Great presentation, and thank you for sharing it with us. From the last slide, would it be possible to elaborate on the "return-to-train" 50/30/20/10 rule?
Would like to know more details about specificity versus variety. Is there such thing as too much variety in the preparation period? How do you know when and how much specificity for strength training as you progress from preparation period to competitive period; especially when all strength/land training isn't as specific as the sport training?
Hey Alex, great questions as usual. I'll probably spin this off into a post of its own when I have time to write more. Shorter takeaways in the meantime:
Yes, more variety in preparation is generally better as long as the athlete can manage it. I find it usually takes at least a few sets of a new exercise, maybe a full session with it, to really figure out how to position oneself and push the output. If we're rotating too much too often, the lifter is maybe doing more "figuring out" and less "pushing hard." This can be good for some who need more challenge by coordination, but not for others who need more challenge by strain.
Progressing specificity is about application to the sport performance and focus on the more narrowed exercise selection. The downside of variety is increased muscle soreness, so a good part of the benefit of narrowing that exercise selection down closer to in-season is reducing muscle soreness so as to not interfere with the sport training.
A less physiological, more psychosocial element of variety is not being totally tired of or stale on the same exercises after 9+ months of training them. If we stick with the same exercises through the off-season, by in-season time we're often seeing plateaus and just lack of enthusiasm to keep pushing the same old lifts. I find off-season variety useful for year-round trainees in staving that off and leaving a "focus gear" still left to shift to come in-season time.
All strength/land training isn't AS specific as the sport training, but can still be more/less within that limitation. I look at stuff like narrower stance and more upright torso of front squat and hex bar deadlift as examples here, speed/tempo of the lifting phase, and increasing exercises like the seated rockback as getting more specific (though still not "truly" specific).
Great presentation, and thank you for sharing it with us. From the last slide, would it be possible to elaborate on the "return-to-train" 50/30/20/10 rule?
Can I ever! Scroll down a bit to "Conditioning/Aerobic Training Strategies" section: https://rowingstronger.com/2020/05/11/rowing-return-to-train/#practices
Thanks!
Would like to know more details about specificity versus variety. Is there such thing as too much variety in the preparation period? How do you know when and how much specificity for strength training as you progress from preparation period to competitive period; especially when all strength/land training isn't as specific as the sport training?
Hey Alex, great questions as usual. I'll probably spin this off into a post of its own when I have time to write more. Shorter takeaways in the meantime:
Yes, more variety in preparation is generally better as long as the athlete can manage it. I find it usually takes at least a few sets of a new exercise, maybe a full session with it, to really figure out how to position oneself and push the output. If we're rotating too much too often, the lifter is maybe doing more "figuring out" and less "pushing hard." This can be good for some who need more challenge by coordination, but not for others who need more challenge by strain.
Progressing specificity is about application to the sport performance and focus on the more narrowed exercise selection. The downside of variety is increased muscle soreness, so a good part of the benefit of narrowing that exercise selection down closer to in-season is reducing muscle soreness so as to not interfere with the sport training.
A less physiological, more psychosocial element of variety is not being totally tired of or stale on the same exercises after 9+ months of training them. If we stick with the same exercises through the off-season, by in-season time we're often seeing plateaus and just lack of enthusiasm to keep pushing the same old lifts. I find off-season variety useful for year-round trainees in staving that off and leaving a "focus gear" still left to shift to come in-season time.
All strength/land training isn't AS specific as the sport training, but can still be more/less within that limitation. I look at stuff like narrower stance and more upright torso of front squat and hex bar deadlift as examples here, speed/tempo of the lifting phase, and increasing exercises like the seated rockback as getting more specific (though still not "truly" specific).