Hammer throwers have known this for years. Sure, I always did my crunches at the end of the workout, but that only scratches the surface. Well I already worked a lot on the first three, but the last one I’d overlooked. Knowing this, I began to look at what the world-class discus throwers stressed in their training: rhythm, timing, speed, and core strength. How could I throw without throwing? (I couldn’t throw at this point either) It wouldn’t be long till I found the answer I was looking for: event specific training.Īs rotational shot putters, we’ve borrowed a lot of our technical models from the discus. My focus shifted from training off the track to training on the track. That significantly limits what you can do in the weight room. Obviously heavy benches were out due to the direct stress on the injury, but so were squats and anything that involved steadying a bar on the shoulders. But something happened as a result of my pec tear, I was forced to change the way I approached my training. I’d never thrown within 30cm of that distance. What happened during the next nine months exceeded all of my own expectations.įor years I’ve heard how the 21-meter barrier was unbreakable without the use of performance enhancers. I’d just spent three years of my life dedicated to the pursuit of my Olympic ambitions.

After the doctor diagnosed the tear, he offered me two alternatives: have surgery and miss the Olympics or don’t have surgery, do aggressive rehab, and maybe you’ll make it. Going into the fall of 1999 almost one year out from the Olympics, I suffered a minor tear in my right pectoral minor and major. Core training is important in every throwing event, and Adam Nelson summarizes his core training philosophy in this article. During 20 he was ranked number one in the world by Track and Field News. Adam Nelson is a world-class shot putter and two-time Olympic silver medalist.

Max hammer strength workout