Maximal strength training focuses on developing the ability to produce maximum force through exercises like back squats and deadlifts. Three key points are: 1) Maximal strength is defined as the ability to produce maximum force and a minimum strength level of 2 times body mass is recommended for back squats to optimize lower body power. 2) Rate of force development (RFD) is important for explosive activities and can be improved through both heavy strength training and ballistic exercises using a mixed training approach. 3) Variable resistance training using chains or bands is superior to constant resistance as it allows for compensatory acceleration and maximizes motor unit recruitment through incremental loading.

1. Maximal Strength training
“24th Strength & Conditioning Coaching
Course”
Lecturer: Mahdi Cheraghi
National Olympic Academy of IRAN
August 2018

2. Some Definitions:
• Strength: ability to produce force
• Maximum strength : ability to produce maximum force
• Relative Strength: (maximal strength/ body mass)
• Explosive strength: ability to produce as much force as
possible in minimal time.
• Rate of force development (RFD): is change in force divided by
change in time (Δforce / Δtime). Ability to accelerate objects.
• Reactive strength:
• Power: Force × Velocity
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3. Power
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4. Reactive strength
• Reactive strength: ability of the neuromuscular system to tolerate a
relatively high stretch load and change movement from rapid eccentric to
rapid concentric.
• Reactive strength index (RSI)
RSI= flight time/ contact time or
RSI= Flight height/ contact time
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5. Maximal strength
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6. Maximal strength
• minimum strength level of 2 × body mass (back squat) for the
optimization of lowerbody power
• It does not mean that athletes who have not met this minimum should
not perform jumping activities, sprinting, or strength training.
• athletes between the ages of 16 and 19 should be able to easily achieve a
minimum back squat of 2 × body mass if training interventions are
structured correctly.
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7. Explosive strength or RFD
• Explosive muscle strength: Ability to produce high peak Rate of Force
Development (RFD)
• Can be produced both dynamically and isometrically
• contraction times of 50–250 milliseconds are often associated with fast
movements such as jumping, sprinting, or changing of direction and
• No enough time to produce maximal force in sport activities (at least300-500 ms)
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8. Critical time periods; importance of RFD

9. RFD or Explosive strength
Methods to improve RFD:
• Weaker , young and untrained individual: heavy load resistance exercise
• Stronger more experienced athletes : light load ballistic exercise
• Ballistic exercises : are ‘‘preprogrammed’’ exercises produce as much force as possible in
short periods of time (i.e., ballistic movements), with the goal of projecting the accelerated
object into free space (e.g., jumping, throwing, kicking).
• when attempting to maximize the rate of force development and power output a mixed
training approach is recommended :(heavy strength training + Ballistic exercises)
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10. RFD or Explosive strength
• Effects of different training methods on force-velocity curve
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11. Complex Training
The term ‘complex training’ is credited to Verkhoshansky et al. (1973)
• Complex training is a workout comprising of resistance exercise followed by a matched plyometric exercise
whereas Contrast training is a set of heavy resistance repetitions followed immediately by an unloaded,
explosive exercise utilizing the same movement pattern.
• aim to augment PAP responses
PRACTICAL APPLICATION for Complex training:
1. Ideal subject characteristics
• Training status 5 moderately to highly trained athletes
• Resistance training experience ≥ 2 years
• Strength levels ≥ 1.8 relative lower body 1RM
• Strength levels ≥ 1.4 relative upper body 1RM
2. Effective rest interval
• Intracomplex recovery (between complex pairs) 5 ;3–4 minutes
• Intercomplex recovery (between exercise sets) 5 ;5 minutes
3. Programming mobility and/or stability drills within the intracomplex and intercomplex recovery interval.

12. post-activation potentiation (PAP)
• phosphorylation of the myosin light chains that render the crossbridges more sensitive to
Ca2+ which increases the rate of binding of actin and myosin resulting in faster muscle
contraction
• reduced inhibitory input to the agonist muscles from (GTO) and increased reciprocal
inhibition of antagonist motor units (Renshaw cell)
• increase in a-motoneuron excitability as reflected by changes in the H-reflex
• Increase in rate of force development: RFD
- Maximal contractions and heavy external loads: ≥ 85-90% 1RM to directly recruit
the Type II muscle fibers
- Optimal rest periods vary among athletes and depend on the interaction
between potentiation and fatigue

13. strength qualities required for Agility

14. Timing Load Increases
• 2-for-2 rul:
-increases of 2.5% to 10% (Relative Loads)
- Absolute loads:

15. Volume

16. Rest

17. Partial Reps
• strength development is joint angle-specific
• 1-5 reps per set with 100% 1RM
• Quick increase in maximal in specific range of motion
• More fiber reruitment in partial range of motion
• mechanical specificity of the movements
corresponding with sports specific tasks,
- half squats be used to improve the acceleration phase of sprinting
-quarter squats should be employed to increase performance during the maximal velocity phase
• Allows for the overloading of sticking points
• degree of transfer from overloading PROM to FROM
exercises appears to be limited

18. Functional Isometrics
• Advantage of joint-angle-specific strength gains
• Entails short concentric movement with 5-7 second maximal isometrics
• Training at sticking point (weakest range)
• Example of Powerlifters: after 1-6RM full reps they hold weight at sticking point.

19. Eccentric Training
• eccentric-only training has been shown to increase eccentric strength
(principle of specificity)
• Eccentric strength can be enhanced with faster versus slower contractions,
as the greater force demands result in superior strength adaptations
• greater gains in muscle hypertrophy when compared to concentric training
(but not significant)
• Neural adaptation: Increased neural drive, greater agonist activation and
reduced antagonistic coactivation
• Regional hypertrophy: greater distal hypertrophy vs mid-belly hypertrophy
after concentric-only training
• Greater increases in type II fibre cross-sectional area
• Increases in fascicle length
• greater tendon stiffness in comparison to concentric training (induces a
greater rate of force development, RFD because of more stiff muscle-
tendon complex)

20. Eccentric techniques
• Accentuated eccentric training
• 2/1 technique: involves using two extremities for the
concentric portion and one extremity for the eccentric phase
• Two-movement technique: concentric phase of a repetition is
completed using multiple joints and the eccentric phase with
only one joint
• Super slow
• Heavy Negatives

21. Accentuated Eccentric Training
• Maximal strength: loads more than 1RM in eccentric phase
• Example:
-3 sets 10 reps @ 75% 1RM CON + 120% @ 1RM ECC
- 3 sets @ 6RM (eccentric load = concentric load + 40%)

22. Eccentric training

23. developing Eccentric strength
• Example of a training session

24. Cluster sets
• to increase training intensity or volume is to insert an intraset rest period
into the overall set, whereby fatigue may be relatively diminished in order
to maintain mechanical outputs
• short intraset rest periods of 5-15 seconds during hypertrophy phases
• Longer intraset rest periods of 30-45 seconds for maximal strength
• racking and un-racking during exercises, such as the bench press and
squatting, can also be moderately fatiguing

25. Cluster sets
• 3 basic variants: the standard, the undulating, and the ascending
• Traditional sets: 15.7% decrease in power out put across 6 repetitions
• Cluster sets: 5.5 % in 20 sec
• cluster sets are ideally suited for the specific preparatory phase when maximizing
power development is a central training target.
• “To promote the development of muscular maximal power output, repetitions of
a given exercise should achieve ≥90% of maximal power output and velocity for
the stimulus to be considered beneficial”

27. • increasing maximal strength incorporating cluster sets

28. Strength curves
• Bell-shaped: Single-joint movements (e.g., elbow flexion and extension, knee
flexion and extension, etc.), generally, where maximum strength occurs around the
mid-phase of the lift.
• Descending: pulling movements (e.g., bent-over rows, pull-ups, etc.),where
maximum strength is produced at the beginning of the movement.
• Ascending: variations of the squat, deadlift, and bench press as maximum strength
and force capabilities occur near the top of the lift.

29. Type of external resistances
• three methods for applying overload:
• constant external: traditional resistance training
methods (e.g., free weights)
- Sticking point
• during the concentric effort of a movement, a
large portion of time is spent decelerating
• Accommodating (isokinetic resistance)
• variable resistance
-chains and elastic Band
• compensatory acceleration

30. Variable resistance training (VRT)
Bands
• VRT: is a superior method for increasing strength, power (i.e., rate of work per unit of time), and overall
electromyography activity (EMG)
• Resisted : lighter relative load at “weakest”(bottom position of the back squat) ROM and higher relative
load at “strongest”(top third of a back squat).
• the highest motor unit recruitment occurs at the most mechanically advantageous position (strongest
point) within a given movement
• incremental loading results in progressive recruitment of high-threshold motor units leads to
improvements in RFD
• ability to decrease or remove momentum from a system and to promote a greater demand for force
• improvements in eccentric strength
• Longer peak-velocity phases, an exploitation of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC), and an increase in
elastic stored energy
• total unit load may be between 60 and 85% of an athlete’s 1RM, of which 20–30% of this total load is
mass provided by elastic band tension.

31. Variable resistance training (VRT)
Bands
• Assisted VRT: improve power and velocity output, with increased shortening rate
and neuromuscular system activation reported as potential underlying
mechanisms
• desirable during periods of heavy competition (higher levels of fatigue)
• during an “overspeed” training phase
• translates to many ballistic movements, such as jumping and throwing.
• reduces bodyweight load by 10 – 20 % and has been shown to augment concentric
velocity (velocity > 3.0 m/s)
• Using in corrective exercise or rehabilitation modality
•

32. Chain
• At the bottom, providing a reduction in load
and allowing the athlete to accelerate the
barbell at a faster rate
• within-repetition postactivation potentiation
effect may occur in response to a greater
neural activation. (?!)
• decreasing resistance at the bottom portion of
the movement may cause a more rapid
stretch–shortening cycle. (?!)

34. Elastic Bands
• may result in a postactivation potentiation
effect within each repetition
• there can be a 3.2% to 5.2% difference
between two supposedly equal bands that
could result in an 8% to 19% difference in
mean tension between the bands!!!

35. Compensatory acceleration training
(CAT)
• CAT: is the process of attempting to achieve maximal acceleration with a moderate
to high load (50-80% 1RM)
• Dr Squat – Dr Fred Hatfield
• intended maximal concentric acceleration (IMCA):(higher loads)
• Adding bands and chains
• A side note: Aggression—everyone needs some

36. Increase/maintenance max strength with weightlifting
derivatives
• To Increase Strength –speed
• Usually 90-95 % 1RM
• Using loads near 120-140% 1RM in pulling exercises
• 1RM in Power clean
• 3-5 reps
• High intension but lower velocity

37. Increase/maintenance max strength with weightlifting
derivatives

38. Velocity-Based Training
• Monitoring the velocity of a movement be used to periodize training
• daily level basis

39. New findings!?

40. Appendix;
Exercises selection for hamstrings
• A. Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) or
• B. hip extension (HE) training
• Target muscle: biceps femoris long head (BFLH )
• After 10 weeks of training:
• NHE and HE training both stimulate significant increases in BFLH fascicle length;
• however, HE training may be more effective for promoting hypertrophy in the BFLH.

41. • Kettlebell swing (KS) and Romanian deadlift (RD) targeted specifically
semitendinosus over Biceps femoris (significantly more difference)
• Supine Leg Curl (SuLC) and hip extension off table (HE) specifically targeted Biceps
femoris over semitendinosus (significantly more difference)
Appendix; Exercises selection for hamstrings

42. Appendix; Exercises selection for hamstrings
• differences of EMG activity of ST and BF in different exercises

43. • Peak normalised EMG (nEMG) activity of ST and BF and concomitant joint angles during the
examined exercises

44. • (A) FJU, one-leg jump onto balance mat, LU, one-leg landing from box on balance mat, DJU, one-leg drop jump on
balance mat, FJ, one-leg forward jump, SJ, one-leg side jump.
• (B) SPL, supine pelvis lifts, KS, two-hand kettlebell swings, NH, nordic hamstring lowers, SuLC, supine one-leg curls.
• (C) HE, hyperextensions off table, HEB, hyperextensions off table with barbell, RD, Romanian deadlift, SeLC,
seated leg curl in Biodex isokinetic dynamometer, PrLC, prone leg curl in biodex isokinetic dynamometer.

45. “Thank you”
National Olympic & Paralympic Academy
Sports Biomechanics center
Lecturer: Mahdi Cheraghi
Email: mahdicheraghi26@gmail.com