IRONSPORT Magazine - October 1989
(Kim also had a really good article published on Starting Strength last month on his initial thoughts regarding "tri-phasic" training: https://startingstrength.com/article/answering-the-critics-triphasic-training )
Editor’s note: The following is the first of a two-part
series highlighting recent presentations of leading weightlifting coaches and
scientists from the Eastern Bloc and other countries.
One reason weightlifters are continually able “to lift
weights that no one has ever lifted before” is because coaches are willing to
share information about their training methods. One of the places this
information exchange occurs is symposiums, and the biggest and best symposium
is the IWF-IOC international coaching-Medical Symposium, held the year after
the Olympics. This year’s symposium took place May 9-11 in Siofolk, Hungary.
As in previous years, all the major lifting powers were
represented by coaches, psychologists, sports medicine doctors and exercise
physiologists. Topics included steroids (doping), nutrition, physiology, sports
psychology and specific training strategies for junior, women and elite
athletes. Keynote speakers included the
head Soviet and Bulgarian weightlifting coaches, Alexy Medvedyev and Ivan
Abadijiev.
This year we were fortunate to have Bud Charniga attend the
conference. One of this country’s foremost authorities on Eastern Bloc training
methods, Charniga brough back a wealth of practical information from the
symposium. The following are some of the highlights from talks by the
representatives of each country.
Bulgaria
Ivan Abadijiev, the head coach of the Bulgarian
weightlifting team, discussed the importance of competitions throughout the
annual training plan in his lecture, “Competitions as an Integral Part of
Annual Training.” Abadijiev says that the top Bulgarian lifters participate in
18 to 20 competitions a year, and that high results are expected even at the
beginning of the year.
One interesting observation Abadijiev shared during his presentation was that after
they have stopped lifting, lifters in the heavier weight classes tend to lose
weight and lifters in the lighter weight classes tend to gain weight.
Also representing Bulgaria was Christo Meranzov, vice
president of the IWF and president of the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation.
Meranzov outlined the system the Bulgarians use to identify talent for
weightlifting in his lecture, “the System for Selecting Children for
Weightlifting in Bulgaria.”
Meranzov emphasized the importance of getting the best
talent into the sport so that the highest results can be achieved. The ordinary
athlete, says Meranzov, cannot be expected to achieve high results. Since
Bulgaria does not have the luxury of being able to support a large national
team, concentrating their efforts on only the most talented athletes makes
sense.
Meranzov explained that the selection and preparation of
athletes in Bulgaria is systematic, beginning with special tests at ages 8-9.
These tests are designed to identify general athletic potential and not talent
in a particular sport. In Bulgaria, specialized training for weightlifters
begins at ages 10-11, after 2 or 3 years of general preparation.
Bulgarian weightlifters, according to Meranzov, begin
competing at age 14. At age 16, the athlete can lift in the under-18
competitions; and at 17, in the under-20 and open competitions. After the age
of 18, the athlete goes to college or into the military. Here the top lifters
are financially supported, enjoy excellent training facilities and are exempt
from certain military or university obligations. Bulgarian lifters finish their
careers at 18-28 years.
When asked about the drop-out rate from his program,
Meranzov said that the highest percentage of drop-outs is at the lowest level
of selection. The drop-out rate decreases as the athletes progress in the
program.
The final speaker from Bulgaria was Dr. Nicola Kolev, a
medical doctor, not the same Kolev who was the world champion of the 70’s.
Kolev reviewed current treatment methods to knee and elbow injuries. He offered
the following advice on treating elbow injuries: 1) Avoid long-term casting, 2)
avoid forced range-of-motion exercises, as this can cause residual pain, 3)
avoid massage, as this can cause capsular contraction, and 4) allow for a
reasonable recovery time.
https://youtu.be/r9Gfy7KlutE?si=Um5rV4eYMd4XWRX6
For the knee, Kolev discussed the importance of rebuilding
the strength of the quadriceps after surgery. (According to Charniga,
“Supposedly these muscles weaken especially fast after an operation,” so an
aggressive program of physical therapy is necessary.)
*Bulgaria showing up to this conference after the '88 Olympics...
East Germany
“One-Year Training Program for Junior Lifters,” was the
title of Harry Roewer’s presentation. Roewer is regarded as one of the chief
architects of the East German training system. Although the loading for juniors
is at an especially high level in this country, Roewer suggested that the
loading for these lifters can be increased even more, without doping. (Charniga
notes that it’s often difficult to compare the training programs of different
countries because there is no one standard formula used to calculate volume and
intensity. For example, some formulas only analyze lifts above 70 percent,
while others only analyze lifts above 80 percent.)
(similar to Charniga's observation above, Alex Bromley had a really good video regarding the Russian system: https://youtu.be/NmfNwxy6GwU?si=T0l1nJr6tzo-5Qxu )
The following is an outline Roewer gave for a year’s
training program for junior lifters:
1)
Basic strength, 4 weeks
2)
Maximum strength, 6-8 weeks
3)
Competition period, 4-6 weeks
4)
Basic strength, 4 weeks
5)
Maximum strength, 6-8 weeks
6)
Competition period, 4-6 weeks
7)
Basic strength, 6 weeks
8)
Maximum strength, 6 weeks
9)
Competition period, 6 weeks
In contrast to Abadijiev’s lecture, Roewer believes that
juniors respond best to eight to eleven competitions per year.
Finland
Professor Paavo Komi’s lecture was titled “Relation of
Muscle Structure and Performance in Strength Sports.” Komi explained in great
detail how weight training affects not only the muscles, but also the nervous
and hormonal systems. He noted the following adaptations to strength training:
increased force production, hormonal adaptations, fiber hypertrophy, and
enhancements of neural adaptations.
Hungary
In case a keynote speaker from another country was not able
to attend, the host country was prepared with several last-minute substitutes.
As a result, Hungary provided the most speakers at this symposium.
In his lecture “Modern Trends in the Nutrition of
Weightlifters,” Dr. Robert Frankl said that weightlifters could require as much
as 2.2 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight, which compares to 0.8 grams for
the sedentary population. Frankl said that for weightlifters, the ideal ratio
of carbohydrates, protein and fat is 50:30:20. He said that no more than
one-fifth of a weightlifter’s protein should come from a supplement. Frankl
stressed the importance of vitamin supplements to avoid what he calls “hypo-vitaminosis”
(Charniga says this is a fancy way of saying that someone is not getting enough
vitamins.) Frankl recommends that supplements should be utilized for three
weeks, followed by a break of one week.
Hungary had two speakers on women weightlifters, Orsolya
Nadori and Dr. Jozsef Leitner. Nadori said that most women in Hungary who took
up the sport were attracted by economic incentives after careers in other
sports. Dr. Leitner discussed the importance of carefully monitoring a woman
lifter’s bodyweight, developing the shoulder muscles and paying particular
attention to maintaining a positive training and competition environment for
women lifters.
Iran
Dr. Shokr Fallah, who acquired his Ph.D. from the University
of Michigan, several interesting ideas on doping and performance. Fallah
believes that the medical science community now lacks credibility with regard
to the negative effects of anabolics, a result of having provided false
information about positive effects of anabolics on strength development.
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