Simplifying Bondarchuk
Not working much in the offseason gave me a chance to spend more time on this site and also work on a few projects that I’ve had on the shelf for years. One of those projects was to write a primer on Bondarchuk’s training. I originally wrote an article along those lines in 2004 after doing years of research, reading, and talking with other coaches about Bondarchuk’s ideas on training. However, as I was about to publish that article, I actually met Bondarchuk and it made me realize I still had a bit more to learn. Then I began law school and my free time vanished.
I still posted the original article on Hal’s Hammerthrow.com site, but I’ve wanted to update it with some new insight and finally had the time to do so this past winter. Thanks to some great feedback by my training partner Ryan Jensen, Zach Hazen, my girlfriend, and others, I was able to get the article published in the April edition of Modern Athlete and Coach. Modern Athlete and Coach is published by the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association. Their organization has done a lot for Bondarchuk (they published his first book in English) and I think they are perhaps the best athletics coaching magazine in the world. They are also very nice to work with and have been kind enough to let me republish the article here.
Basically, the article outlines some of the general principles that underlying Bondarchuk’s training methodology. While many of the examples I use are from the hammer throw, his theories apply to training in all the throws, and to track and field in general. The article does not contain many details, but when read together with the training journal I posted last month it can provide a great glimpse at what Bondarchuk does and why he does it. Enjoy! And, as always, feel free to ask questions via the comments section or by e-mail.
Hey Martin,
Could you email me a copy of that article? I am having trouble viewing it on this screen. If you have time, my email is Bill.Squire@enmu.edu
Thanks,
Bill
Martin
I always enjoy reading your work! Just wanted to let you know that the last 2 pages are unreadable. They are blurred. I am excited to read the last two pages. Thanks for the hard work.
Hammer Fan
Same thing here. Just showing up as a broken picture. Could you e-mail me the article? Thanks
Click the “Download” link after the file and try opening it on your desktop. That might work better.
Would you please email me your article? jbeene2cox.net
Thanks.
The article came out really well Martin. I hope it will demystify the “Secrets” of hammer training 😉
I am new to coaching the hammer (4months)and this is very helpful. thank you are there any other reading you would suggest
Hey Martin, I plan on ordering Dr. Bondarchuks most recent book, but I wanted to ask more about the monthly mesocycles….is it typical for his training programs to have just one workout done twice a day, 10x a week? What does Dr. B have to say about resting specific movements and/or muscles?
Our typical training now has one workout done twice a day, or two workouts that are alternated. But this is just one way to structure training under one of the periodization methods. There are several ways to set things up and several more methods.
Thanks Martin. If it wasnt for your efforts we would have no idea what goes on at Kamloops or with any of Dr. B’s training.
Hello,
How might some of these principles be applied to bodybuilding ?
For example with this particular method might someone train 2x per day for 5 days a week with body building exercises one session compound, one isolation with a volume and intensity that one can adapt to without exhaustion using the same exercises executed in the same manner and then switch ?
Martin,
Just joined the HMMR membership. So the main point of dropping intensity in strength training for specific event training is due to being able to move faster, thus keeping the training of the fast twitch?
Is this the only reason the intensity for strength training is dropped?
Thanks,
Chris Scarborough