HERCULES WEIGHTLIFTING AND STRENGTH TRAINING ACADEMY           NEWSLETTER NO. 15

EDITED BY: MIROSLAW KORKOWSKI

CONTENTS:
Editors Message
Athlete Profile
Technical Tips
Sponsors and Partners News
Upcoming Events
Competition Results

EDITORS MESSAGE…

The 2004 season is well on its way, with the Festival du Voyageur, Western Canadians and Manitoba Masters competitions already behind us. Of particular note were the Western Canadian Championships where Team Manitoba staged a large contingent of fourteen competitors. Out of the fourteen lifters seven qualified for a trip to the Senior Canadian Championships. The list of qualified athletes is included in the Sponsors and Partners News.
For the second year, I have staged the Manitoba Masters Competition. I would like to extend my thank you to all who helped me with the event. Here they are: Nicole provided administrative support, Jon Astolfi and Rafal Korkowski gave me technical assistance, Joe Landreville took care of the referees, Rafal, Carl Dumas and Susan Dandenault acted as the coaching staff , and Justin Hoffer and Tyson Van der Grinten strained their backs loading weights during the competition.
Now we are looking towards the 3rd Battle of the Hercules, which will take place on May 7. The event is shaping to be one of the biggest ever club competitions staged in Manitoba. A week long training camp, with the objective of enhancing performance, will precede the competition.
In this issue of the club newsletter, you will find a rather lengthy technical article. Training recovery is one of the areas where with an increased performance and training intensity, there is a need for more focus. Most of the suggested methods can be easily implemented and can provide an edge for the next step forward.

TECHNICAL TIPS

Presently, high performance sports, weightlifting being no exception, require a great deal of highly intensive training. Increase in the training load, creates a potential risk of fatigue. Fatigue is a defense mechanism that the body uses against exhaustion. In weightlifting fatigue doesn't appear suddenly, rather it develops gradually over the time. Fatigue may afflict only a specific quality or a part of system (local fatigue), or the entire system (general fatigue). Fatigue related disorders could include:
exhaustion of the energy reserves, accumulation of the metabolic waste due to the oxygen debt - lactic acid, disturbance of the biochemical processes in the nerve tissue, which is the most sensitive to the oxygen shortage, hydro-electrolytic losses due to the perspiration, or inflammation of the ligaments or tendons.
The signs of the above disorders can be detected by applying careful observation which would most often include: feeling of muscle discomfort, sore joints, abundant sweating, decreased coordination, strained and irregular breathing, high resting heart rate, blackouts, restless sleep, or loss of appetite.

Biological recovery system consists of natural recovery components such as: rest time, personal hygiene, training sessions, meals, and study or work time. Natural physiological processes determine when it is favorable to eat, train, sleep and perform other daily functions. Establishing a regular daily routine will increase the efficiency of muscular and psychological activity, proper nourishment or the body, sound sleep, and over all well being of the athlete.

The activities known as guided recovery methods could be divided into the following groups:
1. Before the training or competition: the level of physical and mental readiness can be attributed and controlled by proper preparation. The activities prior to any workout or competition are called warm-up. The warm-up is a combination of various exercises performed by the athlete in order to increase the capacity of the major contributing systems thereby allowing for an increased performance capacity. Uncontrollable conditions such as low temperature, high humidity, and time of day make it necessary to prolong the warm-up and incorporate self massaging of the specific joints or muscle groups.
2. During the training or competition: the recovery during the training or competition is necessary to maintain a high level of function in the muscular and nervous systems. The rest intervals between sets must be long enough to allow rapid recovery. On the average, this should be anywhere from 1-3 minutes depending on the number of repetitions, complexity of exercise and its intensity. In addition, there should be rest intervals of about 5 minutes between exercises. Water or sport drink consumption is also very important. When the training volume and intensity are high, drinking small amounts of liquid in regular intervals will allow the athlete to replenish the lost fluids and prevent dehydration. To conclude the training session, it is very important to perform cool-down exercises. The cool-down would normally consist of a low intensity exercises, abdominal exercises, or stretching.
3. After the training or competition: once the training or competition is completed, an application of certain activities can provide a support for a post-effort recovery. The most popular treatment procedures include shower of varied temperatures, bathing in water with mineral salt solution, hand massage, whirlpool massage, vibration massage, or sauna. Filing leisure time with constructive activities and creating comforting environments are the basic elements in this phase of recovery. The athlete style of life should include regular professional or study activities, regular meals with adequate quality and quantity of nutrition, and adequate amount of sleep.

Technical tip: for the recovery system to be most effective, it must include most if not all of the above mentioned procedures, staring with the most basic daily functions to the somewhat more sophisticated physiotherapy treatments.

SPONSORS AND PARTNERS NEWS

Manitoba Weightlifting Association qualified 7 athletes for the 2004 Senior National Championships. This years Nationals will take place in Valleyfield, Quebec during the June 12-13 weekend. In the womens competition Manitoba will be represented by Rosemary Densmore, Tanna Payne, Susan Dandenault, Charlotte MacEachern, and Noreena Bodaglo. Qualified men include Carl Dumas and Rafal Korkowski. Congratulation to all and good luck in Valleyfield.

COMPETITION RESULTS

	2nd Manitoba Masters Reunion March 13, 2004, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg The second annual Masters Reunion featured a determined set of competitors. Six males battled to rank among Manitobas finest lifters! The event was very friendly and everyone was supportive, which led to a successful, relaxed, and competitive atmosphere.
Above: competition introduction ceremony
Following the event, the group went to the Pony Corral restaurant, where they enjoyed weightlifting stories and shared good times. A big thank you to both clubs for helping with coaching and volunteering, as well as all the athletes, most of which made their 2004 debut! Congratulations to everyone, and we hope to see you on the platform again soon!	Right: Justin and Tyson, loaders for the session

Referee: Rick Scully, Jon Astolfi, Quinn Nguyen
Loaders: Justin Hoffer, Tyson van der Grinten
Coaches: Susan Dandenault, Rafal Korkowski, Carl Dumas