Weight Training Shopping

The Unloading Method in Olympic Weightlifting GAS (Part IV)

The Unloading Method in Olympic Weightlifting

GAS (Part IV)

 

The Unload Week Method

Up to this point we have paid little attention to total weekly (as opposed to daily) volume, load and intensity changes, other than nothing that they changed little, if at all, from week to week our example programs. There are several methods to vary weekly volume, load and intensity, just as there are to vary them daily.

Perhaps the simplest and most effective is called the unload week method, which is often used by the competitive lifters. It works like this:

 

After every two or three weeks of hard training, depending on your experience level and the duration of your current program, you plan an overall light week. This light week has considerably lower total volume and load and lower intensity. Let's say for example you are doing core exercises for four sets of five reps during the heavier workout weeks. During the unload week you could do them for three sets of three reps.

 

For three core exercises the total weekly volume would drop from 180 reps in the work weeks  (4 sets X 5 reps X 3 exercises X 3 days = 180reps / week)     to

81 reps (3 sets X 3 reps X 3 exercises X 3 days = 81 reps / week) (a 45 percent decrease!).

 

This is more of reduction than needed to produce more variation, but it is typical of what some top competitors actually do. Normal ranges for unload week decreases are five or six sets dropping to three and five or six reps dropping to three reps per set.

 

The total weekly volume decrease should be in the range of 30 to 50 percent. The amount of weight used in each exercise drops much less, may be 10 percent each day of the week, resulting in about a 10 percent  reduction in intensity for unload week. As an example, let's look at what happens with one core exercise, such as the overhead press. During a work load on the heavy day, you might be doing as:

Heavy Week Days

80 pounds X 5 sets X 3reps

Volume  = 15 reps

Load       = 1200 pounds

Intensity = 80 pounds / rep

 

Light Week Days

70 pounds X 3 sets X 3 reps

Volume   = 9 reps

Load        = 630 pounds

Intensity  = 70 pounds / rep

 

Volume was reduced  40 percent

Load was reduced       47 percent

Intensity was reduced 12 percent

 

Remember, this is the only one method for the varying weekly volume, load, and intensity. Others involve adding or excluding assistance and even core exercises, from week to week, or changing the number of training days per week to produce the desired program variation. These methods are all advanced, and you need not to worry about unload weeks until you have been training for at least a few months, and may be a year or more, depending on your physical condition and how your body responds to exercise.

 

The Plateau System

The relationship between the number of reps done per set and the goals of training program should be clear and as per requirement of the athlete. It should be considered that higher repetitions help in the development of endurance, and lower reps for help in the development of strength of athlete's.

Plateau system is mostly used for the experienced athletes especially in Olympic style weightlifting. After warm – up the weight stayed constant – for example,

100 pounds X 5 reps X 1 set  then  120 pounds X 5 reps X 3 sets.

In a plateau priority system is not uncommon for advanced lifters to do as many as five sets at the high weight. Five reps were used in many of our examples to emphasis strength gains. You can use the same type of plateau system with higher or lower reps per set depending on your goals or the phases of a training cycle you are in.

 

The Step System

Another system of sets and reps is to keep the reps fixed – say, three per set but increase the weight in each set until a maximum is reached. An example would be

80 pounds X 3, 90 pounds X 3, 100 pound X 3, 110 pounds X 3, 120 pounds X 3.

Experts do not highly recommend this system, but direct that it can be use occasionally just as variety, perhaps in place of 80 pounds X 3, 100 pound X 3, 120 pounds X 3. 120 pounds X 3, 120 pounds X 3 or for determining the maximum weight you could lift for three reps of a given exercise. All the warm-up sets in the above sequence will tend to hold the maximum weight, especially if you are doing more than three reps per set, but you can still get a good estimate of your 3RM – that is maximum weight for three reps, or 3 Rep Max.

 

The Pyramid System

The pyramid system of sets and reps too can be used to add the variety to your program. It also can be used to estimate your 1 RM. The maximum weight you can lift for one rep in an exercise. In a pyramid, the weight used in each set increases while reps per set decrease. An example would be 80 pounds X 10 reps, 90pounds X 8 reps, 100 pounds X 6 reps, 110 pounds X 4 reps, 120 pounds X 2 reps, 130 pounds X 1rep, 100 pounds X 5 reps.

Note that the last set for medium weight and reps for the purpose of "tapering off" rather than stopping abruptly, after a maximum weight.

Pyramids are generally used only with core – type exercises, not assistance or single joint exercises.

Pyramid can occasionally be used to add variety to a plateau system program, or can be used for a separate phase of cycle.

For example:

Three weeks of 12 rep sets

Three weeks of   6 rep sets

Three weeks of   3 rep sets

Three weeks of pyramids

 

This would be followed by a week off from weight training before starting a new cycle.

The Reverse Pyramid System

Some people are "reverse" the pyramid for example, they might do sets of 8, 6, 4,2,1,2,4,6,8 reps, with the weight increasing as the reps decrease and decreasing as the reps increase. This sequence represents a lot of work; Dr. Seley does not recommend it for most trainees.

He strongly advises against doing a pure reverse pyramid, such as 1,2,4,6,8,10 reps, since such a sequence lacks specific warm-up. The idea behind a pure reverse pyramid is that it allows you to handle the heaviest weight before any fatigue develops. It is true that all the sets and reps before the single rep set in a standard pyramid will cause some fatigue and slightly decrease the maximum weight you can lift. But if you are in good shape, the effect will be small. If you want to lift a truer maximum, simply warm-up with low rep sets, but always warm-up before lifting heavy weights. A typical sequence, if your maximum squat were, for example, 120 pounds, would be:

60 X 3, 80 X 3, 100 X 2, 115 X 1, 125 X 1, (for new personal record, called PR), 90 X 5.

 

Muscular Endurance and Endurance Training

There are several important considerations relative to training for muscular endurance and endurance oriented programs that you should keep in mind:

 

1. When muscle groups become stronger, they work at lower percentage of their maximum contractile force when performing at a given absolute work load. This means they won't fatigue as fast at that work load as they would with the original strength level, which is an improvement in endurance.

 

2. Using very high reps, 20 or more, is not the best way to develop muscular endurance for endurance oriented activities. It is better to use weight workout to build strength and to rely on the endurance activity it self to build the endurance. Increased strength, of course, will aid in the developing endurance as discussed above. If, however, for some reason such as injury or bad weather, you can't do the endurance activity, then higher rep sets in weight lifting can be satisfactory short-term alternative.

 

3. Research has shown that endurance or aerobic type exercise can have negative effect on performance in explosive power oriented activities, as well as on strength levels, particularly for highly trained strength power athletes. Power refers to large forces being generated rapidly, as for sprinting, jumping, throwing and Olympic style weightlifting. Clearly, the fast twitch type muscle fibers with their high tension development and contraction speed are important for power activities. Research into muscle adaptations has shown that with extensive aerobic exercise, fast twitch fibers can develop a large capability for oxidative metabolism, as with slow twitch fibers. This type of fiber is then referred to as an "intermediate" fiber, with contraction tension and speed being between the typical values found for "normal" fast and slow twitch fibers. Such and adaptation is one important cause of the reduced power potential resulting from extensive endurance training.

You should not interpret the above information to mean that strength – power athlete should never any endurance type exercise. The recovery process after high intensity, short duration work is very dependent on oxidative metabolism. Thus, it is reasonable for for even a power oriented athlete to do some training that will maintain the oxidative system at an adequate level. Similarly, a long distance runner may need to sprint at the end of a race or retain a certain strength level in key muscle groups to maintain proper running form during a race. The value of an athlete including some of the apparently opposing types of exercise in training is real, but it must be done is proper amounts at selected times during a conditioning cycle.

 

Training Programs Can Produce Different Results

The similar weight training programs can produce quite different results in similar individuals due to seemingly minor changes in factors such as reps per set and diet. Consider two similar individuals, A and B, who do the same five or six exercises three days a week. A does 10 or 12 reps preset and eats a balanced, low calorie diet. B does 5 or 6 reps per set and every thing in sight (the so called "see food" diet). A would be expected to lose body fat, lose or maintain body weight, and develop stronger muscles with good definition. B would expect to gain or maintain body fat, gain body weight, and develop larger and much stronger muscles but with less definition.

Sex differences also effect the results of a given strength program. Women tend to develop less muscle size and definition and tend to maintain higher body fat levels, due to hormonal differences.

 

Fast Movement and Olympic Weightlifting

Finally the speed at which you do the exercise movements also affect the way your body adapts to them. As a general rule, if the muscle groups being exercised are used "explosively" in the activity you are training for, then some of the time you should do appropriate exercise movement fast. This will help in the neuromuscular learning, training your nervous system and in the recruitment of fast motor units. It will also prepare your tendons and other connective tissue to better withstand rapidly developed forces and large accelerations. These considerations are obviously of great importance for athletes who in the sport of Olympic weightlifting are almost always moving in an explosive manner.

 

I would like to mention at the end of last part of GAS that a scientific loading and unloading system in the sport of Olympic weightlifting is the key to success and the way to achieve the high level results. Dividing all training process in to phases and then division of these phases in to weeks is the most scientific work and a coach with the knowledge based on solid and modern information can get the results as per plan.

 

 

 

By:

Khizer Hayat Raja

Sr. Lecturer in Physical Education & Sports

International Weightlifting Coach & Expert

E mail: wlexpert@yahoo.com

 

 

About the Author

Affiliated with Olympic style weightlifting since 1989. First as player and from 1998 as a coach.  Author of a book and keen in research work.

Presently serving as Sr. Lecturer in Physical Education and Sports at a College. Coaching and training many Juniors & Seniors in Olympic style weightlifting. Produced many National and International weightlifters within and out side the country.

Sizzla - Solid As A Rock, Song for Usain Bolt & Jamaica, Heros of the Beijing Olympic games 2008. www.myCaribbeantour.com