In the Olympic weightlifting world, the Bulgarians are famous for their innovative training methods. A very small country came to dominate the world of Olympic weight lifting through new and different training techniques. Here is an article about their approach:
http://www.theironsamurai.com/2010/05/23/the-secret-to-bulgarian-training-in-olympic-weightlifting/
The Bulgarians just concentrated on a few lifts in their training, the snatch, the clean and jerk and the front squat. And they lifted heavy, frequently maxing out, and usually going over 90% of their max. Yes, they were on steroids, but so were most Olympic lifters of the era. And they lifted a lot- many workouts per day and they trained 6 days per week.
But they only did one or two reps per set. High intensity training. And they competed frequently. And they did a lot of recovery techniques- massage, ice baths, supplements, etc.
I do not recommend that you lift weights like this. It will wear you out quickly. It is meant for someone who has years of training and has built up to this type of training and is training full-time and does not work.
But, you might be able to use some of the principles of Bulgarian training in your whitewater paddling. First, specificity. The Bulgarians used the Olympic lifts, rather than various other types of lifts because that was what their competition was about. And they lifted heavy because their competition was about lifting heavy. And they did one or sometimes two reps, but not more, because their sport was not about who could do it ten times, but who can lift the most weight.
Second, they concentrated on recovery techniques. Because of the high intensity, it is very easy to burn out on this type of training, so they used recovery techniques, such as massage, ice baths and herbs and supplements to enhance their recovery.
Third, they did frequent competitions and frequent competition simulation. Thus, they were ready for the real thing. It wasn't something new or different when they competed. They did it all the time. So, when it came time for the Olympics, they just did the same thing they always did.
Fourth, they dedicated their lives to the sport. You can do pretty well in Olympic lifting by only lifting 3 times per week. But they weren't looking to do pretty well. They wanted to win at the Olympics. They were looking for every advantage. So, they lived and breathed their sport and had no distractions. Except for their training, they had little stress in their lives and could concentrate on their sport.
The Bulgarian method is a different approach than many are used to. It may not work for all people. It was developed when they were using steroids, which helped in recovery, so they could do a larger workload. But it is an approach that some top athletes can learn something from. Paddle hard on race-like conditions and do it often and use recovery techniques in between workouts. Here is the link to the article:
http://www.theironsamurai.com/2010/05/23/the-secret-to-bulgarian-training-in-olympic-weightlifting/
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