Coupled Sets for Greater Gains

[colcio]

Hi

Has Anyone heard or used this method to increase your 1 rep max? Does it work? Here's a short bit about it.

To maximize your overall climbing gains from this power training, consider combining one of the above controlled, strength-building exercises with an explosive power exercise. As explained by Eric Hörst in his book Conditioning for Climbers: The Complete Exercise Guide (Falcon, 2008), studies have demonstrated that by performing these two types of exercises back-to-back, athletes make greater gains than by performing each exercise in isolation.

a coupled set might include a set of maximal weighted pull-ups followed by 10-20 rapid-fire, body-weight pull-ups. Another option would be to do a low reps set of maximal one-arm pull-ups (or assisted one-arms), and follow this immediately with double dynos up and down the campus board.

Thanks

[Joshua Naterman]

This will work, but it is less efficient than how the WODs here are set up. That's why everyone who is doing the WODs is seeing strength increases coming much faster than when we were all doing our own training.

You really want to focus on only one tissue adaptation per training session, and when performing explosive movements you are always better off doing less reps with the most explosive thing you can do than more reps with a less explosive exercise. For example, super fast pull ups are less effective than full ROM clapping pull ups. Why? Each rep of the clapping pull ups generates more force both on the way up AND on the catch coming back down. Because of this you get a better adaptation of the nervous system, which is where 2/3 of muscle power comes from.

Where'd I get 2/3? Well, that's fuzzy math that I am going to justify right here. I SAID SO!!! *temper tantrum*

... nah. Just kidding. That's not the reason! Muscular power is the time it takes to generate a given amount of force within the muscle. That means it's strength times speed. Now, what is strength, and what is speed? Speed is PURELY a function of the nervous system. It is all about neural efficiency, meaning how coordinated motor unit activation is, the resistance of the nerves themselves, sending action potentials MOSTLY to agonists only, and how many action potentials are sent. Guess what strength is! Strength is a combination of the physical number of contractile proteins, the types of muscle fibers that have been most highly developed, coordination of action potentials and how many action potentials are sent. Huh... it looks like strength itself is half neural in nature while speed is ALL neural. I suppose I could justify a 75% neural component for power with that, looking at the explanation, and that may well be true, but I'm not worried about being somewhat conservative on that.

The protocol you have asked about WILL work, but it is less efficient because it is trying to do too much in one session. The high rep nature of the second exercise, which introduces a strong local strength-endurance stimulus, along with the lower intensity of the dynamic movement suggested, show a lack of proper prioritization OR implementation of training stimuli.

There is also the issue of this program suggesting a maximal exercise before a dynamic. That is 100% backwards. You always want to do explosive or reactive work BEFORE maximal work, for two reasons. One, they are less draining when done properly, and two they actually excite the nervous system and make your maximal work MORE PRODUCTIVE.

So, in conclusion, it's not a bad system. It simply is not the most efficient way of doing things, and I don't know why ANYONE would want to do something less efficient once they learn about something more efficient.

The concept, which is implemented almost perfectly in the GB WODs, is that of "complex training cycles" which are the most effective known methods of developing physical athletic attributes.

[JL]

From what I have read, this is a good method to increase explosive ability for an upcoming event. I don't know if this has any advantages for building strength faster by applying it on a regular basis. Personally, I haven't always been able to validate the effectiness of post activation potentiation. Poliquin supposedly uses this principle in wave loading, and claims it to be the best. Then others feel it is just another workout-nothing special. Most of the research has the heavy lifting potentiating sub-maximal work. I don't really recall a heavy lift potentiating another max effort to a higher level. In a way, warm ups help prime the next set.

[Joshua Naterman]

You have to use VERY specific timing to get the most out of this, and the plyo work has to come BEFORE maximal work, not after. It's also not supposed to be high volume plyo work, but rather low volume and high force.

The idea of combining plyo work and maximal work is good, but the method originally described does not take full advantage of nervous system priming.

Of course, this is assuming they are trying to increase maximal strength and maximal power, since that is what the OP asked.

As stated, this workout is really more for getting more out of your submaximal work, which is absolutely going to work better for a rock climber as overall conditioning.