Leonid Taranenko Interview - Bud Charniga

 

September 23, 1989. The day following the completion of the 1989 World Championships. Unfortunately, Mr. Taranenko had been denied the opportunity to compete in Athens. Mr. Albert Mizhen, acting as interpreter, was of invaluable assistance. 

Q: Tell me something about your training. 

A: I train six days per week:

3 times per day for 3 days, for a total of 6 hours per day, and

twice a day for the other three days, a total of 4 hours a day. 

Q: Who makes out your program? 

A: My coach writes my program. He is not a professional coach. He is an engineer by profession. He watches every workout. 

Q: Do you employ a special device in your workouts to help assess the barbell trajectory? 

A: Yes. My coach designed a special device, made of three planks of wood mounted vertically on a base. The planks are marked out in centimeters. I do lifts with the end of the barbell between the planks. 

Q: What exercises do you employ in training? 

A: I usually snatch every day, sometimes twice a day. I do the clean and jerk and the snatch in separate workouts. I do pulls and the lifts from the floor, from the hang, from the planks, and while standing on a raised surface. 

I do push jerks but no presses in training. Some years ago I pressed 230 [507] in the old Olympic style, so I don't feel I need to do them. 

I usually do not separate the clean and the jerk; but execute the clean and jerk as a whole. 

Q: What strength exercises do you favor? 

A: The back squat is the most important strength exercise. I usually squat every day, sometimes more than once a day. My best back squat is 380 [837]. But this is with a 2-second pause at the bottom. 

Q: How many reps per set/ 

A: Usually no more than 3. However, I occasionally do sets of 5 for explosive speed. I can use 300 [661] for sets of 5's, done rapidly. Typically, I pause at the bottom for a count of 2 when doing squats. 

Q: Do you have problems with sore knees? 

A: No. 

Q: Do you do front squats?

A: No. I used to do front squats about twice a week, but stop some years ago when I was able to do 300 kg. for 3 reps. At that point I felt it was way beyond what I needed to recover effectively from the clean. And besides, that much weight is an excessive load on the chest. 

Q: Do you do bench step-ups and lunges? 

A: Yes. I do the step-ups occasionally, just to exercise the legs while unloading the spine. The lunges are no big deal. I use them once in a while as a change of pace. 

Q: What about the hyperextension exercise? 

A: I don't do this exercise. Usually people only do this exercise if they have a sore back. 

Q: What back exercise do you like? 

 

A: I do good mornings with the legs slightly bent. As you begin to lean over you should begin to feel the pressure near the heel of the foot. Begin to straighten up as soon as the pressure nears the ball of the foot. This is a very important principle when doing this exercise. But nobody ever thinks about it. It is very useful to have a strong back for weightlifting.

When I was younger, I could lift more in the good morning exercise than in the snatch. 

Q: Do you do any abdominal exercises? 

A: No. I'm too lazy. However, I believe that the abdominals are strengthened when one exercises the back, just as the biceps are strengthened when one exercises the triceps.

Q: How has your training changed over the years, with respect to your methods as a 110-kg lifter? 

A: My training has changed dramatically. I used to train only 4 times a week as a 110-kg lifter. The single most dramatic change is the intensity. Today, I train at a much higher intensity. 

For example, my average training weight is 190 kg [420]. This includes pulls, squats, etc. When I do squats, for instance, my first set is with 170. From there I take 50 kg. jumps, until I get to the heaviest weight for that workout.

Q: What about Alexeev's training? 

A: Nobody knows how Alexeev trained. He trained alone or when no one was around. I trained with him from 1976 on (at the national team camps). He seemed to do more repetitions per set than the norm. He never squatted with more than he cleaned. 

Q: That sounds about right. He never revealed his actual strength in training or in competition. What about Pisarenko and Gunyashev? 

A: Pisarenko wasn't that strong. For example, Zakharevich beat him snatching, without a hook grip, 175 to 170. He probably couldn't squat much more than 290 kg. His legs were not that strong. But he has good clean technique. I don't think he could stand up with his leans, if he had to sit at the bottom for a few seconds. Gunyashev couldn't lift in training or competition. He was always injured. 

Q: What is your salary? 

A: 300 rubles a month. The average salary in the USSR is about 150 rubles. [Note: the buying power of 300 per month may be roughly equivalent to a U.S. salary of $35-45,000 per year].

Q: How much are you paid for a world record? 

A: 1,500 rubles. 

At this point Taranenko attempted to explain what his living standard is like compared to those of a professional athlete in the West. 

A: A Soviet sportswriter began an interview with Magic Johnson, "What kind of car do you drive?" Johnson replied that he owns a Rolls Royce, a Porsche, a BMW and two trucks. This ended the interview, because the writer could ask no more question. You see, it takes 10 years to buy a car in the USSR. And, if you are lucky enough to own one, you can drive it for 10 years and sell it for more than what you paid for it because the buyer doesn't have to wait in line. 

Q: American lifters think the Soviets have the best restoratives; that is why they, the Soviets, are so much better. 

A: That's nonsense. If we had access to the American restoratives, you would see a significant increase in world records. This is the main reason the Bulgarians' recent successes over our lifters -- they have close ties to the Americans and can obtain their restoratives. 

Q: I've heard that Christov and Vardanian were not very strong, when not using restoratives. 

A: I've heard that about Christov too. Vardanian is incredibly weak, without them. 

Q: Do you know the significance of a 273 kg. [601 lb.] clean and jerk? 

A: Yes. It is the 600 pound barrier. I read about the track meet where $500,000 was offered for a world record in the long jump. I would settle for much less than that, to do a 600 pound clean and jerk.

Q: What results were you expecting here in Athens? 

A: 210 and 267.5. 270 if I needed it. 

Q: Why was Gueliskhanov moved up to the 110+ and your name dropped from the start list? 

A: It is very difficult to make a USSR national team because there are so many good lifters. Furthermore, there is the necessity to rejuvenate the team and give the younger lifters a chance. 

Q: Tell me about the Soviet system of training, versus the Bulgarian. 

A: There is no Soviet system as such. We have many coaches and athletes doing many different things. The coaches are required to report their training. The data is analyzed; the current trends and fundamental of what we are doing is established. The Bulgarians have merely taken our research and applied it to their conditions. I have trained with the Bulgarians at the major competitions. They virtually bleed when they work out. 

Q: What is your impression of American lifters? 

A: They have to train harder. 

Enjoy Your Lifting!