Advanced Training Method for Elite Athlete Explosiveness
Part 2 of “complex and contrast” training methods for the more explosive and advanced athlete - extremely powerful and time efficient
This post is going to go over a more advanced method of contrast/complex training that you can use, especially as a strong athlete to get faster and more explosive. It is increasingly effective the stronger you are and the higher your training age is which makes it invaluable for anyone trying to get more explosive or remain athletic as they age.
This is a continuation off of the basics of contrast and complex training which we covered in the last post this week which you should read first here. (You will want to understand this first before reading about advanced methods)
I won’t bother you about the history of this method because no one reads this to learn where this idea came from – instead I’m just going to show you how to perform something called “French Contrast Training”.
The French contrast training method is an extremely powerful and popular tool used by elite athletes to train their nervous system to produce extremely high impulse power output.
If you are in a power sport of any kind that requires speed and strength, this is an extremely valuable method for you to apply.
The French Contrast Method Explained
The French contrast method takes advantage of the force-velocity curve – which we have covered here – By taking you through a “complex” circuit of four exercises & pushing your body to produce high outputs at different points on the force-velocity spectrum.
To recap, in order to produce high power outputs you primarily want to improve your ability to move at maximum speed and produce maximum force. In addition to these main contributors to power development, training the body in the “middle” of the curve to produce more force and speed together using “power movements“ - as well as harnessing elastic plyometric contractions and high rates of neurological muscle contractions will take your nervous systems ability to accelerate the body’s motor unit function to an elite level (elite for your current “hardware” capacity - a hypertrophy base is necessary too)
The French contrast method as it’s traditionally performed takes advantage of the post activation potentiation phenomenon in order to enhance your nervous system’s “software” in order to best utilize the body’s “hardware”. (This means your brains ability to USE what your body has to offer)
As we’ve mentioned before, this means that a base level of athletic hardware, i.e. muscle, tendon, movement ability and basic strength, should be developed first before hoping for great results from this technique. The French contrast method works like magic on structurally developed athletes with several years of proper training experience and a moderate to high level of strength.
There is not much optimization of the “software” that we can get if the “hardware” hasn’t been adequately built. You can still use this method as it has some secondary benefits but it is highly recommended that you meet the intermediate strength standards first at minimum in order to get maximum benefit.
When performing a French contrast circuit the sequence is as follows: