In the last article I opened up the topic of powerlifting IQ. Those who have an outstanding powerlifting IQ often have great knowledge about strength training in an academic sense, but the main key is that they have the ability to translate their knowledge into actual training results, both for themselves and when helping others. Charles Staley, Garrett Blevins, Richard Hawthorne, Louie Simmons, and Boris Sheiko are some of the lifters and coaches discussed in the last article. In this article I will be focusing on Fred Hatfield and Bud Jeffries.
Fred Hatfield
Fred Hatfield was one of the first men in the world to squat over 1000 pounds. He was able to make progress year after year in order to accomplish this. Fred attributes much of his training success to learning form elite Russian lifters and coaches. The basics of Fred’s training philosophy is based upon five training stages as listed below which is then followed by a couple of videos of how Fred trains.
Stage 1: Foundation
Concentrate on building up weak body parts, and improving joint mobility and lifting technique.
Pick ten to fourteen basic exercises that cover all your muscle groups.
Do 4 sets of 8 reps for each exercise using perfect form on every rep of every set. You can superset exercises that work opposing muscle groups. Rest at least two minutes between supersets.
Also include stretching exercises to enhance flexibility.
Give yourself four to six weeks on stage 1.
Stage 2: Strength
Select ten exercise including basic exercises such as squats, bench press and deadlifts, plus assistance exercises for smaller muscle groups.
Start with 4 sets of 8 reps on the basic powerlifting exercises for two to three weeks, then move to 4 sets of 6 reps for two to three weeks, and finish stage two with 4 sets of 3 reps. However, when doing assistance exercises for smaller muscle groups, do 4 sets of 8 reps throughout stage two.
Fred recommends doing different exercises on different days. For instance, upper body pressing movements in one workout and leg exercises in a separate workout.
Stage 3. C.A.T. = (compensatory Acceleration Training)
Do the same exercises and same amount of sets that you did for stage two, but only do three to six reps per exercise for the basic powerlifting exercises.
C.A.T. stands for compensatory acceleration training which means to exert explosive force throughout the entire range of motion (from start to finish) of each rep. Use weights that allow you to lift with speed.
Stage 4. Power
Use the exact form that you would use in competition for squat, deadlift and bench press instead of doing variations of those exercises. Lift heavy and forcefully.
Stage 5. Plyometrics
There can be overlap between stages especially stages four and five. Don’t stop lifting after stage four to do plyometrics in stage five. Stage five should be done in combination with stage four the last three weeks of stage four to peak for a lifting competition. Drop all extra assistance lifting exercises the last two to three weeks before competition in favor of the following plyometrics:
Bounding (consecutive long jumps off two feet) 3 x 150 feet.
Hopping forward on one foot 3 x 150 feet each legs.
Lateral jumps from side to side: 3 x 10
Toss and receive a medicine ball with as much force as possible: 3 x 10
Depth jumps: Jump off 30 to 40 inch platform or box and upon landing explode upwards by jumping as high as possible for 3 x 3
Bud Jeffries
Bud Jeffries is one of the strongest raw natural lifters and strong men of all time with ease. Like Fred, he has also raw squatted 1,000 pounds (raw and natural) and he has tons of knowledge about strength training and strong man competitions of all kinds. Bud’s knowledge has definitely translated into real world strength in his own training. I highly recommend going to his website and looking at some of his books and videos. Just click on anunconventionalife.com to check out Bud’s resources.
The list of excellent powerlifting advice that can help you to increase your powerlifting knowledge goes on and on. At the end of this article, I will list more links to great resources for powerlifting information. The only problem is that you may find many different philosophies on how to build strength and end up more confused than ever about strength training. If you want a simple uncomplicated method for building strength, you can try the Strength to The Max program which is a book that can be found on this website.
Powerlifting IQ comes through study and experience, providing that it is not just mindless experience, but analyzed experience. Study and try things out. Learn from the best, but learn especially from your own results. Best of training to you.
Other great resources