What would be the training parameters if one is trying improve strength endurance? Sets, reps, tempo, TUT, exercises??? I’ve been planning something of a “pendulum / westside hybrid” for strongman training and would like to fit strength endurance training in also. I understand it’s quite important element of strongman training, but don’t really have any firsthand experience nor knowledge of such a training. Having focused mostly on the limit strength and functional hypertrophy aspects of training…
I must have missed the Wiggins article, because I don’t remember having read it. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that timed sets would be the choice for strongman training because the loads used are so light. My goals are more in line with the Wiggins article, at least when it cames to gym training. I want the kind of endurance needed in strongman events and for example wrestling.
I’ve actually been experimenting with something similar to what was said in the Wiggins article in my training recently. I have done 6 sets of 5 reps, resting 30-45 seconds between sets. I’ve used a weight with which I can manage at least the first 3 sets of five and tryed to increase the number of total reps performed. Once I’ll be able to manage 5 reps in all the sets I would increase the weight. I don’t think I want to go any lower with the reps as I’m doing limit strength work on the same week also. I’m a little worried about overtraining my nervous system if the loads rise too high. Now my loads on strength endurance days stay in the 65-75% zone.
One question still remains in my head. Which do you think would be a better approach:
Take a weight I can get 6 sets of 5, resting 45 seconds between sets and then decrease the rest to 30 seconds. Once all the sets can be performed with 30 seconds rest, decrease the rest to 15 seconds. And maybe even go further and try to perform 3 sets of 10 with the same weight. Or would this go too far?
Basically what I described above ie. increase the weight once all sets can be performed with 30-45 seconds of rest between sets.
“Just one more thing” ( yeah, we’ve seen Columbo in Finland also ). What about the tempo? Maybe controlled eccentric ( 2-3 s. )and explosive concentric?
Personally, I would concentrate more on explosion rather than static.
Train one week with primary compounds in mind. Work on strength specific training. The following week, train with strongman in mind. It would be good to begin implement work.
Other stuff like, deadlift holds, clean/press for reps, zercher lifts (squat, deadlifts), power cleans. Just to provide you with an example; but these lifts will prove invaluable for enhancement in strongman training.
Really, Westside training alone is great for strongman. Westside and implement training. You’ll need to begin implement training if you’re goal is to one day compete in strongman.
Thanks Patricia, I know you’ve got experience in this field so your help is highly appreciated.
I would definitely begin implement work if I had access to do that, but currently I don’t. And at the moment I don’t plan to compete…maybe someday, but not in the near future. The diversity of physical preparedness needed is the main reason I’m interested in strongman.
Currently I’m using westside in my training. I’ve made some changes to ME work ( more overhead and quad work for example ) as well as included some oly lifts to dynamic days. That’s pretty much like Patricia suggested. I would however want to throw some strength-endurance work in there also. Not only for strongman, but for GPP purposes also.
So…this is shortly what I had in mind: Upper / lower split, ME work done every week, dynamic and strength-endurance alternated weekly ( week 1: DE, week 2: S-End, week 3: DE… ) mesocycle lasting 4 weeks, followed by recovery / unloading week. Pretty much in footsteps of westside. But that would only be the basic structure. If I feel I need more work for example on speed I can up the frequency of dynamic work at the expense of strength-endurance work or ME work. You could think of it as a sort of pendulum with each microcycle lasting 3-4 days instead of the original week.
I don’t know if that is understandable in any way or does it make any sense. It’s unbelievably hard to try to put your thoughts on paper ( figuratively speaking ). And then there’s the language problem…
Anyway… I think I’ll have a go for few mesocycles with this “format” and see how it goes. I may still have to play with it in the run, but we’ll see. All feedback is welcomed…
Don’t worry about it in the gym. The gym is to provide you with stimulus to get huge and maximal strength. You need to practice the events to develop the right kind of strength endurance.
