About 4 months back I was asked to answer a question online for a friend. The question asked was “What is the definition of power sets?” He wanted to train with light load at quite a high volume, I happily answered his question and thought I may as well write about it again. There is no 1 way to train for power, there are LIMITLESS methods to improve power, not just power sets. Relative strength increases when a NEW load becomes lighter than the previous lift. Eg: I could do a VERY HEAVY barbell clean 3reps @ 1:1 tempo (I prefer the term X:X tempo) Then IMMEDIATELY after, I could do 4 reps of barbell power cleans at a Light-moderate weight @ X:X tempo as fast & EXPLOSIVELY as I possibly can (this will probably be 45% of your max equating to more “traditional” power reps). When talking about training for explosive power, the reps/set volume should be LOW...... NOT high, this is a common mistake. Training 12 reps/set is a volume which identifies more with hypertrophy. Some traditional methods contain 50%-60% of 1RM within a periodised program and only 4 reps/set. It can be frustrating for the trainee because they are obviously going to ask the question Shouldnt I be pushing myself harder than this????? But the answer..... not necessarily, although the athlete isnt training to the point of exhaustion, the neurological adaptation which takes place increases fast twitch fibre stimulus significantly. Another popular method for power/speed which Im sure were all familiar with now in the 21st century is plyometric training, its developed a cult following globally within gyms the world over. Its effective and a shit-tonne of fun for those of us that love to push ourselves to our limits. HOWEVER, trainees have a tendency to absolutely milk the udder dry..... By that I mean that they spend 6 MONTHS non-stop, doing the same thing over & over is far from ideal for optimum strength and conditioning or athletic carry over. It’s disappointing because there are some AWESOME ways to implement plyometrics without it losing it’s potency. Years ago when I was being tutored by PICP coach and C.H.E.K exercise coach Dr Carl Lau (yes he’s legally a doctor) he educated me on some advanced exercise pairing methods for power which I’ve fiddled with and tweaked over the years for increased vert leap and standing long jump. MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE WAY TO USE PLYOMETRICS..... SUPERSET some heavy-ass lifts with a plyometric movement which mimics the movement pattern/joint action that you wish to improve!! ...... Again we enter the realm of increased relative strength which I mentioned earlier. What Im going to recommend is simple, easy to remember and has unlimited applications. Heres a couple of quick and creative examples for you to look over.... An NFL wide receiver or NBA basketballer will want a higher vertical leap to improve their game. eg1: Approximately 80% Barbell clean x 3-5 reps @ X:X tempo rest 10-15secs THEN Standing vertical jump eg2: Approximately 80% Barbell front squat x 3-5 reps @ X:X tempo rest 10-15 secs THEN depth drop plyo jump x 3-5 reps X:X tempo 4-5 sets. See a pattern forming here?? The trainee lifts a very heavy load in the initial set, yet in their superset theyre explosively lifting bodyweight ONLY. Therefore the individuals bodyweight is significantly lighter comparative to their initial lift, so their fast twitch stimulation is spiked through the roof during the plyometric (the second) movement. Periodised programming and training consistency leads to colossal athletic/neurological carry over. I hope this helps with your training. In Health Micky. #training #fitness #health #power #powerlifting #olympiclifting #plyometrics #athlete #knowledge
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 21:46:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015