Usain’s Strength Training

[Dazed]

@Goose232

The goal is not about having as low a c.n.s stress as possible. The goals are different for different athletes. For some one it could be hypertrophy, for some oe else, it could be prehabilitation, for another; rehabilitation, for another it could be strengthening a structural weakness, for another it could be staying out of the pouring rain and getting in some training, for another it could be maximizing c.n.s stress because a niggling injury made them want to avoid the track that day. For another person it could be increasing the over-all work capacity, because they are finding a lot of volume on the track to be risky, for some one else, it could be a tonic to the nervous system which may help their next track session. For another person, it could be exitation for the nervous sytem before they step on to the track after weight session (Marion Jones, also H.S.I sprint club, and Linford Christie). For some one else, it may merely be just a way for them to monitor their strength during a maintanance phase.
There are so many variables. The one thing I can say about weight training is that it is very easy to measure exactly where you are (with the weights) as it is a very measurable tagent - for obvious reasons. You have to decide how to manipulate it, because you have to decide what you need weight training for, and the best way to achieve that. There are many different ways of achieving strength. You don’t have to go all out in the gym to get progression. Pavel Tsatsouline and many other strength coaches emphasize this often. They talk about monitering the bar speed, or atleast being mindfull of it if you don’t have tecnology.

Others, such as Charles Poliquin, prefer that you try to improve each session, (and he recomends changing the exercises now and again, and having less frequant sessions of each area of the body. Like each bodypart trained once every 5 days.) But he is more in to hypertrophy side of weight training for off-season field athletes. Hockey/football.

Thre are many variables so you have to personalize your program, but without over emphazising the weights part of the program. Usain Bolt himself, amongst countless hundreds of other examples, does not over emphasize the weights part of the training. A simple program should be fine, where now and again you can miss the weights session if you really need to. Michael Johnson would do the weights times three days a weak, and some times on alternate days, but sometimes, three days in a row, so long as three sessions were done. (so you see, that is yet another way of personalizing your weights program.) Other people might not feel the need for three whole bopy sessions every weak.

Linford didn’t do it for excitation. The track work afterward was minimal and the weights were very intense while HSI’s were sub maximal and track took precedence. Very different.

I never saw Darren to machine bench. I have seen him bench 135kg though.