WEEKS 10-12 | TRAINING WEEK/CYCLE – FALL CYCLE COVERING WEEK(S) 4 – 6
BODYWEIGHT:
Back up, steady around 100 kilos
HIGHLIGHTS OF TRAINING PROGRAM:
These weeks were the majority of the volume phase. It started out with a good amount of general physical preparation exercise.
BEST TRAINING SESSION OF THE WEEK(S):
Week 4 | Day 1 :
Wall Squats 5 minutes
Power Snatch From Deficit 3(4)60%,
Power Snatch From Deficit 3(3)
Snatch Pull with Pause at Knees 5(3)70%
Snatch Trap Pull 5(6)50%
Box Jumps 5 minutes
Bodybuilding 15 minutes
Done with running outside and doing walking lunges but still got a nice ease back into weightlifting. Yasha programmed different variations like snatch from deficit which was still enough of a change from the classic lifts and variations used before to keep my refreshed. The volume programmed for these with multiple sets for four reps was also a nice challenging change. It was not only refreshing for my body but also my mind. Being able to focus so much on technique at these lighter weights and breathing heavy at the end of a longer set was very much needed.
Yasha’s organization of training is pretty straightforward and he is very clear in how he defines each cycle and each phase of training. He talks about in in this video and on his blog in detail here.
What we are completing is what he calls the training-to-train phase where, as he defines it:
“mobility, rigidity, and endurance are built that will be needed during the base and competition phases.”
This can also be called a base, volume, or general phase depending on how you talk to, but all good coaches who understand the organization of training include this in long-term planning. The point of this phase is to prepare your body for the work ahead which will be more specific to the aim of weightlifting – lifting the most weight possible in the snatch and clean and jerk.
I’ve always understood the importance of this phase and have always included it in my training and that of my lifters, but while working under Yasha I’ve found a new appreciation for improving one of the qualities that this phase focuses on – rigidity. As Yasha defines it in his blog:
RIGIDITY is the ability to withstand the effects of power (strength + speed) without bending or breaking. It’s essential that weightlifters develop rigidity early in their training. Without it, the amount of power a weightlifter can generate is reduced and the risk of injury increases.
I’ve always known that the point of a general cycle is to build general strength and endurance but I never gave as much thought as Yasha has to the idea of focusing specifically on building postural strength very specific to the lifts themselves. This is what he does with exercises such as snatch pull with pause at knee. The crazy man had me hold the pause for six seconds, not a six count, six SECONDS.
But as he planned, I will go into the next cycle with stronger positions and therefore have greater resilience when I increase the volume in the classic lifts.