Revisiting Polish Training

I’ve written extensively about Bulgarian weightlifting over the years—initially for The Performance Menu and more recently on our blog at sanduskyweightlifting.com. My training philosophy is heavily influenced by Lou DeMarco and, by extension, the late Bud Charniga, who offered insights into Bulgarian training that I hadn’t encountered early in my career. Once I was introduced to the system, I became obsessed with learning everything I could about it.

In 2005, Lou sent me a package containing a copy of Naim Suleymanoglu: The Pocket Hercules, written by Naim’s original coach Enver Turkileri and translated by Charniga through Sportivny Press. Saying this book influenced me like the Bible influenced Christianity is an understatement. It was captivating—not just for the story of Naim’s discovery, early development, and rise to world dominance, but especially for the final 15 pages, which provided detailed breakdowns of his training programs. These covered everything from initial technique development to progression strategies and his eventual integration into Abadjiev’s national team, culminating in his pivotal role in shaping Turkish training.

As much as I admire the Abadjiev era, it must be acknowledged: that style of training is designed for the elite of the elite. Abadjiev trained everyone as if they were genetic one-percenters, then let Darwinism sort out who truly was. I still love Bulgarian training because, in my experience, nothing better prepares athletes for the pressure of competition. After all, Bulgarian training is essentially practicing competition to get better at competition. What more could you want?

That said, most of today’s athletes—especially in the U.S.—aren’t coming from environments like 1980s communist Bulgaria. Even if they have the genetics, they often have limitations that need to be addressed. This is where revisiting Polish training becomes valuable.

I once read an article by Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D., in MILO, profiling Polish weightlifting star Szymon Kolecki. For those unfamiliar, Kolecki was essentially the Ilya Ilyin of his time—before Ilyin or the internet. At 17, he broke the Junior World Record with a 218kg clean & jerk at the 1998 World Championships in the 94kg class. The next year, he attempted 235kg. In 2000, at just 19, he set a senior world record with a 232.5kg clean & jerk at the European Championships, then attempted 237.5kg as a light 105kg lifter at Junior Europeans before winning silver at the Sydney Olympics. So yes—he was that good.

In the article, Strossen asked Kolecki about the Polish national team’s training system. Kolecki explained that for the three months leading up to a major event (like Worlds or Europeans), their training resembled the Bulgarian model. For the other six months, it was closer to the Soviet/Russian system.

That blend resonates with my own approach. When we’re preparing for a major meet—like USAW Nationals—our training looks much more Bulgarian: lots of heavy snatches, clean & jerks, and front squats, with a day for power variations and back squats, plus a technique-focused day. About half to three-fifths of the training days are devoted to the full, classic lifts.

The rest of the year, however, shifts focus. We work on fixing technical flaws, building specific strength, and improving general fitness—more in line with Soviet methodology. This combination is essentially Polish training (at least circa 1999).

If your own training skews heavily toward one end of the spectrum, it might be worth reassessing. Are you doing enough full lifts to meet the demands of high-level competition? Or are you spending enough time addressing weaknesses and building the strength required for those lifts?

For most lifters, a Polish-style approach may be the most practical. If someone like me—a self-admitted Abadjiev fanboy—can recognize the value in combining both systems into one cohesive plan, it’s definitely worth a second look.