The Buchenholz Method

The Buchenholz Method

Volume 1: Power Training Basics

by Dietrich Buchenholz

Volume 1 : Power Training Basics

Being successful as an athlete is simple; How much power can you produce? Strength development is one piece to solving the puzzle but its definitely not the holy grail of performance development. Sure, some coaches may trick you into thinking they know a lot about sports training by flooding your mind with their knowledge of strength training. But dont be scared to use the bullshit meter if you have to. Just ask yourself; Does it make me a better player on the field? Forget about the numbers in the gym, theyre pointless. Does it improve your stats on the field? In other words, dont worry about the fact your strength coach keeps giving you shit because he can out-squat you. If hes really a bad ass then why can you shake him like Shakiras booty on the playing field? What you need to worry about is not wasting your efforts in pursuit of your goals. Make the most of your time and you will go the furthest- Very simple advice to train and live by.

I always laugh when NFL strength coaches bitch about how weak their new recruits are and how crappy these athletes old strength programs must have been. These strength coaches obviously dont have a clue! The athletes piss-poor strength was good enough to land him a job in the NFL, right? I mean, why didnt you just draft the insanely strong guy if thats whats so important? Trust me, any one of these gym freaks would be glad to give up their nighttime telemarketing job to play in the NFL. The reason you picked up the weak guy is because he is powerful as hell. And if you think that the stronger you get the more powerful youre automatically going to become, get out of the profession now while youre dignity is still in check!

Bottom line: the more some of you learn about Power the more you realize your strength training efforts have been an over-kill! Heck, you may even be surprised to learn how your strength training efforts have actually hindered your development on the playing field!

StrengthGee, thats a strong firecracker you got there!Sit in the stands and watch an athletic event- any athletic event- and youre sure to hear onlookers make claims like; Boy, that athlete has a strong armor Look at how strong his leg is! But unless youre sitting in the stands of a powerlifting meet their claims of strength are often misplaced. What they are seeing is power, not strength. Ever see Pedro Martinez throw a baseball? Forget the fact that he can light up a catchers glove like a Christmas treethe guy looks like he should be selling blankets on the beaches of Cancun, not striking out the likes of Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols. Ever see Kim Collins run a 100 meters? Once you get past the fact you can literally see the food digesting in his gut if hes wearing a wifebeater (hes transparent with his shirt off), its hard to ignore the fact that he rakes the track like a madman! Strength? Ha! Put it this way, the guy thinks box squatting means sitting down to take a shit.

The truth is that there are different types of strength. For instance, if you are looking to develop explosive-strength then your efforts should center-around strength-speed work. But if you need to raise your explosive-power development you would be better served with speed-strength work (hold on, Ill answer your questions in a second). All in all, there are four main types of strength work you can employ: absolute-strength, strength-endurance, strength-speed, and speed-strength. As a side note, there are two other modalities of work you can employ as an athlete- restorative warm-up exercises and speed endurance exercises.

Most people understand that absolute-strength is simply a test of how much weight you can lift, and these same people have usually learned by now that strength-endurance is a measure of how much force you can continually produce over a given interval. But most people get confused about strength-speed versus speed-strength, so lets turn our attention there.

Power PercentsThe most important value to know when weight training is not how much you can lift but at what percent of your max strength do you produce peak power. This is the divide between speed-strength work and strength-speed work. Research has shown that athletes may put out peak power in a range of 51% AW 1RM and 74% AW 1RM (with some athletes producing peak power with slightly lower or higher values). Yes, this means that you can raise or lower your relative power output. Just as interesting to note is the fact that you can increase the time to rise of power achievement (but more on that latter). Getting back to what I was saying, if you use my Appropriated-Weight techniques detailed in The Sports Book then you will be able to use the same percents for every movement in the gym. If not, you will have no way of knowing if the athlete is even strong enough to begin power training methods!

The reason why most research keeps drawing out different conclusions about how much weight an athlete needs to work with to achieve peak power in the gym is because they are using straight-weight percents, not appropriated-weight percents. Appropriation of weight simply means that you are taking the athletes bodyweight into consideration for a given movement. For instance, an athlete will have to lift 92% of his bodyweight in addition to bar weight in the squat, and approximately 8% of his bodyweight in addition to bar weight in the bench press. You should already be able to see why using the same straight-weight power-percents for the upper body and lower body is a huge mistake!

As mentioned earlier, most athletes will put out peak power within the range of 51% and 74% of their Appropriated-Weight one rep max (or AW 1RM for short). Athletes who have had a long stay with strength training methods will put out peak power with lower percents than athletes who have been using more power based training protocols. In practical terms, this means that you could very well have a pair of 200 lb athletes, one of them a 300 lbs bencher and the other a 442 lbs bencher, and they both produce the same amount of power! That is, they are both moving 217 lbs just as fast as one another even though one guy is obviously much stronger. Which if you put it into boxing terms, the 442 lb bencher had better be stronger because hell need to keep pushing himself up from off the canvas!

Even though this example is extreme, there are literally countless athletes with this problem. They pack the strength but lack the power! You will be able to understand this more as we take a look at the neuro-muscular changes in relation to different regimes of strength in future editions of The Buchenholz Method: Power Training! series.

Strength-Speed TrainingThe purpose of strength-speed training is to develop explosive-strength, which is defined as the ability to realize strength quickly. What this really means is that you will be increasing your rate of force development(RFD). Take a pair of NFL lineman who weigh the same and squat the same, both with sound technique and nor a leverage advantage to either one. The one who is going to win the battle at the line of scrimmage is the one who has better explosive-strength development. This is not only because he is going to be delivering more force to his opponent but also because he will reach this point of peak force output quicker. That, my friends, is like playing No-Limit Poker with a pair of Aces up your sleeve! That, my friends, is explosive-strength development!

AW percents for strength-speed training are 20% above your peak power output. Since the average athlete will put out peak power with 63% AW 1RM, the general guideline is to use 63-83% AW 1RM for your strength-speed work. However, some less-explosive athletes will want to use 51-71% AW weights and some more-explosive athletes, such as basketball players, may be better served with 74-94% AW 1RM when looking to develop explosive-strength. Again, it all comes back to your relative-power output in respect to your absolute-strength.

Speed-Strength TrainingThe purpose of speed-strength training is to develop explosive-power, or the ability to achieve peak velocity as early in the rebound action of the movement as possible. Whats the difference between an elite baseball player and an elite softball player? Weve tested them both to be able to swing over 90 mph with a baseball bat, but only the baseball players had enough rate of force development to accelerate the bat head fast enough to achieve peak velocity rapidly after the start of the swing. The softball players had a longer acceleration track, not to mention much slower reaction time scores. It should be noted at this point that explosive-strength development and explosive-power development are both reliant on proficient rate of force development display.

Moreover, take a pair of baseball players and have them bat off the same pitcher, and cut out any other variables you can think of (such as pitch type, pitch location, etc). Assuming both of them are able to put out the same amount of power, the one who can realize it sooner will have the advantage. Watch a living-immortal like Barry Bonds hit and you know what Im talking about. The ball looks like its almost past his front knee before he even thinks about swinging! The critical factor isnt his 95 mph bat speed- lots of guys do that- the critical factor is his ability to go from 0 to 95 mph with his bat head quicker than most of us humans can blink an eyelash! That, my friends, is explosive-power! The critical factor is teaching your system to develop force faster. You do this by stimulating your neuromuscular system to achieve peak-twitch as quickly as possible within the given movement.

Lets take another example- not so much to help you but because Im having fun with these! You have two basketball players who can jump just as high as one another. They are driving the lane stride-for-stride, one on offense and one on defense. The offensive player can achieve peak-twtich 20 ms into the concentric phase of the jump and the defensive player takes 45 ms into the concentric portion of the jump to achieve peak-twitch. Knowing that the quicker the achievement of peak-twitch the greater the rate of force development of the athlete (which means the quicker the athlete will achieve peak velocity and consequently get off the ground quicker); Who do you think is going to win this battle? Can you smell chin-nuts, anyone?

The fact is that there are lots of baseball players who can swing 90 mph and lots of basketball players who can jump 35 inches. But when they have to display these abilities at game speed only a few of them survive. Why? Poor explosive-power development (read: not enough speed-strength work in their training programs).

Speed-strength training embodies everything below your relative-peak power AW percent. The goal is two-fold: teach your system to activate peak-twitch sooner and teach your system to release peak tension quicker. Most athletes will work with 63% AW 1RM and below, with only 43%-63% AW 1RM having a strong direct-impact on their peak power scores and explosive-strength development (even though all speed-strength percents will feed into explosive-power development). Again, some athletes may work with 54-74% AW 1RM to influence their relative power output whereas others need to work with 31-51% AW 1RM.

Closing ThoughtsIts easy for us as coaches to sit back and yell quick feet or explode to the ball. But is any of this really doing the athlete any good? Lets say an athlete weighs 200 lbs and squats 150 lbs. Is he strong enough to move quickly, let alone start a speed-strength training program?

The answer is no! Always take the lower AW percent value to answer these types of questions. For him, this means that he squats 334 lbs(bodyweight included). 51% of that is 170.34 lbs. Take out his bodyweight (92% of 200 lbs, or 184 lbs) and you can see that he would have to work with negative-weights (-13.66 lbs) to try and develop explosive-power! Now you can either chop off an arm or train him in an exo-skeleton, but why not just get him strong! Remember, a good coach never has to scream about technique because all technical aspects are rooted in the nervous system. In other words, manipulate your nervous system properly and you will take care of your technical problems!

Finally, remember what Alexsei Medvedyev said when looking to build peak power; there are no special exercises to develop speed or strength; they all develop speed-strength to a greater or lesser extent. Training is a relatively simple thing to do. Sure your training prescriptions have to get more and more precise the closer you get to achieving the most of your performance capacity. But if you ever get confused dont go digging deeper and deeper for answers, take a step back to make sure youre headed in the right direction to begin with!

Hopefully some of these Power Training Basics have given you a nice refreshing break from Flex Fantasy Magazine, and maybe even helped steer you back on course!

The Buchenholz Method

Volume 2 : How to Become a Freakshow Athlete!

by Dietrich Buchenholz

Volume 2 : How to Become a Freakshow Athlete!

Let's face it, mediocrity is for losers! If you are one of the millions upon millions of athletes in this world who just wants to "squeek by" then do me a favor: Stop reading this article right now! You think I'm fucking around? Think again! I'm not about to share some of the greatest sports training secrets my "vault" has to offer to some sorry ass clown of an athlete who tries to "look" like he's working hard to achieve his goals. That's not disrespect, it's just fact. And if my words offend you then you better go find comfort in reading all the works from those pussy ass writers and coaches that try to rip my shit off and degrade me at the same time. (Or from that block-head at your gym who regurgitates everything he can remember from all the muscle mags he reads) You know who I'm talking about. And if you seriously don't, just wait a little while until you see the following information stamped on every sports training advertisement and article from here to Mars.

But before I get into presenting you with a bunch of information that 99% of the "strength coaches" in this world are flat-out NOT smart enough to comprehend, let me tell you why I sound so pissed off.

For starters, I am! Everywhere I look these days there's some joker talking about how he discovered the secret to sports training success. Sad fact is, not one, let me repeat myself, NOT ONE of these characters has yet to come even remotely close to hitting the bullseye.

(SIDE NOTES: no wonder EVERY coach/writer we've challenged to "sack up just once" (SUJO Challenge) and train one of my associates so he can report his gains/losses has run with their tail between their legs- some with a plethora of excuses in hand! You'd be amazed at who has turned down "the challenge" so far...or maybe not? After all, who has the confidence in their system to do what I have done with the original "Challenge"?!)

Anyways, if you still don't know why this pisses me off then you don't know me at all. My number one priority is the athlete. I'm not here to make friends with fellow coaches or researchers. Nor do I care how many Christmas cards I recieve...or if what I've said keeps you up at night. All I care about is giving every athlete the opportunity to become a "freakshow athlete"- the absolute best of the best. I don't give a shit about winning any popularity contests, believe me. If I did then you'd know it because I would change my act and run for "Ambassador of Earth". But, again off-topic, the only way I'd do that is if we captured one of those damn UFO's everybody keeps "spotting" just so that I could be the one to tell the aliens to "bloody fuck off, our land is full!" But that's beside the point. I'm pissed off because the only coaches and writers that are even coming close to figuring out how to train an athlete properly are those that keep ripping off my information, changing the words around a little bit, and then pushing it off as their own creation. So let's cut the crap right here and now and give them something to really plagarize- What do you say?

Be Warned! The reason why we have so few performance coaches that can really help an athlete achieve greatness is because we have too many dumbasses in this profession! I don't expect them to understand the following information. In fact, I will bet my last cent that more than one coach will try to take this article and water it down to the point that it doesn't even retain it's original meaning. But, hell, what do they care...they never understood it in the first place! Bottom line: if you don't get it then you probably never will!

The Power Development CycleThe number one factor for power production is power absorption (e.g. high velocity/high force yielding, a.k.a. eccentric power output) because it leads to the greatest degree of stretch-reflex potential in the muscle-tendon complex. And it's no secret that the more energy you take in the more energy you can put out. Just think about a quarterback throwing the ball like a drunken dartsman versus a quarterback who throws like, well, a quarterback. Or it may help you to relate the concept to jumping out of a chair versus a typical down-up vertical jump?

The number one factor for power absorption development is strength development. Research shows that as your muscles get stronger your ability to absorb more force increases, which in turn gives you the potential to absorb more power. And this if obviously important because the more power you can absorb, the more power you can produce!

Power is defined as the product of force and velocity whereas force is defined as the product of mass and acceleration(or mass and deceleration in this case). Just think, force plate studies show a sprinter will encounter about 5 times his bodyweight in force on a single leg at peak velocity. That's tremendous force executed at tremendous velocity...or "power" as some of us like to call it. Consequently, the main difference between power absorption and force absorption is the velocity component. It's best to think of force absorption as slow-negatives with relatively heavy weight (Force = MASS x deceleration), even though it can also be thought of as lighter weight with a greater deceleration component (Force = mass x DECELERATION) and a moderate mass yielded at a moderate deceleration value (Force = mass x deceleration). But, it helps me to think about how fast the body or loaded-limb is moving prior to the point at which the object is slowed down (decelerated) whenever I want to get my arms around the power absorption concept.

If you take a power movement and perform it in reverse or just the first-half of the movement then you will absorb a good deal of power. The landing of a depth-drop from a high box; the catching of a barbell during a beta-snatch movement or drop-squat movement and of course AMT landings (i.e. 'over-speed depth drops) are all good examples of power absorption movements. In terms of methods explained in The Sports Book, amplitude-drop-absorption (ADA) methods where you drop, absorb and stabilize can all be classified as power absorption methods. Force-drop-absorptions (FDA), also detailed in The Sports Book are another group of power absorption methods. In terms of force, which may be easier for many of you to understand, power absorption methods can be thought of as Force = mass x DECELERATION. That is, the force register during power production and power absorption movements isn't necessarily high because the mass of the object being moved is great but, rather, because the acceleration/deceleration factor is so big.

Think of them as fast acting eccentrics where a good deal of force is taken into the muscle and you should be able to understand what a research scientists is talking about when he uses the term power-absorption. In example, the reactive (REA) method and the reactive-acceleration (RA) method also contain a good deal of power absorption. Again, the more velocity going into the absorption/yielding phase of speed-strength and strength-speed movements the greater the chance you have to absorb power (or put out eccentric power as science calls it). You can absorb a lot of power during full range movements, as well, just be sure to focus on rapid yielding-to-overcoming transitions- "Plyometrics" should ring a bell?

Another way to distinguish between force absorption and power absorption is to compare a heavily weighted squat jump with a reactive box jump and the vertical jump improvements each one makes. Use a force plate to make sure the force values for the weighted squat jumps equal that of the depth-jumps. What you'll find is that the altitude drop-and-jumps increase your vertical jumping ability more than the loaded counter-movement-jumps because more power is absorbed with the former (or less power was absorbed with the latterhowever you prefer to look at it). Again, the interesting concept is that the force absorbed is the same but the power absorbed is different.

This is yet another reason why AMT jumps out-perform other jump training methods when looking to raise your run-up approach jumping ability, or reactive-strength as sport scientists call it.

Another intriguing concept here is most athletes errantly try to raise performance by simply getting stronger. I'm sure you've heard this one before:

"Hey coach, how do I get better?"

"Easy...get stronger!"

That's bullshit! Even though the strength training approach may help them increase their force absorption potential, especially in terms of being able to lower heavy weights under control, it's only when you increase your ability to absorb more power will you realize the greatest gains in your power production development! So much for your cut and dry powerlifting and/or bodybuilding routine, huh? What may interest you bodybuilders and powerlifters, however, is that as your power production values go up then your hypertrophy potential goes through the roof. Once you capture this hypertrophy potential then you will have raised your strength threshold, once again, setting a new stone for power development. That's one you're sure to hear regurgitated by all of my copy-cat coaches out there!

As you can see, it's nothing more than a big fat cycle of getting stronger to get more powerful to get bigger so that you can get stronger which feeds into more power development! (whewthat sucked the air out of me!)

But hold the press! Before you jump the gun let's see why the application of this merry-go-round process shouldn't be carried out as color by number" as it may sound. In fact, let's take a look at how and why we don't even "strength train" to make our athletes the best they can become!

Strength Training ProblemsThe problem comes from the adaptability of your nervous system in respect to strength development methods. Teach it to strain and it strains. Teach it to fire and release and it will quickly achieve peak-twitch and just as rapidly release muscle tension, exactly as you conditioned it to respond. But the loophole is that strength work decreases the rate at which your muscles can activate peak tension and prolongs the duration to which they hold onto peak tension. Why is this a problem? In short, your body will be slow to react and your injury potential will be as high as Snoop Dogg (that's right, I said it!).

Lets say you are a baseball player and you have .30 seconds from the time the ball leaves the pitchers hand to the time it reaches your contact zone (reaction time equates to about a 90 mph fastball). Through practice you can read the pitchers release point to know if its going to be a ball or strike almost instantaneously. In other words, you dont have to burn .20 seconds of your available .30 seconds to read and recognize the pitch- which is how long it generally takes random test subjects to respond in randomized scientific settings that guage visual reaction times. Anyways, being able to optimize your feedforward and feedback mechanisms through actual participation of sport (hmm, that's a novel concept of late) means you have a bit more time to respond. But lets say that it still takes you .10 seconds to recognize the pitch type and location. That gives you .20 seconds to get the bat head on the ball. If youve been performing a bunch of reactive work then your neuro-muscular system can be conditioned to achieve peak twitch of your muscle fibers in .20 seconds- no problem! But if youve been focusing on strength work then you may actually de-condition your system to the point that youre recruiting your muscles slower, delaying peak-twitch activation, and increasing the decay of tension-release. For all of you still trying to pay attention, this means "big problem!" In this case you can see that it doesnt matter that you are stronger because your explosive-power numbers are going to be down on the playing field! In fact, that's all that really matters. Just ask any precision-skill athlete, especially a power-precision athlete, nothing sucks worse then telling your body what to do but its too slow to respond.

Another major problem with strength work is it will teach your system to hold onto tension too long. As a sprinter this can be dangerous. As you spring down the track you dont want to be wasting energy because your muscles won't relax when they need to relax because this will cause you to (a) hit a wall towards the end of the race and (b) produce less power per positive and negative contraction stroke (remember what we said about the relationship between power absorption and power production). A simple way to remember this concept is to know that your reactive ability will be greater following a state of relaxation than a state of tension. One last point about retaining the strength of contraction too long is the poor release of tension has been shown to lead to muscle strains, such as hamstrings pulls.

Power Training Preparation Since strength work can be a detriment to your functional power development (which means we are taking that piece to the puzzle out) BUT we need to develop and maintain strength (force absorption in particular) we have been forced to find a replacement piece to the puzzle that not only fits but actually cures all of the aforementioned strength training problems on the power athlete. The answer? Specialized EMS protocols used in companion with the specialized power training template listed at the tail end of this article. The reason it works is because you will still develop strength to absorb more power but you will also be avoiding the firing problems that strength work imposes on the neuromuscular system. But unfortunately there are far too many athletes, such as the one mentioned at the end of Part 1 of The Buchenholz Method series, that need to develop a strong base of strength so that they are prepared to handle the demands of the power absorption and the power production training to come. So let me present you with one of our power preparation programs that we have found tremendously successful over the years:

Block 1(1) Session 1: Heavy Eccentrics (N x 5-9 seconds. Control as much weight as possible with a soft touch down to support pins/apparatus.)(2) Session 2: Iso-Miometrics (N x 6-10 reps. 3 second iso-pause between each positive contraction. Emphasis on acceleration out of pause- EXPLODE!)

Block 2(1) Session 1: Max Miometrics (N x 1 rep. Bar lifted from rested position at mid-point of movement. Stress the reduction of time between when you begin to apply force to the bar and when the bar actually begins to move! BLAST it up!)(2) Session2: Oscillatory-Isometrics (N x 25-40 seconds. Focus on achieving as much tension as possible before you strive for as much relaxation as possible. Rebound action should come with minimal effort. Flexreleasespring!)

Program Guidelines: (Alternate from Block 1 to Block 2 every week for 4-6 weeks)

Upon completion of this program (some athletes will need to stay in it longer than others) you will cease all absolute-strength and strength-endurance work and focus on strength-speed, speed-strength, speed-endurance and specific EMS applications. When the goal is power development and on-field results, youd be amazed at how little strength work you actually need! (And as you'll learn in future installments, absolute-strength will inherently rise with my power program.) Some athletes may finish this 4-6 week strength wave (above), move on to my power template and keep pushing up their power numbers for years on end before they have the need to come back to a strength-dominant routine. Others may last only a few months. That's where individual specificity comes into play. Also, when you understand that the average 300 lb bench presser can either peak out his power potential or raise his bench to 442 lb to achieve the same level of performance, you should start to re-think your strength-dominant program (to say the least)! But before we get ahead of ourselves once again, lets address one of the critical elements that makes this training schedule so successful: electrical muscle stimulation.

Electrical Muscle StimulationWhat if there was a way you could reap the rewards of strength training without having to take a step back towards your power development goals? That time is now, friends! You can increase the structural strength of the muscle and bypass the negative neuromuscular after effects of strength work, such as poor rapid-fire function and awful muscle firing characteristics, by simply implementing electrical muscle stimulation (EMS).

We first experimented with EMS as a substitute for absolute-strength and strength-endurance work with our elite soccer players. We divided the team into two groups and had the first group perform the same soccer drills as the second group (both groups continued their regularly scheduled team practices). The only difference was Group 1 performed absolute-strength work in one session and strength-endurance work in a companion session whereas Group 2 performed high intensity electrical muscle stimulation two times per week after each of their two speed/power training sessions (no strength work!). The athletes were tested for absolute-strength on the barbell squat exercise, reactive-strength on the depth jump exercise(electronically measured), and performed various sprints and agility patterns with an automatic timing gates. Not only did the Group 2 (STIM) athletes improve their speed and power abilities exponentially over Group 1 (STRENGTH), but the Group 2 (STIM) athletes actually held their own with the Group 1 (STRENGTH) athletes in the absolute-strength post-test! Whats more, the advantage to the stim group seemingly increased as time went on (which we now attribute to the way we wave load the STIM work and organize the physical contents of training)! Since then we have given up most strength building efforts and have been using a variety of speed, power and external stimulation means to drive up performance at a faster rate.

Why is EMS plus speed and power work so effective? For one, strength work will tell your system to turn on slow and sustain tension. Speed work on the other hand will tell your system to turn on quick and release tension rapidly. These are obviously two completely different neuromuscular programs. Which ones do you want to teach your system? Remember, only the quick to rise, quick to release athlete will survive in elite sports this day and age, so theres really no question that your sports training efforts should center around power development strategies. This is why you have powerlifters calling NFL football players weaklings and bodybuilders toting around in, well, whatever queer-eye outfit their boyfriend-slash-training partner tells them to tote around in (actually that last part had nothing to do with this discussion...I just like ripping on queers, excuse me, "bodybuilders" as the politically-correct police have now taught me how to say it). As a side note, if you were to mix strength and speed in a single training session, single training day, or in "companion session" format the development of each independent element (speed, strength) would decrease since your system doesnt know if it should adapt to the speed stimulus or to the strength stimulus (i.e. increase its rapid-fire ability or increase its strain-time ability). This basically means that you can waste your time training speed and strength together- theres plenty of coaches who do that- but you are going to be holding your strength development back with your speed work and you are going to sabotage your speed development with your strength work! Why work your ass off to go nowhere?

Othe r great benefits of EMS utilization (in place of strength work in your power program) are: (1) allow your system to master technical aspects of sport, which are rooted in perfecting neuromuscular interactions (i.e. if your sprint form sucks then it means your nervous system is wrongly conditioned), (2) increase your ability to absorb more force and, resultantly, (3) absorb and produce more power. Oh yeah, optimizing "muscle-stiffness" as it relates to power performance, as research supports, could be reason number four (if you're counting). Strength work doesnt allow you to do any of this, really. Remember, strength and hypertrophy work are merely used to lead to an increase of power-absorption through an advancement of force absorption potential, if carried over properly. But strength and hypertrophy work will destroy your firing patterns related to high speed of movement and rapid reaction ability which means this carryover is often never realized.

If your relative power output scores are closer to 51% AW 1RM than 74% AW 1RM then there is no question what you need to do with your training: emphasize explosive-strength and explosive-power development methods(a.k.a. Strength-Speed and Speed-Strength Methodics). With the additional EMS sessions you will optimize your muscle stiffness, allow your firing patterns to be synchronized appropriately so that you can increase your rate of force development, increase your ability to absorb more force and power through structural strength and hypertrophy development, and even increase recovery since every high-intensity muscular stimulation session will begin and end with light TENS-tapping of low intensity and extended duration.

Still think its crazy to train for sports without pumping iron? You really need to try this program!

Power Specific Program

Drum roll please....

All the buildup is finally over. But since this article has well exceeded the length I initially intended, what I'm going to do is present the template to you today and then explain some cool points about it in the next installment.(remember: theory before application my friends!) Hell, if you got this far and even understood a thing or two along the way then I strongly applaud you! You have already begun to break the bounds of mediocrity!

Buchenholz Speed-Power TemplateSession 1: Strength-Speed WorkSession 2: Speed-Strength Work and Speed-Endurance Work

Notes: The above work is trained in the morning with the EMS work performed in the evening. (simple, eh?)

In the next "Buchenholz Method" articles we will take a look at specific applications to this program. You will learn:(1) What exercises to use and tips to magnify their effectiveness!(2) Training Tips to make your training sessions max-efficient!(3) Precision EMS and TENS applications that allow this No-Strength Work Power Program" to be more effective than anything youve ever experienced before!

The Buchenholz Method

Volume 3 : EMS Power Program

by Dietrich Buchenholz

Volume 3: EMS Power Program

In 1971 an innovative Russian by the name of Yakov Kots stumbled across a finding that should have swept the world by storm. He found a way to increase an athletes strength by as much as 20% in just a few weeks! So 35 years later, in the year 2004 no less, we have to ask ourselves a few very important questions; (1) Why do so few performance coaches have the slightest idea of what EMS training is?; (2) How come even less know what it does? and; (3) Most importantly, why in the hell do next-to-nil know how and when EMS should be applied? Maybe it's just me but I think it's about damn time we bring you up to speed with current scientific and practical revelations regarding two very important EMS procedures- STIM and TENS! I assure you that after reading this article and applying its content you'll be running around like credit card commercial: EMS, don't leave home without it!What is EMS Training? Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is the practice of using a special unit to send electrical signals to your muscle in order to make it contract. The motor unit (MU) is the functional unit of muscle contraction, with each motor unit containing a single alpha motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it enervates (contracts). The fibers contained in a motor unit grouping are all of the same type and the larger, more powerful muscle fibers (a.k.a. fast-twitch fibers) are typically located closer to the skin surface than the endurance fibers (a.k.a. slow-twitch fibers). Electrode pads are placed over the skin of the muscle with the intent to isolate a specific muscle or sequence of muscles. Its impossible to isolate a single motor unit because any portion of the muscle where you place the pads will potentially activate fibers belonging to 20-50 motor units.

A single motor unit can have anywhere between 3 to 2,000 muscle fibers. Muscles that control fine movements generally have less than 10 fibers per unit whereas muscles responsible for gross movement patterns will typically consist of 100 to 1,000 fibers per motor unit. What many people misunderstand or overlook is that the general recruitment pattern for strength movements is activation of the motor units with the smallest muscle fibers before activation of the motor units with the largest muscle fibers. However, during EMS training this process is generally flip-flopped- the largest and most powerful motor units are recruited first. Again, we're fortunate that the larger motor units are situated closer to the skin surface or else the use of electrode pads to stimulate the muscle (a process known as surface electrical muscle stimulation or sEMS for short) would necessitate a stim unit that could literally penetrate to the bone. Buyers beware: The depth of penetration/contraction is often used as a marketing tactic to get you to buy in to the efficacy of a certain product, but proper recruitment is hardly a problem with most units sold on the market today. Of greater concern is finding a unit like ours that will allow you to painlessly crank up the intensity of contraction.

Hi-Stim Biceps

Even though your nervous system and an EMS unit both use electrical charges to shock your muscle into contraction, the EMS contraction is slightly different than a CNS-driven contraction. For one, when the muscle contracts under sporting/training conditions a wave of force flows through the muscle, especially during ballistic movements. With EMS, the muscle contracts more like an isometric contraction (especially during biphasic mode). But thats okay since your purpose with EMS work is to teach your system to increase its contractile strength, call upon lazy fibers and stimulate structural size and strength development. Your muscles dont know if theyre being recruited by your nervous system, an EMS/TENS unit or even a car battery (idiots beware: a car battery is not a viable substitute for a precision engineered EMS unit, therefore, we accept no responsibility for the death of all dumb-asses who fail to heed this warning)! All your muscle knows is if it gets zapped it needs to contract! If your muscles get zapped enough then the motor unit will increase in fiber count and your fibers will increase in size and strength. There is also a local fat loss phenomenon with EMS that most attribute to the large growth-hormone response. At any rate, the skin-tightening will only continue if you stay consistent with your EMS applications and, even at that, its short-lived.

Our unit comes with two modes: a STIM mode and a TENS mode. When people refer to EMS they are usually talking about stim unless they specifically say otherwise. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) differs from conventional stim in that the electrical current sent to the muscle is associated with extremely deep, penetrating contractions that are preferred for strength-endurance and hypertrophy development, as well as "pre-set recovery". TENS may also be used for light tapping contractions of the muscle which produce rapid recovery between exercise bouts.

Why should I use EMS training?

A muscle can be stimulated from internally-driven means (CNS) or externally-driven means (EMS). Instead of comparing and contrasting the two at this time, I'm simply going to highlight a few of the major benefits of EMS training.

Inverted Size Principle: In classical strength training (relatively heavy weights, relatively low speed of movement) the nervous system will recruit the smaller motor units of the muscle first and ramp up to recruitment of the larger motor units last, particularly as fatigue sets in (this is known as the "size principle"). However during EMS training, along with a few select internally-driven training means, this process is flip-flopped: the faster and larger motor units are recruited preferentially over the slower and smaller motor units. However, it's important to understand that the larger motor units and their associated fibers have a lower work threshold than their smaller, less powerful counterparts.

Increased Fast-Twitch Fiber Count: It cannot be understated how important it is to raise your fast-twitch muscle fiber count. EMS training allows you to reap this reward two ways: large-fiber conversion and new large-fiber generation (growth). Consequently, virtually every athlete competing in speed, strength or power related events should adopt EMS training for this sole purpose. It should also be pointed out that the opposite fiber composition adaptation can occur. Round the clock EMS treatments at low intensity and low frequency have been found to convert fast-twitch fibers to slow-twitch fibers.

Enhanced Strength: Even though published research has found that when training intensities between EMS and resistance training (voluntary contractions) are set equal that the strength gains between the two are insignificant (that is, you can get just as strong in the same amount of time with either method) with rehab patients, and aside from trusting Yakov Kots' research (or any other research publication for that matter), we wanted to see what EMS training could do with our athletes in "the real world". The first thing we did was exclude all training work to find out exactly what EMS training was capable of accomplishing all by itself. After a 4 week period of internally-driven training exclusion (read: no strength training) we determined that EMS training, by itself, consistently produced 20-30% gains in strength with all of our heatlhy "test subjects". We later found that EMS training combined with strength training in the same working set allowed for significantly greater weight to be lifted with all types of lifters (novice, intermediate and advanced)- with some enhancements being as large as 30-40%! This clearly shows that the strength of contraction achieved with EMS training taps into a realm that cannot be voluntarily produced. As suspected, EMS training performed in the same training block as strength training produced significantly greater results than those who trained with either EMS training or strength training means alone.

Muscle Re-education and Development: Studies surrounding the denervation of muscle recruitment (particularly following trauma) have found through computerized tomography and electromyogram analysis that muscle recruitment significantly increases with EMS training. Moreover, an increase in muscular size in injured and healthy subjects has been found to be created through muscular growth as well as muscular regeneration. Further research suggests that faulty movement patterns may be corrected through EMS training.

Increase Contraction Rate: One of the biggest problems a performance coach faces is teaching the athlete how to read and respond rapidly. This process is usually not limited to the ability of the athlete to receive ample biofeedback of surrounding sport actions but rather the ability to turn his muscles on quick enough to respond to the stimulus in due time. This delay from sensory recognition and physical response is simply known as reaction time. Research from 25 years ago told us that EMS training at ample frequency and intensity will increase the ability of the muscle to achieve peak-twitch quicker, but how many of us actually listened? In my previous article (The Buchenholz Method part 2) we discussed the importance of gaining force absorption with EMS training without disrupting the time-to-peak-twitch properties of the neuromuscular system. That is important to understand for speed-power athletes because the strength gains (force absorption abilities in particular) gained with EMS would severely disrupt the athletes "muscle firing" properties if voluntary contractions (resisted/weight training) were used instead. While this doesn't suggest that speed-power athletes should never strength train, it does help explain why athletes who train on our Power Program with EMS applications were able to achieve greater performance increases and sustain these increases over a longer period of time than any other training strategy. The essential point to understand here is that you want to negate negative peak-twitch and twitch-decay augmentations that strength training inherently induce in the speed-power athlete. In other words, athletes need to turn it on just as quick as they can turn it off yet do so with tremendous power and force. EMS training helps develop these abilities.

Restorative Applications: EMS training, especially when set at low frequency and in monophasic mode, may dramatically increase blood supply to a specific muscle group (as much as a 200% increase!). This pumping effect is not only great for recovery but great for stage-preparation of bodybuilders as well. Other noteworthy restorative benefits of EMS training include: lowered mean tension of the muscle, reduced muscle spasm activity, reduced pain and swelling, increased range of motion, enhanced neural recovery between working sessions, better regulation of hormone secretion, and enhanced electrical cell communication- all of which lead to advanced neural, energetical and muscular supercompensation between training bouts.

Ramped TENS Quad

What else should I know about EMS training?

Since we've highlighted a few benefits of EMS training it's only fair that we take a look at the other side of the issue. Specifically, here are a few things to look out for after you've adopted an EMS training regimen.

Temporary Reduction in Local Work Capacity: Since EMS training bypasses the nervous system it's only possible to fry-out your muscles, not your nervous system. This is important to understand because a lot of athletes actually need more muscular work after their nervous system has achieved its optimal level of fatigue. Nevertheless, due mostly to your systems "acceptance" of the inverted size principle and fiber conversion attributes of EMS training, work capacity may initially take a plunge. Not only should you recognize this with your AREG management techniques but you should regulate it using these same volume management strategies. Again, the larger motor units aren't as fatigue resistant as their smaller counterparts. Now as you revert back to the muscle re-education phenomenon discussed above, make note that an athlete who can never fatigue, say, his pectorals with bench presses (even though his anterior deltoids and triceps will be well spent after the workout) will find that EMS training of his pectorals will cause them to receive the greatest training effect, thereby achieving fatigue first in his bench press training session. Noteworthy to you "volume freaks" out there who think more is always better, this athletes pectorals will actually strengthen quicker than his shoulders and triceps during this process. Without AREG I strongly doubt many trainees would be able to guess well enough to allow for these positive adaptations to occur. Rather, they'd probably end up going until they get the usual burning sensation in their shoulders before they stop counting sets- assuming they don't tear a pec first! I guess I should also point out that it used to be believed that the increased muscular workload of the EMS training addition was the culprit to this temporary loss in work capacity. However, we now know that the inverted size principle and fiber conversion properties of EMS training are the main fuels to this fire. But it's nothing to be alarmed about as long as you stick to your AREG plan. EMS training or not, you still follow the same process: strive to raise your absolute capacity ("initial") and work capacity (number of sets above drop-off). Experienced AREG users will already know that a huge jump in absolute capacity generally corresponds to a temporary loss in work capacity, so don't expect this trend to be broken when you add EMS to the mix. After all, you may raise your absolutes and work capacity scores concurrently, just like you surely have in the past when following my training system- but the only way to do this safely and effectively is with AREG. Enough said, let's move on...

Recommended for Professional Use Only: EMS training should be carried out by properly trained personnel only! I say this for the safety of the patient/athlete as well as to protect all of us here at Inno-Sport from all the knuckleheads out there! Employing a coach without previous EMS working knowledge is just as dumb as hiring a personal trainer who has never stepped foot in a gym. Another reason why I'm driving home this message is because the results and integrity of EMS training are at stake every time an unqualified person adopts and implements EMS training without knowing what the hell he is doing. Ever see a guy claim that squats are bad for the back only to later see how awful his squat technique is? Same thing! Precision pad placement as well as various pad placement techniques, volume of applications, in addition to a multitude of other considerations that I'm not going to address here must be understood prior to the engagement of EMS in your training. Simply stated, just because you work in the "transportation business" does not mean you are qualified to run an EMS training camp. I say this out of jest because for reasons I'll probably never understand all the morons of this world somehow end up working in the "transportation industry". Truck drivers, gas station attendants, car wash guys, windshield repair men, tow truck drivers, taxi cab drivers, motor vehicle department employees, etc...they're all idiots! So, in other words, all you idiots out there (C'mon, you know who you are), don't injure someone because of your own stupidity. Thank you! If nothing else, at least use yourself as the guinea pig before dumping what you think are proper EMS methods on your athletes.

For More Precautions and Information: Please refer to the 16 page manual that comes with each of our dual-EMS (STIM plus TENS) units.

Restorative TENS Biceps

What do all these knobs mean?When you get your dual unit (EMS and TENS) in the mail the first thing you want to do is open it up and get familiar with your unit! Don't just open the box and stare at it like an animal in the zoo, bring it out into the open and familiarize yourself with the unit through hands on applications. The first thing you'll want to do is understand what all of those knobs staring back at you actually mean and what their functions are. Here's a quick reference guide for you to use as you are gaining your hands on experience:

Stim vs TENS: Our units come with two contraction mode settings, stim-mode and tens-mode. "Stim" is short for "stimulation" and "TENS" stands for "transcutaneous electro-nerve stimulation". The major difference between the two from a practical application standpoint is that the stim mode results in a sustained contraction whereas the tens mode, depending upon adjustment of the rate/frequency dial, allows you to "tap" the muscle more like a reactive contraction. For all major purposes, the stim mode is designed for strength development, contraction rate development and reconditioning of the system to adopt the inverted-size principle and fiber composition traits previously mentioned. The tens mode is more like reactive, or plyometric contractions in that each contraction is intermitted with a brief period of muscular relaxation (tension release). Its use is mostly for muscular development and restoration procedures.

Alternating/Reciprocating vs Normal: Alternating mode means that the unit will reciprocate between turning on the odd numbered channels and the even numbered channels. For instance, you could set the electrode pads associated with your odd numbered channels on your biceps and pads associated with the even numbered channels on your triceps and the machine will contract your biceps (odd channel activation) then turn off for a brief period before it turns on your even numbered channels, thus contracting only your triceps as your biceps get a breather. The process is much like super-setting between agonist and antagonist muscle pairings in the weight room. We generally prefer to manually control this process, but the availability to raise the efficiency of your workouts with this automatic function is there if you choose to use it.

Monophasic vs Biphasic: Monophasic mode means that the electric current flows in one direction (positive electrode pad to negative electrode pad) whereas biphasic mode means that the current will travel in both directions. Biphasic mode is recommended during stim applications, especially if the electrode pad spacing is relatively large, because a more equal distribution of motor unit activation will occur. Monophasic mode is better suited for tens applications where the relaxation between contractions is desired to a greater extent, but it may also be used during stim applications if you want to control the initial wave of force/contraction through the muscle (this process is more specific to actual sporting and training movements).

Frequency/Rate Control: The rate of electrical impulses sent to your muscles (measured in Hertz) is controlled by adjusting this dial up or down. The general rule of thumb is the lower the rate the deeper the penetration, which results in a stronger contraction sensation. Raising the frequency/rate eventually results in more skin surface irritation and less contraction strength of the desired musculature. You should therefore use the highest frequency that your personally find produces the strongest contraction with virtually no skin irritation. (skin irritation can also be caused by improper pad placement; i.e. a "stinging" sensation with stim mode and a "pinching" sensation with tens mode)

Intensity Control: this dial is adjustable from values of 1 to 10. Simple enough, the closer the intensity dial is set to 10 the stronger the resultant contraction.

Contraction and Relaxation Settings: our units come with two dials that allow you to control your contraction durations and relaxation durations. The contraction dial is adjustable all the up to 45 seconds and the relaxation dial is adjustable up to 75 seconds.

Timer Switch: this dial allows you to set your workout time, if you desire, as well as simply turn the unit "on" and "off".

Power Source: you have the option of using the DC adaptor that comes with your unit and/or you can make your unit portable by filling it with the prescribed amount of D-cell batteries.

Loaded Ab Stim

What methods of EMS training should I use?There are three basic methods of electrical muscle stimulation we use, each of which serves a specific purpose: high intensity muscle STIM (HI STIM), Ramped TENS and Restorative TENS applications.

HI STIM: The high intensity stim contractions are usually performed 6-8 hours after the training session (so as to allow the nervous system to re-stabilize, which is important for supercompensation), but it may also be used during strength training exercises themselves and generally 5-8 minutes before plyometric activities. Since this article is a beginner's guide to EMS training we will focus our attention on the standard procedure of waiting 6-8 hours after your training session. Just like the ramped-Tens applications, you will "warm-up" the muscle tissue and raise your motor unit response by starting the session with low to moderate intensity TENS in monophasic mode with a frequency of roughly 60Hz. As you go through this process make special note of the strength of your muscle contractions. At first the contractions will be very modest. You know your muscle is prepared for the workout when the strength of contraction increases (remember: don't adjust your intensity dial). For most muscle groups the intensity dial will be set at around 3-5 and the warm-up process may take between 2-5 minutes. Generally speaking, you want to continue the light tens-tapping for approximately one minute after the contraction strength picks up. Then you will take a brief break as you set your unit in stim mode, biphasic mode and adjust the frequency dial to around 100Hz(individual muscles and respective athletes will vary). Then, stim the muscle at the highest intensity you can tolerate for 5-10 seconds. These contractions are performed in the stretch, so you will need to anchor your active limbs appropriately to restrict movement. If you work from agonist to antagonist (if applicable) and then to ipso-lateral to contra-lateral muscles (i.e. right hamstrings to right quadriceps to left hamstrings to left quadriceps) then your rest intervals between same motor unit firing will be covered. Nevertheless, the general rule is to allow an average of 90 seconds between contractions of the same muscle tissue. There isn't AREG applications for singular session HI STIM sessions so there are two ways to regulate the amount of work imposed: (1) as soon as the contraction weakens within the set terminate any additional work, (2) instinctively regulate your volume by way of feel. The first option is preferred and, in fact, most athletes should be able to tell you when the "contraction-feel" changes. Either they will have difficulty sustaining the contraction for the desired time frame (i.e. 10 seconds) or the peak contraction obtained at equal intensity will become less intense. Both are signals of muscle fatigue, and the reason you want to stop the session as soon as fatigue hits is so that you can keep your fiber conversion (i.e. IIA to IIB) high and foster the ability to relinquish the inverted size principle in your internally-driven training sessions (i.e. DUR, MAG, RATE sessions). As a side note: it takes very little stimulation to achieve this level of fatigue with your fast-twitch fibers- especially you're new to EMS. Each session is ended with 10-20 minutes of light tens-tapping of the muscle at low-to-moderate intensity and relatively low frequency in monophasic mode.

Ramped-TENS: This EMS session is optionally performed the day after your fundamental training session and HI STIM training day. Set your unit in tens and monophasic mode and after warming up (described above) you will set the rate dial at about 45-60 Hz and then crank up the intensity dial, quickly, to the highest intensity you can tolerate. After 10 seconds of this relatively high-intensity tapping you will immediately ramp up the rate dial to as high as you can tolerate (the muscle will go from a reactive to a sustained contraction). These, unlike the HI STIM contractions, are performed free-limbed; meaning, there is no need to inhibit the limb from going into contraction. After ten seconds of high rate you will ramp the rate dial back down, repeating the process 5-10 times. Your muscle should feel extremely pumped, or "jacked" as we call it, after this extended set. This work is good for muscular and energetical hypertrophy, and it helps to decrease the economic cost of movement (i.e. decreases the amount of oxygen required to contract the muscle, which is very important for a wide range of sports) when returning to internally-driven training. The process is also surprisingly good for recovery between training sessions and repair of damaged tissue, not to mention the regeneration of new functional tissue. Beginners should start out with one set per muscle group and advanced athletes may work up from there. A sample intermediate to advanced ramped tens wave over a 3 week EMS block (6 sessions) would be: 1, 1, 3, 3, 1, 1... or 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1.(*each number dictates number of sets per muscle group) Each session is ended with 10-20 minutes of light tens-tapping of the muscle at low-to-moderate intensity and relatively low frequency in monophasic mode.

Restorative-TENS: The third phase of our EMS sequence involves restorative tens. This is nothing more than the low-to-moderate intensity, relatively low frequency tapping of the muscle in monophasic mode that you perform before and after HI STIM and Ramped-TENS sessions. These may be performed during your "off" training days, between working sets, or even occasionally during your EMS-off weeks. The general procedure for restoration between exercise sessions is 10-20 minutes of low intensity, low frequency tapping of the muscle. This will release muscle tension and hormone secretion, bring about an enhanced state of relaxation and a promoted state of central (CNS) and local (muscle) system recovery. In a nutshell, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single restorative application that is more effective than this one! Prove it to yourself: restorative-tens one half of your body for two successive days and notice how quickly that side of your body recovers versus the opposing half of your body following an intense workout.

Ramped TENS Biceps

Additional Guidelines

The EMS Power Program is preferably used in conjunction with my Power Template, but it may also be used with my Strength Template depending upon the state and needs of the particular athlete in question. In either case, it is recommended that a 1-3 week EMS block be rotated with a 1-3 week block of training absent EMS work. This will allow you to retain the effectiveness of the EMS procedures, allow your system to adapt to all the neuromuscular changes that EMS training produces, give you the opportunity to re-structure your training plan, and resolve a strategy from these "off weeks" findings. For instance, you shouldn't train every muscle in your body during every EMS training block. You should only concentrate on the muscles that need reconditioning and/or restructuring. Let me give you a personal example:

I used to be one of those guys who couldn't develop his chest no matter how much pressing work he did. My shoulders and triceps took the brunt of the load and, consequently, grew out of proportion to my pectorals development. Not only was this aesthetically displeasing, but my bench press eventually stalled as a result. After one block of EMS training exclusively on my pectorals (note: I didn't have the need to include my triceps or anterior deltoids, etc) my pectorals, due to the preferential activation phenomenon and fiber conversion occurrence, started to fatigue before my triceps and shoulders in a bench training session for the first time in my life! Before I knew it, my pecs were the strength of my bench press and my triceps started to become my weak link. We have found that the positive effects of EMS training extend well beyond the cessation period of their work, which means that I was able to use one of my subsequent EMS blocks to bring up my shoulders and triceps into uniformity with my newfound pectorals development.

So a word to the wise: only train what is needed. Your results will be retained for longer than you think. In the end, not only will your body thank you...but your results will thank you as well!

Hi-Stim Quad

Restorative TENS Quad

In the next EMS article I will get more in depth about application procedures as well as offer more training tips that will help you troubleshoot any EMS training problems you may be experiencing.

AutoRegulatory Training Volume I

by Dietrich Buchenholz

The individual control and systematic manipulation of volumetric management is largely dependant upon the proper integration of critical training variables. Specifically, these elements that must be monitored in training for sport can be generally classified into the broad category of measurement. Training frequency, repetitions, sets, load, force, velocity, time, tension, magnitude of neuromuscular impulse, etc., are a few of the factors that have been found beneficial, both in singular and coupled applications. Adding precision to individual control of these variables with practical rationale for integration into the super compensatory process is known as Auto regulatory Training, or simply the Drop-Off Method. Individual uniqueness is precisely located and accounted for in the ongoing management of such elements, resulting in a personalized model of volumetric control. Repetition and sub maximal integration, absolute and capacitol integers, frequency and work related issues, and drop-off margins as they relate to the end product of sporting form are all part of the omnipotent equation that yields success. Matching training practice to the neuromuscular involvement in sport, expediting on-field results as a state of overwork is avoided, tabulating prime and pinnacle capacities of work, and bringing all of the aforementioned into an easy to manage system is the foundation of training practice. This is what you are about to learn.

The extent to which auto regulatory applications have been used to defy scientific rationale is literally shocking. I will break down some of the more readily available concepts so that immediate integration may be used, as time will no longer be sacrificed in training. As many have found out on their own, time is irreplaceable in preparation for sport. Initial level of preparedness, adaptability rate of a given organism, training efficiency, and the duration (time) available to increase sporting results are the major elements that will determine what one will accomplish. This article is intended to save you time in future preparation work as it focuses on training efficiency and its' relationship to adaptability rate.

Even though I can't say that they are the most important factors in preparation for all sports, the most widely malpracticed integers of volume management are sets, reps, and training frequency. We are going to concentrate on the absolute integers of sets and repetitions and relate them to the capacitol integer of sets, evaluating repetition and sub maximal integration methods.

The implementation of auto regulatory training may be adhered using drop-off margin (percent) integration. For the most typical window of training construction(1-20 reps per set), I have found a high correlation with corresponding percent values for three different brackets of work. 0-6 repetitions (note: 0 reps is needed for application) yield a drop-off margin strength of 3-5% per repetition, the 6-12 rep range holds a 2-3% value, and 12-20 reps each produce a 1-2% drop-off value. These numbers represent two important extrapolations: 1RM charts are obsolete and the work-frequency relationship is recognized in the application of the rule of thirds. Whether one wishes to regulate frequency off of work or manipulate work off of frequency it is easily manageable with these principles.

The rule of thirds is an application that simply gives a baseline in which direction may be garnished. As long as one understands that it only yields a starting point to which future training protocols may be derived, and that it is not a perfect calculation for every athlete all of the time than it may be used advantageously. Depending upon specificity of an athletes unique circadian cycle, nocturnal pattern, biorhythmic cycle, ergogenic assistive application, etc., some will need to train above or below this determined value, whereas some will find the rule of thirds to directly apply to them. Regardless, the rule of thirds states that it will take an athlete a third of the drop-off margin (percent value) in days to be able to duplicate the work again (recovery), and it will take an additional third to peak the super compensatory cycle. I have implemented this basic template to set up drop-off margins and training frequency scales for numerous eventual Olympic medallist. In doing so, the correlation for such application has been found acceptable for athletes that train every 3-12 days (same motor unit involvement), and the correlation reaches its' highest significance for a frequency scale of every 5-8 days.

The repetition method and the sub maximal method are two means to which training may be implemented. Both methods can and will eventually produce identical drop-off margins but the distinguishing traits of each are important for various athletes, sports, and positions. The repetition method means that the athlete performs the given work for each set to the utmost of his potential at that particular moment in training. The sub maximal method is critically different because the system analysis of such application reveals that after an initial value is obtained, the desired drop-off margin is tabulated into the commensurate sets until this work becomes maximal. The first and last sets of the two regimes may be similar, but the middle working sets influence the neuromuscular system to various degrees. Furthermore, the volume of work (sets) that is achieved before the drop-off margin is realized is referred to as pinnacle capacity of work when dealing with the repetition method, and prime capacity of work when a reference is made to the quantity of sub maximal work.

Analyzing the game responsibilities of a starting pitcher and a closing pitcher in baseball will add clarity to this issue. The starter will throw an estimated 110 pitches per game with only 5% of those being maximal effort, as maximal velocity is better reserved for critical situations. A closer, on the other hand, will generally only throw around 15 pitches but all will be at maximal velocity/effort. Both pitchers may achieve the same percent drop-off, measured as remaining velocity off of initial, but through two entirely different neuromuscular task dependencies. The training effect will obviously also be different, resulting from each, and this understanding is essential for applying training practice to sport situations.

Information is only a waste of breath and/or space unless it can be readily applied in a practical environment. Let's take an athlete that bench presses 300 lbs for 10 reps in his first working set. If this athlete trains every four days then we will apply the rule of thirds to garnish a starting value of 6%. This starting point for volume management may be calculate into the load or the repetitions, or a combination of the two. The end result is 282 lbs and 7-8 reps, using simple math off the initial load and using the rep range chart for drop-off margins. The repetition method would entail the athlete to lift 300 lbs for each set until only 7-8 reps are attainable, or to decrease bar poundage as fatigue from each set is realized (maintaining 10 reps per set) until 282 lbs is left on the bar. In either case, the number of sets should be monitored and recorded as this integer represents the pinnacle capacity of work. If the sub maximal method is implemented then all sets after the initial should either calculate in the drop-off margin for the load or reps to be used as the working stimulus. This would entail lifting 282 lbs until 10 reps is maximal or repeating sets with 300 lbs and 7 reps until this is limit.

Any work that relies on reps and load, in any of the three drop-off rep brackets, may be used to precisely implement volume (sets) and a training frequency scale. Some athletes continuously improve only if they manipulate frequency off of work (drop-off margin), others find that a predetermination of drop-off margins (control) as they commensurate to their desired training frequency to work best, and many trainees can only continue improving if they rotate work and frequency dominance-responsibility in different training stages.

The simplicity is to use the rule of thirds to establish a starting point, implement repetition or sub maximal work to match sporting demand and current fitness level, and regulate the pinnacle capacity of work and the prime capacity of work in relationship to your specific adaptability rate. This is how volume is managed, frequency is governed, and work is analyzed. Through this process, the answers for lack of strength development are readily available.

AutoRegulatory Training Volume II

by Dietrich Buchenholz

The training process must include a critical and determined degree of fatigue, followed by an appropriate duration to which Reserve Strength may be elicited. This is where scientific wisdom falters and practical experience establishes means to which context may be derived. Super compensation may be accelerated or hindered, and often times athletes neglect to fully understand the management of such, let alone a corresponding application of these critical elements to which training relies. Depending upon the sport and individual, a direct or derivative expression of force, tension, and/or speed must be implemented. Each unique facet may be appropriately intertwined into the network of expedited precision of human performance enhancement. Accelerating super compensation while applying beneficial prescriptions as deteriorating products and by-products are avoided, implementing the proper stimulus with complete precision in terms of volume, investigating Singular-Residual and Complex-Residual phenomena, integrating capacity of work scales and frequency modulation patterns, and incorporating the sum of gathering data will clarify scientific contradiction, explain failure of improvement, and will expedite results to the utmost of human adaptability rate.

There is dependence upon which segment of performance is trained with the application of residual fatigue management. In Auto regulatory Training Part 1, strategies were introduced as to how the management of fatigue and adaptation may be regarded for an athlete dealing with load, sets, and reps. There are many extrapolations to this phenomena, but in focusing solely on the strength athlete we may direct attention to important topics. Residual training effects must be monitored under singular and complex formats and later calculated into the drop off margin. Especially as an athlete progresses to higher levels of competition, precision must be carefully implemented to all aspects of the training process.

The residual fatigue under the singular emphasis is typically 2-3%. This means that a drop off margin of 6% really represents about an 8.5% drop off. More specifically, when calculating drop off margins it is important to produce three expressions for each localized group of motor units. The first is a direct prediction, explained in the previous article. Secondly, the estimation of singular residual fatigue should be tabulated. This is done by recognizing your individual fatigue rate through practical experience of specified brackets of work or by by using the generic value of 2.5%. The accuracy of the singular residual fatigue sum tabulation takes experience to implement properly but is the precision to which an advanced athlete must regard fatigue and frequency working relationships.

Direct fatigue and singular residual fatigue are important, but one must also monitor complex residual fatigue. Direct and singular residual fatigue both represent the degree (magnitude) of the training influence for a specified group of motor units. Complex residual fatigue is the ability to project drop off margins from a composite group of motor units to a more localized sector of neuromuscular constituents. In the bench press the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps are obviously subject to a training effect. However, when a 6% drop off is realized in a multi-joint movement such as this then the registration value of each local group of motor units (muscle groups) is unknown precisely. In theory, it could be all or none. For instance, a 6% drop off in the bench press could be the result of a 6% loss in function of the triceps with 0% deterioration values for the pectorals and deltoids. Ongoing scientific studies, as well as a logical analysis, prove this theory to be a high rarity, but understanding the availability of such is important information. This X-Factor of direct and singular residual fatigue for a localized group of motor units, resulting from one to multiple movements of single joint and/or multiple joint combinations, promotes a few important extrapolations. The debate from contradicting scientific literature regarding single joint versus multiple joint movements is one arena that a full understanding and implementation of the localized drop off margin tabulation will clarify misunderstanding. If one applies synonymous degrees of training influence, residual and direct, for single or multiple joint actions than the end product will also be similar, assuming that a commensurate frequency scale is equal among other factors. Motor units adapt to the degree to which they are stimulated regardless of how many joint axis are involved. Another important note resulting from residual fatigue understanding is that a localized drop off margin must be established in order to systematically integrate a frequency scale.

Misinformation is common to circulate in deeper investigations of the training effect, especially as immediate neuromuscular manipulation is implemented. One such case involves the successive set routine of agonist and antagonist pairing. In saving time by not addressing all the irrational theory's available, the factual information regarding this type of working regime on the human organism is multi-faceted. Antagonist inhibition will decrease as a result of fatigue to those working motor units that reciprocate the agonist action. This is an important finding for several reasons. The capacity of work attainable for an equal magnitude of fatigue compared to otherwise natural circumstances, with pinnacle or prime method administration, will be greater with a successive set routine of reciprocal movement actions. As this capacity of work is elevated through neuromuscular manipulation it is important to distinguish the difference between such circumstances and the Natural Fatigue scale. The degree of stimulus may appear to be identical if one analyzes merely the drop off margin, but the ability to generate increased volumes of work is substantially adequate to understand that there is more than one fatigue scale available for management and manipulation in training. One must address these factors in training to ensure accuracy in fatigue and frequency association models, with the advanced athlete it is one area where increases concentration should reside.

The degree to which compensation raises above initial is proportionate to the degree to which fatigue is administered. If an appropriate frequency scale is utilized in accordance to a thorough evaluation of all training effects stimulated then the equivocal value of fatigue can and will be present in a super compensatory degree. Specifically, a 6% drop off from initial in training should yield a 6% elevation from initial the very next training session. However, adaptability rate and tolerance to intricate magnitudes of stimulus is an oscillatory function of the neuromuscular apparatus and should not be perceived as stable. It is the margin of error (oscillatory driven) in determining the exact adaptability rate of a specific individual in a specific training session that eludes perfect implementation of developing a reciprocating value of Reserve Strength, compared to the magnitude of fatigue stimulation. Nevertheless, if one is falling well below this reciprocating reserve value then the fatigue and frequency relationship is inappropriate for that athlete at that given time in training. A margin of error is expected but anything exceeding 1.5% is considered extreme fallacy.

Accelerating super compensation is critical to off set the determent of time. Aside from substances that are banned in international competition, there are many ways to promote reserve strength development. These range from psychological to physiological, and complexity of administration matches the training process for serious athletes. Only 30% of a coach's concentration should be on training, the remaining majority is spent to raise performance. Simply stated, if you are spending more than a third of your strategic efforts towards developing fatigue implementation (decrease performance) for a training session then your hindrance is due to a lack of addressing the performance raising capabilities outside of training (supercompensatory effects). Chronologically speaking, there should be only 2.14% spent on training with the other 97.86% working on super compensation. This topic of accelerating adaptation is the topic of a future article.

Dynamic Minimization

by Dietrich Buchenholz

Setting many factors aside, one of the things that separates elite athletes with less-proficient athletes is their ability to intricately mix and match static and dynamic contractions in the same movement. Sprinting and jumping ability are just two examples, of many, that rely on static-dynamic combinations in the same effort(i.e. different muscle groups performing different functions). Some may write it off as just poor form- but technique training, alone, will only get you so far. The best approach, and the one that I have used on numerous occasions with tremendous success, is the practice of alternating technical training sessions with functional training sessions. In this article I will try and relay the concept of dynamic minimization to you, relating it to sprint speed development and jumping ability development, tying it all in to the aforementioned training template.

The Plyometric EffectWe know that all single joint actions (in sport and in training) can be categorized as, either, static or dynamic- isometric vs plyometric. That is, unless a joint action doesnt involve movement then it is classified as static/isometric; all other work can be loosely categorized as dynamic/plyometric(a.k.a. reactive). In other words, anything that exploits the plyometric effect- even to the slightest degree- is a reactive contraction.

Rest a bar on support pins in a squat rack at the bottom position of your squat. Load the bar up until you establish a max single(the most weight you can handle while still being able to squat up from this rested-start position to the top of the movement). Then, compare how much weight you used there versus what you can handle in a more conventional down-and-up squat movement. Notice the difference? Undoubtedly, the down-and-up(PIM) version will smoke the weight used in the postive-only(MIO) version. The difference between the two(PIM weight minus the MIO weight) represents a practical definition of the plyometric effect for you, as an individual(i.e. the added benefit you are receiving from the pre-stretch mechanisms of the PIM version). So not only does this show you that plyometric work is not strictly correlated to only high-speed or high-power movement but that it is literally involved in the far majority of sporting actions in existence(speed, power, force and strength training). Also, you should now be able to practically distinguish the difference between voluntary contractions and reactive contractions- 'voluntary' being absent the plyometric effect and 'reactive' exploiting the plyometric effect to variable degrees. Moreover, as force increases, generally speaking, the reactive contribution(neuro-electric 'reflexive firing' and mechanical 'stretch reflexes') increases. This is why a 100 mph fastball is not necessarily thrown from a strong athlete and why a big squatter does not mean a fast runner! Force and strength are not synonymous- force relies on speed of movement, strength does not.

Interestingly enough, even though sprinting and jumping are typically (loosely) defined as being reactive in nature, and a divide is usually drawn between plyometric and isometric work, all plyometric work consists of isometric work. That is, movement cannot turn-around and switch directions unless it first stops in the direction it was initially headed. This means that every reactive contraction will have an isometric contraction at the point where movement is reversed. Every joint action in the body abides by this principles, too, so that should make it easy for you to remember. It should also now be easy for you to recognized that transitional ability is reliant upon a variable degree of static strength- of which parlay's into balancing muscle-stiffness versus elasticity when looking to magnify the degree of 'plyometric effect' registered per movement.

Moreover, since the term plyometric work' encompasses such a broad scope of training applications, it is important to sub-divide this group into more manageable, accurate modalities. For instance, we took all the work that incorporates the greatest amount of reactive contribution(a.k.a. plyometric effect) to movement and dumped these methods in the neuro-magnitude modality; we took all the moderate reactive accompanied work and stamped it in the neuro-rate modality, and put all of the negligible plyometric work in the neuro-duration modality(as tediously described in The Sports Book). That is, except for isometric work, all other forms of work are really just variations of plyometric work. For instance, if we were to draw a line(from left to right), with the left end being neuro-rate and the right end being neuro-duration(neuro-magnitude falls in between the two), then we can benchmark a few important training methods along the path- RFI, RA, REA, and OI. Reflexive-firing isometrics(RFI) are a neuro-rate entity, reactive acceleration(RA) work is on the border between neuro-rate and neuro-magnitude, the reactive(REA) method falls on the line between neuro-magnitude and neuro-duration, while OI work is placed in the neuro-duration modality. All of which exploit the plyometric effect, just to variable degrees along this continuum.

Technical AspectDue to the fact that this article is really about dynamic minimization and not 'technique training', per say, Ill keep this section brief. Sprinting and jumping, alike, require as little wasted movement as possible for proficient performance. That is, all things equal, the guy with the best technique wins. One of the most important factors in this regard is to keep everything in-line as much as possible. In sprinting, this means that your hips should open-up as little as possible. (By open-up I mean that your knees and feet should not veer out as your run) For instance, if youre analyzing an athlete sprinting directly towards you then you should see very little of the in step of his foot(inside of his shoe) and, even at that, his knee-caps should be facing towards you at all times. This is not to say that the foot will not swing out(hip abduction) ever so slightly and then back in(hip adduction) as the leg goes from recovery to ground contact, or that no external rotation of the hips will exist(even with world class sprinters), but just that these superfluous actions should be kept to a minimum. Jumpers should also follow suit- watch for wasted hip, knee and ankle action. Statistically, an athlete who runs or jumps with his knees out is likely to have one of the following problems:

His hip muscles(i.e. glutes) and knee extensors(i.e. quads) are being over-relied on; he is not activating his hamstrings properly during hip extension and/or he has poor knee extension, ankle flexion(i.e. calves), and/or toe flexion(i.e.