[quote]The other Rob wrote:
HG Thrower wrote:
Fishdog70 wrote:
Wow, HG Thrower you come all the way out to Kansas City for the games? That’s quite a trip.
I’ve just recently gotten into the Highland Games. I trained all last year with some throwers here in St. Louis. I started throwing this year and am currently competing in the A class (won both C and B divisions before moving up). I would be throwing again this weekend if I hadn’t pulled something in my back two weeks ago. I’ll just have to rest up and train like crazy over the winter for next year.
What kind of lifting routine do you follow to train for the games HG Thrower? Obviously throwing around the 56 isn’t feasible in a commercial gym. Do you just stick to explosive lifts (snatch, push press, ect.) or do you have some lifts that are closer to the movements used in the games?
Fishdog
The pic is me at the Quad Cities games last month.
Actually, in the gym I try to train in the general plane of the throws, but mostly just work on being stronger and more explosive. I’ve been getting good results with a modified WS4SB template. So, typically it is:
Max Effort Upper Body
Dynamic Lower Body
Rep. Upper
Max Effort Lower
In season, I usually replace the Rep. Upper with a Dynamic or Speed-focused Upper day. So, you end up with 2 days going for max strength, 2 days working on speed and explosiveness. To train the WOB, I do DB swings with a super-max weight, like 80 or 85. I think that’s the closest way in the gym to simulate the amount of force that the throw creates. The ME Lower day is really the peak day for the week. The most taxing, but I think the most gains-producing. Right now my main ME Lower exercise is Zercher squats, working up to 3RM. I’ll be skipping that this week because I have a games on Saturday, so I will need to be fresh and recovered to throw. I’ll do throwing drills on an off day, always with the 28#. I find the 56# to be too taxing and makes it hard to recover if you throw it a bunch in between lifting days. This plan has been working out for me, I’ve had a PR at every game this year, and won a few events.
Not to sidetrack the thread too much, but do you have any tips for Zerchers? I’m currently running starting strength using zerchers instead of back squats (no rack) and deadlifting the bar up to the knee to set up. I find the mid-back and hamstrings to be hit the most (except for those awkward moments where the bar drifts out in front and you feel your biceps strain to pull it back in). How vertical is your torso on these? One of my mates does them with a near vertical torso, whereas I think I’m in a position closer to a low bar back squat.[/quote]
I do them in a power rack, with the hooks set just below elbow height, so I just lift the bar out of the hooks, step back a little and go. This is the only exercise that I use the “pussy pad”, and I still have bruised biceps and forearms after. I usually stay pretty upright when I do them, and I don’t end up quite as deep as on other squats because my elbows eventually contact my thighs (still pretty deep though). When I fail an attempt, it is usually from the holding/carrying the bar. When my arm grip on the bar starts to go, it gets really unstable and starts wobbling, and I usually can’t get out of the hole like that. The grip is the hardest part IMO. I get cramps in my biceps pretty often when doing them, and sometimes when I clasp my hands together, I will torque the shit out of one of my wrists. Definitly all about ignoring the pain!
