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1
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / TRAINING POSTS
« on: August 28, 2012, 02:11:22 am »
Volume and Intensity Cycles


 One of the easiest ways to royally fuck up a program aimed at long term progress is to not take into account the role volume and intensity play when designing it.

 You dont have to look far to see a high intensity/very low volume trainee make nice gains for a few weeks, and then peter out shortly after those gains are made.

There are several different reasons for this, but to keep things simple, we will keep intensity as a word used to describe the training method targeting the central nervous system as a PRIMARY.  This is a VERY important aspect of training, but once those short term adaptations have been made that tend to come fairly quickly, gains tend to slow down massively without introducing a new stimulus.  

You also dont have to look far to find athletes using a high volume/low intensity approach, that tend to make their gains a little more slowly, but start to run into lack of progress in strength gains,  overuse issues, pain in the tendons/ligaments, etc., and tears and or strains, which keep them from staying more consistent with their training. Many of these individuals will initially notice a nice change in physical appearance right off the bat, and then soon after, that comes to a stop as well. Again, to keep things simple, we will keep volume as a method used to PRIMARILY target hypertrophy.

The reason neither method works in the absence of the other is simple.  The central nervous can only get SO efficient, with a given amount of muscle tissue at performing a given task.  At that point you can either a. give it a different task to adapt to (change exercises, etc.) or you can add some more muscle for it recruit in the same tasks.

 On the other side of the coin, a solid progression of load is not optimal with a high volume and low intensity approach for the entire training cycle.  Raising the intensity for a while, then shifting the focus to hypertrophy can work wonders here, as you now have a more efficient central nervous system, much of the tissue has time to recover, and you can progress the LOAD with the hypertrophy specific work.  These two methods compliment each other very nicely when used correctly.

Now before it comes up that "omg everything is neural and low intensity work affects the cns too!", WE KNOW.  We also know that high intensity low volume work affects hypertrophy.  Go to the disclaimer and read "PRIMARILY", as in , the main focus, and the method that MOST affects each aspect.

So to make it short and sweet, both volume and intensity MUST be factored in, but NOT in the same session, ESPECIALLY when speaking of athletes in training for sporting endeavors other than weightlifting/powerlifting.  It can be done in different training cycles, different workouts within the same micro cycle, etc., as long as they are both factored in, given adequate attention, and allowed adequate time to recover.


If youre looking at your program, and trying to figure out why you have stalled, or are going backwards, figure out which quality you are focusing on, and how often.  Using two higher intensity workouts to one hypertrophy focused session works EXTREMELY WELL in my experience, with the hypertrophy session last in the week and one or two more rest days following that session.  Lots of coaches program specific phases lasting months at a time on one quality or the other, this also works.  If youre only doing what you feel like doing THAT day, and not factoring in the other sessions you will be performing later on, its a quick road to nowhere.  Think about the big picture at the end of the road.

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LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Nice Performance Training Center
« on: August 20, 2012, 04:19:31 am »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ9vArXpfok" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ9vArXpfok</a>


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ9vArXpfok" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ9vArXpfok</a>


3
Olympic Weightlifting / MDUSA Tryout (Pendlays new Gym)
« on: July 08, 2012, 09:50:45 pm »
Rutgersdunker from the forum is in the tryout also early on.





<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZJ-9SvdOI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZJ-9SvdOI</a>


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcN7YvRtuvc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcN7YvRtuvc</a>

4
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Force Vector Test/ SVJ
« on: April 23, 2012, 02:12:19 am »
 
  Anyone who wants to participate, a quick and easy assessment test of glute/ quad dominance/movement efficiency. 


 step 1.  put a piece of tape down, around 12 inches in length

 step 2.  place your feet on the line, aligning the very middle of the foot with the middle of the tape

 step 3.  close your eyes, and perform a max effort svJ

 step 4.  do not move your feet from where you landed, take note of where in relation to the tape you were.  In front of, Behind, or right on, middle of foot right on center of tape.

 step 5.  post your results in this thread



 

6
   I was looking through some old print outs I had from a few years back that had some of the training sheets of some of the  athletes in track and field I worked with.  I know the jumps are of particular interest here so I figured I would write down some things that some of the better ones had in common, and things that made them unique to the others.  

  For a reference frame, these are all collegiate division 1 and 1aa  athletes Im using in this comparison, and the two "better" athletes in the group were in the top 20 in the nation at one point in their career.  Some of the things that they did very well in comparison to other athletes, and strong points are listed  below.


 * Glutes and hamstrings fired EXTREMELY well in one leg exercises, even exercises that would typically  be considered "quad" focused.  For example, single leg  box squats would hammer the glutes and hams of the higher level  jumpers, where most of the football guys would get a quad  burn.  Even some of the faster guys and sprinters would claim to feel the exercise a lot in the quad, where the  jumpers would report very little quad activity.  

  An interesting point I noticed then was how far they would naturally place their lead foot in front of the  box, even without me cuing it, where most athletes will naturally put the foot closer to the  body.  It is almost as if they dont want to  break at the knee, and would rather  break at the hip if they are in a position to do so.  Front squats were one of the only exercises we could really train the quads as a main focus.  


* Very high levels of "stiffness" in the hamstrings (the ability of the hamstrings to "lock up" so the glute can work optimally".

 This was extremely prevalent on the reverse hyper, with one and two leg exercises.  We would often work up to a high level of  band tension coupled with free weight, and do a reactive type reverse hyper.  The  jumpers would almost never fail the lift  by  breaking the knee and allowing collapse, they would simply fail to reach the desired height when it got too heavy or fast.  Almost all other athletes will fail this exercise  by allowing the knee to collapse, and trying to "press" the lift rather than extend the hip.


 * Insanely strong lower legs

Calves and soleus were almost impossible to work two legged in the weight room, even seated calves were done unilaterally, as the loads on two legs got ridiculous, and this is solid controlled form, all the way up on the toe and all the way down.  I remember setting up the 24 inch hurdles for one of our higher volume drills, and it looking like a stiff legged single leg  jump series, with PLENTY of clearance.  Very little to no movement except from the ankle.


 * Flexible glutes and hamstrings

 Really not much elaboration here, but it held true with all the best  jumpers.  I didnt include hip flexors and quads here due to the fact even though they were definitely mobile in those areas as well, most of my other athletes were on par with them, in those particular areas.


*Strong Lower abdominals, psoas

 Try this, go to any elite level high or long jumper, have them get into an L sit position on the dip handles, and see if you can push their legs down.  Then try that same experiment with anyone else.  There is a very large gap between their lower abdominal strength, especially statically, than other athletes.



  So, there are some of the similar characteristics that held true with very high level one leg jumpers.  Correlation doesnt imply causation, and there are of course other factors at play as well in their success as athletes.  If you can take something away from that, then thats great, if you cant, thats great too.  Its always interesting to me to see if I see some similarities in different athletes who are at a higher level in their particular event/strength/sport, and definitely helps with training targets and specificity.

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Pics, Videos, & Links / Adarq Dunk Mix
« on: June 03, 2011, 05:09:21 pm »
sick





<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MYrl716-k" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MYrl716-k</a>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MYrl716-k&feature=player_detailpage

8
There are a ton of terrible jump training/plyo workouts all over the web, and many people asking questions on how to set up jump specific workouts.  Some of these templates will be complexes with strength/power exercises, some will be jump specific training to be done either before strength training, or on a different day altogether.  


METRICS

(we called this one "metrics" in college, short for plyometrics obviously, even though one could argue it contains exercises that are not extremely intense plyometrics,  but it sounds cool and Im not gonna change something with a cool sounding name, so it will remain "metrics". ) very simple template, very effective.


dynamic warm up, short sprint starts, leg swings complex (front to back 10x, side to side 10x, knee drives front to back 10x)

Use a distance of ~30-35 yards, a basketball court works well, football field, track, etc.


I. DOUBLE LEG BOUNDS FOR MAX SPEED- these are very sub max jumps, focus on quick ground contacts and being light on the feet.  Dont jump high, dont jump far, YET. Get off the ground, AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

II. SINGLE LEG BOUNDS FOR MAX SPEED- same as above, but single leg bounding, same leg, quick, snappy, ground contact, not high, not far, "the ground is hot" cue.  Head should stay on the same plane throughout the set.



INTENSIVE JUMPS



1a. DOUBLE LEG BOUNDS FOR DISTANCE- basically continuous broad jumps, without the focus on reaching for the landing.  Dont jump so far that you have to stop and re gather for the next bound.

1b. DOUBLE LEG BOUNDS FOR HEIGHT- two leg bounds, with a focus on height rather than distance.  You want to still have plenty of forward momentum, but focus on going UP rather than OUT. You will obviously have more ground contacts on these than the previous set.

2a. SINGLE LEG BOUNDS FOR DISTANCE- basic single leg bounding (same leg), focus on distance and forward speed rather than height attained.  Head should stay basically the same level throughout the set.

2b.  SINGLE LEG BOUNDS FOR HEIGHT- single leg bounding for max HEIGHT, dont worry about distance, try to achieve as much time in the air as possible every bound.  

cool down, myofascial release, pnf stretch


NOTES:  You can repeat the workout (parts 1a-2b), up to 3 times each, but start out with ONCE.  IF YOU NOTICE A DROP OFF IN PERFORMANCE, STOP.  The better you get at bounding and the more you perform this workout, the higher your explosive work capacity gets, and the more rounds you can handle.

ALWAYS, do 1a. or 2a., BEFORE doing the B version, the bounding for DISTANCE increases hip involvement and recruitment in the bounds, and will make the B version much more powerful, explosive, and smooth.  There is no need to go back and do I and II after you have already completed a full cycle of the bounds.  Be sure to start out slowly and progress the intensity, soon you will be able to go for max distance and max height, but do a few sessions first to build the work capacity and adequately prepare the body.  

9
  Glenn Pendlay, EXCELLENT progression into full snatch. 

http://www.californiastrength.com/olwete.html


  The first and second videos, of the high hang position into snatch, is very very beneficial to athletes, especially jumping athletes, without having to get into much technical difficulty at all.

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Pics, Videos, & Links / Cskin gettin up nicely!@!
« on: December 13, 2010, 11:33:42 pm »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VIe54iPVg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0VIe54iPVg</a>

11
Basketball / Gary Fuller in High School (6'1")
« on: November 28, 2010, 12:35:06 pm »
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhfOIPV0ytw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhfOIPV0ytw</a>

12
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / STS TV
« on: November 21, 2010, 04:34:41 am »
Hang Clean with 1-2-3 Drill

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlpWV5J9SI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPlpWV5J9SI</a>

13
Effective and Time Effecient Upper Body Training For Athletes


Lately, one of the most frequently asked questions I have been getting is how to incorporate upper body strength training into a vertical jump program. What are good exercises?, How many sets?, How many reps? How often? All of these are good questions and very frequently asked so I am going to outline an upperbody split that everyone can customize to fit their specific needs.

First of all, a push/pull type split for the main exercises is hard to beat when it comes to upper body training for an athlete. The exercises actually potentiate each other and instead of hammering away at all your pressing or pulling muscles one after another, you hit the pressing muscles hard, then, while they are recovering, you hit the pulling muscles which are not yet fatigued. This translates to more total poundage being used, better time management, and a structurally sound program that works both sides of the body equally. An example of a push/pull type routine is a bench press, followed by a inverted row, or a push press followed by a pull up. I will go into more detail on how to set this up below, vertical push/vertical pull and horizontal push/horizontal pull is a great way to set it up.


Next, sets and reps can be very confusing and hard to decide on a plan. Do too many sets and your workout takes forever, cuts into your recovery time, and detracts from your original goal of improving your vertical jump. Do to little, and you dont progress. So whats the answer? How can we incorporate a set/rep scheme into our upper body training plan that allows us to stimulate the body enough to progress, yet is time effecient and doesnt detract from our recovery from our plyometric and lower body intensive training schedule? Welcome to rest-pause training! Now the way we use rest-pause training is a little different than typical bodybuilding style rest-pause methods, remember, we are ATHLETES, not bodybuilders. Potentiation methods, explosive reps, and different exercise selection are key here, the time between sets and progressions will be similar.

So what exactly is rest-pause training? Simply put, we are going to take an exercise, ramp up to a weight that we can move explosively for at least 5 reps, and do 3 sets of as many reps as possible in solid form, resting 30-45seconds or the time it takes you to take 15 deep breaths between sets, and add up the total repetitions we completed in the three sets for our total. This three set total, regardless of the total of each individual set, is what we have to beat the next time we repeat the exercise. Lets say your doing standing press, you will work up to a weight that feels somewhat challenging, yet can still be moved explosively without sticking. Your build up or warm up sets are 3-5 reps, the idea is not to fatigue the body but to ramp up the nervous system. Once you hit that weight, whatever it may be, you are going to perform your first set. Get as many reps as possible while maintaing solid form, rest for 15 breaths (take long, deep, breaths) or 30-45 seconds, perform the 2nd set the same exact way, rest for 15 breaths or 30-45 seconds, and then do the same for a third. Total these three sets up and write the number down in your journal. Once you come back to this exercise, you have to either beat the rep total, or add weight to the exercise and get a similar rep total. ALWAYS PROGRESS!! you have 3 sets to beat what you did the last time, this makes it very realistic for you to improve in a linear fashion since you arent worried about beating just one set like in a traditional approach. If you did the press, the weight you used was 150lbs and you got 7 reps, 5 reps, and 3 reps, then your total is 15 reps at 150lbs. The next time you press, you either need to get 16 reps at 150lbs, or 13-15 reps at 155 lbs. Once your rep total exceeds 25 total reps, you need to add weight to the exercise. If your rep total does not exceed 12 reps, you need to reduce the weight or stay there if you think you can hit 12 or more total the next time. Very simple and very effective way to progress. You will be in and out of the gym in no time and progressing constantly if you adhere to these guidelines.

Okay, so we know that we want a push/pull upper body setup, and we know that we want to use rest-pause set/rep schemes when performing them. Below I am going to give an example of how to set this up using two different upper body workouts (important to have at least two different templates so progression will be possible workout to workout), and how to incorporate assistance type exercises into the plan. The guidelines will be the same, you can adjust the exercises any way you like, just adhere to the structure of the template.

Upper body day 1- (monday)

Bench Press- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging, but you could easily get 2 or 3 more explosive reps with. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results.

Recline Pull ups- ramp up in sets of 5 to a weight that feels challenging but could be easily done for 2-3 more explosive reps. Perform 3 rest-pause sets and total the results

(Assistance work)

paralell bar dips- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.

standing bicep curls- 2 rest pause sets with a moderate weight.

shoulder prehabilitation- band pull apart + overhead shrug- 2 sets of 20 reps w/light load, no rest pause sets.



Upper body day 2- (thursday)

Standing Press- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.

Pull up (weighted if need be)- ramp up in sets of 5, perform 3 rest pause sets and total the results.

(Assistance work)

Close grip bench press- 2 rest pause sets w/ a moderate weight.

Seated dumbell curl- 2 rest pause sets w/a moderate weight.


** Once you have established a rest-pause total for a given exercise with a certain weight you will know exactly where to end your ramping, warm up sets. Log everything you do and next time you come back to it, DESTROY your previous rep total, or add more weight! Simple but extremely effective!

Okay, so thats about it, hope everyone has a good idea how to implement this type of loading now and can start getting their upper body stronger, more explosive, and in the least amount of time neccessary for growth. This type of loading can go on infinitely but as with any type of program, once you accomodate to the exact same exercise and have not progressed either by adding more weight or more total reps in successive training sessions, just swap the exercise out for another one, then when you come back to it later on you will be able to beat your best performance very shortly

14
Bands and Chains (Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump Training) 
by
LanceSTS
 
  Accomodating resistance is in simple terms, using a progressive resistance that matches the athletes strength curve throughout the lift. For example, during a squat we are much stronger and able to handle much greater loads at the top end than we are at the bottom. With free weight alone we have exactly the same amount of resistance at the top that we do at the bottom, so technically we are mainly training the bottom half of the squat as we will fail here before we would fail with the same resistance in a quarter squat. What the bands do is provide accomodating resistance or progressive resistance throughout the lift. So we may have 225 lbs on the bar and two 50 lb tension bands attached. At the top of the lift, where we are strong enough to handle it, we have 325 lbs. At the bottom of the lift, when the bands are relaxed and we are weakest, we have about 225lbs! This provides our body with the correct tension throughout the whole range of motion, not only to train the bottom half, but the top part as well. So what about chains? Dont they do the same thing? Well, although chains do provide accomodating resistance as you raise them off the floor, the weight increases, but there is no kinetic energy on the eccentric that the bands provide.

Jump Stretch bands are probably the most useful tool in our arsenal of methods of accomodating resistance for jump specific training. They not only provide progressive resistance throughout the entire range of motion, but also add kinetic energy on the eccentric portion of the lift. The kinetic energy I am referring to is the overspeed (faster than a normal free weight resistance) effect that they have on the bar. This overspeed eccentric loading can have a huge training effect on both maximal strength, and explosive strength. Bands are basically teaching your body to load the eccentric portion of the lift and the jump harder and faster! This is great news knowing the direct correlation studies have shown with the effect of faster eccentric loading on vertical jump performance. Basically the jumpers that descended or loaded the jump the fastest, jumped the highest! Bands are great at training this aspect. Another thing the bands do in regards to maximal strength training is trick the body into thinking it has a heavier load than it does. At the top of the lift when the bands are pulling down maximally, the body senses a much heavier weight than it will have to deal with at the bottom or the hard part of the lift. The body then responds accordingly by recruiting more of its motor units to do the job. So even though you may only have to actually lift 225 at the bottom of the lift, the body thinks its going to be 325 and responds accordingly, making the 225 a much more explosive lift! This is great news for us as athletes. So now the question is, how much band tension and how much free weight? Well read on and I will explain a progressive system that works very well for implementing band tension in your training.

When you first begin using bands its important to realize just how much tension you need to add to the bar to get the maximum effect of the bands. Different sports like powerlifting will have different requirements for tension values but as athletes is actually pretty simple. A good rule of thumb when starting out is to not let the bands make up over 20 % of the total load on the bar. For example, if you were using two, twenty pound stretch bands on the bar loaded with 100lbs, you would be right on the money. If you had 200lbs of free weight on the bar you could use two, 40 lb. stretch bands and be right on again. The stronger you are at a given lift, the higher the band tension will be but it still should only make up around 20% of the total load. Now keep in mind these are just guidelines and are definitely not set in stone. More experienced athletes will be able to use a higher percentage of band tension and I have done this many times myself. The key is to not use so much band tension that you cannot perform the lift explosively throughout the entire range of motion. Using higher band tension and less free weight will slow the lift down tremendously and cause signifcantly more CNS drain and delayed onset muscle soreness or d.o.m.s. so dont get caught up that. They are a wonderful tool if used correctly and can take your training to another level. Hopefully this will help some of you interested in using these wonderful tools in your training and clarify some of the reasoning behind their uses.This article was originally published in forum thread: Bands and Chains (Accomodating Resistance for Vertical Jump Training) started by LanceSTS View original post
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15
LanceSTS's Performance Blog / Wasted Sets, Wasted Reps, Wasted Time
« on: November 21, 2010, 02:47:45 am »
Wasted Reps, Wasted Sets, Wasted Time  
by
LanceSTS
 

 One thing that we all take for granted from time to time is the perfect execution of our workout. Now Im not speaking specifically about having proper form on the exercises, adhering to the template, or keeping focused on the time of the workout and rest intervals as those things are extremely important and should be a rule with no exception. What I am talking about is every single rep in every single set that we perform each and every time we train.

How many times can you say that youve looked back on a workout, and without a doubt, every rep or every set was perfect? Well, if you want to make the most timely and rewarding progress you have ever made, I suggest you start implementing this. Lets say your workout calls for 5 sets of 5 reps on squats with 80 percent of your one rep max. That gives us 25 total repetitions in this particular squat workout. Now, of course you could go through some of the sets, lifting at a decent cadence, and still get your 25 reps in with 80 percent of your max.

So you completed your workout and now youre on to the next exercise, it will be a couple of days before you get to squat again since you have to recover. Did you get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits out of that particular squat workout? Absolutely not. You did just enough work to complete the workout but no more. The way to get the absolute MAXIMAL benefits of every rep of every set in your workout, is to put 100 percent of your bodys ability into each and every single repetition you perform. This means that if you have 220 pounds on the bar and you are capable of putting 320 pounds of force into it, then you absolutely put every ounce of power in every fiber of your body into that bar, on EVERY SINGLE REP you perform. Try to bend the bar on the way up. This type of lifting is extremely conducive to not only vertical jumping gains, but maximal strength gains as well. Implement this mindset on every applicable lift in your workout and watch your gains in both strength and jumping skyrocket. Think about it next time you head to the gym. One wasted rep leads to one wasted set, one wasted set leads to one wasted workout.

Make every single rep in every single set the best rep youve ever done, then when youve finished, look back ask yourself the question, did I push each and every rep in each and every set as explosively and powerfully as possible? If your answer is yes then you are well on the way to a stronger, more athletic body and a higher vertical jump as well.

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