How they train – Dan Greaves ‘Discus Dan’ spoke to Alex Ferguson about his tough training regime

 

Dan Greaves is currently one of the most experienced athletes in Paralympic sport with four medals spanning four Paralympic Games and three world titles to his name.

Weighing in at 105kg and able to bench-press 200kg, Greaves is undoubtedly the strongest athlete on the GB team. Since winning a silver medal at his first Paralympic Games at the age of 17 in Sydney 13 years ago, he has gone on to take medals at three consecutive Games (2004 gold, 2008 bronze, 2012 silver).

With his outdoor season now at a close, the 2011 world champion is now focusing on implementing his winter programme as he prepares for another big year with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the IPC European Athletics Championships in Swansea next July.

He says: “During the season I will lift lighter weights, which will focus more on my explosive power and speed. However, during the winter period my focus will be on the heavier weights and conditioning my body for the following summer season.”

Three of his sessions a week take place in the gym at the Loughborough High Performance centre and the 30-year-old incorporates snatch, bench press and single leg press into his midday Monday workout. He explains: “I start off with snatch, where I will work off 70- 80% of my one rep max for three sets of eight reps followed by two sets of six reps.”

An Olympic lift such as the snatch is an important part of his programme as it gives his legs a chance to improve the dynamic strength that they need. He adds: “The snatch allows my body to coordinate legs to upper body and is extremely important for using the opening and strengthening of my hips, which are paramount in the discus.”

He follows this exercise with a bench press, which will typically range between 120-150kg with low reps. He says: “We use the bench press as a core-strength exercise and as a judgement of upper-body strength. The reps vary according to the time of year, but throughout winter they are around 8-15 up to 70% and then 4-6 mainly in season to use as explosive speed.”

To complete the weights session, he works on single-leg presses at 80-100kg for three sets of eight reps highlighting that “single leg exercises help to conquer the imbalance and strength of my left leg.” He also incorporates abdominal circuits three times a week and the Charnwood AC athlete highlights their importance in maintaining a strong core that is essential for throwing.

In the evening, he goes out into the field and takes 60 full throws under the guidance of his coach, Jim Edwards. The 2013 world silver medallist says: “We work a lot on throws throughout the winter to gain consistency and work on new aspects of my technique that we have altered or implemented the season before. We try to get outside as much as possible, but we are very fortunate to have the throws nets inside.”

He incorporates an additional throws session into his programme on Tuesdays, working on a technical basis where both coach and athlete will analyse the sections of the throw and make any necessary adjustments. Further weights sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays incorporate cleans, clean pulls, squat push press, deadlifts, snatch pulls and incline bench presses.

Explosive movements are carried out in the medicine ball activation circuits on a Tuesday and a Thursday, where all the drills are connective muscular actions to replicate throwing and weights. He also brings in a running session, of which he says: “Throughout the winter we do cardiovascular work as well as throwing, which is surprisingly taxing on the body with sessions that can last up to two hours.”

‘Discus Dan’ believes he can become a 65m thrower with the Paralympic 1.5kg implement and says: “I’ve always thought about retiring after I’ve done that. I’m almost on the cusp of 60m, so if I can get that out of the way first, I’ll be able to progress with a full winter of training behind me.”

TYPICAL TRAINING WEEK
Monday - Weights session: pre-weights warm-up including disc twists and side bends. Snatch at 70-80% of 1RM 3×8, 2×6. Bench press at 120-130kg 5×5, 3×3 at 150kg+, single leg press at 80kg 3×8. Abdominal circuit including crunches, leg lowers, leg raises. 60 full throws.
Tuesday - Medicine ball activation circuit (d-ball throws, med ball push, overhead push, overhead throws, side twists 3×8). Reformer core: including crunches, roll-outs, leg lowers and side slides 4×10 with different spring strength. Technical throw drills maximum of 15-20. Physio.
Wednesday - Pre-weights warm-up: weights session including cleans at 80-110kg 3×8, clean pulls 120kg+ 3×10, squat push press 80kg 5×5.
Thursday - Medicine ball activation circuit (d-ball throws, med ball push, overhead push, overhead throws, side twists 3×8 and drills). Reformer core: including crunches, roll outs, leg lowers and side slides (4×10 springs variable). Physio.
Friday - Pre-weights warm-up. Weights session: deadlifts at 150kg 3×10, snatch pull 70kg 5×5, 100kg 3×3, incline bench 100kg+ 5×5. Abdominal circuit and run 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m (same distance rest walk in between).
Saturday - Stretching.
Sunday - Stretching.

» The full version of this training feature can be found in the September 12 issue of AW which is available here or online here. The above sessions are specific to the individual athlete and may not be suitable for other athletes.

» Dan Greaves was talking ahead of joining fellow GB & NI team-mate Richard Whitehead on his journey to complete 40 marathons in 40 days with the aim of raising £1 million for Scope and Sarcoma UK. Donate to the cause here: uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ RichardWhiteheadRunsBritain.