Description
Javorek’s Big Fun Program: Probably one of the best and most challenging conditioning programs which I developed during my thirty-five year coaching career is the so called Big Fun program”. The name itself came from the reality that it is not any fun doing this program. Better, I would say that it is not too much fun in the beginning, but a lot of fun in the end after an athlete achieves significant – I would say exceptional – improvements concerning their stamina, strength, power, cardio-vascular and muscular endurance, vertical jump, quickness, and body weight improvements. I developed this workout system after years and years of experimenting with different training methods on thousand of athletes. I eye witnessed in my coaching career in Romania, and later in the USA, as my athletes were working out 5-6 hours a day Monday through Saturday (without anybody over-trained or burned-out) developing into world class athletes. I would just mention silver and bronze medalist weightlifters from Romania Istvan Tasnadi and Dragomir Cioroslan (1967-1984), or shot putt Olympic champion Randy Barnes (1985-87) and U.S. 1996 best weightlifter Wesley Barnett (1988-1991). All of these athletes were working out – during the time when they were my athletes- five to six, (several times seven) hours a day and none of them were ever injured or over-trained. It is not just an accident that in three years of hard work Dragomir Cioroslan changed from a sick (rheumatic heart disease and rickets) 77 lb. body weight into a 146 lb. athlete who became a member of Rumanian Olympic team. Istvan Tasnadi and Wesley Barnett, who came to my club from other programs, improved in one short year more than they improved in the six previous years. Randy Barnes, in less than a year, improved his shot put performance from 59 feet to 71 feet. It was nothing special, nothing miraculous. It was just hard work and a lot of fun”. Following is a synopsis of the six weeks’ – six-day-a-week Big Fun program”. (It actually is an eight week program, with one week pretest and one week post test) :
– gradually develops an athlete’s morfo-functional adaptation to the most demanding effort in any athletic workout, practice or competitive situation
– develops and enhances muscle growth
– increases the highest quality muscle mass up to 10-20 lb.(it depends on each individual’s conditioning background, age, desire of respecting all prescribed dieting and exercise rules, and length of time practicing conditioning)
– builds the base for any kind of future performance and specific conditioning goals
– develops supernatural” willpower
– develops high quality fighting spirit In order to be able to perform the very high demands of this program, every athlete who wants to start it first needs to perform easier, so- called introductory” programs which enable everyone to perform without injuries and fatigue, the Big Fun routines. Usually I require my athletes to perform first my Six weeks conditioning # 1 and # 2; then my 12 weeks Introductory to Big Fun General Conditioning programs, and just after that the Big Fun itself. The reason for so much preparation is that every athlete must :
– master a perfect technique of execution of each exercise
– develop a basic musculature, strength and stamina in order to be able to handle the very demanding Big Fun program
-correct any incorrect body posture, and unbalanced musculature (during the Big Fun there is no time to do it)
-improve and develop a perfect wrist, elbow, shoulder, back, hip, knee, ankle flexibility. (The lack of flexibility in just one of these links of the chain could generate inflammation of certain vital joints and muscles.)
-becomes familiar with the big variety of exercises
– posses a high standard of workout discipline in order to be able to perform very demanding loads, sets, repetitions, intensities, and physical, mental and emotional challenges.
After an athlete has performed all of the afore-mentioned conditioning programs and is ready for the Big Fun program”, he or she must respect the following basic rules :
– exercise daily Monday through Saturday
– determine the exact 1 RM (repetition maximum)
– finish the program every day – if is not possible in one session, do it in two or three sessions-
– respect the repetitions, sets and intensities
Anyone who starts the Big Fun program on a daily basis will witness the following biological reaction to the program:
– Week 1: The pre-test week. You must test on each “Big Fun” program exercises. Work up to three reps maximum (3 R.M.). Add 5 lb. to the dumbbell exercises -for each hand- and 10 lb to the barbell exercises. This will establish the 1 repetition maximums (1 R.M.). Also test standing long jump, standing vertical jump and 30 m, or 40 yards sprint. Divide equally the test exercises for 6 days.
– Week 2: Is the week of warm up and accommodation; the program is designed for high demand and a gradual physical and mental challenge, trying to adapt all of the body functions to the upcoming weeks of very demanding efforts;
-Week 3: Is the shock and refusal week. The human body wants to give up trying. Inhibition affecting the whole morphological system occurs as a result of performing the very demanding efforts;
– Week 4: This is the adaptation week. If an athlete did not give up and continued through the first two weeks, he or she will feel finally more satisfaction and his or her body will continue to stimulate all of its functions in order to perform efficiently;
-Week 5-7: Are the weeks of real “Big Fun”, of improvements and satisfactions. Performing the more difficult routines of the program every athlete will feel more comfortable and will perform much easier than the first three weeks. Unbelievable physical and emotional pleasure and satisfaction will be observed;
– Week 8: Test on each exercise from the Big Fun exercise list, body weight improvement, 30 m or 40 yards sprint, standing long jump, standing and three step approach vertical jump. Depending on an individual’s previous conditioning level the improvement could be very impressive. Observation: respect the order of exercises, intensities, sets and repetitions. Exercises where I recommend performing in an alternating way are only Dips and Pull Ups, which could be practiced in combination with the next exercise. For example: 1 set of Dips followed 1 set of Wave Squat; or 1 set of Pull Ups followed by 1 set of Back Squat; etc. As a nutrition recommendation, the athlete must consume ample quantities of high quality Carbohydrates within 15 minutes to two hours following workouts. A minimum of two liters of water (could be in form of mineral rich herbs tea, etc.) must be consumed daily, some of which should be drunk during workouts.
My books on www.Lulu.com Javorek Complex Conditioning; Javorek Complex Conditioning Leg Routines; Javorek Complex Conditioning for Cycling; Javorek Track and Field Complex Conditioning ; Javorek Weight Training Class Work Book .On individual order are available Conditioning Programs for different sports (Baseball, Cross Country, Sprinters-Jumpers, Wrestling, Softball, Tennis, Throwers, Boxing, Swimming, Cycling Conditioning, etc.)
