Tapering for the Intermediate

[glennpendlay]

http://www.pendlay.com/Tapering-for-...ate_df_67.html

Discuss...

[NewWorldMan]

Not to cause trouble, but is there an article on intermediate training/programming or are you building this series off of the 'tapering' article for beginners?

Not being greedy, I am thankful for the time and effort you take to write and share this much!

I gave this article a cursory read, but the Mrs. is giving me a look that it's my turn to watch the baby - so in the name of world peace (at least my world) I will defer any comments for now.

[glennpendlay]

I am currently working on an article about training for the intermediate...

[kalebwhitby]

Glenn,

Great ideas and suggestions. I personally tried out the contrast showers these past couple of days and I've seen some good results in how I feel in my training. I do have a question though. How would you classify an intermediate lifter. I know you said someone who trains 4-5 times a week but how about time lifting? Just curious. I would consider myself an intermediate lifter but at the low end. I train 6 days a week and have been for the past months except for a few days here and there.

[Jordan]

Hi

I was wondering about the timing of the taper. I notice that both the beginner and intermediate taper articles initially assume that the contest will be on Sunday and the template is changed during the final week if the contest is held on a Friday or Saturday.

I usually compete on Saturdays, and I really like the original template, but what I've been thinking about is starting the final taper week one day early (on Sunday rather than Monday), that way I can follow it in exactly the same manner which it was initially written.

So really I guess I don't have a question, I was just curious about any thoughts anyone would have about starting a day early and getting that extra session in during the final taper week.

Thanks

[glennpendlay]

Originally Posted by Jordan

Hi

I was wondering about the timing of the taper. I notice that both the beginner and intermediate taper articles initially assume that the contest will be on Sunday and the template is changed during the final week if the contest is held on a Friday or Saturday.

I usually compete on Saturdays, and I really like the original template, but what I've been thinking about is starting the final taper week one day early (on Sunday rather than Monday), that way I can follow it in exactly the same manner which it was initially written.

So really I guess I don't have a question, I was just curious about any thoughts anyone would have about starting a day early and getting that extra session in during the final taper week.

Thanks

Jordan,

I wrote it that way because most people have a life outside lifting, and said life is set up around a planned lifting schedule. Therefore the least disruption to that schedule the better. Changing training days more than a week before the cmpetition is a disruption. If you have no issues with this, then yes, changing your schedule a week or two in advance to shoot for a saturday competition is fine.

Glenn

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by glennpendlay

Jordan,

I wrote it that way because most people have a life outside lifting, and said life is set up around a planned lifting schedule. Therefore the least disruption to that schedule the better. Changing training days more than a week before the cmpetition is a disruption. If you have no issues with this, then yes, changing your schedule a week or two in advance to shoot for a saturday competition is fine.

Glenn

Thank you very much for the information Glenn. It's invaluable

[joann.jimi]

Go to your local hockey store. Just ask the employee if he has anything for it. It would probably be a wooden blade. hope i helped

[Jordan]

Glenn,

I have an additional question regarding the taper. I just got back from a competition (like a few hrs ago) and I used the 2 week taper, backing everything up a day and starting on Sunday, not Monday (this pertains to my above post). I also used the beginner template on one of my lifters (not exactly the same as you wrote, but she had some special circumstances/issues that I felt warranted adjustment before the meet).

I did fairly well at my meet, with a PR snatch and a good attempt at equaling a PR CJ (with a slight press on the jerk, but I did manage to get the weight overhead in a pretty quick manner, I just buckled a bit and had too much shoulder movement)

I was actually asking a question about the genesis of the taper. While watching a video of Georgi Gardev a few days before the 1999 European Championships, I notice that his sets, reps, and relative weights seem fairly close to both the beginner and intermediate tapers (although you only see 2-3 of the Gardev workouts during the final week, what I do see is fairly similar).

It may be just a novice assumption on my part, since I don't have a TON of knowledge regarding tapers (not to say that I'm totally new, I have created more than a few programs over the last four to five years, both for myself, and quite a few other local lifters, with the majority being fairly successful/productive), but it seems to me that the tapers are pretty similar to the Gardev taper, and other elite Bulgarian's tapers I've seen via video (Stefan Botev getting ready for the '95 Worlds for example).

I was just wondering if the taper was indeed based upon a specific national or regional program (Poland, Bulgaria, Asian, etc), or maybe it's just something you generated on your own (as most productive programs are, since they're designed specifically with a certain lifter in mind).

Or, is it something that most everyone does when they taper and I'm just truly showing how inexperienced I am.

I know that some of the older lifters, '60s, '70's era, would take a multiple days off, or just go really light and infrequent (for example 60% for a few singles on moday and wednesday if you compete on Saturday).
I know I've read Japan's former olympian, Miyake, would take almost a week off before a contest, and only handle around 60-70% two weeks out. But he may have had a million reps in before that taper, so the neuromuscular patterns work really well, and he evidentally didn't have a problem with confidence.

Sorry for the long post, you can attribute most of my interest in this type of thing to me just bein' a nerdy fan of lifting.

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by glennpendlay

I am currently working on an article about training for the intermediate...

Hi Glenn,

Have you given any more thought to the intermediate article? Like NewWorldMan, I'd also be interested (not greedy)

About when does 'intermediate' take hold? When you stop making gains on a beginner program? At a certain Sinclair?