If you’ve been following my training, you’ll know that I started off the Fall with some high volume intense special strength work. Since then, I have been working to transfer that new strength into the hammer.  My coach, Dr. B, estimated that this would take a month or two.  It’s been two months and, right on cue, he’s correct again.  Take a look at this video from this morning’s training.  Both my technique and power are progressing quite nicely. I am pushing the ball much better on every turn. That is something I struggled with earlier this year, especially in the final turn.

After doing all the special strength training, Dr. Bondarchuk gave me a program in October that would help transition the strength into my throw.  Since then, he has been gradually building upon that program.  I did the original program for one month, and then I began to alternate that program with a new one that included heavier lifting. After another month, he’s now added a third program into the mix.  This program includes some additional special strength work similar to the rigorous program I had back in September.  In many ways, it is actually more intense, but I can handle it better since I alternate it with the other two workouts and only have to do it every third training session.

Like I said, it is all paying off.  Here is a video from yesterday of my training with the heavy 10-kilogram hammer.  It wasn’t my best day technically, but you can see by the speed of the hammer that my increased special strength training is now transferring into the throw.  Right after Dr. B jokingly asked me if I have been doping lately, he told me that I’m now faster with the 9-kilogram hammer than I was with the competition 7.26kg hammer last month.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say that (there normally is a 8-10 meter difference between the two implements for me and I know I haven’t improved that much), but I agree that I’ve made some great progress this past month.