This is taken from Stuart McGill’s book “Ultimate Back and
Fitness and Performance”. I am referencing the points he made and applying them
to the sport of Powerlifting. Work Mr McGill used was by Siff (2002), Yessis
(1987) and Matveyev (1981).
The 8 Principles
1/ The Principle of
Awareness: The athlete must complete
formal education to understand their own mind and body from several
perspectives. These include basic function of the organ system, physiology, biomechanics,
psychology etc all of which the athlete utilizes in an attempt to optimally
control and gauge work.
So applying this to Powerlifting is really easy. Look at the
human body understand what it does through anatomy/physiology textbooks then
look at what movements Powerlifters do. From looking at the movements read up
on human biomechanics/motor patterns. Once there is some form of education then
athletes can look at periodization/specific training programmes for their
sport. This added knowledge will greatly improve your own understanding of
training and performance goals.
I am not expecting people to go and start doing a degree you
can find this information in your local library or on the internet. When been
prescribed a training programme with sets/reps/rest
periods/tempo/volume/intensities etc question your coach/coaches. Understand
why you are doing this, if you know why it makes you a better lifter you’re
your lifting experience will be more enjoyable
2/ The Principle of
All Round Development: Effort is
directed towards developing a wide variety of qualities including physical
strength, speed, coordination, and endurance together with will-power, mental
toughness, group influence and exemplary moral conduct – to name a few.
For Powerlifting we can’t just focus on 1RM all the time we
need to focus on other components of fitness. We have to look at
flexibility/mobility to a degree not be hypermobile/hyper flexible as they
aren’t the priority. We need to have enough range to reach the movement requirements
for the lifts but any more range can be questioned “do we really need to be
spending this amount of time doing stretching where I can spend more time
working on XY or Z?”
The 4 main qualities for any all-round strength athlete said
by Chad Smith of Juggernaut training Systems;
Maximal Strength: One rep maximum (one repetition maximum
or 1RM) in weight training is the maximum amount of force that can be
generated in one maximal contraction
Explosive Strength: is
characterizes by the athlete’s ability to display powerful efforts in the
shortest amount of time. Explosive strength is determined by the relation of
Fmax / tmax. (Defined by Professor Yuri Verkhoshansky)
Work Capacity: the general ability of the body as a machine to produce
work of different intensity and duration using the appropriate energy systems
of the body. (Defined by Mel Siff)
Special Strength: This is a lengthy one to explain;
Special
strength does not always mean transfer.
Special strength exercises are just a tool to increase performance. The theory
is that the more specific the exercises, the more than gains in them will
transfer to your sport. In most cases this is true. But in some cases it is
not. Beginners, for example, can get great transfer from more general exercises.
The more varied or basic the movements in the sport, the more this can also be
the case. And even putting the same exercise in various programs can create
different results. Using special strength exercises optimally in a
well-designed training plan will create the most transfer. This was written by Martin
Bingisser of Juggernaut Training System’s.
(video and article linked in references)
These 4 qualities what Powerlifters should be aiming to train
as they will help get the most bang for your buck so to speak. It will give you
your biggest return.
3/ The Principle of
Consecutiveness: This principle is
operationalized at two levels. The first recognizes the systematic increments
in challenge (of all variables noted in the previous principle) as the training
program progresses. The second level recognizes the pacing within a training
session to ramp up intensity and correspondingly ramp down intensity at the
conclusion.
Certainly
these qualitative descriptions are supported by science, showing the beneficial
biomechanical consequences of this regimen. In addition, injury prevention
approaches utilize this principle to reduce tissue stress. During static
postures, tissues at the joint interface accumulate micro deformations. A well
designed warm up slowly introduces motion as these tissues regain their
“normal” confirmation, preventing destructive stress concentrations.
1st Level: Simple translation it is about
understanding and recognising the progressive overload through these small
increments (these “overloads” are of the previous principles).
2nd Level: Is do with pacing yourself through a
session. Rather slow down a warm up and a session than speed it up as from
experience rushing any exercise results in injury. Take many warm up sets you
feel you need to for the squat, bench or deadlift.
4/ The Principle of
Repetition: This is based on Pavlov’s
three stage theory for development of conditioned reflexes. The first stage
requires the athlete to understand what must be learned; the athlete directs
full concentration on the repeated performance, perfecting the motor and skill
ability. The final stage is characterized by the athlete no longer needing to
concentrate on the task since the task is automatic. Perfect practice technique
together with repletion, rest and recovery are vital for optimizing this
principle.
Practicing makes you better only if what you are practicing is
what you are required to do.
Relating back to the earlier principles athletes have to
understand what they must do to improve. Learn new training
methods/cues/training styles etc to push their performance. Once they have been
educated and understand what they need to do they will do the necessary
movements/work to develop a particular movement or skill. This can be a CNS
adaption (3 weeks) or a muscular adaption (6 weeks or more). Once the task has
been done for a long period of time it becomes automatic. Elite Powerlifters
are not focusing on the skill of the squat they are focusing on recovery,
training knowledge as they know everything about the movement.
5/ The Principle of
Visualisation: The athlete must be
able to visualise the movement at many levels. They must be familiar with
kinematic patterns at different joints, in motor patterns in different areas in
the body. One technique that we employ to optimize this principle is to have
the athlete draw the motion and motor patterns of the task following his/her
analysis of the components. This obviously is an academic session away from the
competition arena. We are often made aware of major misperceptions or
misunderstandings on the part of the athlete through this principle. It can be
extremely valuable for progressing to optimal performance.
Powerlifters can do this by drawing out their movements for
each lift (squat bench and deadlift) either on a blank sheet of paper of
writing out the movement as a form of text. This can be used a mental imagery
cue before they go and lift.
e.g. Squatting
Hands close squeeze upper back together into the bar
The weight is light and part of me
Set feet for unracking brace core/expand it into the belt
The weight is light I have lifted this in training
And so on until you get to the point where you have completed
the lift.
6/ The Principle of
Specialization: Two levels of
specialized training are recognised as vital. The first is usually well
incorporated in various specificity training principles of the physical
variables, while the second is not as well recognized and practiced – namely
the practice of elements that are experienced only in competition. This may
include distractions of audiences or other athletes, or challenges from
unpredicted weather for example.
Specificity of training we all know, to train for
powerlifting you must train like a powerlifter and not an Olympic weightlifter.
But how specific should one go? Should we try to replicate
the competition as much a possible? I think so. We should try and recreate
“mini comps” in training cycles to reinforce what you will experience an
actually meet. Such as timed warm ups, more people watching you train. This can
also bring in an effect known as the “Hawthorn Effect” where ones performance
will improve when significant others are watching.
7/ The Principle of
Individualisation: Every athlete is
an individual from many perspectives. This implies that no single training
regimen will suit all in a sport or all members of a particular team.
This is stating that no two people will have the same
physioligcal and psychological response to the same exercise intervention.
e.g. if myself and someone whom was of the same family/same
age/same gender/same height, weight/strength etc and we ran the same programme
such as 5/3/1, Cube, Starting Strength, Texas, Westside whatever.
We would get different results as everyone’s body will
respond differently to stress.
8/ The Principle of
Structured Training: This principle
operates at two levels. The first level pertains to the design of a single
workout. The session typically begins with a warm up with specific effort
directed to tissue joint and physiological systems warm-up and for creating conditions
for skill learning. The main component of the workout typically begins with
activity to perfect technical and tactical skill, and then progresses to speed
and agility training, then to strength training, and finally to endurance
training. This is followed by a concluding phase to enhance eventual recovery
and enhance retention of motor skills.
The second
level of this principle deals once again with progression from one session to
the next. Athletes cannot maintain peak performance levels. If they truly peak,
they will breakdown the person. Periodization consists of planned cycles of
training that may incorporate many mini-cycles within the larger cycles.
Obviously, this varies widely between sports and events.
We can look at these 2 levels for structured training in the
following ways;
Training Session: What you are
training on the day. Today’s training is quads and glutes orientated and will
cover back squats, front squats, GHR etc.
Microcycle: A microcycle is typically a week because of the difficulty in
developing a training plan that does not align itself with the weekly calendar.
Each microcycle is planned based on where it is in the overall macrocycle.
A micro-cycle is also
defined as a number of training sessions, built around a given combination of
acute program variables, which include progression as well as alternating
effort (heavy vs. light days)..
Mesocycle: A
mesocycle represents a phase of training with a duration of between 2 – 6 weeks
or microcycles, but this can depend on the sporting discipline. A mesocycle can
also be defined as a number of continuous weeks where the training program
emphasize the same type of physical adaptations, for example muscle mass and
anaerobic capacity. The goal of the planner is to fit the mesocycles into the
overall plan timeline-wise to make each mesocycle end on one of the phases and
then to determine the workload and type of work of each cycle based on where in
the overall plan the given mesocycle falls.
Macrocycle: A macrocycle
refers to an annual plan that works towards peaking for the goal competition of
the year. There are three phases in the macrocycle: preparation, competitive,
and transition.
- Preparatory
Phase: This phase consists of the general preparation and specific preparation.
Usually the general preparation is the longer of the two phases. And the
specific preparation is the shortest.
- Competitive
Phase: This phase may contain a few main competitions each containing a
pre-competitive and a main competition. Within the main competition, an
uploading phase and a special preparatory phase may be included.
- Transition
Phase: This phase is used to facilitate psychological rest, relaxation and
biological regeneration as well as to maintain an acceptable level of general
physical preparation. This phase lasts between 3 – 4 weeks (maybe longer) but
should not exceed 5 weeks under normal conditions and may be sports specific.
It allows the body to fully regenerate so that it is prepared for the next
discipline.
I hope you enjoyed reading this please like my Facebook Page
Linked here for more training articles, videos and sports science material ; https://www.facebook.com/AndrewRichardsonPowerlifter
References
Mcgill, S. (2009). “Ultimate
Back and Fitness and Performance”. 4th Edition. Wabuno,
Backfitpro Inc.
Marchese, R; Hill, A. (2011). "The essential guide to fitness: for
the fitness instructor". Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. p. 135.
Matveyev, L., (1981) Fundamentals of Sports Training,
Progress Publ. Moscow (English)
Siff, M., (2002) Supertaining, 6th editon,
Supertraining Institute, Denver.
Yessis, M., (1987) Secrets of Soviet Sports Fitness and
Training, Arbor House.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my2d72OlaAU&list=UUxEV58PJpZhoYN3L35_48Pg
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
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Snapchat: @andypowerlifter
Email: a.s.richardson@tees.ac.uk
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-b0039278
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