IMPROVING STRENGTH TRAINING THROUGH MULTIPLE TRAINING TECHNIQUES

Greg Brislin, M.S., C.S.C.S.
Team Leader, USAV Physiology Resource Advisory Team

Creating and implementing a yearlong training program for athletes poses a number of challenges to coaches and trainers. Adjusting proper levels of volume and intensity to elicit appropriate performance gains is as much an art as it is a science. There exist countless numbers of training protocols and regimens that can be used in combination to improve athletic performance. Utilizing the appropriate training techniques at the right time in the training cycle can make a vast difference in the success of a program. Too often however, coaches find themselves using a trial and error formula when implementing their training programs, not realizing the effectiveness of the plan until several weeks have elapsed. The tremendous number of strength training techniques alone can create questions in the minds of coaches regarding which lifting protocols to use to attain specific results. A recent study performed by Keogh, et al., helps shed light on some typical weight training techniques and their potential benefits to training.

Overview

A subject group of 12 active weight-trained men able to perform a 1-repetition maximum (RM) bench press equal to their body mass and who had been consistently weight training for at least two years were selected for this study. All subjects were made familiar with the eight training techniques and were trained on a modified Smith machine from Plyometric Power Systems (PPS). This unique device used a braking system that allowed for maximal power training without danger to the athletes. The eight techniques included in the study were Heavy Weight Training (HWT), Isokinetics (IsoK), Eccentrics (ECC), Functional Isometrics (FI), Super Slow Motion (SSM), Rest Pause (RP), Breakdowns (BD) and Maximal Power Training (MPT). All tests were performed as one set of 6 repetitions to failure for each technique except IsoK and MPT, which were limited to a maximum of 6 repetitions.

The authors suggested, based on their research, that HWT was perceived as the most effective the training technique and most often used in developing overall muscular strength. Therefore, they used HWT as the comparison training technique versus the remaining seven.

Force was measured during all lifts using a force plate assembled to the PPS bench apparatus. Muscular activity, as measured by electromyography (EMG), was measured on the pectoris and triceps muscles during each training technique. Blood lactate concentrations were measured prior to and following each separate resistance training technique. Increased blood lactate concentrations are common markers for activities taxing strength endurance.

Results and Discussion

The authors reported some unexpected results but also some noted significant support information. ECC techniques in which the bar is "lifted" (actually lowered) only in the eccentric phase, demonstrated properties indicating they would be superior techniques in developing overload eccentrically in the musculature. ECC techniques were also instrumental in developing hypertrophy (growth) in the muscle and had greater force and time under tension than HWT. IsoK techniques, performed at a same speed movement, also overloaded the muscle eccentrically and showed positive changes in muscular hypertrophy versus HWT. As expected, MPT techniques elicited very strong responses in muscular power both concentrically (lifting phase) and eccentrically (lowering phase). In the MPT movement, the bar was explosively thrown and released then caught with the arms extended and returned to the start position. FI, using isolinear movement in a 2-second muscle contraction with elbows bent to 160 degrees, showed increased EMG activity and concentric force production. BD, a technique in which the load is reduced after each repetition performed, also showed greater eccentric activation as well as concentric activation of the muscles, especially the triceps. BD also showed positive effects on strength and an increase in blood lactate versus HWT. The RP technique, which is a normal isolinear lift with a 2 second unloading phase following each concentric phase, did not produce any greater force, muscular activity or blood lactate concentrations than HWT. SSM, consisting of 5-second eccentric and concentric phases of a normal isolinear lift, demonstrated no significant benefits to improve athletic performance.

Discussion

Keogh, et al. interpreted their data in relation to athletic performance. It seemed clear that lifting techniques which overloaded the muscles eccentrically (ECC and IsoK) could be valuable in improving athletic performance in sports like volleyball, basketball, etc., where increasing load on the stretch-shortening cycle is an important component. BD, ECC and IsoK demonstrated evidence of improving muscular growth because of the greater levels of muscular activation. BD and FI techniques would enhance 1-RM strength as they generated greater force than HWT. Although MPT did not seem to improve strength, force or EMG activity, it did generate the greatest power output of the eight techniques. Because of the unloading phase of the RP technique, the authors suggest that this technique be used for strength endurance since it increased muscular recovery time.

Coaching Application

Although only a few variables were measured in the course of this study, it does provide some additional insight into training techniques that would be helpful to coaches and trainers during different phases of periodized training. During a typical training macro-cycle there is a Hypertrophy phase, a Strength phase and a Power phase. Traditional training methods use the same lifting techniques throughout all phases, only varying the volume and intensity during each phase. Results from this study suggest a variety of techniques could be used to maximize the desired results.

During the traditional hypertrophy phase ECC, BD, and IsoK exercises could be used as alternatives to traditional or HWT training to activate muscular growth. ECC, BD and FI techniques can be valuable tools in the Strength phase of the program as they generate great force during the lift. MPT and BD techniques, using proper equipment and exercises, are extremely effective in improving power generation. ECC training positively impacts jumping performance and BD techniques are useful in increasing muscular endurance of the athlete.

Integrated properly, these various lifting techniques provide alternate methods of enhancing power, strength, size and muscular endurance throughout the three training phases. They can be a vital part of a periodized plan to improve athleticism.

1. Keogh, J., Wilson, G. and Weatherby, R. A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Different Resistance Training Techniques in the Bench. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 13(3): 247-258, 1999.