Training methods and planning

Non-Standard Exercises and Multi-Repetition Lifts in the Training of Highly Skilled Lifters

A. P. Belov and V. F. Kuzmin, Moscow State University; E. E. Rysin, Central Sports Club of the Trade-Union Sports Societies

English summary of Tyazhelaya Atletika. Ezhegodnik 1984 (Moscow: Fizkultura i Sport, 1984), pp. 43–45: the text is paraphrased, not translated; data tables are given in full with English labels.

Slow-tempo, yielding, holding and mixed exercises and sets with many repetitions take ever more room in training, yet their share of volume is barely studied; only V. I. Alekseyev (1977) gave figures from his own preparation. The authors analysed the training loads of 50 lifters from ten weight classes, whose skill averaged 385±41 conventional units on M. V. Starodubtsev's (1981) scoring table, both overall and by weight group. Slow-tempo, yielding, holding and mixed exercises were called non-standard, and lifts in sets of 4 or more repetitions multiple. Weights were expressed as a percentage of the best snatch or clean and jerk (snatch exercises and snatch pulls counted towards the snatch, everything else towards the clean and jerk). For the preparatory and competitive months the study recorded the amount and weight of this work and its link to weight class, age, experience, skill and total.

The classic snatch and clean and jerk are never done in a non-standard way. Multiple snatches were used in the preparatory period by 61% of light (52 to 67.5 kg) and medium (75, 82.5 kg) lifters and 36% of heavy ones (90 kg and over), and in the competitive period by 25% and 17%. For the jerk the figures were 24% and 22% in preparation and 16% and 12% in competition. Monthly multiple lifts in the snatch, clean and jerk averaged 47 (light), 39 (medium) and 34 (heavy) in preparation and 36 to 27 in competition, at 45–75%.

In other snatch exercises, cleans and jerks from the chest, about 85% of lifters used non-standard execution and 92% multiple lifts in preparation, and 74% and 71% in competition. Monthly non-standard lifts averaged 109, 129 and 147 (light, medium, heavy) in preparation and 63, 92 and 111 in competition; multiple lifts 89, 159 and 114, then 82, 151 and 89.

Multiple presses, mostly bench presses, were used by 78% of lifters in preparation (95 lifts a month) and 50% in competition (78), at 35–60% of the jerk maximum. Non-standard pulls were done by 64% and 61% of lifters (60 and 50 lifts a month), multiple pulls in preparation by all light and medium and 96% of heavy lifters and in competition by 91% and 75% (175 and 146 lifts). Medium lifters do most multiple pulls (177 against 146), at mostly 75–105%.

Back and front squats are done non-standardly by 23% of lifters in preparation and 12% in competition, and multiply by 96% throughout. Monthly non-standard squats number 47, 29 and 20 (light, medium, heavy) in preparation and 47, 12 and 9 in competition; multiple squats 319, 262 and 240, then 142, 191 and 136, at mostly 70–105% of the jerk maximum. About 30% do multiple lifts in other squats (33 a month in preparation, 22 in competition, at 35–70%). Standing bends are used by 72%, more by light and medium lifters (78.5%) than heavy (57%), at 135 and 122 lifts a month for light and medium lifters and 107 and 55 for heavy, at 30–65%. Bends lying could not be counted reliably, since many lifters do not log them; those using multiple repetitions averaged 70 lifts (light), 130 (medium) and 182 (heavy), with maxima of 200, 250 and 600 in preparation and 130, 200 and 400 in competition, at 15–35% of the jerk maximum.

Table. Lifts in slow-tempo, yielding, holding and mixed exercises (non-standard) and in multi-repetition sets (4 or more per set), by weight-class group (means)

* Percentages in brackets.

In the competitive period, when total volume is much smaller, non-standard and multiple lifts also fall, though their share hardly changes. If lifters use only half of the presses, bends and other squats, as in practice, this work comes to 1021 lifts (48.4% of the monthly total) in preparation and 750 (46.3%) in competition. Medium lifters change it little in the competitive month (43 lifts fewer), light and heavy lifters much more (381 and 312).

Statistical processing showed that in preparation the total of non-standard and multiple lifts is the same across weight classes, ages and experience; in competition it is smaller for older, more experienced lifters. In both periods it is smaller the higher the skill. Heavier multiple jerks from the chest in preparation meant a greater gain. By group, in light lifters more non-standard work (in either period) meant a smaller gain, while in heavy lifters more multiple work in non-classical snatch and clean-and-jerk exercises in preparation meant a larger gain.

Conclusions

Lifters use large amounts of such work, on average 1021 lifts in preparation and 750 in competition, without regard to its positive or negative effect in their weight group. Because yielding, holding, mixed and slow-tempo exercises evidently harm light lifters, they should be cut to a minimum, keeping only snatch and clean-and-jerk pull-throughs, which improve speed into the squat. For lifters whose height suits their class it is probably worth reducing multi-repetition work as well, since it builds more muscle mass than sets of one to three. Heavy lifters, who benefit from multiple lifts, can do more of them in preparation.