And Now for Something Completely Different
Published on 7 October 2009 in Training Theory, Training Updates | 4 Comments |I’ve been working with Coach B since 2005 and my newest training program is different from anything I have seen him give any athlete in that time. It is nothing revolutionary, just something different he is trying out. Normally we will throw, then do some special strength exercises, and then lift weights. Sometimes we repeat the process, but maintain the same order. Now, however, we’re mixing things up. After every throw in training, I am take five 35-pound pud throws after each hammer throw. I repeat this for a total of 15 hammer throws and 75 pud throws each training session. Mike and Justin have also started similar training programs.
More than anything, this program is exhausting. The number of pud throws is probably three times higher than I am used to, and the extra throws really fatigue the core muscles I use to throw. In addition, I’ve started doing Olympic lifting and heavier leg lifts for the first time in two months. My results have gone down a little because of this, but that is a natural reaction to the fatigue. It’s Coach B’s version of “no pain, no gain.” A distance runner will also be fatigued after putting in several weeks of high mileage. However, after a time, the increased mileage and improved cardiovascular shape will begin to translate into faster times for the runner. Similarly, Coach B expects that the high volume of specific strength exercises will break me down, but add strength in the process. After another training program or two, the new strength will begin to transfer into the throw and produce even better results. The best part is that my technique is also slowly improving (see video below). By the time the strength gains transfer into the throw, I should be ready to reach a new level.
4 Responses to “And Now for Something Completely Different”
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Last Competition
Name: Swiss Championships
Date: 5 August 2011
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Result: 1st Place - 67.90 meters
Right Knee looks high in the back maybe lifting right foot 2 early before 135 degrees. possible feeling of the ball going up and down?
You can tell me to piss off if you want ha ha bad angle try 2 put camera at 0 degrees and send if you want
I used this camera angle since I almost always film at 0º and wanted to try something different for a change. One of the things Dr. B has me working on now is to be patient with the feet in the turns and prolong double support. When I lift off early, my whole body weight goes up. However, if I stay contacted with the ground, I keep lower and am more balanced during the throw.
Wouldn’t mixing the pud throws with the hammer throws adversely affect your hammer technique? I guess I see this as being a little like mixing weight throw and hammer throw, where the techniques are similar, but still different.
I think there can be some effect, but that is likely due to fatigue. The volume is so high that fatigue can set in an encourage bad habits. That’s the reason why I am only doing 15 attempts in the training session. By the 14th and 15th attempts, I start to feel a little fatigued and any more would would to sloppier technique. However, I don’t think it is necessarily like mixing the weight and the hammer. I think the main problem with the weight is that it is too short, not too heavy. The length creates problems as you go faster during the turns because you can’t effectively counter it. Since the pud throws aren’t as fast (we are only using one arm and just simulating the release), I don’t feel that the technique suffers. I could be wrong, and that’s probably one of the things I’ll find out from his trying this out on us.