The argument for doing a move repetively throughout a week and day(ie. elite oly lifters) is that your body neurally gets more efficient at the specific movement correct? Well if one were performing exercises for strength rather than neural efficiency in the exercise itself, would it not be acceptable to perform an exercise one to two times a week as that would facilitate CNS stimulation twice a week with weights, and be enough to facilitate for functional muscle hypertrophy and strength? Because the weightlifting move itself is not specific to most actions, its biggest perk is to boost neural drive and efficiency(not sure if thats correct) and functional muscle hypertrophy resulting in greater strength, speed etc… and so a two times a week workout could be sufficient to increase neural drive and efficiency and muscle hypertrophy and strength to a great extent that would greatly aid in performing the specific movements the task requires and the neural learning for the specific movement would come from performing the movement(ie for sprinter sprinting, for a LB practicing reading, lateral movement, dropping…)? Whew sorry this is a lot to digest, just wondering though.
Neural efficiency or strength?
Strength from functional hypertrophy, since as you stated, specific motor patterns from weights hardly cross over to sprinting. Therefore 2-3 times per week (I like 2 x week) is fine for functional hypertrophy. CNS stimulation from such seesions will carry over to sprinting in the form of increased overall power output (excitement) on track so long as rest is taken into account.
So what i started in my original post is correct? YES! things are now starting to make sense. Do you kno anything about isometrics, because Coach Thib answered this question for me on t-mag, but im still not clear on the answer and i have been bugging him so much lately.
Slow down a little brother, here’s the dealio: any lift can be performed explosively, thus, stimulating the CNS.
Olympic lifts are by no means the only method of improving neural firing rates.
Yes, hitting the same lifts twice a week, with varied loading parameters, is a fine method for stimulating the CNS and improving myofibrillar hypertrophy.
James Smith
I wasnt saying it had to be an oly lift, and high intensity multijoint lift can stimulate the CNS(?), whether it be a 3RM bench press, or a snatch workout, I was just using oly lifters as an example of athletes who weight train more than twice a week and to give an example of why that high frequency of training is done to prove a point that two sessions a week is plenty. Im sorry if my post was confusing.
But my question on isometrics is if it is ok to perform the bottom portion of the isometric as when the isometric is performed in this extreme position it has a much greater degree of caryover to the rest of the ROM of the lift? And why is this? Is it because the bottom portion of the lift is the weakest and this improves that portion, it carries over? And are plyometrics considered a low, medium, or high CNS intensive activity?
Isn’t this a rehash of the discussion on Goose’s ‘Squat jump volume’ thread? Anyhow… Numba, seems like you’ve on the money with this one.
CNS stress from isometrics, like everything, depends on the load and duration. Typically my lifters do iso holds at clean max +/- 10% so I would say they are high intensity (hence why I drop them during unloading weeks).
Why does tension in a stretched position cross over to a greater range? Don’t really know! Probably to do with the length tension relationship or maybe pennation angles. I’d have to reread the research.
DW
David W, glad that you could respond! You knowledge is very useful and ur willingness to share it is very appreciated. As well am i on the money with my first post that two CNS stressfull days will facilitate neural drive and efficiency increase along with functional hypertrophy and the actual motor learning and neural efficiency for the movements specific for a sport will be gained through the performance of activites specific to the sport(ie sprinters lift to increase functional muscle hypertrophy and neural efficiency and drive and sprint to gain the motor learning and neural efficiency specific to sprinting through sprinting, and an oly lifter gets both from lifting, thus y they lift so many times a week because the repeated action enables them to neurally learn the movement better)? Thanks again.