It’s been a hectic month, and things still aren’t normal. I’d like to formally thank Tom, Pete, Shannon, Shaun, and Shari for a lovely time in Australia. There are plenty of other assholes — like Stu, Josh, Sean, Jobbo, Kurt, Jeff, Steady, Sharpie, Gary, and plenty more that I’m forgetting — that made the trip heaps of fun. To all of you: stay in touch, train hard, eat well, and mob your genitals off.
Edit: I also have some good footage of a koala flipping his shit (literally and figuratively).

PR Friday
It’s been a while since we’ve had a formal day to post training updates and PRs, so make sure and do so. I’ll remind you that one of the coolest parts of this site is the interaction between the readers, and if you don’t actually post, you miss out on that indefinitely. I’d like you guys to point out any specific aspects of your programming that you think have helped out in the past several months. This could be a programming template, a mob, or an accessory movement.

Pan American Championships
The Pan Ams begin today and will mark the last chance any American men have at earning the single spot to the Olympics. Chad Vaughn has pulled out of this competition due to a groin injury — Chad had an excellent career and competed in the last two Olympic games and was a top 20 world competitor. Kendrick Farris is currently sitting in the driver’s seat for the single spot while Donny Shankle will try to hit massive numbers to earn the spot. More information on this throughout the day (after I train) as well as any streaming links. There may also be a live chat with the stream as well as current coverage of the competition. Facebook and Twitter will provide the most updated coverage.

Week In Review
On Monday we talked about the “banded good morning” (with video) and how it has immense utility in working the posterior chain, rehab, and a finisher that can aid recovery. I highly recommend it’s inclusion in most programs. On Tuesday we talked about how Prilepin’s Chart can a trainee’s programming template to ensure appropriate doses of stress. There will be a follow up on using different intensities in the same training session. On Wednesday we took a look at the 94kg class in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. It seems that Ilya Ilin and Artem Ivanov are hitting great numbers in training, and it could lead to a toe-to-toe battle in London.

Questions
There won’t be a Q&A this week, but feel free to ask questions for next week’s Q&A in the comments. If it’s a simple question, some of the other readers may attempt at an answer, and I’ll take the best ones for next week’s column. I’ll also sift through some of the comments, e-mails, and messages I received while abroad and pick out the good ones.

Johnson of Warrior Performance (Shannon Green's gym) preps for a big bench

I took notice of how 2008 gold medalist Ilya Ilin (94kg) had charisma at the 2011 World Championships. I couldn’t decide if I liked him because he seemed to have a good time, but I could see him acting kind of like a dick towards his opponents. At one point, he hit a lift (I think it was his first or second clean and jerk) and as he was walking off the platform he gestured to an opposing lifter by throwing his palms upward as if to say, “What ya got, SON?!” He then smoked the hell out of a 226kg clean and jerk on his second attempt to win the world championship on body weight (because Artem Ivanov missed a WR 227kg clean and jerk on his third).

The other day I posted a video of Ilya hitting some shit-hot snatches (below), working up to 192.5kg (which I think is 4.5 above the WR). He looked ridiculously solid, but lifters typically do in training. They have the luxury to weigh more than their competition weight, but they are probably in the middle of some kind of drug cycle that inevitably has to be tapered for a competition. Nevertheless, it’s a significant improvement over his 181kg second attempt snatch from the 2011 World Championships.



Kevin P. commented on the video and said that the Ilya vs. Artem Ivanov battle would be a good one. He cited that Ivanov hit 190/230 in a competition recently in the Ukraine. I don’t know if there is video, but that’s a scary improvement over what he did at World’s in 2011. Watch this video and you’ll see his 186kg snatch, which was kind of hard, and his crack at 227 on his third CJ (there was no chance on the jerk, maybe because of the jump). Now watch his second attempt CJ at 221 and you’ll see an unstable jerk. It’s surprising that he can make such a stark improvement. However, maybe the “meet in Ukraine” didn’t drug test, and he’s humming on a cycle? I mean, c’mon, a 406 total to a 420 total?

I’d expect Ilya to improve upon his World Championship total because he missed a 184 snatch on his third, yet he cranked the hell out of his snatches up to 192.5 in the first video (shown above). I’d expect him to go at least 186, maybe 188? I guess it depends on what Ivanov is hitting. However, Ilya’s strength is in the CJ, and his potential wasn’t tapped in the World Championship last year. It’s almost scary how nonchalantly Ilya hits his CJs; this video shows him easily hitting 230 (allegedly in response to Ivanov’s recent 190/230 meet). He’ll go for whatever he needs, and I think he’ll make it. I just don’t think Ivanov is going to have enough to beat Ilya.

If we base it off their performance at last year’s World’s and their potential to improve, Ilya clearly had weight left on the bar and Ivanov was clearly maxing out his potential. If they both have improvements, it would seem that Ilya will still have the edge. If Ivanov can hit similar numbers as his 190/230 meet (he won’t), it will be close, yet I think Ilya would still edge him on CJ after they go toe-to-toe on snatch. If Ivanov wins, it’d be a hell of an upset, but I don’t see it happening. There’s something about Ilya’s attitude about enjoying competition and training that will have me rooting for him when the showdown occurs in London. Can’t wait.

Prileipin’s Chart is the result of a lot of Russian research done with Olympic weightlifters. It depicts the optimum number and range of reps given a certain percentage to increase strength. The researchers looked at bar speed, technique, and the lifter’s next competition max and developed the following numbers (for more on Prilepin’s Chart and it’s use on strength training, check out this solid article by Tim Kontos on EliteFTS).



The “Percent” column indicates the percent of the lifter’s 1RM. The “Reps/sets” column represents the range of reps that can occur for a single set. The “Optimal” column shows the optimum number of total reps at this percent range to implement a correct dose of stress (fewer reps would be too low a stress, more reps would cause too much stress). The “Total Range” column indicates the lower and higher extremes a lifter could use when lifting in the indicated percent range. For example, the 55-65% row says that a lifter would use three to six reps per set, the optimal rep total is 24 reps, and the range of total reps is from 18 to 30. If the lifter used sets of 3, they could perform 8 sets to achieve the optimal 24 rep total.

This chart is a very good way to structure a training day, though it isn’t really necessary unless you’re more of an “advanced intermediate” type of lifter (i.e. someone who has been using intermediate programming for at least six months, and probably at least a year). Let’s say you found yourself going hard too often in your training, and de-loads were necessary and often. If you actually looked at your percentages and rep totals, you might find that you’re essentially doing three heavy days a week. Instead, you could fluctuate your week’s training better (perhaps with a Heavy-Medium-Light set up) by orienting your training sessions with Prilepin’s Chart.

If Monday you went heavy, the chart would help you see that “heavy” is anything over 90%. You’d do about four total reps by hitting a couple doubles or some singles, and you definitely wouldn’t breach the ten rep mark — it would just be superfluous training volume at this percentage. If you kept the rep ranges the same, you could aim to improve the weight slightly the following week. This is essentially what is done in the Texas Method and Advanced Texas Method protocols (though numbers of sets and reps are modified for goals, like raw powerlifting).

Prilepin’s Chart also allows for proper progression. If you’re less adapted to using its protocol, then you would stick to the lower end range of reps within a given percentage. For example, instead of using 15 to 20 reps in the 80-90% category, you’d stick to the lower rep range of 10 and build it up over time (perhaps adding a rep or two every week). You can see how it’s easy to apply more stress via total tonnage than simply adding weight, and this is also why you’d want to be more advanced before even worrying about any of this. Less adapted intermediates can make plenty of progress with a good training template and not over working themselves, but this Chart can corral those who are ignorant, belligerent, or not on a given template (hmm, two of those three describe Brent…).

Westside Barbell and Louie Simmons are the primary sources that educated the general strength population on Prilepin’s Chart. Louie based the DE/ME structure on these percentages and rep ranges and has tweaked them over the years (I’d suggest getting a copy of the “Westside Barbell Squat and Deadlift Manual” if you’re interested to see his implementation). Things are tweaked because a) the Westside lifters are using supportive gear and b) the above chart is based on the the quick Olympic lifts. Supportive gear will assist the lifter in his performance, so heavier percentages can be used. The Olympic lifts have a much lower time under tension and can be typically labeled as “sub-maximal” with respect to absolute strength, so a powerlifter or strength athlete will typically use fewer reps than an Olympic weightlifter. Also, Tim Kontos pointed out that a sport athlete (who is running, attending practice, or using a broader range of lifts) will use fewer reps so as not to apply too much stress that would inhibit the rest of the training.

Prilepin’s Chart is a good tool to use for experienced lifters, yet it can give a good programmer a strategy for how to plan his session, week, and training. Take a look at your own training and see how it compares with these rep ranges. If you decide to use it, remember to start with the lower rep ranges. If you experiment with something and it works well, then let us know (but include your stats and previous program). Don’t forget that less experienced lifters will complicate a good progression by trying to adhere to percentage-based training.

I was teaching a seminar at Shire Speed and Strength in my first weekend in Australia when Shannon Green started talking about the banded good morning. He was suggesting them to an attendee who competed in MMA. In a world of deficient posterior chains, I fell in love with this movement immediately.

The banded good morning is done by wrapping a band around the base of the neck (not on the front, you can do it that way when you’re in your bedroom) while the other end is attached to the bottom of a rack several feet in front of you. It’s also possible to place both feet on the band, yet I think they are less useful this way. The exercise works the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and adductors), lumbar spine, upper back, and cervical spine. The only other neck assistance work specifically targets the area (neck harness extensions and neck bridges on a bench), so this is an excellent way to work the neck while training the posterior chain. After your first exposure, you’ll be sore in most of the area above the scapulae. I’ve pre-measured my neck to see if it increases the thickness over time.



When the band is on a rack, the force vector is downward and forward, which changes the trainee’s balance forward. The hips are pushed back with a neutral lumbar (this would be “extension” for tight people, “neutral” for very mobile people) to place tension on the hamstrings. Regardless of band loading, the trainee shouldn’t bend down so far that their lumbar unlocks or flexes; if the lumbar flexes, then the hamstrings slacken. This is a common error in the barbell GM or RDL; the trainee lowers the back below horizontal and flexes the lumbar or knees. In the banded GM on the rack, the trainee will only need to achieve a 45 degree back angle (or slightly more) to achieve good hamstring tension.

Also notice the emphasis on speed out of the bottom by driving through the band with the base of the neck. This can add an explosive component to the exercise — one that is also severely lacking in most trainees. This exercise can be used as a strength movement to increase the size, speed, and explosiveness in the posterior chain, but can also be used as a finisher to help aid recovery and improve muscular balance. Use 3 to 5 sets of 10 to 15 reps for strength, power, or muscle development. They are an excellent rehabilitation tool when used with lighter bands and higher reps (i.e. 3 to 5 sets of 20 to 30 reps).

Trainees can benefit from varying the GM’s in the same way that Westside Barbell varies their lifts. Use wide stance, close stance, point the toes out, change the speed (but do them explosively at least 75% of the time) and use different band tensions and placements. My only criteria would be to maintain band tension at the bottom of the movement. If you’re in a pinch, or want a variation, try the version in which you stand on the band. I’ve done them this way, but I think they are better when attached to a rack because it provides a unique angle of tension.

Again, this is an excellent exercise that I am in love with. If I could marry and divorce an exercise, this would be it. It can be thrown in at the end of any type of training day. They are perfect for CrossFitters given that CF often results in a very anterior dominant trainee (developed quads, no posterior chain). I would suggest their inclusion at least once a week, but they can be done up to 3 times a week (depending on when/if you pull). If you don’t regularly deadlift, then use a higher frequency. Lastly, the balance is weird when performing them, so be careful that you don’t do a fucking header into the rack. I’d like 70’s Big to remain death free.

There are many people who write about weightlifting in the USA, but they don’t always agree with each other. There are intricacies in the set-up or pull that will set some coaches on opposing sides of the battlefield. Despite these differences, there are still aspects of programming and mechanics that should be universal. My pal Jacob Tsypkin, the hated YouTube sensation, does a nice job of summarizing these “truths” that should be accepted as self evident. Jacob has been learning and training under Glenn Pendlay at California Strength; he will be a very good weightlifting coach in the future.

Below are five important concepts that, when followed, will yield appropriate training and execution. Read the full article on Jacob’s blog/site.

#1: Position Is Everything

#2: Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity

#3: Regularly train at or near maximal weights

#4: Everything which is not a competition style snatch or C&J is an assistance exercise

#5: Never stop doing the full lifts. Ever.

Note that these concepts are specific to an Olympic weightlifter; some may not apply to a general strength and power trainee. Do you think Jacob left any important concepts out? What else would you add?