Janis Dokans, 73kg division
Absolute strength is important for a power endurance sports like GS.
The strength required must be optimal in the whole kinetic chain, because weakness in one of the links will translate as a weak spot in the technique, and either limit performance or slowly lead to an injury.
What is optimal strength for GS? Recomendations have proved flawed (Here I refer to record holder Lopatin) both in methodology and testing methods. I’d like to propose a simple way that is more specific.
GS athletes compete in weight divisions. Obviously the heavy athletes are stronger and achieve higher scores than lighter athletes. At least experienced athletes with good ranks. Put a strong and big new beginner next to a MS weighing 60 kg and the big guy still doesn’t have a chance before a few years of training.
In conventional strength training, any rep over 20 is a wate of time. Meaning that such a load doesn’t bring any further strength gains. It is time to up the resistance, actually before you get to 20… With GS, the weight is set and the goal is to improve reps, which leaves you with few options to improve your reps. Given you follow proper GS methodology to improve special endurance, you can improve your technique or go up a weight class. The extra mass and strength will allow to take more reps up to a level. The downside is you’ll have to take a lot more reps to maintain the same ranking.
So if you are strong enough to take 20 jerks with your competition weight kettlebells, unless your technique is already perfect, being stronger won’t translate in more reps. This is supported from personal experience and from GS athletes.
20 reps done with good form is enough strength. Now the biggest improvement in performance will come through optimizing technique, making each movement more efficient, and developping the special endurance specific to GS. Improvement will also come when you figure out how to properly pace your reps. This will depend on your strength, your fitness, your breathing, your body mechanics and body type.
I know it is disappointing, but if you can take 20 reps, becoming a lot stronger doesn’t guarantee you will become a better girevik. However, even seemingly perfect technique can always be improved ( for years!), and will make you a better girevik for sure. Back to the old efficiency and progress thing…
The following is an extract from an article by Stephen Seiler, PhD “Efficiency, Economy and Endurance Performance”
The author refers to endurance and cyclic sports. However, concepts remain the same and we can learn from his studies.
“One factor that impacts gross efficiency is movement frequency. That can be cycling cadence, or rowing stroke rate, or stride frequency in XC skiing. Higher cadences tend to cost more energy in general. And heavier limbs have been shown to be less efficient to move. However, there is a balance such that trained athletes tend to zero in on an optimal cadence for their body type and anatomy. When they are pushed away from that cadence, they use more energy to do the same work. Therefore, it is important to realize that the ideal movement frequency is not a universal, but varies from individual to individual. So, you should not try automatically to mimic your training partner’s cadence if they are much taller or shorter, or more or less muscular than you.”
“In no sport is efficiency more important than in swimming. The best swimmers in the world do not stand out in physiological tests of raw endurance capacity when compared to other endurance athletes. This suggests that high efficiency, achieved through a combination of ideal anatomical structure and technical perfection of the stroke is critical.“A
As a little aside, Stephen has some knowledge about kettlebells. Here are his words from a recent discussion we had
“I saw my first kettle bell training back in 1986 when I was on a study tour to the USSR at age 20. So, yes, I do know something about these and have played with varients of kettle bell training some. Back when I watched the Russians, they were more into showing us feats of strength and coordination. I actually was amazed by the kettle bells and the way the Russian athletes used them. They made our big American athletes who were on the trip look silly when they tried the same moves.”
I am a firm believer of assistance heavy weight training. Maximal strength is a part of the Power equation, so it is important to maintain optimal strength levels and even improve strength. But improving max strength shouldn’t be the focus of training, specially close to competition. You have to find balance in training and use the minimum of efforts for the maximum gains.
If you’re an aspiring girevik, the competition lifts must be your mainstay. For assistance exercises, stick to basics, no esoterical stuff, and remember that it must only take a small part of your training after the initial preparation.
Assistance training exercises for Snatch. Snatch can be trained as all sets one hand, rest, then other hand or alternating both hands from set to set.
- Heavy snatch for low reps
- Snatch multi hand switch to build low back endurance & work capacity
- Heavy 2 hand overhead swing
- 1 arm swing for reps
- 1 arm swings, 2 bells in 1 hand
- High pull swings (multi hand switch to build low back endurance & work capacity)
- Heavy 1 arm jerk
- Olympic style KB snatch from dead hang
- 1 leg deadlift
- Suitcase deadlift
- Short barbell good morning (high reps)
- Heavy conventional barbell deadlift
- Kneeling squats
- Hip thrusters
- Hyper extension & reverse hypers ( static as well)
- Heavy farmers walk & hold
- Overhead holds and walk
- Heavy 1/ 2 arm jump squat (from floor or from blocks)
- Moonlight sandbag snatch
- Jumps over low hurdles, no arm swing
- Frog jumps, kneeling squat jumps
- Static core + rotation core
- Assistance corrective exercises: 1 arm row, face pulls, pull aparts, chin/ pull ups
