Hey James i understand you like to perform the same primary lifts but what if you were doing two high intensity days what do you think about during back squats on monday and snatch dl on thursday?
I would still keep the squat as the primary lift and perform the snatch dl as an auxiliary lift (assuming I felt that it was warranted).
The reason I state that is because, in my experience, I prefer means of erector/glute/hamstring development that are of lesser intensiveness- and certainly with respect to training that occurs near or during competition phases of the calendar.
So James, you would recommend moving the squat in place of the deadlift, so as to see it more often, with decreased volume? Also, dropping the shock jumps in favor of less intense jumps, such as jump squats/ box jumps etc.
James if you can could you list the volume and %'s you used with your combine athletes during the max strength blk for there pro days. I find it diffcult to back squat twice a week during a max strength block and easier to bsq heavy once combine with a med snatch dl which really smash the post chain.
Yes on all counts.
My guys squatted and benched three times a week for 13 weeks.
The weights were only scrapped a couple times as a result of the speed, jumps, and cone drills, which came prior in the workout, if they were too wiped out.
During the two (3 week) max strength blocks the volume typically consisted of 2-3 sets of 2-3 reps and they simply went as heavy as they felt (their input) and looked (my intuition and observation). A few occasions it turned into a 1RM or something close and on one occasion I had one of my guys perform a 10RM because I wanted the maximal strain but he wasn’t feeling it with respect to approaching limit weights.
I’d have to review the actual results, don’t have them on the computer I’m using right now, but if memory serves me the typical percentage range during the max strength block was mid 80th to mid 90th percentile, again for very low volume per workout- no more than 3 sets of 1, 2, or 3 reps save the exceptions I noted earlier.
The bench, of course, was a little different as I had to dedicate at least one session a week towards increasing the glycolytic capacity of the pressing muscles. Otherwise, the 2-3 sets of 1-3 reps applied during the max strength work.
James
What did the volume of their sprints and jumps look like (ranges are fine, don’t need exacts) and where they also performed 3x a week each?
So %'s really wasn’t used in the program the guys went as heavy as possible on that particular day? If you only had two high int strength training session would you have kept the volume the same or slightly increase to 3-4 sets 1-3 reps?
It varied depending on the block; whether it was accumulation, intensification 1, restoration, intensification 2, maintenance, taper. In addition, it varied on Mon, Wed, Fri (the high intensity days)
Yes- 3x week.
You really won’t get a good picture of how it worked without seeing how the whole program looks and, with respect, I’m not prepared to share the program.
Everything revolved around and was regulated after the sprint work.
I planned the blueprint out entirely in advanced; however, the end result program, looking back on it, included many adjustments and modifications.
I actually did plan the daily weights loading using exact percentages and volumes; just like the jumps. I was just giving you and idea of how the range looked.
During max strength, each week, with exceptions, included lifting the same loads on Mon, Wed, Fri; however, the volume dropped each day of weight work.
Example, one one week during the first max strength block they squatted 3x1 Mon, 2x1 Wed, 1x1 Fri at 85-87%.
Regarding your question on the 2 workouts a week, the volume would remain low in both cases and the intensity would either remain the same or marginally change up or down depending on athlete readiness with volume adjusted accordingly.
What type of jumps did you use? Could you give heights and sets and reps? Did your athletes do some type of jumps every day?
James, I would like to say thank you for giving us so much of your time on training.
I appreciate the words.
We did vertical jumps, standing long jumps on field turf and onto a foam pad (in order to reduce landing stress), box jumps up and off onto a foam pad, depth jump to vertical jump from varying drop heights depending on athlete, depth jump to SLJ from varying drop heights depending on athlete, and depth jump to a series of hurdle hops to a 2-3 step burst.
The phase we were in dictated which jumps were used.
Volumes varied greatly depending on stage of training, preceding speed work, and type of jump.
Thanks James! Did you do some type of jumps every day? Also, James did you use the bench press for glycolytic capacity? Could you use squats?
Also, did you have your athletes do cardiac work every day?
Jumps were performed only on the intensive days- every other day.
Yes the bench press was used for training the glycolytic capacity of the fibers in the chest, shoulders and arms as this capacity is needed for strong results in the 225 for reps test.
There is no place in combine/pro day training for glycolytic capacity training of the tissues in the hips and legs so there would be no point in using the squat exercise to develop such a training objective.
Do your guys have any problems recovering from 3 high int days, most athletes esp sprinters can only handle two with sucess?
James,
Have you ever used squats for glycolytic capacity for your team or other sports? In what situation would you use them?
NO!!!11
I gave them a massage schedule to follow although they were typically only able to manage a deep tissue session once a week every Saturday.
We have hot and cold tubs here at the facility so that also aids in the process in addition to the different modalities our ATs provided to them pre and post training.
I’d say, of the two guys who stayed here and trained with me the entire 13 weeks, the results were very positive.
I must note, however, that one of them sustained a hamstring pull, recovered from that then a vastus lateralis pull (very strange) which ultimately ended up hindering his 40 on pro day; however the scouts were informed of his situation and ended up being impressed with the fact that he participated in everything anyway while clearly exhibiting the mechanical signs of an athlete who is not 100%.
It’s really a bitch because he is my model trainee with respect to sprint mechanics. he soaked up everything I instructed and runs like a pro. I actually had him pegged for a low 4.4 high 4.3 (this is not the guy that ran the 6.65 60yd).
The hamstring was an issue that I take part responsibility for.
He felt something slightly tighten up during a fast easy fast run so I backed off any longer sprints, reduced the load for the remainder of the week, got the trainers to give him the proper treatments, and he was fine.
his agent then flew him out to the west coast for some public relations for 4 days. When he returned is where I made the mistake.
It was a Monday workout and my gut told me to limit him to 10yd reps just to be safe and ramp him back up over the course of the next week.
He ended up feeling and looking so great, and running very fast 10yd reps that I said as long as he communicated with me (in regards to any tightness) that we could have him progress through the planned training for that day which included working up to running 40yds x 3 after a few 20yd reps.
He looked great the whole workout then on the very last 40yd rep he went down with the pull.
I kicked myself hard for that one because I should have stuck to my gut and not only my gut but also my sense of logic.
We then get him rehabbed and everything is going great then one day his vastus lateralis pulls out of absolute no where.
That was two to three weeks out from pro day and really negatively impacted the final training and taper because he could not do anything more than 10yds without tightening up.
I also came to find out, however, that both of my guys did not always communicate how they were truly feeling because they know how I will reduce the load and they perceived this to mean that they would end up not developing as planned.
they both told me this after the fact and my response was “Fuck guys, you know better than that.”
You might think that I would have been able to tell how my guys were doing day to day regardless what they told me; however, they are very highly prepared and the stop watch doesn’t lie so there were times that I truly had to take there word for it as I don’t have the expertise to distinguish muscle tone via a manual examination. (something I need to remedy)
At any rate, other than the 40 that was hindered by the vastus lateralis, my guy PRd on almost every other test and looked great during position drills. I have been training him since and he is doing great (on a similar 3x per week plan with a different approach on the sprints in lieu of getting him back to 100% with the lateralis pull)
I gave his agent my word that he will run 4.5 or better during any camp that he gets invited to after the 26th.
Well i think the sprinter program has more sprint vol at a higher intensity, faster surface and also done in spikes which make it diffcult to do 3 days per week without proper recovery methods in place.
Absolutely agree, as the highest volume of sprints my guys did in a single workout was just over 300yds in total and almost always on field turf, never exceeding 60yds in distance of a single rep with the majority of reps in the 20-40yd range.