It’s very true for strongman. If you check out someone like Chase Karne’s log on elitefts, you’ll note the trend as they approach a contest. It might not necessarily been explicit “speed blocks” and “strength blocks”, but more an identifiable trend shifting from general to specialized work with an increase in poundage for weights lifted. Peaking essentially.[/quote]
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check that out. Good insight, I knew that for certain sports peaking was a good approach, but with strongman I was unsure due to the more unpredictable nature of events.
[quote]I’ve used this strategy on contests where I was chasing a high placing, but with strongman it’s also somewhat self limiting due to the fact that events tend to be posted around 2 months out from a contest, so a peaking cycle is going to run about 8 weeks tops (and honestly less than that when you factor in a deload before the contest).
Off season, I tend to just train for everything all at once, as this is where I tend to actually BUILD the strength, versus in peaking where I refine/realize it.[/quote]
Okay Okay. I hadn’t thought about the in-season/off-season. I guess this is where more of a conjugate approach is used versus the usage of blocks in-season.
More than just reps, it’s the intention behind how you’re lifting. I agree it’s hard to separate “strength” and “size” training, but there are a few general differences.
If you want to get size, think about time under tension. So, more reps. Or slower negatives, or pauses at the top of bottom of lifts. You can concentrate on “form” or making the exercise as tough as possible. Also, people always talk about “hitting all the angles” when training for size. Think of John Meadows training.
For strength, concentrate on moving weights, not “feeling it” in individual muscles. Use good technique. Move the weights the most efficient, direct way. Don’t worry about tension, but “practice” moving increasingly heavy weights correctly. Sometimes in " strength" routines the asistance exercises are in the same plane as the big lifts. So if you’re trying to increase your bench, your back work will be rows and your tricep work will be with barbells, not on cables.
[quote]FlatsFarmer wrote:
More than just reps, it’s the intention behind how you’re lifting. I agree it’s hard to separate “strength” and “size” training, but there are a few general differences.
If you want to get size, think about time under tension. So, more reps. Or slower negatives, or pauses at the top of bottom of lifts. You can concentrate on “form” or making the exercise as tough as possible. Also, people always talk about “hitting all the angles” when training for size. Think of John Meadows training. [/quote]
Nope. None of these need to be done. NONE. These are various methods used as tools to make feeling the mmc easier and/or allowing you to use less weight so there is less joint stress, or as a way to quantify progression without increasing weight. And you do not lift the weights slowly. The concentric should be explosive as possible to fully activate muscle fibers. I do not know how this myth came about. In addition, IMHO, TUT is nonsense. As long as volume is sufficent, it doesn’t matter.
You don’t create muscular tension when executing the powerlifts?
[quote]Sometimes in " strength" routines the asistance exercises are in the same plane as the big lifts. So if you’re trying to increase your bench, your back work will be rows and your tricep work will be with barbells, not on cables.
[/quote]
This is the part I completely do not understand. Assistance work is for hypertrophy of the muscles used in the competition lifts. Why would there be a difference in exercise choice when targeting the exact same muscles? The idea may have merit if we’re talking about training economy.
[quote]dt79 wrote:
In addition, IMHO, TUT is nonsense. As long as volume is sufficent, it doesn’t matter.[/quote]
Interesting. I guess I always looked at it as increased volume IS increased TUT. Whether it’s over more or less sets, the muscle/s are remaining under tension for a longer period of time.
Similarly, it’s always seemed like “continual” TUT matters too, e.g., cutting off the very end of the ROM so the tension on the muscle (while still moving/working, not static), remains at a fairly constant high level. If you push all the way to lockout, there’s some slight rest for the muscles involved.
I mean, I do think the tempo stuff is nonsense, trying to artificially increase TUT.
[quote]dt79 wrote:
In addition, IMHO, TUT is nonsense. As long as volume is sufficent, it doesn’t matter.[/quote]
Interesting. I guess I always looked at it as increased volume IS increased TUT. Whether it’s over more or less sets, the muscle/s are remaining under tension for a longer period of time.
Similarly, it’s always seemed like “continual” TUT matters too, e.g., cutting off the very end of the ROM so the tension on the muscle (while still moving/working, not static), remains at a fairly constant high level. If you push all the way to lockout, there’s some slight rest for the muscles involved.
I mean, I do think the tempo stuff is nonsense, trying to artificially increase TUT.[/quote]
The concept of TUT originated from some idea that specific time spent under tension during a set somehow results in a different attribute being trained. If it meant total volume and without regard for tempo, the term itself would be redundant. We would just calculate total volume.
Constant tension is a great tool, but the objective is for maximising bloodflow and fatigue in the target muscle. It is not the only way to do that.
It’s very true for strongman. If you check out someone like Chase Karne’s log on elitefts, you’ll note the trend as they approach a contest. It might not necessarily been explicit “speed blocks” and “strength blocks”, but more an identifiable trend shifting from general to specialized work with an increase in poundage for weights lifted. Peaking essentially.[/quote]
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to check that out. Good insight, I knew that for certain sports peaking was a good approach, but with strongman I was unsure due to the more unpredictable nature of events.
[quote]I’ve used this strategy on contests where I was chasing a high placing, but with strongman it’s also somewhat self limiting due to the fact that events tend to be posted around 2 months out from a contest, so a peaking cycle is going to run about 8 weeks tops (and honestly less than that when you factor in a deload before the contest).
Off season, I tend to just train for everything all at once, as this is where I tend to actually BUILD the strength, versus in peaking where I refine/realize it.[/quote]
Okay Okay. I hadn’t thought about the in-season/off-season. I guess this is where more of a conjugate approach is used versus the usage of blocks in-season.
[/quote]
Yup yup. Keep in mind, this is just my perspective. Lots of different folks doing different things out there.