09/23/2020
Are you about to attempt a PR on your squat? Try priming your central nervous system (CNS) before the lift to maximize your chances of success!
In the video, you can see make a 200kg back squat PR attempt. First we overloaded his bar to 220kg (10% heavier than the intended weight). Next, he unracked the bar (don't walk out) under tension, and held the weight for no more than 5 seconds. Upon reracking, we immediately stripped the extra weight and he went for the attempt. Even though the load on the bar is a PR, it felt relatively light in comparison after the heavy unrack. Now the athlete has greater confidence and has a fired up CNS for the PR attempt.
Note that this technique is not guaranteed to give you a PR on any given session. Instead, it needs to be used in conjunction to proper peaking and recovery towards a maximal testing day. It can be applied to both the front and back squat. There have been cases where you may apply this to the classic lifts but it has to be done very selectively. For instance, perhaps on a heavy jerk from the block attempt. Practice a heavy unrack first before going for the jerk. For sn**ches and cleans, you can attempt to do a heavy clean pull prior to the attempt. However, understand that because the aggressive extension is a power generating movement, the athlete may very well fatigue for the actual PR attempt. So where I would employ this technique is for athletes who are stronger than they are technical, in order to build confidence prior to a max sn**ch or clean attempt, provided that I KNOW for a fact that they'll have more left in the tank for the actual PR attempt. As such, employ this technique for squats, but employ VERY SELECTIVELY for the Olympic lifts.
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