Dear Ariel Schillaci,

1. At the moment you can buy "Special Strength Training: practical manual for coaches" at http://www.ultimateathleteconcepts.com/store/books.html.

2. I have only the Italian version of book Shock Method. I think that the paragraph and the number of figure are the same in the Spanish edition so I will refer to them. In the Italian book the exercise which we referring is presented in the paragraph 2.3. “Another Shock Method means”, Figure 2.10,” The exercises of Shock regime for gymnastic athletes” (exercise D). This exercise can be performed also with the leg position presented in the figure C a).

3. For the first exercise of my program you can try to adapt the exercise presented on the figure 2.11 for the Bench Press with Smith Machine or Multipower using. I only think that the execution of this exercise could be dangerous: it’s need the help of  two very attentive and strong persons.

4. The second exercise is the most important element of my program because its main objective is to increase the Bench Press 1RM weight. At the begging you should try to perform the exercise with the maximal weight. I don’t know what you mean for “Failure”, this exercise should be execute correctly so if you don’t succeed with the maximal weight try to execute it correctly with your best limit weight. After, when you start to perform easily the third set with 100% weight, you should start to perform it with overload weight superior of 100%, increasing the weight, step by step, of 5 kg.

Yuri Verkhoshansky

Hello professor, I would like to ask you a question on this version of stimulating method. 
  
 In your articles, is usually done for first exercise (tonic) the exercise with the barbell with a big weight, for example squat with 90-95% 1RM, while as second exercise (developing) an exercise as explosive as squat jumps or Depth jumps of method shock  is suggested.

Why in this type, has the order been reversed? Is there any reason especially?
  
Another version or variant of stimulating method is this?

Demetrio Frattarelli from Italy.

Prof. Yuri Verkhoshansky:

I'm in the 3rd week of your program and I'm having big improvements in my Bech Press. I have two questions:

- In the 4th week of the program. Should I make a overcompensation period with less intensity?

- How many weeks can I do this program?

Thank you very much.

Ariel Schillaci, Argentina.

Hi dear Professor.

I would ask you a question on this organization of the block A.

You wrote:

     Regarding the means and methods used in the Block A (increase of the Maximum Strength) it’s necessary to add that:

1)       all exercises should be execute with large ampleness of movements;

2)       the first exercise method must be changed from the beginning to the end of BlockA: from the 10RM method use to the maximal strength effort repetitions method use;

3)       the second exercise should be execute with slow concentric faze and very fast (explosive) eccentric faze: the 5-10 repetitions sets with 50% overload weight and with complete rest intervals between the sets;

4)       the second exercise should be also execute in the 5-6- repetitions sets with 60-70% overload weight, with brief muscle relaxation between each repetition and with complete rest intervals between the sets;

5)       the third exercise could be represented by Drop Jumps (Shock method) with the execution technique proposed by Sergey Strucov and by Russian Kettlebell Squat Jump.

Hi dear Professor.

I would ask you about your block system.

You wrote:

1° block. The preliminary stage.

Could be used the exercises of your block A1.

1) maximal strength: 10-4 RM method.

2) Explosive speed strength: explosive work with 50-60-70% RM.

3) Squat Jumps 30% RM.

The 10RM exercises should be performed slowly with maximal amplitude. The explosive exercises should prepare the athletes for the use of the following Shock method.

2° block. Maximal strength increasing based on the functional-morphological reconstructions

without great muscle hypertrophy

Could be used the serial-repetition method (the exercises must be performed without muscle relaxation):

1° set - 8-10 repetitions with the 80% weight, 3-4 min rest.

2° set – 5 repetitions with the 90% weight, 3-4  min rest

3° set – 3 repetitions with the 93% weight, 3-4- min rest

      Usually it’s used 2- 3 series of each sets with 6 – 8 minutes of rest between each series.

1) Are maximal strength: 10-4 RM method of first block and the serial-repetition method of second block the same mean?

2) In the first block, have I to do one progression from the 10 reps to the 4 reps like in according to second block? Or only sets of 10 reps?

3) In the first block, have I to reach the failure in all the sets as in the second block?

4) Which could be the duration of the single blocks in case of a annual cycle with an only contest the 31 July?

5) Which could be the duration of the single blocks in case of double programming with two contests (31 July and 31 January)?

Demetrio Frattarelli, Italy.

Dear Demetrio Frattarelli,

I have to repeat that the Block System for Bodybuilding that I described in this Forum is only a conceptual model that helps to understand better the basic idea.

To explain better what could be the training loads with different finalization in the case of Bodybuilding I used the examples of the most important overload training methods that are usually used in Olympic sport disciplines to obtain different training aims.

This conceptual model is not a training program ready to be used in practice (operative model), but only a general indication of how it could be developed. I wished help the bodybuilders to go out from the “rep ranges manipulating mentality” and to explain “how you can fish” so we could “fish” together.

An operative model should be more clear in each details and could include also other means and methods. The conceptual model helps to elaborate the operative model on the base of many practical experiences that are very precious.

So, I could give you the answers that concern only the correct use of the Olympic sport training methods.

1)       Are maximal strength: 10-4 RM method of first block and the serial-repetition method of second block the same mean?

It could be the same exercise (for instance, Barbell Squat of Bench press) executed in a little bit different way.

The exercise of the first block.

At the beginning of this stage, the athlete should perform the sets with the weight of 10RM  and after, during all this stage, this weight should be gradually increased until 4RM. The exercise should be executed with maximal amplitude, with  maximal repetition number (until the failure) and with a good control of execution technique (the “failure” is reached also when the athlete cannot execute the last repetition with the maximal amplitude).

The exercise of the second block.

The athlete should perform 2-3 series of 3 sets with the weight, in each set, of 80%, 90% and 93%. The exercise should be executed without muscle relaxation (the amplitude should be ample but not maximal like in the preceding block) and with maximal repetition number (until the “natural” failure).

The exercise of the first set is very similar to the exercise of the preceding block, but the value of 10-8 RM weight is higher and the amplitude of movement is a little bit shorter.

2)       In the first block, have I to do one progression from the 10 reps to the 4 reps like in according to second block? Or only sets of 10 reps?

There is no progression from 10 to 4 repetitions during the training session. In this training stage the progression should be in the personal 8-10 RM value.

3)       In the first block, have I to reach the failure in all the sets as in the second block?

Yes.

4)       Which could be the duration of the single blocks in case of a annual cycle with an only contest the 31 July?

5)       Which could be the duration of the single blocks in case of double programming with two contests (31 July and 31 January)?

By general point of view, the durations of blocks depend on the duration of the whole preparation period that you have at your disposal. These durations could be calculated through the division of the preparation period duration on the number of blocks.

Yuri Verkhoshansky

Dear Denis,

the armwrestling training should have some similarity with Powerlifting training. In our forum there is a debate about the possibility to use the Block System Training in not Olympic sport as regards only Bodybuilding, but this sport is different from Powerlifting.

I really don’t know if is possible to use Block System Training in Powerlifting. I never directly attended to Powerlifting training and it’s difficult for me to discuss properly about it.

There is a good debate related to this issue between Matthew Perryman and Dan Partelly in this forum (see the thread  “Difference between russian sequence periodization and west side barbell periodization?”).