend, but it’s got to take a break sometime, too. This is where your job of a good general comes into play. You got to know when to have your foreman go to work. You’ve got to trust that your foreman will schedule your workers as it should. And you’ve got to know when to have your foreman rest. On top of it all, you’ve got to be bringing in enough “pay-dirt”(i.e. nutrients) to foster growth- and don’t be timid to slip them a bonus if they work especially hard. Not to mention that with all this going on, you’ve got to know when to rest, yourself. The Systematic OverTraining Solution As eluded to earlier, there are a few ways to achieve size. When given the option most people will choose the quick way, of course, and who wouldn’t? Since this involves systematic over-training it should be followed with an adequate period of whole-body restoration. So, to scrape this off the theory-table and onto the practical-floor, I will now show you one way to systematically over-train so that your results will come quick but it won’t leave you at a dead-end by the out-swing. Long term training management involves the use of individual-specific systematics detailed in “The Sports Book: Best Training Ever!”, but this article is about the “quick fix” for bodybuilders. The basic principles may also be used for athletes if work capacity has come to a halt. Nevertheless, this means that we are going to precisely manipulate my AutoRegulatory training management systematics for a brief period so as to “shock” the system into new growth. Saying, the 6% drop-off margin is bumped up to 9% and the 12% drop-off margin is bumped up to 16% for our frequency-toleration and fatigue-toleration cycles, respectively. In other words, you’ll
perform 4 sessions with a 9% drop-off and 4 days rest between them(similar muscle involvement) followed by 1 session at 16% drop-off with a mandatory 8 day rest period following. In order to reach the broadest scope of trainees, I have presented the following sample routine using the “single arrangement” systematics for the “frequency” and “fatigue” sessions, even though it should be noted that an enormity of other options exists(i.e. should be individually adopted to achieve peak results). Please also note that due to the stress that this system places on your nervous system that it should only be implemented 2-3 times per year, with the remaining sessions encouraged to follow more traditional “AREG solutions” detailed in my book and on this website. Also, if you are unfamiliar with any of the following prescriptions please either reference “The Sports Book…” for a thorough understanding or feel free to write me at
[email protected] for an “abridged” answer. Good luck, and I look forward to hearing about your results! Session 1a ISO Bench; N x 5-9 seconds ISO Row; N x 5-9 seconds ISO Curl; N x 5-9 seconds ISO Bench; N x 25-40 seconds ISO Row; N x 25-40 seconds ISO Curl; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 1b ISO Squat; N x 5-9 seconds ISO HF Abs; N x 5-9 seconds ISO RBR; N x 5-9 seconds ISO Squat; N x 25-40 seconds ISO HF Abs; N x 25-40 seconds ISO RBR; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 2a OI Pec Fly; N x 25-40 seconds OI Scapular Retractions; N x 25-40 seconds OI Front Raise; N x 25-40 seconds OI Elbow Extensions; N x 25-40 seconds OI Elbow Flexions; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 2b OI HF Squat; N x 25-40 seconds OI HF Abs; N x 25-40 seconds OI RBR; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 3a
PIM Bench; N x 25-40 seconds PIM Row; N x 25-40 seconds PIM Curl; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 3b PIM Squat; N x 25-40 seconds PIM HF Abs; N x 25-40 seconds PIM GHG; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 4a IPM Elbow Flexion; N x 15-20/15-20/15-20 seconds IPM Elbow Extensions; N x 15-20/15-20/15-20 seconds IPM Front Raise; N x 15-20/15-20/15-20 seconds
Session 4b IPM Split-Squat; N x 15-20/15-20 seconds IPM HF Abs; N x 15-20/15-20 seconds IPM RBR/RDL; N x 15-20/15-20 seconds
Session 5a OLP Bench; N x 1 rep + 10% ISO Sub-Scap Pullups; N x 25-40 seconds ISO Shoulder Press; N x 25-40 seconds PIM ProSups; N x 25-40 seconds
Session 5b MIO Deadlift; N x 1 rep OI HF Squat; N x 9-25 seconds ISO HAb Abs; N x 25-40 seconds
Notes:Workouts 1a-4b performed with 9% drop and 4 days rest between similar motor unit involvement(i.e. upper, off, lower, off, upper, etc). Workouts 5a and 5b performed with a 16% drop and a mandatory 8 days rest before returning to “normal” training sessions(i.e. exit this “shock phase”). To calculate drop-offs, simply reduce the weight used in the movement, following the strict parameters given, by the necessary percent. For instance, on “ISO Bench Presses, N x 5-9 seconds” you would work up to as much weight as you can for an isometric hold just of the chest in the bench press, with momentary failure occurring between 5-9 seconds. Then, after this “initial” is established, simply drop the weight 9% and continue with your remaining sets until this becomes unattainable. Let’s say you work up to 200 kg for 6.34 seconds. You will then drop to 182 kg for your remaining “working sets”, performing the isometric hold for 6.34 seconds(no more, no less). The first working sets are anticipated to be relatively easy, assuming your work capacity is well enough established, but don’t let that trick you into performing the set longer than
6.34 seconds. Continue in this manner, holding 182 kg for sets of 6.34 seconds until you can no longer hold it for the time established in your “initial”(i.e. 6.34 seconds in this example). That point of failure would signify a drop-off achievement for that movement. Remember two things, as well; each movement is performed in revolving format(i.e. 1 set of each movement, then second set of each movement, etc) and each movement is independent of the rest. This latter statement means that you will drop each movement from the list as they independently achieved their set drop-off. Whatever movement you have the greatest work capacity in you will achieve the most sets with(this should allow you to see the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of “individual-specific” training). Abbreviations: ISO = isometric OI = oscillatory-isometric PIM = plio-iso-miometric IPM = iso-parametric MIO = miometric OLP = overload pliometric HF = hip flexion Abs = abdominals Ab = abduction RBR = reverse back raise GHG = glute-ham-gastroc RDL = Romanian deadlift(a.k.a. Oly Dead)
Got Bench? by Dietrich Buchenholz
I don't care what gym you train at there's always that one question that, essentially, is used as a measuring stick of your masculinity; “How much do you bench?” And regardless of whether you weigh your bench in kilograms, pounds, or even buckets of galvanized nails, more is always better! You see, sometimes it doesn't matter how well you can debate on matters of scientific reference. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you know about “correspondence carryovers” to sport. Sometimes it is required that you seal your lid, grip the bar, and see how well you fair in the real world. It is times likes these that no one cares that you're a professor of sports science. No one cares about what you think you know. And, surely, no one listens to the smack you talk. The only thing that does matter is who wins the fight- you or the bar! The proof is in the pudding, friends, and this article is about giving you what it takes to become a bench press beast!
One-plus-One Equals Three? As the readers of my book, ”The Sports Book: Best Training Ever”, are fully aware, the bench press relies on a number of trainable factors rooted in the nervous system for utmost proficiency. The two most dominant are “neuro-duration” and “neuro-magnitude” functions of the athlete's “neuro-dynamic” system. This means, the size of your bench press depends on the size of your nervous system output and how long you can maintain that strain.
A neuro-duration dominant athlete can fight the lift for 5.5 - 9.0 seconds, or more, until lockout is achieved(clocked from start to finish of the entire lift). But, their system has been converted to be so efficient that the measure-of-output factor(neuro-magnitude ability) will be dumped to the wayside in order to make room for this efficiency adaptation. That is, you can't put out maximally for a maximal amount of time. In this case, one plus one equals two. There is no doubt an athlete can be “hit or miss”. A neuro-magnitude dominant athlete will be programmed to fire on all cylinders, but this comes at the expense of time(i.e. neuro-duration ability). This type of presser will either hit the lift seemingly without effort or miss the lift when just about any significant strain comes into play. And, neuro-magnitude dominance/ neuro-duration deficiency increases as the time to complete a one rep max bench decreases below 3.5 seconds. In this scenario, also, one plus one equals two. However, if the athlete can set up the proper training means to predominantly attack his deficiencies whilst preserving his strengths, the ultimate balance between output magnitude and available strain time exists. This is precisely when results are at their best! In other words, this synergistic effect allows one plus one to equal three!
The Split There are a number of tests a practitioner can use to assess neuro-dynamic functions or profiles. But, in keeping with the scope of this article, only one test will be discussed. How long does it take you to lift a one rep max? If you're thinking that an increase in load will result in an increase in rep rate then you are only partially correct. At the individual level, this is true; the heavier the load, the slower the lift. But, and what is critically important, is that these are no reliable standards to go by. Every athlete will press the bar out in a different time frame. After coaching athletes for over 30 years, I have found that 4.5 seconds is the split; as time frames spread from this value, greater neuro-dynamic deficiencies exist. Also, keep in mind that a “deficiency” may show its' ugly head for one of two reasons: neglect or over-use. That is, the direct avoidance of particular training means can create a deficiency just as much as the over-use of particular training means. In other words, if you avoid neuro-duration work or over-train neuro-duration work then you will test to have a deficiency in the neuro-duration function. This is precisely why NO programming advice can be given or received without full appreciation and mastery of AutoRegulatory training management methods. Moving on, every athlete will fall into one of three categories: neuroduration dominant(5.5 seconds and above), neuro-magnitude dominant(3.5 seconds and below), or indiscriminate dominance(3.5-5.5 seconds).
Training Programs The best way to understand this concept is to visually express these terms and allow you the change to practically apply these fundamentals. Neuro-Magnitude Emphasis The first program we'll take a look at is for the athlete who is neuro-duration dominant. Meaning, he can strain for a long time but the supportive output to this strain time needs to be recharged(i.e. intensified/magnified). A sample 26 day routine may look like this: Session 1 RA Bench Press(throws); N x 15-25 cm RA Bench Press(throws); N x 35-45 cm
Iso SG Low Pulley Rows; N x 25-40 sec OI Triceps; N x 25-40 sec OI Biceps; N x 25-40 sec Session 2 OI Pectorals; N x 25-40 sec Iso Sub-Scap Pullup; N x 9-25 sec OI Front Raise; N x 25-40 sec Iso Biceps; N x 25-40 sec Notes: 6% drop-off, 4 day scale; 5:1 toleration; d.o. rotation sequence as per usual. As you can see, the emphasis is on bar speed, acceleration, and peak nervous system output via reflexive firing and reactive contractions.
Neuro-Duration Emphasis Notice the difference between that program and the following sample program which is geared towards raising neuro-duration ability for the neuro-magnitude dominant athlete: Session 1 Iso Bench Press; N x 0-9 sec Iso Low Pulley Row; N x 0-9 sec Iso Bench Press; N x 25-40 sec Iso Low Pulley Row; N x 25-40 sec IPM Biceps; N x 15-20/15-20/15-20 sec Session 2 Iso Pectorals; N x 25-40 sec Iso Prone Scap-Retractions; N x 9-25 sec Iso Front Raise; N x 25-40 sec Iso Triceps; N x 25-40 sec
Iso Biceps; N x 25-40 sec
Notes: 6% drop-off, 4 day scale; 5:1 toleration; d.o. rotation sequence as per usual. Hopefully you can see that time is not the discriminate factor but, rather, the method of execution. Remember, as shock loading decreases neuro-duration function increases.
Mixed Regime Of course, many trainees don't fall directly on one side of the line or the other. In instances such as these(i.e. 3.5-5.5. sec press) it is important to share the point of emphasis among training means. The following example better illustrates this concept: Session 1 PIM Bench @ 74% AW 1RM; N x 5 sec OI Barbell Row; N x 0-9 sec PIM Bench @ 63% AW 1RM; N x 5 sec Iso Low Pulley Row; N x 25-40 sec
Session 2 IPM Bench; N x 15-20/15-20 sec IPM Row; N x 15-20/15-20 sec PIM Triceps; N x 25-40 sec PIM Biceps; N x 25-40 sec Notes: 6% drop-off, 4 day scale; 5:1 toleration; d.o. rotation sequence as per usual. Notice that this last routine splits neuro-magnitude and neuro-duration emphasis into separate workouts so that concentration of each can be made.
Wrap and Release Future articles will discuss how intricate examinations of work capacity detail will allow you to further select deficiencies that may or may not be present in the time-to-completion test. At any rate, individual training prescriptions, such as the one's above, will easily put 60 pounds on your bench in the next 60-90 days! That, my friends, is the power of individual specificity, of which cannot be found in special gadgets or gizmos alone. Release your potential- starting today!
The Socratic Method by Dietrich Buchenholz
One of the first pressing, inquisitive minds who stepped on the face of this earth was Socrates. His routine- from which he became well known- was to repeatedly question the backbone of someone’s theory (his patented form of debate). This almost always resulted in Socrates breaking down the structure that up-held this groundless theory- at some point in these pressing waves of questions. Each series of questions looked deeper into the theory for truth and reason; and his success was founded upon finding contradictions in his oppositions’ rationale. Why don’t we do this anymore? Are we content with all that surrounds us in the training world? Better yet, when something that is found factual in the scientific world but doesn’t hold up in the practical (training) environment then why don’t we ask ourselves why? Why aren’t we willing to press-on until truth is found? These are my questions. These are what I find a bit too suspicious- void a backbone- and frail under the test of contradicting information. These are the questions that I have had to ask myself, in search for superior preparation means, and now I ask you the same. Scientific fact is a lot like war. Whatever remains standing at the end of the day is routinely accepted, and whatever gets demolished by way of reason and inquisition becomes washed away with the tide of yesterday’s current of popularity. Brace yourself; I am about to drop nuclear bombs directly on the heart and soul of traditional training practice! At the end, let’s see what remains. Inquisition #1: What’s Up With Linear Periodization? If I remember correctly, it was Theodor Holm Nelson who first discovered a better way to organize, sort, and read material. As he made the “Xanadu” to “hyper-text” transformation, everything seemed to change before our naked eyes. At the start of it all, he questioned the rationale for linear train of thought. This was even before PC’s had been developed, mind you, and he was still able to see beyond the limits of current technology. Nowadays, information does not have to travel from “point A” to “point B” in a straight path, which has allowed us to process information at will. It’s kind of like when you read Playboy magazine. Socrates would ask; wouldn’t it be a pain in the ass if you had to slowly peruse page by page, bit by bit, until you reached the centerfold? Thanks to non-linear thinking, we have the god-given ability to use logic and wisdom to flip directly to the pin-up shots. Socrates, digging deeper, would wonder; why don’t we use this same logic in the training world? Does it not seem sensible to do so? Are we just waiting for another “Ted” Nelson to come along and guide the way? (Before I get volumes of mail stating otherwise; I understand that Westside Barbell has a more up-to-date approach in practice, I am speaking to the masses of individuals that are having a difficult time making this “type” of a transformation!) It is all likened to breakthrough research that Werner Heisenberg dictated on “the uncertainty principle.” While others lusted after the “transformation theory” because of how good it looked on
paper, Werner didn’t like the way they it looked in the real world. Even though he developed a solution (superior means), the opposition was, ironically, too stubborn to transform their own thinking to match up with his- mostly because it was new-and-different and contradicted their current understanding. In fact, it wasn’t until the opposition withdrew their claim in support of his that Werner’s work became accepted. Sound familiar? As great as linear periodization looks on paper, it just doesn’t work out in the long run. Hell, even the people involved in such logic question its’ validity; wondering whether it is the actual work that is producing results or if it is just a sensory illusion produced by the earlier stages of over training that are followed by a stage of de-loading. Of course, anyone could understand how confidence is critical enough to garnish a split-second off of one’s time (or whatever the standard). In the large scheme of things, it really is ridiculous to train for such a long period of time and reap such a small, if any, reward for your efforts. And, what if the peaking phase doesn’t produce a peak? Am I alone, or wouldn’t you also like to know that results are not going as intended before the big event? Is it not more rationale to have a system that allows manipulations as you go, based upon current findings, and which all will lead you to continual progression (peaking)? Would you not want to structure it as such for yourself? Then, why not for your athletes benefit, too?
First Order of Business: Open Yourself Up For Success A better system has been developed. In fact, some of the best athletes in the world already have access to this method of administration- and, now, so can you. It is called Autoregulation- or the Drop Off Method- in which fatigue is calculated each training day, which allows a relationship to training frequency to be drawn. Thus, each training day is the “peak” from the last nano-cycle (session), in a sense. Results are assessed and, based upon up-to-date deficiencies, projections (solutive-guidance) are then made to propel results to even greater levels at an even faster rateswith the aide of The SuperSeven contents. To answer our initial question- What’s up with linear periodization- you can now see why the answer is simply, nothing! Inquisition #2: What’s My Fibre-Type Composition, Today? There is chaos in the training world, it seems, to train based upon another groundless theory; fibre-type composition tests for mapping out future (needed) performance practice. I think if Socrates were here, he would play it out like this: Why are you so concerned with your dominant fibre type? Because fast twitch fibres are associated with greater strength, speed, and power than their counterparts- slow twitch fibres. Not to mention that they are bigger, and I want to get as buffed as possible. For you, what is the dominant fibre-type in your contractile system? Fast twitch. How do you know this? Because I took a test to see how many times I could lift 75% 1RM- to failure. I compared reps to the standard scores and was found to be 80% FT/ 20% ST. Don’t you think that you could condition your system through training to get higher and/or lower reps for the same percent of your max, if you concentrated on such?
Well, no. Fibre Typing is inherent, you can’t change it like that. That is why athletes are able to get faster and stronger and some are better suited for endurance events. So, are you BOTH strong and fast? Well, uh, I have okay strength but a lot of people are faster than me. Then, atleast, you are a pretty big guy then? Not exactly. I would say that I need about 10-15 more pounds of muscle to be willing to take my shirt off at the beach. Now, how does fibre-type composition scores relate to you, as an individual, and your performance, specifically? I don’t know. Everybody just knows that it’s important, I guess. **As a side note: I have performed percentage of maximum tests on my athletes in the past. In fact, on one test method, 85% 1RM where 6 reps was to be considered the control, I saw as many as 13 reps and as little as 2 reps performed- both tests administered on days of full restitution via Drop-Off Margin principles, on different days but WITH THE SAME ATHLETE! I guarantee you that fibre composition is a manipulative factor!** What came first, performance or fibre type composition? I would bet that an interview with Socrates must have felt like an interview with the devil’s adversary. Your theory is guaranteed to be laced with sugar and spice until you concede defeat by swallowing its’ contents in your own confusion. What is the relationship between speed, strength, and fibre typing? Does it all really matter, anyways? Recent research has shown that muscle fibres aren’t of particular interest when surmising speed, strength, or power potential. In fact, studies show that a muscle fibre that is spliced with a neural impulse opposite of initial (slow twitch muscle innervated with fast twitch electrical impulse dynamics) will take on the characteristics of a fibre type that is commonly associated with the new impulse (fast twitch, for this example). This knowledge of fibre-transformation allows us to understand why the “typing” of an athlete’s muscle fibre makeup is a waste of time, and, rather, focus should be placed on manipulating the impulse so as to create an adaptation favorable to your goals. That is in the scientific setting, so what about in the training environment? As stated previously, any coach worth squat can train an athlete to manipulate fibre composition, realized as number of reps per standard percent of their 1RM. Once again, you may be born with a 60/40 split (fibre type ratio) but it does not mean that it has to stay this way. Furthermore, the largest men in the world do not have larger fibres than the average, non-trained human. A lot of this is due to the bodybuilder’s insane development of energetical size (not to be confused with frictional- or elastic- size (hypertrophy)) and development of new, functional fibres (hyperplasia). Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, in simplest terms, is the weight gain that you find when you saturate your system with energetical elements strategically or via various modalities of preparations and/or supplements (i.e. creatine monohydrate/ AN-2, etc). As for the chicken versus the egg; the ratio of fibre-types found in an athletes system is the result of (1) initial level of preparedness (what they were born with) and (2) the augmentation via training means (transformation of slow-to-fast or fast-to-slow based on training influence). So, one can deduce that fibre-typing is of good use to validate the modality of training influence in the past and not grounds for projecting beneficial applications for the future- as long as an initial level was known, for comparison’s sake. Outside of limb length/ratio data; Why isn’t there reliability in predicting size/power, size/strength, speed/strength, etc, relationships based upon fibre-typing?
The research is contradictory. It states that the largest, most powerful, and strongest fibre is the fast-twitch fibre. If this were ALL true then an athlete with tremendous sarcomeric hypertrophy would also be proportionately strong, powerful, and fast. We know this to not be true. Just compare the physiques of top-level sprinters, powerlifters, etc, and you will quickly find that size is not indicative of anything, and does little to help us project speed or strength levels. And what about guys like Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez? How are they able to throw so fast being that they are far from ready to grease up and get on stage, nor do they spend summer’s touring the U.S. with a strongman stage-show act? Where is the fast-twitch fibre carryover there? Traditionally, defensive backs are faster then linebackers but the LB’s are typically stronger. Explain that one based upon fibre-typing rationale- you can’t! And the list of contradictory information is so extensive that it is not even worth my time to investigate all of them at this time- I believe my point has been made. Of course, there will be exceptions to this rule, but exceptions are hardly enough to substantiate a training law! Lastly, functional hypertrophy is better used to coin the absolute- and proportioned- development of elastic and frictional contents, not just some easy-out for explaining why some big guy is functionally sound while another isn’t. The term is only validated as such, otherwise it is just as groundless as fibre-typing for sports preparation practice!
Fixing the Fibre-Finding Frenzy We already know, from research, that muscle fibres (frictional elements) may lock-up under speed and/or power conditions so as to enhance movement efficiency and proficiency. Efficiency is enhanced because less energy is expended when only the elastic elements of the movement process are utilized fully. Proficiency is increased if the frictional elements are held-stable because the dampening effect of the elastic process is limited, allowing for greater “spring”. In an athlete that possesses ND mastery, they will actually see movement via the frictional elements during the late stages of the amortization phase and early on into the beginning stages of the ensuing concentric action. This obviously makes frictional elements “synergistic” rather then just “supportive”. Poor NDE, novice athletes, and inadequate absolute frictional development can all lead to premature cross-bridge action- and/or movement- which are all destructive physically as they are perpetuates to injury. We can then state that someone needs to develop specific levels of elastic hypertrophy (tendons, fascia, etc) if he wants to become stronger, faster, and/or more powerful. Depending upon the desired goal (speed, strength, and power), various levels of frictional development will be needed to increase movement efficiency and proficiency. This information also lets you gain insight into why the force-velocity curve, adopted from physics, is only partially appropriate for human movement, and that the f-v curve is absolutely non-synonymous with the strength-speed dynamic illustration (S3P-C). This also allows us to classify force under various degrees of importance for performance preparation: velocity-dominant force phenomenon (V-Dom); velocity-dependant force phenomenon (V-Dep); and absolute-force phenomenon (Ab-F). So, really, is it not a question regarding frictional and elastic development and their interrelationship (ND control)? How else can you explain ALL of the contradictions to the fibre-typing mythology, I mean theology, in sport based upon practical and scientific support? Those bodybuilders that try to crossover to sports training really do make a mess of things, don’t they? Inquisition #3: What’s the Electrical Rate of ‘No Progress’?
A lot of people are now starting to jump on the electrical association bandwagon. This is another one that Socrates would have a field day on. The theory is that if an athlete engages in work that is of the highest electrical output then all categories of fitness will be raised (speed, strength, power, size). What a good waste of a great scientific breakthrough! In the end, it is more important to couple knowledge regarding, both, the sensitivity enhancement to electrical impulses AND enhancements of neural output so as to avoid over-training via proper management of the magnitude of localized- and centralized- fatigue. Why is it that the electrical activity associated with doing an unloaded curl at max speed and a maximal loaded curl at the greatest rate possible have been shown to be identical in scientific experiments? Furthermore, why is a reactive barbell curl the greatest in terms of associated electrical impulse (for biceps as well as triceps)? How can the result of this information lead anyone to believe that electrical activity is a mandatory requirement, or even a sought after constituent to the training process? Does it all mean that unloaded movements will make us just as strong as loaded movements, and if so, why don’t the followers of this theory all train like that? Furthermore, what do you find in association between electrical impulses and related force outputs? What does it all mean, in practical terms? Importantly; how is this information manipulated to become compatible to athletes with different impulse-sensitivities (ex. we know that the same input magnitude will not result in the same output magnitude, and this changes per given athlete as it does cross-laterally in a same athlete (strong/dominant side))? Anyone who has experimented with EMS strategies has asked themselves this same question; Why is it that different magnitude of results are found with the same frequency of administration (different athletes, same performance standards; speed, strength, etc), even so when comparison of right versus left limb analysis are made (same athlete)? Once again, how do the advocates of this method make explanations to appreciate such matters of sensitivity? They don’t! This is important knowledge, too. It is actually the knowledge- and application- of the synergistic effects of sensitivity- and arousal- enhancement that make an elite athlete susceptible to increased training responses, as it also allows the athlete to better regulate matters of overtraining. Knowing that popular advice by the proponents of electrical-magnitude training is to strive for maximal output of the neuro-muscular complex in training to reap the greatest reward (regardless of sport or goal, not to mention individual dynamics (ND)). Is this assuming that speed, strength, power, and size all get raised proportionate to one another? Is anyone else scratching their head out there as they try to figure out how so many got sucked into this manner of thinking in the first place? Let’s assume it all to be true for a second, just for fun. Besides, it is nice to live in a perfect world, ignorant contradictions, for at least a small fraction of your day. Max effort work, maximum force applications (ex. reactive methods), and maximal speed applications are assumed to be qualitatively indifferent based upon the electrical-impulse theory (according to some of the contradictory scientific research). That sure is nice to know that now you can sit on your couch and watch football whilst doing biceps curls as fast as possible with the remote control in your hand and you will get tremendously huge, strong, powerful, and fast. What a breakthrough! I knew that all that heavy lifting was bad for my health, anyways. Who are they kidding? Who has trained this way and found the results that they were looking for, every time? I know that someone can slip-up on a ND phenomenon some of the time, but the odds of that are as good as Heidi Klum taking a hit of ecstasy before she decides to suddenly stop by your house and model for you, personally; not to mention, invite you to give her a sponge bath in exchange for “anything you want.” Meaning, I wouldn’t rule it out, but the odds aren’t good enough to bet on.
Okay, so maybe divisions can be drawn. We can investigate the dynamics of the impulses under factors of magnitude, rate, timing, joint angle, etc; but it still won’t get us where we want to go. That bit of information is only good when you have been hired on as a journalist for some trendy, new-age training magazine that wants to try and confuse their readers with scientific hoopla- but don’t they know it never works? I mean; we are smart enough to not fall for that, aren’t we? Additional Information Note: Personal investigation has shown the true peak-magnitude for electrical impulses to be more commensurate with the real force profile of athleticism: lowest values for v-dom (speed); greatest values for ab-f (power); and middle returns for v-dep (strength). I think the mass-confusion can be blamed on researches that lack enough practical understanding to test appropriately, thus strength always scores highest on force and electrical impulse charts with them. I would also wonder if they do this consciously so as to not conflict with the current confusion of the force-velocity curve being synonymous with the strength-speed dynamic. Transmission Nearly Complete My advice: Get out of the dark ages. Oh, you mean you want some advice that you can actually use? Okay, well, in a sentence: Use the S3P-C to support your direction for program content administration, based upon the commensuration of your goals and present standing, and wrap it all up in a blanket of SuperSeven with direct regards to critical elements; such as auto-regulatory training. There it is, in a nutshell. Now, you may wonder what my simple, solutive-guidance is for this one- electrical impulse training rebuke. The fact is- I don’t have one. Not all irrational training strategies can have a glaring opposition; an “oxy” to its’ “moron”, so to speak. This is one that needs much more than a simple suggestion, it needs a complete re-mapping of how one thinks; a new perspective from which to gain insight. This isn’t found as easy as we would like it to be, and this is precisely why there is a vast falling out at this stage- not many can press on when such misdirection has lead to such discouragement. We hate to get fooled twice; remember how dumb our friends looked when they got tricked into believing that there wasn’t a Santa Clause- oh man, that was funny! Sometimes it is easier to just quit than press on, especially when it is our discretionary decision. Then again, we could start to appreciate the value of progressive motor unit sensitivity to electrical stimulation and not just assume that all is a result upon an enhancement of neural discharges via the CNS. In fact, advanced athletes will defer an increase of neural-output for an increase in motor unit sensitivity (response) to lower magnitude impulses (stress), which will result in the production of a more efficient system. And, of course, a more efficient system will allow us to increase scores of athleticism (proficiency) quicker; and that, too, will become more rapid at this stage. Remember, it is only novice athletes that will rely solely on electrical enhancement for sporting advancement; and elite athletes rely on developing a more efficient system so as to handle more stress since the responsiveness to such impulses is heightened. Lastly, relying solely on EMG studies will only lead us to engage in absolute force/ maximum electrical discharge training. Furthermore; most of us would bypass the required physical work to do such activity and settle for EMS training, exclusively, since we could, theoretically, appropriately induce the greatest magnitude of electrical impulses and control/responsiveness to such influences. And in fair shake, what you will find is not a direct increase of any performance factor resulting from the incredible shock to the system, but the secondary effect, sensitivity to such impulses, may advance your sporting career dramatically- if you manage it properly! In short, the comparison of electrical activity scores must be held under certain restraints. Just because absolute electrical activity is found in absolute force work does not mean that it is sustained for the longest duration. The greatest mean (per unit time) score of force and electrical output is present in strength work of maximal loads. But, I am refuting the popular opinion that training solely on magnitude of scores alone is appropriate for all independent performance
factors (speed, strength, power, and size). In short, gauging training influence solely on electrical influence present will not make an athlete stronger since it will deteriorate the ability of the system to sustain force, as is present with maximal loading and increased durations to complete the lift. There are coupling effects available, but distinction of singular means are rarely addressed but need recognition.
Inquisition #4: What’s the Power of Pythagoras? (Counting the Numbers) Pythagoras was recognized as a philosopher in his lifetime, 580-500 BC, but is currently considered by many to be the first real mathematician to grace this earth’s surface. It was no secret that numbers fascinated him when he was alive. Indeed, he believed that numbers were powerful beyond expression, and was overwhelmed by one number in particular. Many of us are familiar with the work that Pythagoras did with triangles, but not too many know that a lot of this intrigue stemmed from the integer “10”. In all of his years of research and experimentation, he concluded 10 to be the perfect number. In fact, a triangle may be drawn in segments of four ascending sections, each divided into groupings of 1, 2, 3, and 4 allocations, respectively. Moreover, 1+2+3+4=10, which delighted Pythagoras greatly, giving him substantiation to investigate this number for more than it is worth. 2,500 years later we are still, sub-consciously, fascinated by this number. Whether it is ten repetitions or ten sets, or the compilation of the two, we have proven to be intrigued by the power of this pure and perfect number. Why? Why ten sets? Why ten reps? Why three workouts a week?- or even four? Why do we rely on numbers of traditional evidence in our society at large to be our guide to controlling volume? Was Pythagoras right, after-all? Is there power beyond the realm of rationalization with some numbers? Or, do we just take part in these practices because they are popular, comfortable, or easy to remember?
Calculating a Result Why not use our current level of fitness as a standard from which all work is performed? Why not be our own scientific study in deciding what is appropriate volumetric conditions for us each and every training session? Why not couple the relationship between fatigue and frequency so that results will come prompt and continuous? Or, is it best to allow some outside study to be the dictator of how much and how often we can handle a stimulus? Would it not be great if we could find a system that would allow individuality to be present, nondiscriminate to speed, power, or strength measurement standards, and will reliably project results as it does our next optimal training session date? The future is here! Read up on my autoregulatory training strategies and feel free to email me if you have further questions. Inquisition #5: When Did We Let Them in Here? Investigate the training community for a moment and you will find some interesting things going on; powerlifters training like bodybuilders, football players training like Olympic lifters, tennis players training like recovering out-patients, etc. What a joke! I will be the first to tell you that specificity is only important under neuro-dynamic conditions. That is, movement selection isn’t the solution we are looking for, nor is some trendy one-size-fits-all approach to building athleticism.
Powering Your System to Perform Better Recently I was directed to check out a few popular sports training catalogs on the Internet by one of my associates that lives in the United States. If you want to know what presses a coach’s patience quicker than anything else on the face of this planet, look no further than what I saw on that day. It is the deterioration that sports preparation has seen ever since crafty sales-teams (big business) have wedged their sly, self-serving feet into the fitness and competition arena. They are stepping on everything once reasonable with a shade of high profiteering that has undoubtedly surrendered us to performance enhancement decay via propaganda of pertinent preparation. I saw three main classes of products: (1) unstable objects; (2) resistive bands; and (3) unstable objects with resistive bands pre-attached. The marketing campaign is geared towards all sports, all athletes, and all levels of health. That’s right, NOW you can use the same program and equipment to train for upper level performance enhancement as you did for post-surgery rehabilitation. If nothing else, it seems a bit too convenient to be trusted! I don’t even think Socrates, himself, could come up with a question to boil water on this belief- he would just sit their quietly as he shook his head in disgust. I am going to cut against the grain, myself, on this one and boldly state that I would never recommend buying a single product from those catalogs- ever! They have anything but the athletes’ interest in mind, and that is revolting! And, if they do actually have the athletes as their first priority then they, obviously, aren’t competent enough to entrust doing business with- period! The Real Gripe What is up with all of the professional athletes in the United States that endear this off-the-target approach of an otherwise good term- functional training? Is it that they are too lazy to get involved- and stick- with a program that demands results? Is it because they would rather “hang out (train) with other professional athletes”; as a football player from the Baltimore Ravens was heard saying in substantiation for his sugarcoated training program? Would they really rather coast along to the top of the sporting world, pressing the rest of us to believe that all we need is the right ‘genetics’ to get to the top, like Terrel Owens, among others? Do they really think that busting their behinds for a few months before scout camp is enough to take our current standard of professional sporting results to the next level (as a whole), above and beyond today’s standard? Do coaches that market such business practices even know that they are scarring the sporting world, which, when instituted in effect, will take years to heal? Is the power of the dollar that strong? Are there not things greater than a buck, such as the sanctity of sporting competition, and the personalities that result from being a part of such practice?
Specific Suggestions For Coaches: Listen before you speak and follow before you lead. Specifically, always be weary of those that have been trampled before you, and be attentive to your predecessors who have proven to be successful. Ask yourself why to everything that presents itself to you, from training practice to proposed-revolutionary equipment. For Athletes: Find a coach that you can trust. Never be complacent with mediocrity, always press the limits of human attainment- physically and emotionally. Never be afraid to press your coach for specific and pertinent answers to your relative questions of interest. Lastly, never become involved in a program that doesn’t make practical sense, but never be afraid to broaden your horizons in an attempt to expand your performance- even at that, do so judiciously.
60 Seconds Worth of Wisdom (wrapping it up) Always keep an eye out for contradictions. This can be in current scientific research, popular practice, and any media outlet source. If there is contradictory information, question why. Go straight to the source if at all possible. If the source is unwilling to be challenged, once again, question why. Never be complacent. Always strive for expansion, mentally and physically. An athlete can only help his situation if he learns and only hurt his situation if he acts in ignorance- the same is true for a coach. Research shows that the world’s expansion of information is literally doubling every eight years. Tax your mind to keep up physically with the times. It is next to impossible to play catch up, and complacency is the ignition to this curse. Piece the puzzle together. If it doesn’t fit then it is most likely the wrong piece. Cure this early on. This includes all restrictions to your performance; coaches, training partners, information sources, etc. Everything must become habitual-successful before it becomes successful. Be warned, you will never wake up one day a world champion unless you paid the price. And, delving further into that last sentence; When I say; “very few exceptions to (this) rule”, you should assume it to mean; “not me,” until proven otherwise. Historically, a large portion of the greatest ideas to come about was initially rejected by popular opinion. Don’t write something off too early because it is different. Examine its contents and ask yourself if you are truly open to the possibility that it can offer you- if proven correct. Lastly, always use the Socratic Method to distinguish fact from fiction; truth from trickery. We can only get the answers wanted if we ask the questions needed. These are some elementary steps to performance evolution!
Swinging at Bad Pitches by Dietrich Buchenholz
What do you call it when someone makes a bonehead mistake in training? I am going to muster up all of my will power and be nice this time as I liken it to the baseball player that has fallen prone to poor pitch selection- swinging at bad pitches. This phenomenon is frustrating on both sides, too. The athlete is pissed that his improvements are like a fly on a window- no matter how hard he tries there seems to be no way to break free from what’s holding him back. Hell, he can see where he wants to go; it’s the process of getting there that is killing him. The coach, on the other hand, especially someone like me that tries to extend his services around the globe so that these same mistakes don’t keep getting made learns to deal with the frustrations. He must learn to develop the patience of a beginning golfer who plays his superiorslice with the new GPS driven golf ball that hones in on sand traps and large drinks of water. It’s funny, but the more that you learn is proportionate to realizing how little you really know and finding out exactly how much information in the training world is flawed. Even worse, each time that you and your athletes achieve some break through that could re-shape the future of training practices forever, there is some nut that tops all of the bonehead mistakes in training history and spreads this word like a virus. It’s as frustrating as it is comical- you’ll see what I mean.
The training world can be a lot like the story of the girl that helped her mother prepare the turkey for dinner. See, her mother cut off the front and back ends of the turkey before she set it in the oven to cook. The little girl couldn’t understand why her mother would waste so much good meat, so she asked her mother what she was doing it for. “I don’t know”, she replied, “my mother just always did it like this.” Now her mother was a bit curious herself- so she called up her mom and asked her why she always cut off the front and back ends of the turkey before she set it in the oven to cook. Her mother, the girl’s grandmother, wasn’t sure, either. She said that it was just something that her mother always did and so she just kind-of picked up on it. Fortunately, the little girl’s great grandmother was still alive and so they called her on the phone in an attempt to figure this whole thing out. The little girl was on the phone and said; “grandma, why do you always waste so much good meat in cutting off the front and back ends of the turkey before you cook it.” “Darling,” says she, “that is just the only way the stinking thing would fit into my oven!” A lot of training mistakes are made on the same premise as this turkey story; settling for tradition and popular opinion versus what I call the proof of the pudding. But even if one understands that what’s right is precisely what works for you, there must be some direction. Otherwise we will just be beating ourselves senseless much like the fly trapped on the inside of the window. Some articles are instructional; that is, what to do in nature. But often it is wise to narrow the search by eliminating what is ridiculously off base so that we don’t end up with the joke being played on us. Really, this is all about saving time and I think I will throw in some extra what-to-do information just for good measure.
Strike One: All I need to do is find that one exercise that has eluded me thus far and I will be on the fast track to meeting my goals. Sound familiar? This one can be extended to include that special device, too- since most of them are just a manipulated movement, anyways. The fact of the matter is that exercise selection is so far down the list of priorities that I can’t even believe that it has been found to be the route that ANY of the writers, coach’s, or writers-coach’s would press as being of critical importance. Don’t think for a second that it goes the other way around, either. It has been the media, of late, to press any and all exercises to the public and swear it off as the Holy Grail to performance. Now, I don’t know why this is, but I do know that it needs fixing. Let me show you where I’m headed before I get there. The main priorities in training are what I call The Super Seven, and they look like this: 1. Modality (frictional, elastic) 2. Bracket (An-1, An-2, Ae-1, Ae-2) 3. Toleration (fatigue, frequency) 4. Capacity (pinnacle, prime) 5. Arrangement (mixed, parallel, sequential) 6. Method (RFI’s, AMT’s, etc) 7. Movement (angle, direction, etc) These aren’t in specific order of importance. In fact, you need to cover all bases when you are structuring a training program, so it really doesn’t matter the order in which they are listed. Now, before you write it off as being that simple, there is order of importance when one is considering manipulating the contents of the program. Be warned, however, these recommendations are for those of us that have already been in the process of training for a desired goal. The rest of you may go back to reading your Exercise Encyclopedia while the rest of us press on.
I am sorry to all of you that either got offended by that last statement and those that are in a rush to get to the store and buy that book title, which I made up by the way. (I will get a laugh if one of you finds it to really exist, though). And in no way was I intending to offend the big dude at the gym from whom you get all of your new-wave exercises. Trust me, I would never want to do that. But we have to progress. I hope that all of us are not forsaken with that ignorant/stubborn gene that keeps us looking like a fly on the glass. But, I have been wrong before. Anyway, if you passed the required list of: (1) having been currently involved in a program and (2) don’t mind abandoning the bad ass in the gym whom hangs out by the aerobics room window talking about booty ratings; then we can scour more beneficial program management manipulations. The Super Seven is a list of alternatives. It isn’t in any particular order, as mentioned earlier, but there is a process in which everyone should follow to ensure continual progression towards one’s goals. First, always address what is needed. This may sound a bit redundant but the truth is in its’ simplicity. For instance, if you are always asking your system to tolerate frequency, do you really think that the body’s components are going to be subject to a strong demand for change after the initial stage of introduction? Yeah, me neither. And what’s the next big step? Keep addressing deficiencies of your system, in your program, based upon immediate need, and continue this progression to the extent to which you desireselected from the Super Seven list. How many of the seven you change is a lot easier to work out than you may think. It could be all, none, or any combination in between. Yes, it is that simple. Just make sure that any system deficiency that sticks out like Christina Aguleria at a Monk Convention gets addressed. All of the subtleties will surely surface in due time, at which point they will be addressed. I know I am really skimming the surface on this one but there are just far too many variables to cover in the space I have for this article. Direct any specific inquiries to me personally and I will be sure to work out the wrinkles of your program with you:
[email protected] Tracking back to the beginning. How do we know that focusing on exercises over the other factors in training is a few cups short of a party at Hef’s? I don’t know how else to say it. I didn’t achieve such tremendous results as an athlete or a coach by dicking around in the gym. There had to have been a system to be developed, and for this system to develop there had to be a ton of mistakes made and corrected. I won’t just leave you with faith in the system, neither. There is actually much more to it than that. Let’s scour the surface of my NRA (neural readiness/recognition and association) techniques to see how I know with all certainty that exercises are not only far from important, but maybe not even necessary at all. Ever hear the story about the woman who lifted the car off of her baby? Or, better yet, what about the guy, frightful for his life, who killed the attacking shark with his bare hands? I can attest to the validity of the first story but I think that I am just too ignorant to believe the latter. Either way both events are NRA in nature. NRA techniques bottle up this capacity of the system and allow the displacement to occur on any event, action, sporting goal, etc. Before I release its’ contents to the public we have to finalize some research to make sure that it is safe to tell a bunch of trainees whom make simple processes in training look like time travel. Not to mention that NRA is basically a technique that has been referred to as The Life or Death Method. Nevertheless, my point is this: local, plastic adaptive changes have been found far inferior to central, dominating characteristic changes of the system. This basically acknowledges the fact that we know that the woman who lifted the car off of her baby was not a world champion strong-woman, nor did she train diligently on picking up the back end of her Chevy Nova- just in case the situation arose. It can also be generally ascertained that women like this aren’t built like the car they are lifting.
Manipulations of the system should always be sought after from the inside out. Once the system can manage and displace the desired input from the center (nervous system) then it is appropriate time to address local contractile systems. This programming can occur while motor skills are learned and developed or completely independent of movement altogether, which later should consist of an association stage (exercise selection) but doesn’t have to. In conventional training practices, the system is trained under movement. Since most people get boxed in to thinking that training under movement requires specificity to movement -in an end all unto itself- is far more popular than it is correct. I can only imagine the functional training followers choking on this last bit of information, but oh well. Anyone that has observed a long-standing athlete of one sport who engaged in another sport of little correlation to the first will begin to recognize the power of centrally driven effects. To those of you who haven’t seen this phenomenon, I recommend you take on the challenges of a sport much different then your current. For instance, I had the privilege of watching internationally competing athletes of a variety of sports all get together and try their hand in a friendly game of table tennis. Without fail, the athletes that compete in strength dominant sports were relatively long and slow in their paddle strokes; whereas, the speed dominant athletes used quick, rapid, short strokes. The carryover of this phenomenon is open for manipulation but only with the right training. I know that to many believe that some of these traits are either present at birth or not- but everything is open for manipulation. I know that the odds of a prescription-pill-popping-generation batting this information away is about as likely as Britney Spears removing yet another covering of clothing for her next music video but remember, this information is for the few of us who are too stubborn to settle for sub-par. Anyone still in doubt is urged to take the Super Seven checklist challenge. Use the list’s components as necessary to address specific deficiencies in relation to your ultimate and immediate sporting goals and before you know it you will see how it is possible to get faster without running; jump higher without jumping; bench more weight without benching; etc. Before I am scorned, however, remember that these recommendations are for those who have already established a baseline of technique, from which improvements may be mustered. If you have the sprint form of Richard Simmons (I can only imagine) but want to be an NFL running back then you may want to get a little technique down if you want to see a carryover. Beginners always must strive for Basic Motor Control and Efficiency (BMCE) before progression is made to advanced techniques. At which point in time exercise selection may be thought of as tires on a race car- there is a lot more to cover before the treads are up for consideration. For example, one of the best NBA players came to me back when he was struggling a bit. Specifically, he wanted to increase his field goal percentage. Most professionals guided him to shoot more shots (practice makes perfect, right?) as many would have in this situation. The fact was that he needed to become the great shooter mentally before he could become that great shooter physically. Keep in mind that this is a player that was already in the NBA. Simply stated, I took out the negative distraction and built him up to compensate for his deficiency. Realistically, this man has taken more shots than I could count in a lifetime. What he needed wasn’t to refine this skill that he had already beat into the ground. He needed NRA, which is what he got. Three months later, in his first pre-season game, he shot a ball for the first time in the 97 days that he was in training to become a better shooter and drained 10 of 12 from beyond the arc. The after effects of our work lasted for the first third of the season, and he proudly began the best year of his career. It wasn’t until about that point that he went dry again and was claimed to have lost his touch. The only side note worth mentioning is that I was surprised that our results held on for so long- especially since he was demanded to take a more conventional approach to raising shot proficiency after the start of the season, as per his coach’s discretion. Slowly, but surely, he slipped out of the zone and into his habitual norm. Needless to say, I am currently working with his coach to teach him some methods of baseline NRA application. If his coach is willing to
abandon his ignorance long enough to allow this to happen then I can assure you that anyone can. This story is also related to a second common error in training: Volume.
Strike Two: How can I see results faster? Feel free to extend this one to include the obvious starvation to find compensatory means that actually work. Our focus won’t be on that, however, but rather on dispelling this trendy belief. I see two areas of this problem on volume: some train too often and others train too much (single session volume versus unit volume). It is true that returns from training will be faster the more frequent you train- but only if you allow full compensation to occur. How do you do this? Simple, by setting up an appropriate fatigue and frequency based program, which entails knowledge of my Drop Off Margins. Once that is in place, it is fairly simple to wave load in fatigue-toleration cycles with frequency-toleration cycles; which will allow you to increase the amount of fatigue you can handle per given unit time, which all ends up in you seeing results faster. Bumping up training days should now clearly not be the answer, nor is relying on a study on someone else to dictate your work capacity good advice. The management of this relationship (fatigue-frequency) is like being thrown into a ring to fight, blindfolded, with Mike Tyson; if you can’t see your opponent then you better know him well enough to predict his next move or else the end result could be costly, to say the least. I think a lot of people are starting to understand this- you can’t just jump ship without learning how to swim first. They have learned, most likely the hard way, that there is a relationship between training fatigue and the frequency to which it may be induced. They are also finding that the better they catch this association, the better (magnitude and rate of return) their results. Auto-regulatory training is the framework from which this puzzle may be individually put together. So, instead of just training hour after hour, the mass training population has joined the trend of training, roughly, every so often- or when they see fit, I guess. I know some of you are starting to see the humor in this- but that’s not my point. Rather, more and more people are becoming intrigued with methods of compensation (what most call recovery- even though that is for outpatients). This usually ends up with a bunch of guys sitting in a hot tub, listening to Elliot Smith, and drinking a protein shake with extra vitamin boosters. And then the daring usually secretlyadminister a test run of some trendy new herb, or over the counter supplement. Not that any of that’s to shame, but I can assure you that you will never experience anything like Popeye did with his spinach. No, this isn’t the real problem anymore- for the most part at least. It is really intra-session volume. Scratch that; it is really a poor judgment of what one can handle in a training session, and then how often one can do it. It’s really a combination of both, and this is why auto-regulation is formulated out of the two. But if I had to pick just one and point blame I would undoubtedly choose the ridiculous workouts I have seen and heard about. I think a lot of the reason there is so much confusion is because most, if not all, of the research that preceded today’s research was marked with inaccurate information (i.e. the test subjects were steroid users). We will keep this like Bill O’Reilly’s house, a “no spin zone”, and not drift off into the politics of drug use, but it is important to understand that it is far from uncommon to see a steroid user double his fatigue tolerance. Sure, we could solve this problem by just integrating the principles of auto-regulation. By finding out what is appropriate in terms of fatigue and frequency for you, as an individual (clean or “saturated”)- but I know the math appears to be a problem regarding nano-technology for many of
you. Then again, I would recommend using a simple calculator but I know how those damn computers can scare the hair off a monkey’s back these days. So, in that case, we will resort to using blanket-expressions. If nothing else, don’t train because something or someone told you that you have to or else, train only if you have seen results from last time. If you are uncertain of whether you are stronger or not, don’t even bother throwing a calibrated, fraction of an ounce container of belly button lint in a magnetic petri dish (or whatever they sell in the catalogs) on the bar. If you don’t jump by enough weight (or whatever the monitored measure) to achieve a noticeable improvement- then go home. It’s simple; if you haven’t seen improvements from last time then you have either returned to the gym too early, too later, or trained too much or too little last session. More often then not it is a combination of too much session and too soon return- don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. As a side note; I don’t care what the hell you feel like. I felt like Superman one day when I was little and, after jumping off a fence, found out I wasn’t. Ever since, I have never regarded sensory emotions as meaning anything more than a topic for a fetish-forum discussion. Those who know me, too, know that I have a scar on my chin to be reminded of this daily; that and the fact that my athlete’s remind me that me telling them that they look like they feel like a gold medal isn’t working. Don’t base your frequency scale off of feel. If for it not working, it is really annoying to listen to.
Strike Three: Hey coach, do you think I am flexible enough? If you are sitting out there reading this and you immediately replied no to the third strike question without even knowing who I was referring to then you need to pay real close attention. I am trying to think of a way to sum up all of my thoughts about flexibility in one quick, easy to remember sentence. Flexibility is a waste of time just didn’t have the ring to it that I was looking for. The fastest way to a multitude of injuries and/or precursors to injuries, such as joint instability, not to mention force production deterioration would be to get in a habit of stretching out often just seemed to drag out a bit too long, and it might have been a bit too indirect. So, I give up hope. I will just cut into the nitty-gritty and see what remains. Next time you come across one of those flexibility freaks ask them this; Why is it that if flexibility is so important that the first thing a surgeon does to a baseball player with arm problems is tighten everything up? And you can always one-two punch this one with the example of Billy Koch coming off of arm surgery. Even though there was a loss (atrophy) of virtually everything else that he had structurally developed over time during his lapse after surgery, he immediately came out of rehab and threw by far his best fastball ever- 104 mph. This is what a baseball insider, the greatest hitting coach around, told me not too long ago. I guess they just see it as the eighth wonder of the world. And the ninth wonder of the world? That would be the explanation to why no one ever seems to incur a muscle strain until after they start doing the trendy-typical training protocol. What is it today? - Benches, cleans, and squats or some spin-off of a bodybuilding type protocol? Well, I also bet they have some air filled apparatus to stand on and some medicine balls to throw around- does that about cover it? The only thing I think I am missing is that when the workout is actually in progress it is mandatory that some coach says the word explosive eight times a minute or else he loses his job. The harp that I take on flexibility is directed solely at the odd balls that lie down on some special stretching-mat and do an assortment of static holds, intended to reduce recovery and increase joint range of motion. This is because there is some bogus theory floating around about range of movement and power production, especially in speed training circles. Let’s examine that one, for fun.
The theory is that stride rate and stride frequency are necessary to improve speed. A drastic and inadequate simplification, but okay, let’s assume it to be true. The reason to add in a flexibility protocol is to improve stride length. Interesting, really, since runners of various stride lengths keep ground contact proximal the vertical line to their center of mass (straight down from the hip). The length part of the equation is reliant upon the force displaced against the ground; which will, in effect, project the body forward. It is then that the length between ground-contacts is increased. The argument could also be that more flexibility equals greater range of leg swing during the recovery phase, which will manifest itself in a longer duration of hang time and corresponding stride length. The problem with this equation is that linear velocity will be decreased, majority speaking, because of the dampening effect on the myotatic stretch reflex elements caused by this flexibility enhancement. This conversation is altered when talking about steroid users, but I will not assume anyone is breaking international policy, and thus, I will focus in on otherwise natural conditions. It is all much like the baseball player. The more and more you stretch (disrupt natural range of motion), the more and more the elastic elements of the contraction process are weakened. This leads to poor speed and power expressions via the body, and stride length can, practically speaking, not reach optimum levels if force projection is killed. It is best to stick to training via motor actions that will couple improvements in performance with injury prevention. Remember, workout efficiency and athletes health is reliant on such. This rise in flexibility may also lead to a greater risk of muscle pulls. The simplistic minds will think; the muscle stretched beyond limit so I should increase flexibility to avoid this from happening again. This contradicts all research to date. Science will tell you that the contractile units themselves (what I term frictional elements for practical purposes- the cross bridge formation elements) will ‘lock-up’ during many sporting movements in an effort to stabilize the joint and increase movement efficiency. The system, simply put, moves easier and with more proficiency this way in speed and power movements; that is, the stability from the frictional elements and the spring from the elastic elements. Since muscle length may change after stretching and the bone length obviously stays the same, there is a loss in joint stability. This perpetuates and may also lead to increase force expressed on the frictional elements of a muscle; effectively producing a muscle that is “pulled” into traumatic destruction. This is not to say that the elastic elements, fascia included, are not subject to possible damage. In fact, all components of the muscle run a greater risk of damage when flexibility is increased at a rate exceeding the adaptability rate of the mechanism or beyond the scope of what I will simply refer to as natural biomechanical movement. This last statement refutes the notion to develop biceps flexibility to the point that the forearm can touch the triceps musculature (bad image, I know). Which raises the question; what is the extent to which they will stop this insanity? Do they even have a desired window of attainment or is it a matter of pressing it until something pops? For those that are still too afraid to abandon popular practice, let me ask you this: Do you even understand where the hype began? That is; do you know why flexibility protocols became so popular; and if so, why do you still use them? In 1963, there was a released study from Germany that was in favor of enhanced flexibility to develop what they termed extensibility. In this light, current strides have been made which have used this old notion as means to finding a better solution- the real cure. What is now known is exactly what was misunderstood then; and actually, still misunderstood by far too many today. The evolution process has lead to an understanding of Neuro-Dynamic Efficiency (NDE) development; including Rapid Fire Phenomenon (RFP) and Tension Release Phenomenon (TRP). Just as some people still opt to get around by horse and buggy, some also look just as ridiculous when they engage in poor Neuro-Dynamic system programming, much of which can be traced back to an out-dated flexibility protocol.
Supercompensation by Dietrich Buchenholz
The reason to couple super compensation work with training work is simple, gain a reciprocative function of the fatigue-frequency relationship more often in a training stage. This not only states that we will avoid too much stress(overtraining) but will also regulate the precise variables that lead to indirect stress(cummalative system stress). If a trainee is able to increase capacity of work and training frequency, while supporting an escalating magnitude of fatigue management(drop off margin percent), then the result will be a more aggressive approach to performance enhancement, as well as a marked growth in result expediancy. One must first understand stress on psychological and physiological levels, as well as integrated relationships, before they are able to implement a proper plan to reduce the duration of this fatigue and promote increased training frequency management. It is at that point that a systematic shuffling of means takes place, much like the training process, adhering to the human species adaptability rates of introduced elements.
Stress will effect the functions of arousal, motivation, neural discharge, precision of movement and coordination, energetical systems, contraction, concentration, and circulation, to name some more dominant elements. These singular elements may eventually effect unrelated elements through residual and cross over effects, and this is why it is important to recognize symptoms of overtraining immediately. All systems are related by various degrees of separation. This is precisely why a thorough investigation must be implemented and why a perceived value of fitness and recovery should not be regarded as optimal, not to mention that this practice of training based on 'feel' is far from accurate due to lack of precision in fatigue recognition(%). It is the interrelationship of these elements that makes me hesitate to label such constituents as psychological or physiological, but for practical means I will do so at this time. However, theoretically it is incorrect to refer to something as purely psychological or physiological because of the cross over effects and residual effects that this 'harmonic process' involves. With this being said, it is important to constantly regulate the psychological elements of concentration and motivation at the same time that the physiological elements of nervous system function and circulation are governed. These four elements have been found to be valid indicators of not only how these direct(singular) elements have managed the stress of training and circumstance but the evaluation will also lead to a reliable projection of how the rest of the system might respond and is currently responding to these demands. The assessment of each variable is tested by different means so as to eliminate false results that are common with similar means of testing.
The concentration of an athlete is tested using a focus test. One progressive method of a focus test involves measuring the duration to which total concentration may be kept on a static or dynamic object of various size and character that is surrounded by anything from high level distraction elements to low level distraction elements of sound, color, light, and so forth. This test is important because progress can be monitored and assessed throughout immediate and delayed periods of training, as well as at critical stages in the training cycle. A progression to spatial awareness and movement interaction may be guided, bridging the gap between concentration and precision of movement under isolated conditions. All variables of this study should be documented for later reference. The analysis of motivation is a self perception analysis that involves critical assessments of self doubt, excitation, confidence, as well as general cognition. This analysis may get specific to task objectives and a questionnaire is often implemented. The function of the nervous system is best evaluated on a pressure sensitive electronic device, measuring the rate of rapid tapping through the hand and foot. Assessing the rate of the nervous system response and rhythm is important to detect future deductions in performance as well as current. Circulatory feedback of heart rate and blood pressure are also especially important elements that can aide in assessing nervous system function and capacity of work fluctuation. These test should be taken upon waking in the morning as well as administered during workouts, especially immediately prior to and after a bout of work.
Psychological output must increase by 6.5% to yield a modest 1% increase in performance, and the function of the nervous system takes 2-3 times as long to super compensate as compared to energetical and contractile elements. It is for these two reasons that we don't focus strongly on soreness, stiffness, or any other sarcomeric or sarcoplasmic factors. These elements will recover well before training will be engaged since the drop off margins and frequency-fatigue relationships are based on neuro-psychological super compensation. Recovery is either immediate or delayed in nature. We refer to immediate as the responses that take place within a workout and up twelve hours after that workout, all else is referred to as delayed for various reasons. Energetical elements will not completely recover from a working set of considerable magnitude, relative to the individual, for up to twelve hours later, explaining loss of strength per consecutive set. Not to say that sarcoplasmic content is the only factor in this regard but, rather, that energetical elements regenerate much quicker than other elements of the working system. The fatigue of work and modality of training will augment precisely when full energetical restitution will take place, and acknowledgement of this precise information is only important for split routines and endurance athletes. The more important elements to speed and strength athletes is covered in the rule of thirds, such as concentration, motivation, and nervous system output.
Supercompensaation work is similar to training work in that biorhythmic cycles must be addressed. There are 24 weeks in every year that an athlete will have a slight increase in recovery ability, and this value fluctuates on average of every two weeks. Six occasions within the year there will be a significant rise in adaptability rate, typically every second month once a starting point is established to begin these interval measurements. This is why training must include a variance in frequency or fatigue, exercise selection, capacity of work or intensity, and/or training modality every second week, with a brief, yet sharp rise in volume for a particular session of rotating variability every 60 days. It is the ability of the organism to respond in two week stages that makes training construction easier and the implementation of super compensation methods simplified. Just as an athlete needs to modify one to multiple tactics of his training program every second week, he must also make adjustments to one or more of his restoration protocol at a commensurate time frame. The availability of procedures is extensive but we have narrowed the list down to what we have found to be only the most beneficial over the years. Capacity of lung enhancement devices, mineral scrape-massage, manual reflexo-palpatory massage, vibropalpatory massage, NRA techniques, aromatherapy, light and sound treatment, EIEMG, cryotherapy, antagonist-driven flexibility, OVI/OVQ and miometrics are some of the most popular methods my athletes use to accelerate restoration and super compensation. All hydro-therapy work was discontinued in practice fourteen years ago because of two reasons. First, as little as 2% dehydration can result in as much as 6% temporary loss in strength, which is obviously counterproductive to the purpose of this work. Even though the entire magnitude of this strength loss isn't permanent we have found a small fraction of it to residually effect enough athletes to demand a discontinuation of heated hydro-therapy. As for sharko showers, scotch showers, or other modalities of cold water treatment, we have found the arousal rate to be counterproductive for achieving a functional increase of performance since neural and psychological mechanism's need not be stressed anymore than they already are in training.
Prescribing proper applications is just as individual specific as constructing a training protocol, but this rough outline can be used to modify your own program of super compensation techniques. Establish the need before engaging in any of the techniques described, then monitor the four specific neuro-psychological elements that relate closely to other working systems of function and performance to assist in proper selection and integration of these methods. At this point it is crucial to select the most important characters for your specific well fare, rotating means every fourteen days. And lastly, there should be no more than one session every seven hours on non training days and regularity should not exceed one session every ten hours on training days. Sessions last fifteen to twenty minutes maximally, focusing on preferably one but a maximum of
two specific applications. Furthermore, applications should be extended for use during workouts, and super compensation work may begin seven hours after the workout and be continued at appropriate intervals as necessary until up to forty-two minutes before training. The purpose of this article was to address elemental theory behind the need to implement restorative application, discriminate between proper and improper circumstances for application, and to briefly cover possible applications for usage. A future article will step into the specific time factors in implementation, singular and cumulative strategies, and how to use the four phase evaluation to construct a proper protocol.
Slavery Isn't Dead by Dietrich Buchenholz
“Tears, trickling down their cheeks, bouncing briefly until they are leached by the iced asphalt below, become one with the path of shame they follow. The air, so sharp, bites at their lungs, stride for stride, with each struggled breath. The release is none better; each forced-exhale delivers a perpetuating rush to this stage, churning their collective gut without abandonment, shivering their successive spines. The somber cast grows heavy and dark, almost shadowing any hint of sun by its’ own account. But it’s not the future that haunts these stone-faced Germans on this day. In fact, they are inhibited by the past of what they haven’t done, not what they take part in or are anticipated to dictate. They are not on this course by will, but they fail to know the contrary. Again lightning crashes, seemingly striking them guilty, even as they starve by their innocence. The date, 13 April 2002, years removed from the documented suffering of my people.” This tremendous exert from Hitler’s Shadow clearly reveals that shackles and chains can be put on more than our physical bodies. In sports training, moreover, psychological bounds will limit physical successes. It is then that we must fight for our cognitive freedom, as such slavery may very well put our development in lock down.
Breaking Free: Factorized Arrangement I get asked routinely how athletes can break free from the inherent bounds placed on them. There are many solutions to this problem, but the way that I will discuss today involves how to properly apply factorized program arrangement techniques to your training. The problem involves feeling restricted to train based on a “lower body” day and an “upper body” day, or a relatively similar split. Specifically, even if you are leaning towards a frequency toleration cycle, versus a fatigue toleration cycle, your frequency may not be great enough to reach compatibility with the sport you are training for AND training off of conventional frequency toleration programming may not be practically suitable. Instead of wasting your time by saving the big-bang for the end, I will cut to the chase in telling you that once your capacity of work integer exceeds your frequency scale that you may want to investigate factor-arrangement principles. This will clear up “neural work space” for other training means at the same time that you are able to attack the elements involved with the factor arrangement. Digging the Path to Freedom An athlete has been tested to have a working capacity of 22 for 20 meter sprints. That is, he can achieve 22 quality runs (above the allocated percent drop-off margin). For instance, if he is a ‘general’ athlete training on a 4 day scale then he will adopt a 6% fatigue inducement. Still
unclear what I mean? Look at it this way; if his best 20 meter time for that day is found to be 3.12 seconds then a 6% drop-off point would be established as 3.31 seconds. With that understanding, the athlete would continue to sprint until he can no longer stay above this cut off time. Rest intervals will be self administered- for the most part- as the athlete will have two training goals in mind: (1) increase his capacity of work for the specific work and (2) increase his best performance for the specified work. The plight to enhance capacity of work will ensure that the athlete is not rushing back to work too soon- which would only produce wasted effort. In keeping with this same example, an increase in capacity of work would mean that the athlete can now run more than 22 sprints above cut off point (drop-off margin). And, of course, an increase in absolute performance means that he can run faster than 3.12 seconds for 20 meters. In traditional program planning, the athlete would train to his specific drop-off tolerationcommensurate with his frequency scale- only one time during his frequency scale. For instance, if he typically trains every 4th day then he would sprint to 6% fatigue once every fourth day- no more, no less. The concentration of work obviously takes away from other work that could be performed on that day. For instance, one soccer player that I work with once sprinted 30 meter runs for 2 hours and 10 minutes (127 sets) before drop-off was achieved. His rest intervals were controlled via the time it took him to walk back to the starting line (about one minute). On the other side of the coin, I had an NBA forward fly to my compound to train- after complaining about poor ability to sustain energy during his games- and he was found to only be able to sprint 13 x 20 meter sprints before his drop-off margin was achieved. Obviously, two extremely different degrees of work capacity between the two athletes, but the point is this; the soccer player’s games only last 2 x 45 minute halves so he doesn’t have the need to induce sprint training for the time frame that his work capacity demanded. In this case, as one example, we would split his sprints throughout the frequency scale so that other training means can be addressed with the new availability of time. And, he can raise his frequency toleration ability- one important element in the mix of increasing adaptability rate(i.e. the rate of development). West-Side Barbell Methodics Integration Let’s take another example that is more kosher with the audience of this article and factor arrange it for you. WSB principles demand that a “dynamic effort” day is trained for the bench and squatthis is no secret. But, one alternative you have in your pocket of tricks is to factor arrange your “speed” work, assuming that your capacity of work is tested to be greater than your frequency scale. In taking an athlete who can move 15 sets of “dynamic effort” bench presses before achieving his percent drop-off margin, he has two major options: (1) take all 15 sets each “dynamic effort” training day or (2) factor this work capacity throughout the frequency scale. Assuming that he trains every four days, a factor arranged program for his bench press would look like this(negating other training constructs): Monday (scheduled DE bench day): 4 sets x Dynamic Effort Bench Tuesday: 3 sets x Dynamic Effort Bench Wednesday: 5 sets x Dynamic Effort Bench Thursday: 3 sets x Dynamic Effort Bench Friday (scheduled ME Bench Day): *Re-start cycle or reserve work until next DE day Notes: Research has revealed that it is best to wave-load your factor arranged volume throughout the week. This is why we don’t take equal-part (perfect factorization) for each training day. This subtle
de-loading allows for more work to be managed via the CNS. A simple guide, suggested to me by the great researcher Karl-Heinz Engler, is to use the 60% factor. That is, as you structure wave loading, be sure to dip to about 60% every other day. This simply states that if day one has a work capacity integer of 5 that day two will be regarded with a work capacity integer of about 3. This rule should not be thought of as concrete, but when the opportunity permits it is wise to take advantage. All other circumstances to float proximal this value via your best judgement. The Freedom of Results Want to take your training to the next level? Do you have sporting need or time restricting demand to factor arrange your programming? Is your frequency toleration cycle not getting the jolt that you are striving for? Answering “yes” to anyone of these questions qualifies you as someone who should seriously consider factor arrangement for your next frequency toleration cycle. That is, in all simplicity, the choice of freedom for your sporting career.
Final Remarks Because an infinite number of circumstances exist regarding factor arrangement planning, I suggest that you send specific inquiries to me personally. Especially if the alternative is to just guess at what you think is suitable. In fact, you should never make an assumption, even if it is implicitly suggested. Always go directly to the source if at all possible to receive specific answers. Sports training has as much intricate detail- a lot of which is popularly overlooked- so making an assumption may just send you off on a tangent path to your goals.
Pick Your Poison by Dietrich Buchenholz
This article is all about you, as a unique individual, training for your goals and based on your needs. Far too many infect their careers with poisonous programming; whereas, others choose to concentrate on techniques that give them the edge in the long run, in effect, communicating a cancerous-curse over those who fail to keep up. Some careers are ended in the same way that a lot of training goals are left at a stand stillbuying into the hype that is void a respectable return. Some make these blunders willingly (ignorance, stubbornness); but for most, the poison that kills performance is found in what is said to be all the right places. Just look at television, they make a killing by herding in flocks of people by the millions and then pawning them a big, saucy chunk of sugar-n-sparkle covered horseshit. Now, even though we can’t dictate exactly what information is taken in by the inquiring minds of these industrious athletes, we can help them make better decisions regarding money expenditure on what is supposedly the next best thing. Hell, we can even do better than that! We can donate our proportionate share to global-humanity by helping these fools wise-up. Essentially, we can teach them the difference between trivial things, like knowing the difference between a camel’s hump and the donkey punch, to more complex material, such as calculating the volumetric ratio of blood-per-unit-sauce that was circulating in Stallone’s system during the filming of Rocky IV. But, of course, it would be more beneficial to all of you if we directed these topics towards you and your training goals. Our other option as a training community is to all buy a Gazelle-Freestyle and take on Tony Little as our international deity. But if you think about it, that would just be way too much work. Could you imagine hand crafting a bobble-head version of the hyper-harpy with a voice-matched, timer-
activated speaker-inset that said; I sweat pure adrenaline!- so that you can set it on your mantle to prey? Yeah, me neither! Besides, your Denise Austin and Charles Poliquin dolls would be pissed! But for those of you who are tired of chasing your performance-tails, be warned, there are better ways. You, too, can be faster than a cracked-up unicorn; powerful enough to skip baseball’s like rocks along McCovey Cove “just like Barry”; strong enough to finally pull that rolled-up Supertraining book out of your ass; and big enough to actually get a full write up- in some trendy newsstand bodybuilding magazine- strictly on The Curvature of (your name)’s Butt Cheeks (or whatever your personal goals are). That’s right; for those of you who have realized that common knowledge isn’t the cure; for those of you who are dizzy from the spin that media puts on everything in the training world. For those of you who are unabashed to pursue greater knowledge, this following information will help all of you balance out some of your options a bit better for next time’s purposes. Consider the following information to be like an all expenses-paid trip to train under the scrupulous-scrutiny of Dave Tate and Louie Simmons as they happily murder your sorry soul to oblivion for two solid weeks- that’s right, boys, it just can’t get any better! It has been said that a great discovery is meaningless unless you can explain it on a napkin to a cocktail waitress. And, so, that will be my goal with this article: to water it down without losing any sweetness. In the end, if nothing else, you will have the ability to (1) pick the poison that may very well kill your sporting career or (2) take on the challenges of the powerful-anecdote. The third option would be to maintain that drunken-spin you’ve put on your sporting career, even though you know that always ends up with landing flat on your ass. The choice is yours!
Poison for Power: Olympic Lifting, For Sport? Now before I get swarms of hate mail from all of you platform-pushers out there, let me justify my reasoning. It’s not that I am unaware of the enormity of spin-off movements that have surfaced from the Olympic Lifts, it is just that I see absolutely no reason to integrate such trash when so many other street-sweeping options are available. I also know that you’ve heard it before; “If you aren’t competing in the Olympic lifts then there is no reason to train them, let alone learn them.” But consider that statement for a second. Furthermore, let me re-iterate that there are far more, superior ways to develop speed, power, strength, and/or size- period. Let’s reciprocate the thinking here for a second. Let’s say that a swimmer and his best buddy, who happens to compete in Olympic lifting, are training for the Olympic Games. Would you think twice if I told you that the swimmer was incorporating Olympic lifts in his preparation to be a faster swimmer? What about if I told you that the Olympic lifter was relying solely on in-pool work, would you be shocked and maybe even a little confused? In either case, I would be livid.
The Rationale of Correspondence-Effects There are a number of phenomena found in sport- known simply by their varied degrees of correlations- that help us in program with confidence. It’s kind of like the punishment system you had when you were little. If your parents spotted you on the porch of their house getting fellatio by the college chick that lives next door as you kicked back on the swing petting a cat, you would probably get grounded by both your parents. Both were anticipated to be upset; thus, two predictable responses yield double correspondence (DC). However, if your parents saw you on the porch while you were just getting sexual favors performed to you then only your mom would be willing to punish you; and, actually, your dad would grow closer to you since the he has been trying to get the neighbor in his own pants ever since she turned of-age (both responses
separate, yet predictable: single correspondence (SC)). Single correspondence would also result if your parents found you on the porch with just the cat. Your dad, being allergic to felines or just an angry old man, would pull out his 12-guage and, later, cook some Mexican burritos for dinnerwith extra tender chicken. A more practical example would involve the pissed-sensation that you experience after you claim rights on the Hammer Strength Press machine for six straight weeks and then, upon returning to barbell bench presses, you realize that any sports team that invests in leverage machines is throwing their pennies away. That, my friends, lacks a correspondence-carryover since the positive effects were void upon returning back to the control exercise; thus, a ZC (Zero Correspondence) is found. One last note: in comparison of two training strategies, you will commonly find that the effects will only travel on a one-lane highway. That is, an increase in performance on the barbell bench press will automatically warrant an increase in Hammer Strength pressing ability, but the reciprocation of these positive effects is not. The goal is to find double to multiple of these crossover-correspondence effects so that you may constantly reap gains from training (no plateau!). Many of you new to my methods of administration can email me to find the best route for you, and learn more about CC effects pertinent to you and your training goals (
[email protected]). You probably wonder if I even remember why I set out on this article-writing escapade to begin with since I may seem to be about a hemisphere off course; but don’t worry, we have finally reached our first destination. Olympic lifts will do absolutely squat to raise performance in a large multitude of sports, if they are fully relied on to do so. This isn’t stating that it is best to couple Olympic lifts with more functional inclined movements, whatsoever. I am clearly stating that if a modality, movement, or method of training does not enhance the sport movement all by itself (i.e. without the help of other training modes) then it is completely useless at this point in time in the trainees career. The last part of that sentence is critical; don’t make the mistake of being too quick to dump something because it didn’t work at a specific moment because it may very well be the tool that will get you past the bigger obstacle in the near future. Now, we are at a crossroads of such, it may seem. You are probably now wondering how I can be so certain that Olympic movements are inappropriate for the majority of sports training purposes if I also advocate keeping as many training management tools in your shed as possible. First off, it takes way too long to learn how to perform the movements properly. This should wave red flags everywhere, in terms of correspondence carryovers, and that should be enough to keep you from administering such work. Remember, there would not have to be such a drastic learning phase if there is a Correspondence to the training movement and the end product in the first place. If your are still unsure what I mean, train exclusively on Olympic lifts and a rotation of their variants for a few months and see where that leaves your sporting growth. Like I said before, Zero-Correspondence is a terrible thing to be involved in, for much more than just the lack of performance growth, too- injuries come to mind as another. There are two main reasons why Olympic lifting athletes are prone to such a high risk of injury. Number 1: they are neglecting to pay attention to Neuro-Dynamic (ND) details; such as the character of tension-onset, the proportionate growth of friction and elastic elements, etc. Number 2: even if proper management and application is given to ND, there is still poor supervision leading to poor technique. Spinal stabilization and postural demand, coordination of ND elements, proper joint configuration and/or warm-up to absorb the imposing forces upon the catch phase of the movement are all common injury driving perpetuates. There is a lot of talk about sporting results that stem from Olympic training. Vertical jump is a big reason for implementing this training structure but it always falls short. As you will see, the amazing-ness of training effects is relative. Some consider 6 inches to be tremendous improvement in vertical jump; others, like my athletes, know that anything less than 18% improvement in a days work is sub-par. To us, that is the standard from which successful means
may be compared; amazing is anything over 23% in five minutes. This will never be experienced in Olympic training. Furthermore, it is never appropriate to substantiate one’s claim of results with an athlete of pre-standing development. This is why I commonly refer to percent-return over current state of development- it is more accurate towards the precise magnitude of growth that an athlete found. Otherwise it comes down to an argument over the chicken versus the egg; not to mention that it is more respectful to raise someone’s forty-yard dash time 1.50 seconds than 0.15 seconds, even if the latter athlete ends-up being faster than the first in absolute terms. Rate and magnitude of improvement are commonly run-from when most coach’s talk about results, and for this precise reason of it being easier to brag about a Gold Medal instead. Look out for the results that Charlie Francis is able to produce with Marion Jones. We already know that she is fast; that is fact, what we don’t know is the margin of improvement that he and she will produce, together. This is in no way a shot at either one of them, it is just a way for me to establish my point. Anyone can market a great athlete into his or her gym, but the training process was only successful if a large return is found- and this goes for any athlete at any level. I should also note that Charlie usually has enough tact to sway from name throwing- and his and Marion’s relationship is evident of this.
Clearing the Confusion I know that many rest the direction of their results in the dictating-hands of finding that special exercise. The thought is that if you are weak in a movement than you should assume that it is holding your performance back in other movements. I see it much differently, and the power of perception is critical for performance gains. An athlete that is relatively slow on a high speed treadmill, compared to his counterparts, should not assume that he needs to train on such a device to raise his ground speed. In fact, many athletes will find that this translation will actually hurt (decrease) their ground speed. This isn’t a blanket expression, either. It actually is all governed by a simple principle that involves taking a deeper look at the situation. The real question that should be asked is, “Why are you performing poorly under those conditions?” Just as a runner can rely on frictional dominate speed, others can rely on elastic dominant. Sure one is preferred over the other given specific conditions. This is why coaches and athletes should take on a more balanced approach of effects-manipulation, living in the gray area (programmed appropriately between the absolutes for your concerns), versus striving for absolutes, black versus white. It is more appropriate to state, “Barbell Squats helped “X” athlete jump higher BECAUSE he was lacking frictional transference of results based upon ND findings THAN Barbell squats are the cure to all athletic needs. This may also be a projection; “Y” athlete needs to engage in AN-1 Frictional Dominant movements under FatigueToleration conditions because (plausible explanation based on training/experimentation findings, individual specific).” Otherwise, you will always be confused as to why “A” athlete increased strength when “B” athlete decreased strength on the same system; it must be Neuro-Dynamically specific to the athlete, based on THEIR demands/deficiencies, not just the quantitative analysis of a movement in an end unto itself. Let’s say it DID work, if you don’t know WHY than you have really gained NOTHING for the FUTURE! If you spin, you will fall! So, locate the underlying deficiency (Neuro-Dynamic Efficiency) and you will be able to perpetuate growth much further into your future sporting endeavors. It is like cooking; you can keep mixing ingredients together and sometimes you will hit and sometimes you will miss, but the goal in training is to know why you hit or miss- this is how you produce long-standing results. Anyone can get it right some of the time, but in today’s fierce competitions, and especially if you entered this world with inferior athletic traits, you must eliminate future errors early on in your training career. This is done via specific ND deficiency location. Trust me on this one, any
drunken Scottish chap in a kilt can dance the jig, but not all of them even know where to start when their sober. Want more power? Available Anecdote: Auxometronics (AMT) Training for Lower Body Power The Five Minute Vertical Jump Solution One must first understand what a house is made of before he/she can build one. Olympic lifting stresses the elastic elements of the motor complex (tendons, fascia, etc). There is need for frictional (cross-bridge elements) development to aid in acceleration, as well as absorption upon transition. The critical stage, reason for positive training effects, is strongly dependant upon the character of force realized proximal the catch phase of the movements. This phase makes the movements elastic-dominant, as well as clarifies purpose for administration. Be warned: there are superior means to develop elastic dominant movement, especially under power-product movements of brief duration- as Olympic lifts are defined. AMT is one such available method. The power enhancement received from the specialized AMT application outlined below may extend to advance much more development than just jumping ability, too (track starts; squat poundage; etc). Auxometronics is a method that I established out of necessity to expedite lower body power development. The pre-requisite for administering such an application is primarily frictional strength, so as to prevent injury, but it is also crucial to have moderate- to high- pre-elastic development. The athlete must also master force absorption criteria before experimenting with such application; including proper NDE conditioning. (Contact me for more information!) The application of AMT that I will cover in this article is an extension of a reactive-jump; in which I feel most trainees are familiar with already. The spin involves attaching band/spring resistance, which is less than 53%(at full extension) of your bodyweight. The athlete should attach these bands to a weightlifting belt around his/her waist, whilst standing on a box that is 100-120% of their maximal vertical jump (basing this judgment off of reactive jump height, electronically measured, but this is not absolutely necessary). The loose ends of the bands are anchored by a foot of each of the two coaches- pulled out and away from the box at a length equal the tension needed. At this point, an Over Speed plyometric/Reactive (OSP) method is coupled with a Contrast Method (CM) to produce an alarming effect. The CM is achieved when the coach’s release the bands from underneath their feet just as the athlete makes ground contact. This happens very fast, since the athlete rapidly reverses moment force and propels himself upwards, as high as possible, into a vertical jump- ground contact should be as rapid as possible (anything exceeding 0.33 seconds on the first session warrants the cessation of the application for the day). The observation/testing may be done on a reactive pad that is capable of electronically measuring jump height, or by a simple belt-tape vertical jump device that anchors the measuring tape/rope through and instrument on the floor. The vertical jump capacity of the athlete should be tested prior to engaging in AMT application, and then every third to fifth jump there after (with rest intervals between jumps being open-ended- for the athlete to decide- but there is a mandatory 4 minute rest interval between AMT and control jump scores). This procedure should be repeated until the desired fatigue (%) is found in commensuration with the athlete’s frequency scale. AMT work should precede all other work for the day; the athlete must be fresh and be in a state of pre-elastic conditioning (associating warm-up).
The Proof is always in the Pudding (rapidity of results) The proof is always in the pudding, and the rapidity of return is always associated with reliability of the recipe! Athletes of any qualification will see a return of at least 18% in their first run with AMT work for vertical jump enhancement. If they do not, it was due to poor administration or failure to meet the list of pre-requisites. This method has also been used, in conjunction with other methods, to produce hundreds of pounds of improvements in squat poundages with dozens of advanced athletes (I am talking 635 lb raw squat to 855 lbs raw in under 60 days! (Only 5 sessions!)). The reasons for this devastating return in performance are fruitful. However, instead of throwing superfluous science your way, I will opt to explain it in terms that we can all understand. Virtually anyone that was taken from this earth and placed on the moon could jump clear over an 18-wheel truck. The reason that we can achieve this is not completely applicable to earth since it is the same reason why we stay afloat- gravity (manipulations in gravitational forces). However, the speed of the bands create an augmented intra-neural-perception of the gravitational forces, the required response necessary to support and overcome this action upon ground contact, so a heightened arousal is found. The release of the bands at contact is critical since this action won’t remove the intra-sensations that our system has experienced- which is good since output will be appropriate to warrant the results that you are looking for. If the bands weren’t removed as anchored then the training effect would be lost since elastic-driven acceleration will be lost at toeoff, due to the band resistance, and frictional components will be brought in to assist movement. This is not advantageous for those seeking power via elastic function since frictional elements have been found to interfere with movement efficiency when programmed wrongfully, or manipulated in the short-term inappropriately (such as the effect that leaving the bands anchored would produce; i.e. loss in power production). Note: the after effect isn’t present during the repetition in which bands were utilized. In fact, the results are transferred back to free-movement, thus only 3-5 rep groupings, which should be carried out in groupings about half as great as the AMT’s (this could be 3 with AMT followed by 2 with bodyweight). You will also notice that the results will grow rapidly until the drop off margin is found. It is hard to walk away when personal records are getting shattered so fast, sometimes, but that is what coaches are for. And, as expected, the results will be even greater upon returning the next training day- adhering to the frequency scale. We have seen an average 4.5% growthcarryover to the next session from the new personal best, not the previous, that was found from the five minute vertical jump solution (i.e. the results not only stick but are enhanced through the restoration process).
Sizing It Up There is a major difference between the various applications of reactive jumps, and I will address some of those issues now. Before AMT, the athlete manipulated either drop-height or load (ex. athlete wears weight vest). Early findings clearly showed that an increase in drop-height was far superior to an increase in load; and AMT only extends these findings to the next level. The frictional involvement with loaded applications held back full power production as stated earlier; and this is due to the athletes preceding ND strengths, resultant from conventional strength training. Reactive jumps in which height was stressed over load resulted in much greater improvements (percent improvement varied per individual, based upon his/her deficiencies at the time) than loaded jumps. AMT was able to magnify the positive influences of this previous work, with the end product being nothing short of spectacular (I once had one of my high jumpers offer me 20 thousand dollars to keep this training secret discrete- and even though I didn’t take the money, I kept my promise of secrecy for nearly two decades).
Final Thoughts I was fighting off road conditions the other day in my car; one of those hectic rainy days that make driving with a blind-fold seem like child’s play. You know, the only thing that you can see clearly is your own reflection in the rear-view, so you almost always resort to counting nose hairs since you can’t see a damn thing anyways. There was a truck in front of me kicking up a fury of haze that clouded all remaining visibility I had at the time. My windshield wipers gladly added to the chaos, smearing a glazed-soot that covered my front window. I decided that I had two options at this point: press on like a true soldier; or tuck my tail like a wounded puppy and cower on the side of the road. I hastily decided to roll down my driver’s side window and stick my head out like one of those retarded Hollywood types. And that is when it struck me- this is what it must feel like to be stuck with a valiant passion- and glaring deadline- somewhere shy of your ultimate destination. I had already let myself get strapped in line with the rest of the crowd. I already managed to completely ignore the otherwise persisting annoyance of the wipers on my front glass. I deliberately made the decision to let my stubborn side dominate by following on the ass of the truck in front of me-which blurred all clarity of vision that I once had. At some point, I lost complete sense of direction that ended up leaving me miles off course when conditions cleared. Sometimes it is best to step out of line for a second and consider where you are, what you are doing, and where you really are going. Not all the time- it’s not like you will see me doing an infomercial for motivational tapes any time in the near or distant future- but just some of the time. Just pull over, re-evaluate your course, re-consider your plan of action, and then either choose an alternate strategy or get back in line with the rest of them. It’s like this: a bunch of you pretty-boy Americans now have to put the boy band CD’s in the shoe box with the rest of your trendy items that ended up being not as cool as the media made them out to be. Like your box of Billy Banks tapes, Sweatin’ with the Oldies; or, in that other box with your Chia Pet head that looks like Webster when you mature it. Sometimes, I think we can all agree to follow not the path that is tread before us, but make our own path and leave a trail.
Back Your Bench by Dietrich Buchenholz
Is your bench press wrecked? Not stalled or stubborn, but actually wrecked- no matter what you do, it’s stuck? Don’t shy from admitting it, after all, you’re not alone. Okay, so do you have the gonads to admit you’re suffering but do you have enough sack left to do what’s needed? There are an infinite number of reasons why performance stalls, no question about it, so this article is written to instantly gratify you with a few easily implemented yet often neglected cures.
Prime Anatomical Position (PAP) Try bench pressing with your shoulder blades protracted (pulled forward) versus retracted (shoulder blades back and tight). What you find is that the more your shoulders are protracted (pushed forward), the less force you can apply to the bar (pecs and delts taken out of the movement and triceps reliance is engaged). This is due to the fact that if your skeletal system is
in proper alignment, and each limb is associated with the next link in the chain properly, then performance production is promoted. That is, your best results will come from being in your best structural position. Even the slightest error from this “best position”- the PAP- may result in a dramatic halt in performance. Furthermore, each time that you practice via an inferior system construct, you are perpetuating self destruction and you are inhibiting the contractile units to do their job optimally. Over time, your posture and performance will look very poor. Lastly, even the “jungle-gym” trainers out West will want to integrate PAP understanding to their programs since injury avoidance is highly reliant on neglecting undue stress to the contractile units (i.e. decrease risk of tendonitis and muscle tears).
Healing the Hurt It’s getting more and more difficult to have a discussion about the bench press these days without ending up in talks about elbow and shoulder problems. This trend regarding ignorance to prime the system back into proper postural alignment is increasing exponentially. It is just as common to see a guy with bad posture as it is to find an athlete who suffers from chronic shoulder and/or elbow problems. The fact is, and what we have had to learn to drop our injury rate to 0%, you can’t wait to fall out of the ship before you learn how to swim. Fix the problem before it starts, or before it gets severe. You do this, partially, by performing off-set techniques to maintain and/or bring your bone structure back to PAP- once again, allowing your muscular system to function properly. Taking into account the most common training bloopers, the following list of exercises should help most of you “heal and steal”- fix your minor injury and swap a new personal record in the process.
ProSup Extensions The problem with bench pressers, as well as some other athletes, is that they seem to be overly reliant on one grip orientation. This results in certain muscles of the lower and upper arm being developed to a higher degree than their associative muscles, which perpetuates injury and poor performance. For instance, if muscles that turn your hand over and palm-down (“pronaters”) out weigh the development of the opposing muscles which rotate the hand so that the palm is facing up (“supinaters”) then the integrity of your elbow can be compromised. Anyone heard of Tommy John’s surgery? This is may be the culprit for a lot of athletes who have had to go under the knife with that procedure. It should be noted, however, that an injury potential is usually not realized in this regard until your system is pulled out of PAP. For this reason, and others, this movement may just be the savior to your elbow health AND your bench press numbers are likely to jump. Perform this gem by laying face up on a bench with a DB in each hand. Your palms will be facing the direction of your feet- pronated grip- at the top. You will then gradually supinate your wrist orientation as you descend the DB’s. With this fluid rotation and descent, the mid-range position will be achieved when your palms face the floor (your face) as the DB’s float just above your forehead. The concentric portion is a mirror image of the drop, simply pronating your wrist in harmony with the degree to which you ascend- achieving full pronation just as you achieve lock out.
Dip Shrugs Only the best athletes seem to possess good scapular (shoulder blade) control. With that in mind, this exercise will promote PAP achievement, upper lat development, pec development, and even trap development. This specific exercise, however, is implemented to depress the shoulders,
primarily, with conditional cases to better regulate the integration between these involved muscle groups. The execution involves performing an inverse shrug on a parallel dip bar device. The distance between the dip handles should be proximal 32”. Note: your shoulder blades should be back and held static at this relative horizontal position as the vertical movement is carried out. Maintain semi-stiff arms throughout- this is not a full-dip.
Incline Front Raise This movement is designed to promote better posture with the shoulder complex as well as rid and protect you from the slight hunchback syndrome that occurs at the nape of the neck. Essentially, this movement will help to terminate upper back problems and restrictions on performance. Perform a neutral grip (palms facing each other) front raise to full overhead extension (upper arms even with torso). The separation between the two DB’s may be manipulated to better serve your individual purpose. In short, trap- and rhomboid- weak athletes will take a slightly wider separation. Bench angle may also be toyed with to match up with your preferences and needs.
Scapular Pullups This movement will directly and indirectly blast your bench. Indirectly, you will promote a shoulder retracted and depressed position- essentially, making the adjustments needed to achieve your PAP through deficiency training. However, most athletes rave about the direct effect on their bench press. The simple truth is that very few athletes know how to develop their upper lats, except gymnasts. How do gymnasts develop such impressive upper lats? They do a ton of “bar work” in their sport, primarily from a hang position. After all, the only time that the upper lats are brought into play is when the arms are fully- or proximal- extended overhead. For this one, use a palms facing grip and perform a semi-stiff arm pull up. The range of movement will only be about 5-6”, mostly propelled via the depression and rotation of the shoulder blades via the upper lats, primarily. Why the partial movement? Why not perform just full range pull ups or pull downs? The answer is simple: the upper lats can handle significantly more load than the rhomboids can handle at the top range of a pull up, thereby a training effect is not strongly put into effect when a full range movement is used. Once again, gymnasts develop their impressive backs from mostly hanging in this Scapular Pull Up position and through reactive loading of such positions, not from doing conventional style movements. Now the impressive part; the thicker your upper back, the better you are able to use friction between your upper arm and upper lats to lift big weights in the bench press. Moreover, not only does the upper back promote getting out of the hole on its’ own but the friction effect allows athletes to handle greater loads as their leverages decrease (as the bar nears the chest/ upper arm reaches parallel to the floor). The net result is a shorter range of movement to which you actually have to struggle. Results: 5-10% bench press improvements are typical over a few short months.
Supinated Grip Rows
This movement is the perfect reciprocation of a bench press. That is, the action around the elbow and shoulder is virtually the exact opposite of the bench press, which is needed to draw everything back to PAP. Use a supinated grip (palms up) for this movement and row to the naval with the shoulder blades pulled strongly together. As for loading, use a cable apparatus, a barbell with a bent over row, or even a chest supported row device, to name a few. Extended work with this method will help to rid you of elbow and shoulder problems. But, more importantly, you will strengthen your rhomboids to such an extent that your shoulder blades will be pulled into their best position for work in a natural rest, which will result in a shorter bar path during work with the bench press. Test this one out on your own. Lay down in bench press position and play around with different positions of your shoulder blades. Do you notice that when you pull your shoulder blades back that your chest rises to the ceiling, thus creating a shorter distance between lockout and your chest? You should, as this is part of the purpose beyond performing this movement.
Wrap Up There are already too many training movements in existence, and this isn’t what we need. What we need is better modalities and methods, primarily, with a great way to manage this work. Therefore, my purpose is not to add coal to the fire but to simply give you a few purposeful and practical exercises that can be integrated into your program with relative ease. These are not exotic exercises that you are likely to try once and then discard. Rather, these exercises are critically important for many athletes involved in many sports and you will surely note the benefit as you apply them. In fact, you might just discard some of your old movements along the way.
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH
Bench "Strain"
Bench "Spring"
PIM Bench
Isometric Bench
Iso-Miometric Bench
Isometric Oly-Dead
Miometric Glut-Ham
Miometric Bench
MIO Bench-Curl
MIO Choke-Press
MIO Oly-Dead
OLP Bench Press
OLP Squat
PIM Pull-up
PLIO Bench
PLIO Glut-Ham
PLIO Single-Leg GH PLIO Sternum Chin-up
STRENGTH ENDURANCE
MIO Bench
Manual-OI GH
OI Split Squat
MIO Glut-Ham
OI Cambered Bench
MIO Choke Press
PIM Bench
Forward H-T BB Walk
H-Ad Squat
IPM Curls
ISO CL HF Squats
ISO Bench
ISO Oly-Dead
ISO-PIM-Alt Front Raise
ISO-PIM BB Raise
PIM Lateral BB Walks
MIO Oly-Dead
OI SL RBR
OI CL Abs
OI Elbow Extensions
OI HF Abs
OI HF Squat
OI Off-Set Abs
PIM Pro-Sup Ext's
MIO Bench-Curl STRENGTH SPEED
OSP-R RBR
Overspeed REA Squats
Iso-Mio Squat Jumps
FDA Beta-Snatch
FDA Upright-Shrug
REA SS Cycles
OSP-R Squat
Power-PIM Bench
Power-PIM Squat
REA Staggered RDL's
REA Squats
SPEED STRENGTH
Weighted Single Leg Sprints
Iso-Vibro Squats
Weighted PF Jumps
RA SL Jump
Weighted Prime Times
ADA PF Landings
RFI SL Linear
ADA Lateral SS
OSP-ADA Drop
LJ Barrier Jump
LJ Landing Drill
SL Speed Jump
Bounding Drill
Fly-in Sprint
Fly-in Sprint B
ADA Forward CSS
ADA Lateral 180
ADA Lateral Full CSS
ADA Lateral SS
ADA Tension-Drop
AMT Jumps
AMT Jumps B
RA Bench
Block 30m
OSP BB Throw B
OSP BB Throw
Pass Coverage
PIM BB Swing
RA BB Swing B
PIM Bench
RA Backwards SJ
RA Drop-Sprint
RA Dynamic Balance
RA SS Barrier Leap
RA Forward SJ
RA Lateral BL
RA SS Jump-Sprint
RA Lateral SS PF
RA SS Barrier 180
RA Lateral SJ
RA Lateral SS
Sprint Sample
RA Sprint Start
RA Pullover-Extension
RA SL Bounds
RA SS 180
RA Rear-Step TS
RA VJ to ADA SS
REA Elbow Extensions
REA Glut-Ham
REA Bench
RFI Front Raise
RFI H-Ab Jumps
RFI Lateral Jump
RFI Low-Squat Lateral
RFI LS Four-Square
RFI SL Diagonal
RFI SL Speed-Jumps
RFI SL Lateral
RA Sled Sprint
Vertical Jump
Torsion Samples
VJ to ADA SS
SPEED ENDURANCE
Barbell Skips
RFI Squat Sprints
REA Glut-Ham
RFI Lateral Jumps
RFI Lateral Barrier
RFI Quadrant Jumps
PIM Bench
REA Bench
REA Elbow Extensions
RFI LS Four-Square
RFI LS Lateral
RFI SL Diagonal
RFI SL Lateral
RFI SL Linear
RFI Front Raise
RFI Hip-Ab Jumps
RFI Hip-Ad Jumps
RFI Lateral Barrier
RFI Forward Speed RESTORATIVE WARM UP
Reaction Ball Drill
SL PushBacks
SL Start Jumps
CSS Linear
Extension-Jump Pattern
HF Manual Jumps
Ad/Ab Hip Swings
Ankle Stability Cycle
Around-the-Worlds
Band Elbow Extensions
Band Elbow Flexions
Band Good-Mornings
Band Reverse-Flyes Band Shoulder Raise
Empty Cans
Figure-Four Extensions
Flex/Ext Hip Swings
Hip-Torso Rotations
Over-Unders
Scorpions
Roll-Ups
Sprinters
Stab-Ball Squats
Tri-Planar Protractions
Tri-Planar Retractions
Band Pulls
Wood Choppers
