Parametric Biometric Method

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Parametric Biometric Method - Insert Section 6 from Triphasic Training Book

by Cal Dietz

Biometrics are variations of cybernetic programming, which were first

invented in the Soviet Union. It essentially is a regulatory process used

to figure out how much training and stress an organism should use on that

particular day.

Parametric biometrics is the use of another motor skill to regulate how

much training should take place for a different task. Traditional

biometrics, for example, could be using plyometrics (or any exercise) and

measuring its parameters with some type of tool (i.e. a v-scope, Tendo,

and/or force plates) to regulate how much speed, force, etc. is taking

place. This allows you to gauge when the drop off is of a certain

percentage, wherein you would stop training on that particular exercise for

that day.

When using isometrics and eccentrics, however, you are unable to use

biometrics for those particular exercises because obviously you are

changing the tempo such that it is no longer a concentric based movement.

What we use here is a separate measuring aspect of the same motor skill to

regulate how many sets and reps should be done in an isometric or eccentric

lifting exercise. I will give you the following examples: in using the back

squat or leg press in the isometric or eccentric phases of training, you

would perform an eccentric or isometric back squat and then rest 3-4

minutes (or whatever is prescribed). You’d then perform the motor tasks

that you are regulating. For example, this could be a squat jump with a

measurement tool; every time the athlete starts to drop off from their best

effort you would essentially stop squatting or doing the leg press

isometrics. I often start with the parametric using the best results I can

get for that particular day. For example, if the athlete jumps 30 inches

and then goes over and does the back squat, as long as the athlete can keep

repeating the 30 or 29-inch mark, I will have that athlete keep performing

the squat.

One of the ways I usually have my athletes perform a parametric motor task

for the lower body is using Vertimax belts hooked to Tendos such that so

that I can measure the percentage of their best squat jump. The key to many

of these parametric measurements that we are using is that you take all the

dynamics and variables out of the motor tasks. For example, in the squat

jump I often have them put their hands at their hips, don’t swing their

arms, and I will try to have them jump straight up and down. What can

happen if they start to jump more horizontally is that they will actually

pull more wire out of the Tendo unit and thus get a higher reading. By

taking away as many variables as possible you get a more accurate

parametric reading. One suggestion may even be to constantly set their

depth with a high box at the right level and go from a pause so that you

can get a more accurate reading on the parametric relationship exercise.

Another example is the bench press. We take a very lightened load, 45 – 65

lbs with female athletes, and 95lb with males. Usually we do 2 reps; I

rarely have found to get much after the second repetition as far as max

speed. The third can be the same usually but anything after 3 will often

result in a decline on any particular motor skill dealing with max effort.

Again I usually do the plyometric exercise first and then perform an

isometric bench press for 6 seconds; do one rep, then follow that with a

few prehab exercises. Right before going to the bench press again, I will

do the plyometric exercise to regulate and see if the athlete can get

within 1-4% depending on the training frequencies and how often we will

train.

Many times people ask me where the drop off percentage comes from. I found

this through basic trial and error experiments with many athletes and

observing how much they could perform one day with a certain percent drop

off, and then how long it took them to heal so they could perform at the

same level again. Essentially, it started with an article on cybernetics

which has not been found in the English language (I only found it in the

Russian language), which noted that an athlete’s best effort should be

within 1.5-2% of that at any given time. Now this 1.5-2% was done on the

sports skill and not necessarily the training skill so I believe you can

expand the training skill to the point where there are a bit larger margins

for error. The sporting skills in this sense were done every day so within

1-2% of training every day, whatever your training focus was, should have

been 1-2% of the main sports skill. With lifting and strength training this

would be a greater percentage just because of the fact that the frequency

isn’t completed every day. You train one day and take a few days off, which

is why I saw an increase in the percentage and margins for drop off in this

biometric training method.

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Cal Dietz

Strength Coach

Minneapolis, MN

612-626-7845