Athletic Performance Component #1 Strength/Power Training Principles
Coaches and athletes from all sports must understand that there is truly no such thing as "sport-specific" strength training. Muscles are responsible for particular functions. When contracted, some muscles cause extension while others may cause flexion or elevation. Regardless of the sport, muscles perform the same function. The gluteus causes extension at the hip in a basketball player or a gymnast. Strengthening muscles allows for greater force to be produced during athletic movements. Combined with skill training, this increased force production potential will result in improved power. Because virtually all sports require the activation of all muscles and all body structures are subject to injury, all muscles must be trained with great emphasis.
The ultimate strength training program for a basketball player is the same as the ultimate strength training program for a gymnast. Professionals and organizations who claim otherwise usually do so in order to market to coaches and athletes of a particular sport and are often motivated by financial reasons.
FOUNDATIONS OF THE STRENGTH WORKOUT
The following components comprise a researched, systematic and comprehensive approach to strength training for the multi-sport athlete. Adherence to the following ten principles will result in productive strength training for athletes participating in any of a multitude of sports. Each of the ten components is outlined in detail.
1. Unification
A unified strength program is a program that has the support and total participation of all sport coaches and athletes. Confusion and doubt exists in the minds of athletes if coaches from different sports recommend different styles of strength training. For example, one coach may recommend fast speeds of movements while another coach recommends a slow and controlled speed of movement. The athlete is torn and is confused as to what approach will produce superior results. The athlete also questions the competency of both coaches and as a result, may be less motivated to make a commitment to the strength training program and sport participation in general.
2. Intensity
Besides genetics, an athlete's level of intensity is the most important factor influencing an individual's response to strength training. The concept of intensity is synonymous with overload and the overload principle, which states that a system must be stressed beyond its present capacity in order to stimulate an adaptive response. The preponderance of scientific research indicates that a high level of intensity, and not set and rep combinations, is the stimulus for maximal strength gain (Carpinelli and Otto 1998). A high level of intensity will stimulate positive morphological improvements including muscular hypertrophy and concurrent improvements in force generation ability.
The entire strength program must revolve around putting forth a high level of intensity. A high level of intensity is necessary in order to recruit as many muscle fibers as possible. In order to ensure a high level of intensity and corresponding maximal muscle fiber recruitment, athletes should train to the point of momentary muscular fatigue. Momentary muscular fatigue is the point where an athlete can no longer perform a repetition with perfect form. Essentially, athletes should be coached to perform as many reps as possible. "As many as possible" means that an athlete should never terminate a set when the prescribed number of repetitions is achieved or when an exercise becomes uncomfortable. When an athlete can no longer perform another rep, she must attempt a half of a rep or a quarter of a rep. When even an inch of movement is no longer possible, the athlete has reached momentary muscular fatigue. This is the type of effort that recruits a maximal number of muscle fibers and elicits optimal physical and mental adaptations. Additional sets or workout volume will not make up for a lack of intensity.
3. Progression
Strength training must not only be intense but must also be progressive. Every workout, on every exercise, the lifter must try to either increase the amount of resistance lifted or the number of repetitions performed. The attempt to improve either resistance or repetitions is known as a system of double progression. The following example illustrates the impact of progression. A freshman athlete performs the barbell bench press, for example, 12 repetitions with 65 lbs. If the athlete adds only 1 lb. to the bar each week...an amount that appears minuscule...by the athlete's senior year, she would be performing 12 repetitions at an astonishing 221 lbs! Although this amount of improvement is unlikely, the example illustrates the power of progression and the continual attempt to add more weight to an exercise.
4. Perfect Repetitions
Repetitions are truly the foundation of any strength training program. The goal of performing proper repetitions is to create tension within a muscle. Perfect repetitions can be achieved through adherence to the following checkpoints.
- Raise the resistance under control, thus minimizing momentum.
- Pause momentarily in the contracted position.
- Lower the resistance in a slow and controlled fashion.
- Change direction in a slow, smooth manner without incorporating momentum.
- Move through the greatest possible range of motion that safety allows.
- Avoid creating leverage by altering body position.
The time/intensity continuum dictates that there is probably no such thing as truly hard and long work (Peterson 1982). As intensity level increases, length of the activity must decrease. Because a high level of intensity is the stimulus for strength/power gains, brevity is a necessity.
Because high intensity exercise is so demanding on the physiological systems of the body, only small amounts can be tolerated. Only a limited amount of exercises can be performed in a workout and only a limited amount of workouts should be performed per week. An excess of volume will cause over training and will lead to little or no results. Because of these facts, training sessions should last between fifteen and sixty minutes and should be performed only two or three times per week.
All strength training workouts designed for the multi-sport athlete (or any athlete) should operate according to the dose response relationship of exercise (Brzycki 1999). An athlete should perform the minimum amount of exercise that will stimulate the desired response (gains in strength/power). Contrary to popular belief, more is not better when it comes to exercise. Conveniently, a strength training approach that yields optimal results also fits into the busy schedules, especially in-season schedules, of the multi-sport athlete.
6. Total Body Training
Every athlete should train the entire body, with equal emphasis placed on all exercises and muscular structures. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as "core" and "auxiliary" exercises. Likewise, specific exercises are not more important for specific athletes in specific sports. Athletic performance in all sports requires the muscular system to work synergistically. Thus, all muscular structures must be developed maximally. In order to illustrate this point an example used earlier in this chapter will be revisited. Coaches who work with throwing athletes (including baseball players, quarterbacks, and track and field throwers) often emphasize the performance of exercises for the anterior portion of the shoulder and chest, muscles that at first glance are apparently involved in the throwing motion. Although it is true that these muscles contribute to the throwing motion, posterior muscles such as the posterior deltoid and external rotators act to decelerate the arm during the throwing motion. If an athlete fails to train these muscles, which is often the case, the deceleration phase will have to be initiated earlier, thus spending less time in the acceleration phase of the throwing motion which results in a decrease in velocity. This example illustrates the importance of strength training for all muscular structures.
Also remember, a primary purpose of strength training is to decrease injury. Because all muscular structures and the joints in which they create articulation around are subject to injury, all muscular structures must be strength trained in order to prevent injury.
7. Variety
Variety allows athlete's to avoid mental and physical boredom and will often make an athlete's training experience more challenging and enjoyable.
Variety can be achieved by:
- Implementing all forms of resistance including free weights, machines, and manual resistance; all of which are effective if used properly
- Varying repetition speed. A standard repetition speed of 2 second concentric, 4-second eccentric is often recommended. However, many protocols can vary repetition speed. An example of this is the 10-10 protocol in which the weight is raised for ten seconds and lowered for ten seconds. Slowing down repetition speed is an effective method for increasing muscular tension and subsequent muscle fiber recruitment.
- Varying number of repetitions. Varying repetition ranges from three to twenty repetitions (often determined by repetition speed) exposes athletes to a variety of challenges while still fatiguing and overloading the targeted musculature.
- Varying order of exercises.
- Varying exercise movement plane. Multi-joint and single joint pushing and pulling exercises can be performed in all planes including vertical (below shoulders), incline, supine, decline, and vertical (below shoulders).
- Varying actual workouts performed. Athletes can cycle through a number of different workouts that are revisited weekly or every other week.
Exercises or activities that increase the potential for injury, either acute or chronic need not be performed. There is no reason to perform any potentially dangerous exercise if there is a safer alternative. A list of exercises and activities that should not be performed due to their inherently high risk of injury or lack of effectiveness include any exercise that incorporates the use of momentum to help raise the weight, any form of cleans, snatches, mimicking or imitating a skill with resistance added to it, and plyometrics.
9. Recording
All pertinent workout information must be recorded in order to track performance of all athletes. Every set of every exercise of every workout in the strength program should be viewed as a test. Thus, no other "traditional" testing need be performed. Examination of the workout card will provide all tracking of improvements in strength and power.
The workout card should provide allow for recording of the following information:
- Machine/exercise seat adjustments
- Number of perfect repetitions achieved
- Amount of resistance used.
- Date workout is performed.
- Injury status of Athlete.
The success of a strength training program relies on the supervision and coaching that each athlete receives. Athletes should always strength train with a partner or a coach who essentially personally trains the athlete. The training partner should not be viewed merely as a spotter, but instead as a coach who makes demands and provides specific feedback on repetition speed, exercise form, and posture. Performance related feedback and motivation are essential in order for an athlete to provide an all out effort.
PROGRAM ORGANIZATION
Nearly all coaches and athletes now appreciate the importance and impact a strength training program can have on the athletic performance of an individual and team. Many athletes train extensively in the summer or seasons leading up to their particular competitive sport season. Unfortunately, many athletes and coaches make the mistake of discontinuing strength training when practices and competitions begin. The reasons for this are widespread and are founded in a misunderstanding about the purpose and enormous potential benefit of intense in-season strength training. Dan Riley, legendary strength and conditioning coach for the NFL's Houston Texans and former head strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Redskins and Penn State University compares strength training in the off-season and not during the in-season with studying in June, July and August for an exam that will be taken in December. Although the student may learn the information, as time passes, the information is lost and exam the score is poor (Riley 2003). The same is true with strength training. Because strength is lost rapidly, any physiological benefits stimulated by off-season training are rapidly lost when training is discontinued. Any improvements made in the off-season would be completely lost by the beginning to middle of the competitive season. When deciding whether or not to continue strength training during the in season, coaches and athletes must remind themselves that the most important time to be strong is during the in-season. Often times, the schedule of the multi-sport athlete provides little or no off-season. In-season strength training is imperative for these athletes.
Many coaches and athletes do choose to strength train during the in season. However, many coaches and athletes adopt the philosophy to attempt to "maintain" strength levels during the in season. "Maintaining" strength levels achieved during the off-season as opposed to attempting to improve throughout the season makes as much sense as just "maintaining" skill level throughout the sport season as opposed to continually improving skills, adding more plays to the offense or defense, and refining execution of strategies. The goal of every athlete should be to continually improve strength levels throughout the entire season (just as they would aim to improve all other components of the athlete's profile). In-season strength training is crucial for athletes of all sports to achieve optimal athletic performance.
