Strength-Aerobic Method

One of my favorite “old-school” coaches to learn from is Yuri Verkhoshansky. Some credit him for the invention of the “Shock Method” or depth jumps. Suffice to say, he’s one of the most influential coaches we’ve ever seen in the field of strength and conditioning.

In one of his older books he describes the “Strength Aerobic Method” – the development of fast and slow twitch fibers, while primarily relying on the aerobic energy system to facilitate this work. In my programming, I would typically use something like this in the GPP phase, where general fitness/work capacity and aerobic training is the priority.

In the past, I’ve used different types of intervals or time under tension to reach a similar effect. This weekend I was re-reading one of Yuri’s works and was reminded of his method. Here’s two different variations he describes and how you could potentially use it. I would likely reserve this for people that have lifting experience.

Variation 1

• Strength – 80-90% of one’s max for 3 sets of 3 (2-4 min rest)

• Endurance – 40-50% of max, 4 x 15 (2-3 min rest between) (2-4x through with 4-5 min rest between series)

So for example you might:

Lower Body

Trap bar DL 80% – 3×3

Rest

Goblet Squat or Landmine Squat – 50% – 3 x 4 x15

Upper Body

Incline Barbell Press – 3×2 @ 90%

Rest

Weighted push-up – 40% –  2x4x15

It might be worthwhile to swap in a different accessory as well, one which maybe breaks the pattern a bit. For example, I might consider using the reverse hyper or the RDL for the second movement.

Variation 2

• 8-10 exercises featuring multiple muscle groups. It is recommended to choose muscle groups that are used often in the competitive event. The weight is sub-maximal so that the athlete can sustain 30-60 seconds without excessive fatigue. Rest 1 min between exercises. The entire “circuit” should take around 20 minutes.

So for example you might:

– Barbell bench press x 40 seconds

– Barbell squat x 40 seconds

– Inverted Barbell Row x 40 seconds

– Barbell Step Up x 40 seconds

– Banded Crunch x 40 seconds

– Barbell Shoulder Press x 40 seconds

– Barbell RDL x 40 seconds

– Barbell Curl x 40 seconds