Charlie Francis & Speed Development

[Guest guest]

Some list members may be interested in the dicussion which I had on

another list (speed-power) with Dr Verchoshanski. Would anyone like

to comment on any of the material that we covered?

-----------------

M. Hansen <dmhansen@...> wrote:

Subject: Francis Clinic

>I had the pleasure of attending Charlie's recent seminar. Once again,

>Charlie's knowledge and understanding of speed development was impressive

(I attended a seminar last year in LA). It is difficult to give a run-down of

>what was presented, because of the detailed nature of the subject matter.

>Charlie does have a Forum on his website (www.CharlieFrancis.com) that he

>encouraged all seminar attendees to partipate in. There is some good

>discussion on training in that forum.

>

>One area that I found interesting was his use of weightlifting. He

>considers all weightlifting a general training activity (not specific). His

>purpose for using the weightroom is the recruitment of motor units

>(activation of the CNS). He does not try to mimic movements specific to a

>sport or acitivity when selecting his lifts. An example is Ben .

>While Charlie is a proponent of Olympic lifts (i.e. cleans and snatches), he

>did not use them with Ben. Apparently, Ben was a bit of a spaz in the gym

>and could not perform these lifts without putting himself at risk (i.e

>reverse curling the bar in power cleans). So, Charlie stayed away from

>these lifts and stuck with safer means of motor unit recruitment (bench

>press and squats). While many people say that power cleans are great for

>starts, the absence of this lift from Ben's program didn't appear to slow

>his start. Also, when Ben was injured in 1988 with hamstring problems, his

>heavy bench press (440-450lbs) kept his nervous system trained.

>

>It is an interesting concept. I feel that many coaches and so-called

>conditioning specialists try to tinker too much in the weight room and invent

>movements that they feel are supposedly " more specific " for their athletes.

>Sometimes these movements are so complex that they cannot be loaded heavily

>and do not produce the motor unit recruitment necessary to achieve a useable

>training adaptation. Or these movements are too risky and someone gets hurt.

>

>Any list members have any experience with this concept?

------------

Yuri Verchoshanski wrote:

M. Hansen

Thursday, April 11, 2002

Subject: Francis Clinic

Yes, I have and I would like to support Charlie Francis and congratulate him

with an original idea that was worked out by him.

Being a professional track & field coach in sprint and jumping (fiftieth -

sixtieth) I used weightlifting for development of explosive strength,

starting strength and reactive ability of the neuromuscular apparatus of the

sportsmen. The main task of this exercises was creating a strong training

influence on the CNS for the generalization of more power stream of the

nervous impulses on the motoneurons and synchronization them at the

moment of the muscle effort beginning.

My practical experience as a coach and results of the many years scientific

work have been published in some monographs in Russia and translated in

other countries ( " Basis of the strength training " - 1970 and 1977;

" Programming of sport training " - 1987; " Basis of physical

preparation in the sport " - 1988). Principles of the special strength

training were formulated in this monographs including so-called

" supermethods " that are intended for top class athletes. One of them was

named as a " Stimulation method " .

The idea of this method consist in the usage of the hyperexcitability of the

CNS crated by short-term power muscular strains, for rise of the vigor of

the subsequent specific work, aimed at the development of explosive

strength and reactive ability of the neuromuscular apparatus.

The stimulation method thus includes two successive muscle activities. The

first (tonic) is carried out slowly with major resistance and restricted

amount of repetition. The second activity (developing) is conducted with

extremely concentrated explosive effort with smaller weight of resistance

(30-40 % from the maximum) and considerably higher (optimum) amount of

repetitions. The activity with essentially increased power by tonic

influence at the CNS arises during the first (tonic) activity, exerts the

main training influence on the organism in the stimulation method.

The stimulation method has confirmed its extreme effectiveness for the

development of explosive strength and reactive ability of the neuromuscular

apparatus of sportsmen. Its value consists providing a fast and steady

accretion of this parameters at a small time expenditure and energy of

sportsmen.

For example, squat with the barbell on the shoulders (90% from maximum) used

in for tonic work. Two approach (sets) of 2-3 reps with the rest 3-4 minutes

are conducted. Then after rest 4-6 minutes follows the second (developing)

exercise - jumps up with the barbell on the shoulders (30% from maximum).

Three sets of 6-8 reps with maximum effort and with the rest between the

sets 3-4 minutes are carried out. This series are repeated for 2-3 times

with rest 8-10 minutes.

When the stimulation method is used, it is necessary to mean the following.

1. The form of the first (tonic) exercise movement has no principal value.

However, it is important, that those muscles groups which necessary for

training are activated and that they work with a major effort. As to the

second (developing) exercise, its motor structure should approximate

competitive exercise as much as possible and be conducted with extreme

effort.

2. Between the sets it is necessary to executes exercises on flexibility,

relaxation and stretching of muscles, and between series - work of moderate

intensity by the same muscle groups (for example, light jumping exercises on

relaxation and flexibility. The first (tonic) and especially second

(developing) exercises should be fulfilled with maximal effort.

3. During training it is necessary to rise gradually the force of the

stimulation influence of tonic work, not at expense of the augmentation of

its volume but of the weight of load. As to the second (developing)

exercise, it is not necessary to change the total amount of work (number of

repetitions, approaches, espies), the weight of load or intervals of rest

between the approaches and series.

4. The stimulation method should not be utilized at the end of the training

session or in fatigued state. The stimulation method should not de used in

addition to any other training activity. The method can be effective only in

case of the so-called «fresh» forces.

5. The stimulation method can expediently be utilized as a separate training

session with the duration of from 40 minutes to one hour and it should be

the first within the day (in case there are two tracings per day). The

interval between the following training session should not be less than four

hours.

I beg your pardon for my poor English.

Yuri Verkhoshansky

Ph.D., Professor, Academician, effective member and Vice President of

Department of Sport pedagogy at the International Academy of Informatization

(Moscow), member of International Association of Sport Kinetics (Poland) and

President of Italian Section of International Association of Sport Kinetics,

member of the International Sport Science Association (USA), professor at

the University of Tor Vergata (Rome), scientific consultant of the National

Olympic Committee of Italy.

----------

M. Hansen

.....USA

[Guest guest]

Hansen wrote : " Also, when Ben was injured in 1988 with hamstring

problems, his heavy bench press (440-450lbs) kept his nervous system

trained " .

*** Ben seems to be getting stronger and stronger. In " The Charlie Francis

Training System " , published in 1992, Francis wrote that Ben's best ever

lifts were 4 reps maximum at 600lbs in the squat and 2 reps maximum at

407lbs (a feat which he did only once - his previous best was 1 rep at

375lbs) in the bench press.

Now, Francis says Ben lifted 6 easy reps at 660lbs in the squat and 450lbs

in the bench. Isn't THAT interesting !!!

I bet next year Francis will be saying that Ben could squat 700lbs and bench

500lbs!

Shanahan,

Melbourne,

Australia.

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[Guest guest]

What I find interesting Mr. Shanahan is that people who were present during

Ben's workouts have actually attested to his strength on this list and

elsewhere. As you claim to be an expert on Charlie Francis, able to quote

passages from his book on the other side of the globe, why should anyone

believe you over actual witnesses and videotape evidence? Your use of upper

case text is and exclamation marks does nothing to bolster your arguments.

I've never read or heard Charlie Francis quote a figure of 660lbs in the

squat. Although I believe 660lbs (or more) was well within Ben's capacity,

given that he performed 6 reps with 600lbs (or your figure of 700lbs). And,

if you were an expert on Charlie Francis, you'd know that Charlie felt it

was unnecessary to have Ben push beyond the weights he had already

achieved - given his occupation was " sprinter " and not " weightlifter " . With

regard to the bench press, it is quite widely known that Ben's bench press

was achieved prior to Seoul with plate weights that were miscalculated

(using 25kg plates as opposed to 20kg plates).

I think you now miss the point of the whole discussion on this list. You

prefer to attack Mr. Francis' character (after having never met the man),

rather than admit that there is a very important reason behind why these

heavy lifts correlate to high performance in 100m sprinting. You would also

prefer to relegate the discussion to " steroids " and " lying " rather than

actual credible facts, critical thinking and scientific reasoning - the

whole reason we are subscribed to the Supertraining list.

If we are to relegate this discussion to personal character and experience,

why don't you tell everyone on the list what practical experience you have

in training World Class 100m sprinters, and how it relates to your

conclusions as posted?

In fact, right now I am working with a 10.2 100m (20.4 200m) sprinter, and

have found out that he has never been a fast starter - but his top speed is

very good. He past weight program consistent of primarily ancillary

lifting, with no heavy squatting, power cleans or bench press at all. What

would you suggest I work on? On the other hand, I have a 10.5 sprinter who

is an excellent lifter, but has never done any proper speed endurance work.

His 60m is very good, but he fades drastically at the end. Guess what we

are working on for him?

Hansen

Vancouver, BC

Re: Charlie Francis & Speed Development

Hansen wrote : " Also, when Ben was injured in 1988 with hamstring

problems, his heavy bench press (440-450lbs) kept his nervous system

trained " .

*** Ben seems to be getting stronger and stronger. In " The Charlie Francis

Training System " , published in 1992, Francis wrote that Ben's best ever

lifts were 4 reps maximum at 600lbs in the squat and 2 reps maximum at

407lbs (a feat which he did only once - his previous best was 1 rep at

375lbs) in the bench press.

Now, Francis says Ben lifted 6 easy reps at 660lbs in the squat and 450lbs

in the bench. Isn't THAT interesting !!!

I bet next year Francis will be saying that Ben could squat 700lbs and bench

500lbs!

Shanahan,

Melbourne,

Australia.