Post by Oracle on Jan 2, 2005 5:10:33 GMT -5
www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=460371
Push-up Your Explosive Strength!
Techniques for breaking through strength
plateaus in the bench press
by Chad Waterbury
Speed. You can't have too much of it. If your goal is to get really strong, explosive speed training is one of the most important elements. Remember that old "muscle-bound" theory that arm-chair experts had about weight training? They thought big muscles built from weight training would make an individual slow. Well, they were partially right. If you train slow you'll eventually become slow.
Make no mistake about it, the way you train will ultimately determine your fate as a powerlifter, weightlifter, or athlete. Don't worry, though, because I'm going to show you how to become powerfully fast from explosive strength training!
If there's one element that's constantly lacking in the majority of strength-building programs, it's explosive strength training. What I'm talking about here is training fast with light loads, sometimes referred to as the dynamic method. As a strength coach, I'm always interested in successful programs. The majority of them I read about are nothing more than run-of-the-mill programs consisting of three sets of 8 to 12 reps performed slow and controlled. What a joke!
Other more famous and successful programs like that of the Westside Barbell Club involve a ton of speed work. This type of strength sets you apart from the competition due to one extremely important factor — speed. So what I'm going to show you is how to build speed in your upper-body pushing muscles. Throw that slow training out the back door along with your Bob Paris autographed 8 x 10's and get read to toss up some real weight!
[Editor's note: Keep in mind that speed training, strength training, and hypertrophy training are all different things and while there's often considerable overlap, each has its own fairly specific rules]
Explosive Strength: What is it and how do I get it?
As defined by strength expert Yuri Verkhoshansky, explosive strength consists of three important components: maximum strength, starting strength, and acceleration strength. Maximum strength can be increased by lifting heavy loads for multiple, low-repetition sets. Starting strength is the ability to develop force before the load moves and acceleration strength is the ability to generate maximum force very quickly.
We'll focus here on the latter two. In reference to the bench press, starting strength will help you get the load moving after pausing it on your chest while acceleration strength will help you get the load moving quickly. Pretty simple, huh?
In order to completely understand explosive strength you must also understand the Explosive Strength Deficit (ESD). This is the difference between the maximum force your muscles can produce and the development of maximum force when little time is available.
For example, Lifter A and Lifter B both have the ability to generate 400 pounds of force when bench pressing. Lifter A needs 0.4 seconds to generate this force, whereas Lifter B can generate it in only 0.2 seconds. Therefore, Lifter B has a smaller ESD and would smoke Lifter A in a pressing competition.
Once again I'll refer to the bottom of the bench press. Many lifters have the ability to generate the amount of force required to lift the load; they just can't generate it quickly enough. The result? The load crashes back to their chests. By decreasing the ESD you'll increase the force output in explosive movements. How do we decrease the ESD? Fast, explosive training, of course!
As stated above, speed is the most important component when attempting to increase explosive strength. This type of strength was exemplified by the late Bruce Lee. The guy was extremely powerful. Why was he so powerful? Because he was lightning quick.
Another example would be great bench pressers. The best ones are almost always the ones who train the fastest. If you ever get a chance to see a world champion bench presser train, you'll notice how quickly the bar moves compared to the lesser mortals. If you really want to tap into the higher-threshold motor units and move some serious weight, explosive strength training is mandatory.
So now you're probably thinking, "I know, I'll just start pressing the barbell fast on all my bench presses." Sorry, Bubba, it ain't that simple. If you lift light and fast all the time, you'll lose maximum strength! To make matters even worse, traditional barbell training can limit the body's ability to increase explosive strength. How? The body has many built-in inhibitory mechanisms that are intended to protect our joints and tissues. Without them, we'd probably turn our limbs and joints into something reminiscent of a piece of meat being shared by a pair of grizzlies.
Here's a test to prove this last point. After thoroughly warming up, lie on a bench with a loaded barbell that's approximately 50% of your raw bench press 1RM (rep maximal). Lower the barbell under control and quickly reverse the motion and press it up as explosively as possible.
Did you feel anything strange? Whether you knew it or not, your nervous system sent a signal to the brain to slow down the speed of the barbell as you approached lockout. These mechanisms inhibit further muscular action in an effort to protect your joints from being destroyed. Without them, your training days would come to an end very quickly as your arms would probably rip out of their sockets.
Traditional barbell training doesn't "override" these inhibitions and we're left with an explosive movement that isn't too explosive due to the body's protective mechanisms. So is that it? Is the holy grail of strength training out of reach because we're limited to barbells? Fret no more, city boy, I have a solution.
Push-up Your Explosive Strength!
Techniques for breaking through strength
plateaus in the bench press
by Chad Waterbury
Speed. You can't have too much of it. If your goal is to get really strong, explosive speed training is one of the most important elements. Remember that old "muscle-bound" theory that arm-chair experts had about weight training? They thought big muscles built from weight training would make an individual slow. Well, they were partially right. If you train slow you'll eventually become slow.
Make no mistake about it, the way you train will ultimately determine your fate as a powerlifter, weightlifter, or athlete. Don't worry, though, because I'm going to show you how to become powerfully fast from explosive strength training!
If there's one element that's constantly lacking in the majority of strength-building programs, it's explosive strength training. What I'm talking about here is training fast with light loads, sometimes referred to as the dynamic method. As a strength coach, I'm always interested in successful programs. The majority of them I read about are nothing more than run-of-the-mill programs consisting of three sets of 8 to 12 reps performed slow and controlled. What a joke!
Other more famous and successful programs like that of the Westside Barbell Club involve a ton of speed work. This type of strength sets you apart from the competition due to one extremely important factor — speed. So what I'm going to show you is how to build speed in your upper-body pushing muscles. Throw that slow training out the back door along with your Bob Paris autographed 8 x 10's and get read to toss up some real weight!
[Editor's note: Keep in mind that speed training, strength training, and hypertrophy training are all different things and while there's often considerable overlap, each has its own fairly specific rules]
Explosive Strength: What is it and how do I get it?
As defined by strength expert Yuri Verkhoshansky, explosive strength consists of three important components: maximum strength, starting strength, and acceleration strength. Maximum strength can be increased by lifting heavy loads for multiple, low-repetition sets. Starting strength is the ability to develop force before the load moves and acceleration strength is the ability to generate maximum force very quickly.
We'll focus here on the latter two. In reference to the bench press, starting strength will help you get the load moving after pausing it on your chest while acceleration strength will help you get the load moving quickly. Pretty simple, huh?
In order to completely understand explosive strength you must also understand the Explosive Strength Deficit (ESD). This is the difference between the maximum force your muscles can produce and the development of maximum force when little time is available.
For example, Lifter A and Lifter B both have the ability to generate 400 pounds of force when bench pressing. Lifter A needs 0.4 seconds to generate this force, whereas Lifter B can generate it in only 0.2 seconds. Therefore, Lifter B has a smaller ESD and would smoke Lifter A in a pressing competition.
Once again I'll refer to the bottom of the bench press. Many lifters have the ability to generate the amount of force required to lift the load; they just can't generate it quickly enough. The result? The load crashes back to their chests. By decreasing the ESD you'll increase the force output in explosive movements. How do we decrease the ESD? Fast, explosive training, of course!
As stated above, speed is the most important component when attempting to increase explosive strength. This type of strength was exemplified by the late Bruce Lee. The guy was extremely powerful. Why was he so powerful? Because he was lightning quick.
Another example would be great bench pressers. The best ones are almost always the ones who train the fastest. If you ever get a chance to see a world champion bench presser train, you'll notice how quickly the bar moves compared to the lesser mortals. If you really want to tap into the higher-threshold motor units and move some serious weight, explosive strength training is mandatory.
So now you're probably thinking, "I know, I'll just start pressing the barbell fast on all my bench presses." Sorry, Bubba, it ain't that simple. If you lift light and fast all the time, you'll lose maximum strength! To make matters even worse, traditional barbell training can limit the body's ability to increase explosive strength. How? The body has many built-in inhibitory mechanisms that are intended to protect our joints and tissues. Without them, we'd probably turn our limbs and joints into something reminiscent of a piece of meat being shared by a pair of grizzlies.
Here's a test to prove this last point. After thoroughly warming up, lie on a bench with a loaded barbell that's approximately 50% of your raw bench press 1RM (rep maximal). Lower the barbell under control and quickly reverse the motion and press it up as explosively as possible.
Did you feel anything strange? Whether you knew it or not, your nervous system sent a signal to the brain to slow down the speed of the barbell as you approached lockout. These mechanisms inhibit further muscular action in an effort to protect your joints from being destroyed. Without them, your training days would come to an end very quickly as your arms would probably rip out of their sockets.
Traditional barbell training doesn't "override" these inhibitions and we're left with an explosive movement that isn't too explosive due to the body's protective mechanisms. So is that it? Is the holy grail of strength training out of reach because we're limited to barbells? Fret no more, city boy, I have a solution.
