“To determine what type of work to focus on you should use specific tests to assess your deficiencies on the neuro-dynamic scale:
Neuro-duration test- A 1rm bench press is tested. It will take anywhere from 0-10 seconds for you to complete it timed from the start of the eccentric to finish. Neuro-rate (speed) dominant athletes will complete it in 3.5 seconds or less. Neuro-duration (strength) dominant athletes will complete it in 5.5 to 9.0 seconds. Athletes who are neither duration or rate dominant will complete it in 3.5-5.5 seconds.”
CT
“You can get a good idea of the dominance of an individual by timing the concentric portion of a maximum strength lift (bench press or squat for example). A duration-dominant individual will complete his maximal lift in 5-10 seconds; a rate-dominant individual will complete it in 1-3 seconds and a mixed individual in 4-5 seconds.”
Is it concentric only? Or eccentric to finish? or eccentric hold for 5 secs and then complete the movement?
The plyometric is just as important if not more than the concentric because having strong plyometric capacities and being able to quickly build energy during the eccentric and quickly utilize it during the concentric, regardless of the movement, is associated with strong neural rate and magnitude capabilities.
The only thing is on a most movements people are conditioned to lower and lift the weight under control so to get an accurate measure you have to tell them to complete the entire lift with speed.
Thanks for the reply Kelly. However, I’m still a bit confused. In terms of assessing the ‘plyometric component’ don’t you advise that one should perform the Neuro-Magnitude test?:
“The test involves performing a max single reactive bench press. This entails that you start at the traditional/top position. You will then rapidly release your hands, release agnostic tension, and snap your hands back to nearly full ROM.”
[/QUOTE]The only thing is on a most movements people are conditioned to lower and lift the weight under control so to get an accurate measure you have to tell them to complete the entire lift with speed[/QUOTE]
You can’t perform a 1RM with maximal speed? Can you? It won’t give you a true reading (i.e., how many powerlifter lower the weight with speed?)
I think he meant intent to move with max. speed. Then you look at how long you took and see where it fits in either rate, duration, or mix. Then set up your hybrids and elements from there.
As rate of descent in bench press or squat increases, so does the force required to reverse direction and ascend, so a controlled descent is essential if one is hoping to obtain a true 1RM.
Steve, you’re getting to hung up on the numbers and figures man. Just lift up to a 1rm and see if you move the weight fast, have to force it a bit, or get into an 8sec grind; rate, mixed, duration respectivly.
If I perform an eccentric-concentric bench I am Neuro-duration dominant. If I perform an eccentric-concentric bench and time the concentric portion of the lift I am neuro-rate (speed) dominant. But if I perform a concentric only lift I am somewhere in between?
I don’t have that much experience to qualitatively determine my dominance.
In terms of assessing the ‘plyometric component’ don’t you advise that one should perform the Neuro-Magnitude test?:
That’s a good question. I think it’s a good idea to do both to be sure especially if there isn’t a clear strength or weakness. There are also other tests one can do like speed reps. How many reps can you complete in 3-5 seconds with a given % load? Throws can also be used.
For lower body the same sorts of lifting tests can be done along with several others. I don’t like the regular vertical jump with countermovement vs without countermovement test because it’s kind’ve unnatural. But the reactive depth jumping test is excellent. I first heard of it from Schmidtbleicher and started using it a couple of years ago but I don’t know many people who were familiar with it until DB wrote about it recently. How does your vertical jump from a depth jump compare to a regular down and up jump? You just increase the box height in 6 inch increments depending on the advancement of the athlete from 6 inches all the way up to 40 inches. The higher the depth jump in relationship to the countermovement jump the more rate/magnitude and elastic dominant that athlete is and vice versa.
For sprints you can compare split times between the start and finish and see where you are weakest. Muscular strength and power are more important at the start while reactive ability is more important when considering top speed.
Carmelo Bosco offered the Squat Jump Test. You measure an athlete’s squat jump with hands on hips and a pause at the bottom to remove any stored elastic energy. Let’s say he gets 50cm.
Then, the athlete performs the squat jump with a barbell loaded to bodyweight and measures the jump (in this example, 20cm). Divide this result by the result from above.
So, 20 divided by 50 = .40, multiplied by 100 gives you 40%. He claimed this was an optimal result for a sprint-type athlete. Below this means you are an explosive athlete and need more strength work, above this and you need more explosive lifting.
