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"JERKY LUST"
Obj: Strength Endurance - Core
Warm up: Row 500m, then ...
5 Rounds
5x Dips
5x Ankles-to-Bar
Training:
(1) 5 Rounds
15-Foot Rope Climb
10x Dead Lift @ 135#
10x Half Moons @ 45#
10x Weighted Situps @ 60#
10x Side Bends holding 32kg kettlebell
(2) 5 Rounds
3x Sandbag Getups each Shoulder @ 105# Bag
10x Back Extensions holding 20kg Kettlebell
10x Ab Wheel w/15# plate on back
5x Slasher each side @ 32kg kettlebell
20x Flutter Kicks
Comments:
This came e-mail from Brian Harder:
"Although it is unclear whether the illustrious Mr. Shaul will take the challenge of becoming a pencil neck enduro
athlete, after my ass-kicking at the Utah State Cycling Road Race Championships a couple of weeks ago, my first bike race
in 10 years, I will take on the task of getting lighter.
"It's hard to say why I feel compelled to give up the kind of fitness I developed over the last year at Mountain
Athlete in exchange for a very specialized form of extreme fitness. I walked away from the pressure cooker competitive intensity
of road racing knowing I was done, but still pretty sure I would return some day. That day came several weeks ago watching
some old teammates throw down in a race. However, watching the lighter, better trained half of the pack ride away from me
on the climb in a race a few weeks ago reminded me that some changes needed to take place if I was going to be competitive
again. My racing weight back when fellow competitors were suffering in my wake was about 163 lbs. My Mountain Athlete weight
is about 182 lbs. I have my work cut out for me.
"So what about hybrid training for endurance sports where strength to weight ratio is critical? Is there a place
for it in the training regimes of cyclists and runners? I suppose it depends on your level of commitment to the competitive
ideal. If reaching your full potential is your ambition then additional weight training involving anything other than your
legs and hips is probably not indicated. An athlete's tendency to put on muscle and the specific demands of the activity
must be considered when deciding on various training modalities. There are plenty of world-class training regimes for various
sports that include rigorous weight training programs. It still remains controversial for some coaches in some disciplines
but those are becoming fewer and fewer as athletes tout the benefits of being stronger.
"But this strength is not free. It comes at the price of training time and usually creates some increase in body
mass. In sports like swimming and rowing where the athlete's body is supported by the medium (the water or boat), body weight
increases are less consequential and are outweighed by the performance benefits. Michael Phelps, arguably the best swimmer
in history, raves about his performance improvements after adding serious beef to his skinny frame by spending more time in
the gym. Track cycling, where events are relatively short -- on the order of a few minutes -- and where huge power requirements
are the order for success also spend significant time under the squat rack and increasing upper body power. Road cyclists,
on the other hand, spend much of their training and racing going up hills where weight of both the machine and the individual
are huge considerations. The best pure climbers in the sport often weight less than 130 pounds. With their shirts off, one
can often see ribs where most of us have pectoral muscles. For those interested in overall fitness, this would be a sad state
of affairs and indicate a rather narrow type of conditioning. On the other hand, if you are making $500,000 or more annually
breaking competitors' legs riding over the highest passes in Europe in races like the Tour de France, a big bench press and
the pecs that come with it simply cost you money and fame.
"So, what about the rest of us who compete in these sports for fun and gratification? Should we make the same sacrifices
in overall conditioning in order to optimize our sport specific results? This is the issue I struggle with now. I have been
a committed Mountain Athlete and have enjoyed tremendous strength gains and increased work capacity. But a foray into randonee
ski racing this past two winters reminded me that the muscle packed onto my skinny frame was probably holding me back. Gravity
is not kind in sports like ski racing uphill and competitive cycling. I am competitive enough to loathe giving anything away
to my opponents. I do not want to be harboring excuses at the finish line. Rob was fond of saying that I was probably the
only guy crossing the line in the top 10 who could dead lift twice his body weight. Perhaps true, but those guys could give
a crap! They simply kicked my ass, strong back or not.
"Mark Twight points out that general fitness is great for generalists. But the closer you get to your potential
in any sport, the more specific the training must be. I have noticed my own race performance improve over the last few weeks.
I am 5 pounds lighter and 5 weeks of specific training fitter. The improvements come fast at the start of any program. In
reality, this program is preparation for next season and what I do now is simply a foundation to build upon for the winter.
Ultimately, I don't think the 163 lb. Brian will be resurrected. Too fragile, too weak and easier to kill, as Twight says.
I'm thinking a 170 lb. version will suffice and still allow me to ski and climb without being too pathetic. Besides, if the
change ultimately disagrees with me, Rob will happily torture me back to size."
ROB'S COMMENTS:
Brian is a bit humble when it comes to his biking prowess. He is a Category 2 road cyclist, and in his early 30's was
a runner up national champion. Then last weekend, in Pocatello, he won his first race after 5 years off and just 5 weeks of
hard road bike training.
His points above are well taken and accurate. The more competitive you want to be, the more sport specific your training
must be the closer you get to the season.
But sport specific training has its costs too. Without supplemental training, Brian strengths will become super sport
specific, resulting in strength imbalances, and glaring weaknesses making him vulnerable to injury.
Certainly, he shouldn't be in the gym doing a body-building program of bench presses and lat pull downs, but I'm not buying
the "either/or" argument he presents above.
In season, I'd recommend he be in the gym once a week, lifting heavy dead lifts, heavy front squats, and doing some loading
core work such as weighted situps and back extensions. All heavy, for few reps - to maintain foundational strength. And while
I understand his concerns about upper body mass, a few reps of body weight work such as push ups and pull ups I can't believe
would put much weight on him.
Off season, I'd want him in the gym 2 days a week - lifting heavy one day, and doing power endurance work the other -
to supplement his scaled down sport-specific training.
As the season got closer, and his sport-specific training and practice demands increased, he could cut back his gym training
to two days of heavy lifting, then back down to 1 day of heavy lifting.
Since he's gone sport-specific, Brian does make it to the gym about once a week. Yesterday he did a few light push presses,
and a few light swings.
Brian is certainly a badass, but he's also in his mid-40s, more mature and more vulnerable to injury than his younger
days. I believe strength gained in the gym will make him faster on the bike, and more durable all around.
About "Jerky Lust" - this is a grind, not a sprint, but don't be lulled into complacency. This session involves
hundreds of reps of loaded core work. It's exhausting, and will grind you down. Go as heavy as you can excepct the dead lifts
- go light on these, but make them a dead stop between reps - no bouncing.
The loads listed above are what I used. Scale as necessary.
Finally, for my Jackson Athletes - I've added a session at 8 am Friday, as I will be driving south later that day. 7 am
is already full - so if you want to train, and have time in the morning, please sign up for the 8 am session.
- Rob Shaul
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| Sandbag get ups - great functional, loadable core exercise. |
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| Ab wheel getting easy? Add weight - here's Renae. |
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| Half Moons - Dave W. |
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| Allison fights up the rope. 6 female athletes can climb the rope without feet. |
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| Andy is back at it after his climbing trip to Yosemite. |
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