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Trip Report: Developing Explosive Strength

Insight into this amazing seminar devoted to developing more powerful athletes

Every coach wants their athletes to possess a high level of explosive strength, or as many coaches in the US prefer to call it, power. Many strength and conditioning seminars promise to teach you how to develop this important athletic quality, using kettle bells, form running drills, medicine balls and special barbell exercises. However, many coaches come away from these seminars disappointed, as if something was missing, but without knowing precisely what it is. On the weekend of January 23-24 the Poliquin Strength Institute sponsored a seminar on explosive strength that made good on its promise.

The seminar was called Developing Explosive Strength – part of our “Special Consideration Training Series” – and was held at the Poliquin Strength Institute in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Although the knowledge and skills covered in this seminar could be taught anywhere, it was a definite plus for the attendees to have private access to our 5,200-square-foot gym with the best equipment by our Eleiko and Atlantis affiliates. Also, the event had an international flair, with nearly two dozen coaches from nine different countries attending.

Canadian weightlifting coach Pierre Roy co-taught the course with me. Roy is an amazing coach, and I am honored to count him among my mentors. Among the many successful weightlifters Roy is credited for developing is Olympic silver medalist Jacques Demers. Roy also has a reputation for knowing how to take athletes from day one to the highest levels, as evidenced by the fact that more than 50 of his athletes have competed in the Canadian National Championships. As testament to the respect Roy has in this profession, consider that some of the coaches attending were Ben Prentiss (NHL), Mike Brystol (NFL) and Keith Albert (NBA).

Saturday began with a short introduction to Roy and the direction of the course, and then it was right to the weightroom. It began with a demonstration by Maegan Snodgrass, a member of the 2009 US Junior World Weightlifting Team, and Canada’s Marilou Dozois-Prévost, who placed 10th in the 2008 Olympics in the 48-kilo bodyweight class. Snodgrass snatched 80 kilos and Dozois-Prévost hit a training best of 84 kilos, while Roy explained the skills needed to accomplish such outstanding performances. As the women were snatching, Paul Dumais – Roy’s latest lifting phenom – put on a jerk demonstration, easily throwing180 kilos overhead, and made a close attempt with 190 kilos. By the way, Dumais is only 18 years old! Dumais also put on a demonstration of how to warm up for Olympic lifting training with some kangaroo-like hurdle jumps.

After these demonstrations, Roy showed his method for teaching the snatch and had the attendees try it for themselves. It involves learning the proper balance position for the second phase of the lift, teaching how to jump from this position, and then working on the first phase of the lift from the floor. To say it is simple and effective would be an understatement, as evidenced by the excellent technique many of these top coaches showed after just this one session despite never having performed this lift before – many were even doing full squat snatches!

The next demonstration was Snodgrass performing a full clean and jerk, working up to 93 kilos. Then the three lifters went to work on the power clean. Snodgrass finished with 92 kilos, Dozois-Prévost did a personal best of 97.5 kilos, and Dumais nailed 160 kilos. Wow! Then it was hands-on learning for the clean, and you’d be amazed at how many of the attendees were able to demonstrate great form in the power clean and even squat clean.

The final demonstration of the day included Roy’s various methods of squatting, such as pause squats, slow eccentrics, and isometric squats. One of the key training principles that Roy teaches is the importance of variety in training, and these squatting methods were certainly not the type you would see in most training programs. If you haven’t experienced this type of lower body training before, you will find that they are amazingly effective for quickly increasing a squat max and developing functional strength (and, as some of those in attendance found out from the extreme soreness they developed, teaching you how to walk like John Wayne!).

Saturday concluded with a question-and-answer session with Roy and me, and then attendees were able to experience all the great restaurants and, for those who had any energy left after their workouts, the many live shows and other forms of entertainment available to them in the immediate area.

The second day, Sunday, involved demonstrations of other forms of explosive strength training, such as when Dumais used a special two-handled lifting bell for jumping exercises that simulate the second pull of the snatch and clean. Roy even demonstrated a few reps of many of these exercises, and attendees were quite surprised to see the explosiveness displayed by a man of his age – Roy is obviously someone who practices what he preaches! Then it was the attendees’ turn, with many enjoying these challenging but fun movements.

Sunday also focused on discussions and demonstrations of other supportive methods for developing quickness, and also some thoughts on periodization programs, soft-tissue treatments and the importance of good nutrition. For example, because leaner athletes are more explosive (after all, you can’t flex fat!), I put on a demonstration of a Biosignature Modulation. Determining the fat distribution patterns of an athlete is the first step in developing a “lifestyle” approach to nutrition necessary for athletic superiority. For example, when we conducted a Biosig evaluation on Dozois-Prévost during her stay at our international strength camp last January, she learned that she was not consuming enough protein in her diet and that her hormone profile suggested that it would be best for her to consume six meals a day. Immediately she found it was easier for her to gain muscle, and her energy level and recovery ability improved so much that she could increase the number of workout sessions from five sessions per week to up to ten. As a result, her best lifts quickly improved from 78 kilos in the snatch and 98 kilos in the clean and jerk, to 86 kilos in the snatch and 104 kilos in the clean and jerk!

Athletes need explosive strength to jump high, start fast, throw faster and develop more powerful kicks and punches – and the best coaches are always looking for great methods to develop power in their athletes. That’s what this extraordinary Developing Explosive Strength seminar promised and what it delivered.