Big words made into basic topics. One of the greatest books I have read in my short time as a strength coach is Triphasic Training by Cal Deitz, It aided me in understanding how to implement triphasic for athletes in season and out of season. Not only for the normally imagined sports but also strength athletes that compete in Powerlifting, strong man, and Highland games. The most fun I had as a strength coach was coming up with ways to utilize the equipment for athletes to implement Triphasic principles with the French Contrast Method. A little rundown of what the French Contrast Method makes me laugh as my wife, Julia Anto and I recently combined aspects of Triphasic and Conjugate together for powerlifting. Well, it is very ironic that the French Contrast Method itself is the combination of two other styles of training methodologies. It is best described by the joining of the "Complex Method" and the "Contrast Method", I will describe these two methods in the video.
We will look at an eccentric portion of this and apply these two methods. Remember that the eccentric portion of our training is to increase the ability for our athletes to ABSORB force and then utilize it when changing direction, this will happen by way of controlling the eccentric portion of movement in weight training. This style of training is to be done in a "Circuit" style. What this means is you do all these exercises back to back until one round is completed, rest and repeat for prescribed "rounds" or sets. The order of operations would look like this:
"Heavy Compound": Eccentric movement
Plyometric Jump: Eccentric (yielding) Plyometric
Drop set or weighted jump: Weighted Plyometric
Plyometric or Accelerated Plyometric: Assisted Plyometric
Triphasic Phase
A1) Squat - Box - 5 second negative 3x4: 60% ish
A2) Med-Ball Drop Split Hold 3x3
A3)Kneeling Skater Hold 3x2:
A4) Banded Assisted Skater 3x1:
Single Leg RDL on Chest Supported Row 3x10:
Single Leg Leg Press 3x8:
DB Glute Bridge 3x12:
Weighted Plank 3 x 1min
A1) Bench Press - Shoulder Saver - 5 second negative 3x4: 60% ish
A2) Falling Push-up Hold on Box 3x3:
A3) DB Box Jump 3x2:
A4) Band Assisted Push-up 3x3:
Single Arm Lat. Pulldowns 3x8:
Side Lateral Raises (Hold one side up) 3x8:
Bent Over Rows 3x8:
Kneeling Single Arm KB OH Press 3x10:
KB Overhead Carries, both hands 3 trips
You will notice that my interpretation for the plyometric jump I used bodyweight and added in more eccentric work or "yielding" principles to slow their own body down. On lower body days I used a med-ball to increase the amount of force they would have to absorb but the med-ball was thrown out of their hands on the ground before they made contact with their feet.
On lower body days for weighted movements, I modified and used the momentum of their body for weight instead of a true weighted plyometric. The reason for this was the next progression of this Plyometric is to hold a med-ball and after the skater step a throw would be added which is where the "weighted jump" would come in.
This would just be 2 days out of the week, if you are on a four day split with clients or athletes, the other 2 days could look something like Max Effort to acquire that stimulus as these days will not have maximal strain implemented but focus on the dynamic action of the muscle. All muscle movement is dynamic in nature, it has an eccentric, isometric and concentric portion.
Isometric Phase
A1) *Squat: SSB - Paused 3x4: 60% ish + 3 second pause:
A2) *Depth Drop PVC overhead Drop hold 3x3:
A3) *Weighted Contrast Box Jump 3x3:
Jump with weight / drop weight before you touch floor / box jump
A4) *Depth drop to single leg Box Jump (small) Holding PVC 3x3: BW
*Single Leg Barbell RDL 3x8:
*Banded TKE Squats 3x15:
*Single Arm Farmer Picks and Walk
*Heavy Prowler Pushes
Day 2
A1) *Bench: Shoulder Saver 3x3: 60% ish + 3 second pause
A2) *Medicine Ball Catch and Hold (I drop Ball) 3x3:
A3) *Weighted Box Jumps 3x3:
A4) *Depth Drop Plyo Push-ups 3x3:
*Kneeling Single Arm KB OH Press 3x10:
*Single Arm Dead Stop DB Rows 3x12:
*Single Arm Hammer Bench Press 3x10:
Concentric Phase
Day 1
A1) Squats - Reverse Bands - Low Box - Pause 3x4:
A2) Seated Box Jumps 3x3:
A3) Banded Box Jump 3x2:
A4) Mini Hops to Box Jump Hurdle Jump 3x3:
90 Degree Rotational Hops 3x5:
Bulgarian Split Squat 3x10:
Hack Squat 3x8:
Yoke Walk 3 trips:
Day 2
A1) Bench - SlingShot - Pause 3x4:
A2) Med-ball Explosive Vertical OH Throw 3x3:
A3) Rotational Throw - Each Arm - 3x2:
A4) Push-up to box, then push-up to higher mat on box 3x3:
Pavloff Press 3x10:
Single Arm Bench, Hold Other DB up 3x12:
Pull Downs 3x8:
Push-ups 3x20:
Single Arm Overhead KB Carries 3 trips