Power Training

Olympic and Shock Training Techniques

Olympic Lifts
Categorized as special strength
exercises.
They play a very large role in most
modern strength training programs for
sport in the western world

Original Olympic Lifts

Clean and Jerk

Olympic Lifts

Snatch

Pros of Olympic Lifts

Good for teaching triple extension in
hips, knees, and ankles.
Aggressive full body lifts that teach the
body how to produce high amounts of
force in sequence
Lots of variations are available
High CNS output exercise
They are fun for athletes to perform

Cons of Olympic Lifts

Can cause injury if not performed
correctly or with injury prone athletes
When working with athletes for limited
periods of time, it might not be worth
the effort of teaching these lifts
Other, simpler methods of explosive
power development are available such
as jump squats, box squats and
plyometrics.

Classifying Olympic Lifts

Pushes
Power Jerk (catch with legs together)
Split Jerk (catch with legs apart)

Pulls

Power Clean
Full Clean
Power Snatch
Full Snatch
All of the above can be done from the hang or
the floor

Olympic lifts done from the hang

In hang position olympic lifts, the bar
is only brought down to the power
position, and in some cases either a
little above or a little below this
position.
This position is a good place to start
for teaching athletes the olympic lifts
rather than starting from the floor

Hang Clean

Power position

Olympic lifts done from the floor

In this position the bar is actually lifted

off of the floor for each rep

Power Clean

Bar is caught with 90 degrees of knee

bend or less

Full Clean

Bar is caught around the parallel

position

Split Catch

As opposed to standard catch

Normally, the catch will not be as extreme as

shown above. The above could be classified as
a full split catch which nobody uses anymore.

Plyometrics and Shock

The bridge between strength and speed

Theory of plyometrics

Plyometrics were developed in the

1960s by Russian sport scientists in
order to improve the explosive power of
their athletes, particularly high jumpers.
Russian sport scientist, Yuri
Verkhoshanski, is considered the father
of plyometrics
Plyometrics were originally called shock
training. The word plyometrics is derived
from latin, plio and metric, which mean
measureable increases.

Base definition of a plyometric

exercise

There are different ways of defining

plyometrics, but basically a plyometric
exercise is one that trains the
effectiveness of the stretch shortening
cycle (SSC)

Phases of Plyometrics

According to Dr. Yuri Verkhoshanki, 5

phases of plyometrics exist

Initial momentum phase

Electromechanical delay phase
Amortisation phase
Rebound phase
Final momentum phase

A Visual Example

Initial momentum phase

This is the part of the exercise where

kinetic energy is accumulated. This
could be either the body falling from a
platform or a medicine ball being
thrown through the air.

Electromechanical delay phase

The electromechanical delay phase is

simply the time that elapses between
the contact of the surface or object,
and the onset of actual muscular
contraction

Amortisation Phase
Key Term
The amortisation phase is when the
proprioceptors come into play. This is when
the myotatic stretch reflex will occur.
Muscle spindles will detect a rapid stretch on
the muscles and cause a powerful reversal
(explosive isometric and concentric
contraction)
The amount of time that elapses between the
eccentric and concentric phase of plyometrics
is known as the coupling time.

Rebound Phase
The rebound phase involves the
release of elastic energy from the
series elastic component (SEC) as
well as energy produced in the muscle
fibers via the involuntary myotatic
stretch reflex.
So basically: The rubber band snaps
back.

Final Momentum Phase

This occurs after the concentric
contraction is complete, and the body
or limb involved in the plyometric
exercise continues to move.
An example of this would be just after
the point of toe-off in a depth jump.

The most basic plyometric

exercise
The simplest exercise that is used to
define true plyometrics is the depth
jump.
In a depth jump, an athlete will drop
off of a box, and immediately upon
landing, perform a maximal rebound of
a vertical or horizontal nature.

Overload in depth jumping

Depth jumping is somewhat like

weightlifting in the sense that the drop
from the elevated surface will increase
the force required for the jump

An example of overload

If I am on the ground, standing on a

scale, it will read 180 pounds.

An example of overload

Now if I climb on
a box, and jump
down onto that
same scale, the
reading is going
to be MUCH
higher, perhaps
even up to 1000
pounds or more
depending on the
height of the box.

Depth Jumping

This is a great specific exercise,

because:
It involves the same muscle groups, joint
motions, muscle action and velocity of
normal jumping, but with an overload that
is controllable by the height of the box
Higher boxes will cause the scale at the
bottom of the jump to read higher.
Intensity is controlled by the height of the
box.

Keys to plyometric performance

The ground contact time must be
minimized. This is the period of time
that the feet are in contact with the
ground.
Typical ground contacts in depth
jumps are around .2 to .5 seconds.
Since plyometrics are designed to
improve rate of force development
(RFD), the eccentric motion should be
reversed as quickly as possible.

Keys to plyometric performance

Learning the landing
When landing in plyometrics, the
knees should be bent as little as
possible (but dont land with
completely straight or hyperextended
knees)
The landing should be QUIET and
smooth. Athletes with heavy landings
are not producing force in a smooth
and effective manner.

Smooth Landings

The best jumpers in any sport are

typically very smooth off the ground

Keys to plyometric performance

Unlike some types of weightlifting, each

rep should be ALL OUT. Each repetition
should try to be your best jump ever.
You are trying to achieve maximal motor
neuron recruitment, and this is not a
casual endeavor.
In order for this to happen, the athlete
must be pretty well rested, true
plyometric workouts shouldnt be done
more than 2 and at the most 3 times a
week (only in experienced athletes).

Keys to plyometric performance

Because of the high stress nature of

each rep, and the fact that the athlete
must be fresh for each rep, lots of rest
is taken between sets and reps.
Usually around 10 seconds between
reps, and 5-10 minutes between sets.

True plyometric sets and reps

Unlike the recommendations of

submaximal plyometrics, which can
reach into the 100s, only about 20-40
total depth jumps should be done in
each training session. This is
because of the high CNS stress of this
type of activity.

A note about plyometrics and

CNS strain;

An interesting thing about plyometrics,

is that performing them is relatively
easy compared to intense weightlifting
or conditioning style workouts,
however
Plyometrics will cause more soreness and
sluggishness than other types of training,
and volume always needs to be carefully
controlled.

How to determine depth jump

box height?

A classical method of determining the

height of the box that should be used
for depth jumps is:
Measure standing vertical jump
Start from a 12 box and perform a depth
jump and measure vertical
Keep increasing the box height in 6
increments until you can no longer hit
your highest vertical jump.

For Example
My standing vertical jump is 30.
My boxes and vertical rebound
progressions are as follows:

12 Box: 30.5
18 Box: 30.5
24 Box: 32
30 Box: 30
36 Box: 29.5 (stop here and use 30 box
for training)

Faults with this classical method

Ground contact time is not really

emphasized, and in order to reach maximal
vertical, most people will spend too much
time on the ground.
When performing the test, you might want to also
use a contact mat. Box heights that elicit high
GCTs might not be a good idea. You can also
visually check the GCT if you dont have a mat,
and are experienced at it.

If you are dealing with athletes that need a lot

of reactive strength, such as track and field
jumpers, it can be good to use boxes even
higher than after vertical drop-off happens.

Correcting ground contact time in

depth jumping

There are a couple ways that can be

used to help decrease the ground
contact time in depth jumping
It is important for quick reaction off the
ground. Research has shown that peak
power is greater when ground contact
time is lower. Also training studies have
shown that athletes who train with lower
ground contact times (GCT) will
experience greater performance gains
than athletes who dont think about GCT.

Ways to decrease GCT

Use a barrier that has to be cleared
such as a hurdle. Research (mine!)
has shown that jumping over a hurdle
will decrease GCT over a standard
jump.
Use a contact mat, such as a just
jump mat, and use feedback to
correct long GCTs. In depth jumping,
under .30 seconds is a good goal.

A typical depth jumping nanocycle (training day)

20-35 minute warmup including mild

aerobic work, and submaximal jumping
and running efforts.
4 sets of 10 depth jumps over a hurdle
from a predetermined, individualized box
height. 10 minutes between sets.
5 minutes of light skips and hops to cool
down the CNS.
This workout is performed 2, and
sometimes 3x a week in highly trained
athletes.

Types of projections in depth

jumping (DJ variations)

Vertical Projection

Double leg together

Single leg
Over barrier
Lunge jumps
Tuck/Pike jumps

Horizontal Projection
Double leg together
Single leg bound type
Over barrier

Some depth jumping guidelines

from Supertraining

Depth jumping requires a very good

training base. Beginning athletes should
NOT do depth jumps. It takes several
months of weight and traditional jump
and sprint training to be ready for depth
jumps.
This is not only because of the physical
readiness to do them and prevent injury,
but also because work capacity needs to
be high to really benefit from them.

Guidelines

The optimal dosage of maximal depth

jumps shouldnt be over 40 total for
experienced athletes, and only 10-25
reps for beginners
Easy running and relaxation exercises
should be done between sets
Depth jumping in the max volume (40)
shouldnt be done more than 2x a week.
Well developed athletes can get away
with doing 2x10 three times a week

Guidelines

Depth jumps are CNS intensive and

they shouldnt be used in close
proximity with technique training
sessions. The book recommends no
less than 3-4 days, but I would
personally say 72 hours is enough for
most sports.

Guidelines

For in-season training, depth jumps

should be included every 10-14 days
but probably not more frequently than
this, and shouldnt be used less than
10 days before an important
competition.

Guidelines
For 2 leg depth jumps, the heel should
not be forced down to the ground,
pressure should be on the ball of the
foot. For track and field jumpers, it is
ok if the heel comes down.
For 1 leg depth jumps, the landing
should be on the flat of the foot.

Guidelines
Just as in lifting, head posture is
important. Athletes should not be
looking at the floor when dropping off
the box or this will negatively affect the
takeoff sequence.
When the athletes drops from the box,
they should step off in a relaxed state,
and not jump off the box.

Guidelines

QUALITY is much more important than

quantity when it comes to plyometrics.
Doing 10 sets of 10 depth jumps
wouldnt be a good idea.
Athletes should be proficient in regular
jumping technique before they do depth
jumps. Using olympic lifts can help
athletes learn proper triple extension and
lumbo-pelvic rhythm. Various medicine
ball throws are also good for teaching
powerful hip extension.

Guidelines
Single leg depth jumps are VERY
demanding, and should only be done
by athletes with excellent technique
and preparation.
Depth jumps should be performed on
a soft surface, such as grass, a track,
or a weight room floor. Hard-wood
floors and concrete are bad places
to do plyometrics because of the
high stress.

Other good true plyometric

exercises: Hurdle Hops
Hurdle hops are a great exercise for
developing power with short contact
times.

Hurdle Height
A balance must be struck in selecting
the height of the hurdles.
The higher the hurdles, the higher the
ground contact time will be, but the
force will also be higher (remember
the force/velocity relationship!)
If low hurdles are used, athletes can
work harder on decreasing GCT, but
probably wont produce a lot of power.

Other good true plyometric

exercises: Bounding

Bounding is a great way to specifically

train sprinters and single leg jumpers
Bounding is basically exaggerated
sprinting

GCT in bounding will usually be less than

.20s

Bounding
Bounding is usually performed for
either reps or distance, for example: 4
sets of 10 bounds.or..4 sets of 20
meters of bounding.
Bounding can be done with different
types of leg sequences

Single leg repeating

Alternating leg
Left-Left, Right, Right

Sport Specific Plyometrics

Depth jumps can be coupled with

sport specific activities such as:
Dropping off a box and dunking or laying
up a basketball on the rebound
The same, but performing a volleyball
block
The same, but going into a bounding
sequence
The same, but sprinting a direction upon
landing chosen by a coach/trainer