|
|
By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
|
During a golf clinic I recently
attended, the instructor told us: "If there's one thing
I'd like you to come away with today it's that 'every ball
counts.'"
That's very sound advice for
any golfer looking to lower his score, and it also made me
think of parallels to lifting. As a recreational golfer, I
typically hit 60 balls during a practice session at the range.
Sometimes I'll hit 90 or 120 balls. Over the course of a week
I probably hit about 350 balls. Professional golfers take
far more shots than this, and some reportedly hit 1000 balls
a day.
|
 |
Now as competitive lifters we can't
take 1000 reps a day- not even close. And even if, over the course
of an extremely high-volume workout, you managed 300 reps, across
all exercises and including warm-up sets, the only reps that really
"count" are those done on the competitive exercise(s)
at 90% intensity or above.
With that in mind, if you're a powerlifter,
and it's "squat day," how many total squat reps are you
likely to take (that are 90% or more of your current 1RM) during
that workout?
Three? Five? Eight?
Just to make the math easier, let's
say you're a complete maniac and you get 10 meaningful reps per
workout on whatever competitive exercise you happen to be doing.
Then consider the following question:
If "every ball counts" during
a 1000 rep workout, how much more does "every rep count"
during a 10-rep workout? Obviously, it's 100 times more relevant,
just based on that simple comparison. Then add the fact that "bad"
reps in the weightroom can also compromise your personal safety,
and the importance is magnified even further.
So if we agree that every rep counts,
it might be worth considering what we really mean by "counts."
For example, if your best deadlift is 440-pounds, what criteria
do you use to assess quality on all of your 396-pound and heavier
pulls? In my mind, there are at least four possible ways to define
"counts" on any given rep:
1) Completion: You complete
the lift, irrespective of speed and/or technique
2) Technically Accurate Completion:
You complete the lift using good technical skills, irrespective
of speed.
3) Fast Technically Accurate Completion:
You complete the lift using good speed and technical execution.
|
|
4) Competition-Specific, Fast Technically Accurate
Completion: You complete the lift using good speed and
technical execution. The distinction between this level
and the previous category is that here, you do everything
possible to mimic contest conditions. Possible ways to accomplish
this might include wearing competitive apparel and gear,
strictly abiding by competitive rules, carefully mimicking
likely rest-intervals between lifts and attempts, lifting
in front of spectators, and/or generating a competition-specific
level of psychological intensity. This is the highest level
of "counts."
As you consider which standard
of quality you should use to define "counts,"
be sure to consider the challenges involved in accurately
measuring the various components of each level. For example,
it
is possible to measure lifting speed, but it's much
more difficult to quantify things like intensity and acceptable
technique.
Please join me in the conversation!
If you'd like to add your own perspectives on this topic,
click the comments link below and share your thoughts with
us!
|
|
|
|
Got a Website, Blog
or Newsletter?
CLICK HERE to learn how you can republish
Charles Staley's
articles on your site for free!
|
 |
|
About
The Author
|
His colleagues call him
an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients
call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability
to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself
a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout
school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods
are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious
results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing
demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The
TODAY Show and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s
circuit, with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009
Master’s World Championships.
|
|
Learn
More About
EDT Training!
You can
build muscle and strength and burn fat in as little
as 15 minutes, 3 times a week with EDT...it works
for EVERYONE - male, female, young, old...your
body simply has no choice but to get results!
Click
here to learn more
and get your copy today!
 |
|
