Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PROFESSIONAL
strength & conditioning
EDITORIAL PANEL
Raphael Brandon MSc, ASCC
Clive Brewer MSc, BSc(Hons), ASCC, CSCS
Marco Cardinale PhD, ASCC
Dave Clark MSc, ASCC
Daniel Cleather MA, ASCC, CSCS
Paul Comfort MSc, ASCC
Audrey Duncan PhD, ASCC
Mike Favre MSc, ASCC
Duncan French PhD, ASCC
Jon Goodwin MSc, PGCHE, ASCC
Greg Haff PhD, ASCC, FNSCA, CSCS
Liam Kilduff PhD
Jeremy Moody PhD, ASCC
Phil Moreland BAppSci, AssocDip, ASCC
Jeremy Sheppard PhD, CSCS
Narelle Sibte BAppSci, Grad Dip, ASCC
Alan Sinclair BSc (Hons), ASCC, CSCS
Gil Stevenson BEd (Hons), ASCC
Margaret Stone MSc, ASCC
Michael Stone PhD, ASCC
Mark Simpson MSc, ASCC
Graham Turner MSc, BEd (Hons), ASCC
COLUMN EDITORS
Graeme Close PhD, ASCC
Nick Ward MSc, CSCS
Stuart Yule BSc (Physio), ASCC
INSIDE
NEWS / CHAIRS COLUMN
page 2-3
TRAINING LOAD
page 4
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
page 15
CONFERENCE REVIEW
page 22
COACHING COLUMN
page 30
WORKSHOP REVIEW
page 34
Garfunkel song, the boxer , where, the man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. This lyric
might reflect our tendency to be selective when listening to presentations, and perhaps presents an area where
we can enhance the productivity of any conference presentation we attend.
The content of this edition of Professional Strength and Conditioning reflects the above mentioned diversity of
work that strength and conditioning coaches undertake.
Our lead article for this issue is by Dr Greg Haff. A worldwide authority on periodisation, Greg has written an
excellent paper reviewing the methods of load quantification. Based on extensive experience and research, it
provides a thorough evaluation of all the methods currently available to coaches and assesses the strength and
weaknesses of each.
In our columns, Graeme Close and James Morton have produced a great summary of their experiences in the
trenches of elite sports nutrition. Entitled the top ten nutritional mistakes made by elite athletes, it outlines
these mistakes, and provides practical remedies to correct these. In the coaching column, Dan Pratt, the S&C
coach at Wellington College, has produced a thought provoking article outlining guidance for the provision of
demonstrations in the strength and conditioning setting.
Additionally, this edition has a summary of a TASS Olympic weightlifting workshop, where David O Sullivan took
up the place offered to the UKSCA by TASS S&C Director Nick Ward.
Ian Jeffreys
Editor
UKSCA NEWS
OBITUARY
Prof. Yuri Verkoshansky
I was very sad to receive the news that on the 23rd June this year, Dr Yuri Verkhoshansky had
unfortunately passed away. His contributions to the scientific development of strength and power
training since the early 1960s are monumental, and his works have heavily influenced many of the
best coaches. He will be forever recognised as one of the great minds in the field of explosive
strength training. Some of us will remember, that more than 20 years ago he introduced the new
approach of planned training, Programming of training, based upon the innovative, (at that time),
methodology that is presently characterised as structured process modelling (conjugate-sequence
system training, block training).
A practising coach, as well as a scientist, Verkoshansky assisted in the preparation of Soviet
national sports teams for the Olympic Games and other international competitions throughout the
1970s. This work continued through the 1980s, and by the beginning of the 1990s he was the
head of the Theoretical and Methodological Centre at the Russian Research Institute of Sport. In
1992, he was elected President of the International Association on Theory and Methodology of
Training in Elite Sports at the International Sports Scientific Congress in Israel. Since 1995,
Professor Verkhoshanskys focus had been as a scientific consultant for the National Olympic
Committee of Italy.
Verkoshanskys first research study on plyometrics was published in 1964, and since then, he has
authored more than 500 scientific-methodological papers and more than 20 monographs. His work
has been translated in 22 foreign languages and published in 29 countries. He was an associate
editor of the NSCA Journal and the Journal of Applied Sports Science Research. Perhaps his best
known contributions to our knowledge base in the UK have come from his Supertraining
collaborations with the late Mel Siff (now in its 6th edition), and his application of speed-strength
training principles and practices.
Verkoshanskys influence will continue to inspire many of us developing the concept of evidencebased practice in our training programme design, and the legacy of his teaching will, I am sure, be
evident in many of the training programme designs that we will see from coaches in years to
come. Our thoughts go to his daughter and scientific assistant Natalia, who we hope will continue
with his work.
Clive Brewer
Jeremy Moody
CHAIRS COLUMN
Jeremy Moody
Chairman UKSCA
Quantifying Workloads in
Resistance Training: A
Brief Review
G. Gregory Haff, Ph.D., C.S.C.S.*D, ASCC, FNSCA
Summary
The ability to quantify training loads and volumes is of particular
importance when working with periodised training plans. The ability to
plan and monitor resistance training loads allows the strength and
conditioning professional the ability to modulate training stressors and
better manage fatigue which ultimately leads to a greater potential that
performance is optimised. In order to better understand the methods
available for monitoring resistance training variables, the present review is
designed to explore the various methods for quantifying training volumes
and intensities used in the design and monitoring of resistance training
programmes.
Introduction
Dr. Greg Haff is an associate
professor in the Division of
Exercise Physiology at the West
Virginia University School of
Medicine. He has published
numerous research articles on
sport science related topics and
has been recognised by the
National Strength and Conditioning
Association as the Young
Investigator of the Year in 2001. In
2008 Dr. Haff received the
Distinguished Teaching Faculty
Award at the West Virginia
University School of Medicine. Dr.
Haff has served as a strength and
conditioning consultant for Team
Arrow a Collegiate Cycling Team,
Canadian Track Cycling champion
Mark Ernsting, and several other
national and international level
athletes. Dr. Haff is a Fellow of The
NSCA, a former NSCA board
member, a Regional Level
Weightlifting Coach, and a Level 3
Cycling Coach.
Sets
Repetitions
Load
(kg)
Short Ton
(kg)
Power Snatch
100
1500
1.500
1.367
120
1800
1.800
1.633
130
1815
1.815
1.647
90
1350
1.350
1.225
6465
6.465
5.865
Note: to get metric ton divides the volume load by 1000. To get the short ton divide the volume load by 1102.3.
Sets
Repetitions
Load
Total
(kg)
1RM
Repetitions
Equation 1 Equation 2
(kg)
(kg)
Equation 4 Equation 5
Back Squat
10
150
67
30
4500
2010
45
205.7
Back Squat
10
180
60
30
5400
1800
54
246.8
1-Leg Squat
10
50
22*
30
1500
660
15
68.6
10
60
50
30
3000
1500
18
82.3
120
14400
5970
132
603.4
*= the 1-leg squat was calculated as a percent of the 1-RM back squat. Based upon a 1-RM back squat of 225 kg and the athlete weighs
100 kg
** = note the volume index calculations are based off of the volume load calculated with equation 1.
Equation 1: sets x repetitions x load (kg)
Equation 2: sets x repetitions x %1RM
Equation 4:sets x repetitions x load/body mass (kg)
Equation 5:sets x repetitions x load/body mass (kg)0.67
4500
= 45
100
4500
= 46
98
Exercise
% 1-RM
Back Squat
Kilogram
Set 1
Back Squat
Target Sets
Volume Load
Set 5 Set 6
30
45
55
60
60
67.5
101
124
135
135
Training Intensity
Total
Target Sets
Total
Target Sets
60
1550
900
52
60
135
3488
2025
116
135
Note: 60 = % 1-Repetition Maximum , percentages are based off of a 225 kg back squat maximum. %1-RM = percentage of 1 repetition maximum.
5
Repetitions
0.67
0.67
2025 kg
Volume index =
(3 x 10 x 150 (kg) x 0.6 (m))
98 (kg)0.67
(2700 kgm-1)
= 2025 kg
15
Total Repetitions
= 124.5
21.69 (kg)0.67
= 135 kg
Table 4. Example calculation of volume load and training intensity for a workout.
Method 1
Exercise
Back Squat
Sets
3
Total
Volume
Training
Volume
Training
Repetitions
(kg)
1RM
Repetitions
Load
Intensity
Load
Intensity
Equation 1 (kg)
(kg)
Equation 2 (kg)
10
150
67
30
4500
150
2010
kg
67
Back Squat
10
180
60
30
5400
180
1800
60
1-Leg Squat
10
50
22*
30
1500
50
660
22
10
60
50
30
3000
60
1500
50
120
14400
110
5970
50
*= the 1-leg squat was calculated as a percent of the 1-RM back squat. Based upon a 1-RM back squat of 225 kg and the athlete weighs
100 kg
** = note the volume index calculations are based off of the volume load calculated with equation 1.
Equation 1: sets x repetitions x load (kg)
Equation 2: sets x repetitions x %1RM
Method 1: uses Equation 1 in the calculation of volume load
Method 2: uses Equation 2 in the calculation of volume load
Method 2
Load
30
15
88
137
116
(kg)
170
100
15
30
2550
1500
225
450
30
5
30
5
Bicep Curls
30
5
15
5
15
5
15
5
Front Raise
1150
77
1550
100
5
Exercises
Auxiliary
Strength
80
5
60
5
Push Press
90
5
100
5
100
5
170
5
110
5
60
5
Core Exercises
Strength
Back Squat
140
5
170
5
170
5
1300
87
103
145
2175
450
225
2650
4100
3475
(kg)
(kg)
145
5
145
5
145
5
90
5
Exercise
Category
Power
Power Clean 60
5
110
5
(kg)
(kg)
(kg)
Training
Intensity
Load
Intensity
Load
Intensity
Load
6
5
4
2
1
Total
Volume
Training
Target Sets
Volume
Training
Volume
Warm-up
Target Sets
Set
Set
Warm-up
Exercise
Type of
Exercise
900 kg
Total Repetitions
Set
Set
Set
by Exercise Type
Set
by Exercise Classification
Table 5: Example of Examining the Volume Load and Training Intensity Based upon the Type of Exercise or Category of Exercise.
Table 6. Example calculation of volume index and intensity index for a workout.
Method 1
Exercise
Sets
Back Squat
Repetitions
Load
Total
(kg)
1RM
Repetitions
10
150
67
30
Method 2
Equation 1 Equation 2
(kg)
45
Equation 4 Equation 5
(kg)
1.5
206
6.9
Back Squat
10
180
60
30
54
1.8
247
8.2
1-Leg Squat
10
50
22*
30
15
0.5
69
2.3
10
60
50
30
18
0.6
82
2.7
120
114
1.1
603
5.0
*= the 1-leg squat was calculated as a percent of the 1-RM back squat. Based upon a 1-RM back squat of 225 kg and the athlete weighs
100 kg and is 170 cm tall.
Method 1: uses Equation 4 [sets x repetitions x load/body mass (kg)] to calculate volume index
Method 2: uses Equation 5 [sets x repetitions x load/body mass (kg)0.67] to calculate volume index
Table 7: Example use of Volume Load and Training Intensity Projections in the Planning Process.
Load (%1M)
Day
Exercise
Monday
Reps
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Volume Load
Squat
70
75
80
73
4470
75
Power Clean
70
75
80
73
4470
75
Bench Press
70
75
80
73
4470
75
65
70
75
63
4095
68
65
70
75
63
4095
68
Sets
Overhead Squat
65
70
75
63
4095
68
Front Squat
60
65
70
63
3870
65
Power Clean
60
65
70
63
3870
65
60
65
70
63
3870
65
Training Intensity
Table 8: Example Use of Volume Load and Training Intensity as a Monitoring Tool.
Load (kg)
Day
Exercise
Monday
Reps
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Volume Load
Squat
154
165
176
161
9834
164
Power Clean
112
120
128
117
7152
119
Bench Press
95
101
108
99
6034.5
101
78
84
90
82
5004
83
85
91
97.5
88
5421
90
Sets
Training Intensity
Overhead Squat
78
84
90
82
5004
83
Front Squat
108
117
126
113
6966
116
Power Clean
96
104
112
101
6192
103
72
78
84
76
4644
77
Notes: Based upon the following actual and estimated 1-repetition maximums: Back squat = 220, power clean = 160, bench press =135, power
snatch = 120, snatch pull = 130, overhead squat = 120, front squat=180; and incline bench press = 120.
Table 9: Example Use of Allometrically Scaled Volume Index and Training Index as a Monitoring Tool.
Load (kg.kg-0.67)
Day
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Monday
Squat
Power Clean
Bench Press
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
104.1
111.4
118.3
108.7
442.6
7.4
75.7
81.0
86.0
79.1
321.9
5.4
66.7
271.6
4.5
Body Mass
Wednesday Power Snatch
63.9
68.4
102.1
102.3
72.6
103
Volume Load
Training Intensity
101.9
53.1
57.2
60.9
55.4
226.5
3.8
57.5
62.0
65.9
60.0
245.3
4.1
Overhead Squat
53.1
57.2
60.9
55.4
226.5
3.8
102.1
101.6
Body Mass
Friday
Week 1
101.2
101
Front Squat
73.4
79.2
85.5
77.1
315.2
5.3
Power Clean
65.2
70.4
76.0
68.6
280.2
4.7
57.0
51.4
210.1
3.5
101.5
101.2
Body Mass
48.9
101.4
52.8
102
Notes: Based upon the following actual and estimated 1-repetition maximums: Back squat = 220, power clean = 160, bench press =135, power
snatch = 120, snatch pull = 130, overhead squat = 120, front squat=180; and incline bench press = 120.
References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
Over the last 10 years, the authors have spent a lot of time working
with elite athletes from a variety of sports, including rugby (league and
union), golf, rowing, cycling, athletics, football and boxing. James
Morton is currently the performance nutrition consultant for Liverpool
FC and several professional boxers, whilst Graeme Close is the
performance nutrition consultant for Munster RUFC and advises several
professional rugby league teams. One of our major roles is to educate
the athlete and attempt to correct dietary mistakes. This article will
take a look at the ten most common nutritional mistakes made by elite
athletes, (in the opinion of the authors), and provide practical advice on
how to correct or avoid these potential nutritional disasters.
Sometimes, the advice will be routed in fundamental science and other
times the advice comes from practical experience. These mistakes are
in no particular order - except for number 1!
1. Skipping breakfast
2. Chronic dehydration
THE PROBLEM Many athletes we have worked with
demonstrate a consistent level of dehydration as
assessed using urine osmolarity. A value of between 100300 mOsm.kgH2O would indicate a good level of
hydration, although it is not uncommon to observe values
around 900 mOsm.kgH2O and personal observations
have observed values of over a 1000 mOsm.kgH2O in
elite rugby players after they have been educated into
the importance of hydration. Dehydration can result in
reduced blood volume, increased core temperature,
increased rate of glycogen oxidation and decreased sweat
rate,4 all of which can have a major detrimental effect on
performance. It has been suggested that a typical fluid
loss for a sedentary person (due to respiration, sweating,
faeces and urine) in a cool climate is approximately 2.2L
General
1. Drink approximately 500ml of fluid with each meal
of the day.
2. Drink an additional 2L throughout the day.
3. Monitor urine colour and odour which should be pale
and odourless. However, it is important to be aware
that some vitamins, especially B vitamins can give a
yellow tinge to urine.
Competition or training
1. Drink 500ml of fluid approximately 2-3 hrs preexercise.
2. During exercise, start drinking early and aim to
drink 250ml per 15 mins.
3. Make sure the fluids are lower than ambient
temperature.
4. If exercise is longer than 60mins, consider adding
carbohydrate to the drink (60g/hr in a 6-8%
solution).
5. If exercise is longer than 1 hour, consider adding
sodium to the drink (0.5g/L).
6. Weigh yourself before and after exercise and for
every 1L loss of weight replace with 1.5 times that
in fluid (for example if 1Kg loss drink 1.5L of fluid
post-exercise).
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Conference Review
2010
The 2010 UKSCA Conference was held over the weekend of June 4th to 6th at Kents Hill
Conference Centre in Milton Keynes. The Conference featured a wide variety of speakers
and topics, reflecting the diverse work being carried out within the field of Strength and
Conditioning. These talks were the usual mixture of keynotes and breakout sessions, and
the main take home points of each are outlined in this feature.
Keynote sessions
Dr Dan Baker Power Training Research
and its Practical Application in the Training of
the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Team
Dan gave one of the most energetic and enthusiastic
presentations ever seen at a UKSCA conference. The
key theme that ran through his presentation was that,
in working with some of the worlds best rugby league
athletes for the last 14 years, evidence-based practice
has been delivered within a coaching environment
grounded in making his athletes work hard. Dan
presented the findings of 17 of the scientific, peerreviewed research papers that he has published, using
his performance athletes as his subjects, and spoke
about how this research, (and other data), has
influenced the strength and power training programme
at the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Club.
The importance of strength and power in a collision
sport such as rugby league was clearly demonstrated,
as Dan presented four studies that showed players who
played at the highest levels were differentiated from
lower performance levels, in terms of upper body
strength, upper body power output and upper and
lower body strength and power. Upper body speed was
shown not to be a good test to differentiate between
elite and sub-elite players. The importance of testing
and monitoring strength and power within his
programmes was illustrated with data presented for
players in the squat (1.9 x BW), pull-up (1RM,
Block periodisation
A block was defined as a training cycle of highly
concentrated specialised workload, and the basic
principles of block periodisation were outlined.
Advantages
These are ideal for seasonal sports e.g. rowing
They work well for low level athletes
Limitations
A sport may require more than 1 -3 peaks in a
training cycle e.g. team sports
High level athletes have less volume of training and
more competitions. Some volume is replaced by
competitions and subsequently there is a need to
peak more often
The simultaneous development of many
characteristics will inhibit the effectiveness of
training. This is for two reasons:
1 Low stimulation produced by mixed training
2 Conflicting physiological responses:
Excessive fatigue accumulation
As a result of stress, any developments made will be
reduced towards the end of the season
The inability to take part in multiple competitions
It is unrealistic to expect a traditional model of
periodisation to produce multi peak demands, yet this
is required from athletes, not least because of
commercial demands. Team sports in particular require
a different approach, and block periodisation can
provide a model for these situations.
1. Volume
2. Relative Intensity
3. Sex
3. Training Intensity
4. Age
4. Rest/Recovery Periods
5. Length of Training
Sessions/number of sessions
6. Time of day
7. Warm-up catecholamine
release, etc.
8. Hypoxic Training (Kaatsu)
Breakout sessions
Nick Allen Men in Tights! Lessons to be
Learnt from Training the Performing Arts
As the Clinical Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Company and The Jerwood Centre, Nick comes with a
very strong background in sports. His past involvement
in Olympic sports and Premier League Rugby Union,
coupled with his recently finished epidemiological based
PhD, provides the launch pad to his challenging work of
reducing injuries in ballet, and ensuring systems of
training and recovery move forwards.
In his presentation, Nick compared and contrasted the
notions of sport vs. dance and athlete vs. artist. One of
the biggest challenges highlighted, were the extrinsic
factors of being a ballet dancer. The sheer volume of
practice and performance are the greatest challenge,
adding the huge pressure of trying to reduce injuries in
the dancers to keep them on the stage performing
night after night. Typically the dancers have an hour
COACHING COLUMN
Strength and
Conditioning
Coaching Practice:
What is an Effective
Demonstration?
Daniel Pratt, BSc, ASCC
Daniel is currently completing the
Strength and Conditioning MSc at St
Marys University Twickenham, as
well as being the Strength and
Conditioning coach at Wellington
College, Berkshire. He also works
with Scottish Exiles Rugby and the
Emerging Players at Surrey County
Cricket Club.
Introduction
Strength and conditioning (S&C) practitioners often have a number of varied
roles they are required to fulfil, including functional movement screenings,
performance assessments and programme design. However, the coaching
processes by which skills and techniques are taught in order to enhance
physical qualities in strength and conditioning settings are often overlooked,
and the coach can often be reduced to simply providing encouragement and
motivation. Whilst the role of the S&C coach as a motivator should not be
overlooked, there is growing evidence within the skill acquisition literature,
that as coaches, we should give greater thought to our coaching processes
and the type of knowledge we encourage our athletes to obtain. Two forms
of knowledge have been identified with regards to motor tasks. Firstly,
procedural knowledge, which is the ability to be able to simply perform a
task or skill and secondly, declarative knowledge, which is concerned with
how the skill is performed and governed by rule based information.18
Crucially, as coaches we must recognise that declarative knowledge, which is
often favoured by coaches, is liable to an effect termed reinvestment, which
involves athletes reverting back to a performance level corresponding with a
cognitive stage of learning, usually in pressure situations.10 Several authors
argue that this requires coaches to find methods, such as analogies
(amongst others), which focus on encouraging our athletes to learn via
problem solving processes, with the belief that this will limit potential
reinvestment and also encourage greater retention of learning.7,15,17
There are a number of coaching tools available to us when working with our
athletes, including demonstrations, verbal cues, instructions and feedback;
as well as methods of manipulating the practice structure of sessions.16
Whilst all these variables will impact on the coaching environment, the role
of demonstrations is often crucial, and it is rare to see a S&C coach go
through a session in either the gym or the field without providing some form
of demonstration. This could be a consequence of the importance placed on
effective skill production in many coaching qualifications. In an attempt to
enhance the skill learning of our athletes, both in the gym and in the field,
we must consider the impact our demonstrations of skills have on our
learner athletes and in particular the skill level of the demonstration and
who provides it.5
Many S&C coaches may consider that much of the research into skill
acquisition is based around the learning of actual sports skills, such as a
pass in football.18 This is therefore unrelated to the coaching of skills used to
enhance performance capacities, such as olympic lifts, which for sports
performers, (excluding weightlifters) are simply a modality used to enhance
specific physical qualities of an athlete. However, as S&C coaches, we are
involved in coaching movement mechanics that do directly transfer to
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Practical Implications
For most strength and conditioning coaches two major
coaching areas of work are within the weights room
and the speed and agility setting. These are two very
different environments, with skills within the weights
room being of a closed nature and those in the speed
and agility setting needing to be transferable to the
open environment of sports. In establishing the need
for speed and agility skills to transfer directly to sports
performance, and the associated open settings, our
athletes may gain some benefits through the use of a
learning and possibly peer led demonstration, as
opposed to a purely coach led coaching process. The
major factor allowing us to utilise a peer led learning
Conclusion
It has been identified that a learning and peer led
demonstration may offer a better retained form of
observational learning compared to a correct coach led
demonstration, possibly through enhanced levels of
attention and motivation. However, it is also important
to highlight that the role of practice is ultimately still
crucial, and that, whilst a learning model could
potentially be more enduring, as S&C coaches we are
often limited by time available prior to competition,
which may require the use of more correct models to
speed the immediate learning process. It is also worth
noting that demonstrations are only one available
coaching tool, and that, in reality, they are used in
combination with other tools available to coaches, such
as feedback. Furthermore, the decision of who provides
your demonstrations should take account of safety
concerns and whether these must be constrained for,
or whether the greater concern is how directly the skill
transfers to the sporting setting. Ultimately, it is likely
that the issue of safety versus skill transfer, combined
with coaching philosophy and the characteristics of the
given athletes, will lead to the selection of either a
correct or a learning demonstration. However, research
does identify that a peer led learning demonstration
may offer some benefits to our athletes and does not
appear to do any harm, therefore it may offer an
additional coaching tool to us as S&C coaches.
References
1.
2.
3.
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33 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AD Tel 029 2048 9999
www.spslearn.co.uk
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Workshop Report
The initial part of the workshop involved an overview of
the Sports Adaptations to weightlifting.
Overcompensation was presented as the basis of
performance development, with the need to vary
loading phases in a structured and applied way. The
importance of constantly assessing the adaptation
levels via training tests, competitions and observation
of other signs, was stressed throughout this process.
The different types of contraction were then outlined
and probably the most significant aspect of this
portion, for me, was the emphasis put on the
importance of training the static contraction of the
erectors during the deadlift. Tams, for example,
always makes his athletes return the bar the way it
came up in his exercises (especially deadlifts), to
emphasise and train the static contraction of the
erectors, which he maintains are critical to successful
lifting.
Phases of Training
Tams went into great detail about his thought process
in developing programmes. He subdivided his training
programmes into:
Long Term Plans
Mid Term Plans
Cycle Plans
Supplementary exercises
1st Pull
The bar travels back to the athlete during the first pull.
The back, neck and head all move in the same plane as
the bar is lifted. The overpull (transition according to
the UKSCA terminology), puts the athlete in the perfect
position for the 2nd pull. Tams himself does not believe
that the double knee bend needs to be taught, as he
sees this is an unconscious movement.
2nd Pull/Explosion
Tams emphasised that during this phase, the thigh
should meet the bar, as opposed to the bar hitting the
thigh. Tams uses the analogy of two cars hitting into
each other and its effect on momentum if the latter is
allowed to happen. Tams emphasised keeping on the
toes as long as possible during the pull.
Tams doesnt like using boxes in start positions as he
finds that his athletes have difficulty getting the back and
erectors as tense as possible. Tams notes that hang lifts
suit athletes who are stronger in their lower backs than
quadriceps, as there is no starting speed from the floor
and so great acceleration is required in a shorter space of
time.
Summary
The workshop was an effective mix of theory and
practice. The principles and methodology underlying
Tams programmes were presented, along with practical
insights from a lifetime of coaching. This was
supplemented by time for the attendees to practice their
own techniques and to apply some of Tamss tips.
Overall it was an excellent weekend, and a first rate
professional development opportunity for coaches from a
range of ability and experiences.
I would like to thank TASS and Tams for organising this
great event and also the UKSCA for selecting me to go on
this informative and enjoyable course. I would also like to
thank Gil Stevenson for his patience in being my lifting
partner on the second day!!!
David OSullivan is the lead physiotherapist for Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club. David is in pursuit of his accreditation
with the UKSCA, having completed three out of the four requirements to date. David also works with a wide range of
athletes through his private practice, Pro Sport Physiotherapy, and trains Gaelic Footballers and long distance runners.
David can be contacted at dave@prosportphysiotherapy.co.uk.
UK STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING ASSOCIATION
UKSCA | Issue 19 | Autumn 2010 w: www.uksca.org.uk e: info@uksca.org.uk 35