Unpacking Abadjiev: An Application of the "Bulgarian Method" to More Traditional "Endurance" Sports

Someone tell Abadjiev that the Bulgarians only trained singles!  In all seriousness, this video is so awesome.

Volume One

The word "adapt" comes from the Latin word "adaptare," meaning "to join,” although this somewhat archaic definition was later revised in 1956 to mean "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances.”  The latter definition is better fit for this discussion.

Now, I had never heard the word adapt or adaptation used in the context of athletic training or performance until I began reading up on Ivan Abadjiev and his so-called "Bulgarian Method" a few years ago.  Abadjiev's basic concept is that an individual, in this case an athlete, will adapt to whatever stresses are imposed on their body, provided this stress is imposed gradually over time (I have always thought that John Broz's "garbage man" analogy is an easy way to explain the principal of adaptation to a normal person).  Using this fundamental of evolutionary biology as the starting point, I believe coaches should consider changing their training programs to concentrate more heavily on driving the specific adaptations necessary for their athletes to experience the highest level  of success in competition.

Looking at competitions in the sport of weightlifting, an athlete will typically open a meet with a snatch attempt anywhere between 85-92 percentage of their competition best (the same is true later for the clean and jerk provided the athlete does not miss all three of their snatch attempts).  Therefore, weightlifters need to be comfortable handling loads of 90 percent or more in both lifts on the same day.  The best way to build this type of confidence is to make these types of lifts consistently in training.  Abadjiev understood this concept, and, more importantly, he came to learn that a high-frequency training program grounded in singles over 90% would promote favorable adaptations within his athletes.  Simply put, you develop proficiency with a task by performing it more often.

This begs the question, what lessons, if any, can coaches in more traditional “endurance” sports take away from Abadjiev and his Bulgarian Method?  I believe the answer is many.

First and foremost, I do not believe swimming, as competed at the national and/or international level, is an endurance sport.  Some might disagree, but the fact is that twelve of the thirteen individual events contested at the NCAA championship meet take less than four-and-half minutes to complete, and ten take less than ninety-nine seconds (the lone exception is the 1,650-yard freestyle, more commonly known simply as “the mile,” which takes between fourteen and fifteen minutes to complete  at that level).  In addition to the individual events, all the relay splits also take less than ninety-ninety seconds to complete.  This bias towards top-end speed means the sport of swimming is strength and power based, not endurance based!  Therefore, athletes need to be prepared to race at a high intensity level (in this context, “intensity” is defined as the percentage of the athlete’s best 100-yard time.  Even in one of the longer events, the 500-yard freestyle, an athlete will usually hold a pace between 85-90% of their best 100-yard freestyle for consecutive 100-yard splits).  Analyzing races from this mathematical perspective helps illustrate why most conventional swim practices fail to produce the ideal adaptations, primarily because athletes are accumulating far too much volume at far too low an intensity level.

I plan to make this post a multi-volume article so please stay tuned for future updates.

Don't Get High on Your Own Supply

Everyone likes to set a new personal record (PR), but doing so at the expense of a movement’s integrity runs counter to the end goal.  Take the squat, for example.  I often see athletes stopping well short of bottom, or in far too many cases, parallel, just to set a “new” PR.  I suspect they do this for any number of reasons, all of them negative: they were never taught proper squat mechanics, they lack the necessary hip mobility to reach bottom, they do not respect movement standards, and/or they seek to satisfy their inner desire to “be stronger than ever before.”

In the sport of weightlifting, shallow squatting will most likely limit your total, as I rarely see these athletes cleaning max weights.  They either restrict themselves to power cleaning, or they try to catch all their cleans right at, or just above parallel (not surprisingly, the point where they cut their squats short).  In addition to this drawback, a shallow squatter will never develop the hip, torso, and posterior chain strength  and flexibility of their “bottom” squatting peers.  Personally, I don’t know how anyone can cut a squat short and stand up, for if I fail to “catch the bounce” I will get pinned.

In short, if you choose to occupy a squat rack, occupy it with pride and execute proper squats.  Furthermore, resist the urge to judge your training progress solely on the weight on the bar. 

"Gems" from Dan John

Dan John getting after it.

I'll read anything Dan John (or Bill Starr, for that matter) writes. John's exposure to a wide variety of different sports -- football, throwing, wrestling, Highland games, weightlifting, etc. -- plus his countless hours spent in the weight room (not to mention his coaching pedigree) make him, in my opinion, a leading expert on all things athletic.  For this reason, I was super excited to watch the eight-part interview he did with Mark Rippetoe on the Starting Strength series. Sufficed to say, I was not disappointed. The man drops more "gems" than Stevie Wonder in Tiffany's.

Some of my favorites include: (1) the "80-20 Rule," meaning one out of every five workouts, meets, etc. will be lackluster; (2) prioritizing “competition events” within an athlete’s training  (this should fall into the "duh" category, but some “coaches” never cease to amaze); and (3) the value of incorporating kettlebell work.  An in-depth discussion of all three points would exceed the scope of this post, so I will instead focus on the kettlebell piece.

In my past training, the kettlebell played a small role, usually relegated to a few sets of heavy swings once or twice a week, but rarely much more.  The John-Rippetoe interview led me to rethink that approach, and over the past several weeks I have been mixing in more KB training. Ten straight minutes of swings, cleans, presses, snatches and squat varieties makes for an efficient full-body warm-up (add ten more minutes of soft tissue work and mobility, and you're all the more prepared for your next workout). Among the squat varieties are goblet, front, and overhead.  Furthermore, don’t make the same mistake I did and write off the goblet squat as an exercise only for skinny-jean hipsters; it reinforces proper torso position on both the back and front squat like whoa. 

Good call on the kettlebells,  Dan John.

PS – My favorite moment of the interview is when Dan John talks about attempting a 185# press "tabata."  You must be strong as hell to even consider that idea (however, based on his exchange with Rip, I don’t think it worked out too well for him).

Hercules at the Crossroads

During a visit last Saturday to the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art (I am lucky to live so close to the National Mall), I viewed for the first time Albrecht Durer’s enigmatic engraving, “Hercules at the Crossroads.”  In Durer’s 1498 piece (and in the story told by the Greek writer Xenophon), a youthful Hercules is forced to decide between the paths of Virtue and Pleasure.  As might be expected, the path of Virtue was a narrow pass marred by large stones and thorns, while the path of Pleasure was both wide and straight.  Legend claims that Hercules ultimately chose the more difficult path of Virtue, a decision that rewarded him with both glory and recognition for his amazing deeds.

The story of Hercules at the Crossroads is symbolic of the struggles we all face in daily life, weightlifter or “average Joe,” alike.  For athletes in the sport of weightlifting, the path of Virtue is littered with heavy squats and attempts at 90 percent or more while the path of Pleasure consists of “light days,” long rests, and needless accessory work.  Regardless of external factors (friends, family, coaches, etc.), each athlete must make their own decision, for he or she will stand alone at the time of competition.

Much like Hercules before them, champions (of all walks of life) understand that struggle precedes greatness.  As such, we are left with one question – when faced with the choice of two paths, did you choose Virtue or Pleasure?

Asking for Help: A Sign of Strength, Not Weakness

Even the lone wolf hunts in a pack.

"Lone wolf" weightlifters often encounter several problems their club-training peers do not, the biggest being a lack of technical feedback on their lifts. Without a qualified coach around, you simply cannot learn what you are doing wrong; after all, self-diagnosis is only so helpful.  I, myself, suffered far too long on certain plateaus solely because I did not fix the underlying technical problems. Fortunately my situation changed a few months ago when a young woman started training alongside me at the ungodly 6 a.m. hour. She immediately corrected my shoulder position in both the snatch and clean, bringing them farther over the bar; solidified my budding understanding of the double knee bend (thanks Shane) and the power position; and adjusted my squat stance, allowing me to take better advantage of my 6'3" frame. This experience has given me a new appreciation for high-quality training partners and a positive "work" environment. In our chalky corner of the gym, we watch one another's lifts; provide feedback when appropriate; and cheer for all new PRs, regardless of weight on the bar. Given the panoply of recent PRs, something is starting to take root.

 

Lesson Learned: Don't be afraid to ask a great lifter for advice (disclaimer: by "great" I mean a technically proficient lifter who demonstrates sound mechanics and exhibits proper mobility; this does not necessary include someone who just tosses up a lot of weight).

Patience, Grasshopper.

"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

-- Aristotle

 

Every weightlifter can take something from Aristotle's words, for patience is the key to unlocking success in this otherwise frustrating sport. While learning the lifts themselves -- the snatch, the clean, and the jerk -- is difficult enough, time spent revisiting the basics is always a worthwhile investment, one that pays dividends later. Patience is also needed when waiting for the finish on both the snatch and clean. It may seem like forever, but that split-second when the bar becomes weightless is sweet, indeed. Finally, a weightlifter needs the patience to accept small gains, and avoid the temptation of going for broke all at one time. In the video below, legendary weightlifting coach Ivan Abadjiev talks about making one kilo more each day, chipping away at the stone, if you will.

 

 



 

Paleo Diet Nitty Gritty Details

Background

While there have been millions – scratch that, billions -- of articles and blog postings written about the Paleo Diet and its reported health benefits (I am not qualified to make a conclusive statement on the latter point), many of these discussions fail to explore the important subtleties behind implementation, i.e. how a poor college student, working professional or busy parent can actually adopt this type of lifestyle.  Seeing as much of the information in this post is not original material, so I will informally cite my source(s) via hyperlink.  I hope someone out there finds this outline helpful.

 
Getting Started

I train out of a small Crossfit box in Washington, D.C. so I hear the word Paleo at least ten times per morning, often times more; however, these conversations rarely stray from the traditional “avoid sugar, dairy and grains” talking points.  Therefore, I would recommend the following “Talk to Me Johnnie” post to anyone interesting in adopting the Paleo Diet.  Welbourne’s post is simple, yet absolutely spot on, particularly its position on avoiding nuts, seeds and fruit, a subtlety lost on many Paleo practitioners.  Foreseeing the possibility of inflammatory comments, I will concede at this time that fruit is not necessarily “bad” for you, only that it should be limited.

One of the biggest knocks on the Paleo Diet is the cost; after all, meat is expensive, especially in a big city like New York, Los Angeles or Washington.  The best way to mitigate this problem is to “coupon shop,” meaning buy only the produce that is on sale.  Here is a good example of eating well while living on the dime (or nickel).  Bone-in chicken thighs with the skin are usually on sale for $1.99/pound, even at Whole Foods.  Grab the family pack.  Carrots are a nutrient-dense root vegetable great for refueling post-workout.  Go for the humongous $5 bag.  Finally, pick up two bunches of collard greens, at $1.99/bunch they’re a steal (to prepare, wash the leafs thoroughly, then sauté with a bit of melted better, olive oil, fresh garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice).  This amount of food usually provides me with three to four meals all at a pretty reasonable cost.  For those with especially voracious appetites like myself, buy a $6 jar of extra virgin coconut oil and consume two forkfuls straight out of the jar after eating (at that consumption rate, a normal-sized jar will last me three to four weeks).  Recapping, meat, green vegetable, root vegetable, and saturated fat, all checked off, and there is enough for several lunches after an hour or so of cooking. 

Insider Tip: if you eat in your office, keep the coconut oil in a desk drawer, this protects the oil from light and prevents a transportation-induced nightmare (you will only let oil spill in your bag once, trust me).

Other cheap items to procure on your bi-weekly shopping trips include eggs, ground beef, whole chickens, spinach leaves, and sweet potatoes.  Also, keep your eyes open for seasonal bargains; for example, at the end of the summer zucchini and yellow squash are almost free due to market saturation.  Corn isn’t Paleo per say, but its damn cheap come August.

Streamlined Cooking and Cleaning

The crock pot is undoubtedly my favorite cooking tool, as it allows me to cook and sleep simultaneously.  Aside from the obvious benefits this provides my daily training, the crock pot also performs great with leaner, cheaper cuts of meat, all while reducing my apartment’s energy consumption.  If you have never bought a crock pot, do a bit of research on your own first, but I would recommend any model that comes with a ceramic bowl and has multiple timer settings (mine has 4,6,8 and 10-hour settings, plus “warm”).  A great post-workout meal is pot roast (red meat, nuff said), collard greens (leafy greens help reduce blood acidity, a byproduct of intense exercise), and sweet potatoes (an easily absorbed starch good for refueling).

Insider Tip(s): if you use your crock pot upwards of three times per week, you may develop a salt ring along the bottom.  There are two ways to remove this crusty grime.  Option One, buy a box of denture tablets from your local CVS or Walgreens, a $3-4 investment.  Remove two tablets from their packaging and place in the relatively clean ceramic bowl.  Fill the bowl with hot water and allow one to two days for soaking (if you have a prep sink in your kitchen, take advantage of the extra space).  After a day or two of soaking, dump the water and give it another clean with soap and water.  Option Two, buy a bottle (liquid, not powder) of Bar Keepers Friend from your closest World Market.  Coat the inside of the damp ceramic bowl and let it sit for roughly four to five hours.  Rinse out the dried material, then clean thoroughly with soap and hot water.

Another thing I would recommend is buying a good set of stainless steel pots and pans.  These can get expensive so save up or add it to your holiday/birthday wish list.  High-quality tools allow for faster clean up, and they can last you decades.

Traveling

When it comes to traveling, simpler is always better – opt for ziplock bags rather than tupperware when packing your food; cut your meals up, especially your meat, ahead of time; bring extra supplies for the return trip; and pack everything you will need (water is the lone exception here due to its widespread availability).  Sometimes you will get lucky and find a great restaurant – the Silver Diner at the Baltimore-Washington Airport comes to mind here – but bus terminals, highway rest stops, and trains are largely a wasteland for Paleo-friendly foods.  Here is a very packable dish that can be prepared beforehand:

 Meatballs with Coconut Flour – this dish is a spin-off of one I read about on Crossfit Football, the sole difference being I use Edward & Sons gluten-free coconut flour instead of almond meal (don’t get me wrong, almond meal is pretty good, too).  These protein-dense meatballs are great for any type of travel, whether a day trip or several days.  True story, I once ate five such meatballs and a peach while traveling by cab to the theater…oh yeah, I was wearing a tuxedo (no spills).

Other travel-friendly foods include: hardboiled eggs, raw vegetables such as broccoli and peppers, coconut oil, raw nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews, etc.), fruit, and jerky.  Rather than buying deli meat, see if the grocery store sells any pre-prepared chicken, turkey, beef or fish, but be careful of anything that has been marinated (most marinades and sauces contain gluten).  With respect to packing for the return trip, I would recommend buying two five-pack PaleoKits (I opt for the “Strongman Size”).

Insider Tips: (1) If you are staying overnight in a hotel, call ahead to see if they offer in-room mini-fridges.  Whole milk is often a good breakfast substitute.  (2) Having kept to a pretty strict Paleo Diet for several years now, my digestive tract no longer handles gluten, flour or any type of vegetable oil well.  For this reason, I pack half a dozen packets of mint tea in my travel bag.  I even keep a few in my desk and daily backpack.