by Jim O’Malley
Research of the criteria and parameters of the
loading in the multi-year dynamics of a weightlifter's
training has produced the following basic
recommendations which are necessary to take into
account when structuring multi-year training in
weightlifting.
1) The number of lifts (NL), as a criterion of the
volume, is a more objective assessment of the volume
of the loading than the tonnage. To see why, consider
this: two athletes execute a load of 100 metric tons for
the month in the preparation period. The average
training weight for one of them is 80kg, while for the
other it is 100kg. This means that the first athlete did
1250 lifts (100/.08) and the second 1000 lifts
(100/.10). So, the athletes executed a different amount
of work and spent a different amount of time doing it.
One executed more lifts but with less weight ; the
other did fewer lifts with more weight. The NL does not
depend on the weight class, age, or height of the
athlete. It depends on the lifters qualification and, like
the tonnage, is very specific. The introduction of the
NL as the criterion of the volume into the planning of
training facilitates the switch to programming of
training.
2) Functional indicators rise along with the increased
volume and intensity in the first four stages of training
(beginner, low class, qualified, and master of sport).
However, once the athlete reaches master of sport
international, the most favorable conditions for further
improvement constitute a moderate drop in the annual
volume while continuing to increase the intensity level.
3) The annual volume is also a function of the athlete's
skill level and the following NL are recommended for
the various levels of qualification ;
beginner ~ 10,000
low class ~ 12,000
qualified ~ 15,000
master of sport ~ 18,000
master of sport international ~ 16,200
The lower three skill level lifters normally perform
3 to 6 training sessions per week while the upper two
may perform as many as 9 to 10. This is accomplished
by implementing twice a day training when the master
of sport level is reached.
4) The monthly volume follows a similar pattern (i.e. it
is also a function of the athlete's skill level). The
following volumes are recommended for the various
qualification levels and represent the average NL
performed in the preparation and competition cycles.
The actual number of lifts can be lesser or greater.
Preparation
Competition
Beginner
1100
900
Low Class
1250
900
Qualified
1650
1200
Master of Sport
2100
1500
MSIC
1880
1362
5) Planning becomes increasingly complex as one
proceeds from the top on downward. That is to say
that forecasting results over a multi-year time frame
(i.e. on a macro level) can only be realistically viewed
as a very rough approximation but one which can be
quickly and fairly easily ascertained. However, at the
other end of the spectrum (i.e. the micro level) which
involves planning the individual workouts, is very
difficult and is much more art than science due to the
fact that many different combinations and
permutations can be used and a fair amount of trial
and error is practically inevitable in discovering the
most appropriate combinations and orderings for any
particular athlete.
So the top-down process starts with a multi-year
evaluation and then proceeds to form an annual plan,
followed by monthly worksheets, then weekly plans,
and finally planning the individual sessions.
Recommendations are available for methodically
planning the weekly cycles. The beginner basically
trains three times per week with medium, heavy, and
light volumes (usually in that order but not always).
The planning for the low class and qualified lifters is
more concrete. Both groups train from 3 to 6 timed per
week. Normally, about 135 lifts would be the maximum
for any single session. A more specific breakdown is
as follows ;
3 days per week (28% 48% 24%)
4 days per week (22% 35% 15% 28%)
5 days per week (27% 15% 13% 15% 30%)
6 days per week (16% 20% 13% 16% 22% 13%)
These orderings are usually employed but can
(and should) vary from time to time.
You can determine how many individual sessions
to perform each week in the following manner ; since
the max number of lifts in any one session is 135, then
for three training sessions (where 48% of total are
performed on the heaviest day) you should train 3
times per week up to a weekly volume of 280 lifts
(135/.48 ~ 280). In a similar fashion, 4 sessions per
week can be performed up to a weekly volume of
more than 280 lifts but less than or equal to 385 lifts
(135/.35 ~ 385). Five sessions would be used when
the weekly volume exceeds 385 but is less than or
equal to 450 (135/.30 ~ 450). Six sessions are
planned when the volume exceeds 450 lifts. Weekly
planning for the master of sport and MSIC is more
complicated because at this level twice a day training
is regularly employed. Up to 200 lifts per day can be
planned in the prep cycle and 180 in the comp period.
The interested reader can refer to my related article
"Twice a Day Training" for more details. The overall
volume distributions are approximately normally
distributed. That is to say that there are fewer light and
heavy weeks and more light-medium and mediumheavy
weeks.
6) The intensity of the loading is the magnitude of the
applied effort. This is defined by ;
a) the average training weight
b) the coefficient of intensity
c) the quantity of 90% + lifts performed
d) the distribution of the NL by zones of intensity
a) The average training weight is highly correlated with
the sports results of qualified athletes (r = .904).
However, a strong caveat exists. The intensity of the
load in each exercise, expressed in kilograms,
conceals the content of training and does not
represent the amount of weight the athlete actually
trained with. For example, if the average weight over
4 sets of snatches is 80kg, this does not mean that the
athlete executed all of the lifts with this weight. He
could have lifted 70kg twice and 90kg twice or 100kg
once, 80kg once, and 70kg twice (and so forth). Here
is another example ; one can do five snatch pulls with
80kg and five with 110kg. The average weight of the
ten lifts (assuming a max snatch of 100kg) would
conform to the optimal weight for perfecting snatch
technique --- 95kg ; however, in actuality this is far
from true. The 80kg does not elicit sufficient muscular
tension and the 110kg distorts greatly all of the optimal
spatial and temporal parameters found throughout the
phasic structure of the lift. So, the aforementioned way
of planning a lifter's intensity of loading has a number
of deficiencies, and is therefore seldom used in
practice. One needs a simpler, more accessible and at
the same time a more precise method of planning the
intensity of the loading. A " rational " distribution will be
offered in section " d ".
b) An increase in the average weight relative to the
biathlon total ---- 38 +/- 2% produces an increase in
sports results. This is referred to as the coefficient of
intensity (k) and it is equal to avg. training weight x
100 / biathlon total (for example if the average weight
is 100kg and the biathlon total is 120+150 = 270kg,
then k= 100 x 100 / 270 ~ 37). The stability of k is
individualized. An increase of 4kg in the average
training weight can produce 10kg of improvement in
the biathlon results (i.e. if k = 40). For example, if the
average weight is 100kg and increases to 104kg then
100 x 100/ 40 = 250kg and 104 x 100 / 40 = 260kg.
Naturally, from the discussion above, the reader
should realize that this is also premised on the fact
that the volume is rationally distributed among the
various exercises and that the intensity is rationally
distributed within the various exercises.
Research of the dynamics of the absolute and the
relative intensity in the snatch and the clean and jerk
exercises has revealed that progress in the sport of
weightlifting comes about through an increase in the
absolute intensity (i.e. the average weight) while the
relative intensity in each lift remains relatively stable ;
an average of 75% starting with class II athletes.
Class III and beginner athletes train with a mean
weight (in each exercise) of 69%. Testing theory
states that the consistency of a test is the measure of
its reliability (i.e. this kind of test can be an objective
criterion of quality.
c) The submaximum and maximum (90 to 100%) lifts
in the snatch and the clean and jerk. Research in this
area has shown that the quantity of these lifts is
limited (from 10 to 60 each month), strictly
individualized, and depends on the stage of training ;
20-30 lifts in the prep period and 40-60 in the
competition period and 300-600 lifts annually (65%
performed with 90-92.5%, 20% done with 95%, and
15% with 97.5% and more).
For example, an 85kg low class lifter (21 years old)
would perform about 365 lifts with 90% and above
annually while an 85kg master of sport lifter (also 21
years old) would do approximately 660 each year.
d) The distribution of the lifts by zones of intensity (i.e.
"rational" distributions).
The distributions for the snatch and the clean
and jerk exercises is skewed toward the zones of
lower intensity. For example, an 85kg master of sport
lifter would distribute snatches ( in the 2,100 lift prep
cycle ) as follows ;
< 60% ~ 18%
60-69% ~ 37%
70-79% ~ 25%
80-89% ~ 13%
90% + ~ 7%
Distributions vary somewhat among skill levels and
within different weight classes in the same skill level
but the underlying structure remains fairly steady.
Squats are also skewed toward the zone of lower
intensity. 20% of all squats (both front and back) are
done with 70-79% of max C&J. 20% are performed
with 80-89% of max C&J, and 25% with 90-99% of
max C&J. High intensity squats (100 to 125% of max
C&J vary both with regard to skill level and weight
class. The residual squats are done with <70% of max
C&J.
Pulls (both snatch and clean) are skewed toward
the rising intensity zones. 50% of all clean pulls are
done in the 90-99% range of max C&J. 17% with 80-
89% of max C&J. 100% weights and above vary with
skill levels and weight classes. Residual clean pulls
are done with < 80% of max C&J.
45% of all snatch pulls are done with 90-99% of max
snatch. 100% and more also vary with respect to the
skill level and weight class. Residual snatch pulls are
done with < 90% of max snatch.
7) "Rational" loading of the volume among exercise
groups.
The distributions vary ( sometimes only in a
subtle manner) as the skill level increases. The
following are recommended distributions for prep and
comp months for the various skill levels (i.e. beginner,
low class, qualified, master of sport, MSIC) :
Beginner
Prep = Comp
Snatch
11%
Other Snatch
9%
Clean
6%
Other Clean
7%
Jerk
6%
Other Jerk
6%
Squats
30%
Other Squat
18%
Pressing
7%
Low Class
Prep = Comp
Snatch
10%
Other Snatch
10%
Clean
7.5%
Other Clean
9.5%
Jerk
7.5%
Other Jerk
3.5%
Squats
27%
Other Squat
15%
Pressing
10%
The beginner and low class athletes perform just
the basic exercises so "other" snatches, "other"
cleans, and "other" jerks are simply power snatches
from the floor, power cleans from the floor, and push
jerks respectively. For the beginner, "other" squats are
both lunges and overhead squats and presses are
bench presses done with either a wide or narrow grip.
For the low class athlete, "other" squats are just
overhead squats and presses comprise both bench
presses (with a clean grip) and behind the neck
presses with a snatch grip. These "additional"
exercises are often combined in a single movement
such as power snatch + BNP + overhead squat.
Qualified
Prep
Comp
Snatch
9%
9%
Other Snatch
11%
12%
Clean
6%
6%
Other Clean
9%
9%
Jerk
7%
7%
Other Jerk
5%
6%
Squat
23%
23%
Other Squat
6%
4%
Snatch Pull
7%
5%
Clean Pull
5%
6%
Pressing
6%
10%
Bendovers
6%
3%
Master of Sport
Prep Comp
Snatch
8%
8%
Other Snatch
12%
13%
Clean
5%
5%
Other Clean
8%
8%
Jerk
6%
6%
Other Jerk
7%
8%
Squats
20%
20%
Other Squats
5%
4%
Snatch Pull
8.5%
5%
Clean Pull
10%
12%
Pressing
5.5%
8%
Bendovers
5%
3%
Both the qualified lifter and the master of sport use
a fairly wide array of exercises.They include (but are
not limited to) ;
"other" snatches - power snatch (floor), power snatch
(blocks), snatch (blocks), power snatch (hang), and
snatch (hang)
"other" cleans - power clean (floor), power clean
(blocks), clean (blocks), power clean (hang), and
clean (hang)
"other" jerks - push jerk (front or back), push press
(front or back), jerk drives, jerk behind neck
"other" squats - overhead squats, lunges
bendovers - hyperextensions, good mornings
presses - bench press, incline press, seated or
standing presses (front and back). Also, all pressing
should be done with a variety of grips including
narrow, regular, and wide.
The master of sport international volume
distributions can be derived as follows ; first, calculate
the NL in the mean prep month (2100 lifts) and the
mean comp month (1500 lifts) using the master of
sport percentage distribution. Then, reduce by onehalf
the number of "additional" (as opposed to
fundamental) lifts. These are the snatch pulls,
presses, bendovers, and "other" squats. Now you will
have a new set of numbers which you must convert
back to percentages by dividing each number by the
new mean prep volume (1880 lifts) and the new comp
volume (1362 lifts). Refer back to section 4 if you need
to refresh your memory as to why these are the new
total volume numbers to use.
One final, but important, note. These distributions
are based on the premise that the athletes lifting is
well balanced. By that I mean that certain ratios
between the SPP and the classical lifts are met. The
ratios change slightly as the skill level increases so I
will use just one example (that being the qualified lifter
[i.e. the class I - CMS athlete]. The following ratios
should be met by these athletes ; power snatch /
snatch ~ 87-90%, power clean / clean ~ 87-90%, push
jerk / classical jerk ~ 92%, and squat / C&J ~ 128%.
In the event that imbalances are discovered, the
volume distributions should be altered in such a
manner so as to increase the focus on weak spots and
decrease the focus on strong areas.
In my opinion, the key to success in Olympic
Lifting is to "train don't strain". Employing a rational,
systemic approach is FAR superior to using what I call
"brute force methods" which basically involves trying
to lift as much as you can as often as you can.
Good luck to you !!!
