The Harmony of Relaxation and Repetition in Sport: Part II

In Part I of this series, the role of synaptic facilitation was  discussed regarding the improvement of athletic speed, power and skill  development.  In summary of Part I, to achieve a high level of proficiency at  any sport skill (jumping, sprinting, tennis serve, piano playing, basket  weaving, etc.) the more reps that an athlete is able to get in without overtraining, the better.  An athlete needs to perform a high amount of reps  to teach his or her nervous system to perform maximally in a given motor skill.  A great example of this would be, if  you want to jump higher, practice jumping  a lot, not just 2x per week! Secondly, performing a high amount of repetitions must be done with an amount of relaxation.  With a high amount of reps present, athletes want to make sure they are learning skills right.  This means not straining and thus turning on un-needed motor units/muscles.  The best athletes in the world perform their skills with a distinguished relaxation and effortlessness. This relaxation is also a key to getting a lot of reps in, as  relaxed reps take less of a toll on the body than “grinding” reps.  This  second article will show some practical methods to synchronize those two aspects of sports training.

The lifting world has adopted something called  “the ladder system” to help promote repetition in a workout while managing fatigue. The essence of the ladder system is easier, more relaxing reps  intertwined with heavier, more demanding sets.  According to lifting coach Steve Shafley regarding sets of lifting in the ladder system, “It’s about staying  fresh and crisp.  It’s not about grinding them out and gritting your teeth”.  Let the volume do the work.  A ladder system in lifting can look something like  this, here is a Dan John style ladder:

Squat: 200lbs, 2 reps, rest, 3 reps, rest, 5 reps rest. Increase the weight

250lbs, 2 reps, rest, 3 reps, rest, 5 reps, rest.  Increase the weight

300lbs, 2 reps, rest, 3 reps, rest, 5 reps, rest.  Done

This ladder system works because not all the  reps are done in an intense manner, in fact, many of them are fairly easy to complete, such as the 2 and 3 rep sets.  By using “synaptic facilitation” the groove of lifting is “greased” with the easier sets, and then the harder sets will “blast” that groove each time before the weight is increased. The easier sets will help to reinforce lifting technique, while the tougher sets will allow that technique to be utilized in a demanding manner.  This really helps preventing “technique breakdowns” when the weight gets really heavy also!  The lifting world is fairly aware of “letting the volume do the work”, but the same cannot always be said regarding the dynamic speed/power world.  In order to generate some ideas on your end, I have provided a few examples.

Here are some practical examples of relaxation and repetition at work in speed/power training:

Speed Work:

Tempo based sprinting in track and field: Relaxed and repetitive sprints of longer duration will allow a good workload while improving the efficiency of the nervous system  for sprints (so long as it is done correctly, where the sprinter can maintain proper form).  Coach Charlie Francis has said something to the effect of: “Tempo sprints decrease the electrical resistance of the sprint musculature”.  In terms of the adaptations present in synaptic facilitation, this makes  sense.

When performing faster bouts, such as all out speed development, perhaps the most pure example of using relaxation to build up sprint volume is efforts known as “sprint-float-sprint”, or “sprint-relax-sprint”.  There are other variations of this type of work such as “sprint-float-lift”, but this is more akin to the pure track athlete.  This type of work is done at a maximal  effort, and can provide big increases in top speed and running efficiency at  higher speeds.  A 30-30-30 sprint float sprint is performed by sprinting 30 meters at top speed, then running the next 30 as relaxed as humanly possible at an easier pace, followed by another hard 30 meter sprint. This can be done for  various combinations of distances, such as 20-20-20, or 50-50-50 just to name a  few examples.  This can also be performed in the manner “float-sprint-float”  which will allow an even greater portion of the workout to be of the relaxed variety.

Below is a video of a “sprint-float-sprint” in action.

The ladder principle can and should be utilized in jumping as well.  In training for the high jump, where technique is at a premium, performing a high jump workout where one will  alternate between high and low bars can be extremely useful. For example, between each near-maximal effort, take the bar down 20cm below and perform a relaxed effort.  This will allow the jumper to perform more reps and keep the attitude of the workout towards proper technique and relaxation rather than “grinding” out practice bests.

The “ladder system” can be a wonderful stimulus for these dynamic workouts.  For example, if you have a jumper who can jump 2.15cm (7′), start the workout at 1.85m, and work in clusters of 3. So go 1.85m, 1.90m, 1.95m, and then take a 3-5 minute break to shake the legs out and take some deep breaths, relax, visualize, and embody some positive thoughts on technique.  After the break, you will want to start the ladder again, but this time at a slightly higher height, 1.90cm.  Jump 1.90, 1.95, and 2.00m, and then take another break to reset.  If the athlete is not looking as smooth at they should, repeat the ladder or just  go up 2cm instead of 5cm for the next cycle up. The goal is to keep the jump smooth and efficient.  Jumping in this way will also help to limit missed bars  and keep confidence high.  After completion of this workout, put the bar back down to the 1.90m vicinity and take a few more relaxed jumps over the lower bar.

I have had a lot of success training athletes in higher volumes over lower bars during the training week and then jumping high on the weekends, rather than trying to hit practice PR’s during the week and then grinding out the weekend competition on tired legs.  Another great way to get some volume in during a jumps practice is to set the bar low at the end of practice and get 5-10 high quality and relaxed reps over the bar.  The same concept rings true in the track and field throws.  At the end of a regular throwing practice, set a cone out 30 feet inside of the best throw of the day, and try to hit that cone in a relaxed manner about 10-20 times.  By doing this, you can maximize volume, technique and relaxation.

You can also use this philosophy for something such as simple jumping/dunking practice.  This can be as easy as setting a  target height or tape mark on the backboard, and jumping to touch it, then  raising it an inch, jumping to touch it again, and raising it one more inch.  After a set of 3 jumps, take a break and then come back starting an inch higher  than you did the first set.  Keep working up until you can’t hit the target  mark, and then shoot for some more relaxed jumping. You can also set a tennis ball up hanging from a basketball hoop or overhead object and work the same way,  trying to tap it with your hand or head on a jump.  Set it up low after a hard  jumping practice and make some reps trying to hit the ball as relaxed as possible.  Make it look smooth and easy!

In conclusion, relaxation and volume are two ways to really up your game, and hopefully this article will arm you with some tools to realize that in your own training!

Joel