http://www.americanweightlifting.org/askivan.htm
This was a bit of an experiment and business venture that Abadzhiev did up in northern California. It didn't last very long, probably because no one cares enough about weightlifting in the US to commit to it. But, in the Ask Ivan section he does answer some questions.
4 comments:
Some more stuff from Ivan 'The Butcher':
http://www.sugdenbarbell.co.uk/forum/Ivan-Abadzhiev-The-butcher-of-Bulgaria-935
His methods produced World Champions, but you have to wonder how much of that was due to:
1. Nationalized system to select only those with the best genetics for sport (i.e like the modern Chinese system)
2. Intense desire by the general population to be in Weight Lifting as a means to increase one's economic/social status (sort of like American Football)
3. Anabolics (nuff said)
So how much of his stuff directly applies to the amateur, non-anabolic using athlete?
Just interesting info, from the horse's mouth. All your points are totally valid, although they were all present in Russia at the same time and they would often get beaten by Bulgaria.
Mike Burgener uses what he calls the "Americanized Bulgarian" system, which actually looks a lot like the Russian system despite the fact that he goes for a "heavy single" or max every Saturday.
Even Abadzhiev uses other exercises for sets of 2-5 reps (cleans, jerks from rack, back squats, etc.) for his less experienced athletes, although no one talks about it. And even Medvedyev acknowledged that at the highest level (MSIC) volume tended to drop and intensity of the main lifts increased.
Finally, for the amateur, non-anabolic using athlete, it depends how close to the original "system" you want to get to. Naim Suleymanoglu trained 6 hours a day, maxing in each lift several times, 6 days a week. It's said that sometimes he would be so weak that he fell asleep eating and had to be carried to bed after training. You have to be a manimal to do that anyway, so none of it applies to an amateur. But the principle of max-effort training applies to all athletes. To some degree it applies to anyone with good enough technique to perform a 1RM.
Oh, and for powerlifting, as much as I'd LOVE to see someone try a Bulgarian approach, I never see it happening. But, the Bulgarians still squatted a shitload, training it the same as their other lifts. Of course, with gear who knows how you would train this way anyway.
Naim Suleymanoglu trained 6 hours a day, maxing in each lift several times, 6 days a week. It's said that sometimes he would be so weak that he fell asleep eating and had to be carried to bed after training.
Unbelievable.
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