Ryabchenko. Part 1.

I have been teasing IGX forum with this for a while now. AV Ryabchenko is the member of the Presidium of the Russian Federation of Girevoy Sport and his system of GS training is popular among Russian gireviks. The post below is based on the article written by Ryabchenko where he explains his method. It is not straightforward, and in this post I will only outline general principles. Ryabchenko's system is focused on jerk, the more difficult of classic lifts. However, I think it may be applied to snatches with equal success.

According to the system there are five sets of jerks in a session. Sets are performed with giryas of descending weight which decreases by a designated amount - called "the nominal" - each set. Typical “nominal” is 2 kg. Each microcycle consists of 5 to 8 session. The number of reps in the main sets (see below) increases exponentially during the cycle. Example of the sequence: 12, 17, 25, 36, 50 and 67. The difference between the reps in each session - 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17 - increases by the same coefficient, 3. The increase is not linear, and this way the athlete approaches the last, peak session of the microcycle full of strength, not fatigued, physically and mentally. In other words, one in five to eight sessions is very intensive. Here is how the sets are organized.

First, power set, is done with special emphasis on static holds in the rack as well as the top position. It allows to quickly develop basic muscles, improves the stance, teaches him to rest in rack position. Doing this set the athlete is learning the most important skill in any sport, the ability to switch between maximal relaxation and maximal contraction. When planning the load for this set it important to keep in mind that the rest of the session is still ahead, including the main sets which cannot be sacrificed for whatever purpose. The set is performed doing "breathing" reps. For example, if the table states 3:7 it means that you perform 3 reps with 7 breaths in between. You can breathe with the bells either in rack or top position, alternating from session to session of from microcycle to microcycle may be a good idea too.

Second, also power set, is performed with the bells one "nominal" lighter, and the speed is selected according to the table. The number of reps in this set is double that of the first set. The rest before this set is 3 - 5 minutes. According to Ryabchenko this set is the easiest. Its goal is to prepare the athlete to fast work, adapt the body to jerks with competition weight and to prepare the body for the next microcycle.

Third and fourth are main sets and are performed with giryas another "nominal" lower than the second set. Rest before the third set is 3 to 6 minutes and the break between these sets should be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. It is very important that the second main set is done before adequate recovery from the previous load. This way the endurance – the key component of GS - will progress.

Fifth set - volume with bells that are another "nominal" lighter. The number of repetitions is half to two thirds of the sum of the main sets. Rest before this set should be 3 to 8 minutes. It is important that there is still some reserve left after this set. The goals of this set are gradual preparation of the athlete to faster work with heavier bells, develop volume, and stimulate additional blood flow through the muscles working during jerk.

If you are working with the 32s, in the last microcycle the first set would be performed with the 30 kg bell, second with 28, third and fourth with 26 and fifth with 24 kg. Previous microcycle would be one “nominal” lower in each set, one before that another “nominal” lower and so on. The number of microcycles in a larger cycle depends on training level, timing of competition etc. I believe one can stay with the same weights and only tweak the reps.

Ryabchenko is absolutely convinced that it is not necessary to perform main sets with competition weight. First, it leads to unnecessary load on the joints. Second, it mentally wears off the athlete. In his article he quotes several examples of his trainees. For all of them the average number of reps during the main sets (set three plus set four divided by two) done with lighter bells was never higher that 50 – 60% of the competition result with heavier bells. It sort of makes sense. First two set serve as pre-fatigue. The third and the fourth sets are, in essence, one set with a little break in the middle. The fifth set is the finisher with lighter weight.

The number of reps is calculated using the special formulas. In short, there is two variables, the step (S), the difference between the reps in main sets between first and second sessions in the microcycle, and coefficient (K), the increment of the increase. In the example earlier in this post S = 5 and K = 3. Weight of the bells and the "nominal" are chosen from the table and depend on the microcycle.

As you can see, the most important are the main sets, third and fourth. At the peak session of the microcycle the load and the duration of the sets are significant. If you have to do 70 reps at 12 per minute, the set will last about 6 minutes. Then, after a short rest - up to 2 minutes, you have to repeat the same number of reps plus 2.

The system follows fundamental principles of periodization. The number of reps in the first session of the cycle is laughable, 10 - 15 reps, but increases sharply towards the last. Also, in the last two sessions in the microcycle the first set is done not in “breathing” manner but according to the speed table and the fifth set is omitted. This way overtraining is avoided.

Here it is, the mysterious "Ryabchenko". Its main disadvantage is that it requires lots of paired giryas of different weight, from 10 to 32 kg. Using adjustable kettlebells is one option, of course, but most of us who train at home don't have them. Another way is to tweak the program while following the principles. It will not be Ryabchenko’s method anymore, but I believe it may still be productive. One can work with a barbell and do push presses instead of jerks. Push presses (for some reason called schwoongs) are popular among Russian athletes and are done for numbers, in the spirit of GS.