The Contrast Method- Unlock Strength and Power For More Advanced Tactical Populations
What is the contrast method, and how can it support the performance of first responders (or anyone)?
As I have gotten older, had a few surgeries, and added some titanium to my skeleton- I sometimes reread old articles from methods that have worked for me in the past. Would they still work now...or was it just something that just came and went…like those altitude masks that made everyone look like Bane?
I remember reading the Litvinov article by Dan John in 2006 (I feel old). It discussed how an elite thrower’s workout consisted of doing a compound lift, in this case a front squat of 405x8, then immediately hitting a 400m sprint. Then after that fought a grizzly bear...for time. Dan later decided to modify the workout by dropping the grizzly bear fight, and shortened the sprint interval at the end to an explosive sled pull or run.
I incorporated a version of this in my book for training first responders and tactical populations. My focus was to use the generic workout structure to push VO2 Max as it is sound method to safely pursue various goals. Dan later called his version of these “Livisprints.” What else could you call these? If you wanted to get fancy, you could call this a form of contrast training.
Contrast training can mean many things depending on who is writing about the topic. This method is in the book Supertraining, a very dry read but discusses basically every strength method ever created. Verkhoshansky and Siff not only made this popular, but also discuss methods like APRE. The contrast method is also in Triphasic Training, written by division 1 Strength Coach Cal Dietz. Googling contrast training will send you down a rabbit hole, some will lay out just two exercises while others will show an entire complex of movements.
A simple set-up from Triphasic Training (Dietz 152):
Perform a heavy lift- 80-90% of 1 Rep Max (RM)- or heavier
Rest 2-3 minutes
Perform a drop set of 50-70% of 1 RM
This is designed to harness something called Post Activation Potentiation, or PAP. PAP is essentially a window for when the bodies nervous system is heightened- in this case from lifting something heavy, allowing us to move light load even faster from this phenomenon. In turn, this trains the ability for us to generate force quickly.
Think about how your nervous system is involved with power and strength. Have you ever picked up a box while helping your friend move and thought it was going to be heavy? You gripped the sides, took a deep breath, squeezed your abs and then the box just shot up and you almost fell over because it was empty? Not a perfect example, but that was your central system playing games with you. Training methods like this are manipulating that system, providing a different stimulus so you essentially learn how to rapidly display strength/power.
Another contrast/complex example, an old idea that became new again, is the french contrast method. Also doubling as the name of an overpriced fancy restaurant, the athlete (or officer/soldier) completes the complex/contrast as (Dietz 152):
Perform a heavy lift- 80-90% of 1 RM
Plyometric Jumps (or Plyo Push-Ups, etc)
Weighted Plyometric or a drop-set of the above movement at 30-50% of 1 RM
Plyometric or accelerated plyometric
Rest for 3-5 minutes after completing this hybrid of a complex/contrast. Dietz states in the book he uses correctives and other movements as active rest while the athlete recovers from this taxing event. I have seen the use of medball throws and other explosive movements in place of the exercises above, but the principles remain. All movements should be done with power, and you shouldn’t be hitting failure even though you are certainly working towards your capacity to maintain power towards the end of the complex. Every movement should be around 1-5 reps depending on exercise selection and the athlete/soldier/officer’s capacity. You will start to get tired as you build up to doing several rounds, but the movements should still be explosive and crisp.
That was fun to explain as a former strength and conditioning coach. Now...do most people need all that? Probably not, or certainly at least not right away. This is where Dan’s Livisprints come in. Dan, in my humble opinion, took a method, and as usual boiled it down and found a way to use the same principles with limited equipment and various skill levels.
Again, let’s breakdown a Livisprint:
Heavy lift (or a lighter ballistic movement)
Sled Sprint
When we subtract the percentages that I mainly use to keep hard chargers in check, (worth noting a guy I am training to climb Mount Denali just took up Jujitsu 3 weeks out from his climb- this is what I am dealing with when I say “hard chargers”) Dan is in fact taking advantage of PAP, and with enough volume and rest period manipulation, could tap into the athletes capacity/ability of generating force over time.
Why do we want to train our officer’s ability to generate force for longer periods of time? Well, the job can go from zero to insanity quite fast.
Some examples:
A foot pursuit that ends in a fight.
Being the first on scene to a vehicle fire where occupants need to be pulled from the car.
Burglary in progress
Robbery in progress
Charging into a school and running up several flights of stairs to deal with an immediate threat
See where I am going with this?
This is where long term programming comes in and why first we need to start with a baseline standard of fitness. Are you fit enough to train safely? Great. Once we get past that threshold, we can move on to more advanced methods like this to help prepare our tactical populations to deal with rapidly evolving situations requiring split-second decision making.
Your imagination is the limit on how you could incorporate this concept into your training. Combining a simple ballistic movement, a sled sprint, and then engaging a few targets on the range seems pretty damn job specific to me. Not only would an activity like this train the physical qualities I outlined in the article, it is also an opportunity to work on fine motor skills and stress management. Seems like a win for a more advanced trainee. Or a humbling activity to let someone know they need to improve their conditioning.
The contrast method is just a tool. It can be applied in various ways with some more pure strength focused, while others will dip more into capacity/conditioning. Do the version you’re ready for based off of where you’re at in your journey. Choose modalities that fit your training age and goals. You might surprise yourself with the results.
References:
Verkhoshansky, Y., & Siff, M. C. (2009). Supertraining. Verkhoshansky SSTM.
Dietz, C., & Peterson, B. (2012). Triphasic training: A systematic approach to elite speed and explosive strength performance. Bye Dietz Sport Enterprise.
Great post! One of the biggest mistakes I see is individuals not building the requisite level of fitness before attempting to move into contrast training. Building a base can be boring, but it is necessary.
Thank you for this. Can I save?