Credit to Ethan
Reeve
1. Emphasize
core strength
2.
Train with ground-based lifts and body weight calisthenics
3.
Incorporation NOT isolation
4.
Train for power
5.
Train athleticism
6.
Train attitude
7.
Train the push with the pull
8.
Utilize single and two limb lifts
9.
Make workouts short and intense
10.
Encourage self motivation
1.
Emphasize Core Strength
The center of all power and strength in the human body originates
in the core of the body. Imagine the human body broken down into
three links of a chain: the upper body, lower body, and core body.
The movements performed in this core are: hip extension, hip flexion,
abdominal flexion, back extension, torso rotation, lateral extension
and flexion, hip adduction and hip abduction. An athlete is only
as strong as his/her weakest link. If an athlete is weak or inflexible
in this core he/she will have little chance of maximizing his/her
athletic potential. The core body is the center that coordinates
all ground-based human movements. Focusing strength-training attention
on this core body is of the greatest importance. This core body
consists of these muscle groups: abdominals, obliques, erectors
of lower back, gluteals, upper quadriceps, upper hamstrings, hip
flexors, and groin area. The more "quality" training performed
with this core body in the standing position and with ground-based
calisthenics the more potential the athlete has to transfer the
training to the athletic arena.
2. Train
With Ground-Based Lifts and Bodyweight Calisthenics
Most athletes participate in standup power sports. Most sport skills
are initiated with the feet applied to the ground. The more force
the athlete can apply to the ground, with good balance, the greater
the potential for speed and power. Even swimmers and other non-ground
based athletes will benefit from ground-based training. Training
this way incorporates the use of more joints, bones, prime mover
muscles, synergistic muscles, stabilizer muscles, tendons, and ligaments
together. Therefore, the training of athletes on their feet and
with ground-based calisthenics trains the athlete similarly to what
happens in sport. Ground based training develops more athletic abilities.
The more athletic abilities developed the greater the chances the
athlete will maximize his/her potential, provided the specific sport
skills have also been developed. The ground based lifts and activities
used are: power clean, power snatch, hang clean, dead-lift, push
press, front squat, back squat, one leg squat, pushups, wrestler
twist, neck bridge, handstand pushups, cone drills, ladder drills,
bag drills, dot drills, sled pulls, tumbling drills, bleacher runs,
and more.
3. Incorporation
Not Isolation, Train Movement Not Muscles
Athletes of all sports will never isolate a single muscle group
or joint in competition. Athletes use their whole body in a natural
way. The superior athlete is the one that can use his/her whole
body. It is, in many cases, not how strong and powerful the athlete
is but how he/she best uses his/her strength and power that determines
athletic success. When athletes train with lifts, drills, and calisthenics
that incorporate many muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones in a
natural progression, they are better prepared to use their whole
body in sports skills. It is of utmost importance that athlete's
strength train incorporating the use of their whole body. When using
weight machines, you are using one plane, one dimension of movement.
In many instances, there is isolation of one joint or one group
of muscles without having to balance or stabilize another body part.
Only prime mover muscles are used and not stabilizer muscles. Free
weight training is multi-plane, multidimensional, as in sport skills.
Therefore, you are using prime movers, stabilizers, and synergistic
muscles. It becomes important to stabilize and balance your body
in order for the prime mover muscles to perform. One can get strong
using almost any type of strength training. However, it is best
to have athletes perform ground-based lifts and bodyweight calisthenics
during required team workouts while encouraging extra volunteer
workouts. It is during these volunteer workouts where athletes may
do isolation lifts. This is done because of time constraints and
the functionality of ground-based training for athletics.
4. Train
for Power - Power is the Function of Strength and Speed
Power= Mass Moved (Force-Strength) x Distance / Time
You know the saying. Speed Kills! In all sport skills speed of movement
is a desired commodity. Along with the "feel for the game"
and "mental toughness" sport coaches are in search of
athletes with great speed. It is the duty of the strength coach
to develop all athletic qualities, especially speed of movement.
As you can see in the above formula an increase in speed of movement
(decrease in time) results in an increase in power. This is important
to the athlete due to his/her own bodyweight, gravity, opponent's
resistance and weighted implements and other resistances that athletes
must deal with in competition. Increasing speed of movement with
the same mass lifted improves power. Increasing mass lifted and
maintaining the speed of movement will increase power. The less
time it takes to move a mass a certain distance the higher the power
output. By effectively using explosive lifts, squatting movements,
medicine balls, agility drills, sled pulls, bleacher sprints, and
speed drills you can greatly increase the potential for developing
powerful athletes in sport. The power clean, hang clean, power snatch,
hang snatch, and jerk are the lifts with the highest potential for
developing powerful athletes. No other lifts even come close. Olympic
lifters, on average, have highest vertical jumps of all other athletes
(36"-42") and are the fastest of all athletes excluding
100 meter dash sprinters in a 25-meter sprint. The Olympic lifters
perform predominately explosive lifts and deep front and back squats
in their training.
5. Train
Athleticism
The strength coaches' purpose is to train athletes for their maximal
performance in athletic competition so it is important to train
their athleticism. The positive qualities of the superior athlete
are: strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, coordination,
kinesthetic awareness, rapid reorientation from disorientation,
rapid gathering from poor positions, sport specific conditioning,
skill expertise, mental toughness, and being goal driven. It is
the goal of the strength coach to maximize the athletic potential
of the athletes in his/her care. So, the enhancement of these must
be part of any strength program regardless of the particular sport.
The intensity and volume level of each quality will be determined
sport by sport.
6. Train
Attitude
When teams lift together it provides another opportunity to develop
chemistry, teamwork, leadership skills, and a competitive environment.
When the strength workout is run like a sport practice the economy
of time is well spent. The strength coach can keep the pace moving
with good discipline and positive results. Attack the weights! Attacking
the weights means using correct technique and lots of hard work.
The athlete should focus on getting better in all areas of each
workout. Everyday better and better! The strength coach should expect
and demand mental toughness, discipline, focus, and intensity. The
athlete should give 100% effort and perform exactly as the strength
coach advises. It is the role of the strength coach to give the
athlete the best workouts available to maximize athletic potential.
The nature of competitors in sport is to attack the weakness of
their opponents whether it be their conditioning, tactical expertise,
skill level, or mental toughness. The athletes should not only search
and capitalize on the weaknesses of their opponents but also be
able to handle "pressure" when it is applied to them.
Weakness displayed by athletes in the strength room and practice
field can cause the athlete to develop patterns of weakness that
will be used by opponents in competition. Some negative displays
are: negative facial, verbal, and body language, whining, bellyaching,
displaying disrespect and spreading negativity. The strength coach
and sport coach have an obligation to not allow such weakness to
permeate a team. When the sport coach and strength coach work together
to help athletes see their mental weaknesses and help them to emphasize
a positive attitude this will have a positive effect on the success
of the team as well as the individual athlete. Maintaining a positive
attitude in each athlete is of the utmost importance. This is why
strength training workouts should be productive and fun for the
athletes. The strength coach can plan workouts so the athlete will
want to come back to the strength room to get better and not dread
it. Training athletes to maximize their potential requires lots
of hard work and all workouts will not be fun. Since workouts can't
always be fun they are made brief, intense, and challenging.
7. Train
the Push and Pull Together
As much as possible workouts are developed to train the upper body
pressing with the upper body pulling. Two birds can be killed with
one stone. This is done in the same time it would take to do one
lift in most programs. It also has little negative effect on each
lift because you are using opposing muscles. Some examples are:
bench and chins, military and bent rows, dumbbell press and dumbbell
rows
8. Utilize
Both Single and Double-Limb Lifts
In many sport skills athletes will transfer weight from one leg
to another and from one arm to another in a natural way. For athletes
it is as important to have strength, balance, and coordination on
one foot as it is on two feet. Training one leg at a time and one
arm at a time also brings into play more of the core of the body
to help stabilize while the single limb performs it's skill. Some
examples of single limb lifts are: one arm dumbbell incline, bench,
or military press, one leg squat, walking lunge, step-ups, lunge,
and one arm dumbbell rows. One arm dumbbell or kettlebell swings,
snatches, cleans, and jerks are also great exercises.
9. Make Workouts
Short and Intense
Some of the most powerful human beings of all time have trained
under the tutelage of Ivan Abadjiev, the Bulgarian Olympic weight
lifting coach. Also, today many other Olympic weightlifting teams
and individual lifters throughout the world have been influenced
by his methods of training. Some of the strongest power-lifters
of all time have trained with power-lifter/coach, Louie Simmons,
at Westside Barbell Club. Many strongmen today uses a method of
training called "Dinosaur Training" created by Brooks
Kubik. There are many bodybuilders and athletes today using a method
of training called "High Intensity" promoted by former
Olympic/power lifter Ken Leistner and former bodybuilder, Mike Mentzer.
Boyd Epley at the University of Nebraska, using his unique training
methods, has trained many great and powerful football teams. The
Bigger, Faster, Stronger Philosophy, created by Greg Shepard, has
been used by thousands of athletes and championship teams, in all
sports, from Jr. High through the professional ranks. Although there
are some differences in these methods of training there are three
common threads that run throughout all of them. The workouts prescribed
and implemented in all of these different systems of training are:
1) highly organized 2) short in duration and 3) extremely intense.
Recommendations for athletes concerning days and times of strength
training including warm up:
In Season-2-4 days/week-15-25mins./workout
Post Season-3-4 days/week-45-60mins./workout
Pre Season-3-4 days/week-30-60 mins./workout
10. Encourage
Self Motivation
Although team strength training workouts are very important, the
success or downfall of the athlete has a lot to do with what the
athlete does between the strength workouts. Habits dealing with
sleep, diet, alcohol, drugs, study, and social life play an important
role in the athlete's success. If the athlete has "lost control"
in any of these areas he will greatly diminish his chances of reaching
his athletic potential. The champion athlete will evaluate him/herself
for weaknesses and do the extra workouts to fill in the deficiencies.
If he is inflexible he will work on becoming more flexible. If she
is not strong enough in the upper body she will spend more time
improving upper body strength. If foot speed or agility is a problem
the champion will spend extra time bettering his foot speed or agility.
The strength coach or sport coach will never "make" an
athlete into a champion nor "prevent" an athlete from
becoming a champion. The athlete makes a concrete decision to make
him/herself into a champion. Workouts designed and implemented by
the strength coach should allow for the athlete to have the energy
and desire to do extra workouts on their own. This allows the athlete
to develop creativity, individuality, leadership, and ownership
in their own success. In the long run, this will have a positive
effect on the whole team when strongly encouraged by the strength
and sport coaches.
Credit to Ethan Reeve, Director of
Strength and Conditioning Wake Forest University
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