CVT for Athletes

Circuit training has been a popular modality with athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike for a long time.
Circuit training became popular because of the idea that it can improve strength and endurance
simultaneously. In general circuit training involves training with loads in your 8-20rm. You would
select exercises for the whole body and rotate through sets of each exercise with minimal rest. So as
opposed to the straight set method where you would perform 4 sets of, say, bench press before moving
on to your 6 sets of curls you would set up a whole body routine like the following:
Lunge 4×8
Bench Press 4×8
RDL 4×8
Chin Up 4×8
And it would be performed in a rotational manner where 1 set of lunges would be immediately
followed by 1 set of bench presses, followed by RDL, followed by curls. You would then rest and
repeat the circuit in the rotational format 3 more times.
Unfortunately, while the idea was novel, it really didn’t pan out in the real world. This is because
training with submaximal loads may improve strength in a beginner but as an athlete advances they
need to be exposed to loads of greater intensity to continually stimulate gains.
Circuit Training the Next Evolution
Infamous coach Charles Staley has come up with a simple way modify circuit training to compensate
for it’s short comings. He calls it Convergent Phase Training (CVT). CVT provides a very simple
modification to the program: focus lifts. So in this new version you would pick 1 focus lift to perform
each training day and perform that lift with heavy loads in a straight set manner to stimulate strength
gains. You would then follow that with a whole body circuit as outlined above. This new system would
have a workout that looked something like the following:
Focus Lift
Squat 6×4
Circuit
Lunge 4×8
Bench Press 4×8
RDL 4×8
Chin Up 4×8
This would allow one to focus on improving their strength while also improving work capacity and
general fitness. A truly novel approach that has the opportunity for tremendous benefits. Following I
will take this CVT approach and provide some tweaks that should meet the needs of athletes. First a
word on periodization.
The Second Evolution of Circuit Training
The original CVT program would be effective for anyone interested in strength and strength endurance
but would not be effective for anyone involved in block training, more specifically interested in
performing a power-speed block. As a result the following programs were written to accomplish a
variety of goals. Of course the programs are intended to illustate principles so that you can design your
own CVT program.
GPP Circuit
Day 1
Focus Lift
Altitude Drop x 20 reps
Circuit
Shuffle Run 4×30/leg
Cross Over Push Up 4×15
DB Swing 4×30
DB Clean 4×15
Day 2
Focus Lift
Squat 3×5
Circuit
Lunge 4×8
DB Bench Press 4×8
Glute Ham Raise 4×12
Pull Up 4×10
Max Strength
Day 1
Focus Lift
Squat 5×3
Circuit
Glute Ham Raise 3×12
Push Up 3xFailure
Reverse Hyper 3×15
Pull Up 3xFailure
Day 2
Focus Lift
Bench Press 5×3
Circuit
Shoulder Press 3×8
Lunge 3×10
Bent Over Row 3×8
Dimel Deadlift 3×15
Max Power
Day 1
Focus Lift
Depth Jump 6×3
Circuit
Burpee 3×15
Cross Over Push Up 3×15
DB Snatch 3×10
DB Clean 3×10
Day 2
Focus Lift
Jump Squat 6×4
Circuit
Speed Russian Lunge 3×6/leg
Plyo Push Up 3×8
Reactive Glute Ham Raise 3×8
Drop and Catch DB Row 3×8
WSB Circuit
Monday
Focus Lift
ME Low Box Squat x2rm
Circuit
Glute Ham Raise 4×12
Chin Up 4xFail
Decline Sit Up 4×8
RDL 4×8
Wednesday
Focus Lift
ME Bench x1rm
Circuit
DB Tricep Extension 4×10
Lunge 4×10
DB Lateral Raise
DB Row 4×6
Friday
Focus Lift
DE Squat 10×2
Circuit
Pull Through 4×12
1 Arm Plank 4×30 sec/arm
Reverse Hyper 4×12
DB Clean 4×15
Sunday
Focus Lift
DE Bench Press 8×3
Circuit
JM Press 4×6
Dimel Deadlift 4×15
Plate Raise 4×15
DB Row 4×6
I hope I have provided you with some excellent circuit training ideas that may provide a change of pace
to your training. Try some of them and let me know how they work for you!
Alex

We all know that there are significant benefits of performing plyometric exercises. Increases in speed
strength, explosive strength, reactive ability, muslce stiffness, on the field performance to name a few.
In the past it has been said that one must improve their squat numbers to 1.5x body weight before
engaging in plyometric exercises.
More recently strength coach Jay Schroeder has flipped this equation upside down by insisting that you
must be able to absorb force before you can create force. Coach Schroeder uses a variety of plyometric
exercises to teach the body how to absorb force. Thusly it appears that he thinks that one should
engage in plyometric exercise before moving into force production (DE and ME weifhtlifting)
Now to hop around. Don’t worry I will circle back by the end of the post so that this makes sense.
Recently I was reading an issue of Men’s Health (I know, everyones resource for cutting edge
information). Well what struck me about this issue and prompted me to plop down my $5 for a copy
was an article titled something like “Everything you know about your muscles is wrong”. Surely I am
not wrong. Am I?
Well the premise of the article is simple. Your muscles are inclosed in sheaths of connective tissue
(myofascia). It was previously thought that these sheaths just connected the muscles together.
Research in the past few years has lead to a discovery that these sheaths contain neural organs and
nerves. This has lead to the concept that maybe the stretching and releasing of elastic tension in the
sheaths is a major controller in how we move. Perhaps these sheaths act not just as passive movers but
primary movers. The authors also note that when the myofasica tightens up that knots can form and
proper movement patterns are impaired. These movement impairments can be eliminates with finding
the source of the impairment (it’s not always where the pain is) and then breaking it up through
massage or various movement patterns. In the article they mantion a simple leg circle drill that
increases range of motion in the hamstring. This kind of reminded me of Z-Health drills (not enough
time to talk about this)
Anyone who knows about the works of Wannagetfast and inno-sport, and even Schroeder, knows that
they place a heavy emphasis on movement efficiency. For example in running, movement efficiency is
associated with running economy where the runners learn to rely more heavily on the elastic
contributions of connective tissue. If trained properly this tissue can absorb and release a tone of
energy which translated to a faster, more explosive athlete. So how do we develop this ability, or even
improve on our own natural myofascia?
Perhaps the answer lies in LDISOS or Extreme Isometrics. Here is my thinking…
The holds are done in the stretch position. This stretch should break up any myfascial knots allowing
for free, unrestricted active ranges of motion. Holding the stretch not onnly breaks up the knots BUT
also serves as a teaching mechanism. Since the stretch position is held vor a pretty long time (5
minutes is far longer than most static stretches are held for) and the myofascia has neural receptors it
can communicate to the CNS that this myofascial neural length is OK, thus preventing the buildup of
knots and scar tissue. In addition since the holds are active, there is constant communication with the
CNS.
In addition to alleviating compensation patterns there is another potential benefit. That being the build
up of MORE myofascia. Research has shown that connective tissue synthesis occurs when lactic acid
levels are the highest. Well in a LDISO blood flow is restricted for a very extended period of time.
Without oxygen the muscles rely on anaerobic metabolism with which lactic acid build up is a by
product. There is far more LA build up during LDISOS that what is attained normally thoguh weight
training because blood flow is restricted. This sends a powerful signal to the body to build more
connective tissue. And since the tissue is being stretched the odds are the new tissue will be void of
knots, scar tissue, and any other imparments.
All of this extra myofascia is akin to placing a giant spring inside of your muscles. Unfortunately this
tissue, when built, tends to be quite non-elastic. So how can we take this new development and make it
more elastic? How can we teach it to efficiently absorb and release energy?
Plyometrics!
See, in Schroeders system athletes begin with LDISOS before they move into plyos. They must hold
for 5 minutes for 40 consecutive sessions. This may be the ammount of tome Jay has deemed
necessary to rid the body of compensation patterns and stimulate the development of enough myofascia
to commence training. Of course inelastic tissue is more prone to inury so You would prime the tissue
with reactive work to teach the tissue to become more elastic. Once this is done (fixed compensation,
development of adequate connective tissue, trained the tissue to absorb and release energy) the athlete
begins weight training to put some horsepower in their muscles so that they can use the new springs
even more effectively.
Now that I have circled back, the article in the magazine went into this old kettlebell stuff and some of
Pavel’s teachings which, while interesting, are far from cutting edge now days.
Hopefully I have stimulated some braincells in you. If yu are interested in football weight training,
basketball weight training, or plyometric workouts, the addition of LDISOS may be benefit your
program.
Until next time,
Alex