PROGRAMS
An Overview of Bill March Materials
First, I didn’t write any of this! I had some people ask me about Functional Isometric Conctractions and I put this together for those interested. I hope it helps.
From the July 1964 “Lifters Corner,” by John Terpak, in Strength and Health:
Bob Bednarski’s Training Programs
When Bob Bednarski got his first “Lifter of the Year” award after he doing so well at the 1966 World Championships, Strength and Health Magazine published his workouts:
Best lifts at the time: 402, 352, 446 (Press, Snatch and Clean and Jerk)
Norb “Skee’s” Workouts: America’s Champ for Three Decades
This material comes from a great Strength and Health article from 1964. This is GREAT stuff for a modern lifter to think about.
“As a contest gets closer, I eliminate more and more power and substitute it with more and more Olympic lifting. Approximately eight to ten days before the meet I eliminate all power exercises. During the last two or three weeks I concentrate entirely on lifts,” Skee answered.
Joe Mills Cheat Sheet
Mills believes weightlifting should be a “way of life,” aimed at teaching young men and women inner toughness, discipline and concentration.
“You’re feeling that weight. It should all be one movement. Look up at the top of the pull and jump down fast. All one movement. Time it right, and the weight will literally feel like it’s pulling you up from the bottom position.”
The Big 21 Program
A few years ago, I trained myself and a number of outstanding throwers using a simple variation of the Central Falls Weightlifting Club’s “21″ program. It is simple on paper, but a killer in the gym. Don’t try this too many times in a row. Do the three weeks, unload, and repeat it. We did the program three times and moved into the track season. It really is hard!
Training for the Busy Working Guy
A couple of principles that I follow might help the “thinking process” of someone who works a normal job, has a social life, and still wants to train.
First, embrace the concept of “Pareto’s Law.” This Italian economist discovered the “80-20 Rule” :that is, 80 percent of your results comes from 20 percent of what you do.
Rotational Strength
In response to an inquiry on rotational strength, let me ramble on for a few hours.
First, I have tried as a coach and a thrower to do every thing possible to build this aspect of my throw. It is harder than you think. I would always argue a good base of ab work for any thrower. We did a variety of crunches, situps, various ground based twists, and leg raises. I found that medicine ball throws were a very valuable addition, too. At times, I became lethal at those medicine ball situps where you try to bury your training partner after coming up.
The Thirteen Minute Drill
Training with “Fibonacci’s Rabbits”
Be sure to Set the Clock and Time the total workout
Be sure to go from one exercise to the other in each “superset” group. Finish all three sets of eight before moving on to the next group of supersets.
Set the Equipment and Warm Up
Group One
Snatch from the Hang or Romanian Deadlift: set of Eight
Front Squat…with Chains: set of Eight
Repeat both exercises for Three Sets of Eight.
Olympic Lifting for the Master Athlete
Don’t skip this article just because you are not an old geezer. Trust me, the lessons most Master athletes learn usually are lumped into the category “I wish I would have known this before.” There are certain lessons you can learn from the mid-life crisis crowd that will pay for themselves in the long-term.
A couple of points before we look at programs. If you are lazy and don’t feel like reading my ramblings, let me summarize them here:
Focus on speed, speed, speed.
Use your checkbook
Seek and destroy your weaknesses
A little bit goes a long way
Dan John Rule of Ten
From about ten years ago…
Ten quality reps a workout is about all I can do.
So, 3 by 3 is great for me, as is 2 sets of 5, or 6 singles.
I only count the real sets though. I remember one guy who said at the Upper Limit Gym that he was doing 5 x 5s, with 4 sets at 135 and one at 225. Well…, I don’t know about that, I look at that as a 1 x 5.
High volume, lots of reps, lots of sets has its place. I had one of my throwers, Mike Slazac, do 8 by 8 in the squat one day a week, military press another, and a back movement another to put on some weight after football season. He grew like a weed on this…for a few weeks. But, not one single set of 8 was with any serious weight!
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