Dr.Hab. I.P. Sivokhin¹
PhD, Professor V.F. Skotnikov²
Master, doctoral student O.Y. Komarov³
M. Tapsir⁴
A.I. Fedorov⁵
A.P. Kalashnikov^6
1Kostanay State Pedagogical University, Kostanay
²Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism (GTSOLIFK), Moscow
³Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism, Almaty
⁴Administration of staff national teams of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana
⁵South Ural State University, Chelyabinsk
⁶Kostanay branch of Chelyabinsk State University, Kostanay

Introduction. High sports performance in weightlifting requires new methodological approaches to the problem of improvement of the training process efficiency, especially at the stage of the ultimate realization of athletes’ individual capabilities. Design of the new training programs, as well as experimental evaluation of their effectiveness, provide means of improvement of the quality of the training process and achievement of higher rates of increase in athletes’ sports and technical skills.

Objective of the study was to provide theoretical and practical experimental substantiations for the potential benefits of the alactate training process designed to model competitive conditions and environments.

Methods and structure of the study. To rate the potential benefits of the experimental training program, we performed a 7-months-long educational experiment. Subject to the experiment were 10 elite athletes (International Class Masters of Sport and Honoured Masters of Sport) aged 20-27 years and grouped into Study and Reference Groups of virtually equal composition, all the subjects being champions and runner-ups of the Asian and World Championships and Olympic Games. To exclude a variety of unaccountable factors, the Study (n=5) and Reference (n=5) Groups were formed on a random basis (method of randomization). The Reference Group trained basically within the traditional training system, whilst the Study Group trained as required by the experimental program of our design, with the other training conditions and pharmacological support being the same for both of the groups.

The pattern of the training session and the model of the base micro-cycle were developed subject to the common theoretical provisions [1, 3, 4, 6, 8-17]. The training process was designed excluding excessive training loads that cause performance decrement and imminently require inclusion of recreational activities accompanied by reduction in load intensity. The practiced exercises involved weights in the intensity zone of 80-100% of maximum weight, mainly in the 10^th-16^th sets with 1-2-fold repetition. Most of the work was performed with high motor density for 15-20 minutes, followed by 15-20-minute breaks.

This kind of distribution of training loads makes it possible to achieve high muscle power and avoid excessive muscle acidification, which may lead to the rehabilitation process abnormalities and suppression of the structural protein synthesis in the muscle fibers [6]. It also provides high physiological load on the creatine phosphate energy supply mechanism, which maintains the direction of the targeting vector of specificity of training loads in relation to speed and strength training.

The experimental training program, as well as the conditions for its realization, were of strongly pronounced alactate character. Herewith, training loads that could lead to significant accumulation of lactic acid were completely excluded. According to the research data, activation of anaerobic glycolytic energy supply mechanism leads to the suppression of the alactate one [2, 15], which may reduce the efficiency of speed and strength training. The impact of training loads was assessed based on the athletes’ subjective sensations. The states of excessive pump of the working muscles, or severe pain after exercise, were eliminated.

In order to intensify the alactate context of training loads in the experimental period, the Study Group athletes were offered graded passive rest breaks of 15-20 minutes. The survey revealed that 20 minutes after loading the lactic acid concentration in the peripheral blood reduced by about 60% [12]. This promotes more powerful performance of the following exercise, at the same time physiological load on the creatine phosphate energy supply mechanisms increases and that on the anaerobic glycolytic ones decreases.

At the same time, as follows from the analysis of practical training of picked teams, the athletes’ performance of training loads is characterized by high lactic acid levels (within the mean group values of 14.0-15.0 mmol/l) [7]. This, in turn, decreases the resultant vector of specificity of loads used in the training of elite weightlifters.

Results and discussion. The analysis has revealed that the experimental program training load is characterized by a lower total amount of training work, including the intensity zone of more than 90%, in contrast to the training program for the Reference Group.

Table 1 below presents the results of the 7-months-long experiment. They indicate that the increase in the indices of sports and technical performance in double-event in the Study Group equaled 45.2 kg, S = 11.4, which is 13.8 kg more than in the Reference Group (p<0.05). The efficiency of the experiment was evaluated based on the best results the athletes showed in the classic snatch and clean and jerk performed during training before and after the experiment, which enabled us to eliminate the influence of the psychological factor being significant under competitive conditions.

Table 1.

It was during the snatch that the maximum effect of the training load of predominantly alactate character was observed. This can be due to the long-term adaptation of the subjects to increasing power of the alactate energy supply mechanisms and accumulation of myofibril mass (mainly in the fast muscle fibers), which resulted in the increase of muscle strength at high rates of contraction. It is specifically higher speed of barbell movement that is typical for classic snatch.

The differences in the rate of increase in the clean and jerk performance were less distinct. This may be due to several factors. Clean and jerk involves two exercises: hang squat and jerk. Hang squat is performed at lower speed compared to snatch. The result is largely determined by the level of the maximum power and lower, than in snatch, power of movement, as evidenced by the differences in the biomechanical characteristics. The clean and jerk performance is determined by the power of movement, which depends on the level of explosive strength in the amortization phase associated with the impact of elastic deformation of the lower limb muscles, which, in turn, is related to the level of the maximum power, i.e. total myofibril mass in the fast and slow muscle fibers (total number of strained actomyosin cross-bridges) [5]. The classic clean and jerk imposes higher requirements on the display of maximum power and on endurance when performing exercises involving maximum power. During the clean and jerk explosive strength meets elastic strain of the grip, which collectively increases the efficiency of the motor action.

Clean and jerk performance is determined by the alactate power, but at the same time the role of the anaerobic glycolytic energy supply mechanisms increases. A change in the direction of the training load vector towards the anaerobic glycolytic zone will inevitably lead to an increase of the effect of physiological stress on the slow muscle fibers and accumulation of their structural changes, which in turn will increase their role in the display of maximum strength and strength of relatively slow movements in contrast to the snatch. The effect of increasing anaerobic glycolytic training load on the fast muscle fibers will improve their tolerance to high-intensity strength training loads. These factors altogether enabled the athletes of the Reference Group to achieve higher rates of increase in performance of the classic clean and jerk by contrast with performance of the snatch.     

Conclusion. The experimental athletic training program with high priority being given to the alactate training tools to model the actual competitive conditions and environments as close as possible, with the relevantly focused training workload vector, makes it possible to achieve higher rates of increase in athletic performance.

References

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Corresponding author: skotnikov1962@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to provide theoretical and practical experimental substantiations for the potential benefits of the alactate training process designed to model competitive conditions and environments. To rate the potential benefits of the experimental training program, we performed a 7-months-long educational experiment. Subject to the experiment were 10 elite athletes (International Class Masters of Sport and Honoured Masters of Sport) aged 20-27 years and grouped into Study and Reference Groups of virtually equal composition, all the subjects being champions and runner-ups of the Asian and World Championships and Olympic Games. To exclude a variety of unaccountable factors, the Study and Reference Groups of 5 people each were formed on a random basis. The Reference Group trained basically within the traditional training system, whilst the Study Group trained as required by the experimental program of our design, with the other training conditions and pharmacological support were the same for the both of the groups. The study data and analyses showed benefits of the experimental programs as verified by the competitive success rates of the athletes trained with high priority being given to the alactate training tools to model as close as possible the actual competitive conditions and environments, with the relevantly focused training workload vector.