Hey i was just wondering how many people have read louies new article entitled EXPLOSIVE LEG STRENGTH, i found it to be very informative and definitly worth reading.
I haven’t read it, do you have a link?
probably talking bout damn box squats.
http://www.westside-barbell.com/articles.htm
there ya go…when you go to that site just click on the article entitled Explosive leg strength it’s November 06
Good stuff but nothing new from Louie in that article.
I thought it was good. What is everyone’s thoughts on his using prelepins chart for jumps?
Like most of Louie’s stuff this article is pretty good. However, there are some problems. First off, according to Siff, Verkhoshansky and Zatsiorsky there is absolutely ZERO correlation between absolute strength and absolute speed. Louie seems to think that just getting stronger will solve all of life’s ills. Not true. In addition, it is impossible to display maximum force during the “time deficit zone”. If the sport requires maximum development of force during the first .3 to .4 seconds of movement initiation, maximum and/or absolute strength is’nt going to do an athlete much good.
Then there is the issue of reactive training adaptations through the use of bands. To my way of thinking, the eccentric phase of the parallel squat is simply too long to provide any reactive benefit (with bands or without). I am a huge fan of band training, but certainly not to improve reactive strength. Regarding his lifters and box jumps, I’d like to see the landing position of some of these guys on top of the box. Is the knee angle the same upon landing as it was upon commencing the box jump? If the jump commences with a counter movement and the athlete lands in a “thighs parallel” position (as an example), these box heights are misleading.
Most experts would also argue with Louie’s contention that oly lifts are unnecessary if the athlete is performing high-intensity plyos. If explosive strength is the goal it is not an “either or” situation, both modalities should be employed.
There other issues to be addressed, but Louie’s powerlifting mentality seems to skew his recommendations for training the athlete.
Absolute speed has a really poor correlation with explosive power events and with sprinting itself…it’ s just the maximum speed at which ean unloaded limb can move…BTW, in the article I do not think that basing jumps on Prilipin table can be useful…too low percentage, and also…IN box jump, I can exert 80% and jump onto a 50’ box just elevating my legs more, whereas I cuold fail to jump onto a 30’ box jumping at 100% power, but not thrusting my legs high…
When you are working across the F/T spectrum, it isn’t necessary to hit every point along the way.
(I look forward to pestering you with this when we get together!)
“Arrive with 100 things and leave with 10 …”
What is you guys take that you don’t need OL’s when your doing high intensity plyo’s? Obviously it works well with louie and the boys.
They don’t sprint and only compete to lift maximal weights? You cannot really compare modern powerlifting with monolifts, equipment, etc. with sprinting and similar activities in my opinion. I don’t think anything besides the event is inherently required (ie for sprinting, you don’t HAVE to lift weights or HAVE to do other plyos, but it would probably help). His examples are off on a few accounts, as alread stated. Doesn’t take into consideration how high the hips are for x athlete or how much they are bending to reach the top of the box.
Simmons also substantiates many of his claims by pointing to his club’s squats…you should see the way they squat. They look like a T-Rex taking a shit.
And that’s just your luggage!
I have read much of his material and have learned some useful things but one of his criticisms of olympic lifts to prove how worthless they are is by pointing out how little success the U.S. has had in the sport.
How does poor performance in a sport based on those lifts disqualify them for strength or at least power development? What does one have to do with the other?
Good point - if we pointed out all the sports that Canada sucked at, we would never have anything useful to do around here.
However, we do have some good female Olympic lifters. So, I assume that only our females have good power.
I hear what you’re saying but in all fairness, Louie may have some criticisms with olympic lifting in general, but when I heard him speak in person his criticisms were directed at the way the U.S. trained for the o. lifts not the lifts themselves.
I have heard him speak in person, too, though he didn’t go into any oly lift discussion. The comment(s) I brought up was in at least one of his articles though I don’t remember which.
Also, he made a statement about some guys he knows who’s college programs used oly lifts and that they got weaker and/or slower. He says they did oly lifts and got worse physically but mentions nothing else about the program they were doing. The suggestion is, of course, that the oly lifts were the reason for their diminished capacities. Still, nothing is said with regards to progressions, loading, periodization, other lifts, in the program, etc. All we know about this bad program(which it may well have been)is that it featured oly lifts.
I, too, have seen the arguements he makes against conventional oly lift training for the sport of weightlifting. However, most of the criticism I’ve seen from him is about the oly lifts effectiveness(or lack thereof according to him) as a tool with which to develop power.
I think I read that he thinks the “power” aspect of OL is partially an illusion created by the athletes just getting under the bar quicker, as opposed to bringing the bar up faster.