This is a great read and very insightful (provided by Wes).
http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/index.cfm?page=article&go2=866Sid's
workouts consisted of the three Olympic lifts'press, snatch, clean and jerk'and included power cleans, power snatches, snatch-grip high pulls, front and back squats, plus jerks from the rack if that lift was a problem. All of those with the exception of back squats fall into the category of high-skill exercises. You may not think the press qualifies, but it most certainly is a high-skill movement when you do it as a strength event. We did presses at every workout in order to perfect our form as much as our strength.
Workouts always started with the clean and press, mostly because the press was the first lift contested in meets. You did one clean, then five reps for the first three warmup sets, then followed that with five sets of three with the same weight; for example, 115, 135 and 155 for five, then five sets of three reps with 175.
Next came either power snatches or power cleans done in the same manner, except you did fewer warmup sets for power cleans, since you'd already done quite a few cleans with the presses. On other days full cleans or full snatches followed the opening presses, performed with the same formula of sets and reps, three sets of five and five sets of three.
Sid's trainees did snatch-grip high pulls at least once a week, right behind the full movements or the power cleans and power snatches, three to five sets, depending on how you felt, with no warmup sets necessary. If you started showing signs of fatigue, you stopped at three sets. You followed the same pattern with front squats and jerks from the rack, and did back squats for sets of fives.
There were no fancy gimmicks' no partials, negatives, rubber bands or chains'just lots of concentrated work on full-range technical exercises. What made the program so effective was the progression. If you were successful with your five work sets at 175 on the press, your next press session would look like this: 115, 135 and 155 for five, then five sets of three with 180.
Here are two key points that make it work:1) You increase the work weight by only five pounds regardless of whether the previous five sets of three were easy. Keeping your increases small ensures that you establish a solid base.
2) This one is perhaps more important: If you fail on any of them, whether it's the third or the final set, you have to use that same amount of weight for your work sets the next time you press.
While that may seem like a simple, logical concept, it's extremely hard for competitive athletes to hold back, especially youngsters. They're anxious to pile on more weight, even when they're struggling with lower poundages. Having to succeed with every rep forces you to pay close attention to every set. Should you get sloppy on the second work set, taking it for granted, then you pay the price. It rewards success and penalizes failure, just as life outside the weight room does.
On more occasions than I care to admit, I stayed with the same work weight for a month, and it was very frustrating. I finally broke through and moved on ahead again. Had I cheated on the basic plan, which I could have done by training early, before Sid got there, I would have hit a wall and not been able to break through.
Since
Olympic weightlifting is based to a large extent on technique, Sid was a stickler about form. If a jerk wasn't locked out properly, it didn't count. If you bent your arms too soon on a snatch or clean or rounded your back, the lift didn't count. You had to do the three Olympic lifts in strict accordance with the rule book. If there was a bet on, you had to be precise, with the three judges rendering the final verdict. That emphasis on technique gave us a distinct advantage in competitions because we knew if we locked the bar outside overhead, it would be passed.
As I indicated above, each session consisted of presses or jerks' and sometimes both' two pulling exercises plus front or back squats. We did no auxiliary work at all. We didn't need it. When I trained alone, I could go through the workout in an hour and 15 minutes, but in the Dallas Y weight room we often had eight lifters doing it, and that took longer. We learned to work fast, unloading and reloading for the next lifter expeditiously and leaving any socializing for after the workout.
We did the warmup set and the first couple of work sets quickly, with little rest between them. Then the pace slowed somewhat for the final work sets. Moving at a fast rate helps build a different sort of strength, and knowing how to do that is extremely useful if you ever plan to lift in a contest. On occasion you may have to follow yourself on the platform with only a few minutes' rest between attempts.
Sid's program proved to be perfect for any level of lifting, not just for beginners. Gerald Travis was a seasoned veteran, and he benefited from it. So did Sid. Three years after I started training with him, he won the Senior National Olympic Championship and became one of the few Americans who ever defeated the great Norbert Shemansky in his prime. And I continued to use his methods after I became a member of the York Barbell Club.
Since this is obviously a tribute to my first coach and friend Sid Henry, I'd like to mention what impressed me the most about his lifting. It was his amazing ability to handle big weights in a contest even though his lifts going into the meet were way below his expectations. The common routine for nearly every lifter prior to a contest was to work up to his starting poundages on Monday or Tuesday, then do token workouts one other day before the Saturday meet. One time we were getting ready for the Lone Star Invitational, which Sid promoted. He was spending a great deal of time and effort publicizing the contest, which took its toll on his training. At his final press workout on Monday he was really struggling, missing 305 three times before grinding up a rather ugly lift.
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In every gym, only a few ever practice these lifts i've noticed. They add tremendous power, size, and conditioning unlike the static movements - i.e. bench, squat, deadlift.
I do something similar every week when the knees are not acting up. Learned it back in the late teens from a former Russian Powerlifter (1970s). He did the main 3 lifts, but always practiced his clean and jerk. Early on this added tremendous power and size in short period of time (no juice), before i had to take about a 7 year lay off.
Coming back although it's never been the same, the lifts are still great to do. I incorporate the above lifts as well as the squat, deadlift, and bench. I have even briefly trained with another Russian lifter (non competing) who practiced the clean and jerk and snatches exclusively to better hone the technique.
Now we have a Ukrainian Powerlifter who is the world champion in his class. He is around 86kg. Good to see how it's really done. I like to train for a bit of both -- BB and powerlifting. However, at the end of the day IMHO, strength is way more impressive than any bodybuilding competition.
His liftsDeadlift 700lb+ (with suit)
Bench Press 405 (with suit)
Squat just under 600lb (with suit)
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I am targeting for next year (no suit) with weight around 100-110kg.Deadlift 585-600lb * 1RM
Bench Press 400lb * 1RM
Squat 500lb*1RM (this is on/off due to right knee tendon - for months i can train fine - then have to stop with the slightest irregular movement for months)
Also
Clean and Jerk 275-300lb (no facility - so can't throw weights around)
Currently on 2nd cycle 7th month - In cutting phase presently[Before tren it was Test/Eq/Dbol (used twice)]
200mg Tren E every 4/5th day
125mg Test E every 4/5th day (discontinued Eq last Saturday to lower Hematocrit levels)
.25mg Selegiline ed for the prolactin
.50mg EOD Arimidex
75mcg T3 ED
100-150mcg Clen ed
Adding Winstrol 50mg ed for 50 days starting this week - I hear great for power and strength. Ben Johnson used to train at the same facility. Research reveals his favorite cycle was Winstrol Depot for 3 weeks on 3 weeks off used at 50mg 3 * a week on training days. He would continue this throughout the year before competition. So let's see what the Winny can do for me, albeit the tabs. Ben used to play around with the 3 plates on the bench, 5 plates on the squat at around 200lb. This is late 90s and early 2000.
Dbol - used twice last year. Can't train on it due to debilitating pain & pumps in lower back and lower legs. Even test at 500mg weekly causes this pain. I know great for power - but can't use it anymore. Furthermore, this round of leaning down - keeping test dosage low. It's not as bad as dbol.
