Heavy/Light: Periodized Throwing for the Highland Games E-Book
Heavy/Light is the first manual to create a full-season block periodization approach for athletes competing in the Scottish Highland Games.
Programs like Training Lab, Strength Lab, and other block periodization programs give Highland Games athletes a solid plan and foundation for the weight room throughout a season. However, when it comes to throwing we often take a relatively unrefined approach, and just “go throw.” Sometimes we will modulate the volume according to where we are in the season/off-season, but often there is no plan beyond what implements we choose to practice that day. Without a doubt, we pay great attention to the technical aspects of the throws themselves. However there is no larger scheme in which we are operating, or true methodology to how we program our throwing.
This manual looks to change all of that. Throwing is a unique skill we must develop, but there is absolutely nothing saying that it cannot be approached with the same principles we (should) have in the weight room.
Table of Contents
- Foreword by Matt Vincent
- Introduction
- The Events
- Structure
- Anatomy of a Practice
- Overweight/Underweight Implements
- Explanation of Blocks
- Example Drills & Variations
- Example Programming Weeks
- Acknowledgements
Mike Beech is a Highland Games Lightweight National Champion. Growing up as a baseball player, Mike transitioned to fencing and chased the Olympics for a decade. Since then, he has competed in Powerlifting, Strongman and CrossFit. Mike is also a CrossFit Level 1 Certified Coach, creates and coaches dedicated strength and throws programming for athletes, and trains youth athletes in baseball and track & field. Mike was one of the earliest “guinea pigs” for the Training Lab program, and it propelled him from neophyte to A-Class thrower within 3 games.
