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CENTRAL STRENGTH NEWS
| Vol. 1, Ed. 5 |
Monday, April 17, 2006 |
Rakkasan Raiders
Complacency kills
Complacency will get you killed...As an athlete, you spend much of your time training to become better. In addition to those responsibilities, you must also learn to maintain your school work, personal relationships, and take care of your body.
We all have a lot on our plates during this time of year; finals are fast approaching and there are projects coming due. However, we must all stay focused and not let ourselves become complacent during any of these activities. It is important to be constantly evaluating your goals and setting new ones. We can't risk for a second taking a rep off because we feel we have done enough. Enough is not possible--there is always room for improvement! NEVER become complacent with yourself or with your training.
There are other teams and even members of your own team looking for that chance to beat you, and if you give them that chance they will. We must stay hungry, never settling, always wanting more. Those of you who do that will be successful. If you want to just go through the motions and train when you feel like it, we all know where you will go. If you want to become the very best that you can be, then you can't stop to admire your work. It is at that point that you will get beat!
Dieleman's Dungeon
Periodization
When looking at your lifting cards you may have noticed the little numbers that are beside your last set. Those numbers are a vital piece of information that lets an athlete know what percentage of their one rep max they are handling. During a particular training cycle you will see those percentages go up and down. The reason why is because during some weeks, we want to challenge your body to become stronger. At other times, you may see that the percentages (ie. the weight on the bar) are down. This will allow the body to recover from week to week, thus making you stronger.
Based upon your training maturity, (the amount of years you have been training), you will be on a different program. A novice lifter is able to be challenged nearly every week as opposed to an older lifter whose percentages will go up and down depending upon the week. These percentages are done in order to peak you for certain times/events throughout the year. Regardless of what your percentage is for that particular day, your goal is ALWAYS to move weight as fast as you possibly can. Train hard, train smart, and break records!
Central Nutrition
Carbohydrate Intake
All this talk about low carb diets is killing our society, specifically
all athletes. Carbohydrates are your main fuel source during
anaerobic activiy such as lifting or sprinting. They are stored in your
body as glycogen stores and broken down for energy. Without
adequate supplies your body will not perform near its optimal level.
At various times of the day you are going to want different types of
carbohydrates.
During training and especially after trianing, you are going to want to consume carbs that are primarily liquid (they are digested quicker) and carbs that have more sugar in them. After
training, your glycogen stores will be depleted. By consuming a sugary carbohydrate right after training you will spike your insulin levels, which will replenish those stores as well as help shuttle protein in for repair of muscle tissue. At all other times throughout the day you should look to consume carbohydrates that are solid foods. These should be carbs that are broken down slowly by the body. The best kinds are pasta, whole grain breads and cereals as well as fruits and vegetables. Forget the low carb/no carb diets and focus on what to eat and when you eat them.
Foundations of the Haus
The Bench Press: It's more than the pecs
"Psst! Hey! Wanna know the secret to unlocking a big bench press? Pay more attention to your lat
work." It's true. To unlock the power of the bench you must train the right muscle groups and have
proper technique.
Contrary to popular belief, the pecs are not as important to your bench as you might think. If you fail in the lower portion of the bench, it's not a weaknes of the chest. It is either
that you don't have enough bar speed, in which case you need to start putting more effort into your speed
benches. Or two, the weight is too heavy! Leave your ego at the door and stick to weights that don't staple you to the bench.
There are two muscle groups that make the biggest difference in the bench.
#1 is the triceps and #2 are the lats and upper back. Most people don't realize the effect these muscles can
have on your bench, so they have not trained these muscles to their max potential. So step one, start
giving max effort to your tricep and back work; treat them as a priority and not an afterthought. Next,
technique. Lay on the bench and try to pull your feet as far underneath you as possible, keeping the heels on the floor. Now squeeze your scapula together as tightly as possible and drive them into the bench. Grab the bar with your hands 6-12" wider than your shoulders. Squeeze the bar tightly, your whole body should feel tight.
Now, take a breath and have your partner unrack the weight--it is impossible to maintain proper form if you unrack it yourself. Next you must learn to lower the bar with your lats--flare them out as you lower it to your chest, keeping your elbows tucked at 45 degrees to your torso. When you press it up, press it in a staight line! Drive with your feet as well as your upper body.
Well there it is, the "secret" to a big bench, which in my opinion is the most overrated lift in the gym. Knowledge isn't power, applied knowledge is power!
Final Thoughts
Finish Strong. We are coming down the home stretch as we prepare to finish yet another year at Central College. As we approach the end, there are going to be opportunities to compete each day. Whether it is in the classroom, time spent with friends you won't see for a few months, or your training, it is important to attack each day. Continue to prepare and good luck with everything!
"Don't count the days, make the days count"
central strength training: Redefined
A special thanks to Coaches Tim Bates, Trevor Dieleman, & Joe
Niehaus for their great contributions to the newsletter.
Contact
information
Jake Anderson, CSCS
Central College Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
812 University
Campus
Box 6600
Pella, Iowa 50219
(641) 628-7695
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