Auto Regulation + Velocity Based Training = Beast!

So this is the last in this series so here's a recap of the it in its entirety:

Part 1: Force Velocity Curve

Part 2: Force Velocity Curve #2

Part 3: Velocity Based Training

Part 4: Velocity Based Training - How To

Part 5 - Implementing Auto Reg into Your Training

Today I'll show you how to combine auto regulation and velocity based training into your own program.

It's probably a good idea to schedule in a block of low load - high velocity training after a block or 2 of high load - low force (maximum strength) work to take advantage of the increased neural adaptations you get from that type of training.

For footy you might do this block x 4 - 6 weeks leading i to your practice games or round 1.

Instead of working with reps per set you'll do reps in a set amount of time like maximum reps in 5secs for example, depending on your goal.

Within your block you might start at sets of 3 - 5secs and with the aim of doing 1 rep per second. Start light and work up to a maximum load you can do for 2 rep per second then continue doing sets with that weight until you can't.

It's as easy as that!!

You've implemented the velocity component by limiting the time you have to complete your reps and the auto regulation has been implemented by setting a time to complete a set amount of reps in.

I've been playing with this the last few weeks but keeping my time per set to 5secs and have used the following methods for this:

#1 - start with barbell only and do as many rep sin 5 secs as I can increasing weight each set until I can only do 5 reps in the 5secs then stopping.

#2 - start with barbell only and do as many rep sin 5 secs as I can increasing weight each set until I can only do 5 then continue to do sets of 5 reps in 5secs until I can't then stopping.

#3 - start with barbell only and do as many reps in 5 secs as I can increasing weight each set until I can only do 5 reps in 5secs.

Remember it's all about quality not quantity and this method ensures there is nothing but quality. You set a the set time and the reps you need to reach and once you reach or can't maintain it, you stop. Those last reps you do where you can barely move the weight do nothing for you but build up more and more fatigue.

Good luck for those in finals this weekend!

Implementing Auto Regulation into Your Training

Way back in 2010 I posted about Auto Regulation in regards to your training.

For those not in the know, auto regulation is a way to ensure that your training is of the utmost quality each and every time.

You can look at training as like filling a glass. Once you program the amount of training you can tolerate, then adding more only overfills the cup and will result in a decrease in performance from too much stress or not enough recovery but almost certainty both.

High volume and /or frequency training programs are fine and I do them myself but I think we all know that quality trumps quality every time so if half of your sessions are doing you good but the other half aren't, then what's the point of them?

Also how do you know if everything is having an effect? Maybe only 1 part of your training is providing you your performance improvements but 3 other parts are not. So why continue with the other 3 parts that are just adding unneeded stress to your body?

When implementing auto reg, it provides a set point that you are aiming to reach but not cross. Once at that set point then you can use a drop off point that you'll continue to train to but once you hit it then it's home time.

An example of this is someone who has a strength program that says he's gotta do 5 x 5 of bench presses.. You first 2 sets are pretty good and you've built up a bit of fatigue and feel that you might not reach 5 reps on the next set. Sets 3, 4 and 5 are completed with a far slower rep speed and your also straining between reps holding the bar at lockout taking big breathes to fire out more reps. You lockout of some reps almost comes to a complete halt until you squirm on the bench a little and force it up with a twisted torso position. Not great technique but, hey you got it up let's count it!

You finish your 5 sets of 5 an follow it up with 2 more bench press variations and a fly/crossover exercise or 2 and go home with a pump the size Texas and you're happy. You wake up tomorrow and you're sore as buggery and won't train chest again for 6 full days to recovery from yesterdays pec-tastic session.

Now when using auto reg you'd follow something like this:

Step 1 - set a goal for the session, let's say strength again. You also want each rep of each set to be completed with full acceleration through each rep with no sticking points, excessive straining/grinding or change in technique.

Step 2 - set a rep goal for the session, let's say 3.

Step 3 - focusing on the speed of each rep of each set you ramp up in weight each set until you hit the heaviest weight you can for 3 reps with full acceleration.

You've hit your aim for the session and now you've got some decisions to make whether it it be a focus on strength, hypertrophy or explosiveness.

Step 4 - whatever decision you make, you'd drop the weight and do a specific reps per set until max out following the guidelines of your training from step 1.

Here's how it might look numbers wise:

Set 1 - 3 x 50kgs
Set 2 - 3 x 60kgs
Set 3 - 3 x 70kgs
Set 4 - 3 x 80kgs
Set 4 - 3 x 90kgs
Set 5 - 3 x 100kgs (max set)

Goal is to continue with strength improvements so you will stay with 3 reps and also drop the weight 5 - 10% for your next sets.

Set 6 - 92.5kgs x 3
Set 7 - 92.5kgs x 3
Set 8 - 92.5kgs x 3

On your 8th set it didn't feel as "good" as the others and there was a bit of wavering in rep acceleration so you'll call it a day right there.

As you can see this method cuts out any bullshit volume that is there to fill up time or your program sheet.

It ensures only quality work is completed which will usually result in less overall volume which will result in less overall recovery from this session. This means that tomorrow or the next day you'll be able to do more high quality work again because you didn't overfill your stress glass.

Too many footballers follow bodybuilding programs, which is ridiculous, and has far too much shit volume in them that is not needed for footy when you have a lot of other things to train for.

You can apply so much stress before you break down.

In my next post I'll go into how I apply velocity based training and auto reg training together to make you a beast!

Velocity Based Training - How To

The most precise way to measure velocity is with a little something called a Linear Position Transducer sold through a website called GymAware. I am not an affiliate of these guys nor do I have one as they are a little costly but the principle is very important one in regards to athletic performance.

It's not as simple as this but what this little fellow does it attaches to the bar and measures the speed at which you lift it.

                                   

You may have seen force plates used before in vertical leap tests which is a similar thing but the LPT can be used to measure just about any exercise you want, not just ground based exercises.

As I understand it it doesn't measure power or speed but rather the displacement or distance of the chord that gets pulled from the machine. 

When combined with time, you can then calculate velocity and all equations after that, such as force and power are calculated against the system of mass (of the load or the athlete).

Now unfortunately you can only measure velocity with these machines which you may be thinking is a waste of post, what can I do with this?

I've posted about auto regulating training before and this is what these machines do. For example if you are wanting to train speed strength for a particular exercise, then from a couple of posts ago you would need to train at a speed that covers 1 - 1.5 meters per second. 

Getting instant feedback from a machine like this means that after each rep you knowing exactly what level you need to reach and it also provides a specific form of feedback that can actually enhance your training sessions because you will have a specific aim to reach each rep.

The big picture of this velocity stuff I've been blabbering on about is 2 fold.

1 - varying rep and load for specific exercises can train specific strength qualities which is essential for footy players who need to cover just about the entire force-velocity curve somewhere in their training

and;

2 - auto regulation of your training which is something I have touched on before and will be the subject of my next post and is CRUCIAL to footy players who must train for a lot of things during a full season without training yourself into the ground.

Velocity Based Training

In the last couple of posts we've looked at Force - Velocity curve (separate links for force and velocity there) and its implications in regards to program design.

In the last post there was an image that showed what spectrum of the force velocity curve you train at certain %'s of your max.

So you might be thinking "I already do train in some or all of those %'s, so I've got this covered."

Not so fast chief!

The force velocity curve is only valid if you are lifting with maximal acceleration, or at least the intent to lift with maximal acceleration, and as discussed in my previous post, most players lift more like bodybuilders, not power athletes.

So here's another image for you:

                            

As you can see there are actually measurements needed to be reached to ensure that your are actually training in the force velocity spectrum that you intended to.

Looking at the graph you can see what most people would expect, that the heavier the load (or higher the force), the slower the velocity and vice versa.

So if you do a 1 rep max but that 1 rep takes you a full 8secs to grind out, then is that the best exercise or, implementation of that exercise, to transfer over to your sport? Probably not. There's no situation on game day that gives you 8secs to fend off a tackle of gather yourself to jump for a mark in footy!

On the other hand do those 20 rep sets performed at 50 - 60% of your max have a good chance of transferring to your on field performance? Again, probably not.

You've got to abide by the meters per second lifting range of motion number that corresponds to the force or velocity quality you aim to train for.

Next up: Ways to Implement VBT

The Force - Velocity Curve Part 2

Just over a week ago I posted about the force velocity curve and gave a very basic insight into what it is so
a quick recap is that one axis is force, or the heaviest load you can move irrespective of time and the other axis is velocity, or how fast you can move a given load.

So lets break the "curve" down a little shall we?

Now as you can see there are various strength qualities that you've probably never heard of or even trained for (on purpose that is).

Max Strength refers lifting loads that are 90- 100% of your maximum so we're talking max bench press attempts and lifts of that nature. Car pushes is another example here for "other" max strength related activities.

Strength Speed refers loads moved in the 80 - 90% range of your max so the force requirements is a slightly lower that will equate to slightly greater velocity outputs. So it's a submaximal effort here but at a relatively high load still like an Olympic lift.

Speed Strength refers to loads moved in the 30 - 60% range of your max so now your essentially using a 50% split or close, of strength and velocity during these activities like a resisted sprint or plyometric exercise.

Max Speed (or velocity) is pure speed of movement like sprinting or a boxing combination.

I left out power deliberately because it's where strength speed and speed strength meet and overlap and can be dependent on your muscle fibre make up and training experience. A weighted jump is an example of a display of power.

Notice I haven't mentioned anything about sets and reps yet - this will be discussed in a future installment, but generally I think we'd all agree the the lighter a load is then the more reps we can do with it. This is true but rather then think of training in terms of reps, volume etc, how about focusing on the speed of the movement?

So now that last paragraph reads "I think we'd all agree that the lighter a load is then  the faster we can lift it".

Yes much better!!

Next up: Velocity Based Training

The Force - Velocity Curve

Training for performance is not what most players do in the gym.

I'd say 80 - 90% of players train to increase muscle size with the other 10 - 20% training for strength.

So 1 of those options is an actual strength quality (strength) and the other is a by product of a particular type of training.

My suggestion is to work off the force velocity curve:

As you can see from the image above one axis is force and the other is velocity so they are at opposite ends of the spectrum essentially.

Getting back to my opening statements, most players seem to think that training for hypertrophy and/or strength will automatically increase speed which is partly true as strength would be represented here as the force part of the equation.

Unfortunately the velocity part is often neglected.

To simplify:

Force refers to the highest load you can move regardless of time (think of a slow 1 rep max attempt) and velocity is the speed at which you can move a given force/load (think throwing a punch in boxing).

In regards to footy, you'll be doing it hard in the gym to hopefully increase sprinting speed (the difference between professional and amateur footballers) followed by full body strength for strength over the ball and hypertrophy for armor to protect against collisions as well as for injury prevention.

Indigenous Laguntas Program Involvement

I posted this Facebook update last week:

Post by Aussie Rules Training.

with some more information at this link:

http://www.aflvic.com.au/2014-laguntas-program-kicks/

and in the end they came away with the win at this link:

http://www.aflvic.com.au/laguntas-boys-post-first-ever-win/?fb_action_ids=537662456345529&fb_action_types=og.likes

So my brother works for Richmond as their Indigenous programs dude and with their main 2 hour training session Friday and the big game on Sunday, they were wanting to break up Saturday's seminar day with some form of movement which is where I come in.

Not wanting anything too intensive so as not to impede recovery from Friday nor impede anything for Sunday, I sent through a sample of what I would do with them which the AFL Indigenous guys were happy with but with 30 blokes in a my 165m/sq studio space was going to be a battle but we got around it.

Here's what we did:

Tennis Ball - glutes, calves, pereoneals

Foam Rolling - ITB, Quads

Breathing / Core / Glutes - Supine Breathing, Short Lever Heel Drop, Posterior Pelvic Tilt, Prone Stability Hold...Prone Breathing, Glute Bridge, Side Stability Hold...Lunge Isometric + Thoracic Rotation, Bent Leg Hip Extension, Hip Hinge

Mobilisation - Hip Rockbacks, Split Stance Adductor Mobilisation

Stiffness - Line Jumps, Lateral Line Jumps, Wideouts, Low Squat Foot Jump

That wasn't the order but the groupings I did.

All up it took about 45mins to get all 30 kids through and they were very receptive.

I went down for a look on the Sunday and they looked pretty good and I was surprised by how much handball the under 18's use to clear the ball from packs rather then just banging it on the boot like we did in the good ole days!

I've got my online stuff up and running so if you need some extra training assistance coming into the back half of the season then let me know.