Excellent thread! Very interesting reading. Dave, would max’s be as heavy as you could go on the day? or attempting to hit your true max for that lift? Did you only front squat then?
Thanks for posting
If I remember correctly it was the heaviest they could go for that day. Although Ivan always had an idea of what that should be.
Yes they only front squatted for squats as long as they were healthy.
This is a great photo of a sabrania.
He was probably telling me to change the grip on my jerk.
or giving us some secret lifting technique from Bulgaria…
[quote]maxaita wrote:
This is a great photo of a sabrania.
He was probably telling me to change the grip on my jerk.
or giving us some secret lifting technique from Bulgaria…[/quote]
Looks like gripping stuff for all of you! One of my favourite bits of the 98 Bulgarian tape is the bit where Ivan is giving one of his lectures and Gardev shows his interest by reading a magazine the whole time.
Dave,
Out of curiosity, how did your training change (if it all) as you approached closely to competition time?
[quote]ninearms wrote:
[quote]maxaita wrote:
This is a great photo of a sabrania.
He was probably telling me to change the grip on my jerk.
or giving us some secret lifting technique from Bulgaria…[/quote]
Looks like gripping stuff for all of you! One of my favourite bits of the 98 Bulgarian tape is the bit where Ivan is giving one of his lectures and Gardev shows his interest by reading a magazine the whole time.[/quote]
Does Ivan notice this? I’m suprised he didn’t throw a 5kg plate at him!
Koing
Hey Dave,
Glad to see you spreading your tales with Ivan. You were indeed very fortunate. I am very convinced that the main problem is we lack the athletes and coaches to follow Ivan’s program. You touched on this briefly, however as Ivan stated it takes 4 to 5 years to achieve the level of adaption needed for one to see the results from his programs. We have no coaches or athletes with the balls for the curves to obtain the results that level of commitment would require. You saw it with Hristov and Pashov (before he was Americanized). Our society still breeds these types of individuals and coaches but they are in other $$$ sports. I am sure you have seen it at California Strength. You had the right dream and the right vision and put your money where your mouth is. Unfortunately an apple pie without apples is not a apple pie.
Aloha,
Jim
dfreezy… Abadjiev did have a tapering strategy. From about 2 weeks out we put away the straps and he had us go 1 session a day on Tues, Thurs and Sat. We stayed with 2 sessions per day on Mon, Wed, Fri but the morning sessions were light, just above warm up weights. The afternoons we still went heavy on both lifts until about 3 days out. Then he would only have us work up to around 80 - 85% on the CJ. We snatched heavy all the way up through the comp.
One more note about competitions… Abadjiev was the most nervous, comical person during a comp I’ve ever been around. He would hoard the smelling salts and continue to take quick hits throughout the comp. He was so nervous and scrambled during the comps, it lightened our mood because he would make us laugh with his antics. It was painfully clear that he was not the tactical mind behind of the comp strategies during his tenure as coach of the Bulgaria Team. That being said, they were so much stronger than the rest of the world - I’m not sure they needed much strategy!
Jim,
As usual you are right… the US cannot overcome the disadvantages we face with regard to participation in the sport. Without athletes - we simply cannot compete.
For those of you who don’t know, there are two primary ways the US produces elite athletes. The first is via mass participation… with our large, healthy population we can produce freak athletes just by shear sampling of numbers. The second and more effective way we develop elite athletes is through the promise of fortune and fame. This is obviously evidenced by the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, etc.
As a former USA track and field athlete, I can personally attest to the lack of long term financial benefit the sport provides - yet the US takes home the majority of track and field medals at the Olympic Games. This is because we expose a huge number of kids to the sport through Junior High and High School Programs. We throw so much SH&^ against the wall that something is bound to stick!
Olympic Weightlifting in the US is in sharp contrast to our track and field programs… it is impossibly difficult to access and unlike our sports with professional ogranizations, there is absolutely zero money to be had.
That being said, for anyone who has caught the Weightlifting fever, it is an incredible sport that continues to mesmerize me today. California Strength is doing our part to promote the sport while increasing financial opportunities for elite athletes. Stay tuned!
Yours in the fight,
Dave
word
Dave, glad to hear you are still standing behind your dream and vision. It bothers me to no end our sport does not recognize it’s true hero’s like yourself. I wish I could wave a magic wand and produce lifters for your program. I remember talking to the Colombian coach about their feeder program, he wanted to know how ours compared to what he was doing in Colombia.
Not to embarass our country I smiled and changed the subject. He went on to tell me what an honor it was to coach an athlete that would make the national squad. We could do so many things in this country, little things that would make a huge difference unfortunately the list who want to see our athletes standing on the medal stand is very small.
I just found out last week Rusev is in the process of buying five lifters to compete for the country he is coaching for. They are offering a package worth 2 million dollars for an Olympic medal. In our country our federation offers 10,000. Yet we have a 1.6 million dollar yearly budget? You do the math.
I applaud your efforts at California Strength. No doubt in my mind your program will come out on top. Keep up the hard work it does not go unnoticed by those that matter. Getting back to Ivan he reminded me of a CEO of a company who surrounded himself with a great team that was very good at getting his vision spread through the organization. I hope the people that are reading this thread are paying attention to what you are telling them.
You were very fortunate to spend so much time with a true genius. I hope history is kind to him. I know personally when I come across a challenging moment when coaching young athletes I find myself asking myself “What would Ivan do in this situation” this method has not failed me yet. Keep doing what you are doing David and keep it real.
Aloha my brother,
Jim
[quote]Gymmoser wrote:
Dave, glad to hear you are still standing behind your dream and vision. It bothers me to no end our sport does not recognize it’s true hero’s like yourself. I wish I could wave a magic wand and produce lifters for your program. I remember talking to the Colombian coach about their feeder program, he wanted to know how ours compared to what he was doing in Colombia. Not to embarass our country I smiled and changed the subject. He went on to tell me what an honor it was to coach an athlete that would make the national squad. We could do so many things in this country, little things that would make a huge difference unfortunately the list who want to see our athletes standing on the medal stand is very small. I just found out last week Rusev is in the process of buying five lifters to compete for the country he is coaching for. They are offering a package worth 2 million dollars for an Olympic medal. In our country our federation offers 10,000. Yet we have a 1.6 million dollar yearly budget? You do the math.
I applaud your efforts at California Strength. No doubt in my mind your program will come out on top. Keep up the hard work it does not go unnoticed by those that matter. Getting back to Ivan he reminded me of a CEO of a company who surrounded himself with a great team that was very good at getting his vision spread through the organization. I hope the people that are reading this thread are paying attention to what you are telling them. You were very fortunate to spend so much time with a true genius. I hope history is kind to him. I know personally when I come across a challenging moment when coaching young athletes I find myself asking myself “What would Ivan do in this situation” this method has not failed me yet. Keep doing what you are doing David and keep it real.
Aloha my brother,
Jim
[/quote]
Jim.
I have tried to call you several times. I have a legit reason I would like to talk to you that is not training related. Call me or pick up the damn phone when i call you, please.
glenn
Glenn, will call you today.
Well I for one are more than glad to read the experiences you guys had with Ivan and your athletes. Not only in this thread but also in others (ex: Glenn Pendlay Q&A).
I’ve been lifting for more than 2years now and prior to reading what you guys wrote everything about the Bulgarian system was surrounded in mystery and bullshit. Now you guys are showing us how the training system works and I am very greateful for it.
When Ivan was coaching in Bulgaria did he have access to his national team athletes year round or did they return to their regular coaches after major comps?
Thanks
Yanko Rusev Interview,
Newspaper ТÑ?Ñ?д,
29.07.10
Yanko Rusev: â??We Are Buying the Lifters in Order to Save Themâ??
Anthony Yordanov talks with the Azerbaijan Trainer Yanko Rusev
Bulgarian weightlifting is dying a terrible death â?? we have two federations, but we have no national team, we have no talented competitors, probably we will not participate in the world championships in Antalya… And that means almost certainly writing off the Olympics in London. And in the situation of total collapse here, Azerbaijan is buying five of our lifters! Former Bulgarian Olympic champion and head coach of the Azerbaijan team Yanko Rusev is in Sofia for negotiations.
-Where are you with the transfer of the five lifters, Mr. Rusev?
-It has not yet taken place. If the lifters are available, I came to invite them to help in Azerbaijan, to win medals in London. I met with Anton Kodzhabashev, and I talked with Ivan Soitsov, Velichko Cholakov, and Rumyana Petkova. There are two others â?? Angel Petrov and Sylvia Angelova. Ivan and Velichko are free agents and can go where they want, because they have not lifted for Bulgaria in two years. One was a discotheque security guard, and Cholakov found work in Holland. Both are top-class competitors, why shouldnâ??t I help to save them and keep them in the sport?
-Is there any problem that they are under suspension for doping?
-None, we checked with the IWF. They cannot now participate in any competition, even domestic, but after January 1 of next year they can go on the list of those available for doping tests and they will train for London. The others will join the team and will start competing for Azerbaijan already this fall in Antalya.
-When will there be a deal?
-On Monday I will meet with the head of the Azerbaijan federation Dzhangir Askerov, to tell him of the situation. If he accepts the conditions for the lifters, I will come back to get them. After the first of August they should be in Baku. We will put together a womenâ??s team with the two Bulgarians, and we will also get one Russian woman and one from Kazakhstan, in order to shoot for a full quota for the Olympics. Sport is a national policy in Azerbaijan and they will give large prizes for great performance.
-We hear talk about $1 million for a medal in weightlifting in London.
-The Azer Olympic Committee will give $600,000 for a gold, and the president of the federation will pay from his own pocket $1 million for a medal, and it is expected that the state will give a car and an apartment. So it might come to even $2 million.
-Very big money…
-
Right, but up to the present there has never been a medal in lifting and that is why they are untying the purse strings. Askerov is one of the richest men in the country and a very solid businessman. He really wants medals in London and has given me the task of finding the lifters and getting them, regardless of what country they come from. Naturally I prefer that they are Bulgarians and that they are proven competitors. Ivan and Velichko are such.
-
How much is the transfer payment?
-
None, because they are free agents. For the others, there has to be a payment., but I canâ??t say how much. Stoitsov and Cholakov told me that this is their last chance in the sport. Because of me they are coming to Azerbaijan, because they had offers from other countries â?? Ivan from Greece, and Velichko from Holland. But the conditions in Baku are better, and the money is bigger.
-They are talking about big salaries…
- Not so. You think that a monthly salary of â?¬700 is big? That is how much the national team members in Azerbaijan make. They also receive something from the clubs, but no way are the salaries fabulous. The main goal is an Olympic medal and that is where the big money is. With one medal performance a lifter can set up his entire life. Where else can a lifter win $2 million from a single competition? The sweat and strain are worth it.
-We hear that another possibility is to also take the hot prospect Boyana Kostova.
-
Yes, we are interested. She is going now to the Youth Olympics and afterwards we will negotiate, because she really is talented. And since there is no lifting anymore in Bulgaria, why shouldnâ??t she try her luck elsewhere?
-
Do you follow the ruin of the sport here at home?
-
I am cut off, and I spend a lot of time abroad, so I am not familiar with the details.
-
Do you have the approval of the IWF for the transfers?
-
We have it, they want three documents â?? the approval of the Bulgarian Federation, the second is that they become Azerbaijan citizens, and the third that they receive the approval of their Olympic committee. We are expecting no problems for all three.
-
Recently they caught two of your competitors for doping at the European Championships at Minsk…
-One was caught for testosterone, when he put his trust in some Turkish coaches. The other on his own account took metandienon, after he listened to a local coach. At the assembly of the federation after the scandal we proved that my assistant Ivan Stefanov and I were not responsible, because the two of them took substances without our knowledge. If we had been responsible even to a small degree, they would already have bought our return tickets for us. And, as you know, I am still there, I am even making plans for building a new team, where the Bulgarians will give the local lifters a lot of competition and force them to increase their efforts.
-
But metandienon is the easily available and cheap steroid, for which they nailed the 11 of our lifters before the Olympics in Peking, and then recently the Bulgarian at the European Championships…
-
Yes, thatâ??s right, because there is no discipline. You canâ??t have everyone taking whatever they want, especially not drugs. And that issue was discussed at the assembly in Baku, when it turned out that the competitors didnâ??t know that metandienon stays in the body for up to 6 months. During Abadzhievâ??s years there was discipline, and only the doctor said what should be taken and what should not.
-
But even then there were lifters caught for doping…
-Always there were some caught and that will continue. But Iâ??ll say it again, at that time there was discipline. Times change, but every competitor wants to win. I hear them say â?? why be on the national team if I am not powerful?
-
You can only win medals by doping?
-
It is an open secret that everyone is using it. The point is not to get caught. Again I am hearing that there were a lot of positives at the last world and European championships.
-
So what is the future of the sport?
-
I know that they have already threatened to take lifting off the Olympic program. And if there are more doping cases in London, it wouldnâ??t be surprising if it happened.
David:
Do you remember how long Ivan said it would take to adapt to the Bulgarian program?
Thank you,
Jim
Hey Jim,
Hope all is well brother! In my opinion, adaptation is not really a terminal achievement but rather a reference to positive changes (or results) that the body undergoes in response to stress. That’s what ultimately led to the creation of the Bulgarian system as we know it… Abadjiev’s constant drive to increase performance caused him to continually increase the stresses he put on the athletes.
Under the current training arrangement, a lifter with a decent base of training and solid technique (like James) would start to make positive linear progress in 6 - 12 months.
Talk soon!
Dave