Topic: Bulgarian Style Training

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Honestly I do not know what kind of tapering Abajiev used. My impression is there wasn't much as I think there is a lot of video of his lifters lifting heavy in the training hall mere days before major contests. On the other hand, if you are used to going heavy 2 or three times a day, perhaps only going heavy once a day is indeed a significant taper.

Personally, I see no reason to lift heavy the last 7-10 days before a meet unless one lacks confidence, in which case the loss in recovery time might just be worth it to make the athlete more confident. When cutting weight when I was younger, I felt I needed to lift heavy, I guess to prove to myself I could still do it. But now I know better.

Perhaps Coach Gough or Burgener or someone can give you better answers. You could also submit the question directly to Abajiev at the American Weightlifting team site found in our links section. Maybe he will answer you.

[JOHN BROZ]

I had a question in regards to tapering, if there is much at all, for chris, steve, mike, etc.

What does the last month before competition look like on the Bulgarian System? Does the number of reps decrease or number of heavy singles either at a max or MTR? What about number of sessions and intensity/volume?

Thanks alot

Caleb

This tapering is only if you are on the program full tilt:
2 weeks out stop all heavy pulls after cleans on days mwf
lift last max sn / cj 3 days out but eliminate all the other reps after the single max attempt (either the 5x2's or the 6 attempts at day pr's)
60% sn/cj x 3  the day before with 70% squat for  2 singles
morning of meet: sn/cj 40-50%
for those animals that was a huge decrease in volume!  When they were in TOP condition they would take only 2 days before the meet for the last max day and shift everything else up a day too.

What worked best for me was last max 5 days out and doing the 60% day 2 days before with stretch/ 50kg sn/cj morning of meet.

[Matt Foreman]

We had a different approach to tapering during my years in Washington with the Calpians.  The week of the meet would look something like this:
- Monday- Snatch up to 5-10 kilos below projected competition opener, Clean and Jerk up to 10-15 kilos below competition opener
- Tuesday- off
- Wednesday- Snatch five singles with around 60%, Clean and Jerk three singles with around 60%
- Thursday, Friday- off
- Saturday- meet

Most of us would do no squats during the final week.  The idea was that the competition week should be a "super-recovery" week.  We would train so hard and take so many heavy attempts when we were 2-3 weeks from the competition that our bodies would be pretty strong and pretty fatigued eight days before the meet.  So training during the week of the meet was pretty easy, letting all the tissue and the mind get rested and fresh.  Then, on the day of the meet, the bar feels lighter than it has in weeks and nothing hurts.  Everybody on the team trained this way, and the results were pretty obvious.  We had lifters winning national championships and making teams routinely throughout the year, and it was rare to see a Calpian not exceed their best training lifts in competition.  I still train this way, with a few adjustments for age.  All the lifters I coach train this way also, and their competition results have always been good. 

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

You guys know I am pretty darn close to a Bulgarian training method proponent with elite lifters these days (I still believe back squats are extremely beneficial) though I believe in greater variety with beginners and some low key supplemental work even for elites. Still, I am more than ever sold on the Bulgarian approach (with some low key supplemental and light technical stuff based on individual need)! Instead of pulls, do another segment of the lifts! Try to hit that daily max twice or thrice or four times! Train twice a day or even thrice, with workout maximum set high but realistic! Avoid misses but push!

Its a style that suits me and works for me and I can imagine the possibilities with it when I was younger. I really think this is the way to go.

[Brooke Burkhalter]

You guys know I am pretty darn close to a Bulgarian training method proponent with elite lifters these days (I still believe back squats are extremely beneficial) though I believe in greater variety with beginners and some low key supplemental work even for elites. Still, I am more than ever sold on the Bulgarian approach (with some low key supplemental and light technical stuff based on individual need)! Instead of pulls, do another segment of the lifts! Try to hit that daily max twice or thrice or four times! Train twice a day or even thrice, with workout maximum set high but realistic! Avoid misses but push!

Its a style that suits me and works for me and I can imagine the possibilities with it when I was younger. I really think this is the way to go.

Chris, can you detail what other segments of the lift you would do other than puls? I assume you mean squat?

Obviously the Bulgarian philosophy works at its core and in variations like the Greeks did and Turkey (who seems to train almost exactly lke Ivan suggests with the addtion of lifts from blocks), however how do we explain the continued success of Russia and the success of China who both presumably use more variation?

Some have done both with similar results (Kolecki quated saying he lifted Bulgarian style at times before his back injury, now he does not)

Aren't most training close to Bulgarians during comp phase anyway?

What is the predominant method used by most of the latest medalists?

My coach has me do pulls but I am a definite beginner and this is only part of the program. I still do not use a lot of variation though. Many have aparently seen the Bulgarian juniors do pulls as well.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Chris, can you detail what other segments of the lift you would do other than puls? I assume you mean squat?

Snatch, clean and jerk, squat cleans, rack jerks, front squats, back squats, and ab work are the only exercises I want to train hard. However, I do a few machines for a few real easy sets to hit some little muscles that aren't primary movers (hamstrings, calfs, groin, chest) along with a few sets a week of some bench press and standing shoulder press- all very, very minor aspects of my training. And, I rarely break the clean and jerk into squat cleans and jerks though I somewhat frequently do some extra rack jerks with light to very moderate weights just for extra technique practice. Also, when I am stuck in a fitness gym, I obviously can't train this way. And, recently I was stuck in a fitness gym though now I also have a place to do the lifts again and I got a couple opportunities to do them while I was commentating for the Olympics up in the New York area.

Obviously the Bulgarian philosophy works at its core and in variations like the Greeks did and Turkey (who seems to train almost exactly lke Ivan suggests with the addtion of lifts from blocks), however how do we explain the continued success of Russia and the success of China who both presumably use more variation?

The program is not the primary factor but rather the talent, technique, dedication and heart of the athlete.

Aren't most training close to Bulgarians during comp phase anyway?

Yes.

What is the predominant method used by most of the latest medalists?

I would say there isn't one since as you say great weights have been lifted by lifters using all different methods.

My coach has me do pulls but I am a definite beginner and this is only part of the program. I still do not use a lot of variation though. Many have aparently seen the Bulgarian juniors do pulls as well.

I think the key is not to demonize any exercises but to focus on the ones that carry the most benefit. I think I also got lost in rejecting the demonizing of back squats but that isn't what it is about. Of course, I am more accurately a believer in the Americanized Bulgarian system than what WE think of as the Bulgarian system- though WE obviously don't really know how much different this approach with my own customizations, or with Mike's own customizations, or Steve's, etc are really different from Abajiev's. After all, there is plenty of video of Bulgarians back squatting and doing other exercises than the Big 3. But, the focus remains on the big three (4 for me).

Cheers

[Brooke Burkhalter]

Thanks for the reply.

I agree. It looks like they stick to the big 3 but some included the back squat.

I have heard Boevski did some isolation exercises as well when he as at the OTC.

My coach has me building toward more daily max days. Right now we are doing once per week. We don't go to max on back or front squat staying instead in the 3-5 range.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I think its important to adjust the program to the individual, even with the Bulgarian approach. For instance, for me who is very good in the front squat, it is not a technical exercise in the least. I don't really need to do them at all to keep them up and could only do back squats. Also, because they are so natural for me and I am so efficient in them, they beat me up really bad if I do heavy sets of 1-2 because they are probably bigger weights proportional than for most people. Whereas, I can maintain or improve my front squats by doing back squats with far less of a pounding on the body. I do some fronts anyway of course to make sure I am sharp and never rusty in them and for conditioning, but stick to 3-4 reps 90-95% of the time. In back squats, I rarely do singles for similar reasons- risk of injury if ultra heavy and too easy if not ultra heavy combined with the lack of need to do singles. Most of my work is between 2-5 reps in backs. So, while I take a Bulgarian approach and wish I could go back and time and do it for most of my career, with occasional off-season breaks for more Russian or cross-training periods once every 1-3 years maybe, I make adjustments for my individual needs. While I think a lot of exercises have some benefit, especially for beginners and intermediates, I look back on all the thousands of pulls I did when I was already at the top of my game and in great shape and think it was an almost complete waste that would have been better spent on more lifts.

Cheers