Stre

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Pro Sport &

Fitness

F e b r u a r y V o l u m e 1 . 2

Strength and Conditioning for Peak Performance

Blasting ThroughSticking Points

Improve your HeartRate Monitoring

Developing Linearand Sport Speed

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Table of Contents Sport & Fitness Vol 1.2• February 2004

Sport & Fitness is published 12 times per year by StrengthProInc.

EDITOREd McNeely

ASSOCIATE EDITORSDave Sandler Steve Bamel

Advisory BoardJoseph Signorile, Phd

Jim Stoppani, PhdJose Antonio, Phd

David Ryan, D.C.Richard Lopez EdD, ATC

Sport & Fitness is an electronic Journal. Article Submissions arewelcome and should be directed to the publisher at

news@strengthpro.com

Correspondence, change of e-mail, advertising or subscriptionenquiries should be directed to news@strengthpro.com

SSTRENGTHTRENGTHPPROROwww.strengthpro.com

1-800-255-1017

Sport & Fitness is a peer reviewed journal for strength and conditioning professionals, personal trainers, fitness instructorsand serious athletes. The journals mission is to publish articles that link scientifc information with practical applications;including research reviews, application articles, and original research.

Sport & Fitnesswelcomes submission of artices and research that would be of interest to our readers. All articles submittedwill be blind reviewed by at least two members of the editorial board. submit articles to news@strengthpro.com

Copyright 2004 by StrengthPro. All rights reserved except where specifically stated. StrengthPro does not endorse any partic-ular product advertised in this publication, nor has it verified the performance or product claims any advertisment may make.StrengthPro is not responsible for any problems a consumer may have with advertised products.

FeaturesBench Press: Powering Through theSticking Point 3David Sandler and Ed McNeely

Understanding Speed 10Ed McNeely and David Sandler

The Five Rules of Heart Rate Monitoring 18Ed McNeely

ColumnsResearch ReviewsBill Hebson 8

Exercise of the Month 15

Strength Training 101 21Marlon Gomez

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Historically, the bench press,among strength training ath-letes, has been consideredthe base mark of strength.The bench press far andaway outweighs any otherexercise in terms of the num-ber of training programs it isemployed within. In fact thisexercise is so heralded, it isalways performed on thesame day, without fail:Monday, AKA "InternationalBench Press Day." Yet, withall the practice, this exercisestill torments even the great-est of lifters as the secretmystery to mastering thesticking point has yet beenrevealed. Deep in the sar-cophagus of lifting lore liesthe answer to "How do I pre-vent the sticking point fromoccurring?". At last, theanswer…….

You Don't. You don't need toread any further, unless youare prepared to work hard,

because the truth is, no mat-ter who you are, you willinevitably find a precariousposition during the lift thataffords much frustration. Infact, a sticking point exists inmost multi-joint dynamicexercises.

The Lever IssueSimply put, your body is acomplex system of leversbuilt for speed, not strength.When you try to challengeyour body against its normalwill, meaning moving anobject along an undesirablepath, the body's architectureprevents you from achievingcertain things, or at the veryleast, changes the way inwhich you do things. Thetheory of levers holds theanswer. To help explain this,lets quickly examine thebench press mechanically.We know that the bench

incorporates the pectoralismajor, the anterior deltoids,and the triceps (among othermuscles). Although each ofthese muscles perform differ-ent actions at separate joints,the goal is to perform a sin-gle effort combining all mus-cles. While a muscle pullson a bone (remember mus-cles do not push, they onlypull bones together causinga pushing action), it forcesthe bone to follow a patharound the joint. The jointacts as a pivot point causinga rotational force known astorque. Each muscle exertsa specific amount of forceaccording to the angle andvelocity of the movement.During the initial push, thepecs (and lats for a briefmoment) exert more forcethen the triceps and deltoidsbecause these muscles arenot yet in a position to con-tribute fully. As we continuethrough the motion, the tri-

Bench Press: PoweringThrough the StickingPointDavid Sandler and Ed McNeely

4

ceps and deltoids becomemore active helping con-tribute to the overall force.However, during this transi-tion, the interaction betweenthe pecs, tris and deltoids inconcert with the fall-off fromthe lats, causes a decreasedforce production and hencedecreased velocity in the bar.The further the object beinglifted gets away from the lineof action of the muscle, themore force is required by themuscle to overcome theresistance. The entire sys-tem of muscles actingtogether to produce a move-ment forms a system of vary-ing torques. Whew, that justabout confuses us too. Youcan imagine how complicat-ed the system becomeswhen each muscle has differ-ent points of origin (wherethe muscle originates), differ-ent points of insertion (wherethe muscle pulls against), dif-ferent shapes and sizes, anddifferent lines of pull. It isonly natural to assume, thatwith all these factors con-tributing to lifting a barbell,that at some point, competi-tion between opposing mus-cle groups will cause a peri-od where the overall produc-tion of force is minimized.This, my friends, is the rea-son why we have a stickingpoint. At some point duringany movement, a barbell willslow down while the muscle

fights through the transitionof least leverage. Of course,the more complicated a liftand more joints/musclegroups involved, the morelikely a sticking point is tooccur (even multiple stickingpoints may occur)

The Four Rulesof Breaking theSticking PointThe easy solution to over-coming the sticking region isto cheat. Yep, push the barright through the stickingregion bypassing the mostdifficult muscle taxing part ofthe lift by using some other

non-related body part.Hmmm, my guess is that youhave all tried this before, yetthe sticking point still exists!There is only so far you canelevate you butt off thebench and only so manyCPR compressions you cando to avoid cracking yoursternum before you finallygive up! Not to mention thereis a butt elevation limitrequirement by most gyms;you should not be able toslide a triple-decker weddingcake under it! In fact cheat-ing merely augments thesticking region because themuscle required to overcomeit are never properly trained.Therefore, the very first rule

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is to use proper techniqueand proper form.

Second Rule:, remember theold saying, the fastest way toget to another point is totravel in a straight line. Rulenumber two: avoid extrane-ous horizontal bar move-ment. The bar should travelin as-close-to-a-straight-line-as-possible. Yes it will followa slight curvilinear motion,however, it should be mini-mal.

Third rule:, the bar's line offorce (the bar would fallstraight down due to gravity),should be directly over themajor force line being pro-duced by your body. Thatmeans, the force should trav-el down through the wrist,through the forearm to theelbow and the bar should beparallel to your upper armswhen at the chest.

A fourth and final rule is tomaintain body stability on thebench. Any erroneous move-ment will inevitably steal fromyour overall ability to producethat all important linear force.

Technique Tipsfor WorkingThrough theSticking Point

If you are still reading, youhave begun to win the battle.The following list representsthe top 10 ways to improveyour chances of poweringthrough the sticking pointwithout cheating.

1.Dig your shoulders into thebench, and keep your butt onthe bench. This allows you tostabilize your shoulder cap-sule (minimize horizontal barmovement) and keeps thebar moving upward in astraight line.

2. Wrap your thumb aroundthe bar. A very commonerror used by many whowere improperly informedthat the thumbless grip iso-lates the chest better. In fact,there is no difference in mus-cle activation, however, asmall "extra" torque is creat-ed about the wrist as the barmass does not travel downthe forearm (rule #3).

3. Actively squeeze the bar.The contraction of the fore-arms when the bar issqueezed creates a solidconnection to the bar allow-ing the force developed bythe pecs, delts, and tris to betransmitted more effectivelyto the bar.

4. Use your legs. Place yourfeet wide apart, to stabilizeyou body, and slightly back-

ward so there is a sharpankle angle. As you pressthe bar up, the contributionfrom the legs keeps yourbody tight and forces yourbutt to stay on the bench.

5. Retract your scapula whilelowering the bar. During thedescent, actively squeezeyour shoulder blades togeth-er. Again this stabilizes theshoulder, but more important-ly, when you push, the firstportion of your bench willincorporate the lats addingincreased force to your push.

6. Explode off your chest.Imagine a chunk of TNT ison your chest. When the bartouches your chest, ratherthen bounce, pause for amoment then try to ignite theTNT and drive the bar uppast the sticking point.

7. Lower the bar slowly. Youspend a huge amount ofeffort trying to slow a bardown, not to mention tryingto control the rebound effectwhen the bar makes contactwith your chest. A controlleddescent allows for the storedenergy and the muscleselastic properties to aid inproducing the force for theconcentric portion of the lift.

8. The bar should touchacross the nipples, not muchlower. When the bar is at the

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chest, you should have a 90oangle with the armpit and a90o angle with the elbow.This can be achieved by tak-ing a slightly wider thenshoulder width grip or evenwider.9. Protract the shoulders

(round the upper back) anddrive your body into thebench away from the barwhen you explode out of thebottom. Although this is hardto actually do by attemptingto push your body into thebench, you help drive the

weight up.

10. Take a huge breath inwhen you lower the bar. Thisexpands the chest, shorten-ing the distance the bar hasto travel. When you get tothe bottom, as you explodethe bar off your chest, force-fully exhale to help power thebar up.

TrainingThrough theBarrierDon't train the shoulders toosoon before you bench.Keep at least 48 hours ofshoulder-free work prior to abig bench day. The deltoidmuscles are the weakestlink, they fatigue quickly andlimit the overall lifting capaci-ty. If the bench press is thefocus of your training consid-er making delts the first train-ing session after a day offfrom your heavy bench ses-sion.

Try training using pause rep-etitions occasionally. Thisforces the muscles to workeven harder to generateforce. This added strengthwill power your way throughthe sticking point.

There is no way to truly trainportions of the lift, contrary to

7

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the opinions of many of ourcolleagues. While trainingpartials has benefit, if youcannot get the bar moving offyour chest with enoughvelocity, you will fail at somepoint. The best way to getthrough the sticking point isto increase the initial powerand drive off your chest.Always focus on being asexplosive as possible as thebar comes off your chest.Drive all the way through themovement, continuallyattempting to accelerate thebar. You may not move veryfast if you are using a heavyweight but the intent to movefast is the crucial ingredient.Timing transitions andbounces are very difficult andshould be avoided.

Some TrainingSuggestionsThere are many great exer-cises, but few help trulyimprove the bench other thenhardcore, gut-wrenchingbenching. Meaning go allout, work different grips suchas wide and narrow into theprogram. Doing variousangled bench versions anddips also complement thebench well, however, thesticking point remains to bean issue. If at all possible,use dumbbells in your auxil-iary exercises as these will

help to increase efforts fromyour shoulder stabilizers incontrolling extraneous barmovement. And mostimportantly, USE WEIGHTYOU CAN HANDLE, other-wise you are wasting yourtime. If you can't lift it, youcan't force yourself to lift it.Reduce the weight, work thetechnique and you will surelyimprove your chances ofbeating the sticking point.

Research Reviews: the Science of Training

Acute Negative Effect of a Hypertrophy-OrientedTraining Bout on Subsequent Upper-Body PowerOutput

Baker,D. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Aug. 2003.Volume17(3), pages 527-530.

Many athletes and strength professionals now regularly combine maximal strength, power andhypertrophy-oriented training within the same workout. Often alternating exercises for each ofthese elements each set. Traditionally, it has been widely accepted that power oriented exer-cise precedes strength and hypertrophy exercise in a workout. This is to avoid the potentialnegative effects of acute fatigue that may compromise maximal power output. However advo-cates of contrast/complex training embrace the alternating of hi-intensity low volume strengthexercise and power training. Research supports that this does in fact increase power output butthe strength training involved is of a very low volume and is distinguished from the muchhigher volumes associated with hypertrophy-training. Theoretically this higher volume oftraining may acutely impair power output. The purpose of this study is to examine the acuteeffects of a dose of high-volume, hypertrophy training on power output during upper-bodytraining.

Twenty-seven college-aged, rugby league players, volunteered for the study. All were experi-enced in power training. The subjects were divided into two groups. Fifteen were assigned tothe experimental (Hyp) group, who were to perform the hypertrophy intervention, whiletwelve served as controls (Con). 72 hours prior to testing subjects performed a 1RM benchpress (1RM BP) and a bench press throw maximal power output test (BT Pmax).

Testing was conducted was conducted using an absolute resistance of 40kg (BT P40) using thePlyometric Power System (PPS). Prior to pre-testing subjects warmed up by performing 5 rep-

etitions of both the bench press (60kg) and the bench press throw exercise (20kg). After 3minutes of rest subjects performed 5 consecutive attempts with the investigated resistance(BT P40). The best attempt was recorded. After 3 minutes of rest Con subjects performedtheir post-test and Hyp group performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions on the free weight benchpress at 65% of 1RM, with a 1.5 minute rest interval between each. The rational was toreproduce a typical hypertrophy-oriented workout. Subjects were post-tested 1.5 minutesafter the hypertrophy intervention and again 5 minutes later.

The data show the hypertrophy group experienced an acute 18% decrement in power out-put at 1.5 minutes after the last hypertrophy set and power output was still significantlydepressed by 6.6% after 5 more minutes of rest (7 minutes total since the last set). Furtherthe data was stratified to identify two sub-groups, the 5 strongest subjects and 5 weakest.Comparison of these groups revealed that the subjects capable of the greatest absoluteworkload experienced a greater decrease in power than the weaker subjects.

These observations support the commonly held edict that power should be addressedbefore or separated from hypertrophy training. It could be posited as well that if a numberof exercises were performed in this hypertrophy-oriented manner the cumulative effects onpower decrement would be even more severe.

The implications of this study for those of us in the field is to recommend that high-repeti-tion, short-rest period training not be alternated with or performed before power trainingsets or exercises. Strength coaches should also realize that their strongest athletes mayexperience the greatest adverse effect in power output and that their hypertrophy-orientedtraining needs to be carefully managed to avoid seriously compromising the developmentof power.

Bill Hebson

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There are two kinds of speed.The most commonly trainedspeed is straight-line or sprintspeed. However, the mostimportant, in terms of the ath-lete performance is sport speed.A very fast sprinter may not be

as valuable if his/her speed can-not be converted to speed per-formance on the field. Sincemost team sports and non-tracksports do not have much straightline running, as it is moreimportant to be able to rapidly

change direction and have rapidacceleration, it is more impor-tant to have a combination ofspeed, power, and acceleration.These components make a bet-ter, faster athlete.

We must not forget that "4thQuarter" speed is also impor-tant. Not only must we help ourathletes become faster, we musthelp them develop an overallability to call upon their speedwhen it is needed, even whenthe athlete is exhausted.Training speed while fatiguedwill increase an athlete's toler-ance and improve his/her over-all athletic performance.

Straight-Line Speed

Speed training is a vital link toincreasing the athlete's chancesof being successful at his/hersport. Often coaches spendmany hours teaching form run-ning drills, start technique,acceleration drills and stridemodifying drills. All of whichhelp to successfully increase

Undertanding SpeedEd McNeely and David Sandler

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straight-line speed. However,since these drills are techniqueoriented, they often take time toperfect and therefore progres-sion is a key element.

For proper straight-line speedtraining of athletes, emphasisshould be on using a few gooddrills properly and increasingthe speed at which they are per-formed to perfect the move-ments. With training, the drillsshould be executed at top speedbefore introducing "new" speeddrills. The best teaching orderfor drills is to start with lowskills non-specific movementsand progress to more specificand complex exercises. Whenperforming drills to increasestraight-line speed, the emphasisshould be placed on the phos-phagen (ATP-PC) system to pre-vent lactic acid accumulationand early fatigue. The key toincreasing straight-line speed isto have maximum power foreach rep. Practicing drills withlittle rest prevents the athletefrom developing the ability toperform the drill at maximumspeed. If the drills cannot beperformed maximally, then therequired technique begins to fal-ter and the value of the drill forincreasing straight-line speedbegins to weaken.

Change of DirectionSpeed

This is the ability to turnstraight-line speed into "use-able" speed for sport. Oftenathletes run a very fast 40, 60,or 100 yard dash but their speedis only "good" when they getopen to run free. While the ath-lete may have excellent stridemechanics, his/her acceleration,agility, quickness, or strengthmay not be adequate enough toget the athlete into the "open"position. For example, a widereceiver in football that can runa very fast 40 or 100 but getsheld up at the line of scrimmageby the defender cannot use hisspeed to break away. That isnot to say that he doesn't pos-sess sport speed, but due to thelack of strength or agility, hissport speed may be hampered.

In order for an athlete to be suc-cessful, the speed he/she pos-sesses must be converted to on-field performance. That meansthat not only must he/she befast, but must also be explosive,as well as conditioned to use it.Therefore, it should be obviousthat sport speed is sport specif-ic, and should be trainedaccording to the sport's physicaldemands, movement patternsand the sport's energy systemrequirements. For example, theapplication of speed for a soccerplayer would quite differentthan that of a football player.The soccer player needs break-away speed from a movingposition, while a football player

may need explosive speed froma starting position. The soccerathlete is continually moving ina more "endurance-like" mannerwhile the football player hasdefinite periods of rest. Whentraining for speed development,more time should be spent onconditioning with speed than onincreasing straight-line speed inthe sport speed program.

Defining Speed

Speed is actually the distancecovered divided by the time ittakes or from physics, V=D÷T,where velocity is V, distance isD and time is T. When startingfrom rest, or no motion, therehas to be an acceleratory forceto help begin the movement.Acceleration is defined as thevelocity divided the time orA=V÷T. To be fast, from rest,the athlete needs to accelerate asrapidly as possible. It may beobvious then, that trainingshould emphasize explosiveacceleration. This concept isbest described as power - theability to combine speed withstrength executing the move-ment as fast as possible.

Acceleration and technique arekey in establishing the start ofany sprint, whether it be from amoving or stationary position.The transfer of momentum fromone type of movement(crossover step, etc.) to the

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straight sprint is crucial in thedevelopment of speed.Therefore, a great deal of timeshould be spent perfecting thequick feet drills and establishingoverall quickness in the athletes.

Biomechanics ofRunning

Like any skill, analyzing themovement into its base compo-nents will help understand thecomplexity of the skill and pre-pare the coach to better trainhis/her athletes. The actual run-ning movement requires hun-dreds of muscles in the lowerbody and upper body as well.In fact, strengthening the upperbody has shown to increasepower and speed in runningstrides. Running requires theuse of the upper body armswinging motion to help propelthe body and stabilize duringthe movement. The lower bodyuses nearly all of its muscles inthe running motion. If you ana-

lyze each joint in detail, youwill find both agonist and antag-onist muscles acting at eachjoint. The major joints are thehips and knee requiring bothforceful extension and flexionof both. The ankle is a complexseries of joints working togetherto absorb shock and push-offexplosively. To accurately pre-dict force by individual musclewould be a daunting task atbest. While we take running forgranted, it is perhaps one of themost complex movements weperform.

Running has three components.The stride frequency refers tothe number of times the legcycles through the movement.The stride length is the distanceeach stride covers. The thirdcomponent is the stance time.The length of time that the footis in contact with surface deter-mines the how forceful eachstride is The push-off is thepoint where all of the storedenergy from the landing is con-

verted in to force to drive thebody forward. Running is verycomplex. The cycle movementis the point where the leg actu-ally goes from pushing off theground (acceleration) throughcycling around (speed) to brak-ing (deceleration) prior to thefoot re-striking the groundagain. This incredible processoccurs in less then .06 seconds.Training, by breaking down themovement is not possible.Therefore, all training needs toencompass the entire movementinto the specific protocol.

Stride Frequency

Obviously the more times thefoot contacts the ground and theshorter the foot is on theground, the faster one can be.Stride frequency can be manipu-lated by forcing the legs to turnover quicker or by attempting tomake the legs turn over quicker.Generally this is done through"towing" drills, like the one pic-

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tured at the bottom of the pre-ceeding page. These kinds ofdrills actually pull the athletealong, forcing the legs to turnover more rapidly. Other meth-ods include running down agentle decline and drills thatemphasize leg turnover mechan-ics.

Stride Lengthening

To increase an athlete's acceler-ation and power, improving thestride length is the key. Whilethe optimum length is unknownand varies from individual toindividual it can certainly betrained. When you increasestride length, you must still con-sider the fact that altering "nor-mal" mechanics requires the

athlete to re-learn the move-ment. For neurological timingand body control to be perfect-ed, the athlete needs to continu-ally practice regular runningwhile working on stride increas-ing drills. Therefore, a very fastathlete (that does not run trackevents) should not necessarilyattempt to change his/her run-ning pattern by altering stridelength per se. Resistive runningis the best method for increasingstride length.

Stride length and frequency isenhanced by increasing thestrength or force production ofthe running muscles. Most peo-ple believe that stride lengthen-ing can be achieved throughweight training alone. It may

seem obvious that increasingmuscle strength will help pro-duce a more forceful contractionwhich will naturally increase thedistance of the stride by increas-ing the push-off strength.Improving stride length throughdrills requiring similar runningmovements decreases the likeli-hood of mechanical issues. Thekey is to continue regular run-ning drills and incorporatingresistive running drills.

Push-Off

As previously stated, increasingthe strength of the muscles willhelp increase the force produc-tion of the running movement.Hence, the push-off strengthwill increase. If the strength is

Form running drills help improve the body mechanics that maximizestraight line speed

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increased in the pushing mus-cles and also increased in thepulling muscles, the leg willcycle more quickly, producingbetter stride frequency and thusspeed.

Form Running Drills

Form running drills are oftenused by coaches to help developspeed. The main goal is to helpthe athlete perfect arm motionand foot push-off strength. Theathlete moves through the formrunning drills by forcefullypushing his/her feet into theground while concentrating onleg and arm motion. Form run-ning drills are not necessarilyspecific to running in that mostdrills exhibit leg movementsthat are not exactly "run like."However, from a sport speedstandpoint, if done correctly andquickly, form drills can helpincrease speed. Use your PowerChute while performing the var-ious drills to provide an addi-tional challenge of keeping thebody in a perfect position whilerunning against resistance.

STRENGTHPRO would like to thank it’ssponsors

Exercise of the Month:

Half Twisting Lateral HopThis is a great drill for developing lateral jumping power and body control. You willneed a Lateral Plyo Box for this drill. Start with feet hip width apart. Swing thearms back and quickly dip until the knees bend to about 120 degrees. Explodeupward and sideways extending the knees, hips, ankles and trunk while swingingthe arms forward and slightly sideways as explosively as possible. Rotate yourbody in the air so that when you land you are facing in the opposite direction. Assoon as you land jump back to the starting side of the Lateral Plyo Box

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The quickness to break through the line andaccelerate past tacklers, grabbing a rebound outof the hands of your opponent, ripping off a 130mph tennis serve or driving a golf ball 300 yardsall have one thing in common. They all requireincredible power.

Power, the optimal combination of speed andstrength is essential for sport performance and isthe difference between good and greatathletesNot every sport has the same powerrequirement, being able to determine the idealrelationship between speed and strength for asport, test an individual athlete for their strengthand weaknesses and teach proper exercise pro-gressions will allow you to develop more effec-tive training programs and separate yourselffrom other trainers in the filed of athlete devel-opment.

With this in mind StrengthPro has created a cer-tification that covers every aspect of power and

speed development,from the science, tothe exercises, to thedevelopment pro-grams to maximizeyou clients results.

This four sessionlecture-workshopwill provide eachparticipant the skillsand knowledge need-ed to develop explo-sive power pro-grams. Examiningboth historical per-spectives and thenewest, scientific approaches for developing powerthe workshop will consist of approximately 50% ofthe time being devoted to lecture and 50% to practi-cal application hands on applications, allowing par-ticipants to bridge the gap between science andpractice.

Session 1: The Strength-Speed-PowerContinuum

This lecture session will introduce participants tothe physiological basis of power development andthe Strength-Speed Power continuum. To developoptimal power one must first know whether thatpower is strength based or speed based. The contin-uum allows the participant to analyze the powerdemands of a sport or activity and determine theproportions of strength and speed needed to excel.Other topics covered include:

- Muscle and Nervous system physiology

STRENGTHPRO

SPEED AND POWER CERTIFICATION

17

- Force-velocity curve- The length-tension curve- Acceleration, Torque and Impulse- Elastic energy, the stretch reflex and momentum- Dynamic Power Expression- The trade – off between strength and speed- Where does optimal sport specific power lie?- Sport and position specific power analysis

Session 2: Developing a Power Profile

During this practical workshop participants will belead through a series of specific and generalstrength, speed, and power tests. They will learn toadminister the test protocols, interpret the resultsand set training priorities and goals based on thetesting and how the results match the strength-speed-power continuum analysis.

Session 3: The 5 Step Power Program

This lecture session provides the program variablesand theoretical framework for designing specificpower programs. The 5 step model provides par-ticipants with a simple, effective means of ensuringthat they are covering ever aspect of power devel-opment. Topics covered include:

- Training muscles vs. training movements- Replication and skill transfer- The weight training paradox- Power periodization cycling- Antagonistic power combinations- Volume-intensity relationships- Overload- Acceleration and deceleration

Session 4: Power Techniques

Building on the previous session, this hands onsession features the drills, exercises and trainingmethods discussed in the previous lecture. Thegroup will be broken into smaller groups andcycle through four different stations where par-ticipants will learn and learn to teach ten differ-ent exercises and drills for a total of 40 newexercises ranging from releases and throws toplyometrics and Olympic lifts.

For information on a certification course in your area call 1-800-255-1017

www.strengthpro.com

TTHEHE FFIVEIVE

RRULESULES OFOF

HHEARTEART RRATEATE

MMONITORINGONITORINGScientists and coaches are constantly trying to find better,more efficient ways of training. Sometimes, outdated orinaccurate methods continue to haunt a sport and mayactually be detrimental to the development of the athlete.Such is the case with heart rate monitoring.

Heart rate is an easily measurable physiological variablethat is often used to gauge the intensity of a training ses-sion. With the recent development of affordable, accuratemonitors the popularity of heart rate monitoring has sky-rocketed. While under the right conditions heart rates canbe a useful tool there are too many athletes that havedeveloped a dependence on their heart rate monitor. Iwould like to take this opportunity to exam some ofpotential problems associated with heart rate monitoringand provide some general guidelines for more effectiveuse of heart rate.

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The ability to use heart rate to monitor the intensity of a training session developed from the fact thatthere is a linear relationship between oxygen consumption and heart rate (figure 1). While this is valu-able information it has also lead to two problem areas. First, the relationship starts to break down ataround 85% of VO2 max. Since many types of intervals and most speed work are done at or above thisintensity heart rate alone cannot be used to monitor this type of work. Second, even though there is arelationship between exercise intensity and heart rate this relationship is different for different exercisesi.e. heart rates for running will not be the same as heart rates for rowing for any given intensity. In fact,in cycling heart rates change with different body position on the bike. Some research indicates thatheart rates on the road can be as much as 10 beats higher than riding indoors on a trainer for the sameoxygen consumption. This brings us to our first rule of heart rate monitoring. Heartrates are specific to the activity you are doing .

Heart rate is influenced by many variables. Duration of training, emotional stress, clothing, heat, dehy-dration, overtraining, loss of sleep, decreased blood volume, altitude, and detraining. During long dura-tion steady state training sessions (60 minutes or more) the heat produced by the body has been shownto increase heart rate by as much as 20 beats/ minute. If you were to slow down to try to keep yourheart rate the same you would change the training effect for the muscles. This leads us to heartrate rule number two: During steady state training speed or power outputshould remain constant throughout the session regardless of increases inheart rate. Training in a hot environment can increase heart rate by up to 13 beats/min. This canmake the accurate use of heart rate very difficult. Late in a training cycle heart rates can be very thanwhat they were a week earlier for the same power output. Whether this is higher or lower is difficult topredict. Emotional stress at work or the stress of exams at schools tends to increase heart rate duringtraining. In addition, these types ofstress decrease quality of sleepwhich further increases heart rate.Rule number three: Whentraining in hot weatheror during periods of highstress use feelings offatigue and comfort as atraining guide ratherthan heart rate.

Heart rate is an individualresponse as is maximum heartrate. I have known people whoregularly train together doing theexact same workout who have had20-30 beat differences in heartrates during the same training ses-sion. This isn't necessarily due todifferences in fitness rather it issomething inherent to those peo-ple. Comparing heart rates to other

Oxygen Consumption

Hea

rt R

ate

Figure 1. Relationship Between Heart Rate and Oxygen Consumption

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people is unnecessary and often unwise. Training programs should not be based on general heart rateguidelines rather they should be based on individual responses. A training heart rate of 150 bpm mayelicit very different adaptations for different people. Rule four: Don't compare heart ratesto others.

Because heart rate is an individual response and because it can be dependent on fitness level heart ratevalues need to be determined in relation to other physiological variables. There are three commonphysiological markers for aerobic training: Aerobic threshold, anaerobic threshold and VO2 max.Training programs are normally designed with the idea of changing these physiological points. In orderto prescribe meaningful heart rate ranges these points have to be identified. This can be done throughlactate testing or through an oxygen consumption test. The data is then plotted (figure 2) and meaning-ful heart rate ranges can be developed. If these points are not determined the heart rate prescriptionsare purely guess work. Rule five: Heart rate ranges should be determined fromother physiological data.

As mentioned earlier heart rate is not a good tool for monitoring intensity during speed work or inter-val training. Some coaches believe that heart rate should be used to monitor recovery between intervalsso that fatigue levels can be controlled. While it is true that fatigue levels need to be controlled heartrate is not the way to do it. The fatigue during high intensity aerobic training is caused primarily bylactic acid accumulation. The time between intervals should be based on the time needed to reduce lac-tate levels. The relationship between heart rate recovery and lactate recovery is not very strong. Inother words heart rate may have recovered but the lactate levels may still be too high to do the intervalthe way it should be done.

Heart rate is a tool for training. Like all tools it has limitation and should be used for a specific job at aspecific time. Speed, pace or power output are influenced by fewer factors than heart rate and mayprove to be better indicators of training intensity. If you are going to use heart rate to monitor yourintensity follow the guidelines outlined here and remember that heart rate is just a response to internaland external stimuli it should not be the main controlling factor for your training.

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Strength

Training

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Tired of the same old three sets of ten routine over and over again? Can't seem to grow

anymore? What if I let you in on a little secret that would have you growing faster than everbefore? Interested? Okay, so it's not really a secret but it is one of the most powerful methodsto spark your gains in muscle size once again. So sit back, grab your cup of lactic acid andbe prepared for a pump of gargantuan proportions with your new training partners, Supersetsand Compound Sets.

Before I explain how to apply these techniques, it is important to understand a little sciencebehind the madness. Growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland, primarily at nightwhen the body is undergoing recovery and regeneration. Growth hormone plays various rolesin the human body including growth of muscle, bone and connective tissue as well as thebreakdown of fat stores for energy. While sleep is the most potent stimulus for growth hor-mone release exercise can also cause significant increases in growth hormone levels.Research has shown that strength training exercise that results in failure at around 10 repsand causes high levels of lactate increases circulating levels of growth hormone. The theorybehind supersets and compound sets is that the lactate accumulation and subsequent growthhormone release will increase muscle size and decrease body fat.

O.k. so now lets take some of that science and apply it to the real world lab. A Supersetinvolves two exercises that stress opposing muscles or muscle areas. Next time you trainyour arms, I want you to pair up your biceps and triceps exercises in alternating fashion. Forexample, curls and pushdowns would be the first pairing before moving on to the next twocombinations of movements. Begin your arm work with curls. Make sure to perform this setnext to the push down stack, as your biceps reach muscular failure during the curls put theweights down and immediately, taking no rest, grab the push down handles, keeping transi-tion time to a minimum, and hit those triceps hard with some quality reps. After the end of thesuperset, your arms should be screaming for rest but since you want to don't want to fully

Super sets andCompoundSets

Marlon Gomez

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recover between sets, sixty to ninety seconds is all they will get before repeating a secondand possibly third superset.

Supersetting works best when alternating major muscle groups such as chest and back,quads and hamstrings, biceps and triceps. However, compound movements such as squats,bench presses and rows stimulate more growth hormone release and greater muscle growth.Supersets should be used for 2-3 weeks before moving into more intense Compound Sets.

If you feel you're up to a bigger challenge, then prepare yourself for the pain and agonyCompound Sets will provide. A Compound Set entails sequentially performing two differentexercises for the same muscle group, for instance bench press immediately followed bydumbbell flys. Compound sets are a more physically demanding form of training for a specificmuscle area than any other. During strength training exercises the energy for muscle contrac-tion comes from the ATP stored in the muscles and then from the breakdown of glycogenthrough anaerobic glycolysis, resulting in the production of lactic acid. The ATP stored in themuscles provides energy for about 10 seconds of work as the set progresses beyond thistime there is an increase in lactate that is proportionate to the length of the set so the longer

the set the more lactate. Compound sets are used todo precisely this; increase lactate levels and subse-quently growth hormone. Compound Sets can beapplied to any muscle group being trained at any pointin the training session. It can be done for an entirework out, a few sets or adjusted to only targeting spe-cific muscle groups. A compound set should take atleast 60 seconds to complete so focus on slow con-trolled movements and do at least ten reps per exer-cise.

Supersets and Compound Sets are two of the mostdemanding techniques used in resistance training;they are no walk in the park. The combinations ofthese two techniques are probably the most growthproducing methods around and could possibly be theanswer to brining up individual lagging muscle groups.These are very intense training methods that shouldonly be used sparingly for a couple of weeks at a timeas a shock to break the monotony of training. It's timeto go out and get the blood pumping now that youhave learned two of the most growth producing meth-ods in resistance training. So, whether you chooseSupersets, Compound Sets or both, be assured youwill experience a super-sized increase in musclegrowth within no time!

Multi station machines make it easyto perform Supersets andCompound sets

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A few tips to keep in mind when utilizing Supersets and Compound Sets:

1. Always warm up the area with a few light sets before the first major set2. Move quickly with no rest from one exercise to another3. Use short rest intervals of sixty to ninety seconds between sets4. Maintain proper from at all times to ensure the targeted muscle is being worked5. Utilize ten to twelve repetition maximums6. Incorporate a variety of movements