B.C. What about the exercises you employ in training?
Taranenko: I usually snatch every day, sometimes twice-a-day. I do the clean and jerk and the snatch in separate workouts. I do pulls and the lifts from the floor, from the hang, from planks, and while standing on a raised surface. I do push-jerks but no presses in training. Some years ago, I pressed 230 kg in the old Olympic style, so I don't feel I need to do them. Furthermore, I usually do not separate the clean and the jerk; but execute clean and jerk as a whole.
B.C. What strength exercises do you favor?
Taranenko: The back squat is the most important strength exercise. I usually squat every day, sometimes more than once-a-day. My best back squat is 380 kg (837 lbs). But this is with a two-second pause at the bottom.
B.C. How many reps per set?
Taranenko: Usually no more than three. However, I occasionally do sets of five for explosive speed. I can use 300 kg for sets of five, done rapidly. Typically, I pause at the bottom for a count of two, when doing squats.
B.C. Do you do front squats?
Taranenko: No. I used to do front squats about twice a week, but stopped some years when I was able to do 300 kg for three reps. At that point I felt I was way beyond what I need to recover effectively from the clean. And besides, that much weight is an excessive load on the chest.
B.C. What back exercise do you like?
Taranenko: I do good mornings with the legs slightly bent. As you begin to lean over, you should feel the pressure (your balance, Ed.) near the heel of the foot. Begin to straighten up as soon as the pressure nears the ball of the foot. This is very important principle when doing this exercise. But, nobody ever things about it. It is very useful to have a strong back for weightlifting. When I was younger, I could lift more in the good morning exercise than in the snatch.
B.C. Do you do any jumping in your training?
Taranenko: Only with a barbell. I do jumps with 100-120 kg; with the barbell on the shoulders.
B.C. What are your best results in training?
Taranenko: My best results are 210 and 262.5 kg. But I do not try to lift record weights in training, as a rule. For instance, the heaviest weights I handled prior to my world records in Australia, last year, were 200 kg in the snatch and 245 kg in the clean and jerk.
B.C. Do you do any abdominal exercises?
Taranenko: No. I'm too lazy. However, I believe that the abdominals are strengthened when one exercises the back, just as the biceps are strengthened when one exercises the triceps.
B.C. How has your training changed over the years, with respect to your methods as a 110 kg lifter?
Taranenko: My training has changed dramatically. I used to train only four times per week as a 110 kg lifter. The single most dramatic change is the intensity. For example, my average training weight is 190 kg. This includes pulls, squats, etc. When I do squats, for instance, my first set is with 170 kg. From there, I take 50 kg jumps, until I get to the heaviest weight for that workout.
