Summary of Selouyanov’s training method

The Quick and the Dead by Pavel Tsatsouline is finally here. As always, there was quite a bit of fuss and drama over it, but at the end it is worthwhile read and a decent training template. Though it is irritating to realise that the whole book is one infomercial for the Strong Endurance seminar – it clearly says it on the last page.

The material in the book is based on the research of a few Russian sport scientists and coaches, most notably Victor Selouyanov. This name has come up in this blog some time ago in this post: The Heart is not a Machine Selouyanov was a bit of a renegade, and because of disagreements with the science establishment he never completed his doctorate. Nevertheless, his contribution to the understanding of training endurance was invaluable, and Russian sports science is still bitterly divided between his followers and opponents.

Selouyanov wrote several books, among them two that are of interest to me: Physical Preparation of Grapplers and The Development of Local Muscular Endurance in Cyclical Sports. Both deal with endurance, and Selouyanov's concepts allow a systematic approach to training endurance in pretty much any sport. And as my current interest lies in BJJ I am going to briefly - and loosely - summarize Selouyanov’s training concepts laid out in the book for grapplers.

Before we start I have make a disclaimer of sorts. Soviet sport scientists then and Russian Scientists now often have fragmented interest and education in the field. Throughout his lectures Selouyanov makes statements that are debatable, to say the least, even though he doesn’t seem to have experience in the subject. For example, his view is tht the only way to increase the strength of the glycolytic muscle fibers is to lift maximal weights to failure. Therefore, if some powerlifters don’t follow that rule and still get strong – that must be steroids, no other explanation is possible. I am not qualified to argue the subject and am only conveying Selouyanov's work, so take it or leave it. 

So let’s get to the most relevant parts of Selouyanov’s teachings.

Muscle fibers.

Muscle fibers are loosely divided into three types, depending on the activity of the enzymes, in poarticular ATP-ase. Oxydative muscle fibers (type I) have slow ATP-ase, their speed of contraction is slow and they are resistant to fatigue. Glycolytic muscle fibers (type II) have fast ATP-ase, contract quickly and can be either resistant to fatigue (Type IIA) or not (Type IIB).

For the purpoose of training muscle fibers can be looked at in the following way:

Oxidative fibers – have mitochindrial mass that cannot be developed further. Each myofibrille is surroubnded b y the layer of mitochondria. These fibers use fatty acids in active state.

Intermediate fibers – have lower number of mitochondria. As the result two processes occur during activity: aerobic glycolysis and anaerobic glycolysis. During activity lactate and hydrogen ions are accumulated, so these fibers develiop fatigue, but not as fast as purely glycolytic type.

Glycolytic fibers – have no or little motochondria, so that anaerobic glycolysis predominates, with the resulting accumulation of hydrogen ions and lactate.

Factors that determine endurance.

According to Selouyanov the difference in endurance can be fully explained by several factors.

First, the development of the oxidative muscle fibers. Among well trained endurance athletes oxydative muscle fibers comprise 90 – 100% of the total muscle mass, therefore they don’t produce lactic acid in excessive quantities that cause significant acidosis and the resulting decline oin performance. To the contrary, among untrained individuals 50% of muscle consists of intermediate muscle fibers which, during their progressive recruitment during exercise, accumulate lactate.

Second reason for better endurance among trained individuals is that their aeroobic system switches on earlier, mostly because they have more oxidative fibers, so that the initial production of lactate is lower.

Thrird, trained individuals utilise lactate more efficiently. Mitochondria are capable of utilising piruvate, and in the oxidative fibers piruvate is produced from lactate.

 Fourth reason for better endurance – increased volume of the circulating blood. This, in turn, results in the reduced concentration of produced lactate.

The role of the heart.

Endurance training leads to the dilatation of cardiac ventricles. This, in turn, makes cardiovascular system more efficient, in the way that the same cardiac output – the mount of blood the hearst is capable of pushing though per minute – is achieved by fewer contractions. Training of the heart is a separate topic and will not be discussed here.

Three types of exercises

All types of exercises utilised for the training of grapplers can be divided into three types.

Effective exercises. 

• Dynamic, maximal anaerobic power, to failure – facilitate the development of myofibrills in glycolytic and intermediate muscle fibers
• Stato-dynamic, of maximal anaerobic power (100%), to failure (pain) – develop myofibrills in the oxidative and intermediate muscle fibers
• Dynamic and stato-dynamic, of maximal alactic power, done to less than ½ of the limit, performed the light local muscular fatigue, repeated after normalisation of acidosis – facilitate some increase of the myofibrills and mitochondria in the glycolytic and intermediate muscle fibers
• Dynamic exercises of near maximal power (90%), done to less than ½ of the limit, performed till light local muscular fatigue, repeated after the elimination of acidosis – facilitate some increase of the myofibrills and mitochondria in the glycolytic and intermediate muscle fibers
• Dynamic exercises of submaximal (60 – 80%) power, done to less than ½ of the limit, performed till light local muscular fatigue and repeated after the elimination of excessive acidosis – facilitate some increase of the myofibrills and mitochondria in the glycolytic and intermediate muscle fibers

Harmful exercises.

• All exercises of near or sub-maximal anaerobic power, as well as those of maximal aerobic power performed to the limit and causing excessive acidosis (pH < 7.1, lactate > 15 nMoll/L).

All other types of exercises have little useful effect for the development of endurance among grapplers.

According to Selouyanov there are two ways to increase endurance and strength in skeletal muscle: increase the number of myofibrills and increase the number of mitochondria. Both are achieved differently in glycolytic (and intermediate) and oxidative muscle fibers, therefore we are left with four training modalities.

In order to increase myofibrillar mass four factors must be present.

• Reserve of amino acids in the muscle cell (provided by consuming protein)
• Increased concentration of anabolic hormones as the result of mental strain
• Increased concentration of free creatine in muscle fibers
• Increased concentration of hydrogen ions

Increasing the number of myofibrills in the glycolytic muscle fibers.

I suspect this part will make quite a few of us cringe. However, the goal of this post is to convey Selouyanov’s opinion on optimal training, so bear with me here.

Glycolytic muscle fibers are activated when maximal muscular effort is required and no earlier. Therefore (according to the good professor), the growth of glycolytic muscle fibers can be achieved only by utilising weights of of maximal or near maximal intensity. The following conditions have to be present.

• Intensity of maximal or near maximal intensity – more than 70% of 1RM
• Exercise is performed to failure, i.e. to full exhaustion of CPn and achievement of high concentration of free creatine
• Number of repetitions – 8 – 12. Last couple of reps have to be forced (with the help of a partner)
• Rest – 5 minutes. Should be active, aerobic activity at HR of 100 – 120/min, this helps to utilise lactic acid
• Number of sets: 7 – 9 if the goal is growth, 1 – 4 for tonic effect
• Number of training sessions per day – one or two, depending on the intensity and athlete’s condition
• Number of sessions per week – synthesis of myofibrills takes about 7 days, this is how long the athlete should rest after a training session done to the limit.

Myofibrillar hyperplasia in the oxidative muscle fibers

The method for developing myofibrills in oxidative fibers is similar to that for glycolytic muscle cells. With the exception that exercises are performed without relaxation. In that case the capillaries in the muscle are compressed, limiting circulation and leading to the hypoxia of the muscle fibers and the accumulation of lactate and hydrogen ions.

I suspect this works similar to the occlusion (Kaatsu) training that became somewhat popular in the recent years. Sepouyanov believes that mostly slow/oxidative muscle fibers grow under these conditions – Smet.

To get the idea of this method imagine a barbell squat. Except that it is performed in the way that doesn’t allow for the pause at the top, with incomplete range. This way the muscles are continuously contracted to one degree or another, and after 20 – 30 seconds you get the burn, which is the desired effect.

The conditions for the efficiency of this method are as follows.

• Intensity – medium: 20 – 40% of 1RM
• No relaxation pohase during exercise, the muscles are continupusly contracted
• Tempo and duration – slect the weight so that the athlete can perform 25 repetitions in 30 seconds. Last few repetitions should cause significant pain.
• Rest – 30 seconds (active)
• This exercise is performed in series of 3 – 5 sets. 25 reps in 30 seconds equals one set.
• Number of series in one session: 1 – 2 for the tonic effect, 3 and more for growth.
• Number of sessions per week – exercise is repeated in 3 – 5 days.

There is no mention of rest between series. I suppose it is several minutes, until the muscles feel relatively fresh.

Selouyanov recommends doing exercises aimed at growing muscle fibers at the end of the training session and better in the evening. If other types of training is done after this the reduction of glycogen can negatively interfere with the protein synthesis and impair growth.

Development of mitochondria in skeletal muscle

Formation of mitochondria is controlled according to the principle of the functional criteria. According to this criterion, mitochondria that cannot properly function are eliminated.

One of the natural factors leading to the destructurisation of mitochondria is hypoxia (e.g. being at altitude) and accompanying anaerobic metabolism. Similar processes occur during anaerobic training.

Several generalisations can be made in regards to mitochondria.

• Mitochondria are energy stations of the cell and supply ATP by aerobic metabolism
• Mitochondrial synthesis exceeds the destruction during conditions of their intensive functioning (oxidative phosphorilation)
• Mitochondria tend to appear in the areas of the cells where the delivery of ATP is required
• Intensive destructurisation of mitochondria occurs when the cell is functioning at high intensity in the presence of anaerobic metabolism which leads to the excessive and prolonged accumulation of ydrogen ions in the cell

Based on the above it is possible to develop methods of aerobic development of the cell. Every skeletal cell contains three types of muscle fibers.

• Those that are activated regularly during every day activity (oxidative)
• Those activated only during training requiring moderate muscular activity (intermediate fibers)
• Those that are seldom activated – only during maximal or near maximal effort, such as jumps, sprints etc. (glycolytic fibers)

In well trained individuals oxidative muscle fibers are maximally adapted. In other words, the number of mitochiondria in these muscles cannot be developed any more. It has been demonstrated that aerobic training at the level below anaerobic threshold in well trained athletes has zero value.

Therefore, in order to increase aerobic potential of the muscle fiber it is necessary to build structural basis – new myofibrills. New mitochondria will then develop around these myofibrills. There is a special methodology which has been tested, interval training using two exercises. For example, pushups and pullups from low bar (unloaded, so that the feet are resting on the ground).

General principles of such training are as follows.

• Exercises are performed at low intensity, i.e. 10 – 20% 1RM
• Exercise is performed at medium or fast tempo
• Full ROM is utilised
• Duration – until early signs of local muscular fatigue
• The template – 5 – 8 repetition of one exercise is followed by 5 – 8 repetitions of another without rest – that is 1 set
• No pauses between sets
• Number of sets – 5 – 10 (determined by the degree of fatigue) – that’s 1 circle
• Number of circles in a session – 1 – 5 (fatigue and is determined by the glycogen stores in muscle tissue)
• Session done at maximal volume can be repeated after 2 – 3 days, after glycogen stores are restored

There is a variation of this method used by Russian athletes. An example in the video below:

It doesn't get any more authentic than that. The coach is Grigor Chilingaryan, one of the specialists from the laboratory of sports adaptology that was founded by Prof.Selouyanov. Start at 3:00.The session consists of three exercises: pushups, jumps and pullups, all done for 10 reps in a circuit, for ten rounds, the intensity -  about 80%. As you can see, the athlete never comes close to failure, and each rep is follower by a short rest - which gives the muscles a chance to get rid of lactic acid and avoid acidosis. This is the example of near maximal training without destroying the body. The coach recommends starting with lower rounds and building up gradually. 

This is a short summary of the core of Selouyanov’s training methods. There are other variations, his own and those developed by other coaches. I will cover them in the future instalments.