[Trevor O Connell]

What are some good weight lifting sessions for in-season / competition phase shot put?

How often per week, and how many sets/reps

Trevor

[cambridge]

research didier poppe

[Bruce7]

I'd say you'd be better off focusing on throwing only during the competition season. You'll gain more distance from improved tech than any strength you might gain at this stage. And compete in as many meets as possible.

Do something dynamic if you feel you have to go to the gym. Oly lifts once a week or something.

[Trevor O Connell]

The kind of weights I do are mainly

Power Snatch
Power clean
Deadlift
Front/Back Squat
Bench Press
Lat Pull Down
Lunges

Typically I'd do a lift / plyo combo

For example, Power Snatch + step ups

Front Squat + Vertical Jump

Bench Press + chest Pass (with med ball)

Lat Pull Down + Overhead Throw (with med ball)

In terms of the shot put I was wondering how far should you go down on the squats

Is there a benefit to doing a full squat as low as you can go to the floor

Or is a half squat better with a more explosive drive upwards

Trevor

[Bruce7]

Go all the way down in your squats.

Do push presses if you want to do something involving an explosive drive upwards.

[cambridge]

just as a matter of interest, how old are you, how long you been throwing, have you won any regional/national/school/college titles?

[Trevor O Connell]

I'm an old master,

To be honest this is just a bit of fun, a hobby more then anything else

Not very good at it but at the same time I'd like to do it right. Well to the best of my ability.

I do a lot of gym work normally so I decided I may as well learn something new.

I'd say the closest I will ever come to winning anything will be a PB, but that will do me.

Trevor

[Bruce7]

If you're taking up the shot from scratch, you'll make dramatic gains quickly by working on your technique.

If you've never thrown before, you're throwing around 7 or 8 metres, I guess.

If you're competing in the masters on 18 August, you could probably get up to the 9-10 level through regular throwing.

Put it this way:

Can you get 30 - 50% stronger in a month? No.
Can your technique improve by 30 - 50% in a month? If you're a complete beginner, then yes, easily.

Apologies if my assumptions are wrong, but the point is the same whatever distance you're throwing.

[cambridge]

are you getting any coaching?

[Trevor O Connell]

Yep, good old masters, and no never did it before.

Just picked a shot up last April.

Don't have any technique yet, throwing 8.51m from a standing throw 7.26kg but even that has poor technique.

But I'm working on it. Just getting used to the glide and in particular driving off my right foot

Keeping the hand in front close to the ground

Also trying to move across the circle low etc

I think my biggest problem right now is basic speed in the legs so I need more jumps / bounding / plyo to help sort that out

Then I need more practice throws

I've no coach, just picking it up as I got. Lots of bad habits I suppose

Not sure how far I will throw in nationals. hard to say really.

I'm throwing well over 9m at home but I'm making a mess of things in competition for some reason. Not nerves. I think that's just more practice and more comps.

Might be loosing too much weight also, I was a 400m a while back.

And for some reason with training I've lost the most of a stone in the last 3 to 4 months

But I can lift just as much so you'd think my power conversion should have improved

I was talking to a girl in donegal tonight that did the shot

And she reckons I should ease off on my training, do less weights, focus on 3 to 4 core Olympic lifts with plyo

Do jumps and plenty of throws between now and nationals


Trevor

[Trevor O Connell]

In terms of style, it is my personal opinion that the rotational technique is much better but no way I'm going to get that as my age.

Trevor

[Trevor O Connell]

Oh yeah only started doing core work about 10 days ago. I've neglected my core all winter which I know was stupid.

But I do pretty good routine now, 8 different exercises we split it in 4

so

2 sets of 4 exercises
4 min break
2 sets of 4 exercises

examples are v-ups, russian twists, side twists,abdominal roll ups, variations of the plank,barbell rollout etc


Trevor

[Bruce7]

That is good going. I agree with your friend - keep the gym work to a minimum and throw as much as possible. You get better at throwing by throwing, and you get better at competing by competing. So you should train for competition at least once a week, by simulating a meet. I.e.

Set yourself a time for your first throw - e.g. 7PM
Figure out how long it takes you to stretch / warm up and take 3 or 4 practice throws - e.g. 25 - 30 mins
Subtract this from your start time, so you start your warm up at 6.30 or so. Don't pick up a shot until 6.50 at the earliest, then take a practice throw every minute or two.
At 7 on the dot, take your first throw and mark it.

Then spend 8-10 minutes staying warm - do drills / dry throws / stretches - before throwing again and marking your distance.

Repeat until you have taken 4 throws (as you only get 4 in the Masters). Be strict with yourself about time and don't mark any fouls. Measure your best throw, and then you're done.

On a technical point, it's not necessarily speed out of the back of the ring you're looking for, it's acceleration throughout the glide. There's no point in using leg drive to come out of the back of the ring at 100mph. For one thing, you'll probably shoot your bolt as regards leg drive and have none left for the throw; for another, if your entire body mass is hurtling backwards when you land on your right foot in the centre of the circle, all your weight is going to keep travelling towards the toeboard until your left foot lands. As a result, most of your weight will already be over the left leg when you go to throw and your right leg won't be in a position to provide any drive, and you'll end up throwing with the arm. (Imagine jumping over a ditch and landing on one foot. Where is your momentum going to take you?)

Instead, try to fall backwards by lowering your hips (unseating) from the back towards the centre of the circle then fully extending both legs. If you fully extend your right leg it will naturally snap back under you as you cross the ring and then you will land in the right position to accelerate the ball by applying leg drive first, and then hitting with the arm.

[Trevor O Connell]

God thanks Bruce for that detailed advice. Much appreciated.

I got hurdles yesterday for bounding and jumps etc. Just to improve flexibility

You know I think I know what I need to do in my head in terms of movement for the glide, its just getting it right.

I know I should keep low, and drive left leg back, I will come back on my right heel and then as my left leg touches the board my right leg will snap back under my body and put me in the power position, ideally at the same time I need to keep my upper bodyas far to the right as possible with a high elbow. That way I can get maximum torgue

I must admit for all my weights in the gym I find it extremely hard to keep my elbow high. Don't know why


Trevor

[JJayoo]

One of Joe Defrancos guys does shot put, think his name is Pat cole. There might be some good info about him and his training on the Defranco site