Advanced Training Methods 2 - The Bulgarian Circuit

The Bulgarian Circuit - Improving Lower Body Explosiveness

The Bulgarian circuit or complex was used by many olympic lifters in Bulgaria as part of their training process to increase overall explosiveness, while exploring every abilty reponsible for jumping and exploding of the ground - maximum strength, strength-speed, speed-strength, speed, reactive and elastic ability, etc...

I have used the bulgarian circuit protocol and incorporated it into my athletes training while modifying some of the exercises/rep schemes, etc.

My version is presented below, it is especialy beneficial for acrobats, gymnasts, martial artists.

The Circuit

A1 Bilateral Squat variation (back/front, wide/narrow, etc) 3 reps

A2 Drop stick and hold (drop of 0.3-2.5 meters, stick the landing in above 90 degree knee angle and hold for a second) 5 reps

A3 Narrow Grip Power snatch 3 reps

A4 Chutando/one legged back flip 2 reps per leg

A5 Bouncing 1/4 jump back squats (30% of A1) 10 reps, minimum contact time between reps

Circuit details and planning

I advice you to take 1.5-3 min rest between exercises and to complete 2-5 circuits.

This should be performed twice a week for 3 weeks and a total of 6 consecutive workouts pyramiding up in weight.

Deload every 3rd workout with only 2 sets in total. Continue to up the intensity though. This is an intensification microcycle of course, it should be followed with an accumulation one for best results.

Good luck, enjoy.

Can you provide a better description or a picture A1, A3, A5? I don't quite understand what those 3 movements are.

1-Legged Back flip? Anything I should know before trying um? I have a back tuck down already.

Gentlemen, like the title says, this is an advanced training method, if you are unfamiliar with the terms, I suspect this is not for you.

A1 is a some kind of a heavy squat motion - back squat, front squat, wide powerlifting back squat, etc...

A3 is a variation of a the olympic lift snatch. We use a closer grip than normaly and snatch the weight to such a height it can be caught with a quarter dip-under.

A5 is a jump squat for 10 reps, bouncing up and down without stopping until completing the whole set and only dipping 1/4 of the way down each time.

1 Legged back flip is used for advanced athletes because they are performing a normal back flip with ease and we are trying to push the envelope. One of my female students (capoeirista) once performed more than 150 back flips in 30 minutes, for fun. It just goes to show you that this motion is not advanced enough for such an athlete in order to develop explosive strength.

With beginners, a normal back flip can be used, intermidiete athletes can back flip from the floor into a higher leveled surface. 2-5 reps are enough with this movment.

The back flip surprised me, although I can see the appropriateness of including the variation. I'm not at the level I need this complexity, however I learn best kinesthetically and getting a physical feel or sense for the circuit helps me more than seeing a list of exercises.

Great information Ido--thanks as always for sharing your knowledge!

Ido Portal said:

Gentlemen, like the title says, this is an advanced training method, if you are unfamiliar with the terms, I suspect this is not for you.

A1 is a some kind of a heavy squat motion - back squat, front squat, wide powerlifting back squat, etc...

A3 is a variation of a the olympic lift snatch. We use a closer grip than normaly and snatch the weight to such a height it can be caught with a quarter dip-under.

A5 is a jump squat for 10 reps, bouncing up and down without stopping until completing the whole set and only dipping 1/4 of the way down each time.

Well I wasn't asking for myself, i was asking for my friend which doesn't have an account here at this time. He can do one leg back tuck like nothing, and i thought this might help him. But both of us don't know the terms you presented but yes i do agree this isn't for beginners.

Ido, can I learn a backflip without a coach/gym training facility?

Steven, I dont want to tell you how I learned my backflip, more than 13 years ago in my back yard, so that you wont get any ideas....

But, the fact that I have learned it by myself is not so positive. It took me years of work afterwards to correct the bad habits aquired by working the skill alone.

I highly advice you to go learn your floor skills with a gymnastics coach in a proper facility. Aquired bad habits and fears are very hard to get rid of later on.

Ido Portal said:

Deload every 3rd workout with only 2 sets in total. Continue to up the intensity though. This is an intensification microcycle of course, it should be followed with an accumulation one for best results.

Good luck, enjoy.

What is an accumulation microcycle?

I've heard of intensification, which I'm taking to be a high intensity, low frequency, and a low intensity, high frequency microcycle, which I dont really know what to call, but I'm still unsure about what an accumulation microcycle is.

I looked on google and couldn't find anything prevalent so just wondering if anyone knows what it is...

accumulation microcycle is all about accumulating volume and increasing performance through work capacity.

Intensity is lowered a bit compared to an intensification phase, but more sets and total volume is involved.

Thanks Ido!

I love these advanced training method posts. If you have 'em, keep 'em comin!

accumulation microcycle is all about accumulating volume and increasing performance through work capacity. Intensity is lowered a bit compared to an intensification phase, but more sets and total volume is involved.

Ido,

Relating this to a gymnast who would not want to step outside the 1-5 rep range and delve into hypertrophy, would an acceptable compromise be to: still do 3-5 reps but an easy 3-5 reps and focus on more sets for accumulation. The anabolic response will still be higher than a low volume approach I am guessing, but will be a contrast to the intensification and volume is more stressed.

One other quick point (I got this from Modern trends which I recently read): where Poliquin recommends a body part split where each is trained once every 5 days, would it be wise to have more upper body workouts in a training week to make sure all planes are focused on and with more exercises (for example curl and pullup for same plane)?

Thanks.