UndergroundSecrets

To
FasterRunning

BREAKTHROUGHTRAINING
FOR
BREAKAWAYRUNNING

ByBarryRoss

ManythankstoPeterWeyandandPavelTsatsouline,whohelpedmeseethroughthefog
ofhistory.
TocoachKenJakalski,whowasmorethanwillingtolistentomerambleonforhours
uponhours,thankyouforsharingyourknowledgeandexpertise!
ThankstocoachesJonathanPattonandWesSmithwhowereinstrumentalintestingthe
systemandbelievinginit.AlsotocoachesWebster,VonBusch,Hartandmanyothers
whoareusingthesysteminavarietyofdifferentsports.
RobertHommelandMichaelRagosta:Yourcommentsandsuggestionswereinvaluable
andthetimeyouspenthelpingmeisgreatlyappreciated.
ToRenahHowellandMikeAbourched,keepworkinghardandthanksforallowingmeto
interruptyourworkoutswhilewritingthisbook!
TomysonChriswhoencouragedmetowritethisbook,mysonEricwhoputinsomany
hoursdevelopingthebearpowered.comwebsiteandmydaughterAimee,thankyoufor
allyourhelp!
TomywifeLaurie,whosepatienceisbeyondreason,thankyoufor31yearsoflove,care
andtolerancewithafoolisholdman!
TomyLord,JesusChrist,thankyouforsavingme!

Copyright(c)2005byBarryRoss
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforuseinreview,thereproductionorutilizationofthisworkin
anyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,nowknownorhereafter
invented,includingxerography,photocopying,andrecording,andinanyinformation
storageandretrievalsystem,isforbiddenwithoutpermissionofthepublisher.

DISCLAIMER:
Theauthorandpublisherofthismaterialarenotresponsibleinanymannerwhatsoeverforany
injurythatmayoccurthroughfollowingtheinstructionsinthismaterial.Theactivities,physical
andotherwise,describedhereinforinformationalpurposes,maybetoostrenuousordangerousfor
somepeopleandthereadershouldconsultaphysicianbeforeengaginginthem.

Publishedby

info@bearpowered.com

TableofContents

Introduction.1
BodyBuilding,BeachStyle..7
MSF.10
Mass.22
PhysiologyPart1..25
PhysiologyPart2..33
Workout,General.37
Workout,SpecificExercises....49
TheMidTorso..62
Plyometrics.64
AWorkout..66
Recycling.75
OckhamsRazor.....85

Introduction

Thestrengthtrainingconceptpresentedinthisbookissimple
yetpowerful.Powerfulenoughtomakeyourunfasterthan
youveeverrunbefore.Perhapsfasterthanyoueverdreamed!

Theconceptisntjustforsprinters.Infact,thetrainingcan
increaserunningspeedandperformancefrom10metersto
10,000meters.

Yettheconceptissofocusedonprovidingexactlywhatis
necessaryforfasterrunningthatyourtotalstrengthtraining
timemaybecutbyupto50%.And,mostofthattimewillbe
spentresting!

Thetrainingroutine,baseduponbothphysicsandmuscle
physiology,doesnotrequireanyspecialequipmentor
gimmicks.Abarbellandasetofweightswillworkjustfine.

Themostdifficultpartoftheconceptisacceptingthat
somethingsosimplecanbeeffective:soeffectivethatitcanbe
usedtoimproveperformanceinalmosteverysportorvirtually
anyotherendeavorthatrequiresstrength.

Asyougothrougheachsection,muchofwhatyoureadmight
notfitintoyourcurrentperceptionofstrengthtraining.You
mayquestiontheadaptationoftheconcepttoyoureventor
yoursport.Youmaytakeexceptiontothewayinwhichthe
materialispresentedorquestionthesciencebehindthe
concepts.

Letmeencourageyoutodojustthat,becausethatisexactly
whatIdid.Itwillbewortheverymomentyouspendin
thinkingthroughwhatisbeingpresented,inchallengingthe
research,thescience,theexpertsandme.Ihopeitwillbeas
interestingandinformativeajourneyastheonethatbeganfor
mein2000.

Inthatyear,PeterWeyand,Ph.D.(aphysiologistand
biomechanistspecializinginthelocomotionofhumansand
otherterrestrialanimals)andhisassociatespublishedthe
resultsofastudy,completedatHarvardUniversity,inthe
JournalofAppliedPhysiology.Theyhadhypothesizedthat
greaterforceappliedtothegroundratherthanshorter
minimumswingtime(thetimeagivenfootwasnotincontact
withtheground)enabledhumanstoincreasetopspeed.The
resultsofthestudyledthemtoconcludethatthiswasindeed
thecase.

Theconclusionshouldleadthereadertoquestionwhetheror
nottheacceptedmethodsoftrainingtoincreaserunningspeed
arefocusedonthefactorsthatactuallycausespeedtoincrease.

Thatsameyear,atasmallhighschoolintheSanFernando
ValleysectionofLosAngeles,California,a14yearoldfreshman
enrolledintrack.HernamewasAllysonFelix.

Thesetwoevents,occurring3000milesapart,wouldcombineto
maketrackandfieldhistory.Felixwouldrunthefastest200
metersintheworld,bestingalloftheU.S.highschoolrecords
setbyMarionJonesaswellastheJunior(under20)200meter
worldrecord.ShewouldbecrownedtheAmericanWomens
200meterindoorchampionin2003.

Asahighschooljuniorin1967,Ihadjustfinishedmysecond
yearoftrack,competingintheshotputwithmediocreresults.I
wasfullyawareofthemusclemaniaofthetimeandlongedfor
thelookofthosemasculinemarvelswiththeirhugechestand
bulgingbiceps.IbelievedIcouldputtheshotbetterifIwas
strongerbutIhadneverliftedweightsandhadnoideawhatto
do.

Afellowthrowercalledmejustassummerbegan.Hetoldme
thathisfriend,DaveDavis,wouldtrainusintheshotputand
weightliftingifwecompetedonhisweightliftingteam.Iagreed
immediately.

Wewereintroducedtoweighttraininginthegarageofaone
timeworldpowerliftingchampionlocatedinVeniceBeach,
CaliforniathelocationofMuscleBeach,bodybuildingsMecca.
Enteringthegarage/weightroom,Icamefacetofacewiththe
biggestandstrongestmanIhadeverseen.

GeorgeWoods,whowouldbecometheOlympicsilvermedalist
intheshotputatthe1968MexicoCityOlympics,wasaboutto
doasetof2repetitionsinthebenchpresswithover450
pounds.

Mr.Davistoldusweweregoingtobeginourweighttraining
shortlybutfirstwehadtolearnhowtospotforGeorgeand
him.TospotwastoassistingettingtheweightoffWoods
chestifhemissedthelift.Beingquitenave,IassumedthatI
wouldhavetolifttheentire450lbsoffWoodsmassivechestif
hemissed.Icouldseemyselftearingeverymuscleinmy170lb
body.Thankfully,GeorgedidntmissandIlearnedhowtospot.

Theworkoutprovedtobetoughbuteffective.Oneachlifting
daywewouldprogresstoourpreviousmaximum(max)for
3

eachliftbythethirdorfourthrepetition(rep),thendo5setsof
2repsat8590%ofthemax.Thiswasfollowedbydroppingthe
weighttoaround50%ofaonerepmaxanddoingasetof10
repsasfastaspossible.Wedidthisforsquatsandbench.We
alsodiddeadliftsonoccasionandlotsofpowercleans,clean
andjerks,andsnatches.Itwasanincrediblyexhausting3hour
workout,soweonlyliftedtwodaysperweek.Itwouldhave
beenhardformetoacceptthenwhatIknownow:Thesame
strengthincreasescanbeobtainedorexceededinaonehour
workout;aworkoutthatissomuchlessdemandingonyour
neuromuscularsystemthatitcanbedone3,4oreven5daysin
rowwithoutovertaxingyourbody!

Icompletedthefirstsessionbelievingthatallofmymuscles
hadturnedtojellyandhadslippeddowntomyshoes.Thenext
fewdayswereworseassorenessattackedeveryfiberinmy
body.Tome,theideaofnopain,nogainchangedtowhere
wasmybrainwhileIwasinflictingthatpain?Ididbecome
significantlystrongerwhileadding28lbsofadditionalmass.
Throughthisbook,youwilldiscoverwhyaddingstrengthis
necessaryforfasterrunningwhileaddingmassisdevastating.

Amajorflawofthesystemwasstickingpointsthatcouldtake
severalweekstobreakthroughbeforewereachednewlifting
highs.Periodizedtraining(whichwillbecoveredlater)isthe
currentmethodforovercomingstickingpointsbutwas
unknowntousin1968.

Bymyfinalyearinhighschooltrack,myshotputmarkshad
improveddramatically,IwasthereigningCaliforniaState
JuniorHeavyweightDivisionWeightliftingChampion,Ino
longerwassoreafterliftingandlifewasgrand.

ItaughtmyolderbrotherStevehowtotrainthewayIdid.The
trainingrapidlyimprovedhisstrengthandhebecamea
Division2CollegeAllAmericansprinter.Hewasmyfirst
coachingexperience.

IattendedaDivision2collegeonatrackscholarship.Thehead
coachhadminimalknowledgeofstrengthtrainingsohe
changedmystrengthworkouttowhateverwasthecurrent
bestwaytolift,fullydependentonthelastarticlehehadread
priortoourtrainingsession.Infouryearsofcollege
competitionIbouncedfromAmericantoEastGermantoSoviet
toEasternEuropeantoAmericanliftingtechniques.Irealized
thatmethodsoftrainingweresubjecttochangesdrivenbythe
successofateamoranindividual.Thesameholdstruetoday.
Imsurethisisnotanewphenomenon.TheancientGreeks
trainedfortheOlympicsandothersportingevents,soitwould
notbeasurpriseiftheworkoutsofthechampionofoneancient
Olympiccontestbecamethenewrageinathletictrainingin
preparationforthecomingOlympiccontest!

Ibegancoachingthethrowingevents,shotputanddiscus,and
thestrengthworkoutforLosAngelesBaptistHighSchoolin
1989.IcontinuedtotrainothersusingwhatIhadlearned22
yearsearlier.Theresultswereoutstanding.ThosewhomI
coachedbecamebiggerandstronger.

Elevenyearslater,in2000,freshmanAllysonFelixwalkedupto
meandsaid,Iwanttoliftweightswithyou.Thethreeother
youngladies,twofreshmanandonesophomore,accompaning
Felixspokeupimmediately,Sodowe.

FelixhadrecentlyreturnedfromtheUnitedStatesJunior
Nationalchampionshipswhereshehadbeentestedinanumber
ofcategoriestoseewhereshecouldimproveherperformance.
5

ThetestsshowedthatFelix,thoughstillafreshmaninhigh
school,alreadyrankedattheelitelevelsinalmostevery
categorytestedexceptone:Herstrengthratingwasbelowthe
minimumchartlevel.

Thetrackseasonhadjustendedandtherewereacoupleof
weeksbeforesummervacationbegan.Itoldtheyoungladies
thatweighttrainingwouldextendthroughthesummerand
intothefollowingschoolyear.Inaivelyassumedtheywould
dropoutimmediatelyupondiscoveringIwasgoingtotake23
daysperweekoutoftheirsummervacation.Ididnotrealize
thenthetenacityofyoungfemaleathleteswhohaveadesireto
excel.Idonow!Theydidntblinkwhileresponding,Whendo
westart?Westartedthefollowingweek,workingthroughthe
nextthreeyearsduringtheschoolsemestersandsummers.

OurworkoutwasverysimilartowhatIthoughttobethemost
effectiveweighttrainingregime:ThegarageroutineIlearned
fromWoodsandDavis.Iwasstilllookingtoincreasemassand
strengthjustaswedidin1967.

Backthenwewerenotaloneinthepursuitofmassand
strength;sowerethosewhotrainedonthehotsandsandcool
breezesofMuscleBeachjustupthestreetfromthegarage

BodyBuilding,BeachStyle

Thisisagoodplacetotakeashortstrolldownmemorylaneto
seehowAllysonFelix,starathleteofthe21stcenturynearly
forgedthesamelinkwithEugenSandow,star
strongman/bodybuilderofthelate19thandearly20thcenturies
alinkthathasplaguedgenerationsofathletesoverseveral
decades.Itisthesamelinkthat,mostlikely,youhaveforged!

Itisbelievedbysomethatbodybuildingmayhavestartedinthe
11thcenturyinIndia.Gymshavebeenfoundinthatcountrythat
dateasfarbackasthe16thcentury.

Somewhereduringthelate19thandearly20thcentury,inthe
mindofthepublicaswellasmanystrengthcoaches,muscle
sizeandmusclestrengthbecameinseparablylinkedtogether.

Mostlikelythelinkwasforgedbythefeatsofonetraveling
strongmanperformer,theGermanbornEugenSandow.He
wasthefitnesstrainertoKingGeorgeVandanearlypioneerof
bodybuildingthroughthe1880stoearly1900s.Heperformed
tosoldoutauditoriumswhereverhewent.Sandowwasthe
Europeansuperstarofhisday.

NorthAmericahadbeenintroducedtostrongmanshowsinthe
middletolate1800sbutnothingcomparedtothepopularityof
Sandow.Infact,hebecamesopopularthathewasfeaturedas
oneoftheearlyperformersinmotionpicturesviaThomas
Edisons1894kinetoscopeinwhichSandowdisplayedhis
muscles.

Sandowwasverystrong,yethewasnotinthesameclassas
someoftheothersofhisday.Whathelackedinstrengthhe
madeupinphysiqueandphysicalaccomplishmentsthat
completelyovershadowedhiscompetition.

Sandowdidnotstuffhimselfwithfoodanddrinkliketheother
strongmenofhistime.Evertheconsummateshowman,
Sandowrecognizedthatstrengthalonewasnotenoughtothrill
themassessoheintroducedclassicalposingintohisact.His
showopenedinanauditoriumdevoidoflightsexceptforthose
positionedtoshowhismuscles.

Sandowsecuredthelinkwithhisbook,StrengthAndHowTo
ObtainItwhichbecameassociatedwithhisshow,Muscle
DisplayPerformances,atthebeginningofthe20thcentury.

Thelinkcarriedintothemid20thcenturywhenonJune25and
26of1949,Americahaditsfirstofficialprofessionalweight
liftingchampionshipsinconjunctionwiththeMr.1949
Physiquecontest.

1967wasnearthepeakofwhatmanybelievewasthegolden
ageofbodybuilding(from19401970)whentherewere
numerousinternationalcompetitions,anumberofmagazines
devotedtothesport,andanideologyembracinghealth,fitness,
strength,andtargetedmusculardevelopment.

Whileprofessionalweightliftingandprofessionalbodybuilding
championshipsarenolongerlinkedinthemindsofeither
bodybuildersorpowerlifters,theideaofmaximumstrength
comingfrommaximummusclesizeislinkedinthemindsofthe
publicandthemajorityofsportcoaches.

Dontbefooledintothinkingthisaharmlesslink.Infact,this
linkdirectlyleadstothedeadlyuseoftheperformance
enhancingdrugsthataredevastatingsportstoday.

WhileIveneversubscribedor
The misunderstanding of the
condonedtheuseofdrugs,I
connection between strength and
mass has created a vicious, and
believedinthesamestrength
sometimes deadly, cycle of using
comesfromsizemythforover30 performance enhancing drugs.
years.
Why do athletes use performance

enhancers? There are several

AllysonFelixandherteammates reasons but the ones most
important to the concepts of this
book are:
werealreadyparticipantsinthe
mythwhenIrealizedthatneither
Build mass and strength of
musclephysiologynorthelaws
muscles
ofphysicsaresuspendedduring
Reduce weight
workoutsorcompetition.Asyou
readon,youwilldiscoverhow
Hide use of other drugs
youcanusethisknowledgeto
gainasolidedgeoveryour
Here is where the downward cycle
begins: An athlete, determined to
competition!
make a team, get a new contract,
justify a hefty salary, or retain an

image that will produce millions in

fees, begins to use anabolic

steroids. The goal: To increase

muscle strength by encouraging

new muscle growth or mass. But

adding mass causes the addition of

useless excess weight, which can

lead to the use of drugs to reduce

excess weight, which causes the

need to hide the use of drugs that

were used to reduce weight caused

by the increase of mass. Anabolic

steroids also allow the athlete to

train harder and longer so the

athlete can continue to build the

mass that leads to the useless

weight -- and so the cycle

continues.

MSF

PeterWeyandsstudyFastertoprunningspeedsareachieved
withgreatergroundforcesnotmorerapidlegmovements,
publishedintheJournalofAppliedPhysiology,underscoresthe
factthatthereisadisconnectbetweenwhatscienceshowstobe
themajorfactorsinvolvedwithrunningspeedandwhat
coachesfocusontoincreaseanathletesrunningspeed.

Atthecoreofthedisconnectisthetraditionalequationfor
runningspeed:Speed=StrideLengthxStrideRate.

Runnersthattakemorefrequentsteps(StrideRate,atime
factor)shouldrunfasterthantheydidwhentheytookstepsless
frequently.Ifthoserunnersdecideinsteadtoincreasethe
distancebetweeneachstep(StrideLength,adistancefactor),
thenrunningspeedwouldalsoincrease.Acombinationofthe
two,longerdistancebetweenstepsandmorefrequentsteps
wouldbeathirdalternativetoincreasingspeed.Seemssimple
enough,atleastintheory.

Butitsthattheorythatthestudychallenged.

Thethreecomponentsoffasterrunningareactuallythis:How
oftenyoucontacttheground;howmuchmuscularforceyou
candeliverduringgroundcontact;howmuchgroundcontact
timeisavailabletodeliverthatforce.

Stridelengthandstriderateareeffectsofthethreecomponents.

Amongthecomponents,thepredominantfactorinrunning
fasteristheabilitytogenerateandtransmitmuscularforcetothe
10

ground.Notjustanyamountofforcewilldobecausethereis
stilloneshadowyfigurewhoseimpactishiddeninthespeed
equation.Itsname?Gravity.

Thesamegravitythatkeepspullingyoubacktoearthwhenyou
jumpupfromthegroundorjumpoutofanairplanealsohasa
powerfulimpactonhowfastyourun.Themajorcomponentof
gravityisMass:greatermassequalsgreatergravitationalpull.

Therearetworeasonsforthegravityfactorremaininghidden.
Onereasonisthefactthatgravityisinvisible(whichmakesit
yourtoughestopponent),andtheotheristhecommonlyheld
beliefthatthehorizontaldirectionofastrideiswherethepower
goes.Whilethesecondreasonseemsintuitive,itssimply
wrong.AstudypublishedintheJournalofBiomechanicsin
1987showedthattheamountofforceusedhorizontallyduring
constantspeedrunningisaslittleasonetenththeamountof
forceappliedvertically.Itstheverticaldirectionofthestride
thatneedsourhelpbecauseitistheportionofthestride
directionthatfacesthemajorassaultfromgravity.Howcanthis
be?

Duringconstantspeedrunning(withnoairresistance)
propulsionforcesandbreakingforcesareequal.Inotherwords,
theamountofforceappliedtothegroundtopropelyourbody
horizontallyisoffsetbythebrakingforcewhenyoucontactthe
groundagain.Inordertorun,wemustelevateourbodyabove
theground.Andthatswheregravity,archenemyoffaster
runningspeed,lurks.Ifwedontopposeit,wewonttake
longerorquickerstrides.

Sohowdoweopposethisvillainbentonrobbingusofour
speed?WedoitlikeNASAdoes:Boostupthepower!Get
strongerandapplymoreforcetotheground!
11


Coachesrecognizedearlyonthatstridelengthsincreasedwhen
runnersappliedmoreforcetotheground.Unfortunately,
coachesandathleteswronglybelievethattheonlywayto
increasestrengthisbyincreasingmass.Theirgoalistoincrease
massbecausetheybelievemoremass=moremuscle=more
strength=moreforceappliedtotheground.Whattheydont
realize,andwhatyoucanusetoyouradvantagebyusingthe
principlespresentedinthisbook,isthataddedmasscreates
moregravitationalpullmassisactuallyworkingagainstyou!

Recallthatthepredominantfactorinfasterrunningistheability
togenerateandtransmitmuscularforcetotheground.But,
becauseofgravity,itisntmerelytheamountofforceappliedto
thegroundthatincreasesstridelength;itstheamountofforce
inrelationtobodyweight,ormassspecificforce(MSF).

Toclearupanypossibleconfusionabouttheconceptand
importanceofMSF,letsrevisitourcommentaboutNASAto
illustrateMSFinaction:

Supposetworockets,AandB,areofequalsize,carryequal
fuelload,haveequalpoweranddifferonlyinweight.RocketA
weighsinatahefty100poundswhileBisamere50pounds.

Whentheenginesfire,BblowsoffitslaunchpadbeforeA,
quicklyputsanincreasingamountofdistancebetweenthem,
thencruiseswhileAsaddedweightcausesittodrainitsfuel
supplyanddroplikeabrick.

Allotherthingsbeingequal,thelighterrocketwillgofasterand
furthereverytime.

12

Ifforcealonewasthemajorfactorinspeed,thena400pound
manabletopounddown700poundsofforcewouldwinevery
racebutweknowthatsnotwhathappens.Ifwematchour
400poundbehemothagainsta170poundmanabletolaydown
500lbsofforce,theresnocontest.Thebigmanbitesthedust.

Why?MSF!

The400poundmanisgeneratingameager1.75timeshis
bodyweightagainstthegroundwhileourthinmanisapplying
awhopping2.94timeshisbodyweight.Likeourrocket
example,thebigmancantkeepupfromthestartandquickly
runsoutofgastryingtopushhismammothmass.Eventhough
thebigmancangenerate40%moreforce,itpalescomparedto
thethinmans68%greaterMSF.Thinmansstridelengthwill
farexceedbigmans.

Stridelengthisnttheonlypartoftheequationaffectedby
greaterforce:Strideratesalsoshowsignificantgain.

ThetwomainfactorsofStrideRatearegroundcontacttimeand
swingtime(thetimebetweengroundcontacttimesforthesame
foot).CoacheswhoworkonincreasingStrideRatespendtheir
timeattemptingtodecreaseswingtime.Butyouwillsoonsee
thatdecreasingswingtimeisreallyoflittleconsequencein
speedtrainingbecausecontacttimeisthemoreimportantfactor
inStrideRate.GreaterMSFcausesthegroundcontacttimesto
decrease,soStrideRatesbecomefasterbytheamountoftime
NOTspentontheground.Thinkofitlikeabouncingball,the
harderyouthrowitagainstthegroundthefasteritbounces
backup.

Yes,itishardtobelievethatswingtimeisoflittleconsequence.
Afterall,runnersmustswingtheirfeetfrombehindtoinfront
13

oftheirbodyandsurelyiftheycanswingfastertheyshouldrun
fasterright?

Itdoesappearthatwaywhenyouwatchsomeonerun,and
thatstheveryreasonwhycoacheswerefooledforsolong.
Whatyouseeisnotwhatyouget.Thecombinationoflonger
StrideLengthANDshortercontacttimemeanslongertimein
theaironeachstride.Notenoughtimetohavemadethe
Wrightbrothersjealousbutmorethanenoughtimetorender
swingtimeoflittleconcerntoeitherathleteorcoach.

Testsshowedthattheworldsfastestrunnerinthelate1990s
reachedatopspeedof11.1meterspersecond(m/s)yetthe
amountoftimeittooktorepositionhislegsintheairwasless
thanthreehundredthsofasecondfaster(.03s)thansprinter
whopokedalongat6.2m/s,almosthalfthespeed.Thereisno
questionthatthechampionsprintercouldhaverepositionedhis
feetfasterthanhedid,butthetimehegainedintheairbythe
combinationoflongerstridelengthandshortercontacttime
madeitunnecessary.

Theeffectsofgroundforceproductionarenotforsprinters
only.Infact,thiswouldbeagoodtimetointroduceadditional
researchthatisboundtobecontroversialwithdistancecoaches
(thereisnoreasonwhysprintcoachesshouldfeeltheheatof
sciencebythemselves).

LeenaPaavolainen,et.al,publishedastudyin1999titled,
Explosivestrengthtrainingimproves5kmrunningtimeby
improvingrunningeconomyandmusclepower.Thestudy
wascomposedofa10personexperimentalgroupandan8
personcontrolgroup.Alloftheparticipantswerehighlytrained
orienteerswhowereveryexperiencedinrunningdistancesof
14

5korbetter.Therewasnostatisticallysignificantdifferencein
5ktimesbetweenthetwogroupspriortotheexperiment.

Theexperimentalgroupreducedtheirrunningworkouttimeby
32%andreplacedthetimewithanexplosivestrengthtraining
routine.After9weeksoftraining,thecontrolgroupshowedno
improvementintheir5ktimewhiletheexperimentalgroup
showedastatisticallysignificanttimereduction.Interestingly,
groundcontacttimesdecreasedintheexperimentalgroupbut
actuallyincreasedinthecontrolgroup!

Theexperimentalgroupimprovedtheirtimewithoutincreasing
Vo2max(relatedtooxygenintake)orlactatethreshold(relatedto
lacticacid,atopicwewillcoverlater).Bothofthese
measurementsarebelievedtobecriticaltoincreased
performanceindistancerunners.Thecontrolgroupdidincrease
Vo2max,yetdidnotimprovetheirtime,contrarytowhat
distancecoacheswouldexpect.Thestudyconcludedthata
combinationofexplosivestrengthtrainingplusendurance
trainingproducedimprovementsin5krunningtimewithout
changesinaerobicvariablesandsuggestedthattheresultswere
causedbystrengthtrainingsimprovedmusclepowerand
runningeconomy.

Increasinggroundforcethroughaddedmusclepowerdecreases
groundcontacttimeindistancerunningjustasitdoesin
sprinting.

Paavolainensstudyshowedreducedgroundcontacttimesarea
significantfactorinfasterrunningspeedbeyondsprinting.
Thinkaboutthis:Savingonehundredthofasecondperstride
maynotseemsignificantbutoveralongdistancewith
hundredsoreventhousandsofstridesitwouldbevery
significant.Acompetitorina5kracewithanaveragestride
15

lengthof2meterswoulduse2500stridestocompletethe
distance.A1/100thofasecondreductioningroundcontacttime
wouldreducetheir5ktimeby25seconds!

ItshouldbenotedthatthestrengthworkoutPaavolainenused
fortheexperimentwasdesignedtokeephypertrophy(muscle
growthandtheaddedweightthatcomeswithitmass)toa
minimum.Inotherwords,therewasanincreaseinMSF.

ItshouldbeclearbynowthatMSF,defeateroftheeffectsof
gravity,propelsustogreaterspeedsatavarietyofdistances.

Sadly,MSFdoescreateitsowndemonthatcandeterusfrom
reachingourtruemaximumspeed.Weknowthatincreasing
MSFdecreasesgroundcontacttimethekeyfactorforfaster
striderates.Thedemon?OurMSFdeliverysystem.Aswerun
fasterwemustdeliverMSFinadecreasingamountoftimedue
tothecontinuallyshorteningperiodofgroundcontact.

WhatistrulyfascinatingisthatburiedintheMSF/contacttime
equationisboththekeytofastertimesandthelimitto
maximumrunningspeed!

Bydefinition,runningincludesgroundcontact(otherwiseit
wouldbeflying).Therefore,thelimitationofmaximumspeed
foranindividualrunneristheminimumcontacttimeinwhichthat
runnercandelivermaximumgroundforce.

Awelltrainedrunnercandelivermaximumspeedfor8to10
stridesbeforefalteringasMSFbeginstodeteriorateandcontact
timesincrease.Asaresult,striderateandlengthschangeforthe
worse.Surely,thiswillbedifferentforeachrunner,butitwill
affecteveryrunner.

16

TheMSF/contacttimeratiomayultimatelyansweralotofother
questionsaboutrunningfaster.Forexample,itispossiblefor
theweaker(intermsofoverallstrength)oftwosprintersto
delivermoreMSFbecauseofamorerapidforcedelivery
system.Thismightbeonereasonwhyanathletewhois
powerfulintheweightroommaynotbeatanopponentwho
appearstobeonlyslightlythickerthanspaghetti.Thethinman
maybedeliveringmoreMSFatcrunchtimethantheMuscle
Beachgrad.

Thisfasterforcedeliverysystemcanbeaidedtoalargeextent
bytrainingmethods,yetinsomeathletesitispresentina
highlydevelopedstatenaturally.Thereisstillsomemysteryas
toallthefactorsinvolvedinthedeliverysystem.

Regardless,therunnerabletodelivermoreMSFisgoingtowin
therace.

Sowherearewenowinourquestforspeed?

First,itisimportanttorecognizeMSFasthecauseoffaster
runningspeedwhileconsideringStrideLengthandStrideRate
aseffectsofMSFwhichrequireminimalindividualtraining
time.

Second,weknowthattrainingforspeedmustinclude
developingamorerapiddeliverysystembecauseofdecreasing
groundcontacttime.Undeliveredforceisoflittlebenefittoour
questforincreasingmaximumspeed.

Focusingonthesetwofactors,moreMSFandfasterdeliveryof
MSF(plusaerobiccapacitybeginningindistancesover400
meters)shouldbethebasisoftrainingtorunfaster.

17

Bynow,youmaybeatthepointofscreamingout,Nowwaita
minute,whataboutrunningmechanics?Whataboutmuscle
andnervoussystemadaptationtorunning?Youdontbelieve
thatrunningfastercomesonlyfromtheweightroomdoyou?

No,but

StrengthtrainingandtrainingonthetrackMUSTbegearedto
thetwofactorscitedaboveandonlytothosefactors.Infact,
anythingthatdoesnotaffectimprovementinoneorbothis
unnecessary.Sothelitmustestforusinganytrainingmethod
(orgadget)iswhetherit:

1.CreatesmoreMSF
2.DeliversMSFmorerapidly.

Letsseeiffaultyrunningmechanicspassesourlitmustestasan
areatofocusontoimproveoneorbothofthefactors.

Overstriding,aspecificmechanicalproblemwhereground
contactisforwardofthebodymass,isagoodplacetostart.
Wevealreadydiscussedstridelengthsasbeinganeffectof
MSFsoneitherofourfactorsisaidedbytrainingforlonger
stridelengths.Longerstridesareabigadvantage,but
overstridingisnotbecauseofouroldnemesis,gravityandthe
wayinwhichourmuscleswork.

Rememberthatverticalforceplaysthebiggerroleinrunning
andthatMSFisprimarilyappliedverticallyinordertooffset
theforceofgravityasweelevateourbody(mass).Ifwetakean
exaggeratedstride,wechangethenaturalbehavioroftheleg
musclesandreducemechanicaladvantage.Thiscausesusto
recruitmoremuscleforceperunitofgroundforceappliedin
ordertoelevateourmass.Inotherwords,allofourstrengthis
18

notgoingtobeappliedtogroundforceandourrunningspeed
willbereduced.

Toillustratethisforyourself,placeyourfeetdirectlyunder
yourbody,about6inchesapart.Jumpashighasyoucan.Now
placeyourfeetasfarapartasyoucanwhilekeepingyourentire
soleontheground.Jumpagain.Youwontjumpashighoras
easilybecauseyourlegsarenotdirectlyunderthemassofyour
body.Someofyourstrengthisexpendedtoovercometheloss
ofleverage.Theamountofstrengthlostcausesthedifferencein
theheightofthetwojumps.Thesecondjumpshouldprovethe
follyofoverstriding,butmoreimportantly,itshowsthe
importanceofhavingcorrectrunningmechanicsinorderto
delivermaximumgroundforce,thefirstofthetwofactorsabove.
Thisdefinitelypassesourlitmustest.Therefore,thecorrection
ofoverstridingrequiresadditionaltrainingtime.

Whataboutotherfactorssuchasneuromuscularadaptationto
runningathigherspeeds?Again,thelitmustestshouldbe
applied.Neuromuscularadaptationtorunningathigherspeeds
comesfromrunningasclosetomaximumspeedaspossible
duringtraining.Musclesaretrainedtoadaptandreacttothe
stressesplaceduponthebodyunderthoseconditions,causing
improvedmusclereactiontimesandfasterdeliveryofMSFat
increasinglygreaterratesofspeed.Sincethisaidsthesecond
factoraboveitpassesthelitmustestaswell.

Takeahardlookatyourowntrainingmethods.Ifyouhavenot
subjectedeverypartofittothelitmustest,doitnow.Training
methodsthatpassmustbecontinuedandthosethatdont
shouldgothewayofthekinetoscope.

Oneexampleofspeedtrainingthatfailsthetestisspending
timeonhighkneesbecausetheyarenotasmuchacauseof
19

fasterrunningbutmuchmoreaneffectofMSF.Increasing
groundforcecausesareboundeffectthatforcesthekneesto
increaseelevation,justasNewtons3rdlawofphysicsassumes.
Whydoesanyonespendtimeonthiseffect?Becausethey
sometimesmisinterpretwhattheysee.

Coachesandathletesoftenspendtimewatchingvideosof
worldclasssprintersinordertogleaninformationthatleadsto
fasterrunning.Championsprintersgenerallyhavehighknee
actionthatiseasilyseenonslowmotionvideo.Misinterpreting
whattheysee,theyincludeintheirworkoutwhattheythink
createsachampionhighkneeaction.Whatisntseenisthe
exceptionalamountofgroundforceappliedbychampion
sprinterswhichcausesthehighkneeaction.ItisMSFthat
causesthesechampionstoproducehighkneeaction.

Anotherfacetoftrainingthatfailsthelitmustestisafalse
understandingofsprintingform.Manycoachesandathletes
seemtocraveworkingonnonessentials,spendingtime
correctingwhattheybelieveisbadformbutmanytimesis
simplytherunnersstyle.Mechanicalproblems(badform)
shouldbecorrected;styleneedsnocorrection.

Whatsthedifference?KenJakalski,anIllinoisHallofFame
trackcoachstatesitquiteeloquently:Athletesshouldbe
allowedtointerprettheskilloftheactivityintheirownstyle.

MichaelJohnson,multiplerecordholderaswellasmultiple
worldandOlympicchampion,isagreatexampleof
interpretingthe200and400meterracesinhisownstylewhich
seemedtobeshort,choppystepsandabackwardlean.Infact,
hisstridelengthwasatthehighendofelitesprinters,adirect
resultofenormousMSF!Therearenumerousexamplesin
professionalsportswherechampionathletesdontalwaysfit
20

theidealformoftheexpertsyetarehighlysuccessful.Some
coacheswillarguethattheathletewouldhavedonebetterwith
therightform,butitisjustaslikelythatmanywoulddoworse
bytryingtodosomethingthatwasnotsuitedtotheirown
body;theirownstyle.

Regardless,spendingtimeusingthestrengthtraining
techniqueswithinthisbooktoincreaseMSFandperfecting
runningmechanicscouldmakeyouthenextOlympicchampion
orthecoachofone!

21

Mass

SinceMSFisthesecrettofasterrunningandhigherjumping,
thenitistimewedealtwiththeissueofMinMSF:Mass.

Tothebodybuilder,massisabeautifulthing.Tootherathletes,
itslikeawakeningtofindthenightmarishmonsteryousawin
yourdreamslastnightreallyishidinginthecloset.Strivingfor
massinordertobecomestrongerhasbecomethenightmarefor
anincreasingnumberofathletesatalllevels.Itisthedriving
forcebehindtheuseofperformanceenhancingdrugsandthus
hastaintedtheperformanceofsomewhiledestroyingthe
careersofother.Sadly,thepursuitofmassisunnecessary.

Inhisoutstandingbookonstrengthtraining,Powertothe
People,PavelTsatsoulinestates,Ifyoucomparestrength
trainingtocarracing,conventionalbulkingupisan
unimaginativeincreaseoftheenginesize.Increasingthe
physicalsizeoftheengineneitherautomaticallynormaximally
increaseitshorsepower.Thesameholdstrueinthepursuitof
runningspeedsincebulkdoesnotautomaticallyincreasespeed.
Butthereisalsoanegativeattachedtothebulk.Asyouknow,
MSFismassspecificforce.Thismeansthatifyouaddmass
(weight)toyourbodythentheamountofforceappliedtothe
groundmustincreaseproportionatelytomaintainthesamerateof
speed.

Letslookatanexample:Supposeanathleteweighing150lbs
canapply260lbsofforcetotheground;a1.75:1ratioofforceto
mass.

22

Atthecoachssuggestion,ourathlete(averydiligentworkerin
theweightroom)adds10lbsofadditionalbodyweightonhis
waytoincreasinggroundforceto300lbs;40lbsofforcegreater
thanbefore.Ifwedividethenewgroundforce(300lbs)bythe
newbodyweight(160)wegetanewforcetomassratioof1.88.
Asexpected,thishigherratiocausesanincreaseintheathletes
runningspeed.Boththecoachandathletearehappy.Allis
well.

Butitsnotasgoodasitcouldbe.

Theathletes10lbincreaseinbodyweightmeansthat,atthe
original1.75:1ratio,17.5lbsofgroundforce(44%ofthenewly
addedgroundforce)wouldbeneededjusttomatchthe
previousrateofspeed.Almosthalfofourathleteshardlaboris
wasted.

Whatifourathletewasabletoincreasegroundforcewithout
theextra10lbs?Theratioofforcetobodyweightwouldbe2:1
(300lbofgroundforce/150lbsbodyweight),14%greaterthan
theoriginalratioand6%greaterthantheratiowhere
bodyweightincreased.Arethesedifferencessignificant?

AccordingtoWeyandsstudytheyare.Thedifferencesarevery
significant.Infact,maximumspeedsaresosensitivetosmall
differencesinMSFthatanathleteabletodeliveradditional
groundforceofonlyonetenthoftheirbodyweightwouldrealize
anincreaseinmaximumspeedofonefullmeterpersecond.
TheprimaryreasonforthisisthepositiveeffectofMSFon
maximalstridefrequency(throughreducedgroundcontact
time).

Usingourexampleofthe150lbathleteabove,each15lb
increaseinMSFcouldbringafullmeterpersecondincreasein
23

themaximumspeedoftheathlete.Thatwouldbeanincredible
improvement.

However,beforeyougettooexcitedabouttheprospectof
spectacularrunningtimesbasedonsmallimprovementsin
MSF,keepinmindwearetalkingaboutmaximumspeednot
sustainedspeed.Thephraseabletodeliveradditionalground
forcemustnotbeignored.Thereisagreaterlikelihoodthat
moresignificantimprovementinmaximumspeedwouldoccur
inanathletewhoisattheearlierstagesofstrengthanddelivery
systemdevelopment.

Why?BecauseofthedemoncreatedbyMSF:Moreforce=less
contacttimetodeliverforce.Therunnerwhohasgreatstrength
andawelldevelopeddeliverysystemwillseeonlymarginal
increasesinspeed.

Whilethedeliverysystemstillhasanauraofmystery,thereis
nomysteryaboutgainingstrengthwithoutmass.Itstimeto
putpartofSandowslegacytosleep.

24

PhysiologyPart1

Understandinghowtoincreasestrengthwithoutincreasing
massrequiresthereviewofsomebasicmusclephysiology.
Musclephysiologymaynotratehighlyonyourpersonallistof
favoritepastimes,butifyouwanttorunfasterandjumphigher,
ortrainotherstodoso,thenthesubjectshouldmovetothetop
ofyourlist.

Basically,allskeletalmusclescontainthethreemajormuscle
fibertypes:

TYPEISLOWTWITCHORSLOWOXIDATIVE:TypeIfibers
arethefatigueresistantfiberswhichareprimarilyusedin
activitiessuchaslongdistancerunning,swimming,cycling,etc.
Thesefibersrespondbesttolightertrainingweightsandhigher
amountsofrepetitions(reps).Theyhavealowpotentialfor
hypertrophy(anincreaseinthicknessorbulkwithoutadding
parts) whichmeanstheyexpandminimallyregardlessofhow
muchtheyareexercised.Thesefibersareaerobicbecausetheare
fueledbyoxygen.

TYPEIIAFASTTWITCHOXIDATIVE:Thesefibershaveboth
aerobicandanaerobic(notfueledbyoxygen)properties.The
fibershavegreatercontractionabilitythenTypeIfibersandcan
sustaincontractionlongerthanTypeIIBfibers.Theyareusedto
somedegreeduringjustaboutallphysicalactivities.

TYPEIIBFASTTWITCHGLYCOLYTIC:TypeIIBfibersare
themaximalforceproductionfibers.TypeIIBfibershavethe
largestdiameterofthefibersandalsohavethelargestpotential
toincreasesizeandstrength.TypeIIBfibersrequireaveryhigh
25

loadforstimulation.Thesefiberscomeintoplayinactivities
suchassprinting,Olympicliftingandamaximaleffortvertical
jump.Thesefibersareanaerobic.

Inorderforamuscletocontractitmustbeactivatedbythe
nervoussystemthroughmotorunits.Thetermsslowtwitch
andfasttwitchdescribetherelativerelationshipbetweenthe
speedofthemotorunits.Fastermotorunitsprovidestronger
contractionswhichproducestogreaterstrength.

Athletesgenerallytendtoexcelinaparticularsportthat
requiresalargerpercentageofaparticularfibertype.For
example,sprintersgenerallyhaveagreaterproportionofType
IIBfiberscomparedtoTypeI,adistancerunnermayhave
greaterproportionofTypeIversusTypeIIB,andasoccer
playermayhaveanrelativelyequalamountofallthreefibers.
TypeIIAfiberscanbetrainedtoactlikeTypeIorTypeIIB
dependinguponthegreaterneedforstrengthorendurance.

Thedescriptionsofthethreefibertypesshouldmakeitclear
thatTypeIIB,comprisedoffastmotorunits,isourfiberof
choiceforMSF.Theyarethemaximalforceprovidersbecause
oftheirstrengthandspeedofcontraction.

Whatcontractswithinthemusclecellsarethemyofibrils.These
tinycontractileelementsshouldbecomeyourbestfriends,
assumingofcoursethatyouwanttorunfaster.Infact,you
shouldinviteasmanyofthemintoyourmusclesaspossible(as
oftenaspossibledoesnotrefertothenumberofrepetitionsina
singleworkout,butrathertothenumberoftimesperweekthe
workoutisperformed).Expandingthenumberofmyofibrilsin
yourmusclefibersdirectlyincreasesmuscularforceproduction.
Howdoyouinvitethemin?Liftheavyweightsasoftenas
26

possibletopackyourTypeIIBfiberswithasmanymyofibrilsas
youcan.ThisiscalledMyofibrillarHypertrophy.

Thereisanothertypeofhypertrophybutthisoneweneedto
minimize:Sarcoplasmichypertrophy.

SarcoplasmisimportantbecauseitsuppliesATP(adenosine
triphosphate),andATPisthefuelthatenergizesallmuscular
contractions.Thatsthegoodpart.Thebadpartissarcoplasmic
hypertrophy,thegrowthofthenoncontractileelementsofthe
musclecell,representsasmuchas20%ormoreofmusclesize
andcontainsthegreatestnumberofmitochondria(responsible
fortheoxidativepropertiesofmusclecellswhichsustains
muscularendurance).

Whyisthisbad?Tworeasons:First,inorderformitochondria
tosustainmuscleenduranceitneedsadditionalfluidsand
capillariesandthatmeansaddedweight.Addingweightreduces
MSF;Second,maximalmuscleforceisanelementofMSFwhile
muscleenduranceisnot.

Thebodybuildersmainpurposeistostimulateboth
myofibrillarandsarcoplasmichypertrophy.Sarcoplasmic
hypertrophyisamajorelementinbodybuildingbecauseit
increasesmuscularendurancethatallowslongerworkouts.This
isnecessarybecausemass,notstrength,isthegoalofthe
bodybuilder.Strengthwithoutmassisthegoaloftherunner.

Asstatedearlier,strengthcomesfromliftingheavyweightsas
oftenaspossibletopackTypeIIBfiberswithasmany
myofibrilsaspossible.Agoodbenchmarkforheavyliftingis
theonerepmaximum,whichissimplythemostweightyoucan
liftonetime.Fromthatstartingpointitseasytobuildasolid
27

workout,butfornowletslookatthegeneraldifferencein
trainingforeachmuscletype:

FIBER TYPE

RANGE OF REPS

% 1 REP
MAXIMUM

Type I

15+

Up to 70%

Type II A

6-12

75-80%

Type II B

1-5

90-100%

Training For Types Of Fiber #1

ItiseasytoseethattrainingtheTypeIIBfiberallowsveryfew
repetitionsbecauseoftheamountofweightittakestostimulate
thefibersinvolved.Thisfactisacriticalpartofcreating
strengthwithoutmass.

Thenextchartisamoredetailedlookatthedifferencebetween
aworkoutgearedtowardmyofibrillarhypertrophyandone
basedonsarcoplasmichypertrophy:

FIBER TYPE

HYPERTROPHY

RANGE OF
REPS

Type I

Myofibrillar

15-50

Type I

Sarcoplasmic

50+

Type IIA

Myofibrillar

8-15

Type IIA

Sarcoplasmic

Type IIB

Myofibrillar

Type IIB

Sarcoplasmic

16-25
1-5
6-10

Training For Types Of Fiber #2

Clearly,maximummyofibrillarhypertrophyistheresultof
fewerrepetitionsatheavierweight.Thesarcoplasmicworkout
wouldcertainlyaddstrength(notasmuchasamyofibrillar
workout)butitwouldalsoaddweight(morethana
myofibrillarworkout).

Readyforaquickquizonwhathasbeencoveredsofar?
28


Examinethechartthatfollows.Whatendresultwouldyou
expectfromthisweighttrainingworkoutpurportedlyusedbya
worldchampionsprinter?

EXERCISE

SETS

REPS

Bench Press

10,8,6,6,6

Incline
Dumbbell Press

15

Rear Deltoid
Dumbbell Flyes

15

Front Dumbbell
Raises

10

Dumbbell Arm
Running

Dumbbell Curls

15

Lat Pull Downs

10

Dumbbell
Shrugs

10

Squats

10,8,6,3

Power Clean

Single Leg
Curls

10

Single Leg
Extensions

10

Ifyoubelievetheathletewouldbestrongerandheavier,
congratulations,youvebeenpayingcloseattention!Theathlete
wouldbestronger,butbodyweightwouldincreaseby13%,
almostdoubletheamountofourexampleintheprevious
section.

Wouldthe athletessprintspeedimprovebecauseofthe added

strength?Thereisa reasonableprobabilitythatitwouldbecause
groundforceshouldhaveincreased.

But,couldtheathletehaverunevenfaster?
29


Aswesawinourearlierexample,emphatically,yes!Butonlyif
theathletehadminimalweightgain,maximizingtheincreasein
MSF.

Beforemovingontothenextsegment,thereisanissuethat
needstobeaddressedfromanearlierstatement:Muscular
enduranceisnotanelementofMSF.Thisseeminglycontradicts
themodernconceptofspeedendurance.

Confusionentersbecausethetermendurancecausessome
coachesandathletestoequatethattermspeedenduranceto
aerobiccapacityandsoanaerobicelementisaddedtothe
athletestraining.Countlesshoursarewastedbyathletes
spendingtimedevelopingendurancethroughaerobicactivity
whentheeventinwhichtheycompetehaslittledependenceon
theaerobicsystem.

Inreality,speedenduranceinsprintshasnoconnectionto
aerobiccapacityatall.Sprintsupto400metersareconsidered
oxygendeficitevents.Itisnotnecessaryfortheathletetotakea
breathduringanoxygendeficiteventbecauseoxygenisnot
requiredformusclemetabolismduringtheevent.Theoxygen
deficitisrecoveredthroughheavybreathingafterthe
conclusionoftheevent.

Toillustrate,letslookatanotherstudypublishedin1999by
Weyand,etal.,whichconcluded,humanrunningspeedis
largelyindependentofaerobicpowerduringalloutsprints
lasting<1min.

Thestudyincludedpartialrestrictionofoxygentothesubjects
duringhighspeedrunningwhichresultedinthefollowing:

30

Despitemarkedlydecreasingtheirratesofoxygenuptake
duringsprinting,wefoundtheycouldrunjustasfastfor
sprintsofupto60sandnearlyasfastforsprintsofupto120s.
Clearly,maximalhumanrunningspeedsforshortand
intermediatelengthsprintsarerelativelyunaffectedbylarge
reductionsinaerobicpower.

Itsinterestingtonotethephraseupto120s.

Thats2minutesofsprinting,whichwouldallowadecent
highschoolrunnertocompletean800mrace!

Thepointhereisthataerobiccapacityandspeedenduranceare
notthesameanimal.

Whatisspeedendurance?Ingeneral,thisphraseisusedto
describehowlonganathletecanholdtopspeedorhowmuch
slowertherateofdecelerationprogresses.Whenanathlete
blastsoutoftheblocks,buildsagoodearlyleadandcannot
finishstronglyinanoxygendeficitrace,theusualcorrection
offeredisrunoverdistancetobuildupyour
strength/stamina/endurance.

Whenafriendorcoachtellsyouthatsthebestwayto
overcometheproblem,askthemhowthatwouldincreaseMSF.
Whywouldrunning200metersmakearunnerfasterat100
meterswhenMSFcausesfasterrunning?Ifyouhavethe
problemofearlyburnoutandtheadviceyouvebeengivenisto
runlonger,thenrunawayfromthatcoachasfastasyoucan
(hopefully,youcangetfarawaybeforeyouburnout).Ifyouare
acoachgivingthatadvice,shameonyoufornotdoingyour
homework!

31

Therealproblemiseitheralackofstrengthoraninabilityto
deliverstrengthmorerapidlyasgroundcontacttimedecreases.
Thelackofstrengthcouldbecausedbyinsufficientstrength
trainingorbyfaultyrunningmechanicsthatrobstrengthfrom
MSF.Aslowdeliverysystemwillnotallowtheattainmentof
maximumpotentialspeed.Neitherproblemiscorrectedby
runninglongerdistances.

Greaterstrengthallowstheathletetorunwithgreatereconomy
sincelessenergyisrequiredtomovetheathletesmass.
Additionally,ifanathletesdeliverysystemisfullydeveloped
buttheycannotdeliveralloftheirpotentialpowerattheir
maximumrateofspeed,thentheycanrunatafastratefora
greaternumberofstridesand/ordeceleratemoreslowly.

32

PhysiologyPart2

OnNovember25,1980RobertoDuranandSugarRayLeonard
facedeachotherinanhistoricboxingmatchwhichbecame
knownasTheNoMasFight.Thefightwasarematchbetween
thetwoboxers;Duranhadwontheirfirstboutbyanarrow
margin.With17secondsleftinround8,Duranwavedhisglove
intheairandtoldrefereeOctavioMeyran,Noms!(no
more!).WhenMeyranaskedhimaquestion,Duranwalked
towardshiscornerwhileemphaticallyanswering,Noms!

Nomsbecameahouseholdphrase,andcanstillbeheard
somewhatfrequentlyonstreetcornersthroughouttheUnited
States.

Todaysathletesshouldtelltheircoachesthesame:Noms!,No
Mass,nomorebodybuilderworkouts.

Weighttrainingforathletes,inanysport,shouldbefocused
onlyonstrengthandtodosomeansfocusingexclusivelyon
TypeIIBfibersforstrengthwithminimalmass.

TypeIIBfibersarethemaximalforceproductionfibersandare
optimizedtousethephosphagensystemofenergyproduction.
Thesefibersrequireaveryhighloadand/orexplosive
contractionforstimulation.Theyaretermedfasttwitchfiber
becauseoftherelativespeedoftheirmotorunitsversusTypeI
fiber.Themotorunitsofthefasttwitchfiberarelargerthan
thoseoftheotherfibers.Theyarethesuperpowergenerators.

TypeIIBsareanaerobicsotheydonotrequireoxygenfor
energyproduction.Whenproperlystimulated,they
33

immediatelyprovideuptothemaximumstrengththemuscleis
capableof,butforashortperiodoftime.

AllskeletalmuscleenergyisfueledbyATP.TypeIIBfiber
doesnotrequireoxygentoproduceATP.Inplaceofoxygen,the
twomainsourcesoftheanaerobicfuelsupplyarethe
PhosphagensystemandGlycolysis.Inthebattlebetweenthese
twofuelsources,Glycolysishasbeenthebigwinneramong
boththosewhoweighttrainandthosewhocoachweight
training.

GlycolysisdoesagreatjobinproducingandsupplyingATPfor
bothTypeIIAandTypeIIBmuscles,butithasanastylittle
offspringthatshouldcauseathletesandcoachestostayclearof
itstrueevilnature.Tothecontrary,coachesandathletesrejoice
inthiseviloffspring,oftenreferredtoasTheBurn.

ItsrealnameisLacticAcidanditspresencewithinmusclefiber
burnsthefreenerveendingslocatedthere.Thereisphysical
painbutnolongtermphysicalharmunlessofcourseyou
considernotreachingmaximumstrengthorincreasingtop
speedharmful.Theaccumulationoflacticacidduringexercise
caninterferewithmusclecontraction,nerveconductionand
energyproduction,leadingtoacutefatigue.Itisanastybeast.
FeelingTheBurninweighttrainingisonlybeneficialtothe
bodybuilder.

Inourzealtofindmorespeedwecometotheonlyremaining
energysystem:Phosphagen.

ThinkofthePhosphagensystemasahighenergyphosphate
pool(almostlikeastoragebattery)containingasmallamount
ofATPandothercompounds.Whenmusclefibershavea
suddendemandforlotsofenergythePhosphagensystemkicks
34

inimmediatelyandprovidestheneededfuelfromitsATP
reserve.However,producingenergyishardwork,causingATP
tolosebothaphospatemoleculeanditsusefulnessasafuel
supplier.Within2or3secondsofmaximumenergyoutputall
oftheoriginalATPwillhavelostaphosphatemolecule.

CertainlythatsasolidblowtothesystembutthePhosphagen
poolhasanotherphosphatecompound,Phosphocreatine(PC)
thatiskindenoughtogiveupaphosphatemoleculeinorderto
regeneratetheoriginalATP(whichhadbecomeADPor
AdenosineDiphosphate).TheinitialamountofPCinthepoolis
greaterthantheinitialamountofATPsotheregenerationof
ADPtoATPcancontinuefor8to10seconds,thenlikeits
neighborATP,itisfullydepleted.

Itmayappearatthispointthatthephosphagensystemisready
tosayNoms!,allowingGlycolysis(andTheBurn)tostandin
fortherestofthetrainingsession.

Holdon!ThePhosphagensystemmightbedownbutitis
definitelynotoutyet.ThePhosphagenpoolcanbesubstantially
regenerated(asmuchas95%)inapproximately5minutesIF
thereisnodemandonmusclefiberwhiletheregenerationis
progressing.NodemandmeansNOdemand.

ItsnotcriticalthattheentireprocessbywhichATPisusedand
regeneratedbedescribedinthisbook(lookontheInternetor
thelibraryformoredetail).Whatiscriticalisthatitdoes
regenerate.

ThissecretfactthePhosphagenpoolregeneratesinarelatively
shortperiodoftimeallowsthecreationofsignificantstrength
withminimalmass.

35

Isthissecretanewlydiscoveredphenomenon?

Hardly,unlessyouconsidersomethingdiscoveredin1927as
new.Forthatmatter,thediscoverer,A.V.Hill,wontheNobel
prizein1922forhisdiscoveryofthetwodifferentenergy
pathways:aerobicandanaerobic.Hillalsolegitimatized
exercisephysiologyasadisciplineofitsownafterpublishing
moreofhisresearchin1925.

Whoiskeepingthesecretsecretandwhyaretheydoingso?

Thesecretkeepersareeverywhere.Fromthelocalfitness
centertotheprofessionalstrengthtrainertotheelitesprint
coachtothemanufacturerofuselesstraininggimmicksthe
legendcontinues:Biggermeansstronger.Biggeralsolooks
betteratthebeachorbythepool.Biggershowseveryonehow
hardyouworkandcreatesanauraofinvincibility.Bigger
provestoyouthatyougotwhatyoupaidforbigger.Oh,and
alsostronger.

Butifbiggerisstronger,thenwhyareOlympicweightlifters,at
allbutthehighestweightcategory,smallerinmuscle
developmentthanbodybuildersyetstronger,poundforpound?

Justsothereisnomisunderstandingofthepreviousstatement:
Olympicweightlifters,poundforpound,arestrongerthan
bodybuilders.

36

Workout,General

Whilethecomparisonsmadeinthisbookbetween
bodybuildingandtrainingtoincreaseMSFmayseemtobe
demeaningtobodybuilders,thatisnottheintention.Infact,
nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Bodybuildershave
donetheirhomework.Theynotonlyunderstandphysiology,
theyhavemasteredittothepointofshapingimpressivebodies.
Bodybuildersgainstrengthonlyforthepurposeofincreasing
mass.SincethatiscontrarytothegoalofMSF(strengthwithout
increasingmass)weshouldusetheirexampletofindoutwhich
trainingmethodsweshouldembraceandwhichmethodswe
shouldliterallyrunfrom.

Bodybuilders,asagroup,havebiggermusclesthanOlympic
lifters.Theytrainwithlighterweights,andperformhigherreps.
TheyaretrainingforSarcoplasmicHypertrophytogetbiggerso
theyaimtodevelopTypeIIAandTypeIIBfiberssincebothof
thosefiberscanshowlargeincreasesinvolume.

Bodybuildersmustcontinuallyworkuntilmuscleexhaustionin
ordertomaximizemusclevolume.Workingtomuscle
exhaustiontearsdownmusclefiberandrequiresaminimumof
onedayofrestforrecovery,repairandrecruitmentof
additionalmitochondriaandfluids.Thiscycleincreasesmuscle
volume.

TypeIIBsarethelargestfibersandhavethemostpotentialto
increasevolumebuttheliftermustuseenoughweightto
stimulatethefiber.Inotherword,bodybuildersmustget
strongertoworklongertogetbigger.Byworkinglonger,they
gleefullygodeepintoTheBurnknowingthatthefirethey
37

feelwillleadtomoremass.Sadly,oneotherresourcethataids
inlongerworkoutstoincreasemassistheuseofperformance
enhancingdrugs,especiallysteroids.

Sinceminimalmassisourgoal,steroidsarenotnecessaryor
evenremotelybeneficial!Notinanysportandnotforany
reason.

FromthechartTrainingForTypesOfFiber#2,Trainingfor
TypesOfFiber#3showstherangeofrepsthatwouldbeuseful
forthebodybuilder:

FIBER

HYPERTROPHY

REPS

Type IIA

Sarcoplasmic

16-25

Type IIB

Sarcoplasmic

6-10

Training For Types Of Fiber #3

Forrunners,thattypeofworkoutismasssuicide.Inother
words,DONTDOIT!

Olympicliftersarenotnearlyasheavilymuscled,yetcanlift
significantlymoreweightperrep.Whatsthedifference?

Itiswidelybelievedthatpeakstrengthcomesfromliftingat
90%orgreaterof1RM(1RepMaximumthemostweightthat
canbeliftedonlyonce).Theamountofweightatthislevel
recruitsthelargestmotorunitsandadditionalmyofibrilsto
handletheincreasingdemandonthefibersandcausespositive
changestofiringpatternandfrequency.Thefasttwitchfiber
shouldbecomerockettwitchasstrengthincreasestoalltime
highs.Whatdoesntincreaseismusclesizebecausetheamount
ofmitochondriaandfluidsisnotnoticeablyincreased.For
Herculeanstrength,therunnershouldconcentrateona
workoutthatisclosertothefollowingchart,TrainingFor
TypesOfFiber#4.
38

FIBER TYPE

HYPERTROPHY

REP RANGE

Type IIA

Myofibrillar

8-15

Type IIB

Myofibrillar

1-5

Training For Types Of Fiber #4

Whatsthebestreprangeforrunners?

TheTypeIIBMyofibrillarworkoutisbetterhandsdownand
thereareseveralreasonswhyrunnersshouldelectthe15rep
workoutoveranyothertype.Tobetterunderstandwhythisis
soletsreturntooursecret,theregenerationofthe
Phosphagenpoolinabout5minutes.

Ifourtimeframeforweighttrainingcentersaroundthelength
oftimeittakestodepleteandregeneratethePhosphagenpool,
thenweshouldbeabletoliftmaximalamountsofweightmore
oftenwithoutgeneratingthetiringeffectofTheBurn.Inthis
casemoreoftendoesnotmeanmorereps,itmeansmoresets
andmoreliftingdays.Letsdosomequickcalculatingtobetter
illustratetheeffectsofliftingmoreoften.

TheCompletedRepsAs%1RMchartbelowisawidely
acceptedcomparisonofrepsatlowerpercentagesofa1RM.

% OF 1RM

REPS

100%

95%

90%

3-4

85%

5-7

80%

8-12

70%

18-25

Completed Reps As % 1RM

39

Accordingtothechart,completionofnomorethan2repsofa
particularweightwouldmeanthatthelifterwasat95%ofa
1RM,whilesuccessfullyliftingaweightnomorethan7times
wouldmakethatweightequivalenttoapproximately85%ofa
1RM.

AbodybuilderstrivingforSarcoplasmicHypertrophywould
primarilyliftinthe80%orless1RMrangewhileourrunner
driventomaximizeMyofibrillarHypertrophy,wouldaimfor
90%1RManup.

Lookingatthepreviousexampleofasprintersworkoutwill
showagraphicofthedifferencebetweenasarcoplasmicanda
myofibrillarworkout.Wewillusethedeadliftastheexercise
andassumethateachoftworunnershasa1RMof350lbs.Our
chartoftheresultforonetrainingdaymightlooklikethis:

RUNNER

1RM

350

% 1RM

80%

WEIGHT
LIFTED

280

SETS X
REPS

TOTAL
POUNDS

1x10

2,800

1x8

2,240

1x6

1,680

1x3

840
Total 7,560

350

90%

315

5x3

Total 4,725

Sarcoplasmic vs. Myofibrillar Workout

Runner#1isusingasarcoplasmicworkoutwhileRunner#2is
workingonmyofibrillardevelopment.Inourexample,thetotal
amountliftedbyRunner1ismorethan1.5timesthatof
Runner2.Itlooksimpressive,butallisnotwhatitseems.

Theneedtoallowmusclefibertorepairandrecruitadditional
mitochondriaandotherexcessmaterialandfluidstosurvive
thegruelingworkoutslimitsthesarcoplasmicdevelopmenttoa
40

maximumof3sessionsperweek.Runner2couldincorporateas
manyas5sessionsperweeksincemusclesarenotworkedto
exhaustion,andbothlacticacidproductionandtheneedto
rebuildmusclefiberareminimal.

Letslookatwhathappenstoeachofourrunnersifthe
maximumtrainingsessionsperweekareused.

RUNNER

SESSIONS/WEEK

TOTAL

22,680 lbs

23,625 lbs

18,900 lbs

Weekly Training Results

AsyoucanseefromtheWeeklyTrainingResultschart,
Runner2willsurpassthetotalweightliftedbyRunner1over
thecourseofoneweekifall5workoutdaysareused.

Whilethetotal4daytrainingvolumeforRunner2wouldequal
justover80%ofRunner1stotal,dontbefooledintothinking
theextra20%willmakeRunner1strongerthanRunner2.In
fact,itisjusttheopposite.Runner2isrecruitingmore
myofibrilsandlargermotorunitsthanRunner1becauseofthe
extra35lbsperlift.

Usingyourknowledgeoftheimportanceofmyofibril
hypertrophyshouldmakeitclearthatRunner2srateof
strengthgainwillrapidlyoutpaceRunner1.

Trainingresultsbasedonincreasingmyofibrillarhypertrophy
alsostrikeamajorblowtothecommonlyheldbeliefthat
strengthtrainingshouldbebuiltuponthepyramidprinciple.

41

Strength Training Pyramid

Thepyramid,builtuponawideandsolidfoundation,isamong
thestrongestofstructures,butitreallyhasnothingincommon
withwhatisnecessaryforstrengthtraining.

StrengthtrainingtypicallylooksliketheStrengthTraining
Pyramidillustration,wherethebaseofthepyramidisformed
fromhighrepsatlowerweightoveranextendedperiodoftime,
perhapsweeksorevenmonths.Thesidesofthepyramidare
builtfromthebaseandalsorequireanextendedperiodoftime
todevelop.Thereisoneglaringflawintheconceptofusingthe
pyramidasanillustrationofstrengthdevelopment:Thewidth
ofthebasedoesnotrepresentawide,solidfoundationof
strength,itrepresentstheenduranceofmultiplereps!

Thebaseislittlemorethananaerobicfoundationpackedwitha
lacticacidpunchandtheonsetofsarcoplasmichypertrophy.

Thesecondlevelisnotmuchbetter,addingmorehypertrophy
(butnotthemyofibrilsweneed)andlacticacid.Thetop2levels
42

shouldbethemaximumstrengthbuilders,buttheyare
typicallylimitedbybetweensetresttimesof13minutes,which
isnotsufficienttorescuethephosphagenpool.Resting5
minuteswouldnothelphereanywaybecausethesetsgenerally
proceedtoexhaustioninordertofeeltheburn.

Theathletewillgetstrongereventuallybutprogressionis
comparativelyslowsincetherealstrengthgainsdonotshow
untilthetoplevelofthepyramidisreached.

Thepyramidmethodofbuildingstrength,fromaphysiological
standpoint,islikesailingaroundtheequatortogettothenorth
pole.Youwouldhavetodriftoffcoursetogettoyourgoal.

Ourweighttraininggoalisnotmusclesizebutsuperior
strengthwithminimalmass!Itistheonlywaytomaximize
MSFandthatmeansahighweight,lowrep,longrestroutine
thatincreasesbothmyofibrilsandthefastestfiringmotorunits.
Certainlytheathletegainsstrengthmuchmorerapidlybecause
ofmyofibrillarhypertrophyratherthansarcoplasmic
hypertrophy,butthereisanaddedbonus.

% OF 1RM

REPS

100%

95%

90%

3-4

85%

5-7

80%

8-12

70%

18-25

Completed Reps As % Of 1RM

Recallthecompletedrepschartweusedearliertoshowthe
differenceinthenumberofrepsandpercentagesofweightused
betweenanathletestrivingformyofibrillarhypertrophyanda
bodybuilderbentonincreasingsarcoplasmichypertrophy.
43


Thesamechartalsoshowsthattheathletewillbeableto
completeincreasinglymorerepsasweightdecreasesto
percentagesbelow100%1RMbecausemaximalstrengthisnot
necessaryatthelowerpercentages.Thisdemonstratespotential
effectsofstrengtheconomy.Toputitanotherway,endurance
trainingdoesnotleadtogreaterstrengthbutgreaterstrength
doesincreaseendurance.

Thisshouldsoundfamiliartoyoubecauseitiswhat
Paavolainendiscoveredintheresearchwithorienteers.

Thefollowingreallifestoryisapowerfulexampleofthe
awesomepotentialforincreasingendurancethroughmaximal
strengthtrainingratherthanbuildingpyramids.

SkylerMcKnight,astudentathleteatSanJoseStateUniversity
inCaliforniawastoldheneededtobenchpress225lbs20times
aspartofhisplayingontheuniversitysfootballteam.Hehad
lessthan3weekstoprepareforthetest.Hehadbenchpressed
225lbsfor9repsseveralyearsearlier,butatpresentcouldonly
do3repsatthatweight.Hisrecentbenchpressroutine
consistedofsetswithgreaterthan6reps(oftenmorethan10)
andalwaysatweightslessthan225lbs.Thesetswiththemost
repswereatsignificantlylowerweightthan225lbs.Inother
words,McKnightscoachhaddoomedhimtothemeager
potentialofthestandardstrengthpyramid.

TheprospectofsuccesslookeddimforMcKnight.Thepyramid
scamcertainlywasntgoingtoworkwithlessthan3weeksto
buildabaseandthenworkupthesidestothetop,butthere
wasanalternativecourseofaction.

44

% OF 1RM

REPS

100%

95%

90%

3-4

85%

5-7

80%

8-12

70%

18-25

Completed Reps As % Of 1RM

TakeaanotherlookattheCompletedRepschartshownabove
toseethatMcKnights3completedrepsinthebenchpress
equalsabout90%ofa1RM.Therefore,McKnights3repsat225
lbsconvertstoa100%1RMof250lbs.

Ourfirstgoalwastodiscoverfromthechartwhatamountof
weightMcKnightneededasa100%1RMtohaveanychanceat
lifting225lbs20times.

Thechartindicatesthatthesmallerthepercentofa1RMthe
greaterthenumberofrepspossible.Thebottomofthechart
showsthatliftersshouldbeabletocompletefrom1825repsat
70%ofa1RM,andMcKnightsneedtocomplete20repsfit
withinthatrange.

Our100%1RMgoalwasfoundbydividingthecurrent225max
by70%(225lb/.70),orapproximately320lbs.

Thebottomlineofalltheanalysisissimplythis:Basedonthe
CompletedRepschart,McKnightwouldhavetoincreasehis
1RMfromtheestimatedcurrent250lbstoapproximately320
lbsifhewastohaveanychanceatbenching225lbs20times.

45

WhydidwenottestMcKnighttofindouthiscurrentmax
ratherthanestimatingfromthechart?Becauseitwouldhave
costaworkoutsessiontodosoandthechartisaccurateenough
toworkverywellforourpurpose.

Wewerereadytobeginthedauntingtaskofincreasing
McKnights1RMby70lbsin3weeks,butthepowerof
recruitingthebiggunswasabouttopayoff!

Trainingstartedat5setsof2repsat235lbsandincluded
plyometrics(tobepresentedlater)aswell.McKnighttrained45
daysperweekfortheamountoftimeremaining.Hecontinued
theroutineof5setsof2repsbutraisedtheamountofweight
perrepasoftenaspossible.

Havingbeenraisedintheenvironmentofbiggerisstrongerand
biggercomesfromworkingtoexhaustion,McKnightwas
extremelyskepticalthatdoingsetsof2repsathigherweights
wouldenablehimtodoasetof20repsat225lbs.Heendedthe
firstweekoftrainingwithafrownandananxiouslyrepeated,
Howcandoing2repsfor5setsEVERgetmetodo20reps?

Itsalwaysfuntotrainsomeonewhodoesntbelievethatthe
trainingcanwork.

Midwaythroughthesecondweekoftraining,withincreasesin
theamountofweightliftedateverysession,camethefirsttest
forMcKnights1RM.Herespondedwithapersonalbestinthe
benchpressandtheconfidencethathecouldgetevenstronger
inthetimeremaininguntilhistest,butMcKnightstillhad
lingeringdoubtsaboutbeingablecompleteanywherenear20
reps.Hewasntevensurehecouldmatchhisbestof9repsat
225lbs.

46

Bytheendofthetimeallotted,McKnights1RMwas310lbs.

225lbsisapproximately73%of310lbssoMcKnightwas
expectedtocompletesomewherebetween13and20reps,
althoughMcKnightdidntincludehimselfamongthose
expecting1320reps.Afterall,hewouldnotacceptthat2reps
persetcouldleadto1320reps,especiallywithoutbuildinga
solidbasethroughamassiveamountofreps.Thebeliefinthe
pyramidisburieddeepinthepsycheofathletes.

McKnightshockedhimself,andhisteammateswhenhe
completed18repsat225lbs.

EvenmoresurprisedwasMcKnightscoach.Hedidnotbelieve
McKnightcouldaddmorethanafewrepstowhathewasable
toliftlessthan3weeksearlier.

Letstakeamomenttosummarizewhatwevecoveredsofar:

Theeffectofgravitymustbeoffsetineverysportthatrequires
runningorjumping.

IncreasingMSF,massspecificforce,helpstooffsetgravity.

Strengthtrainingintheweightroomisthebestmethodto
increaseMSF.

Thegoalofstrengthtrainingshouldbeincreasingmyofibrillar
hypertrophy,notsarcoplasmichypertrophywhichuselessly
increasesmass.

Adheringtotheconceptoflowsets,lowreps,highweight
andadequaterestisfastestwaytoincreasemyofibrillar
hypertrophyandMSF.
47


IfyouarethinkingthatincreasingMSFmeanslotsofagonizing
workouttimeintheweightroom,itdoesnt.

Infact,theworkoutsystemthatfollowswillmakeyoustronger
inlesstimethenyoumightthink.And,Ifyousticktowhatyou
willsoonlearn,youwillendeveryweighttrainingsessionwith
afeelingofexhilarationinsteadofexhaustion.Becausethe
systemissomucheasieronthebodythanalloftheother
weighttrainingsystems,somecoachesuseitasawarmup
beforecompetition!

ItisonlyrightthatIgiveyouawarningbeforeyoubeginthe
nextsegmentofthisbook:Youmustbepreparedtothrowout
everygimmick,gadget,uselesspieceofequipmentandmuscle
magazinearticleyouthink(orthought)wouldincreasespeed
andstrength.Includedinthelistareitemssuchasparachutes,
sleds,weightedvests,legweights,weightedshoes,mostweight
trainingmachines(suchaslegextensionorlegcurl),stretch
bands,andanythingelsethatpromisedtoincreaserunning
speedorjumpingheightwithoutaddressingMSF.

Nowthatyouvebeenwarned,letslookathoweasyitisto
improveMSFandcreatechampions!

48

Workout,SpecificExercises

Beforedescribingspecificexercises,letsdefinethetermload
time.Generally,loadingstartsassoonasweightinexcessof
bodyweightisaddedtoanexercise.Performingasquatwith
justyourbodyweightwouldcausethequadricepstotensebut
youwouldnotbeconsideredasbeingunderloadduringthe
exercise.Ifyouheldasetof1lbdumbbellswhileperforminga
squat,thenforourpurpose,themuscleswouldbeunderload
orloaded.

Forourpurpose,wewillconsiderloadtimeaswhentheclock
startstickingdownforthePhosphagenpool.The810second
timeframeforperformanceintheAlacticAnaerobicsystem
beginswhentheloadiswithinthe85100%rangeof1RM.So
loadtimestartswhentheamountofweightusedinan
exerciseisatleast85%ofa1RM.Keepthatinmindaswebuild
aweighttrainingprogramthatmakesuseofthesecrets
revealedsofar.

Beforemovingon,letsrecapwhathasbeenshownpreviously
asarequirementsoftheprogramplusanyotheritemswe
haventdiscussed.

Goal#1:Theprogrammustproducesuperiorstrengthwith
minimalmass,regardlessofthesportitisintendedfor(other
thansportsthathaveasuperheavyweightclass!)
Goal#2:Eachexercisemustfitwithintheeffectivetimeofour
secrettheregenerationofthePhosphagenpool.
Goal#3:Exercisesshouldengagemultiplejointsandmuscles.

49

Goal#4:Participationinanysportrequiresvaryingdegreesof
skillandmechanicaladaptationtothesportitselfsotimemust
begiventopracticeofthesportitself.Ourstrengthtraining
regimemustbeefficientaswellaseffectivetofitinalimited
amountofavailabletime.
Goal#5:Equipmentnecessaryforstrengthtrainingshouldhave
minimalfinancialimpactontheoveralltrainingbudget.

MinimalmassandsuperiorstrengthmustbeGoal#1ofthe
runnerbecauseofourknowledgeofMSF.Goal#2isthemajor
componentof#1,soitsplacementisobvious,butwhatabout
Goal#3,exercisesthatengagemultiplejointsandmuscles?

Thereareseveralreasonsformakingthisarequirementofthe
exerciseroutine,buttwoofthemareofmajorimportance:
Rhythmicreflexesandprotectionofligaments.

Rhythmicreflexesisawayofdescribinghowvariousreflexesin
compoundmovements,suchaswalkingorrunning,meshlike
thecogsinaprecisioninstrument.SirCharlesSherrington,a
Nobelprizewinnerin1932,deservestheprincipalcreditfor
discoveringhowthisisaccomplished.Whenweperformany
compoundmovementboththeinhibitingandstimulatingforces
ofthedifferentmusclescounterbalanceeachother.Both
responsesareequallynecessaryforthenormalcourseof
reflexessotheymustcooperateintimately.

Theinteractionbetweenmusclegroupsandjointsduringany
exerciseisgenerallyreferredtoasthekineticchain.
Participatinginanysportsrequirestheathletetohavesuperior
coordinationalongtheentirekineticchainsotrainingexercises
shouldbegearedtomatchingthemusclerecruitmentpatterns
requiredbythesport.

50

Kineticchainexercisesfallintotwocategories:closedandopen.
Forourpurpose,wewilldefineanopenkineticchainexercise
asonewheretheweightispushedawayfromthebodyanda
closedkineticchainasonewherethebodypushesawayfrom
theweight.Musclerecruitmentpatternsaresignificantly
differentbetweenopenandclosedkineticchainexercisesand
thedifferencehasamajoreffectontherunner.

RememberMSF?Itstheforcerequiredduringrunningtooffset
theeffectsofgravitywhenpushingawayfromtheearth.Fromour
definitionabove,runningisaclosedkineticchainexercise,so
musclerecruitmentpatternsinvolvedintrainingtorunfaster
shouldbedevelopedthroughclosedkineticchainexercises.

Thefactthatrunningisaclosedkineticchainexercisewhich
requirestrainingwiththesametypeofexercisesdisqualifies
almosteverysinglejointexercisefromourlistbecausetheyare
almostuniversallyopenchainkineticexercises.

Toillustrate,letslookattwodifferentmethodsofincreasing
strengthinthequadricepsmuscleswhicharecriticalforfaster
running:Legextensions(usingalegextensionmachine)and
squats.

Legextensionsareperformedonamachinespecificallymade
fortheexercise(aFrankensteinlikepieceofequipmentthat
secretlylaysthefoundationforpersistentkneepaininlater
yearsasaresultoftheunnaturalstressplacedoncartilageand
ligaments).

Duringlegextensionexercisesthetibia(shinbone)moves
acrossthefemur(thighbone),whichisheldstationarybythe
machine.Theweightispushedawayfromthebodyduringleg
extensions(openkineticchain).Inthedeadlift,thetibiais
51

stationaryandthefemurmovesacrossitastheweightismoved
awayfromtheearth(closedkineticchain).Anotherdifference
betweenthetwoisthatthetrunk,hipandkneeextensorsare
activelyinvolved(rhythmicreflexes)inthedeadliftbuthave
eitherminimalornoinvolvementatallinlegextensions.

Bottomline:Therecruitmentpatternsforlegextensionare180
degreesoutofphasewiththerecruitmentpatternsnecessaryfor
boththedeadliftandrunning.Ifyouhavealegextension
machineyoumightconsidergiftingittoacompetitor!

Themusclesshouldhelpeachothertoperformatmaximum
capacity.Strengthtrainingshouldnotonlytakeconsiderationof
thatfact,butshouldalsotakeadvantageofitbyincreasingthe
strengthofasmanymusclesalongthekineticchainaspossible
duringeachexercise.Themusclesworktogether,sotrainthem
together!

Youmightbewonderingwhymachinesforstrengthtraining,
especiallythosethatisolatemusclesandjoints,wereinventedif
theyaresooftencontradictorytomusclerecruitmentpatterns
necessaryforsports.Whowouldwantorneedthem?

Bodybuilders.

Bodybuildingisnotaboutstrengthandrhythmicreflexesbut
aboutsizeandproportion.Itismandatoryforthemtoisolate
eachmusclegroupinordertoshapeit,molditandgrowitto
maximumvolume.Musclesdonthavetoworkwelltogether,
theyonlyneedtolookgoodenoughtowinincompetition.The
traineratyourlocalgymworksoffthesametheorylooksare
moreimportantthanstrength.

52

Sowhydosomanystrengthtrainersforsportsisolatemuscles
forstrengthtrainingpurposes?Youshouldaskthem.

Whileyoureasking,findoutiftheybelieveisolationofmuscles
helpsprotectligaments.Iftheirhonest,theywillsayitdoesnt.
Iftheirnothonest,whyareyouallowingthemtotrainyou?

Aligamentisatoughbandofwhite,fibrousandslightlyelastic
tissuethatbindstheboneendstogethertopreventdislocation
andexcessivemovementthatmightcausebreakage.When
musclesthatsurroundjointsareworkedasaunittheyaidin
stabilizingandprotectingthejointandtheligaments.Workouts
thatfeaturemuscleisolationdontdothat.

Forthereasonsmentionedabove,involvingasmanymuscles
andjointsaspossibleineachliftisidealforvirtuallyeverysport
thatrequiresspeedorstrength.

Goal#4onourlist,thetimeneededforstrengthtraining,cannot
beoverlookedbyeithercoachorathlete.Exceptforthe
professionals,themajorityofcoachesandathleteshave
problemsfittingworkouts,bothstrengthandevent,intothe
amountoftimeallottedfortraining.Strengthtrainingexercises
thatinvolvemultiplemusclegroupsconcurrentlyareabighelp
here.

Thekeytogoal#4issimple.Eachexerciseshouldbeofthe
E&Etype:EffectiveandEfficient.Iftwoexercisesareequalor
closetoequalineffectiveness,thenchoosetheonethatismore
efficient.Forourpurpose,anefficientexerciseisonethat
effectivelyworksthemusclesintendedbutalsoworksmuscles
notcoveredbysimilarexercises.Forexample,thedeadlift
worksthesameessentialmajormusclegroupsasthesquat,but
53

italsosignificantlyimproveshandandforearmstrengthwhich
areminimallyinvolvedinthesquat.

Thelastgoal,#5ofourexerciseprogramrequirements,is
minimizingtheamountofequipmentnecessary.Aprogram
builtonexpensiveequipmentandgadgetsissubjecttothe
failingoftheequipmentandgadgets.Limitingaworkoutthat
createssuperiorstrengthtoabarbellandasetofweightswould
beidealsinceitwouldallowtheathletetotrainalmost
anywhere.

Ifwecanfindgoals25,thenwewillhave#1.

Withthatinmind,letsstartalistofthemainexercisesthat
shouldbeincludedinourgeneralroutine.Later,wecanadd
someauxiliaryexercisesspecifictorunningfaster.

Thedeadlift,Olympicclean,Olympiccleanandjerk,Olympic
snatch,andsquatsareallexcellentmultijoint,multiplemuscle
groupexercisestoleadoffourlist.
#1 Exercise

#2 Time

#3 Multi-joint

#4 E&E

#5 Equipment

Deadlift

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Olympic Clean

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Olympic C & J

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Squat

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Olympic Snatch

54

ItappearsfromthelistabovethatboththesquatandOlympic
cleanandjerkdontfitallofourrequirements.Whileitmaybe
strengthtrainingheresytoeventhinkofeliminatingthesquat
asanexercise,thereareseveralvalidreasonstodoso.

ThefollowingchartshowstheEuropeanrecordsforbothmen
andwomeninthedeadliftandthesquat.Thecolumnonthefar
rightistheratiobetweenthedeadliftrecordandthesquat
record.

Weight Class

Squat

Deadlift

Weight

Weight

56kg

287.5

247.5

86%

Men

S/D Ratio

60kg

320.0

287.5

90%

67.5kg

340.0

317.5

93%

75kg

328.5

340.0

104%

82.5kg

355.5

357.5

101%

90kg

375.5

373.0

99%

100kg

385.0

375.0

97%

110kg

417.5

385.0

92%

125kg

430.0

397.5

92%

Average

95%

Women
44kg

170.5

170.0

100%

48kg

200.0

177.5

89%

52kg

212.5

195.0

92%

56kg

222.5

202.5

91%

60kg

225.0

227.5

101%

67.5k

247.5

240.0

97%

75kg

255.5

265.0

104%

82.5kg

255.0

245.0

96%

90kg

270.0

257.5

95%

90+kg

290.5

245.0

Average

84%
95%

European Deadlift and Squat Records

55

Clearlythedeadliftistheloserin15ofthe20categorieslisted
(primarilybecauseitisreliesheavilyuponstrengthofgrip),but
theaveragedifferencebetweenthemaximumdeadliftandthe
maximumsquatisapproximately5%.Thisistrueforbothmen
andwomen.Thetwoexercisesareequallyeffectiveforour
purposeinthattheybothworkthesamemajormusclegroups
ofthelegs.

Bothsquatsanddeadliftsdoanexcellentjobofstrengthening
theglutes,quadricepsandhamstringswhicharethemajor
musclesinvolvedinsprinting.But,asmentionedearlier,the
deadliftismoreefficientthanthesquatbecauseitworksamuch
greaterpercentageofotherskeletalmusclesincludingthe
hands,arms,shouldersandeventhefeet(ifyoufollowthe
adviceofPavelTsatsoulineanddotheexercisewithoutshoes!).

Thesquatanddeadliftwouldhavebeencloseenoughin
efficiencyandeffectivenesstobeconsideredasinterchangeable
liftsexceptfortheNointheTimeandEquipmentcategories.

ThesquatreceivedaNointheequipmentcategorybecauseit
requireseitherarackorthehelpofotherstohoistthebaronto
theliftersshoulders.Ifthereisnosafetyrack,thesquatrequires
helperstoaidalifterunabletocompletetheexercise.The
deadliftrequiresneitherhelpersnorasafetyrack.

Therearemanywhowouldarguethatanegativeinthe
Equipmentcategoryisnotasufficientreasontoeliminatethe
squatfromconsideration.Whilethismaybearguable,aNo
intheTimecategoryisnot.

Thesquatisperformedbybendingthekneesuntilthethighs
areapproximatelyparalleltotheground.Thelifterthenreturns
toanuprightpositionandpreparestolowertheweightforthe
56

nextrep.Theskeletalmusclessupportmostoftheweight
verticallywhenthelifterisfullyuprightandpreparingforthe
nextrep.However,thelowbackmusclesworkconstantlyto
keepthetorsofrombendingforwardunderloadfromthetime
thebarisremovedfromtherackuntilitisrackedagain.

Whentheweightisintherangeof9095%1RMthesquatcan
average56secondsorlongerunderloadforeachrepwithout
includingthetimetoremovethebarandstepawayfromthe
rackortoreturnthebartotherack.Bothofwhicharetime
underload.Totaltimeunderloadformultirepsetofsquats
couldeasilyexceed20seconds.BythattimethePhosphagen
poolwouldhavescreamedNoms!anddriedup.Setsofonly1
repwontprovideenoughmusclestimulationforourpurpose.

Sosaysayonaratosquats.

TheOlympiccleanandjerkisalsoatimeproblembecauseithas
twoelements.Theliftrequirestimetomakethetransition
betweentheclean(raisingthebarfromthefloortothe
shoulder)andthejerk(usingthearmstoraisethebarfrom
shoulderheighttofullextensionoverhead).Theaveragetime
forasetofmorethentworepswouldexceedourtimelimit.

SosayadiostotheOlympiccleanandjerk.

TheOlympicsnatchisamultijointexercise.Itisalsoan
explosive(orballistic)exercisebecauseitmustbeperformedat
ahighrateofspeed.TheOlympiccleanisalsoballisticandis
comparablewiththeOlympicsnatchsincetheyworkmanyof
thesamemuscles,buttheOlympicsnatchrequiresthelifterto
movetheweightfasterandhavebettercoordination.The
exercisealsohasasignificantlyhigherprobabilityoffailureand
injury.Thisliftisnotsuitableforourlist.
57


SosaycheeriototheOlympicsnatch.

NextonourlistofpotentialsistheOlympicclean.Theexercise
isthesameastheOlympiccleanandjerkbutwithoutthe
overheadpressportion.Explosiveorballisticexercisesare
widelyrecommendedforsportstrainingbecauseofthe
commonlyheldbeliefthattheyhaveanelementofmovement
specificity(theymirrormovementsrequiredduring
competition)andthatthespeedoftheliftwilltranslatetofaster
limbmovement.Movementspecificityrelatestomuscle
recruitmentpatterns.Themusclerecruitmentpatternofthe
Olympicclean,asanexercise,isideallysuitedonlyforathletes
thatcompeteinthe

Olympiccleanandjerk!

Theonlyportionoftheliftthathasanymovementspecificityto
sprintingisthebeginningportionoftheliftwhenthelegsare
usedtoraisethebarfromthefloor.Butthedeadliftalready
includesvirtuallythesamemovement,withoutthespeed
element,sotheOlympiccleanbecomesredundant.

Whataboutthespeedelement,thefasterlimbmovement?
Wontthathelptoanathleterunfaster?

Beforeansweringthatquestionletsmakeitclearthatfaster
limbmovementsarenotdevelopedbymovingtheweight
faster.Infact,itistheopposite.

Heavyweight,inthe90%100%1RM,canonlybemoved
slowly.However,whatyouseeontheoutsidedoesnotmatch
whatishappeningontheinside.Whatoccursinthemuscle
fibersistheequivalentofthefieldcommanderstentduringa
58

heatedbattle.Callshavegonetothecentralcommandtorecruit
additionalmotorunits;onlythelargestofwhichwilldosinceit
isntclearhowlongorhowoftenthisheavyweightwillbe
lifted.Themyofibrilsinallofthefibertypesarefullyinvolved
andworking,theirmotorunitsfiringthematfullspeedtokeep
theheavyweightmoving.Theweightismovingslowlybutthe
motorunitsarefiringasfastastheycan,thelargermotorunits
firingfasterthansmallerones,toprovidethenecessary
strength.Allthenewrecruitswillbetrainedandreadytowork
whenitstimeforcompetitionifcommandcentralbelievesthat
therewillbeacontinuingdemandforthelargermotorunits.

Notsoforthoseinthemovetheweightfastertobefaster
camp.Tomoveaweightasfastaspossiblemeansthatthe
weightmustberelativelylight.Theexistinglargemotorunits
canhandletheloadsothereiscertainlynoneedrecruitnew
ones.Commandcentralwillnotproduceadditionallarge
motorunits.Atcompetitiontime,thelessernumberoflarge
motorunitsavailablecausesmuscletorelyonthesmaller,
slowermotorunitstodothework.

Limbspeedwillshowbetterimprovementbyliftingheavy
weightnotbymovinglighterweightfaster.

Nowbacktothequestionofwhetherornotfasterlimb
movementswillhelpyoutorunfaster.Rememberthat
increasingMSFisthefocusoftrainingtorunfaster.Fasterlimb
movementsdonotincreaseMSF.Rememberthatswingtimeis
morethanlongenoughtorepositionthelimbsasMSF
increases.RememberthatMSFincreasesstrideratebyreducing
groundcontacttime.Simplymovinglimbsfasterdoesnotresult
infasterrunning,butbeassuredthatstrengthtrainingusing
oursecretwillmakeyourlimbsmovemorethanfastenough
torunasfastasyouarecapableofrunning!
59


SosayarrivedercitoOlympiccleans

Theonlymultijointexerciseremainingfromouroriginallistis
thedeadlift.

Deadliftswereoriginallycalleddeadweightlifttocross
positioninthe1920sandthehandsaloneliftinthe1930s
becausesomevariationsoftheliftincludedstandingonstools
orchairsandusingaliftinghandle.Thelatter,calleddeadlift
withahandle,hadashortrangeofpullandweregenerally
muchheavierthenstandarddeadweightliftswhichreliedmore
ongripstrength.Therewereseveralothervariationsofthedead
weightlift.

Thedeadliftisthemotherlodeofefficiencyandeffectiveness.
Themusclesinvolvedincludethequads,glutes,hamstrings,
abdominals,calves,thelowbackmuscles,trapezius,latissimus
dorsi,scapularretractorsandthelistgoesonandon.Itisthe
pinnacleofanE&Eliftandtheclearwinnerfortheprimary
exerciseinbuildingMSF.

Yes,justONEexerciseissufficienttobuildtheprimarystrength
necessarytomakeyourunfasterthanyouthoughtpossible!

Wewilladdotherexercisestotheworkout,buttheyarenot
includedforbuildingprimarystrength.

Ifthereisanydoubtinyourmindthatthedeadliftcancreate
theamountofstrengthneededtoincreaseMSF,considerAmy
Weisberger.InanofficialcontestonFebruary20,2000,the123
lbsAmymadea450lbdeadlift.Thatsalmost3.7timesher
bodyweight!

60

Stillconcernedaboutdroppingsquatsasanexercise?Amys
squatalsomaxedat450lbinthesamepowerliftingcontest
despitethefactthatthereisnogripstrengthinvolvedinthe
squat.

Theonlyweaknessofthedeadliftisitsfailuretoworka
pressingorpushingmotion.Thepushingmotionisnota
requirementforfasterrunningbutshouldbeaddedforgeneral
conditioningandoverallbodysymmetryandstrength.

Byaddingjustoneofthefollowing:pushups,benchpressor
floorpress(benchpresswithoutthebench),wewillinvolve
90%ormoreoftheskeletalmusclesintwoexercises.Thatis
EFFICIENTandEFFECTIVE!

Creationofphenomenalstrengthwillcausetheneedtofocus
specialattentiononthecoremuscles;themidtorsomuscles
whichincludetheabdominalandobliquemuscles.Thelow
backmusclesarealsopartofthecoregroup,buttheygeta
sufficientworkoutfromthedeadlifts.Thenextsectioncovers
thereasonsfordevelopingenduranceinthemidtorsomuscles.

61

TheMidTorso

Themidtorsohasthecriticalroleofmaintainingstabilityand
balancewhileyoureincompetition.Itisinthisareaofyour
bodythattheforcescreatedbythemovementofyourupper
torso,headandarmsmeettheforcestransmittedthroughyour
legsfromtheground.Thelowervertebra,pelvisandthehips
becomethehubofweightbearingwhichmeanstheymust
remaininananatomicallycorrectpositiontobeatthehighest
levelofefficiencyduringhighspeedrunningorjumping.Loss
ofefficiencymeansthatstrengththatcouldbeusedtocreate
MSFiswasted.Apowerfularmdrivecancauseexcessive
rotationofthepelvisiftheobliquemusclesarenotstrong
enoughtocounteracttheforcecreatedbyshoulderrotation.
StrengththatwouldbeavailableforMSFislostinanattemptto
controlthepelvis.

Anotherproblemthatarisesfromaweakmidtorsoisexcessive
anteriorpelvictilt(thepelvisistiltedforward,causingan
excessivelowerbackarch).Ananteriorpelvictiltlimitsthehip
rangeofmotion,shorteningstridelengthandincreasingground
contacttime.Theexactoppositeofwhatwearetryingto
accomplishwithMSF!

Worse,theanteriorpelvictiltcancauseirritationtothesciatic
nerveaswellashamstringstrainsortears.Coachesandathletes
oftenbelievethatsorehamstringsaretheproductofalackof
stretching,wheninfactthehamstringsarebeinghammeredby
theeffectsofananteriorpelvictilt.Welldevelopedabdominal
musclesareanecessitytocorrecttheproblem.

62

Clearly,fasterrunningrequiresthedevelopmentofastrong
midtorsoregion.Doesthatmeanweshouldbepreparedfor
hundredsofmindnumbing,stomachburningcrunches?

Theanswerwouldbeyesifyourelookingtodevelopakiller
sixpacktoshowoffatthebeach.Ifyourgoalistorunfaster
thentheanswerisaresoundingNO!

Themidtorsomusclesarestabilizerswiththeprimaryfunction
ofmaximizingtrunkstability.Theyaremostlyredfiberwhich
enablesthemtoholdcontractionsoverlongperiodsoftime.

Canyourememberthelasttimeyouranwhilerapidlyflexing
andrelaxingyourabdominalmuscles?Thatiswhystandard
situpsandcrunches,highrepetitionexerciseswithveryshort
contractiontimes,arenotwellsuitedtobuildingcorestrength.
Additionally,standardsitupsinvolveassistantmusclegroups,
suchasthehipflexors,whicharenotstabilizingmusclesbut
oftendominatetheexercise.Forourpurpose,deadliftsworkthe
hipflexorsmorethenisnecessaryforfasterrunning.

Isometricorslowisotonictraininginarangeofnonspecificand
sprintingspecificbodypositionsoffersamuchbetterworkout
forthemidtorsomusculature.Twoexercises,whichweve
namedab45sandobl45s(oneforabdominalsandtheotherfor
obliques),aretimedisometricexercisesthatareexcellentfor
coremusclework.Bepreparedtostrugglewiththemwhenyou
begin,regardlessofhowmanycrunchesyoudocurrently.Our
athletescouldperform200crunchesperdaywhenweswitched
toab45s,yettheystruggledtocomplete3setsof5reps(yes,
thatisamere15reps!)witha5secondholdperrep.Theyalso
struggledthenexttwodayswithverysoreabdominalmuscles!
Theyeventuallyprogressedto5setsof5reps,holdingeachrep
for12seconds.
63

Plyometrics

ThedemonofMSFwasintroducedearlier:Moreforcecauses
lesscontacttimetodeliverforce.Thisdemonalsolimitseach
runnersmaximumspeedtotheAMOUNTOFFORCEDELIVEREDIN
THESHORTESTCONTACTTIMEFORTHATRUNNER.Again,itisnot
fullyunderstoodhowthedeliverysystemworks,but
plyometrictrainingcanhelpthesystemtoworkmore
effectively.

Forourpurpose,themainobjectiveofplyometricexercisesis
theimprovementoftheathletesabilitytogeneratemaximum
forceintheshortesttimepossible.

Whileplyometricscantakeanumberofdifferentforms
(jumping,hopping,andboundingmovementsforthelower
body;swinging,catchingandthrowingweightedobjectsforthe
upperbody)theyshouldbespecifictothemovementsofthe
athletesparticularsportforthegreatesteffectiveness.

Theobjectiveisaccomplishedbyfirstloadingorcoilingmuscles
toaccumulateandstoreenergybeforeunloadingthisenergyin
theoppositedirection.Steppingoffaboxandthenboundingor
jumpingimmediatelyupongroundcontactisanexcellent
exampleofmusclescoilingundertheforceofgravityasthe
feettouchthegroundandthekneesbendthenreleasingthe
storedenergybyjumpingeitheruporforward.Energyisstored
asthemusclescontinuetocoil(loading)andthenreleasedas
theathleteboundsorjumps(unloading).

Whenthemuscledevelopstensionwhilelengtheningitscalled
aneccentriccontraction.Whenthemuscledevelopstension
64

whileshorteningitsaconcentriccontraction.Thefasterthe
changefromeccentrictoconcentriccontractionoccurs,the
greatertheamountofexplosiveforcedelivered.

Boxjumpsordepthjumpsareaperfectplyometricmatchfor
MSFsincerunningrequirestherapidchangefromeccentricto
concentriccontractionofthesamemusclesusedinthesejumps.
Standinglongortriplejumpsandboundingarealsoeffective
plyometricexercises.

Whenistheidealtimeforplyometrictraining?Duringthe
weighttrainingsessionwhilemusclesareintherecoveryphase
immediatelyafterthecompletionofeachsetofanexercise.

Performingtheplyometricexerciseduringtherecoveryphase
tricksthebodyintocreatinggreaterlevelsofenergystoresto
compensateforanexpectedincreaseindemand.Theadded
compensation,orsupercompensation,preparesthebodyfor
increasinglygreaterphysicalchallenges.

Somecoachesbelievethatrunningat,ornear,topspeedsisalso
plyometric.Itis,butitshouldbeanadditiontoandnota
substitutefor,weightroomplyometricsifthegoalistotake
maximumadvantageoftheeffectsofsupercompensation.

Inkeepingwiththeourgoaltobeefficientandeffectivein
training,weightroomplyometricswillproduceahigherlevelof
energystoresandafasterdeliverysystemduringthesame
workouttime!

Ontoaworkout!

65

AWorkout

WhyusethephraseAworkout?Whilethecentralfocusofthe
workoutdoesnotchange,thecoreandancillaryexercisescan
changetoaccommodatethefactthateveryathleteisdifferent
andsoarethedemandsofeachsport.

Thedeadlifthassomevariationsofstanceandgripwhich
allowsfordifferentstyles.Thedifferencesdonotaffectthe
overalleffectivenessoftheexercisebuttheycanaffectan
athletesabilitytomaximizetheamountofweightlifted.
Experimentwiththedifferentstancesandgripstofindthebest
fit.

Thethreemainvariationsofthedeadliftstanceandgripare
standard,sumoandsnatch.

Someliftersareabletodroptheirhipslowerinthestarting
positionoftheliftbyusingthesumostyle,whileotherswant
thewidergripandnarrowerstanceofthestandardstyle.The
liftershouldusewhatever
ismostcomfortablefor
theminordertomaximize Imagesofalltheexerciseswe
usecanbeviewedat:
performance.
www.bearpowered.com/exercises

Theorderoftheworkoutweuseisasfollows:

1.Dynamicstretching
2.Pushingmotionexercise
3.Deadliftwithplyometrics
4.Extraexercises(ifdesiredortimepermitting)
5.Coreexercises
6.Staticstretching
66


Weusethisorderbecausethereisnowarmupliftsforany
exercise.Dynamicstretchingisfirstbecauseitpreparesthelifter
forthepushingmotionexercise;weighted(benchpress)ornon
weighted(pushups).Thepushingmotionexercisehelpsprepare
thelifterforthedeadlift,evenifthepushingmotionisnon
weighted.

Thedeadliftisthemostintenseoftheexercisesbecauseofthe
load.Bythetimethedeadliftiscompleteditisnotunusualfor
thetotalloadtoexceedseveraltonssotheremainingexercises
useverylow,ifany,loading.

Totalminimumworkouttimeisapproximately53minutes
withoutcountingthetimetoloadthebarforthedeadliftand
withoutcountingthetimeforstaticstretching.Staticstretching
doesnotneedtoimmediatelyfollowtheworkout,butshouldbe
donethesameday.Approximately31minutesofthe53
minutesisrestingtime!

IMPORTANT:KEEPTHENUMBEROFSETSAND/ORREPSTO5OR
LESS!

Onereasonforlimitingsetsto5isbecausetheregenerationof
thephosphagenpoolisapproximately95%after5minutesand
thenonly95%ofeachsucceedingset.Forexample,the
phosphagenpoolinset3maybeaslittleas90%ofthepool
availableinthefirstset.Set5couldbeat80%orlowerthanthe
poolavailableforthefirstset.Anotherreasonisthe
multiplicationofthe5minuteresttime.Sinceresttimeis
requiredaftereachset,50minutesofworkouttimewouldbe
usedjustforrestingifboththedeadliftandbenchpress
exerciseswere5setsapiece.Manyathletesandcoachessimply
donthavethatmuchtimeavailableforweighttraining.
67


Limitingrepsto5ensuresthattheamountofweightcanremain
at85%1RMorgreaterwhilemaintainingtotalloadtimeperset
at10secondsorless.Keepinmindthatheavierweightcauses
eachrepetitiontotakelongertocomplete.Amaximumlift
couldtake710secondswhilearepetitionat85%of1RMshould
takeabout2secondsorless,dependingontheathlete.

Apersonalworkoutshouldlooksimilartothefollowingchart:

Exercise

Type

Sets

Reps

Time

Rest

Overs and Unders

Dynamic
Stretching

None

Pushups (elevated)

Pushing

10

1 min

Deadlift +
Plyometrics

Main

3@
90%

5 min

Prone Running
w/Dumbbells

Extra

10

1 min

Abdominal 45s

Core

7 sec

30 sec

Oblique 45s

Core

7 sec

30 sec

Theworkoutcanandshouldbevariedtomatchyour
goal/sport.

Forexample,ifyouareashotputterorfootballlineman
(Americanfootball)usewouldbenchpressratherthanpushups
becauseapowerfulpushingmotionisintegraltoyoursport.
Thebenchpressportionofyourplanshouldbesimilartothe
deadlift:Weightshouldbeinthe85%to100%ofa1RM,
plyometricsshouldfolloweachsetwiththefull5minuterest
68

betweensets.Obviously,thiswouldmaketheworkoutlonger
thanthepreviousexample,butitshouldonlyaddabout15to
20minutesoverallandmostofextratimewouldbespent
resting.

Theworkoutlistedaboveisjustoneofmanyvariationsyoucan
useforaworkout.Wevechosenafewancillaryexercises,listed
onwww.bearpowered.com/exercises,becausetheyareexcellent
E&Etypeexercisesthathelpcorestabilizationwhileworking
othermusclegroupsaswell.Ofcourse,theyaremultijointand
donothavesufficientloadstocausetheonsetoflacticacid.
REMEMBER:Yourmainfocusisonthedeadliftplus
plyometricsaftereachset,apushingmotionexercise(which
mayalsohaveplyometricsaftereachset),corework,andREST.
Ifyourworkout,includingrest,exceeds80minutesyouare
probablydoingtomuch!

Withoutadoubt,themostfrequentlyaskedquestionregarding
thisprogramis:CanIaddafewofmyfavoriteexercises?

Thequestionarisesfromastrongdesiretoaddsomeoftheold
stufftoroundouttheprogram.Apparently,thecoachor
athletecannotbelieveaworkoutthisshort,includingsignificant
timededicatedtorest,canbeeffective.
Theexercisestheywanttoaddareeitherperformedonafancy
newmachineorsomejointisolated,freeweightballistic
exercise.Thereisnothingthatwillrenderthisworkout
unproductivefasterthanthrowinginafewsquats,someleg
extensions,acoupleofbarbellcurlsets,orafewpowersnatches
withnoconcernfortimeunderloadandtheneedtorest.

69

Ifyouthinkyouneedtoaddthosetimewornbodybuilder
routinesintothisworkouttomakeitmoreeffective,oryou
cantstandthethoughtofaccomplishingmore,inlesstime,
withminimalequipment,minimalfatigue,minimalmassand
lotsofrest,staywithwhatyouhave.Thecoachesandathletes
whousetheworkoutplanshownabovewillloveyouforit!

Throughoutthisbookweveuseda1RMasakeyelementin
strengthtraining.Letslookatsomedifferentwaysyoucanfind
yourown1RMfortheexercisespresented.

Ifyouarenewtoweighttrainingyoumustinitiallyfocuson
learningtodoeachliftproperly,thenfindingyour1RM.

Ifyourreadytojourneytowardrocketspeed,youshouldstart
withthedeadlift.Ifyouhavenoexperiencewiththisexercise
thentrythetwomostwidelyuseddeadliftgrips,standardand
sumo,at50%ofyourbodyweight.Thisamountofweightis
lightenoughforyoutopracticeraisingthebarundercontrol.
Animportantpartofthedeadlifttechniqueweuseisdropping
thebarimmediatelyuponcompletionofeveryrep.Dropping
thebaratliftcompletionreducesloadtimeandallowsfor
multiplerepswithoutexceedingthelimitsofthephosphagen
pool.Arepiscompletedatthepointof,orjustbefore,youare
standingfullyupright.Donotraiseyourshouldersor
hyperextendyourback.Repeattheliftatthisweightfor2or3
morerepstocompletetheset,thenrestbysittingdown.After5
fullminutesofrest,movetheweightupto75%ofyour
bodyweightfor1to2repstocompleteasecondset.Rest5
minutes,thenmovethebarto100%ofyourbodyweightfora
singlerep.Thatwillfinishdeadliftsforyourfirstliftingday.If
youchoosetobenchpressasyourpushingmotionexercise,
repeatthesetandrepnumbersasyoudidforthedeadlift,but
startat40%bodyweight,thengoto55%andfinishoffat75%.
70

Rememberyouarelearningproperliftingtechniqueatthis
stagenottryingfora1RM!

Forthedeadlift,startingwiththefirstsessionmentionedabove
andcontinuingonforeachofthenext3sessions(asessionisa
singleliftingday)increaseeachsetasshowninthefollowing
chart:
Session

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

3 reps @ 50%

2 reps @ 75%

1 rep @ 100%

3 reps @ 85%

2 reps @ 110%

1 rep @ 120%

3 reps @ 120%

2 reps @ 130%

1 rep @ 140%

3 reps @ 140%

2 reps @ 150%

1 rep @ 160%

REMEMBERTORESTAFULL5MINUTESBETWEENEACH
SET!

Youcanuseasimilarschemeforthebenchpress,usingsmaller
percentagesofbodyweight.

Whathappensifyoufailtocompletearepinanyofthesets?
Noproblem!Thepointatwhichyoufailedtocompletealift
willallowyoutodiscoveryourfirst1RM.

Hereshowitworks:Assumeyouweigh165lbsandyoudid
notcompletetheinthefinalsetofthe4thsessionlistedinthe
chartabove:approximately265lbs(1rep@160%of165lbs
bodyweight).Assumethatyoudidcompleteset2ofthesame
session,2reps@150%(1.5timesbodyweight).1.5times165lbs
is247.5lbs.
71


Recallthat100%1RMisthemaximumweightthatcanbelifted
for1rep.Completing2repsmeansthat247.5lbsisbelowyour
100%1RMlevel.Sincetheattempttocomplete1repat260lbs
wasnotsuccessful,260lbsisaboveyour1RMlevel.

Whatisyourprobable1RM?Itsnotthemidpointbetween
247.5lbsand260lbs(253.75).Itisapproximately260lbs.

TheCompletedRepschartshowsthatyourcompletedsetof2
repsrepresents95%ofa1RM.

% OF 1RM

REPS

100%

95%

90%

3-4

85%

5-7

80%

8-12

70%

18-25

Completed Reps As % Of 1RM

Dividingthelastcompletedweight,247.5,by.95equals
approximately260lbs(dothisonceforaninitial1RMforthe
deadliftandonceforaninitial1RMforthebenchpress).
Thefollowingchartshowssomeotherpossibleresultsofthe
sessionssuggestedabove(allweightsareadjustedtothe
amountsofweightusedonastandardbarbellset.)

Noticethelastrow,wherecompleting3repsinthefirstset
showsahigher1RMthencompleting1repinset2.Howcan
thisbe?

72

Completed

Bodyweight

Percent
bodyweight

Weight

Percent
1RM

Actual
1RM

2 reps of set 2

165

150%

247.5

95%

260.0

1 rep of set 2

165

150%

247.5

100%

247.5

2 reps of set 1

165

140%

230.0

95%

245.0

1 rep of set 1

165

140%

230.0

100%

230.0

3 reps of set 1

165

140%

230.0

90%

257.5

Weighttrainingisabouttheindividual,notthechart.

Theaveragelifterabletocomplete3repsat90%shouldbeable
tocomplete2repsat95%butnolifteristheaveragelifter,
especiallynottheinexperiencedlifter.Atthebeginninglevel
thereislittleconsistencyinperformancebetweeneachrepina
setandeachsetinasessionso1RMwillhavemorevariation
thenwithanexperiencedlifter.Therewillbemuchmore
consistencyandlittlevariancebetweenthe1RMforeachlift
after812sessions.

Ifyouareanexperiencedlifterandhavebeentrainingbutare
notsureofyourcurrent1RM,thenstartthetestingprocess
withanestimate.Thefirsttestliftshouldbearound80%ofthe
estimatedmaxfollowedbya5minuterest.Thenextliftshould
beat95%ofestimatedmaxfollowedbya79minuterest.Allow
thesameamountofrestforallsubsequentattempts.

Usethefollowingchartuntilaliftismissed(percentagesare
basedonoriginalestimate).

73

80%
Make

Miss = Max

95%
Make

Miss = Max

105%
Make

Miss = Max

110%
Make

Miss = Max

Itisunlikelythatthisprocesswillcontinueformorethanthree
orfourlevelsiftheoriginalestimateisreasonable.Whenfailure
tomakealiftoccurs,assumethefailedattemptisyour1RM.
Thishelpstoaccountforfatiguefromtheprecedingattempts.

Theprocessshouldberepeatedforthebenchpressiftheyour
sportrequiresapushingmotion.

Nowthatyouknowhowtofindyour1RMforthedeadlift(and
thebenchpressifyouneedit),itstimetostartbuildinga
trainingprogrambasedonthesixsteporderpreviouslyshown.

1.Dynamicstretching
2.Pushingmotionexercise
3.Deadliftwithplyometrics
4.Extraexercises(ifdesiredortimepermitting)
5.Coreexercises
6.Staticstretching

74

Recycling
Fromtheprecedingchaptersyounowknow:MSFisamajor
factorofexcellinginmostsportsandisthemainfactorinsports
thatincluderunningorjumping.Thetoughestcompetitor,
gravity,worksinanunseenrealmtostealpower.Thesecretof
musclephysiologyshowshowtoworkwithintheboundariesof
theenergysystemstogainsuperiorstrengthwithminimal
mass;theonlycombinationthatreducestheeffectsofgravity.
Weighttrainingexercisesthatbestfitmusclephysiologyuse
lesstrainingtimeintheweightroomandonthetrackorfield.
Plyometricexercisesdevelopahighperformancedelivery
systemtofullyutilizestrengthincreases.

Whatwehavenotcoveredtothispointisamethodfor
designingaworkoutplanthatwillcontinuetoreapbenefits
throughoutthecourseofanathleticcareer.Sincetherearefew
exercisesintheworkout,planningiseasy.
Theplanshouldbedesignedaroundtheconceptofrecycling.
Somemayusethetermperiodizationratherthanrecycling
andtherearesomeelementsofperiodizationinrecycling,but
theyarenotthesameinpractice.Letstakealookatwherethe
twoconcepts,recyclingandperiodization,differ.

Intheirbookonthesubject,PeriodizationBreakthrough!,
StevenJ.Fleck,Ph.D.andWilliamJ.Kramer,PH.D.state,In
sum,plannedtrainingwillhelpensurecontinuedgains,prevent
injuries,keepthetrainingfrombecomingboring,andhelpyou
avoidtrainingplateaus.

75

Periodization(plannedtraining)issimply
Thegarageroutinewas
breakingdownayearlongtraining
basedonanoldermodelof
strengthtrainingwhere
regimeintosmallerintervalswith
everysessionwasof
varyingintensityandvolume.Intensity
maximumintensity.
Volumewasnevera
pertainstothedifficultyoftheliftin
consideration.As
relationtoa1RM,with95100%atthe
mentionedearlierinthis
book,wehitsticking
upperend.Volumecanbeeitherthe
points(plateaus)thatoften
numberofrepsortotalamountofweight tookseveralweekstobreak.
liftedinagiventimeperiod,withthe
lattermostoftenused.

Onthesurface,theconceptofperiodizationlookslikeawinner
butexaminationofperiodizationplansrevealmajorproblems.
Forexample,FleckandKramercitetheresultsofearlierstudies
ofperiodizationversusnonperiodizationstrengthprograms,
thenmakeanobservationoftheirown:Importantly,the
periodizedtrainingresultedinasignificantincreaseinlean
bodymass,indicatingbothanincreaseinmusclemassanda
significantdecreaseinpercentbodyfat.

Anincreaseinleanbodymass?Withwhatyouknowaboutits
evils,youshouldbeoutragedateventhemeresuggestionof
gainingmass!

FleckandKramersquoteimpliesthatbodyfatwasreplacedby
leanbodymass,whichisgood.Notreplacingtheweightoflost
bodyfatwouldhavebeenbetter.Incaseyourethinkingthat
thesignificantincreaseinleanbodymassisamereby
productofperiodization,itisnt.Itisastatedgoal!

Periodizationplansgenerallyincludefourphases:Phase1isthe
activepursuitofhypertrophy(sarcoplasmic)inordertogainlean
bodymass,followedbystrengthandpowergainsinphase2,
76

performancepeakingduringinseasoncompetitioninphase3,
andactiverestinphase4,theoffseason.

Someplansincludemacrocycles,microcycles,andmesocycles
(aremotorcyclesnext?).

Thebasicperiodizationplanofferedbymanytrainersand
coachesoftengoeslikethis:

Phase1.Worktothepointofmuscleexhaustionwithhigh
reps/lowweighttoincreasehypertrophy(sarcoplasmic).

Phase2.Worktothepointofmuscleexhaustionwithmedium
weight/mediumrepstoincreasestrengthandpower.

Phase3.Worktothepointofmuscleexhaustionwithhigh
weight/lowrepstopeakperformanceatseasonend.

Phase4.Takesometimeofftorestfromtheentireordeal.

Eventhosewhoavoidliftingtoexhaustionallowdepletionof
thephosphagenpool,whichsomeresearchersbelieveincreases
musclesizebydisruptingtheequilibriumbetween
consumptionandremanufactureofATP.ReferredtoastheATP
deficiencytheory(HartmannandTunnemann,1988),the
proteincontentofmusclesusedduringmaximumstrength
trainingbecomesveryloworevencompletelyexhaustedbythe
depletionofATP.Recoverybetweentrainingsessionshelps
proteinreturntopreviouslevelsorgotoevenhigherlevels.A
resultoftheincreaseinproteincouldbecorrespondingly
greatermusclesize.Inotherwords,moremass.

Isthestandardphaseformofperiodization(otherthanbuilding
mass)practicalforeveryone?Notreally.Itworksbetterfor
77

professionalandmostcollegeathletesbecausetheyare
involvedinasinglesportwithasingleseason.Butitisnot
suitableforathletesparticipatinginmorethanonesportduring
theyear,includingsomecollegeandalargepercentageofhigh
schoolathletes.

Periodizationworksbetterwhenappliedtothespecificneedsof
eachindividualathletethantoagroupofathletes.Not
everyoneisreadytoswitchphasesatthesametime,noris
everyoneisreadytomaxonthesameday.

Periodizationmustbeviewedinthecontextofhowstrength
trainingisperformedingeneral.Inotherwords,strength
trainingforsportsisamodifiedversionofbodybuilding,so
currentformsofperiodizationareplannedtoprovideforthe
restandrecuperationneedsofmusclessubjectedtoa
bodybuildingroutine.Ifthatisthecase,whatformshould
periodizationtakewhenthereisnoworktoexhaustion,even
withworkoutsof90%orgreater1RM?Whatifthereisa
plannedprogramofpreservingthephosphagenpoolbuiltinto
theprogram?Whatifincreasingmassisneveragoal?

PavelTsatsouline,inPowerToThePeople,endorsesthe
conceptofperiodizationbutprovidesseveralsimplified
versionsofperiodizingthathereferstoascycling.He
describescyclingas,agradualbuildupofintensitytoa
personalbest,andthenstartingalloverwitheasyworkouts.
SincePavelisastrongproponentofbuildingmyofibrillar
hypertrophy,noneofhisversionsofrecyclingincludephasesof
increasinguselessmass.

Theformatweuse,recycling,issimple:attackthe100%1RM
often,butnotinalinearfashion,andvaryworkoutsessionsin
noparticularpattern.Itisnotafarreachingplanbuttheeffects
78

ofitare.Thefocusisonwhathashappenedintheprevious23
sessions,notwhatmighthappen36monthsfromnow.

Thismaysounddisturbingtoanyonewholooksdowntheroad
toaparticularevent,thenplansaworkoutinphasestoreach
thepeakofpowerontheexactdaynecessary.Ifonlyitwasthat
easy.Ofcourse,itwouldbeeasyiftherewerenoinjuriesor
illness,nobadweather,noproblemsingettingtothegym,
workoutarea,fieldorvenue,nootherchallengesoroutright
failures.But,thereare.

Thechartonthefollowingpageisaportionoftheactual
deadliftworkoutusedbyafemalesprinter/jumper.

Keepinmindthatthisisnotaprofessionalathlete,justayoung
femaleathletewillingtowork.Theresultsaresimilartoboth
maleandfemaleathletesatvariouslevelsofability.Shewasnot
incompetitionduringthedateslistedonthechart,butitwould
nothavematteredifshewas.

Shedeadliftedabestof225lbsthepreviousyear(witha
differentcoach),buthadnotliftedforseveralmonthspriorto
July,2005.Sheweighed145lbswhenwebeganandhadnot
gainedanyweightthroughSeptemberof2005.

Sheresumeddeadlifttrainingatbodyweighttomakesureform
wascorrect,thenquicklyreturnedtoherpreviousmaxof225
lbsbytheendofJulyandincreasedto240lbsbyearlyAugust.

79


Date

Sets

Reps

Weight

Completed
Sets

Total
Daily
Volume

18-Aug-05

250

18-Aug-05

240

22-Aug-05

260

22-Aug-05

250

23-Aug-05

260

23-Aug-05

245

750

25-Aug-05

235

2820

30-Aug-05

245

2205

31-Aug-05

250

1230

770

31-Aug-05

240

06-Sep-05

240

2660

06-Sep-05

230

2820

07-Sep-05

230

3450

09-Sep-05

240

2160

13-Sep-05

250

13-Sep-05

240

14-Sep-05

250

14-Sep-05

240

15-Sep-05

265

15-Sep-05

235

20-Sep-05

270

20-Sep-05

235

980
1220

735

1210

Asthechartshows,sheproceededtohitnew100%1RMsof:

250lbsonAugust18
260lbsonAugust22
265lbsonSeptember15
270onSeptember20.

Atotaloffournew1RMsin13workoutdays.
80


Fromthebeginningoftraining,sheneverattemptedmorethan
3setsalthoughupto5setsisreasonable.Sheexceeded3reps
twice,butneverdidmorethan5.Therewasnoattempttobuild
eithermassorapyramid.

Itislikelythatprogresswillcontinuenearthispaceuntilsheis
abletodeadliftabout290lbs;doubleherbodyweight.Progress
willbeslowerastheamountofweightincreasesafterthat,but
significantgainswillcontinueovertime.

IntheCompletedSetsportionofthechartyouwillseethatshe
failedtocompleteasetonAugust22,August23andSeptember
14.Eachmissedsetwascomprisedofasinglerepandeachof
themissedrepswerelessthan10secondsduration.Daily
volumerangedfrom735lbstoalmost1.5tons.

Lookingatthechartdoesnotshowapatternthatcansimplybe
copiedbyanotherathlete,buttheconceptcan.

Theworkoutincluded7setswithliftsclosetoorexceeding95%
1RMon5ofthe6dayslistedforAugust.Includedinthattime
framewere2incompletesetson2differentdays,bothofwhich
were100%1RMdays.Thatsanintense5daysoftraining!

OnAugust31,everysetwascompleted,butshedidnot
accomplishthemeasily.Thatisagoodindicationtobackoffthe
intensityforafewsession,thenattackthe100%1RMagain.

OnSeptember13,shetestedtheoldmaxof250lbswithoutany
problem.September14includedamissat250lbs,butthe3lifts
at240lbswere,accordingtobothherandmyownvisual
assessment,easy.Whathappenedtothe250lbsset?Noonewill
everknow!
81


The3repsat240lbsequatetoa1RMofover265(seeaboveto
dothemath).Inotherwords,anewmax.Sheattemptedand
easilycompleteda265lbmaxthefollowingday,September15,
establishingbothanew100%1RMandareasontotryforanew
maxonSeptember20.Thatattemptwasalsoawinner,and
establishedanew100%1RMat270lbs

Bythelookofthechartandhermostrecentperformance(which
shesaidfeltgood),shemightbereadytomaxat275lbsinthe
following1or2sessions.Regardlessofwhethershesucceedsin
establishingyetanother100%1RM,shewillhaveaminimumof
2new100%1RMsandseveralsetsat95%1RMorover.Itwill
betimethentobackofftheintensityoncemoreforthisathlete.

Pleasenotethatbackingoffintensitydoesnotmeandropping
below85%1RM.Asthechartshows,thelowestamountof
weightusedfortrainingwas230lbswhichrepresentedmore
than85%ofthe260lb1RMatthatpointintime.

Itshouldbeclearthattheathleteisdetermininghowtheliftfelt,
whilethecoachwatchestoseeifthisisindeedthecase.Ifthe
athletecontinuestomovethebarupatasteadypace(evenifit
isaslowpace)whilekeepinggoodformthroughout,thenthe
liftisgoodbutnotnecessarilyeasy.Iftheathletemovesthebarat
amorerapidpace,formisexcellent,andthereisnosignof
struggleatanypoint,thentheliftiseasy.However,ifthelift
beginstostall,wherethereisnomovementformorethan23
seconds,thentheliftmustbeabortedimmediately.Continuing
thelifttoexhaustionisnotanoptioneveniftheliftisultimately
successful.Burningoutthephosphagenpoolandcreatinga
lacticeventisnotjustifiedforanysinglelift!

82

Themethodofdeterminingtheeaseofaliftsoundssubjective
becauseitissubjective.Itshouldbesubjectiveifthereisadesire
tokeeptheathletefreeofinjury.

Weusethisformofrecyclingyearround,evenduringthemost
competitivepartoftheseason.AllysonFelixranthefastest200
metersintheworldonMay5,2003afterahighintensitymax
dayonMay3.

Ifyouareconcernedthatperformancewillnotbeatpeak
strengthonthedayoftheseasonsmostimportantmeetor
game,dontbe.

Keepinmindthatthisworkoutisprimedtokeepperformance
atnolessthan85%ofthelastmaxallofthetime.Thereisno
needforseveraldaysofrestandrecuperationfromlacticacid
andmusclefailurebecauseworkdidnotprogresstothepoint
ofproducingeitheroneofthem.Inaddition,asyouknow,the
numberofrepetitionsexpandsdramaticallyastheweight(more
specifically,theamountofforcerequiredtomoveit)isreduced
fromtypicalloadingduringworkouts.

Ifyourestillconcerned,becauseoldhabitsandthought
patternsdontdisappeareasily,thenstopstrengthtrainingone
ortwodaysbeforethecompetition.

Younowhavethetoolstodevelopyourownworkout,basedon
thedeadlift,apushingmotionlift,coreexercises,and
plyometrics.Theonlyothertoolyouneedisalogofwhat
youvedone.Withoutalog,creatingaworkouteachdayis
baseless.Ifyouareacoach,youmustrequirethateachathlete
keepalogoftheirworkoutifyouwanttogetmaximumresults
fromtraining.Rememberthatnotwopeoplewillrespondthe
sametothestimulusprovidedbyweighttraining,sothereisno
83

legitimatecookiecutterroutine.Iveworkedwithasmanyas45
athletesatatimewithoutanyproblems.Iftheydidnothavea
logwiththem,theydidnotgetaworkoutthatday.

Baseallsetsandrepson1RMs,stayingatorabovethe85%
levelatalltimesandbetween90%and100%asoftenas
possible.Randomlyselectbetweenintensedaysandhigh
volumedays.Keepattackingyourmaxwhenthenumbers
dictate.Forexample,ifyour100%1RMis300lbsandyoueasily
completedasetof3repsat275lbs,youshouldbereadyto
attemptanewmaxat305lbs(275/.90=305.5).Goforit!

Backoffandrecycleafterseveralintensedays.

Bepreparedforincredibleincreasesinstrengthandspeed!

84

OckhamsRazor

Inthe14thcentury,WilliamofOckham,anEnglishlogician
proposedsomeinterestingandusableprincipleswhichcan,and
should,beapplied to training:

PLURALITYSHOULDNOTBEASSUMEDWITHOUTNECESSITY
WHATCANBEDONEWITHFEWERISDONEINVAINWITHMORE

Inotherwords,thesimplestormostobviousexplanation
amongseveralcompetingonesistheonethatshouldbe
preferreduntilitisprovenwrong.

Example:Acharredtreecouldbecausedbyeitheralightening
strikeorbysomeoneusingamachinetoburntheupper
branchesofthetree,thenreplantedthe grassleadingupto
thetreetohidethemachinestracks.

WilliamofOckhamwouldhaverejectedthesecondoptionas
irrelevant.

Thepurposeofhisprincipleswastorejecttheirrelevantsothat
sciencewouldnotbeusedtojustifyunrelatedideasanda
prioritycouldbeestablishedforscientificstudy.

ItmayseemthatOckhamsRazorhasnoplaceinabookabout
fasterrunning.Inreality,ithasmuchtodowithtrainingtorun
faster.
85

TheconclusionoftheWeyandstudy,Fastertoprunning
speedsareachievedwithgreatergroundforces,isboth
simpleandobviousasanexplanationforwhatmakespeople
runfaster.Itdoesnotruncountertowhatphysicsdictates.
Thus,trainingforincreasedMSFshouldbepreferreduntilitis
provenwrong,whileeveryaspectoftrainingthatisirrelevant
shouldberemoved.

Itisnotlikelythatmanycoacheswillgiveuptheirmagical
secretbrewandturntheirattentiontoincreasingMSF.For
them,thesimpleisoutofthequestionbecauseitlevelsthe
playingfieldbyrenderingmuchofwhattheydounnecessary.
Theywouldmuchratherfindanotherundetectabledrugto
pushinordertokeepupwiththecompetition.

Thatissadforthembutgreatforthoseofyouwhoarewilling
totrustthatasimple,powerfultrainingmethodbasedon
physicsandphysiology,notdrugsandignorance,cancause
youtorunfasterthanyoueverimagined!

SOWHATAREYOUWAITINGFOR ?

Contact us at
info@bearpowered.com

86