Debunking Dynamic Effort

Debunking Dynamic Efort: 4 Ways to Enhance Your Speed Sets  The dynamic efort efort method is one o three three methods documented by Dr Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky Zatsiorsky and popularized by Louie Simmons. The basic premise is that in order to create tension you must either lit as heavy as possible or that repetition range lit subma!imal "eights as ast as possible or lit subma!imal "eights or as many repetitions as possible.

#o" there are many parameters that go along "ith these three methods. $ut or the most part these three methods %t nicely in the con&ugate periodization system. These three methods are sometimes broken do"n even urther into the circa'ma!imal circa'ma!imal and a sub'ma!imal methods. (lthough most o us ound these methods implemented in the )estside barbell method o training it has since been implemented "ith diferent terminology terminology in other training methods such as the tier system the cube method and others. *or this article + "ill concentrate solely on the dynamic efort method speci%cally ho" it relates to programming programming or athletes in a sports setting. Strength and conditioning is not po"erliting. The %rst thing that "e all must understand is that liting "eights or po"erliting is speci%c physical preparation. preparation. Liting "eights or athletic perormance is general physical preparation or ,--. The term ,-- may be the most misused term in the industry. The diference is speci%cally "hat the testable perormance task is. . + am going going to benchpre benchpress ss to improv improve e my benchpr benchpress ess i + am a po"erliter. /. + am going to benchpr benchpress ess to improv improve e speci%c speci%c tasks on the %eld %eld or court. 012 The bench press e3uals better pass blocking abilities.

So in this case the dynamic efort method or athletic perormance is by nature more broad o a spectrum due to the lack o necessary speci%city or the skill. The Dynamic Efort Method Dilemma  Three issues "ith traditional dynamic efort message a.k.a. speed s3uats speed pulls or speed bench or the thought o preparation. . (daptability *or po"erliters s3uatting or bench pressing t"o days per "eek is imperative or additional techni3ue "ork "hich is a very good attribute o dynamic efort "ork $ut or athletes the increased re3uency o a!ial load on the spine and the increased stress on the &oints may not be necessary. Speci%cally during certain seasons o the year. This may be more relevant or lo"er body e!ercises but multiple days o horizontal pressing may add to the already prevalent imbalances most athletes arrive at college "ith. /. -racticality )hether you are in the small college high school or private sector4 training athletes more that twice per week may not be a possibility  . )e all as coaches have been programmed to implement a 5'day or 6'day system or most sports. The combination o multiple seasons 7"ith athletes being in'season8 limited scheduling opportunities and lack o appropriate coaching ratios4 reduction o e!posure is evident. + have talked "ith Dan Stevens several times and "e are both in agreement that athletes can get very strong and ade3uately prepared or their sport re3uirement training / days per "eek. We agree it is not optimal but certainly not an obstacle. +t &ust becomes a mathematical e3uation. 9ere:s an e!ample rom "hen + "as at Denison2 •

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;y "eight room saely %t 5< athletes training at one time.  There are 6=< athletes + "ill need to train. + have = hours per day to train athletes = days per "eek e3ualing /= training hours. Larger schools and coaches "ithout secondary coaching and teaching assignments "ill have more. So i every athlete only trains once per "eek that "ould mean + could host = ull sessions +* each liting group "as evenly distributed. + every athlete lits t"ice per "eek. That "ould mean + need to host 5< liting groups. >ou see "here + am going here? The solution? Less sessions overlap sessions have some sessions outside the "eight room.

5. ;astery

9o" much time as coaches do "e need to spend on the basic undamental lits? (nd no matter ho" undamental they are to your program unless you are training liters they are merely ,--. #o" ,eneral -hysical -reparation is oten misused "hen describing training methods but please understand that physical preparation is only a small portion o the total athletic preparation o an athletes. This ratio becomes larger in the of' season but still does not encompass the entire training protocol. This limits the amount o e!posure to the "eightroom speci%c skill and increases the highly technical skills or the athlete to master. 5 Ways to Enhance Speed Sets . -ut Do"n the $arbell @r at least do some diferent movement "ith them. @ne o the most simple ad&ustments you can make as a coach is to perorm your dynamic efort "ork as 0!plosive movements. @lympic lits thro"s s"ings &umps sprints bounds and hops. There is de%nitely a concern "ith loading these movement in relation to "hat 3uality you are actually trying to enhance. 9ere are &ust a e" ideas o matching the movement patter "ith the e!ercise. Lo"er $ody •

Double Leg -ush2 Seated Aumps S3uat Aumps

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Double Leg -ull2 Snatch Blean S"ing or Thro"

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Single Leg -ush2 9ops Aumps

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Single Leg -ull2 $road Aumps $ounds sprints

Cpper $ody •

9orizontal -ush2 -ush Thro"s $allistic -ush'Cps

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9orizontal -ull2 Lying Thro"s

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Vertical -ush2 Aerks -ush'-resses -ush Thro"s

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Vertical -ull2 ;ed $all *loor Slams

 The challenge is oten imputing these movements "ithin the overall program. /. ( ;ore ;eaningul )arm'up Speed sets to "ork up to a ma!  The intention o moving the "eight ast is as important as ho" ast the bar moves "hen developing e!plosive strength. (n easy ad&ustment to get more out o each training session is to reinorce that the athletes perorms each concentric contraction as ast as possible.

 This takes time or beginners and must be coached consistently. $ut adding a e" "arm'up sets as the athlete "orks up can be bene%cial. *or e!ample2 •

6<!5

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=<!5

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=<!5

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E<!5

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E<!5

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F<!5

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F=!5

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G<!/'5

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G= ! 5'E reps

@ne negative o adding speed sets is adding mutliple "eight changes at the beginning o the sets. 5. Bomple! Training -erorming Dynamic 0fort "ork in bet"een ;a!imal 0fort sets (s a small school strength H conditioning coach you are oten dependent upon your scheduling staIng and acility situations. Bomple! training loosely de%ned as perorming an e!plosive movement ater a heavy movement can also develop e!plosive strength. This is a crude "ay to incorporate -ost'(ctivation -otentiation. *or most coaches the bene%t that overrides any training efect is the ability to add density to the "orkout and increase "ork capacity. + also despise splitting the "orkout so that not all athletes perorm the e!ercise in the same order. Depending on the size o the group you can perorm a dynamic moment 7or t"o8 ater the ma! efort set. 9ere:s an e!ample or the s3uat2 •

6 (thletes2 Spot S3uat Load Load Jepeat

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= (thletes2 Spot S3uat Aump Load Load Jepeat

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E (thletes2 Spot S3uat Aump -rehab Load Load Jepeat

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F (thletes2 Spot S3uat Aumps (ntagoisnt -rehab Load Load Jepeat

(n even simpler "ay to incorporate this conceprt is to simply perorm dynamic efort sets ate the ma! efort movement. •

)ork up to a 5'= rep ma!

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Cse G< o that ma! or = doubles

+ you are using a percentage based system it may look like2 •

G= or 5 sets o 5

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== or = sets o 5

0ither "ay don:t be araid to incorporate dynamic efort "ork ater ma! efort "ork. 6. Total $ody Template  There are plenty o good coaches that e!press avoiding perorming multiple 3ualities on the same day citing a less'than'desirable adaptation or each. This is not &ust a )S$$ methodology Bal Dietz and Dr. )illiam Kraemer have "ritten about similar models in Triphasic Training and @ptimizing Strength Training respectively. 6a. (ddressing all 5 o Zatsiorsky:s ;ethods 0ach Day  The most common template "ith utilizing dynamic ma! efort and repetition methods in each training session is Aoe Kenn:s Tier System. ( common theme is perorming a Total Lo"er and Cpper $ody movement under diferent methodologies.

S o a Dynamic efort movement "ill be perormed everyday. The key "ith the Tier System is developing you r e!ercise pool "ith appropriate movements. This system "orks very "ell in a 5'Day per "eek program. •

 Total $ody2 Deadlit

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Lo"er $ody2 S3uat

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Cpper $ody2 $ench -ress

6b. Devoting a day or each method.... ( Dynamic Day (nother ad&ustment that can be made in a team setting "ould be to perorm all Dynamic 0fort ;ovements on the same day. 0ssentailly an undulating load parameter system "ith three total'body days. This is similar to a Light'9eavy';edium intensity "ave only using Zatsiorsky:s methods. •

;@#D(>2 Dynamic 0fort 7B#S is resh rom t"o days of8

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)0D#0SD(>2 ;a! 0fort 7$ig )eight )ednesday8

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*J+D(>2 Jepeated 0fort 7(ble to push athletes hard at the end o the "eek8

Bal Dietz had also reerred to these days in terms o not only intensity but time'under'tension. $asically days "ere split up by duration o activity "hether it "as resistance training or conditioning. •

Dynamic 0fort2 less that = seconds o "ork per set

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;a!imum 0fort2 bet"een ='< seconds o efort per set

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Jepeated 0fort2 more than < seconds o efort per set.

Summary + hope this may give you some alternatives or incorporating the Dynamic 0fort ;ethod in a team setting.

e!erences: Science and -ractice o Strength Training 7/nd 0dition8. Vladimir ;. Zatsiorsky H )illiam A. Kraemer. 9uman Kinetics. /<