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| Scott practising the Hammer Throw |
I have been asked to write an article by my good friend
Andrew Richardson for his blog. The subject to show the differences between how
I trained when I was a Great Britain International hammer thrower, and how I
train now as a powerlifter.
A bit of background first. I represented Great Britain at
hammer throwing when I was 18. I was training 6 times per week, how that was
comprised varied depending upon the time of year and whether we were peaking
for a major championship or not. I was regarded as very strong amongst hammer
throwers of my age and size. In the gym my 1RM’s were as follows.
Squat 280kg/Deadlift 280kg/Snatch 125kg/Clean and Jerk 145kg
at a bodyweight of 95kg.
Outside of the gym other notable statistics were.
30m sprint 3.79seconds/standing longjump 2.95m/Overhead Shot
putt 18.96m
Shot Putt 14.75m/Discus 42.74/Hammer 60.62m
Its fair to say that whilst I train very hard for
powerlifting, training for hammer throwing was much more intense. It was more
all encompassing. Whilst powerlifting is in my opinion the single greatest test
of pure strength, hammer throwing required many different attributes, chiefly,
speed, timing, rhythm, technical ability and power. Anyone who has competed in
or trained for a power based sport will be well aware that one of the basic
principles of increasing power output is to increase base strength. With that
in mind, the weight training we did was a mixture of powerlifting and
weightlifting with a whole host of weird and wonderful assistance lifting
thrown into the mix for event specific strength.
I won’t go into peaking cycles and variations as I would be
here all week. What I will do is present a standard 4 phase cycle that we would
work from and this is what would be adjusted in order to achieve a peak
performance at a given competition. One of the main differences between
powerlifting and athletics is the season. In athletics the season pretty much
lasts 4 to 4 ½ months (Mid April-End August). Powerlifting presents a different
challenge in that competitions are spread throughout the year meaning a number
of peaking cycles would be needed often quite close together.
The other big differences between the training for both
sports are as follows.
Need for Speed. Hammer throwing is a very fast and dynamic
event. The basic laws of physics dictate that the faster your hammer head speed
at the greatest radius will result in the greatest distances thrown. In
powerlifting however, there is no requirement for speed. There are no extra
marks for completing the lift quickly.
Power. To achieve increased speed in the hammer circle you
have to generate more power. As you increase that power output the centripetal
forces on the body increase. To be able to handle these increased forces
requires greater base strength. Ironically powerlifting is curiously misnamed.
Power is not the primary requirement of powerlifting. Gross strength is.
Training variation. I’m a big believer that to get better at
powerlifting, you should powerlift. Yes there will be carry over from other
activity but predominantly a better squat will come from squatting. With hammer
throwing, you will improve simply by throwing as that will improve technique,
timing, rhythm and so on, but that improvement will very quickly reach a
plateau unless you incorporate other training methods.
So what did a standard training year look like in hammer
throwing terms?
When the season finished at the end of August we would have
a month of active rest. This could mean a months of different sports played
recreationally, things like badminton, rugby, squash, swimming etc. Basically
anything that kept the body active but was a complete departure from our
regular training. October heralded the start of winter training. The first 2
months revolved largely around basic conditioning work. A typical week would
look something like this
Monday/Wednesday/
Weights All at 60-70%1RM 5x8
Squat/Snatch/C&J/Deadlift/Military
Press/Squat Stepup
Tuesday/Thursday
Circuits 30 seconds per station,
15 stations x5 completed circuits
Pressup/Situp/Shuttle
run/Bench straddle jumps/Burpees/Back Hyperextension/leg raises/Russian
twist/high box jumps/Med ball overhead throws/med ball football throws/med ball
hammer deliveries/med ball discus/med ball push pass/bear walks
Friday Rest
Saturday Throwing
drills and track work (200m at 70% speed x 10 with walk back recovery x3 sets)
Sunday Throwing up to
50 throws with standard weight hammer.
At the beginning of December we would move into a gross
strength phase. Circuits were ditched from training. They were replaced with
lots of throwing heavy implements. Throwing sessions comprised of throwing
overweight hammers. Typically training would look like this.
Monday Weights 5x3@90%1RM
Squat/Snatch/C&J/Deadlift/Military
Press
Tuesday/Thursday
Heavy Implement Throws All x20
56lb for height/56lb
for distance/56lb hammer deliveries to each side
Wednesday Weights 10x1@95%1RM
Squat/Snatch/C&J/Deadlift/Military
Press
Friday Rest
Saturday Throwing
Drills
Sunday Heavy
Implement Throws (9kg and 10kg Hammers)
This phase lasted until the end of January, before moving
into a power phase which would take us up to the end of March. For power
acquisition sprints and plyometric exercises were introduced, hammer throwing
sessions returned to standard weight implements (7.26kg Hammer) and one session
of weights was reduced in intensity. It would generally comprise the following.
Monday Weights 3x5@80%1RM
Squat/Snatch/Powercleans/Deadlift/Jump
Squat
Tuesday Plyometrics
3ft Hurdle bounds (3
hurdles)/Standing Longjump 3x6/Standing triple jump 3x6/30m sprints (walkback
recovery) 3x6
Wednesday Weights 5x3@90%1RM
Squat/Snatch/C&J/Deadlift/Military
Press
Thursday Plyometrics
High Hurdle Bound
3’6” x20 singles/Depth Jumps x20 singles/30m sprints/Med Ball catchpass (start
the action of throwing back with a chest push as you catch it from being thrown
at you) 3x10/Med ball twisting catchpass 3x10
Friday Rest
Saturday/Sunday
Throwing x40 throws standard implement.
In the middle and end of this phase we would complete a test
quadrathlon. This is a simple test of power output. It involves four events
(30m sprint/Standing Longjump/Standing 3long jumps/overhead shot putt)
standardised score sheets were used and your performance in each discipline was
recorded for each of 3 attempts and the best effort converted into a points
score. This gave an easy reference point to see how you were improving in terms
of power output. There were ranking lists of athletes from all events in
Britain and it was interesting to note that throwing athletes were often the
highest performing in this test.
With the first competitions of the season now rapidly
approaching we would introduce a speed phase. This would last up to a month. It
was fundamentally aimed at sharpening up and improving timing at higher
rotational speeds. Weights remained at 2 sessions per week but reverted to
lighter loads and moderate reps with the emphasis on performing each repetition
as fast as possible. Plyometrics and sprints were retained and underweight
hammers were incorporated into throwing sessions. Standard weight hammers were
also used but the light implements started and finished each session. It would
look like this.
Monday/Wednesday Weights 5x5@75-80%
Squat/Snatch/Powerclean/Deadlift/High
Pulls
Tuesday Plyometrics
3ft Hurdle bounds (3
hurdles)x5/Standing Longjump 3x3/Standing triple jump 3x3/30m sprints (walkback
recovery) 3x5
Thursday Plyometrics
High Hurdle Bound
3’6” x10 singles/Depth Jumps x10 singles/30m sprints 3x5/Med Ball catchpass 3x5/Med
ball twisting catchpass 3x5
Friday Rest
Saturday Throwing x10@5kg Hammer x20 7.26kg Hammer x10
5kg Hammer
Sunday Throwing x10@4kg Hammer x20@7.26kg Hammer x10@5kg Hammer
Following this phase we would move into a maintenance phase.
Sessions dropped to 5x per week or 4 if I was competing on a weekend. The
competition being regarded as the 5th session. Maintenance largely
reverted back to the power phase. The only difference being one of the
plyometrics sessions was dropped in favour of a further throwing session but
30metre sprints and 10metre sprint starts would complete that throwing session.
On approach to a major competition of which there were really maybe 2 in a
season. We would incorporate some more speed work in the two weeks leading up
to it. This would carry on through to the end of the season and once more break
during September for active rest.
There were a number of variations within the training I have
outlined above, things such as circuit training sessions could be mixed up to
include less stations but performed in given rep ranges. Its worth mentioning
that crossfitters will be familiar with the rep range 21/15/9. Not wanting to
upset anyone but this is not a new invention. We regularly performed this rep
range as far back as 1989.
When it comes to powerlifting, I have to be completely
honest and say that I incorporate no speed specific work in my programmes. I
see no real need for it. Instead I work on performing each lift at the same
speed, whether it is higher volume conditioning work or higher intensity
strength acquisition training. It is my belief that performing every lift at
the same tempo has greater relevance. I feel that the body responds better to
maintaining that one familiar aspect of the lift when the weight being lifted
is variable.
2 years ago when I started my powerlifting journey I tested
my 1RM’s and they were frankly pitiful (when considering what I had lifted in
my youth). Squat 150kg, bench press 90kg and Deadlift 170kg at a bodyweight of
119kg. I hadn’t set foot in a weights room for almost 18 years so I really
shouldn’t have been surprised by this but I was. My first programme was to
embark on a basic 5x5 linear progression programme. This worked very well and 6
months later my 1RM’s stood at Squat 215kg Bench Press 130kg and Deadlift 235kg
(a bit more respectable). I then tried a number of programmes such as The Cube,
5,3,1 etc. These had very little impact on my 1RM’s and whilst squat and bench
press were ticking over I tried out Smolov Jr for deadlifts. I was advised this
was not a particularly smart idea for deadlifts but being the stubborn sort I
went ahead. 3 weeks later, 717 reps and 115,000kgs total load lifted I was a
broken man. I needed 2 weeks rest to recover but my Deadlift 1RM had increased
to 275kg a frankly ridiculous increase. Following this I suffered a
degenerative shoulder problem that required surgery. This sidelined me for 6
months in total. I was able to get back in the gym and really only Deadlift.
Decreased shoulder mobility hampered getting under the bar on squat and atrophy
of my shoulder meant bench press was back to 60kg. As a result of this I
elected to concentrate on Deadlift and competing in Deadlift only competitions
within the WDFPF. Earlier this month I won the WDFPF world singlelifts world
championships for Deadlift in the M1 145kg Class with a world record lift of
280kg. I have now started to concentrate on full power. I firmly believe my
neglect of squats has slowed my progress on Deadlift. My bench is back up to
120kg squat stands at 200kg and Deadlift 280kg as stated.
One of the main problems I have had slowing my progression
is the fact that since getting back to training following my surgery I have had
to run peaking cycles repeatedly as there has not been enough time in between
competitions to schedule any other type of cycle and expect to perform well in
competition. Now that World champs has passes I have a good amount of time to
build some good strength gains before my next peaking cycle. I have elected to
break this up into 2 phases. A base or conditioning phase lasting 4 weeks
followed by a strength acquisition phase of 8 weeks. Following this I will then
go into a 7 week peaking cycle up to YNE Masters in November. I have outlined
these phases below.
Base/Conditioning
Main
lifts all 5x8@65%1RM Assistance 5x8 (failure would occur on 9th rep)
Monday Squat and assistance
Tuesday Bench and assistance
Wednesday Assistance work (Kettlebell complex and HIIT)
Thursday Bench and Assistance (this bench session is
ultrahigh volume 100 reps at a given weight in as few sets as possible).
Friday Deadlift and assistance
Saturday/Sunday Rest
One thing I’ve become acutely aware of in the 2 years since
starting powerlifting is how much recovery I need between different types of
session. I can only squat and Deadlift once a week each, bench however I can do
twice a week and still make progress. Regarding assistance lifts, I concentrate
on exercises relevant to the main lift of that particular session. I will
typically include 6 assistance lifts per session and always finish a session
with a core based movement.
Once the base phase is complete I move into the strength
acquisition phase. This will last 8 weeks and as it progresses, reps drop as
percentages increase but number of sets remains unchanged, The layout will
remain the same with squats, bench and Deadlift on the same days as the base
phase. Assistance lifts will remain the same and always working to failure on
the plus1 rep, so it will look like this.
Week 1 Main
Lifts 5x5@80% Assistance 6x6
Week 2 Main
lifts 5x5@80% Assistance 6x6
Week 3 Main
lifts 5x5@85% Assistance 6x6
Week 4 Main
lifts 5x5@85% Assistance 6x6
Week 5 Main
lifts 5x3@90% Assistance 6x6
Week 6 Main
lifts 5x3@90% Assistance 6x6
Week 7 Main
lifts 5x2@95% Assistance 6x6
Week 8 Main
lifts 5x2@95% Assistance 6x6
Following this I will be lifting at the European single
lifts championship in Italy. This gives a nice deload following this phase
before I move into a pure peaking cycle. The peaking cycle starts with
relatively low loads and moderate volume but ramps up as the competition
approaches so by the final week I will be working up to one set of a heavy
double on each lift.
As I mentioned at the beginning. The type of training I
undertook for athletics was in my view much more intense, but then I feel it
had to be given all of the elements that were required to be brought together
for optimum performance. Whereas today I train powerlifting purely for
powerlifting, as a hammer thrower, powerlifting was a small but vitally
important aspect of a broader training system. Its interesting to note that
with the exception of Deadlift, my strength levels today haven’t yet approached
the levels I was at back then (bench press doesn’t count as we never trained
it). But I have to accept Iam older and cannot train the same way and expect to
recover.
I know a number of lifters who incorporate speed training
into their schedules, and this can be beneficial in some cases. Possibly to
help break through a plateau by increasing speed in a given part of a lift
meaning you are past a sticking point before it sticks. I reserve judgement on
that, however I will say that introducing speed and power based training into a
powerlifting programme would not in my view be detrimental in any way. I can
only comment on my own experience and it doesn’t benefit my lifts to the same
extent as consistent tempo at any load does.
So to summarise, both methods of training would appear to be
equally effective in gaining gross strength if you can gloss over the obvious
age difference between times each system was employed. Other factors that must
be considered are physical condition. I was all round much fitter and capable
of undertaking a wider variety of sports with ease during my athletics days. I
played rugby to a good standard, cricket, Brazilian jiu jitsu among others.
Nowadays my training being very powerlifting specific means I am much less
dynamic and would fair much worse if I was to attempt the sports I have just
mentioned. It is my assertion that the development of power and speed will
enable someone to be more effective at a range of sports/activities but not
necessarily powerlifting specifically. However, one of the great benefits of
powerlifting is the acquisition of gross strength, it is much easier to build
up a level of power when you have a developed strength base than it is when you
are weak. So it’s reasonable to assume that if I was to alter my training to
include more dynamic movements and speed phases my power output would increase
fairly rapidly.
Scott Thompson
Thank you Scott for an enjoyable read
Andrew Richardson, Founder of Strength is Never a Weakness Blog
I have a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science and a Merit in my MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and I passed my PGCE at Teesside University.
Now I will be commencing my PhD into "Investigating Sedentary Lifestyles of the Tees Valley" this October 2019.
I am employed by Teesside University Sport and WellBeing Department as a PT/Fitness Instructor.
My long term goal is to become a Sport Science and/or Sport and Exercise Lecturer. I am also keen to contribute to academia via continued research in a quest for new knowledge.
My most recent publications:
My passion is for Sport Science which has led to additional interests incorporating Sports Psychology, Body Dysmorphia, AAS, Doping and Strength and Conditioning.
Within these respective fields, I have a passion for Strength Training, Fitness Testing, Periodisation and Tapering.
I write for numerous websites across the UK and Ireland including my own blog Strength is Never a Weakness.
I had my own business for providing training plans for teams and athletes.
I was one of the Irish National Coaches for Powerlifting, and have attained two 3rd places at the first World University Championships,
in Belarus in July 2016.Feel free to email me or call me as I am always looking for the next challenge.
Contact details below;
Facebook: Andrew Richardson (search for)
Facebook Page: @StrengthisNeveraWeakness
Twitter: @arichie17
Instagram: @arichiepowerlifting
Snapchat: @andypowerlifter
Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew_Richardson7
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