Usain’s Strength Training

[Goose232]

@syrus2001

You said that machine weights offered a lower CNS stress as compared to barbell weights.

Since this thread is about Usain Bolt’s strength training, this is obviously related to speed training as well.

You further related the lower CNS stress in the weight room to Usain’s abilities to crank out high CNS track workouts and the need to preserve this output and not to go overboard.

No need for paragraphs upon paragraphs of info to hit that point. And I think most would agree with these statements. The move from general to specific and back to general. We are all familiar with it I’m sure.

Perhaps Usain has reached a higher CNS output than anyone else and as a result needs to be even more general or to the right of the force-velocity curve in order to preserve the left and maintain the right. With that being said, there are definitely other methods of reaching this goal of general lifting besides machines and of course barbells can definitely be used.

Your message can be lost in the quantity of information you provide in your posts and a little in the defensiveness. But after all this is only a forum, and it is difficult to not take things personally at times. I usually find that the best thing to do is agree to disagree with people and before you know it, its on to another thread.

Fair point.

I should have also mentioned that when somebody doesn’t hammer it on the weights, they may actually have a better over-all blood flow and lower blood pressure for a day or so. This can help recovery.

Also, scientific journals have suggested parallel muscle fibers are faster than cross-bridged fibers.
If we put two and two together, we can suggest that not hammering it on the weights will not result in as many cross-bridged fibers compared to some one who allways goes heavy.
People who allways go heavy also get more tension in their body and mind and this can carry on for more than a day or two. (Some heavy lifters get a lot of physio - and need it.)
If heavy (above 80% of 1 rep max) weights have turned them in to a lump of granite, I might urge them to get down the pool, just for one day, for them to appreciate the opposite end of the spectrum. They’d feel better for it, and then they can go back to the weight training in next session. Swimming wont improove sprint speed, but it will help recovery and over-all work capacity. Not a training recomendation. Just trying to make a tense athlete experiance the benefits of blood flow in muscles that are not shortened and tightened as per’ heavy weights.

Fogelson does make a case for there usually not being as much eccentric loading on a machine.

So again, there is less wear and tear and therefor; quicker recovery from machine sessions.

Personally, I never rated extreeme loading in eccentric phases. (You know how some lifters talk about going extra heavy in a power rack, on the eccentric phase.) Sometimes I have had noticably better power improovements, from exacting the drive and
concentric phase, far more, than anything I’ve ever done with the eccentric phase.