Ashton Eaton's full weight lifting routine with explanation

Can we all agree that Ashton's buddy is not in that great shape? Most guys bodybuilding at the gym have more attractive body's. Just saying, it seems like you have a guy's crush.

So how much can he bench???

I doubt very much that Ashton Eaton would get anywhere near Olympic champion and world record holder if he did not train, regardless of his genetic gifts. You need BOTH to be successful.

Les wrote:

I doubt very much that Ashton Eaton would get anywhere near Olympic champion and world record holder if he did not train, regardless of his genetic gifts. You need BOTH to be successful.

Genetics far outweighs the impact of training, and elite ability does not depend on the nuances of one's training program. It cannot be emphasized enough that the use of a given training protocol by an elite athlete does not prove its value. Most of the benefits of Eaton's training comes from event practice and track conditioning, not his gym/weight program, which is poor.

If genetics amounted to a hill of weasel snot, it would be just as likely that someone 50 years ago had those great genotypes instead of someone right now, and the world record would be insanely out of reach.

People that blabber about genetics don't understand just how many genes are involved in developing athletic "talent." But even if it were just one, they can't say which. Name the "sports" gene, if you can.

Some people can lift very heavy weights and not bulk up. David Hemery, 400m hurdle gold medalist, tells in his book "Another Hurdle" how he flirted with decathlon after his Mexico 1968 gold medal. He lifted very regularly with heavy weights, ate lots in a deliberate attempt to bulk up. He lost a few pounds! Maybe Eaton is the opposite; would easily bulk up if he lifted heavy weights. If he did it would help his shot (and possibly discus) but damage his performance in the running & jumping events which make up 70% of the decathlon.

As he also says, he has to perform these events under conditions of fatigue, something very different from a shot put specialist who might have three qualifying throws one day followed by a maximum of six throws the next day. He is the WR holder and gold medalist; presumably he must be doing something right in training!

Don Henley wrote:Most of the benefits of Eaton's training comes from event practice and track conditioning, not his gym/weight program, which is poor.

He tweeted yesterday:

"Should mention that for 4 years I built solid strength base @Univ_Of_Oregon. High weight, low rep, Olympic lifts."

Plus I'm not sure that we are seeing exactly his total weight training program.

Those hurdle jumps are very impressive!

Most of his exercises are very light weight but he had a decent amount on the clean at 155 and the lat pulldown at 120.

A couple things....

Has he ever lifted heavier weights? Yes he probably has. This is an example of a circuit he does now. I always find it odd how people will jump on a top athletes current program without knowing what they've done for the last 10 years. This works for him now because of the principles of progression and overload.

He's obviously had injury problems when going heavy....so he correlates heavy weight with injury. Heavy weights do not cause injury. You can get injured just as easy with lighter weights, especially overuse injuries. In fact lifting in a super fatigued state is a great way to get injured.

A dynamic exercise following a static exercise is actually a great idea.

He's had knee injuries, and common rehab for knee injuries is light leg extensions, so it makes sense he would cling to this exercise. It's a bad exercise to do.

Alan

Alan,

I was waiting to hear your opinion on this. Thanks.

H.S. Coach #16847

I think that when you have built a strength base you're going to eventually reach a plateau where it no longer makes sense to keep trying to increase the weight. Because you'll just risk injury and the advantages will be marginal compared to if you were instead to use the time focused on your events.

I'm no athlete, but I probably lift an above average amount. I made most of my big gains in my teens and early twenties. I don't keep pushing the weight these days. But I've maintained even though I may only lift once a week.

runningart: Heavy weights do not cause injury? That makes me wonder if you've ever lifted heavy weights. Wouldn't getting a strain while squatting 405 lb be potentially a lot worse than if it is 225 lb? And the same with clean and jerk? I would say that for some people lifting these heavy weights comes with the risk of back injuries like pinched nerves and such. You don't know his injury history. I would say at the least that heavy weights can aggravate past injuries.

I'm 155lbs and i can bench my body weight 28 times (155lbs). I'm training for half marathon to go under 1:08

XFIT BRO THE REAL ONE 1 wrote:

OMG I just wasted a minute of my life watching a SKINNY dude doing 5 lbs dumbbell exercises.

Curling an empty bar. Are you kidding me?

They say the TV adds 20 lbs, I'm glad I have never seen im in RL.

Jesus, He wouldn't last a single round of CrossFit.

I'm out, tinder date just texted. It's gonna be good.

With Froning?

And your point is, exactly? I assume that you are doing significant mileage so you won't bulk up at all. Eaton will be doing limited amounts of aerobic work so might have to watch he does not get too big for optimal performance in his event.

I am not against runners lifting heavy weights. Decades ago Herb Elliott and other Aussie greats were doing just that; very low numbers of reps, very heavy loads. But just as runners with very similar times on the track can follow very different training regimes, gym/weight workouts can differ widely.

Heavy is relative.

Most injuries are not acute, they are overuse.

If you are lifting above 85% of your max....which is what I would start calling "heavy"....you should already be following proper form anyway. Acute injuries happen when people start ego lifting when fatigued and with bad form.

The only people who use "injury risk" as a reason to not lift heavy are either...

A) experienced injury before and scared to get back on the horse or simply can't because they are still injured. I know lots of guys who don't bench anymore because they screwed up their shoulders.....through improper programming and not doing enough pulling work.

B) Women and distance runners who "dont want to bulk or get hurt". This is psychological and very difficult to overcome.

Alan

He was cleaning 150 in that video.

The other guy! wrote:

I remember seeing a video of Usain Bolt weight lifting. He was cleaning with a bar that had maybe 25's on each side, so less than 100 lbs total.

You don't need to train with heavy weights if you want to be fast.

Milethon wrote:

Those hurdle jumps are very impressive!

Most of his exercises are very light weight but he had a decent amount on the clean at 155 and the lat pulldown at 120.

Yikes distance runners really are weak. Lifting less than your bodyweight on those lifts is not decent.

XFIT BRO THE REAL ONE 1 wrote:

OMG I just wasted a minute of my life watching a SKINNY dude doing 5 lbs dumbbell exercises.

Curling an empty bar. Are you kidding me?

They say the TV adds 20 lbs, I'm glad I have never seen im in RL.

Jesus, He wouldn't last a single round of CrossFit.

I'm out, tinder date just texted. It's gonna be good.

Correction: "I'm OUT, Grindr date just texted. It's gonna be good."

Sprinter647 wrote:

Can we all agree that Ashton's buddy is not in that great shape? Most guys bodybuilding at the gym have more attractive body's. Just saying, it seems like you have a guy's crush.

Have more attractive body's what?