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When many people begin to mess around with weights for the first
time, it seems like the entire goal of the endeavor is to max out; to
see how much you can lift. This approach to lifting continues
longer for some than others, and has even evolved into a set of
training methodologies (Westside, with its emphasis on training
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Specificity: How good you are at doing 1rm attempts, rather than
just being strong in general. Matters the most as you get closer to
the meet. Specific training matches competition most closely.
Peaking for Powerlifting
From the above description of the basic science behind peaking, we
can infer that our training in the final weeks leading up to a meet
must do 3 distinct things if were to peak most effectively:
1.) Drop fatigue as much as possible.
2.) Elevate or at least maintain fitness as high as possible.
3.) Enhance specificity so that were actually ready to max out in
the big 3.
Lets look at how training changes from regular strength training
into peaking and take each of the above variables one at a time.
Dropping fatigue:
A considerable amount of research has indicated that in most
cases, volume (NOT intensity) is the primary contributor to
fatigue. So, the first move in our attempt to drop fatigue to peak for
the meet is to drop volume. Depending on several factors (lifter
size and strength, mostly), between 1 and 4 weeks before the meet,
training volume must be brought down. Volume reduction is
probably the most fundamental component of peaking as not much
fatigue will drop without it. Larger, stronger and more experienced
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your taper, the last training sessions are pretty much JUST the big
3 competition lifts and nothing, or almost nothing else.
2.) General strength is the basis for your 1rm, but when the meet
gets close, its time to start practicing for the game, so to speak.
There are important physiological, psychological, and technical
differences between 3-5rm weights and truly limit 1rm weights. In
order to be the best on meet day, you must practice with super
heavy weights for the very lowest reps. This means that during
your overreach and during your volume taper, the weights on the
bar must be heavy enough to be a stimulus in the 1-3 rep range.
This is the time to for triples, doubles, and singles in your training.
Because volume gets cut incrementally through the taper and
intensity is conserved as highly as possible (intensity being weight
on the bar), sets of 1-3 reps are the norm through most of the taper
itself. The only things that change are the number of sets and the
weight on the bar.
3.) A more minor concern of specificity, but important nonetheless,
is the maintenance of maximal intent to move through the entire
taper. Move that bar with as much force as you can for all working
weights (heavy or not), and youll enhance specificity as well as
keep fitness elevated. Forceful movements not only allow you to
practice the specific technique of PL competition, but also conserve
more strength by allowing your nervous system and faster-twitch
muscle fibers more stimulation.
Real-World Peaking Examples
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From the above peaking routine for a 308lb elite lifter, you may
notice several things:
- All training except for some of the early assistance work occurs in
the 3 rep range. This is not a golden rule, as doubles and even some
singles (in the highest intensity week particularly) are quite ok to
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use as well. Ill stick to 3s here because they work well and just to
keep things constant.
- The overreaching phase occurs VERY far out from the meet, a
whole 4 weeks.
- The overreaching phase has a TON of sets (8 total work sets of
squats on Monday, for example) and all of the sets are very heavy.
This will be the toughest training youll do all meet prep long.
- Volume is cut DRASTICALLY 3 weeks out, as it contributes
heavily to fatigue. Intensity is still high. This week will be very
tough, as you are being asked to lift the heaviest weights of the
meet prep while under the highest levels of cumulative fatigue.
Make sure your technique is excellent and you give it as much
effort as you must to complete the reps.
- The last heavy deadlift occurs 2.5 weeks out, the last moderateheavy squat occurs 2 weeks out, and the last heavy bench occurs
about 1.5 weeks out a good start for many lifters of this size and
caliber. Some lifters will need more or less time for each lift to drop
fatigue but retain fitness. A one-week window in each direction will
cover most lifers.
- Two weeks out begins the volume AND intensity cut. This week
will still present some weights that feel a bit heavy (especially in
the overreached state), but the set numbers are so low that
homeostasis is hardly disturbed. Youll drop a lot of fatigue this
week. Notice that the assistance moves have been cut almost
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Some differences to consider for this lifter vs. the 308er in the first
example:
- The whole taper only takes 3 weeks vs. 4. Because of the lighter
weights and lower volumes employed, smaller and less strong
lifters usually dont need as long of a taper. This means they can
train to get stronger for one extra week before the taper begins, so
its not a bad thing. Your favorite lifters may all do 4 week tapers,
but that doesnt mean its the best thing for you at your current
level of development.
- Youll notice that the second week out and even the final week
have some relatively heavier weights (especially early in the final
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week) than the 308lber was lifting. This is because the 198lber will
drop fatigue faster, and can afford to keep a bit more fitnessstimulus in later with the heavier weights.
Novice 97lb Lifter:
Some differences to consider for this lifter vs. the 198er in the
second example:
- Just a two week taper here. Smaller, less experienced and less
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strong lifters need less time to drop fatigue and peak, and REALLY
small and relatively less strong lifters barely need a taper at all!
Tapering must be personalized to the individual. Just because
Andrey Malanichev stops heavy deadlifts 4 weeks out doesnt meet
a 95lb girl doing her first meet has to!
- Youll notice that everything here is condensed. The overreach is
only the first part of the second to last week, as volume begins to
drop in the second half of the week. The last week is actually still
quite heavy, as the recovery of smaller and less strong lifters is so
powerful relative to their ability to disrupt homeostasis (cause
cumulative fatigue), that mostly volume reductions are all it takes
to peak. If you taper these lifters for too long, they just end up
undertraining and get weaker! For smaller, less strong and
experience lifters, the taper for a meet may end up actually looking
much like a standard deload week for most lifters.
- The final workouts are not as light (relatively) as they would be
for the stronger lifters, but this is still quite easy to recover from.
Youll also notice that the final training is done closer to the
competition date for the same reason as the above not training
novice lifters for too long can lead to more rapid fitness declines
than for stronger, heavier, more experienced lifters.
Conclusion
A quick summary of the main recommendations in this article:
1.) Choose the right taper length based on the strength, size, and
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have a cheat sheet to make your taper even better than any
recommendation I give: YOURSELF!
By noting how you respond to volumes, intensities and tapers of
various lengths and magnitudes, you can fine-tune your own
tapering process over the course of several meets. But remember:
bigger, stronger, and more experienced lifters need more profound
tapers. So as you get more of all three of those things, make sure
you make the adjustments needed BEFORE your next meet,
because after is too late. Use the principles in this article to your
advantage, and may the force (literally, the one you put into the
barbell to move it) be with you!
Further Reading:
1.) Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance by Inigo Mujika
2.) Periodization by Tudor Bompa and Greg Haff
3.) Principles and Practice of Resistance Training by Michael
Stone, Meg Stone and William Sands
Born in Moscow, Russia, Mike Israetel is a professor of
Exercise Science at the University of Central Missouri.
Additionally, he is a competitive powerlifter and
bodybuilder, and has been the head sport nutrition
consultant to the US Olympic training site in Johnson
City, TN. Mike is currently the head science consultant
for Renaissance Periodization, and the Author of The
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Renaissance Diet.
Online Training, Website, Facebook
Click the picture below to get your copy of this valuable
resource, if youre really serious about dispensing with
the fads and gimmicks to take your strength and
physique to the next level
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