Over the next several weeks I will be featuring an analysis of workouts performed by different Olympic lifters, powerlifters, and bodybuilders. The analysis will feature just one exercise that each lifter does in terms of how many sets, how many reps per set, their total reps, total workload, rep speed, how much actual lifting time was accumulated during the workout, and some comments on their form.
Idalberto Arranda
This is probably the third time that I have included this video footage of of Cuban lifter Idalberto Arranda doing squats in a training article. The reason is because he is a fantastic squatter who uses great form, plus the video moves at a fast pace from one set to the next. These factors make it an ideal video to learn from.
Idalberto Arranda is in the 77 kg (170 pounds) weight class. One of his workouts consists of five sets of squats. You can watch the last three sets of the workout in the following video and then refer to the analysis that follows in regard to Idalberto’s squat workout:
Set 1:
Reps = 5
Weight = 125 kilos (275 pounds)
The set takes 14 total seconds
Each individual rep takes a total of about 1.2 seconds (a half second down, a half second up)
Adalberto pauses one to two seconds between each rep.
Set 2:
Reps = 3
Weight = 175 kilos (385 pounds)
The set takes 8 total seconds
Each individual rep takes a total of about 1.2 seconds
Alberto pauses one to two seconds between each rep
Set 3:
Reps = 2
Weight = 205 kilos (451 pounds)
The set takes 3.7 seconds
Each individual rep takes a total of about 1.2 seconds
Alberto pauses about one second between his two reps
Set 4:
Reps = 2
Weight = 255 kilos (561 pounds)
The set takes 4.5 seconds
Each individual rep takes a total of about 1.4 seconds. His rep speed is slightly slower than his first three sets.
Alberto continues to pause about one second between his two reps
Set 5:
Reps = 1
Weight = 285 kilos (627 pounds)
The set takes 1.4 seconds
His one individual rep took 1.4 seconds.
Other Measures of Adalberto’s workout
Total reps from all 5 sets = 13 reps
Total workload for all 13 reps combined = 2,155 kg = 4,741 pounds
Average workload for all reps = 165 kilos = 365 pounds
Total actual lifting time for all 5 sets combined = 31.6 seconds
Summary of Analyses
Since Idalberto is an Olympic lifter, he drops quickly into the bottom of the squat and immediately springs back up into an upright position as this skill is needed for the clean and jerk. His rep speed of a little over one second per rep remains virtually the same for each set, although it slows down slightly on his last two sets. Idalberto uses a fairly narrow stance and squats with a very upright position throughout the whole squatting motion as this is another dimension of his squats that closely resembles the body position that is used for the squatting portion of the clean and jerk. His squatting form is text book perfect for an Olympic lifter and is an excellent example that anyone can learn from if they want to improve at squats.
Next Article
In the next article, I will present an analysis of a squat workout performed by powerlifter Richard Hawthorne. He is ridiculously strong for a 130 pound lifter. Until then, best of training to you.