Designing-Strength-Training-Programs-and-Facilities-Mike-Boyle.pdf

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities

1

Acknowledgements In Functional Training for Sports I was able to acknowledge all of the people who have been so influential in my development as a coach. As I finish my second book I realize that some people are responsible for your development as a person. My family and I journeyed across the country to have what I have come to describe as “The Wizard of Oz’ experience. At the end of the movie Dorothy realizes that everything she wanted was right in her own backyard. My family and I now know the same thing. I want to thank all those who make it possible for me to think and write and speak. It is a joy to do something you love every day. I would also like to thank Laura Hambly, an intelligent and wonderful editor. Last, Cindy, Michaela and Mark who make me realize that it’s not about money or fame but about being with the ones you love.

1


Introduction Chapter 1- Designing and Equipping Your Facility Chapter 2- Building a Strong Foundation Chapter 3- Designing the Perfect Program Chapter 4- Core Training Chapter 5- Explosive Training Chapter 6- Knee-Dominant Exercises Chapter 7- Hip-Dominant Exercises Chapter 8- Upper-Body Pulling and Pressing Exercises Chapter 9- Choosing a System of Training Chapter 10- Creating Effective Workouts Chapter 11- Conditioning Chapter 12- Computerizing Your Program Chapter 13- Designing Programs for Teams or Groups

2

2


Remember, you can’t believe everything you read, and you shouldn’t read only what you believe.

3

3


4

Preface This is the book I always wanted to write: A serious strength training manual for coaches who want to get the most out of their athletes. My previous book, Functional Training for Sports, was meant to be a more mainstream piece intended for athletes, coaches and trainers. Although I believe that I succeeded with Functional Training for Sports I wanted to write a book for those serious strength and conditioning professionals that I consider my peers. I will intentionally not go into great detail about areas that I feel I covered well in the first book. I do, however, update areas that I feel differently about now than I did 2 years ago when the majority of my first book was written. Instead the focus of this book is on how to put a program together. I hope that this book will be the type of book I coveted in my early years. The Charlie Francis Training System (now Training for Speed) and Bill Starr’s The Strong Shall Survive hold those places in my mind. I believe that those works formed the foundation of my thought process for 20 plus years. I hope you enjoy.

Introduction

4


5

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities is a “how to” book. The book moves from the task of equipping a weight room, through a discussion of programming concepts, and eventually into actual workouts with detailed explanation. I hope that this book will be what every aspiring, strength and conditioning coach is looking for. A basic primer on how to get things done and why. The concepts are meant to be simple and utilitarian. What equipment do I need? How many plates do I need? How much space do I need? How many sets and reps should I have my athletes do? What exercises work best? All of these questions will be answered in one place. The information in this book is one mans opinion. However, it is opinion based on over twenty years of working in rooms that were not perfect, with budgets that were small or nonexistent. I’m not trying to say this is the only way to do things, only to say that the advice in this book might be most efficient and effective way to do things. This book is perfect for the high school coach or small college coach who has to deal with the realities of time, space and money. When reading this book it is very important that you put aside any preconceived notions about the process of strength and conditioning. Think about practicing the art of common sense. While you read keep your mind open. Often good ideas seem so simple that we discount them based only on their simplicity. As coaches and as personal trainers we continue to jump on and off the latest bandwagons. Try to stay with ideas that work and, be wary of anything that seems too good to be true; it probably is. This book is based on the belief that athletes are not limited by genetics. Speed, movement ability, strength and power are all qualities that can and should be improved. Good strength and conditioning coaches are constantly scrutinizing their programs. Every day I learn something that makes me change the program. These are not knee jerk reactions but rather the acceptance that there are many coaches and therapists pushing the envelope and

5


6

developing better techniques. Although my previous book, Functional Training for Sports has been in print for less than two years, this book contains numerous updates. If an exercise appears in both books it is to provide new information or updates since Functional Training for Sports was written. The attempt is not to replace my previous book but, to update and expand on the ideas. No attempts are made to copy the programs of successful teams or athletes. Instead I evaluate each technique or concept for inclusion. Many coaches simply attempt to duplicate the program of the most successful team. Remember that much of that success may be due to recruiting, coaching or genetics. Instead of copying successful teams or individuals, seek out the techniques of those who consistently produce great results in less than great situations. Another warning. Don’t copy the muscle magazine routines. Often coaches make the mistake of trying to use workouts designed by people using performance-enhancing drugs for people using performance enhancing drugs. Usually this is based on the “Soand-so does this exact same routine” Athletes using performance enhancing drugs can tolerate higher loads, higher volumes, and more frequent training. MORE IS NOT BETTER. Most young athletes and many young coaches feel that if two sets are good then four sets are obviously better. In truth you may be overtaxing the body and disrupting the recuperative process. When you think of a strength program try to remind yourself that strength training is a simple game of stimulus-response. The actual workout is a stimulus. The response occurs after the workout. The response is affected by the quality of the workout and by the quality of the recovery. Rest and nutrition have as much to do with your success as does the program. The real key to a successful strength program is injury reduction. I used to use the term “injury prevention” but, in reality only divine intervention can prevent injury. “Injury reduction” is a better

6


7

representation of the goal. Semantics aside, statistics don’t lie. If your injuries decrease and your wins increase you’re being successful. Wins can obviously be affected by talent and coaching but in general injury trends will not be as affected by these factors. Just remember your number one goal is injury reduction, and your number two goal is performance enhancement. During my 15 years of college coaching I noticed an interesting trend. As we evolved from a traditional power/ Olympic lifting based program to a more functionally-based program, our strength numbers stayed consistent but our injury incidence decreased drastically. Think about this fact as you read.

7


Chapter 1- Designing and Equipping Your Facility

8

8


9

The first chapter is about equipping a facility because mistakes at this point will determine how well you will be able to design a program. Great ideas are simply great ideas if the logistics of the facility prevent them from being turned into great programs. Mistakes in choosing equipment are expensive to undo. In order to properly equip a facility a coach or athletic trainer needs to Figure 1.1- Adjustable Flat to Incline Bench consider usage and subsequent traffic flow. It is clear that the selfcontained power area approach yields the greatest weight room usage per square foot. I don’t know any coach who thinks that he or she has enough space. With the emphasis on functional training, space has become more important than equipment. This means that equipment must in our current computer dominated language “multitask”. In simplest Figure 1.2- Power Rack terms the self contained power area (SCPA) is a power rack (Figure 1.2), an adjustable flat to incline bench (Figure 1.1), and a set of Olympic lifting blocks (Figure 1.3). This combination when used properly can allow athletes to perform almost any exercise desired in a small area and, with proper planning makes for great use per square foot. Each SCPA takes up approximately 50 sq ft but, projections should be for 100 sq. ft per station (more on this later).

9


10

One important suggestion, don’t buy the currently popular half- racks (Figure 1.4). Half-racks have become increasingly popular over the past five years but, the truth is a half-rack is actually a half of a power rack that doesn’t cost half as much but is in fact half as useful. Figure 1.3- Pulling blocks for performing Olympic lifts from Hang Positions

Hal fup

racks are designed with pullbars but, the reality is that you can’t simultaneously use the rack for squats and pull-ups because the squat bar is in the way. With a full power rack athletes can pair (more on this concept when we get to the actual workouts) a squatting movement with a chinning movement and actually use the front and back of the rack. Half racks look good but function poorly. Pay a few extra bucks and get full power racks. Figure 1.5 clearly shows how utilitarian a weight room can be when properly designed. A room designed around the self-contained power area concept is literally made for team or group usage. This is in contrast to the weight rooms of the ‘80s and ‘90s that were often designed in what I would call “Noah’s Figure1.4- Half Rack- Same price, half as useful

10


11

Ark” style. In the Noah’s Ark weight room, the coach simply ordered two of everything. The rooms often resembled Gold’s Gym more than a strength and conditioning facility. These types of facilities were not at all conducive to team or group training. In fact a facility designed with too much machinery actually causes bottlenecks as athletes wait for a particular piece of equipment that is in short supply. With a self contained power area and a large supply of dumbbells athletes will never wait for equipment.

Figure 1.5- The picture of efficiency with 10 SCPA’s

11


12

The next illustration ( figure 1.6) is potentially the most space efficient. The rack depicted can be combined with 2 adjustable benches and 2 sets of clean blocks to provide maximum usage per square foot.

Figure 1.6 – Custom designed two-sided rack from Pro Star Sports The down side to this type of setup is that athletes will need to share a mirror. On the plus side, 6-8 athletes can perform their entire workout in this small space. The athletes working on the side closest to the mirror would Olympic lift from clean blocks while the athletes farthest from the mirror would Olympic lift from technique scoops. ( see Figure 1.7)

12


13

Figure 1.7- Technique Scoops

Think about equipping each side of the rack as a separate area. Two bars, a bench, a full set of dumbbells, and all of the little tools like balance pads and mini-slideboards should be purchased for each rack. Essential Equipment List The following is a sample equipment list. I have included what I feel are the necessary items for a moderate budget facility. I have also included things like bands and medicine balls. These items should be included when you do your budget for one simple reason. You may not get a second chance. Purchasing is a funny thing. You seem to get one large shot. In university settings you don’t score any extra points for coming in under budget. The only thing coming in under budget ever gets you is a smaller budget. Spend every cent. In fact go over. Be a little extravagant. It will give you room if they ask you to cut the proposed budget.

Number

Item

Cost

13

Total

Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities 4

Power Racks

600

2400

4 8 9 1 4 8 4 4 16 8 5 10 15 15 20 3 2 5 30 2 24 2 3 1 1 3 5 10 10 10 6 6 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 3

Adjustable Benches Olympic Sets Plate Trees Dumbbells 5-120(2.5 incr.) Adjustable Cable Columns Clean Blocks Slideboards Double Dumbbell Racks 20 K Bumpers 10 K Bumpers Airex Pads Airex Mats Flexbands Lateral Resistors Medicine Balls DynaMax Medicine Balls Med Ball Racks Stability Balls Foam Rollers ABC Ladders Flat Rings Cat Overspeed Sleds Functional Training Grids Pro BodyBlade Calf Roller 30" Hurdles 12" Hurdles 6" Hurdles Hurdle Extenders Belts Dip Belts Extreme Balance Boards Weight Vests Sandbags Scale Back Extension Benches Set Plyo Boxes Precor Elliptical StepMill Treadmills

400 500 495 4000 1500 100 400 300 100 75 45 45 15 15 30 80 200 30 15 90 4 75 150 230 199 50 80 10 10 7 15 30 100 90 35 300 600 500 4000 2000 6000

1600 4000 4455 4000 6000 800 1600 1200 1600 600 225 450 225 225 600 240 400 150 450 180 96 150 450 230 199 150 400 100 100 70 90 180 100 180 70 300 1200 500 4000 2000 18000 59965

14

14


15

Facility Design Guidelines Bill Kroll wrote an excellent series of articles for the NSCA journal in the 80’s on facility design that is still unmatched in my mind. The concepts Kroll advocated have dictated how I designed and redesigned weight rooms for the last 10 years. ( see recommended readings) In simple terms Kroll advocated the self contained power areas discussed previously and gave very specific guidelines for design of the room. 100 square feet of space per person- This means if you have a team of 25 players that you would like to train at the same time, you would need a minimum of 2500 sq. ft. This is a minimum for a facility using the self-contained power area concept and minimal machines or cardiovascular pieces. This is the number one mistake that strength coaches, or anyone else planning a facility makes. One hundred square feet accounts for people plus essential equipment. Architects will often feel that the room size allotted is too large, but they are not thinking about the combination of people and equipment. This is a common mistake made in many arena weight rooms when architects become involved. Use 100 sq. ft per team member as a bare minimum. Use a larger number like 150 if you plan on having a large amount of single station equipment. If you would like a large open space for warm-up or post workout stretching, budget this in also. You will never get a second chance to add more space unless you move to a new facility. Get as much space as possible and don’t worry about equipping it. The old weight room philosophy was to set up a health club like environment. I previously referred to this as the Noah’s Ark weight room. In reality having one or two of any piece of equipment only creates problems and bottlenecks. My feeling is that you need to have at least four of something to use it in a team program, otherwise you create funnels. This is what makes the self-contained

15


16

power area so attractive. I would advocate having as many of these set-ups as you can fit and having little else. As Much Ceiling Height as Possible- Specify at least 12 feet. 10 feet is the bare minimum for six foot tall athletes to perform overhead lifts. Remember that you have to factor in athlete height, athlete arm length, platform height and the diameter of a 20 kilogram or 45 pound plate. Architects will not think about these factors. In addition a room with a lot of ceiling height is more aesthetically pleasing. Mirrors 24 inches off the floor- This means that no one will ever lean a plate and break a mirror. I know that athletes aren’t supposed to lean plates against the wall but, they always do and low mirrors get broken. Don’t let your architect fir out your walls- What does this mean? For aesthetic reasons architects will often want to cover a block wall with sheetrock. Don’t let them. With current trends in Medicine Ball training you can never have enough walls to throw against. Throwing a medicine ball with a partner does not compare to throwing against a wall. Equipment Guidelines 10 ft per Olympic Bar- People will always counter with statements like “An Olympic bar is only 7 feet long” but again they are not thinking about having space between bars to load and unload plates. Allotting 10 feet per bar means that each bar will have a three foot space between the ends. This means that there will be no accidents loading and unloading bars. To make it simple you would need 40 feet of uninterrupted wall space for four self contained power areas. The only exception here is that you can have one-and-a half feet at the beginning or end of any row of racks and still have a safe environment.

16


17

1.5

7ft 3ft 7ft 3ft 7ft 3ft 7ft 1.5 ft Bar Bar Bar Bar __ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ ___ _______ __ This diagram shows how a four-rack layout would work on forty foot wall. One-and-a half feet is fine at either end of a run, but three feet is essential between bars. No 35 pound plates- This is a simple money saver. 35’s take up rack space, make your racks unorganized and provide no benefit. You just need 25’s and 10’s. Save your money, don’t buy 35’s. Twice as many 10 pound plates as 25’s, 5’s and 2.5’s- Why you ask? Simple. Many weight combinations will require two ten pound plates on each end of the bar. This is never the case with twenty five pound plates, five pound plates or 2.5 pound plates. Two 10s make a 20, not a 25. As result you always need twice as many 10s as 25’s,5’s or 2.5’s. Compressed and welded dumbbells in 2.5 lb increments or PowerBlock dumbbells- Dumbbells are normally sold in five pound increments. This seems standard. However, a few companies notably Samson Equipment and Sorinex, manufacture their own dumbbells in 2.5 - pound increments. Why is this such a big deal you ask? Custom-manufactured dumbbells in 2.5-pound increments are ideal. Five-pound increments do not allow younger or less-trained athletes to progress at reasonable rates. For example when lessexperienced athletes advance from two 15-pound dumbbells to two 20-pound dumbbells, they are progressing from 30 pounds to 40 pounds, an increase of 33 percent. Would you ask a stronger athlete to go from 60-pound dumbbells to 80pound dumbbells in one week? My experience with Athletes’

17


Performance has made me a fan of the PowerBlock and SportBlock systems. Although potentially more expensive than conventional dumbbells PowerBlocks and SportBlocks save space and eliminate the problem of “who’s using the tens?”. With the adjustable dumbbell system every set has the capacity to provide an interchangeable weight. For anyone contemplating outfitting a home gym this is clearly the route to go. 15-, 25-, and 35-pound Olympic Bars—Many young and or female athletes have little or no strength training background and may need lighter bars to begin with. Buy Olympic bars that take Olympic plates. Many companies now stock these new bars. Don’t use conventional bars and one-inch-hole plates. Younger athletes should look like everyone else in the weight room. Why is this important? In the psychology of a strength training facility younger or weaker athletes are often intimidated just by being in the facility. Providing them with equipment that allows them to “fit in” drastically increase enjoyment and compliance. 1.25-pound PlateMates®—If you have only five-poundincrement dumbbells, Plate-Mates are the solution. PlateMates are simply 1.25-pound magnets that allow you to increase a dumbbell’s weight by 2.5 pounds (one PlateMate on each side). Make sure to purchase the proper PlateMates for your style of dumbbell, hexagonal or round. Round PlateMates do not work well on hexagonal dumbbells and could pose a safety hazard 1.25-pound Olympic plates—1.25-pound Olympic plates are not common but can be purchased. The same logic described earlier applies. Moving from 45 pounds to 50 pounds is only a 5-pound jump, but it is also a 10 percent jump. Many female athletes will not be able to make this type of progression. The male example again illustrates this point. Ask a male athlete

18

18


19

to jump from 300 to 330 on the bench press in one week. This is only a 10 percent jump, but would be impossible for any athlete. The key to designing and equipping a facility is to think about who you are going to train. How many people will use the facility and at what times? You need to look at age, gender and level of experience. You need to design the facility with success in mind. When designing think about multi-purpose, user-friendly equipment and lots of space. Those are the keys. Success is not about fancy equipment but, about facility function. Think of your facility as a factory to produce strength, speed, and power.

19


20

20


21

Chapter 2 – Building a Strong Foundation A strong foundation is not only the key to building a home, but a successful strength and conditioning program as well. The old adage about not building a house on sand could not be truer. A good program, like a good house needs a strong foundation. However, the converse can also be true. The foundation should be the underpinnings on which the program is based, but the foundation should not completely determine the function of the house. In our modern world we still want modern kitchens and baths and wiring for the internet to go with our strong foundation. What does all this have to do with strength and conditioning? I believe that too many coaches never build past the foundation. Olympic lifting, and powerlifting are excellent systems that teach a strong technical background and emphasize multi-joint lifts. However, much like the invention of modern plumbing and the internet, strength and conditioning is constantly advancing. To be successful we need to advance with it. Functional training, core training and the proper use of unstable surfaces are only a few of the examples of advances that should be embraced and incorporated into a sound program. We have far too many ostriches in our profession, content to coach with their head in the sand (or possibly someplace else). I trace my foundation back through Al Vermeil ( 8 World Championships) and Mike Woicek (Four Super Bowl wins) to Ken Leistner ( The Steel Tip) and Bill Starr ( The Strong Shall Survive). I have listened to and read the works of all these men and, have never moved away from the basic concepts they taught. However, I have also incorporated the work of great minds in rehab like Mike Clark, Gray Cook and Kevin Wilk. Remember the most frightening person in the world is the one who believes he has all the answers. I spend countless hours reading and listening to people in the field of strength and conditioning, rehab, psychology and business. The

21


22

more research and reading you do, the more you realize how little you really know. When starting a strength and conditioning program coaches frequently try to do too much too soon. The real key to developing a successful program is to decide what you want your athletes to learn and focus on one lift per day. At clinics I often speak with coaches who are interested in starting or improving the strength and conditioning program at their schools. Most often they are looking for guidance in setting up the program and, almost always want to talk sets and reps. Coaches ask “Should I do BFS?” “Should I use the Husker Program?” etc. Much to their dismay, I generally want to discuss organization and administrative concepts because, in my experience, these are the real keys to a successful program. Setup and execution make the program run not sets and reps. If you get one thing out of this book remember this quote. “A bad program done well is better than a good program done poorly”. A bad program done with consistency and effort will be more beneficial than a great program done inconsistently and with little effort. Keep it simple, and adhere strictly to the following guidelines: 1) Make sure all your athletes are on board. If you are starting a high school program or taking over a collegiate program forget uncooperative seniors. The major source of frustration in starting a high school or college program is dealing with seniors who already “know how to lift”. Separate these guys out right away. If they don’t cooperate, get rid of them. They’ll be gone soon anyway.

22


23

2) Perform one coaching- intensive lift per day. What do I mean by a coaching-intensive lift? Exercises like front squats or any Olympic movement are coaching-intensive. Coaches must watch every possible set to help ingrain into their athletes the correct motor pattern. If athletes are doing front squats and hang cleans the same day, which do you watchthe platforms or the squats racks? Don’t force yourself to make this decision. For example do split squats instead of front squats on the day that you clean and do push-ups instead of bench press on the day you front squat. On front squat day, don’t do an Olympic movement, do box jumps as your explosive exercise. This process of doing one coaching intensive lift per day may only last a year, but it insures that your athletes won’t be practicing poor patterns with no supervision. 3) Get all your administrative work done prior to the start of sessions. The biggest failure in strength and conditioning is coaches sitting at computers instead of coaching. If you need workouts done on computer, do them during nontraining time. The job is strength and conditioning coach. Don’t get caught up, as many coaches do, in having great programs on paper and, lousy lifters. Let the paperwork suffer and do the coaching. 4) Coach. This is what it is all about. Coach like this is your sport. So many coaches ask, “Can you give me a program? I always give the same answer. “I could but it wouldn’t work”. Our programs are not appropriate for beginners. Beginners need teaching, not programs. The program begins and ends with technical proficiency. Coaches must realize that their athletes are the window through which others see them. If another college coach came into your weight room would you be proud or ashamed? Would you make excuses for the poor technique or, accept the pats on the back for what great lifters your athletes are? The other factor, even more important than your athletes being the window through which

23


24

others see you, is that your athletes are the mirror in which you see yourself. Your lifters are a direct reflection of you. When you watch your athletes are you happy with yourself as a teacher and coach. 5) Technique, Technique, Technique. Never compromise. Perform parallel squats all the time. Our athletes do nothing but front squats to a top of the thigh parallel position. In fact we will use 12” plyo boxes to guarantee depth. We ask athletes to squat to a box that places the femur parallel to the floor. Although we may need different size boxes for different size athletes we will arrive at a point for each athlete that defines parallel for that athlete. Keep in mind that these are not West Side Barbell box squats. The athlete touches the box to insure depth. If you bench press, no bounce, no arch. Never compromise. As soon as you allow one athlete to cheat or to not adhere to the program others will follow immediately. Remember why athletes cheat. They cheat to lift more weight. Lifting more weight feeds their ego. If you allow it to happen, cheating is very difficult to stop. To make your point use exercises like pause bench and pause front squats. These exercises can be very humbling. Canadian Strength Coach Charles Poliquin has a principle he calls Technical Failure that I love. Technical failure means that you never count a rep that was completed after technique broke down. This principle will encourage your athletes to lift properly. I consistently tell my athletes that I don’t care how many reps they do, I care you many good reps they do. 6) Use bodyweight when possible and practical. Always teach body-weight squats first. If athletes can’t bodyweight squat, they can’t squat. Period. They must be able to get through the range of motion. It is normal to be able to squat to a parallel position. Athletes who cannot may need work on hip mobility, ankle mobility or lateral hamstring stretching. In addition do lots of push-ups, feet-elevated push-ups, one-leg

24


25

squats, chin-ups and dips. Body-weight exercise is humbling. Use it early and often with beginners. Not only will athletes learn to respect their body weight, but they will see the value of these “simple” exercises. 7) If you test, test super strict. Testing is when things really deteriorate. In a testing situation the coach should see every lift, and the coach should select every weight. Don’t reward strength, reward improvement. Rewarding strength is a huge mistake that I believe encourages drug use. Reward improvement, make athletes compete with themselves, not others. Don’t use t-shirts or record boards for rewards unless they reward improvement over personal bests. If you feel you must test strength, also test performance indicators like Vertical Jump and 10-yard dash. If athletes are improving strength without changing performance factors the program is only marginally effective 8) Have appropriate equipment. This was covered in the previous chapter but, bears repeating. Many companies now sell 15 and 25 lb Olympic bars. These are critical to a good program. Platemates allow athletes to make reasonable jumps with dumbbells. Spend money to encourage success. Success is what sells the program. Strength and conditioning coaching may seem easy in principle, but difficult in practice. The key to a successful program is to try to see every set and, coach every athlete. This is difficult, time consuming, and repetitive. In fact it is impossible. At the end of a good day in the weight room you should be hoarse and tired. A good strength coach will have sore legs and knees from squatting down to see squat depth all day.

25


26

26


27

Chapter 3-Designing the Perfect Program Program design and exercise selection are simple concepts that we make much more complex than necessary. You don’t need to be trendy or cute in your exercise selection. In fact in my thirty years of training and coaching the basics have not changed much. What has changed is that we now have a better understanding of why exercises have stood the test of time. Concepts like closed kinetic chain exercise and functional training only serve to validate what some of the early geniuses of strength and conditioning like Bill Starr, Fred Hatfield and Ken Leistner, already knew. One of the funniest things I encounter as I travel and write are people who assume things about the way I coach (we know what they say about assuming). Because of the success of Functional Training for Sports many people expect to find my athletes doing all sorts of outlandish exercises. Most coaches who actually take the time to visit are shocked to see our athletes performing front squats, hang cleans, and bench presses. The reality is that our athletes don’t stray far from the basics and usually when they do it is for good reason. We will always make changes that we think will result in improvement. Our job as strength and conditioning coaches is to reduce the incidence of injury and to enhance performance. Without some element of change, you simply accept the status quo. Remember the old cliché, “ If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got”. In the simplest terms, utilize the lifts that teach (or force) your athletes or clients to do what you want them to do. Personal trainers and coaches need to look at what they feel are the common errors of his clients or athletes and then design a program that includes exercises that will correct those errors. Much of this has been alluded to previously but bears repeating.

27


28

For example, consider this list of exercises: 1) Bodyweight lower body exercises 2) Front squats 3) “Box” front squats- not the “sit down” variety 4) Pause or slow eccentric bench Why are these exercises important? Because they all represent an exercise variation that corrects a critical flaw. • Body-weight lower-body exercises get people on their feet. That’s where life is. • Front squats virtually eliminate the back stress and technique flaws of squatting. • Box squats force depth and create hip mobility and actually reduce the load on the spine in terms of compression and torque ( forward lean). • Pause bench presses or eccentric emphasis bench presses eliminates bouncing and arching. Good exercise selection is purposeful and is designed to eliminate mistakes and correct errors. Obviously there are other criteria for exercise selection. I like Coach Mike Burgener’s ( Rancho Buena Vista HS, CA) Yes to the 4th Power idea: • Is it done standing? • Is it multi-joint? • Is it done with free weights? • Is it characteristic of explosive sports You can’t always adhere to Coach Burgener’s philosophy but, it’s a great place to start.

28


29

Program Design Basics It is amazing how often coaches and trainers violate what I consider to be the most basic rules of program design. The information that follows is not just my opinion: it represents a consensus of most successful strength coaches. In program design, certain rules must be followed to achieve success. Explosive Movements First. If you are using Olympic lifts they should always be done first in the program. I will discuss Olympic lifting in greater detail in chapter 5, but I must emphasize here that exercises with high technical and neural demand must be done at the beginning of a strength training session. I generally judge programs initially based on this one point. If an athlete asks me to look at a program and I see that the program calls for them to perform an Olympic lift after they bench or squat I automatically disregard the rest of the program and usually the writer. This may be an overreaction on my part, but I feel strongly about the basics. Exercises that stress the nervous system, like the Olympic lifts, must be done when both the muscular and nervous systems are fresh. This not only insures the effectiveness of the lifts but makes them much safer. The Olympic lifts require a high degree of skill and coordination and athletes must be as fresh as possible prior to performing these types of exercises. Multi-joint exercises second. This concept has been stated over and over and will be stated one more time for emphasis. Most coaches get this part right. Very rarely will you see a program that prioritizes single joint exercise over multi-joint exercise. Forget single-joint exercise. Most single-joint exercise is a waste of time! I am shocked when I see programs that are still performing single joint exercise. There are some exceptions, like hip abduction

29


30

and adduction and scapulo-thoracic work. However, exercises like leg extensions, leg curls and tricep pressdowns have little value to athletes. The time spent, or wasted, on these exercises can be utilized to add exercises that have the same goal but, far greater benefit. Single joint exercise for hinge joints like the knee and the elbow are a waste of time. Don’t let anyone sell you on the “injury prevention” angle. A good single leg progression and some bridging will prevent or reduce injury incidence far better than single joint machines. Limit machine use. This is another statement that I didn’t think I would have to make. Sometimes you can overestimate how far the field has come. The only machines that are necessary in an athletic strength and conditioning program are adjustable cable columns or the new functional trainers. Adjustable cable columns allow rotary training ( chopping and lifting actions) as well as standing row movements. Every other exercise can be done better with a weight than with a machine. The silliest trend in machines is machines that now mimic conventional free weight exercises. There is a reason that most machine companies have begun to manufacture benches and squat racks in addition to their machines. The machine companies see the handwriting on the wall. The best thing to have for a great program is space. Machines rob you of space. Whenever I look at a machine I ask myself how much use I could get out of that square footage. Never more than 10 reps unless you want endurance. Eight reps may even be better. One mistake I have made over my career is probably spending too much time on foundational, hypertrophy type exercise. I think, in reality, athletes need to lift heavy weights and have great variety in programming. However if the objective is strength they need to lift heavy. My proposed solution is to do hypertrophy type work, but in a 5-10-20 type format to get some low rep emphasis (This is a variation of Charles Poliquin’s 6-12-24

30


31

program). This means that even in the high rep phases the athlete is still doing a heavy set of five reps. We generally do: 5 reps at 82 percent 10 reps at 70 percent 20 reps at 58 percent. These sets are done in descending order. This means that the heavy set is done first. Do I break my own rule in this phase? Yes. The twenty rep set is for endurance and targets a different type of muscle fiber. The important part of this sequence is that it hits all ends of the spectrum. Strength is maintained with the five rep set and endurance and hypertrophy addressed with the ten and twenty. Do this for one multi-joint exercise per day or you will overtrain your clients or athletes. How can you select the weights? Simply subtract 12% from the five set for the ten and again for the 20. Ex Bench 200 x5 (- 24) = 175x10 ( -21 lbs) = 155x20 ( weights rounded to the lower number) Perform low reps with heavier weights if you do not want to develop size. This is not a misprint. The idea of light weights and lots of reps for athletes that don’t want to build size is one of the biggest lies in the training and coaching world. Just do less weight and more reps so you won’t get big? Bodybuilders have been doing the exact opposite for years with great success. Volume builds hypertrophy. Remember volume not weight builds size. Know how long the workout takes! Be realistic. I can’t tell you the number of programs that I have read that don’t add up. Look at the time that each set will take and look at the rest time allotted. Do the math. I’ve seen programs that if done as indicated would have taken three hours. 20 sets is a good guideline for an hour workout. When you design a program, take the time to do the math and then to try out the program to make sure that your estimates are

31


32

accurate. Allot 1 minute for each set and at least one minute between sets. Even this is fast. At this pace you could get in 20 sets in forty minutes. Understand and use tempo. Tempo is often talked about but, rarely used. Jay Schroeder has begun to re-popularize isometric exercise with his “holds” and the excellent work of Canadian strength coach Christian Thibedeau has really made eccentric training much easier to implement. Both of these systems rely heavily on tempo. Tempo is simply a measure of the time that a repetition takes. Tempo is usually described with three numbers, the first indicating the eccentric portion of the lift, the second indicating the time to pause at the midpoint (zero indicates a touch and go rep) and the last number is the concentric phase. In other words, if I did a normal rep I would exhibit a 1-0-1 tempo. I have a few opinions on tempo: • Normal tempo is 1-0-1. I have watched and timed lots of lifters recently and was surprised that even a normal controlled rep was clearly 1-0-1. • I don’t love pauses because most athletes have difficulty holding a tight position during the pause. • I don’t like slow concentric movements. • I guess this means that for me tempo variation would mean lengthening the eccentric contraction • Christian Thibedeau has come up with some excellent guidelines for eccentric training. I will confess that I tried eccentric training in the past with little success and the primary reason was that I believed what I read. Research tells us that a lifter should be able to handle more weight eccentrically, than concentrically. Some estimates have run up to 120% of concentric max. If you believe this, you are doomed to failure. If you can bench 300 pounds try lowering 360 pounds under control. I don’t believe that most athletes could do an actual controlled eccentric with even 100 percent of their max. What you would actually see is a yielding

32


33

isometric where the athlete just attempts to control the descent. An athlete may eventually be able to lower more weight than they can raise but, the athletes that I coach are not even close. I don’t know where the studies were done that imply that athletes can lower more weight than they can raise but, it doesn’t appear to be true. Most athletes are not used to lowering the bar with control and actually lift via elasticity. As a result, they are not able to lower the bar with control. To develop eccentric strength ( which will enhance concentric strength), Thibedeau recommends the following: 75% 8 sec lowering 2 reps per set 80% 6 sec lowering 1 rep per set 85% 4 sec lowering 1 rep per set (2004,p40) One way to look at eccentric training is to think that the number of seconds of controlled eccentric contraction should be roughly equal to the number of concentric reps you can do. In other words if you bench press 225 for 5 reps, you should be able to lower 225 for 5 seconds. Interestingly enough, Charles Poliquin another Canadian Strength coach recommends 30-70 seconds of time under tension for hypertrophy so the concept of tempo follows closely into the concept of time under tension. Time under tension. Time under tension is simply the total amount of time that a set takes from start to finish. In other words 10 reps at a 1-0-1 tempo would yield 20 seconds of time under tension. The interesting thing about this is that most hypertrophy workouts don’t include enough time under tension to truly stimulate hypertrophy. For hypertrophy, sets need to last at least 30 seconds so a ten rep set would need to be done at a 2-0-1 tempo at the bare minimum to produce significant hypertrophy. An 8 rep set would need to be done at 3-0-1. The Essential Components of a Sound Program

33


34

In my mind, a sound strength program must contain all of the qualities that follow. Omission of any one component sets the athlete up for imbalances and may eventually lead to injury or to increased risk of injury. • Pillar Strength. You can call it core strength or anything else you want but, understand it and do it. •

Power Exercises- this means Olympic lifts (Figure 3.1) if you are comfortable with them, but pieces like the Vertimax, exercises like jump squats or medicine balls can also develop total body power

Figure 3.1 Two time Olympian Tricia Dunn performing a close grip snatch

34


•

35

Knee Dominant Exercise- basically single and double-leg squats (Figure 3.2). These can also be classified as lowerbody pushing exercises

Figure 3.2 Chris Drury of the Buffalo Sabres performing a front squat. This is the classic knee dominant exercise

35


•

36

Hip Dominant Exercise- Straight leg deadlifts and single leg variations(Figure 3.3). Hip dominant also includes bridging type movements. The difference between hip dominant and knee dominant is best illustrated by the difference between the front squat and straight leg deadlift. Darryl Eto and Craig Freidman of Athletes’ Performance would prefer to call these types of exercises lower body pulling exercises. Whatever we call them, we need to do them.

Figure 3.3 Olympic Gold and Si1ver Medalist Tricia Dunn performing a 1 leg straight leg deadlift.

36


Horizontal Pressing Movements – bench press and Variations ( figure 3.4)

Figure 3.4 Richard Park of the Minnesota Wild performing alternating dumbbell bench presses

•

Vertical Pressing Movements- overhead presses

37

37


•

38

Horizontal Pulling Movements- rowing motions (figure 3.5)

Figure 3.5 Reebok Master Trainer Rico Wesley performing a dumbbell row

38


•

Vertical Pulling Movements- chin-ups (figure 3.6)

Figure 3.6 Chin-up ( pronated grip)

39

39


40

Ignoring the above information is one of the great failings of strength and conditioning coaches across the country. To evaluate whether your current program is hitting all of these critical areas: 1) Take your first phase of training and write next to each exercise what category it would fall into. 2) See if you have covered all of the categories at least once during the week and preferably twice. 3) Look at the ratio of horizontal presses to vertical or horizontal pulls and the ratio of knee dominant exercises to hip dominant exercises. If these are not in a one to one ratio you have an unbalanced program that can potentially set your athletes up for injury. An imbalance of horizontal presses to horizontal/ vertical pulls will almost always lead to rotator cuff problems. An imbalance of knee dominant exercises to hip dominant exercises will lead to hamstring problems. Try this evaluation and then compare it to your injury stats. At the conclusion of every season I would do just what I am asking you to do. I would look at the number and type of injuries and ask myself if I did everything possible to reduce the incidence of injury. This is how I came to many of the above conclusions. I can still remember a year in the early ‘90s when we had 20 football players with some level of rotator cuff tendonitis. When I looked at our program, I saw a typical strength program, lots of pushing, very little pulling. Most of my linemen could easily bench press their bodyweight, but few could do even one chin-up. It wasn’t hard to come to the obvious conclusion. After forcing our athletes to perform chin-ups and assisted chin-ups, our upper back strength increased and our rotator cuff problems disappeared. Program design is simple if you follow the rules. Coaches get into trouble when they program to their own likes or bias. Remember the purpose of the program is to reduce injuries and improve performance. As coaches we are not trying to create powerlifters, Olympic lifters, bodybuilders or strongmen. We are trying to create athletes. Strength training is simply a means to an end.

40


41

Chapter 4 Core Training Simply defined, core stability is “the ability to create extremity movement without compensatory movement of the spine or pelvis” and in the broadest sense is “the ability to produce and transmit force from the ground without energy leaks at the hips, spine or scapulo-thoracic joints”. Energy leaks are defined as points at which energy is lost during the transfer of force from the ground. Energy leaks are a result of the bodies’ inability to stabilize a particular joint. Torso strength encompasses core stability, hip stability and shoulder stability and most importantly the ability to move force from the ground to the extremities while maintaining stability in the aforementioned areas. Setting the Stage for Stability: Training the Deep Abdominal Muscles As the study of the interrelationship of low back pain and the training of the abdominal muscles continues it is obvious that the paradigms will continue to shift. One such shift is occurring currently. Previously I have written and spoken extensively about the Australian methods of training the deep abdominal muscles. The work of Richardson, Hodges, and Jull, through their landmark work Therapeutic Exercise for Spinal Segmental Stabilization in Low Back Pain, has significantly advanced our knowledge of core anatomy and muscle function. In actuality, that book and the research that preceded it have forever changed the way that training is performed. Interestingly enough, some practitioners in the field have rejected the Australian concepts for a broad range of reasons. The most notable and credible among these critics is Canadian Dr. Stuart McGill. McGill provides a sound biomechanical rationale for why “hollowing” as he refers to the “draw-in” maneuver will actually decrease stability. McGill advocates a technique he refers to as “bracing” in place of “hollowing” or “drawing-in”.

41


42

Although I understand Dr. McGill’s premise, I still believe that learning to hollow or draw-in still is a necessary skill for our athletes to achieve. Terminology Drawing in – the action of bringing the rectus abdominus toward the spinal column. Ideally this is done by contracting the transverse abdominus and internal oblique muscles Hollowing- Another description of a drawing-in action that assumes that the action results in a decrease of waist diameter. Bracing- The technique taught and favored by McGill that involves a simultaneous co-activation of both the transverse abdominus, internal oblique, external oblique and rectus abdominus. In bracing there is no attempt to decrease the diameter at the waist only to activate the muscles. Although I am clearly not qualified to dispute Dr. McGill’s research, I have a point of theoretical disagreement. McGill’s research clearly shows that drawing-in or hollowing can decrease base of support and stability of the spine. However, we are teaching drawing-in as a neuromuscular awareness exercise, not as the primary vehicle for stability. McGill himself states that “hollowing may act as a motor re-education exercise”. In addition, most of our athletes are the classic “Janda lower crossed body” with an almost protruding abdominal wall and a significant lumbar lordosis. (Vladimir Janda, was one of the pioneers of manual medicine in Europe. He introduced many of the concepts of muscle imbalance on which many of the concepts of core training and functional training are now based.) In these athletes I believe that teaching drawing-in simply brings the rectus into normal alignment from a position of concavity. In reality the athlete is not hollowing but simply bringing the abdominal wall back to its intended position of stability. In other

42


43

words, the goal is to simply to bring the abdomen back to its normal anatomical position. The key here is that drawing in for a lordotic athlete would not in fact decrease the base of support as McGill suggests. In my opinion performing “draw-in” exercises literally sets the table for all other stability exercises. We are teaching athletes to contract a muscle that they may not be capable of contracting voluntarily. Athletes or clients unable to “draw-in” will not be able to properly stabilize in any other movement pattern. In fact, I don’t believe that an athlete who cannot “draw-in” would be able to “brace” as effectively. The purpose of the “draw-in” exercises is not really to be exercises in themselves but to allow clients to learn to properly set the core musculature in all activities. Initially the draw-in concept is applied in quadruped or bridging exercises. The draw-in is in my opinion the foundation on which all other stability exercise is built. Whether you choose to draw-in or brace, the execution of quadruped or bridging exercises remain the same. The difference is not in how you do the exercises, but in how you choose to set the table. The end result remains the same.

The Science Behind Core Training Torso strength could be a book in and of itself. The training of the torso, core, or pillar, depending on your descriptive term of choice is filled with controversy and confusion. Advocates of powerlifting or Olympic lifting seem to feel that most of the scientific advances made in the areas of medicine and physical therapy do not apply to strength sports. As with many points made by those who consistently lift weights with two feet on the ground I respectfully disagree. I think that our influences in the area of injury prevention should be the physical therapists who deal with injured athletes not people from the sports of powerlifting or Olympic lifting.

43


44

It is very easy for those who never have to worry about athletes running or jumping to tell us how to train those who do. Unfortunately when powerlifting or Olympic lifting coaches begin to move from strength and power development into performance enhancement problems arise. I believe that you cannot deny science. Science tells us that the deep abdominal muscles (internal oblique, transverse abdominus, and multifidus) play a key role in the stability of the lumbar spine. Many in the strength community disagree. I believe that disagreement is healthy, but I have seen far too many strength athletes with problems in the lumbo-pelvic hip complex (hip and low back) to think that exercises like squats provide enough stability training.

Athletes and clients must learn to move from the hips, not from the lumbar spine. I believe that most athletes with lower back pain or hamstring strains have poor hip and/or lumbo-pelvic mechanics and as a result must extend or flex the lumbar spine to make up for movement unavailable through the hip.

I believe that learning to stabilize either via a bracing maneuver as described by McGill (simultaneous use of the rectus abdominus, and the deep abdominal musculature) or by executing a “drawingin” maneuver is key to being able to strength train and remain healthy. Many who have read my previous work might consider this a departure from my previous thoughts. In fact it is only the continuation of my education. Six years ago I did not even understand the anatomy of the deep abdominal musculature. Now I am well-versed, but continue to study and learn. McGill’s work has continued to advance our knowledge of the workings of the

44


45

abdominal musculature, and I must admit that his evidence is compelling. Dr. McGill’s Low Back Disorders is the latest landmark work for any strength and conditioning professional. I think that the disagreements as to how to stabilize between people like McGill and Paul Hodges are primarily disagreements of semantics as they relate to strength training and not really of science. I believe that the Australian research in the area of drawing-in is still applicable to athletes because as I stated previously, most athletic bodies are lordotic. As I have continued to read the work of physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann, I have also changed my ideas on the ideas of training “local muscles” versus “global muscles”. Sahrmann makes some interesting comments relative to core training as it relates to the larger muscles, like the external oblique and internal oblique. Sahrmann has isolated the essence of any exercise but, most importantly core exercise. Sahrmann states: “Motion is restricted to the segment that is supposed to move”. (2002, p ) Sahrmann, like McGill relies heavily on EMG data to prescribe exercise but, her prescriptions run away from the norm. Sahrmann recommends a “curl up” (figure 4.1 ), as a segmental movement not directed primarily at the rectus but, directed at the internal oblique.

45


46

Figure 4.1 Curl Up

In fact Sahrmann states “the primary disadvantage of improving the rectus abdominus is that the rectus cannot produce or prevent rotation, and shortness or stiffness contributes to thoracic kyphosis”(2002, p 69). However, the data Sahrmann cites shows that the highest internal oblique activity is actually when a curl-up or segmental crunch is progressed into a full sit-up. Sahrmann makes clear distinctions as to how this should be performed and makes a wonderful case for including an “old school” exercise in the torso strength program. Sahrmann also cites the reverse crunch (figure 4.2) as a key external oblique exercise. This is a hips-to-shoulders flexion exercise that elicits high external oblique activity. (2002, p 69)

46


47

Figure 4.2 Stabilized Reverse Crunch- a key exercise

Glute Activation and Injury Prevention To really understand core training we need to look at the key compensation patterns that occur when someone attempts to train the core. As I stated previously, substituting lumbar extension for hip extension is the major culprit in many of the problems that we see. This is one of the primary problems in lower back pain and may be one of the key areas we attempt to improve over the next few years. McGill uses the term “gluteal amnesia”. Mike Clark might

47


48

call it a problem of reciprocal inhibition or synergistic dominance. Both are “Jandaists” if I can be so bold as to make up a word. Both McGill and Clark identify the same problem. The problem is: Are the glutes weak because the psoas is tight or, is the psoas tight because the glutes are weak? It may be a classic interdependent, chicken and egg, scenario. Either way, proper strengthening of the glutes will be the best cure. In fact we may not even be strengthening but just reeducating the neuromuscular system. In reality most early strength gains are in more neural than contractile. In order to do this the athlete needs to be able to set the core and fire the glutes. Initially this is best done in quadruped to eliminate hamstring contribution. Sahrmannn presents another series of thoughts in her book. Sahrmann believes that anterior hip pain can be the result of poor glute function and the resultant synergistic dominance of the hamstrings. (2002, p. 15). Sahrmann discusses the simple biomechanical explanation by citing the lower insertion point of the hamstrings on the femur. If the hamstrings are consistently called upon to be the primary hip extensor, the result will be anterior hip pain in addition to hamstring strains. The anterior hip pain is a result of the poor angle of pull of the hamstrings when used as a hip extensor. The key to the future of torso or core training will be in combining all of the movements necessary without overemphasizing or underemphasizing a particular muscle or movement. If I look at my failings over the last five years, I would say that it would be in not training the larger global muscles. So much emphasis was placed on draw-in exercises and on stability that many of athletes could not perform sit-up or curl-up type exercises. If I can make one clear statement of what I believe now about training, particularly as it applies to the core:

48


49

Glute activation or more importantly, lack of glute activation, may be the root of many of our evils. As we look at more and more athletes, both injured and healthy, the inability to activate the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius stands out as the root cause of at least four major injury syndromes: 1) Low back pain relates strongly to poor glute max activation (Poor glute function will cause excessive lumbar compensation) 2) Hamstring strains relate strongly to poor glute max activation (Think about synergistic dominance) 3) Anterior hip pain relates strongly to poor glute max activation. (This relates to the poor biomechanics of hamstrings a hip extensors) 4) Anterior knee pain relates strongly to poor glute medius strength or activation. Sahrmann makes one of her many lucid points “when assessing the factors that contribute to an overuse syndrome, one of the rules is to determine whether one or more of the synergists of the strained muscle are also weak. When the synergist is weak, the muscle strain is probably the result of excessive demands” (2002, p.37) I call this looking on the roof. If you see water leaking into your house, you don’t simply try to plug the hole or paint over the water stain. You look for the source of the water. You look on the roof for the problem. The same applies to injuries. Don’t focus on pain site; focus on the pain source. In our case, the source keeps coming back to the glutes. In the bigger picture, coaches should look at every non-traumatic (non-contact) injury as having a root cause in either poor program design or, weakness of synergists.

49


50

We will perform glute activation at the beginning of every workout to attempt to develop better conscious awareness of the function of the glutes and to hopefully “wake them up” so that they will be greater contributors to the workout. This whole “glute activation” thing can become a problem as you will be asking your athletes or clients to continually touch their rear ends. In addition, you will be continually touching people’s rear ends. A word to the wise, in our litigious society sexual harassment is a problem, be careful we are treading in dangerous but necessary water. One small problem. When does glute activation become resistance training versus core training? I must confess to being unsure at this point. There is a thin line between hip dominant exercise and core training. The solution may be to do your core work (quadruped and bridging) on the days you are doing your

Figure 4.3- X Superband for Glute Medius

50


51

hip dominant lower body exercises or perhaps to perform some type of hip dominant exercise every day. Glute Activation Keys • Perform glute activation as the first thing in your warm-up • Straight leg mini-band or Super Band X walks ( Figure 4.3)is great for glute medius ( posterior fibers) • For glute max use either quadruped hip extension or Cook hip lift Let me be clear. Perform glute activation prior to every workout. Core Stability Exercises Bridging and quadruped exercises are designed to promote glute function and stability. Gray Cook classifies these exercises as “core stability” because there is no movement of the spine. Exercises like crunches and reverse crunches are better classified as “core strength” because the spine is moving. Cook states the concept simply. In order to be doing core stability exercise there must be no movement of the core. Exercises that incorporate core movement are core strength exercises. Quadruped Progression Although I discussed Quadruped exercise in detail in Functional Training for Sports, this information clearly needs to be revisited. McGill’s research has validated my thoughts relative to quadruped exercise and, it is essential that all athletes work through this progression. The

quadruped

exercises

are

51

frequently

viewed

as


52

rehabilitation exercises and have largely been ignored by strength and conditioning coaches and athletic trainers. I think many coaches view quadruped exercise as simple and a waste of time. The quadruped exercises may not make sense at first glance, but only because these exercises are often performed incorrectly. In many cases the results of these exercises become the opposite of what was intended. Quadruped exercises should teach athletes how to recruit the glutes while maintaining a stable torso. Instead, athletes often learn that they can mimic hip extension by extending (or hyper-extending) the lumbar spine. The purpose of this quadruped progression is to teach the athlete to stabilize the torso with the deep abdominals and multifidus muscles and to simultaneously use the hip extensors to extend the hip. A great deal of low back pain is related to poor range of motion and function of the hip that must be compensated for by lumbar extension or rotation. Obviously the multifidus component is not present until the hip or arm is extended. The multifidus is incorporated when the athlete or client has to stabilize against a rotational component produced by a three-point stance. Quadruped actually refers to the starting position. Most of the exercises are actually done from a three-point stance. Pelvic Floor- the pelvic floor component is another component that was not addressed in Functional Training for Sports. Pelvic floor is a sensitive issue because coaches are dealing with discussions of body areas and body functions with athletes who may not be mature enough to understand the essential nature of engaging the muscles of the pelvic floor. When dealing with adult athletes or clients, core training will be drastically improved by asking the athlete or client to engage the pelvic floor while performing any stabilization exercise in quadruped or in a bridge position. It is simple enough to tell athletes or client’s to mimic the action they would employ if they realized that they had to use a bathroom, but

52


53

the line was very long. This usually is enough to get the message across. Quadruped Draw-In Level 1 This has become the position of choice for teaching athletes and clients how to fire the deep abdominal musculature. Although in the past I have recommended a supine position with visual feedback, the weight of the internal organs makes working in quadruped very neuromuscularly efficient. Athletes and clients tend to feel this exercise more than any of the other positions previously advocated. Start on all fours (figure 4.4) and relax, allowing the weight of the internal organs to distend the abdominal wall. Kneeling next to the client, place one hand on the client’s back and the other hand on the now relaxed and distended abdomen. Ask the client to lift the abdominal wall off of your hand without moving the spine. Have the client hold this position for five seconds and then allow the abdominal wall to again drop into your hand. The key is to be able to lift the abdominal wall without moving the spine. Repeat for five contractions lasting five seconds each.

53


54

Figure 4.4 Quadruped Draw-In

After the athlete or client has developed this skill ask them to exhale as they draw in the abdomen. It is not necessary to actually “hollow”, but athletes or clients must learn to feel this “draw-in” or more appropriately “draw-up” action. This exercise teaches the athlete the stable position that will be necessary to perform any of the exercises that follow.

54


55

Quadruped Hip Extension Over Bench

Figure 4.5 Quadruped hip extension over bench

Level 1 This exercise is done to attempt to eliminate any lumbar movement by blocking pelvic movement with a bench. This is not the least bit “real world” but will force the athlete to begin to understand glute isolation and therefore glute firing. Do not use a stability ball for this exercise, as the ball will deflect. The surface needs to be rigid. To perform the exercise, begin with the hip bones in contact with the bench. Draw-in as in the quadruped draw-in described previously and then extend the hip with a bent leg. (figure 4.5) The bent leg eliminates the contribution of the hamstring and forces more glute activation. The bending of the leg shortens the hamstring making it a less effective hip extensor and placing more emphasis on the glute.

55


56

Use the same sequence as above with 5 reps held at the top for 5 seconds. It is critical that the athlete consciously concentrates on squeezing with the glutes for the entire 5 seconds. The coach or trainer should see no pelvic movement whatsoever. Movement should be limited to the hip. Any lumbar extension is compensation for poor glute function.

Quadruped Hip Extension: Bent Leg, Dowel Parallel The quadruped hip extension progression is simple. We have made one significant change to improve the effectiveness of this movement. The non-working leg is placed on an Airex or Theraband pad. (figure 4.6)This allows the hip to be extended without having to produce the small amount of rotation necessary to actually get the knee off the ground while in a quadruped position. Extend the hip and hold the position for five seconds before alternating sides.

56


Figure 4.6 Quadruped w/ knee on Airex pad

Level 1- this is done while balancing a dowel or stick along the spine. The objective sounds simple, but it is actually difficult to accomplish. Extend the hip without disturbing the dowel or allowing the lumbar spine to move away from the dowel. Any change in lumbar curve can easily be seen as an increase in the space between the dowel and the lumbar spine. With proper control of the lumbar spine via the deep abdominals and multifidus muscles, the hip should extend without extension of the lumbar spine.

57

57


58

Progress from 5 to 8 and then to 10 five-second holds. Again the leg is bent to deliberately shorten the hamstring and make the glute the primary hip extensor. Level 2- add 2.5 pound ankle weights Quadruped Hip Extension: Bent Leg, Dowel Perpendicular Level 2 After you master the bent leg version of the quadruped hip extension with the dowel parallel to the spine, the dowel is shifted to a position perpendicular to the spine, over the hip bones. The same hip extension is performed, but now the objective is to eliminate any rotational compensation in the lumbar spine. Level 3 add 2.5 lb ankle weights. Quadruped Alternating Arm and Leg Level 4- The last and most difficult step in the progression is an alternate arm and leg action from the quadruped hip position. This is an advanced exercise that is often used far too often and far too early with beginners. All the preceding exercises are held for five seconds and progress using a 5-8-10 rep progression.

58


Supine Progression The supine progression may be the most important part of the overall torso training program. The supine or bridging progression teaches athletes or clients to fire both the glutes and the hamstrings while maintaining core position with the deep abdominal muscles. In addition the progression now moves to a position with the feet in contact with the ground, a more real-life motor pattern than quadruped. The supine progression also targets the back from the multifidus. The supine exercises train or retrain the multifidus while improving glute function. The multifidus, along with the transversus abdominis, has received much attention recently due to research being conducted in Australia. This research has shown that the multifidus and transverse abdominis experience rapid atrophy after back injury and must be retrained by any athlete who has experienced back pain. (Richardson, Jull and Hodges 1999 P94) The multifidus muscles are the deepest of the spinal erector group and act to resist flexion and anterior shear during forward bending (Sahrmann 2002 p 67). In addition the multifidi are also responsible for rotational stability between individual vertebrae. One possible way to exercise the multifidus muscles may be to apply a rotational stress to the spine. By simply resisting this rotary force, the multifidus may be stimulated. Training or retraining the multifidus muscles is often neglected in many torso and low-back rehabilitation programs. Although great attention has been lavished on the deep abdominal musculature, the ability to stabilize the spinal column itself is potentially more important. The supine progression teaches the movement patterns necessary to safely and correctly perform supine exercises, facilitates the glutes and targets the multifidus. In addition the supine progression begins to transfer the improved glute function achieved through the quadruped exercises into the slightly

59

59


more specific bridge position. Cook Hip Lift Level 1- This is an invaluable exercise that provides a triple emphasis on the glutes, hamstrings and on the torso. The Cook hip lift (figure 4.7) develops glute and hamstring strength and function and also teaches the critical difference between hip range of motion and lumbar spine range of motion. The ability to distinguish between hip motion and lumbar spine motion is one of the most important goals of the supine exercise progression. In many exercises that target the hamstrings and glutes, it is easy to mistakenly use more range of motion at the lumbar spine than at the hip. In addition it is easy to extend the hips with the hamstrings versus the glutes. The Cook hip lift is both an exercise, and a test. If an athlete performs the Cook hip lift and experiences cramping in the hamstring then the athlete has weak glutes or inhibited glute function. Athletes that cramp in the hamstrings with the Cook hip lift must place additional emphasis on learning to fire the glutes. This is probably best done in quadruped.

60

60


61

Figure 4.7 Cook hip lift

Why the hamstring cramp? In hip extension with the knee bent, the hamstring should be a weak synergist. Due to its shortened nature the hamstring should provide a small measure of assistance to the glutes in hip extension. However, in the absence of good glute function (McGill’s “gluteal amnesia”) the hamstrings are forced to become the prime mover. Attempting to be the prime mover while shortened causes the muscle to overwork and cramp. To perform the Cook hip lift, lie on the back in the hook-lying position, then pull one knee tightly to the chest to limit movement at the lumbar spine. To ensure that the knee stays tight against the chest, place a tennis ball near the bottom of the rib cage and pull the thigh up to hold the ball in place. The ball must not fall out during the set. The opposite knee is bent 90 degrees, and the foot is placed with the heel down and toe up. The action of pushing through the heel stimulates the hip extensors. We have found that pushing through a flat foot will

61


62

often result in athletes with poor glute firing using the quadriceps to substitute for the hip extensors.. Draw-in the abdominals to stabilize and then extend the hip by pushing the heel down into the floor. Don’t be surprised if the range of motion is limited initially to a few degrees. This exercise has two purposes: 1. It teaches the difference between range of motion of the hip and range of motion of the lumbar spine. 2. You can get some additional flexibility in the psoas due to the reciprocal nature of the exercise. You can’t contract the glute and hamstring without relaxing the psoas. Follow the body-weight progression, 3 • 10, 12, 14 reps on each leg. Remember the key point is that the tennis ball must not fall out. If the athlete or client extends from the lumbar spine instead of the hips, the ball will fall out. What this means is that the athlete or client is inadvertently substituting lumbar spine motion for hip motion. Noted physical therapist Gray Cook popularized this exercise to teach athletes how to separate the function of the hip extensors from the lumbar extensors. Most athletes are unaware of how little range of motion they possess in the hip joint when the range of motion in the lumbar spine is intentionally limited. You will realize quickly that the range of motion in this exercise is only two to three inches. The range of motion can be increased significantly by relaxing the grip on the opposite knee, but this defeats the purpose. By relaxing the hold on the leg, you simply substitute lumbar spine extension for hip extension. . Hands-Free Cook Hip Lift

62


63

Level 2 In the hands free version of the Cook hip Iift (figure 4.8) the exercise is performed exactly the same except that the ball must now be held by the contraction of the hip flexors. In this situation the glutes must contract while the opposite side psoas maintains an isometric contraction.

Figure 4.8 Hands Free Cook Hip Lift

Isometric Supine Bridge – see p 103Functional Training for Sports Level 1- This level 1 exercise requires that the athlete transfer the knowledge gained about hip range of motion from the Cook hip lift and from the quadruped exercises to a bridge position. Begin in a hook-lying position, and raise the hips to create a straight line from the knee through the hip to the shoulder. You must create and maintain this posture by using

63


the glutes and hamstrings, not by extending the lumbar spine. Any drop in the hips drastically reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. At the top point, draw in the abdominals and simply maintain this position. Before attempting this exercise, it is important to learn the difference between hip movement and lumbar spine movement through an exercise such as the Cook hip lift. Most athletes who do not understand this distinction arch the back to attempt to extend the hip. Do three 30-second holds. Isometric Single-Leg Supine Bridge- p 103 Functional Training for Sports Level 2- The single leg supine bridge takes the concepts learned through the quadruped draw-In, double leg bridge, and Cook hip lift and begins to progress to a higher level of function. At this point the exercise moves from a four-point stability base to a three-point stability base. As we discussed in the section on Quadruped exercises this change in base of support and stability will now begin to target the multifidus as a rotary stabilizer of the spine to a greater degree. To do the isometric single-leg supine bridge, begin in a hooklying position, draw-in the abdominals to stabilize, perform a double-leg bridge and then extend one leg. This should create a straight line from the knee through the hip to the shoulder. Maintain this single-leg position by pushing the heel down and squeezing the glute. Squeeze the glutes as if you were trying to make a hard fist. Do three 15-second holds on each side. Bridge With Alternate March Level 3- The next step in the progression is to add a small alternate march action to the isometric bridge. You simply

64

64


alternate lifting one foot then the other off the ground. This is a march, not a leg extension. A yardstick across the crests of the hip bones acts as a level to remind you not to let the opposite hip drop when the foot is lifted. With this exercise the progression may better target the multifidus, due to the rotational stress applied to the spinal column as a result of moving from four support points (shoulders and feet) to three support points (shoulders and one foot). This is a transitional stability exercise that will greatly increase the level of difficulty. Push down through the heel and activate the glute on the same side as the supporting foot. Do one set of 5 five-second holds (5 on each leg). Progress to 8 and then 10 holds.

65

65


66

Core Strength ExercisesAs I stated previously, over the past five to seven years I have spent a great deal of time on the deep abdominal muscles and on core stability and have neglected the larger global muscles and resultantly, core strength. The combination of reading the work of Shirley Sahrmann and looking at my athletes led me to understand that I needed greater emphasis on the global muscles. In simple terms, we had to go back to variations of crunches and reverse crunches. Initially we had moved away from these exercises because we felt that our athletes had become rectus dominant. This was probably true at the time. Like many other programs in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, our abdominal work consisted primarily of exercises that moved the shoulders toward the hips like crunches and sit-ups. As information continued to come to light about the functions of the transverse abdominus and internal oblique, we moved to a program of deep abdominal training focused primarily on the draw-in and stability exercises. The effect was interesting. Over time our athletes did little to no flexion and I believe that our posture actually became worse as a result. Currently I believe that each beginner core session should contain: 1) Quadruped exercise 2) Bridging 3) Shoulder to hip flexion- crunches or curl-ups 4) Hip to shoulder flexion- reverse crunch 5) Lateral stabilization- side bridge In numbers one through four, progression should be one of difficulty. Conversely, lateral stability should progress from isometrics to motion. This is necessary to insure proper mobility of the lumbar spine and has a hidden benefit. Side bending (lateral flexion) produces opposite side vertebral rotation so a progression of lateral flexion exercises done after lateral stability is developed target both lateral flexors and rotational stabilizers.

66


67

Sahrmann’s work strongly supports this thought process. Shoulderto-hip trunk flexion targets the internal oblique while hips-toshoulder-flexion targets the external oblique. This explains the “upper ab/ lower ab” idea that many espoused in the past. The division is not as much upper versus lower as internal versus external oblique. The origin of the external oblique from the rib cage allows it to work to tilt the pelvis posteriorly. The reverse crunch is probably more important to include as the external oblique does not have thoraco-lumbar insertion and as a result will be the more neglected muscle in a stabilization-oriented program. The interesting thing about the external oblique is that it creates posterior tilt of the pelvis (the reverse crunch is in fact a posterior tilt). Sahrmann then states that if the muscle causes posterior tilt it must also correct anterior tilt. (2002 p 70-71) If we think about the posture of an athletic body or de-conditioned client we often see excessive anterior tilt. Follow the logic. Weak external obliques allow anterior tilt, anterior tilt allows the psoas to shorten, the short psoas inhibits the glutes, the weak glutes and tight psoas prevent hip extension. The result is lumbar extension substituted for hip extension and back and or anterior hip pain. Stick Crunch Series The Stick Crunch series allows the coach to prescribe flexionextension exercise that is more “curl-up” oriented due to the path of the stick. The athlete or client is asked to push the stick up the knees or to pull the toes under the stick. In order to perform the following exercises the athlete or client must be able to produce flexion correctly. The beauty of any of the variations of the stick crunch is that it is simple to see if the execution is correct.

67


68

Stick Crunch Level 1 The stick crunch (figure 4.9) is a difficult but necessary flexion-extension exercise. The stick crunch is actually a sequential curl-up. The movement is begun with the stick over the knees with the hips at ninety degrees to the trunk. The first action is to tuck the chin and then to attempt to perform a crunch one vertebrae at a time. Many coaches or trainers would initially look at the stick crunch and find it to be no different than a conventional sit up. This would be a drastic underestimation. In crunch-type movements there are two key errors. 1) The athlete or client is often asked to push the face or head toward the ceiling. This is not a sequential flexion movement and will not target the internal oblique as directly as a sequential curl-up type action. 2) Range of motion is not dictated or controlled. Athletes simply crunch. The end point is “go as high as possible” or some other open-ended directive. With any of the stick crunch variations the end point is set. In the stick crunch the directive is to attempt to sequentially push the stick to touch the toes while simultaneously drawing-in the abdominals. No momentum is allowed. This is extremely difficult and it is very easy to see if the athlete or client is weak in this area. If they cannot get the stick to the feet they are deficient in internal oblique strength. The instruction is to try to bring the stick to the feet while bringing the shoulders to the knees. We ask our athletes to visualize getting in the smallest ball possible. Advanced athletes will be able to get the stick over the feet as pictured

68


Figure 4.9 Stick crunch

Perform three sets of 8-10-12 Progress from a stick to a BodyBar for increased resistance. Stabilized Reverse Crunch Level 1 The stabilized reverse crunch ( figure 4.10) is the basic hips-to-shoulders flexion exercise and is a precursor to the Stick Reverse Crunch. This movement targets the external oblique and is again a sequential movement aimed at teaching the athlete or client to posteriorly tilt the pelvis. This is an extremely difficult exercise for most trainees. Most athletes or clients who perform this type of movement actually use a combination of momentum and hip flexor strength to mimic a similar action. To perform the movement place an exercise bench approximately one foot away from the wall. Lie on the back, holding the edge of the bench with the hips and knees flexed to ninety degrees. Placing the bench near the wall will minimize momentum from hip flexion. Attempt to pull the

69

69


70

knees up toward the face, keeping the knees together. The key is to think posterior tilt of the pelvis, not hip flexion. In order to do this the client will have to pull on the bench to get assistance from the upper body. The external oblique has its origin mixed with both the serratus and the lat. Greater activity in the external oblique is seen with lat or serratus contractions (O. Iwasaki pers. comm.). This movement must be a triple flexion movement. The knees must be pulled towards the face, the heels toward the butt, and the toes to the shin. This will activate the external oblique, hamstrings and anterior tibialis muscles. The key is to try to roll up into the tightest, smallest ball possible. Slowly (2 seconds) lower the rear end back to the bench. As always the key is the details: - Knees together, triple flexion - No momentum - Slow exaggerated eccentric phase Stabilized reverse crunches can also be done by holding onto a partner’s legs, or holding on to any stationary piece of equipment.

70


71

Figure 4.10 Stabilized reverse crunch

Follow the body-weight progression 3 • 10, 12, 14. Progression can come through increased reps or increased loads. We have experimented with ankle weights and with holding a medicine ball between the knees to increase load. Another possibility is to hold onto a bar attached to a low pulley and gradually decreasing the weight on the stack.

71


72

Stick Reverse CrunchLevel 2- The stick reverse crunch simply takes the action from the stabilized reverse crunch and eliminates the opportunity to use the hands and upper body. This is actually a significant increase in difficulty. Without the assistance of the upper body, the action must be performed by the external obliques and rectus abdominus. Most athletes will again attempt to use momentum. Placing athletes with their feet against the wall will eliminate this. Again the stick is used to consistently establish range of motion. Athletes must work to touch their feet to the stick and eventually work to get the feet under the stick. (figure 4.11)

Figure 4.11 Stick reverse crunch

72


73

Ball Reverse Crunch Level 3 p 108 Functional Training for Sports Hanging Knee-Up Level 4- the hanging knee-up (figure 4.12) is an excellent external oblique exercise, but is not appropriate for most trainees. In most cases this exercise is a hip flexion movement with minimal flexion of the lumbar spine. Many athletes will attempt this exercise and cheat with the hip flexors. This results in a swinging action. If an athlete cannot perform this exercise in a slow and controlled manner that is in keeping with the concepts taught throughout the progression than the exercise is not appropriate. Conversely, the hanging knee up can be an excellent advanced progression for athletes or clients looking for additional challenge for the abdominals, particularly the external obliques.

Figure 4.12 Hanging knee up

73


74

.

The key to developing a torso program is to properly combine the

74


75

movements described into a program. A sample progressive program is provided. 1 2 2 3 4 5 6

Level 1 2 -leg Bridge and Hold- increase time 30 BL Quadruped Hip Ext ( dowel parallel)- increase reps 2-5-2 tempo or Quadruped Hip Ext ( hips on bench) Bent-leg Side Bridge 30 Sahrmann BL/SL abd 10 Stabilized Reverse Crunch 10 Stick curl up 10

45

60

sec

45 12 12 12

60 15 15 15

sec

20

30

sec

45

60

sec

18 12

20 15

2 3 4 5 6

Level 2 1 leg Bridge and hold- increase time 15 Or 2-leg bridge and hold BL Quadruped Hip Ext ( dowel perpendicular)- increase wt 2-5-2 tempo Side Bridge 30 Sahrmann SL w/ wt BL abd Stick reverse crunch 2x 15 Stick Crunch 10

1 2 3 4 4 5

Level 3 2-leg bridge w/ march. w/ 5 sec holds- increase time 60 70 Quadruped Opposites ( dowel perpendicular)- increase reps 2-5-2 tempo Side Bridge- Straddle 30 45 Sahrmann SL w/ wt BL Abd PB Reverse Crunch 2-1-2 2x 15 18 Stick sit-up 10 12

1

1 2 3 4 5 6

80

sec

60

sec

20 15

Level 4 PB 2 Leg Bridge w/ March. w/ 5 sec holds- increase time 60 70 80 Quadruped Opposites ( dowel perpendicular)- increase reps 2-5-2 tempo ( add 2.5 lbs) Transitional Bridge 30 45 60 Sahrmann SL w/ wt BL Abd Hanging knee-up 2-1-2 tempo 2x 15 18 20 Stick sit-up 10 12 15

75

sec sec


Developing Single-Leg Stability The development of single leg stability is potentially the cureall for many of the chronic lower extremity problems seen in athletes today. Numerous athletes suffer from knee problems such as chondromalacia patellae, patellar tendinitis, or other patella-femoral syndromes. Most often these problems are attributed to problems with the knee joint itself or with the patella. Frequently trainers and therapists will describe these problems as patella tracking issues and recommend limited range strengthening for the quadriceps. Although this is an outdated concept many trainers and therapists still cling to these outdated ideas and concepts. My experience has taught me that most athletes suffering from chronic knee pain generally share a common difficulty in stabilizing the lower extremity while performing a single leg squat. This inability to stabilize is actually a hip dysfunction related to an inability to properly fire the glute medius (a neuromuscular control issue) or an actual weakness in the glute medius. Until recently many viewed my thoughts on this subject to be opinion however recent research has validated what was once a hypothesis. A study by Ireland et. al. and research by Powers has validated the hypothesis in an academic setting. Ireland states “ In the absence of sufficient proximal strength, the femur may adduct or internally rotate, further increasing lateral patellar contact pressure. Repetitive activities with this malalignment may eventually lead to retropatellar articular cartilage damage generally associated with this syndrome.” (2003 p.672). Ireland concluded that healthy subjects had normal strength while the subjects with patella-femoral pain had significant weakness. Although all subjects in Ireland’s study where female, I believe that the same results would be seen in males with patella-femoral pain. Noted physical therapist Gary Gray has advocated attacking knee pain from “the hip down” since the early ‘90s, but many

76

76


in the field are slow to change. In many athletes the muscles that control the hip are either too weak to perform their function or are not “turned on” neurologically. As a result, the support structures of the knee are forced to provide stability instead of the gluteus medius. This may mean pain in the iliotibial band (IT), in the patellar tendon, or under the kneecap. In order to better “turn on” the glute medius bands below the knee joint can be used in double leg squatting ( figure 4.13 )

Figure 4.13 Bodyweight squat w/ Theratube

and in some single-leg variations. (figure 4.14)

77

77


Figure 4.14 1 leg squat w/ Theratube

The gluteus medius is an often-neglected muscle of the hip whose primary function is to stabilize the lower extremity in single-leg movements such as running, jumping, or squatting. As stated previously these problems were frequently blamed on poor quadriceps strength, and doctors and therapists prescribed simple, nonfunctional exercise like leg extensions to solve the problem. Recently therapists and athletic trainers have begun to recognize the role of the gluteus medius in these knee problems. Correction involves facilitation of the

78

78


glute medius as mentioned previously as well as single-joint isolation exercises to teach athletes how to use the gluteus medius and to promote simple strengthening. Two simple exercises, the bent-leg hip abduction and straight-leg hip abduction, are used for this purpose. These exercises have been proposed by physical therapist Shirley Sahrmann in Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes. (2002, p 425) Bent-Leg Hip Abduction To perform bent-leg hip abduction, lie on the side with the knees bent 90 degrees and the hips flexed to 45 degrees. The soles of the feet should be in line with the spine. This position is like the hook-lying position (lying on the back with the feet flat on the floor and both the hips and knees flexed), only on the side. (figure 4.15) The top shoulder and hip should be positioned slightly ahead of or in front of the bottom hip and shoulder. Abduct (raise) the leg, keeping the feet together without rotating at the lumbar spine. The hips and shoulders should remain in line one over the other, and all the motion should come from the hip. Generally, sets of 10 reps are done in week 1, and 2 reps per week are added. Most athletes with hip weakness will erroneously make this a trunk rotation exercise. Athletes must abduct the thigh with no rotation at the lumbar spine. In order to facilitate this action the athlete or client can be placed against the wall or the trainer or therapist can stand behind the client with the lateral shin placed against the glute max. Whether the therapist uses his own leg or the wall, the instruction must be to abduct without pressing into the wall or the leg. I prefer to use my leg initially as both the client and I can feel when the client is. The key is to make the motion one of abduction and external rotation, not lumbar rotation. In order to do that the cue must be “lift your knee as high as possible without pressing against my leg.

79

79


80

Figure 4.15 Bent-leg hip abduction.

Straight-Leg Hip Abduction – Straight leg hip abduction is another exercise to facilitate and strengthen the glute medius. (figure 4.16) This is another attempt to isolate the muscle so that it will function better in its role as a hip stabilizer. Mark Verstegen of Athletes’ Performance likes to call this process “isolation for innervation”. This concept goes back to the debate of single joint exercise versus multi-joint exercise. Many of the gurus of functional training may feel that only multi-joint exercise is appropriate but, my theory is that isolation is fine for joints with high degrees of freedom ( like the hip or shoulder) or for joints that need high degrees of stability ( like the hip , shoulder or spine). Stay away from singlejoint exercises for the hinge joints (elbow and knee) and you’ll be enhancing function.

80


81

To perform straight-leg hip abduction: • lie on the side with both legs extended and the body in a straight line. Place a half foam roller just above the iliac crest. (figure 4.17)This will prevent the athlete from using the quadratus lumborum muscles to “fake” abduction via lateral flexion. • Place a five foot long piece of Theraband over the heel and grasp it behind the leg. This serves as a stimulus for extension of the leg and prevents the athlete or client from using the hip flexors. • Fire the glute max on the top leg to slightly extend at the hip, and keep the femur in slight internal rotation. From this position, lift the leg to the side. These exercises are valuable in helping athletes learn to isolate and activate the gluteus medius but, attention to detail is critical. It never ceases to amaze me that athletes and clients can find ways to cheat on even the simplest exercises. Another benefit to the straight leg hip abduction exercise is that it also recruits the lateral fibers of the external oblique muscle. ( Sahrmann 2002, p 70)

81


Figure 4.16 Straight leg hip abduction

Figure 4.17 Zoom into foam roller above iliac crest

82

82


83

Straight Leg Mini-Band Walks Straight leg mini-band walks may be one of the most underrated exercises in the functional training world. This is a classic “innervation” exercise. Many of the functional purists might dismiss this exercise because “you never walk with the legs straight”. I can only ask that you try the exercise before you dismiss it. As I have said previously, isolation exercises for joints with significant mobility or for joints that need additional stability are not only acceptable but, desirable. The hip joint meets both of the above mentioned criteria. When performed correctly the glute medius is directly affected like no other exercise. To correctly perform straight leg mini-band walks: • Begin with the abdominal muscles drawn-in. The cue is tall and thin. The knees are slightly bent (five degrees). • Steps should be only about six inches • If possible watch in a mirror. Avoid any motion except abduction at the hips. The appearance of the athlete or client should be one of gliding across the floor. The shoulders should stay over the hips. Avoid a see-saw type action from the ground. Straight leg mini-band walks should be viewed as a strength exercise. Work your way up to the new Perform Better gray bands and you will develop significantly greater function in the hip abductors.

83


84

Super Band X Walks- The new SuperBands from Perform Better can provide an even greater stress to the hip abductors while also activating the retractors and depressors of the scapula. ( Figure 4.18) This exercise borrows a concept from noted Physical Therapist Alex McKechnie. McKechnie utilizes Theraband to activate the diagonal “slings” of the body. The concept, which Meyers also alludes to in Anatomy Trains, is that the body functions in diagonal connections. The cross point of this connection is the lower back where tissue, known as the thoraco-lumbar fascia, acts as a connector from the lower body to the opposite side of the upper body. If this seems confusing, just imagine trying to shoot a right-handed lay-up off your right foot. To perform the X Walks stand on the Superband and grasp the right side of the band with the left hand and the left side with the right hand. This

Figure 4.18 SuperBand X Walk

84


85

creates an X. The client or athlete is instructed to pull the shoulder blades down and back and to proceed as in the mini-band walk. The X creates an adduction force that must be worked against while also activating the scapula retractors and depressors. Reformer Straight-Leg Abduction If you have access to a Pilates Reformer, standing straight leg abduction is another excellent exercise to innervate and strengthen the glute medius. I actually like this exercise better than the miniband walks but do not always have access to a Reformer. Simply stand on the Reformer with one foot on the base and the other on the pad and attempt to abduct. This exercise is especially difficult because momentum can be minimized and the spring resistance is increased in the end range. Eccentric Single-Leg SquatThe eccentric single-leg squat begins to bridge the gap from isolated exercise to multi-joint exercise and will actually be cited again when single leg progressions are discussed. Eccentric single leg squats are excellent for any patella femoral pain patient. Patients suffering from patella femoral pain often experience difficulty during the transition from the eccentric contraction to the concentric contraction. Initially the eccentric single leg squat is done through a limited range of motion with no concentric contraction. How can this happen? Simple. The patient lowers for the prescribed time (see tempo) and then stands up with two legs. This is the pure eccentric only version. Eccentric single leg squats should be begin with a small, pain free, range of motion and along eccentric contraction ( five to six seconds). This exercise literally teaches the glute medius and glute max how to re-establish control of the femur. Remember, knees don’t usually go bad. Instead, hips fail to properly and adequately control knees.

85


86

To further aid in controlling the femur, a band can be placed below the knees ( see figure 4.14) to provide a stimulus to the glute medius by creating an adduction force. The adduction force of the band at the knee will again “turn on” the glute medius through its role in abduction.

Rotary Training Rotary training is probably the newest and most interesting area of core training. Rotary training is really the blending of core training and strength training and is in fact an essential part of both core training and proper strength development. Rotary training probably traces its roots to Knott and Voss and the diagonal patterns of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF). Although most of us now recognize PNF more as a neuromuscular stretching technique in fact, the idea was far more extensive. Knott and Voss advocated diagonal patterns of exercise that would involve both sagittal plane prime movers and the muscles responsible for transverse and frontal plane motion. Physical Therapists began to realize that these diagonal patterns of extension and rotation were a vital part of movement and began to use them to provide a more “real world “ aspect to rehab. The specialists in rehab began to understand that movement was multiplanar and that the highest form of rehab would involve diagonal patterns of flexion and extension combined with rotation. More and more information points to the diagonal nature of the human body. Meyers in the wonderful book “Anatomy Trains” discusses what he calls the spiral lines and functional lines of the body while Janda made us aware of the integrated workings of the musculature across the critical junction from the glutes to the opposite side lat. This area, know as the thoraco-lumbar fascia, along with the hip joints allow us to move force from the ground out to the extremities.

86


87

Most frequently these diagonal patterns were simply termed chopping patterns and lifting patterns. Chopping is a pattern of flexion and rotation, probably best illustrated by the actions of chopping wood or, from an athletic standpoint throwing a baseball. Lifting is the pattern of extension and rotation, best illustrated as a multi-plane pushing action. Verstegen has described lifting patterns as “rotational push press”. The chop and the lift as exercises were introduced to the athletic world by nationally recognized physical therapist Gray Cook . Cook advocated diagonal patterns of trunk flexion with rotation (chop) and trunk extension with rotation (lift). Cook’s Functional Training for the Torso (1997) was a quantum leap in training thought process as he advocated combining the concepts of conventional strength training with the concepts of rehab to produce a new category of strength exercise, rotary exercise. Cook originally described sequences of chopping and lifting moving from a kneeling (figure 4.19 ) or half kneeling (one knee down) (figure 4.20) position to a standing position. Cook has since modified his original versions so that the chop and lift exercises initially are exercises in which the arms transfer force in a diagonal pattern through a stable torso. In Cook’s eyes the initial concept of rotary training involves stabilizing against a rotational force rather than simply rotating.

87


Figure 4.19 Tall kneeling

Figure 4.20 Half kneeling

88

88


89

Sahrmann’s thoughts support Cook. Sahrmann states “during most daily activities, the primary role of the abdominal muscles is to provide isometric support and limit the degree rotation of the trunk…A large percentage of low back problems occur because the abdominal muscles are not maintaining tight control over the rotation between the pelvis and the spine at the L5- S1 level. “ (2002 p.71) In effect the initial chopping and lifting patterns involve movements primarily in the frontal plane that force the client or athlete to isometrically resist rotation with the muscles of the core. Clients or athletes must be able to prevent rotation before we should allow them to produce it. The action of moving through a chopping or lifting pattern prior to actually introducing the rotary component is a necessary precursor to the actual patterns of chopping and lifting. It is necessary to be able to isometrically resist the forces of rotation before those forces can be used in a propulsive manner. Performance enhancement expert Mark Verstegen probably deserves the credit for taking Cook’s concepts into the field through his work at Athletes’ Performance. In the Athletes Performance philosophy rotary training is viewed as a program component much like squatting or pressing. The chop and lift exercises presented here have been modified from Cook’s original ideas. The initial exercises challenge trunk stability through the use of a cable column. To properly perform these exercises, a special handle, a 20-inch-long bar fitted with an eyehook, is needed for the cable column. These handles can be obtained from Samson Equipment (8004SAMSON). In Functional Training for Sports these exercises were done standing. The influence of my work at Athletes’ Performance has led me to alter my view and begin with a half kneel.

89


90

Half-Kneeling Stability Chop Level 1- To do the halfkneeling chop, kneel at the cable column on the inside knee with the outside knee up. Grasp the handle with hands approximately 14 inches apart, pull to the waist with the outside hand, and then press down with the inside hand. This should be a distinct push/pull action and should be performed without altering the position of the torso. Watch for hips shifting right or left or for inability to stabilize the scapula. A big key in the halfkneeling exercises is to get the athlete or client to concentrate on firing the glute on the inside leg. Firing the glute and drawing in the abs will create a stable “tall” kneel. As this is a cable-column exercise, three sets of 10 can be done and the weight increased in week 2, or you can use a set weight and an 8-10-12 progression. Half- Kneeling Stability Lift Level 1- The lift is the opposite of the chop. To do the lift, the cable column is placed in its lowest position. The 1/2 kneel is again with the inside knee down. Grasp the handle with the hands 14 inches apart. The action is again pull-push, but you pull one hand to the shoulder and then press the opposite hand overhead while keeping the pulling hand at shoulder height. Press to a position directly over the head. Watch for shifting of the hips. Both of these lifts should be done with no more than 20 to 30 pounds at first. Three sets of 10 can be done and the weight increased in week 2, or you can use a set weight and an 8-10-12 progression

90


91

Half- Kneeling Sequential Chop Level 2- - the next exercise in the rotary progression is a halfkneeling sequential chop. In the sequential chop trunk rotation is now introduced in a pull-turn-push sequence. The thought process is a simple logical progression from the stable chop. Posture is still maintained through drawing in the abdominals and firing the glute but, rotation is introduced. The handle is replaced by a tricep rope to allow for rotation. • The athlete or client grasps the handles and rotates the shoulders to face the cable column. • A two handed pulling action is used to bring the hands to the chest. ( figure 4.21) • After pulling to the chest turn the head and shoulders away from the cable column and execute what looks like a diagonal tricep pressdown. (figure 4.22) • This is the pull-turn-push action we alluded to above. The obvious question is why sequential. A three-part sequence allows the coach or trainer to teach the motion without fear of compensation. Rotation is introduced but, in a very controlled manner. Three sets of 10 can be done and the weight increased in week 2, or you can use a set weight and an 8-10-12 progression.

91


Figure 4.21 Sequential chop- pull to chest

Figure 4.22 Sequential chop - rotate and press

92

92


93

Half- Kneeling Sequential Lift Level 2- In the half-kneeling sequential lift the action is now a pullturn-press action. This is the beginning of Mark Verstegens’ rotational push press concept. The tricep rope handle is again substituted for the handle. The ropes are gripped with the thumbs up and the initial action takes on the appearance of a close grip upright row. (figure 4.23) • As above the athlete grasps the rope with the head and shoulders turned toward the cable column. Abdominals are drawn in the glute is fired. • The athlete pulls with both hands to the chest, rotates the trunk, and presses diagonally out past the opposite shoulder (figure 4.24)

Figure 4.23- Half- kneeling sequential lift- start

93


94

Figure 4.24 Half -kneeling sequential lift- finish

Level 3- Lunge position chop and lift done as above Dynamic Chop and Lift Level 4- Both the dynamic chop and lift now move to a standing position and truly become multi-joint extension-rotation or flexionrotation exercises The emphasis is now on teaching an athlete or client to transfer force from the ground, through the trunk and into the hands in the diagonal chop and lift patterns. I am not as big a fan of standing chops as I am of standing lifts. I think that the dynamic standing lift is one of the most “sport specific” actions that can be performed in the weight room. To perform the dynamic standing lift • Continue to grasp the handles with the thumbs up • Position yourself perpendicular to the cable column with feet slightly wider than shoulder width • The lifter begins in a squat position with the hands outside of the leg closest to the cable.

94


•

95

The action from here is now squat-rotate-press down in a rapid, fluid motion.

This chapter hopefully makes you think about core training in a very different light. I think that we will continue to make advances in this area through research and writings from people like Stuart McGill, Paul Hodges and Shirley Sahrmann. Core training is, in my mind, at the center of the functional versus non-functional and isolation versus integration arguments. I can honestly say that I have been on both sides of this argument and that my work over the past two years has totally changed my opinion. As I stated previously, I believe that many athletes cannot properly use the glutes or the abdominals properly. These inabilities are at the heart of many dysfunctions from low back pain to hamstring injury. I also believe that isolative core work is essential to “rewire” these neural patterns and correct these dysfunctions. I am clearly not advocating a return to single joint exercise but I do feel that isolative work in the core is a necessity. It is also obvious that the definition of core continues to move outward and truly does encompass the hips and in reality the scapulo-thoracic joints. However, the scapulo-thoracic joint will be dealt with in conjunction with upper body pulling. From core stability, to core strength, to hip stability and into rotary training it is clear that our approach to training is changing rapidly. The days of uni-planar, rectus dominant abdominal work is clearly gone and is being replaced by an ever-evolving series of exercises emanating primarily from the world of physical therapy.

95


96

96


97

Chapter 5- Explosive Training If you can’t teach a lift, don’t use it in your programs. This is a common sense statement that I wish I didn’t have to make and, should apply to all areas of a program. It applies to all areas of the program, particularly to Olympic lifting. If you can’t teach the Olympic lifts, don’t use them. Period. You don’t necessarily need to be able to perform the Olympic lifts, but you have to be able to teach them. Using lifts that you are not able to successfully teach is a classic coaching mistake. The reason many sports medicine professionals and many sport coaches feel that the Olympic lifts are unsafe is because coaches frequently place these exercises in the program without proper instruction and without constant supervision. Get your high-velocity hip extension training from medicine balls and plyometrics if you cannot teach and supervise your athletes in the Olympic lifts. Learn to balance theoretical benefit with practicality and safety. Before adding any explosive movements to your program, learn to teach the movements. Don't worry about weight, worry about technique. Many coaches encourage athletes to Olympic lift or squat in an unsupervised environment and some athletes become injured. The squat or the clean is no more responsible for the injury than the car is for the car crash. Cars are safe when driven as directed; squats, cleans, and snatches are safe when done as directed. The problem always lies in the instructions, not the exercises. Olympic lifting requires constant supervision. Even if you are capable of teaching the Olympic lifts ask yourself how much time you can spend in the weight room actually teaching. If you are prepared and have the time to teach, then by all means add Olympic movements to the program. Your athletes will see great gains in power and will probably learn to enjoy the athleticism of Olympic lifting more than they enjoy conventional strength work.

97


98

Teaching the Olympic Lifts The easiest way to learn and teach the Olympic lifts is from a hang position with the bar above the knees. (see figure 5.1 )

Figure 5.1 Hang clean- start position

To those coaches in love with the sport of Olympic lifting, this is a heretical statement. Just remember, you are trying to improve an athletes’ performance at his or her sport, not trying to produce weightlifters for the Olympics. The hang position with the bar above the knee eliminates a great

98


99

deal of the lower back stress often associated with the performance of the Olympic lifts. Any size athlete can become a great technician from the hang position. However many athletes due to height or inflexibility will have difficulty learning the lifts from the floor. Remember the physiological characteristics that make great Olympic weightlifters (good lever system, mesomorphic body type, great hip flexibility) are not present in many of our athletes. I often tell our basketball players and rowers that the exact qualities that make you a good basketball player or rower make you a poor candidate for competitive weightlifting. Remember the objective is to become a better athlete, not to be an Olympic weightlifter. The purpose of the Olympic lifts is to train the nervous system in addition to developing the muscular system. My opinion on teaching the Olympic lifts has changed significantly over the past five years. Although I am a big proponent of the hang clean, we see more and more athletes at the college and pro level that do not have enough upper-body flexibility to properly rack the bar in the clean position. This results in very sloppy attempts to perform the hang clean and clean variations. One solution proposed by some strength and conditioning coaches is to utilize dumbbell cleans for athletes that do not possess the flexibility to properly rack (or catch if you prefer the term) the clean. However I have not found that dumbbell cleans allow an athlete to handle appropriate amounts of weight. In addition a dumbbell clean teaches a “reverse curl” type bar path that is not desirable in quality Olympic lifting. As a result I have begun to use the dumbbell snatch and snatch with greater and greater frequency for athletes who are inflexible through the wrists and shoulders. Most coaches are afraid of the snatch (figure 5.2) because they have

99


Figure 5.2 Close grip snatch- finish

100

100


101

never performed it and have only seen it performed by Olympic weightlifters. I will be the first to admit that the snatch looks a little bit scary when performed by Olympic lifters. In fact when performed with a wide grip the snatch can place the athletes shoulder joint in an abducted and externally rotated position that could be compromising. I am an advocate of a modification of the classical snatch. Our athletes initially learn a one-arm dumbbell snatch (figure 5.3 )

Figure 5.3 Two-time Olympian Ted Drury performing a 1 Arm dumbbell snatch

and then a close grip snatch and, we have never experienced shoulder problems. In fact I believe that the one- arm dumbbell snatch is actually a great exercise to prevent shoulder injury. The one- arm dumbbell snatch develops great unilateral shoulder

101


102

stability as well as great trunk stability. In addition it is probably the easiest of the Olympic lifts to teach and learn.

It is easier to teach athletes to snatch than to clean. I fully believe that most coaches will strongly disagree with this statement. I also believe that all those coaches who will disagree have never tried to teach their athletes to snatch and, don’t use snatches in their program. Those who disagree have simply not tested my hypothesis. The reasoning is simple. The greatest obstacle to overcome in learning to clean is upper-body flexibility. Many athletes, particularly those who have been on a “mirror oriented” program, will have decreased flexibility in the shoulder, elbow and wrist. To perform the snatch you do not need to be as flexible in the shoulders, elbows, or wrists. You simply need to be able to get your arms over your head. If I encounter an athlete who cannot get into the proper “catch” position for the clean I simply go right to teaching the snatch and forget about the clean. Often if I have athletes who have experienced low back pain I will only use snatches for power work. Snatches will generally use loads of 50 to 60 percent of the athlete/s hang clean and as a result will place much less stress on the athlete. In addition for many athletes the finish position of the snatch places less stress on the low back than a tight athlete trying to raise the elbows into the proper position to catch the clean. Learning the One- Arm DB Snatch Step 1 Learn the start position for the dumbbell snatch. This is still the basic pulling position. Stand with the feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. The dumbbell is between the knees, chest over the dumbbell. Wrist is curled under, arm

102


103

straight, and elbow turned out. Step 2:. Perform the one-arm dumbbell snatch. From the start position with the dumbbell between the knees, jump, shrug, and catch the dumbbell in the overhead support position (figure 5.3). I have found it helpful to cue the athlete with the instruction that "you should try to hit the ceiling with the dumbbell" and to "pull it as if you were going to let go". . Learning the Close-Grip Snatch. The close-grip snatch uses a grip identical to that of the hang clean. The wide grip generally taught for the snatch is discouraged, as it’s only true purpose is to allow the athlete to lift more weight. Review the overhead support position with a shoulder-width grip. Keep the bar over the back of the head, knees bent, and back arched (see figure 5.2). While executing the snatch, visualize trying to pull the bar up to hit the ceiling. Teaching Cues 1. Cues for the start position • Eyes are straight ahead. • Chest is up. • Back is arched. • Arms are long and loose at the elbows. • Wrists are curled under. This is key to keeping the bar close to the body. • Lean out over the bar. Remember that your shoulders should be in front in the start position.

103


104

2. Cues for the pull or jump • Jump and shrug. • Jump and sit. • Jump and get the elbow or elbows up (for the pull). Table 2 - Hang Clean to Bodyweight Relationship Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

1.5 x’s BW

1.3-1.4 x’s BW

1.1-1.2 x’s BW

1 x’s BW

260-280

220-240

Ex 300 Hang Clean @200 lbs

200

Table 3 - Hang Snatch to Bodyweight Relationship Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

.9 x’s BW

.8 x’s BW

.7x’s BW

.6x’sBW

Ex 180 Hang Snatch @200 lbs

160

140

120

These numbers may be less accurate for larger athletes like football linemen. Football linemen generally do not have great strength to bodyweight ratios or power to bodyweight ratios.

104


105

Another area to consider is the strength to power ratio. Many athletes will have a large strength focus and a poor strength to power ratio. Table 4- Strength to Power Ratio ( Hang Clean to Front Squat) Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

.75

.7

.6

.5

280/400

240/400

200/400

Ex. 300 Hang Clean 400 Front Squat

Olympic lifting is fun, safe, and challenging when done correctly and supervised aggressively. Work with your athletes on developing great technique and great bar speed, and put less emphasis on the amount of weight lifted. The key to quality Olympic lifting is that it should look good. I like to use what I call the “crap” test. You can substitute any word you like. Simply put, if it looks like crap it probably is crap. I can walk into any weight room in the country and tell how good the coach is simply by watching his or her athletes. If they can’t lift he or she can’t teach or won’t teach. Either one is a problem. The proper use of Olympic lifts and their variations will lead to improvements in power and athleticism that you might not have thought possible. Try to begin by teaching the one-arm dumbell snatch and proceed to the close-grip snatch with the bar, and you may be amazed at how proficient your athletes will become at a lift

105


that you may have initially felt was too difficult. Alternatives to Olympic Lifting This information was also included in Functional Training for Sports but bears repeating. Many coaches will still not feel comfortable with teaching their athletes to Olympic lift but will desire increases in hip and leg power. For these coaches jump squats (figure 5.4) may be an answer. Jump squats have been popular for years with European track-and-field athletes. Jumps squats provide a great deal of the hip power that many athletes seek from Olympic lifting and are perfect for athletes who may have reservations about technique or athletes with shoulder or back problems that prevent them from Olympic lifting. To perform the jump squat, simply jump from a position slightly above full squat depth.

Figure 5.4 Jump Squat

106

106


107

Beginners can land and stabilize between jumps, and moreadvanced athletes can utilize a plyometric response off the floor. The most important issue for jump squats is load selection. In the past authors and researchers have recommended using a percentage (most often 25 per-cent) of the back squat 1RM as a load. However, this method of loading is extremely flawed and potentially dangerous, as it does not take into account the athlete’s body weight. The following example illustrates this point. If athlete A has a 1RM in the back squat of 500 pounds and athlete B also has a 1RM of 500 pounds, then both athletes would use 125 pounds for jumps squats using the guideline of 25 percent of back squat 1RM. Now assume that athlete A weighs 200 pounds and athlete B weighs 350 pounds. Obviously, athlete A has a strength–to–body weight ratio far superior to that of athlete B. Loading athlete A with 125 pounds may be reasonable, but athlete B, who weighs 350 pounds, would probably have difficulty executing a technically sound jump squat with an additional load of 125 pounds. In fact athlete B may have difficulty performing jump squats with just body weight due to his strength–to–body weight ratio. Instead of a 1RM percentage, the following formula is suggested. [(Squat + body weight) • .4] – body weight = Jump squat weight Athlete A: [(500 + 200) • .4 ] – 200 = 80 Athlete B: [(500 + 350) • .4] – 350 = –10 The example shows that the 350-pound athlete B gets sufficient loading from performing jump squats with body weight but would be overloaded by at least 125 pounds by

107


following the simplistic 1RM percentage guideline. For athlete A, a load of 80 pounds is sufficient. Consider the total weight that an athlete can squat as the combination of his or her body weight plus the weight on the bar, and use this number to calculate the load for jump squats. This guideline can be used by both weaker athletes looking to develop power or by larger athletes who will have strength-to-bodyweight issues. Whether you choose to develop your leg power through Olympic lifting or by performing jump squats, the use of external loads to train the legs and hips can be the fastest way to achieve gains in speed or jumping ability. The beauty of Olympic lifts and jump squats is that the athlete can develop power without necessarily developing large amounts of muscle. The emphasis is on the nervous system, not the muscular system, making this an excellent training method for athletes such as figure skaters, wrestlers, and gymnasts. Many athletes and coaches have the mistaken impression that explosive lifting is for football players only. This could not be further from the truth. Olympic lifting and its variations are suitable for athletes in all sports and of all sizes and should be of particular interest to athletes looking for total-body strength without increases in size.

108

108


109

Chapter 6- Knee Dominant Exercises In the world of strength and conditioning change comes slowly or, in some cases not at all. For decades we as strength and conditioning coaches have blindly done what coaches before have done, adhering to the “party” line. As with many areas of sport, change was viewed as a bad idea. Approximately eight years ago I came to a conclusion. Athletes that I trained would no longer perform the back squat. As a former powerlifter I realized that this was heresy but, I was tired of constantly asking our athletes to “keep their heads up”, “use their legs, not their backs” etc. The emphasis of the back squat was always on increasing weight. Unfortunately this was often done by altering technique to improve leverage, not actually by increasing the strength of muscles so necessary to run or jump. The decision to discontinue back squats was based on simple logic that was unfortunately a long time overdue. Front squats are safer than back squats. This is an opinion based on watching hundreds of thousands of squats. Whenever one of our athletes sustained a back injury he or she would be reintroduced to squatting via the front squat prior to the back squat for a number of reasons: • The front squat keeps the torso upright and, decreases the torque that causes problems with the SI joint. • The nature of the front squat forces the athlete to use a lighter weight than the back squat. This is particularly true with beginners although our athletes now can front squat 90 to 100 percent of their previous best back squat. • The front squat places greater stress on the knee extensors and less on the hip extensors. (This might seem like a negative but it actually allows us to perform hip dominant movements the day after squatting with less overlap) The reintroduction to squatting via the front squat was always a huge success. Athletes would begin front squatting but would

109


110

always be itching to back squat like everyone else. At this point as coaches we would cave in to the pressure and, allow the athlete to perform the back squat again. This process began the vicious circle of back painÆ front squatÆ back squatÆ back pain. Many coaches have overreacted to back problems caused by squatting and have resorted to leg presses, safety squat bars, TruSquat or any number of single leg activities. The real key is not to overreact in this manner and in effect “throw out the baby with the bathwater”. Often we hear coaches disparage a form of training or a particular lift as injury producing. Our experience has shown that the solution may not be eliminating lifts entirely but, changing to variations that avoid positions of higher stress. This is why the front squat makes sense. The front squat produces a better body position by the nature of the exercise. An athlete has a very difficult time front squatting poorly. The athlete either front squats well or, drops the bar. There is very little middle ground. Conversely in the back squat athletes can squat poorly for weeks, months or years before sustaining an injury. Another advantage to performing front squats already alluded to is that exercises like straight-leg deadlifts and other hip extension dominant movements can be done on the day following Front squats with little fear of overtraining the posterior chain. Front squats are in our language much more ‘knee dominant”. This allows our athletes to in effect train their lower body every workout in a four-day program. Athletes can do knee extension dominant movements (like front squats) on one day and, follow up with hip dominant movements like straight-leg deadlifts on the next day. One thing to think about: If the only reason you won’t switch to front squats is because the athletes will lift less weight, you really should reconsider. One of the chief complaints about switching to front squats is that athletes have trouble with upper body flexibility. The use of lifting

110


111

straps in the front squat alleviates what is often the primary complaint with most athletes. (figure 6.1, 6.2 ) . More often than not athletes use upper body flexibility more as an excuse. That’s why I love the straps.

Figure 6.1 Olympic bar with straps set up for front squats

Figure 5 Front squat performed with lifting straps

111


Assessing Strength, Flexibility and Mobility Before even worrying about Front Squats every athlete must first learn to bodyweight squat. Coaches should always begin lower-body strength training by teaching an athlete to perform body-weight squats. Athletes must be able to bodyweight squat before being allowed to use any type of external load. This is the strength and conditioning equivalent of walking before you run. Simply teaching an athlete to body-weight squat reveals important information about strength, flexibility, and injury potential. Body-weight squats can be used to assess flexibility or mobility in the hips, ankles, and hamstrings and the general strength of the lower body. Is There a Difference Between Flexibility and Mobility? Absolutely. Flexibility is the range of motion around a joint. Mobility is how well the joint moves. Range of motion can be limited by both inflexibility and by poor mobility. This becomes an issue particularly at the ankle. The simplest way to assess ankle mobility versus ankle flexibility is to look at the range of the athlete’s active and passive dorsi-flexion. In order to fully understand how this works we need to briefly enter the world of assessment. As a bare minimum assessment, an athlete should have to perform an overhead squat. If the athlete can overhead squat to a parallel position with the toes pointed forward then you can safely proceed to any squat variation. Athletes who cannot overhead squat to a position with the thighs parallel to the floor are deficient in either ankle, hip, or hamstring flexibility. Most athletes can overhead squat to the proper depth by raising the heels on a one-by-four board or a specially made wedge. If elevating the heels solves the problem, then you can safely assume that the issue is In the ankle. At this point

112

112


there are two possibilities, ankle flexibility or ankle mobility. I mention both because we see more and more athletes whose problem is not flexibility but mobility. Determining the difference Is simple. Place the athlete in a long sitting position on a table. Passively dorsi-flex the athletes’ ankle. If the ankle range of motion is limited but the athlete does not report a stretch-type feel in the gastroc then the issue is mobility, not flexibility. This athlete will respond to ankle self-mobilization, rather than stretching. Omi Iwasaki, Director of Physical Therapy at Athletes' Performance Los Angeles was nice enough to supply this simple technique. Ankle self-mobilization - Have the athlete stand with the toes six inches away from the wall and dorsi-flex the ankle so that the heel stays in contact with the floor and the knee touches the wall. Repeat ten times on each side gradually moving the toes further from the wall. On another note, elevating the heels will not harm the knees in any way. The idea that elevating the heels increases the stress on the knees is not supported by any scientific research. In fact athletes in the sports of powerlifting and Olympic lifting have been wearing shoes with a built up heel for decades. Lifting shoes were specifically designed to slightly elevate the heel. Athletes who have difficulty keeping the knees from moving past the toes are deficient in either flexibility or strength. An explanation of the importance of knee-dominant squatting versus ankle-dominant squatting is necessary. When most athletes hear the directive “squat,” their minds tell their bodies to lower their hips the easiest way possible. For weaker athletes the easiest way is often one that does not stress the weak muscles (usually the quadriceps). Weaker athletes or

113

113


athletes returning from injury often attempt to lower the

Figure 6.3 Ankle dominant squatting

center of gravity by initially driving the knees forward out over the toes until the limit of the ankle range of motion is reached (figure 6.3). Then and only then does the movement begin to center on the knee joint. This type of ankle-dominant squatting leads to excessive knee flexion in order to reach a position with the thighs parallel to the ground. This is the squatter’s paradox. Most therapists and athletic trainers describe squatting based on knee angle. Patients are directed to squat to a 90-degree knee angle. A knee angle of 90 degrees can be reached far before a parallel squat is reached. Strength coaches do not define squat depth by knee angle but rather by a parallel relationship of the femur to the floor, which often results in a knee angle greater than 135

114

114


degrees if the athlete is an ankle-dominant squatter. This type of ankle-dominant squatting is frequently seen in athletes with knee pain or patellar tendonitis. The key to a good squat is to combine the therapist’s desire to limit the athlete’s knee range of motion with the coach’s desire Effect of Ankle Position on Knee Flexion Angles

Limiting Ankle Movement Limits Knee Angle

Exhausting Ankle Range Causes Increased Knee Angle

to get the athlete’s thigh parallel to the floor. Coaches, trainers, and therapists need to speak the same language. The athlete must be given instructions that address both the coach’s and the trainer or therapist’s concerns. The athlete must be taught to body-weight squat in a manner that minimizes range of motion at the ankle and maximizes range of motion at the knee. Once the athlete has mastered the technique of bodyweight squatting then the athlete can progress to the hands-free front squat. As previously stated the front squat is the foundation of the strength program. Full front squats are always used in our

115

115


116

program. The full squat is defined as one in which the top of the thigh is parallel to the floor. Half squats or quarter squats should never be used. No one does half or quarter curls to save the elbows; the knees are no different. Partial squats cannot fully develop the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. In addition, half squats and quarter squats present a larger risk of back injury due to the heavier weights used in partial movements. Athletes with normal flexibility can squat to a position with the thighs parallel to the floor with no heel elevation. Less flexible or less mobile athletes can use heel elevation. Increased strength in squatting movements is the first step in developing speed and increasing vertical jump. Developing a Safe Squatting Style The following steps are critical for developing a technically correct and safe squatting style. Step 1: Learning the Hands-Free Body-Weight Squat The key to learning to squat is learning to recruit the glutes. When teaching the squat place a 20” band or piece of Theratube just below the knee (figure 6.4). For the hands-free body-weight squat, start with the arms extended out in front of the body with the hands at shoulder height.

Figure 6.4 Using bands to facilitate a correct squatting style

116


This will teach athletes to eventually carry the bar on the shoulders, not on the wrists. Do not skip this step; it is critical. The chest should be up, and the upper and lower back should be arched and tight. Feet should be approximately shoulderwidth apart and slightly turned out, approximately 10 to 15 degrees. The stance may be widened to obtain proper depth if flexibility is a problem. A one-by-four board, a 10-pound plate, or a specially made wedge may be placed under the heels if the athlete tends to lean forward during the descent, if the heels lose contact with the ground, or if the pelvis rotates posteriorly in the descent. Although many authorities caution against an object under the heels, athletes at our training facility have experienced great success and no knee pain with this method. Why Does the Pelvis Rotate Posteriorly in Some People? Many coaches would describe this as “the butt tucking under”. I think that we see it frequently but often have difficulty explaining this phenomenon. To understand, an anatomical explanation is necessary. When an athlete squats and maintains a slight anterior pelvic tilt, the hamstring is actually lengthening during the descent. Athletes with tight lateral hamstrings will reach the end of their hamstring range of motion before they reach full squat depth. As the descent continues and the athlete attempts to get the femur parallel to the floor the short lateral hamstring will begin to force the pelvis to rotate posteriorly. Athletes who “tuck under” should not be loaded until they have developed enough flexibility to prevent the posterior rotation. Loading a spine that is moving into flexion is a prescription for disaster. The spine is meant to be loaded in a slightly lordotic position (anterior tilt). Loading in a posterior tilt can be dangerous.

117

117


Hands-Free Body-Weight Squat Technique 1. Prior to descending into any squat, inhale deeply to fully inflate the lungs. The fully inflated lungs brace the upper and lower back. 2. When descending into the squat, concentrate on sitting back and placing the body weight on the heels. Placing the body weight on the midfoot or toes can cause an undesirable forward lean. Do not let the breath out. Keep the hands level with the shoulders. 3. Descend slowly until the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor. Partial squats build the ego but not the legs. Squat to the proper depth with light weights for better results. 4. In the descent, the knees should be pushed out against the band in a conscious abduction action. This abduction push recruits the glutes and will quickly turn bad squatters into good squatters. Push the knees laterally over the toes. This is the key to teaching squatting. An abduction force turns on the muscles that control the femur. Very often athletes who have experienced knee pain with squatting will no longer experience knee pain with this technique. In reality teaching squatting with a band to facilitate abduction turns on the femoral control mechanism. I believe that many athletes squat using primariliy the wrong muscles. This ties in with our discussion of glute activation from the core section. 5. In the ascent concentrate on driving upward with the chest out, bringing the hips up and forward. 6. Drive the heels into the floor. Maintain the abduction pressure on the band.

118

118


7. Exhale slowly. Let the air slowly hiss out of the lungs as if you had punctured a tire. Please remember that the squat is a safe movement when done properly. Start with body weight to develop proper technique and progress to higher weights only if technique is perfect. Injuries occur only when athletes fail to adhere to proper technique. Step 2: Learning the Hands-Free Front Squat Begin with the arms extended out in front of the body with the hands at shoulder height. A bar is placed across the front deltoids. The bar should be in contact with the throat. The bar should be making the squatter uncomfortable but, obviously not unable to breath. The hands deliberately do not touch the bar. This teaches athletes to carry the bar on the shoulders, not on the wrists, as shown in figure 6.5. Learning to carry the bar with the shoulders will make better squatters and better Olympic lifters. Do not neglect this critical point. Follow the descent and ascent instructions for the hands-free body-weight squat

Figure 6.5 Hands free front squat

119

119


120

Step 3: Learning the Clean-Grip Front Squat Do not use a crossover grip in the clean-grip front squat. Athletes must be able to execute a proper front squat to be able to clean properly. The front squat start position is used for the clean catch, the push jerk, and the push press. Even if you elect to use the back squat as your primary lower-body exercise, the front squat is actually an excellent way to teach the squat. Why? • Front squats require perfect body position. • Front squats develop shoulder flexibility, a big plus in the bench press–dominated world of strength training. Flexibility is enhanced only if a clean grip is used, which I recommend. Front squats require less weight and put less pressure on the ego. No one seems to beg for more weight in the front squat. It is important to note that if you are having trouble developing proper squat technique with your athletes, you are attempting to use too much weight too soon or your athletes have inadequate flexibility or mobility in the hips and ankles. The optimal way to stretch for the squat is to sit in the full squat position, place the elbows on the inner sides of the knees, and push the knees out over the toes while arching the back. Master the technique over the first month if necessary, and work hard on the single-leg exercises after your squat workout.

120


121

Why Do Squats Cause Unusual Inner Thigh Soreness? Until recently I often asked myself the above question. Why do athletes often report unusual levels of soreness in an area that appears to be the adductors or the medial hamstrings and, why does it seem even worse with lunges? I can’t tell you the number of athletes that I have encountered who have described a sensation of “pulling their groin” after being introduced to squatting or lunges for the first time. My answer came from a book called Anatomy Trains, written by a Rolfer named Meyers. Meyers describes the adductor magnus as the “fourth hamstring”. Not only do some people refer to the adductor magnus as the fourth hamstring but, the adductor magnus is in fact the third most powerful hip extensor. Many athletes will never use the adductor magnus as a hip extensor until they begin to squat low or perform walking lunges. When they do either of these exercises they “wake up” the adductor magnus. The response is usually a painful one. Klaus Wiemann wrote an article entitled “Relative Activity of Hip and Knee Extensors in Sprinting- Implications for Training” (Weimann 1995, p32) In his article, he describes how the adductor group, primarily the adductor magnus, plays a critical role in sprinting. It acts as both a powerful hip extensor and a counterbalance to the powerful external rotating capability of the glute max. Many in the performance world have not even explored this fact. When we discuss single leg strength, this fact will be even more critical.

121


Adding Instability to the Front Squat Over the past few years, my training philosophy has changed in regard to the number of times per week to perform a lift. The old philosophy was a heavy–light system in which a specific lift, such as the front squat, was done twice per week, once with a heavy load and once with light load. Light days were difficult to enforce and regulate. Instead of light days, I often opt for unstable days or unilateral days. Unstable days serve two purposes. Unstable-surface work forces the athlete to lift lighter while also developing balance and proprioception. The unstable surface also requires the athlete to concentrate on technique and weight distribution to be successful. Unstable surface training has become controversial over the past few years with the explosion of stability ball training and the use of other unstable environments. Opponents of unstable surface training tend to be old school powerlifters or Olympic lifters who feel that the old ways are the best ways. The advocates of unstable surface training feel that unstable surface training adds additional proprioceptive demand to the exercise, a position that rehab specialists have taken for years. In my mind the science here is undeniable. Physical therapists have designed exercises to increase proprioceptive demand in a rehab setting for years and would never think of discontinuing this practice. The application of this concept to healthy athletes as a preventative measure is sensible. The opponents of unstable surface training frequently cite studies indicating that unstable surface training does not cause additional activation of the prime movers and, they may be right. However, those of us who advocate unstable surface training are not doing it to add additional stress to the prime movers but rather to add additional stress to stabilizers and neutralizers. The next time someone tells you that unstable surface training is a waste of time, see if they haul out these same examples. In my opinion, unstable surface training is

122

122


actually used in my opinion to decrease the stress on a prime mover while increasing the stress on that prime mover’s synergists. Many of the opponents of unstable surface training are in fact opposing the concept without actually understanding its purpose. Balance-Board Squats Balance-board squats are an excellent way to provide additional proprioceptive stress to the lower body while continuing to develop technique in the front squat. This drill is done exactly the same as the front squat except that athlete or client stands on a balance board such as the Reebok Core Board. For heavy balance-board squats, our boards are constructed of three-quarter-inch plywood measuring 18 inches by 36 inches, attached to a base made from a four-byfour. These boards must be sturdy. The four-by-four is trimmed with a router to provide a surface of slightly less than three inches in contact with the floor. The base is attached to the four-by-four with both construction adhesive and screws. Please realize that if you construct your own balance boards, you assume responsibility for the construction quality and for liability.

123

123


124

Developing Single-Leg Strength Single-leg strength is the most important quality in performance training. I occasionally flirt with the idea of not even performing conventional two-legged exercises like Front Squats and simply concentrating on single leg strength. Single-leg strength is a quality that is frequently ignored in strength programs but is essential to the improvement of speed and the prevention of injury. Single-leg strength is the essence of lower-body strength. In fact a case could be made that all double-leg strength exercises, such as squats, are nonfunctional for most sports. Although considering eliminating double-leg squatting may be extreme to some, it emphasizes the importance of single-leg exercise in any strength program. Unfortunately, most strength programs focus solely on conventional double-leg exercises such as squats, leg presses, or unequivocally nonfunctional leg exercises such as leg extensions or leg curls. Ask yourself a simple question. How many sports are played with both feet in contact with the ground at the same time? The answer is not many. Almost all sport skills are performed on one leg. For this simple reason, it is critical that single-leg strength be the focal point of the strength program. It is extremely important to understand that single-leg strength is specific and cannot be developed through double-leg exercises. The actions of the pelvic stabilizers are different in a single-leg stance than in a double-leg stance. Single-leg exercises force the gluteus medius,quadratus lumborum and as we mentioned in the section on squats, the adductor group to operate as stabilizers and or neutralizers, which are critical in sport skills. The benefit of single leg strength development is again reinforced by Weimann’s thoughts about the importance of the adductor magnus as both a synergist and stabilizer for the glute max in hip extension. Unilateral

124


exercise will obviously force the adductors to act to balance the abduction/ external rotation component of the glute max. The study by Ireland and Powers mentioned previously in the section on single leg stability is obviously applicable to single leg strength as well. New evidence like the work of Ireland and Powers gives additional credence to under-read and undervalued work like Weimann’s. Many of our current lowerextremity syndromes could be prevented or alleviated with single leg training. As has been stated prior, single-leg training is simply the logical process of applying what we now understand about functional anatomy and applying it to training. The diagram in figure 6.6 illustrates the muscular differences from double leg training to single leg training. The key stabilizers of the pelvis, so necessary in any running or jumping activity receive little–to-no stress in conventional double leg exercise. Single-leg strength is slowly beginning to be recognized as a key in injury reduction, and is becoming a staple of most reconditioning programs and knee injury prevention programs.

125

125


126

Figure 6.6 - Interrelationship of the pelvic stabilzers. Courtesy of NASM

As in Functional Training for Sports, the single leg strength exercises are classified as level 1, 2, or 3. All athletes, regardless of training stage, should begin with a level 1 exercise for the first three weeks of training. Almost all level 2 exercises can be done with external load by more advanced athletes, but remember that athletes should progress only when they have mastered an exercise. After athletes have mastered a level 1 single-leg strength exercise, they can progress to a level 2 single-leg strength exercise or to the addition of an unstable surface to a le be as follows:

126


1. Half foam roller, round side up 2. Half foam roller, round side down 3. Airex pad 4. Half foam roller, placed on an exercise bench (unstable on top of unstable) Most of the single-leg exercises can initially use what we have come to call the body-weight progression. This simply means that the athlete uses body weight only (no external load) for the first three weeks but increases reps each week from 8 to 10 to 12 per leg. This is a simple progressive resistance concept. More advanced athletes can begin with external loads (bar, dumbbells, or weight vest), but this should be discouraged initially if the athletes do not have experience with single-leg training or are larger or weaker. It is important to note that larger (heavier), taller, or younger athletes will frequently struggle with single-leg exercise in the initial stages. Resist the temptation to rush into more difficult single leg exercises if your population includes football lineman, tall basket players or any athletes with poor leverage or poor strength to bodyweight ratio. Almost all young athletes will fall into one of the above categories. As athletes become more advanced, any single-leg exercise can be added into the program as long as no fewer than five reps are used. Level 1- Split Squat The split squat is a great simple exercise for developing single-leg strength and is covered in Functional training for Sports on page 60. This exercise is always step 1 in our single-leg progression. • Dumbbells or a bar can be added in the front-squat or backsquat position. (figure 6.7). In fact front Split Squats have

127

127


Figure 6.7 Front split squat

become an excellent alternative strength exercise for any of our athletes with a history of back pain. Think about contracting the glute of the back leg to properly stabilize. Level 2 - One-Leg Bench Squat The one-leg bench squat (figure 6.8) goes by numerous names. Bulgarian Angel Spassov referred to the exercise as a Spassov squat in the ‘80s and questionably attributed many Eastern European successes to its performance. Others simply refer to it as a rear foot elevated split squat. Terminology is less important but execution is key. To perform the one-leg bench squat, get into a position similar to that for the split squat, except with the back foot on a bench. At this point there is one stable point of support on the floor

128

128


and one slightly less stable point on the bench. This is a slight decrease in stability from the split squat and an increase in difficulty because the back leg can provide less assistance. At this point the exercise is more difficult for two reasons. 1) More of the bodyweight is being placed on the front foot 2) Stability is decreased by the back foot position From this position, descend until the front thigh is parallel to the floor and the back knee is nearly touching the floor. Like the split squat, this exercise is done with no foot movement and can improve the dynamic flexibility of the hip flexor muscles if performed correctly. The athlete or client must continue to think about firing the glutes and keeping the abdominals tight or the additional motion will come from lumbar compensation rather than hip motion. This exercise can be done as a body-weight exercise, following the 8-10-12 body-weight progression described earlier, or as a strength exercise with dumbbells or a bar for as few as five reps (e.g., three sets of five reps per leg).

129

129


130

Figure 6.8 One leg bench squat or rear foot elevated squat

Level 2- SlideBoard Back Lunge The slideboard back lunge (figure 6.9) is rapidly becoming one of my favorite single leg exercises. It is an excellent exercise that combines single leg strength, dynamic flexibility, and moderate instability. My affinity for this exercise led me to convince Ultraslide to develop and market a five foot version that is not appropriate for conditioning but, is specifically for exercises like slideboard lunges and leg curls. One of the unique benefits of the slideboard back lunge is that It can be considered both a knee-dominant and a hip-dominant exercise. In fact Craig Freidman, one of my collegues at Athletes' Performance, has argued that the movement pattern of the front leg is more of a pulling action of as the sliding foot moves forward. This pulling action may in fact stress the hip extensors to a greater degree than the knee extensors In Functional Training for Sports we classified these exercises as hybrids. Begin by using a body-weight progression with this exercise

130


because of the additional stretch and instability component.

Figure 6.9 Slideboard lunge

Level 3- One-Leg Box Squat ( Balance Squat) The one-leg box squat (figure 6.10) is the king of single-leg exercises. Some coaches will refer to these as balance squats because the support of the back leg is now eliminated. It is the most difficult and also most beneficial of all the singleleg exercises. Be sure to follow the progression from split squat to one-leg bench squat before attempting the one-leg box squat. The one-leg box squat requires the use of a single leg without any contribution to balance or stability from the opposite leg. The pelvic muscles must function as stabilizers without the benefit of the opposite leg touching the ground or a bench. The importance of this point cannot be overstated, as pelvic muscle stabilization is needed in all sprinting

131

131


actions. The stance leg must produce force without any assistance from the swing leg. Do not become discouraged if you are initially unable to perform this exercise immediately. Most athletes feel unsteady or clumsy the first few times. One of the major benefits of single-leg squats is the balance and proprioception that they develop. Athletes might require a few sessions to even begin to become comfortable with the oneleg box squat. Technique Points for the 1 Leg Squat can be found on page 62-63 of Functional Training for Sports • This may be the only case of an exercise being easier with weight than without. The counterbalance will allow an athlete or client to keep the bodyweight back toward the heel. Strangely enough five pounds in each hand helps but, ten lbs will increase the difficulty. • Another method to increase resistance for stronger athletes is to combine a weight vest with dumbbells. Some stronger athletes find that they are limited by their ability to lift the dumbbells to shoulder height as they increase weight. To counter this, simply add a 10-pound vest for additional weight instead of increasing the weight of the dumbbells. We have athletes use up to 35 -pound dumbbells but shoulder fatigue becomes an issue. If the formula calls for 70 pounds, a 20-pound vest can be combined with 25-pound dumbbells.

132

132


Figure 6.10 One-leg squat

133

133


134

Facilitating the Glute Medius If an athlete seems to have the leg strength to perform a one leg squat but struggles with the stability, the coach can use a technique that Physical therapist Gray Cook refers to as “reactive neuromuscular training”. Athletes in this category will easily perform the one-leg squat but will be unable to keep the knee from moving into an adducted position. Although we would describe this as the knee falling in, the reality is that this is a hip issue, particularly a glute medius issue. In many cases simply facilitating the glute medius will solve the problem. The question is how. Frequently in the past we have found ourselves trying to verbally instruct the athlete to “not let the knee fall in”. Very often this appeared to be a waste of time as the athlete was unable to make the connection between the instruction and the action. Shad Forsythe, Performance Specialist at Athletes Performance in Los Angeles, came up with the following simple solution. •

Take a twenty-inch piece of Theratube or a similar material and place it around both legs just below the knees. (see figure 6.11)The tube should be light and easy to stretch. Have the athlete perform the One Leg Squat exactly as indicated above except that the legs are now connected. The action of the Theratube, due to the pull into adduction, gives a small neural stimulus to the abductors, particularly the gluteus medius. This is Cook’s Reactive Neuromuscular Training concept. A low-level stress is applied to the muscle (in this case the glute medius) to cause that muscle to contract and contribute the proper level of stability. We really like this concept and are using it in a number of areas.

134


Figure 6. 11 Facilitating the glute medius

135

135


136

Determining Weight for One-Leg Squats with Experienced Athletes: True single leg exercise must take into account both the athlete’s body weight and, external load (dumbbells weight vests, etc) The reality is that in single leg exercise bodyweight functions as the majority of the load. Because of this many coaches find it difficult to determine loads for one-leg squats. We have found it useful to follow the same process we use for jump squats for many of our single leg exercises. In order to determine an athlete’s load we calculate total system weight. This is the same system we use for jumps squat, however the percentages change. Total System Weight = Bodyweight + front squat max Ex ample: A 200 lb athlete capable of a 400 lb. front squat would have a total system weight of 600 lbs. We generally begin at 40 percent of total system weight them subtract bodyweight and divide by two to get a dumbbell weight. In others words 40 percent of 600 is 240. (240-200)/2= 20 This athlete would use 20-pound dumbbells for sets of five reps. The reason this matters is again illustrated by the example of a 300-pound athlete capable of front squatting 300 lbs. This athlete has the same total system weight but would struggle with single leg squats. In fact the formula produces a negative number. BW + FS = (TSWx.4) – BW= 300+ 300= 600x.4= 240 – 300= -60 Any athlete with a negative number will struggle to do single leg squats without load. In general we will still use five-pound dumbbells as they provided an effective counterbalance and actually make the movement easier. This is another paradox. Single-leg squats are easier with five pounds in each hand but, harder with ten.

136


137

As previously described, large loads for athletes with great strength- to- bodyweight ratios (generally above two times their bodyweight in the front squat) are generally best achieved by combining weight vests and dumbbells. Lunge – see page 64 of Functional Training for Sports Lunges are an interesting single leg exercise. It is my belief that they are not used by more coaches due to space issues than for any other reason. The need for a bar and room to walk make walking lunges less than practical. The advent of the portable minislide board allows coaches and athletes to gain the benefits of walking lunges in a limited space through slideboard lunges. ( See page 64 of Functional Training for Sports for a more in-depth description of the lunge.)

Level 1-3 Single Leg Pause Squats (figure 6.12 )- the single leg pause squat is an exercise that works wonders for athletes with patella tendonitis or any patella-femoral syndrome. The exercise is listed as a level 1-3 exercise because it has so many potential applications. The exercise may in fact become a level 1 exercise due to its’ strong effect on femoral control. The single leg pause squat can be used as a variation of the one leg squat with a pause on the box or bench or as an eccentric-only exercise. In either case the single leg pause squat is an excellent way to develop femoral control. The eccentric version is a great way to begin pain-free training for athletes suffering from patella tendonitis. In the eccentric version range of motion is limited to a range that is pain free and can be controlled. If the athlete “free falls” to the bench or box raise the

137


138

height of the box. Athletes with patella-femoral issues may only be able to control a quarter squat or less initially. To raise the height of the box, Airex pads can be stacked or stackable steps can be used. In this case, as a rehab exercise, partial squatting movements are acceptable. In order to facilitate better control of the femur by the glute medius a mini-band or Theratube can be placed around the knees. The non-squatting leg acts as an anchor and allows the glute medius of the squatting leg to exert an abduction force. (See figure 6.11)

Figure 7.12 Single leg pause squat

138


139

The purpose of this chapter is to continue to reinforce the essential nature of single-leg exercise. The fact that almost all of sport is played on one leg cannot be overlooked. The practical and functional anatomical evidence is too overwhelming to ignore, yet still is by many coaches. The question now should not be a question of free weights versus machines but single leg strength versus double leg strength. In addition the reader should begin to see the purpose of apparently non-functional single leg exercises for the hip joint and, their eventual role in enhancing strength and stability.

139


140

140


141

Chapter 7- Hip Dominant Exercises A chapter on hip-dominant exercise could actually be an extension of the core chapter, or it could follow the chapter on knee-dominant exercise as it does here. I have often asked myself when bridging ceases to be an exercise for core stability and glute activation and becomes a strengthening exercise for the hip extensors. In reality the line between core strength exercise and hip-dominant exercise is impossible to draw. Many of our core stabilization exercises are actually foundational movements that morph into our hip extension exercises. The concept of glute activation learned from the bridging exercises carries over directly into all of the bent-leg hip extension exercises. In fact the bent-leg hip extension exercises are simply progressions from bridging done in a concentric-eccentric manner. The training of the entire posterior chain, as the glute and hamstring group are often referred, becomes more critical as we begin to further our knowledge of functional anatomy. The posterior chain works in conjunction with the quadriceps to control all locomotor movement from walking to running. Janda referred to the systems of the posterior chain as the “deep longitudinal subsystem” and the “posterior oblique sub-system” (figure 7.1) and demonstrated how critical these muscles are in transferring force from the ground to the upper body.

141


142

Figure 7.1 – The deep longitudinal sub-system and posterior oblique sub system

When the foot is placed on the ground the ankle is stabilized by the anterior tibialis and peroneals. This allows force to be transmitted through the hamstring into the glute max. If we do not perform single leg hip extension exercises we will again miss a critical part of force transmission and of ankle stability. The exercises must begin at the ground with the peroneal group and anterior tibialis and then proceed literally up the chain through the lateral hamstring and into the glutes. The use of the thoracolumbar fascia as the crossing point of movement through the lumbar spine reinforces our core training concepts as both the transverse abdominus and internal oblique act on the same thoracolumbar fascia. Movement is literally linked from the feet to the shoulders by the core muscles and fascia. In spite of the above information, the muscles that extend the hip, primarily the gluteus maximus and hamstring group, are often neglected in many training programs. When we view the systems from a functional anatomical perspective, it is obvious that hipdominant exercise is as important or potentially more important than knee-dominant exercise. Many coaches mistakenly believe that squatting is enough exercise for the entire lower body. These

142


143

types of programs are characterized by a “leg” day that consists primarily of squat type movements with a token single-joint hamstring exercise like a leg curl. This places excessive emphasis on the knee extensors and neglects the hip extensors. As was discussed in chapter 4, this can be a major problem particularly if glute function is inhibited. Athletes with inhibited glute function will present with large quadricep muscles in relation to the glutes but still may be able to squat large amounts of weight. Most often these quad-dominant, glute deficient athletes will prefer a narrow, kneedominant, squatting style. In recent years, the Olympic lifting community has advocated doing variations of the straight-leg deadlift. This exercise has been called the Romanian deadlift and is a hip-dominant deadlift done with a limited knee bend. I prefer to use the term “modified straight-leg deadlifts.” Many U.S. powerlifters used this lift for years prior to the introduction of the term “Romanian deadlift”. Whether you choose to use the term Romanian deadlift or straight-leg deadlift, this type of exercise at least addresses the need for hip dominant exercise. What this exercise does not address is the need for unilateral hip dominant exercise. If you study the subsystems carefully it becomes obvious that unilateral exercise is critical to proper function of the posterior chain. To make matters worse, the hamstring group, a secondary hip extensor, is still often mistakenly trained as a knee flexor. Although some anatomy texts describe the hamstring group as knee flexors, science now tells us that the hamstrings is actually the second most powerful hip extensor as well as a stabilizer of the knee. Hamstrings are only knee flexors in nonfunctional settings. In any locomotor activity the function of the hamstrings group is not to flex the knee but to extend the hip. As a result, lying or standing leg curls are a waste of time for athletes. Exercises like leg curls train the muscles in a pattern that is never used in sport or in life. The training and retraining of the hamstring muscles in nonfunctional patterns may explain the frequent recurrence of hamstring strains in

143


144

athletes who rehabilitate with exercises such as leg curls or through the use of isokinetic machines such as the Cybex. More importantly, strengthening the hamstrings in the absence of proper glute function is simply attempting to train a synergist to do the job of a prime mover. I believe that most hamstring injuries are actually the result of poor glute function. If the glutes function poorly, then the hamstring becomes what Janda calls “synergistically dominant”. In other words, we have a synergist attempting to perform the task of a weak prime mover. Over time the hamstrings will tire and eventually strain. If the solution to the hamstring strain is more hamstring strengthening, as is often the case, the cycle will continue. Any time as a coach or therapist you see a hamstring strain, look for a weak glute. Sahrmann’s quote from the pillar strength section bears repeating in this context: “ When assessing the factors that contribute to an overuse syndrome, one of the rules is too determine whether one or more of the synergists of the strained muscle is also weak. When the synergist is weak, the muscle strain is probably the result of excessive demands” (2002,p37). It has now become our habit to look for a weakness that is causing the strain and, to strengthen the weak muscle instead of the strained muscle. This may explain the frequent complaint by athletic trainers and therapists that “ I can’t believe he pulled his hamstring again, he had great strength”. The reality is that hamstring weakness was never the problem. The problem was a weak prime mover. Exercises like slideboard leg curls or stability-ball leg curls are an exception to the “no single joint exercise” rule are. They are an exception because these particular types of leg curls use a closedchain movement (foot in contact with a supporting surface) and require that the glutes are active to maintain hip extension.

144


Hip Extension Exercises This section breaks down hip extension exercises into two distinct movement patterns: straight-leg hip extension and bent-leg hip extension. It is essential that movements from both categories are used to properly train the posterior chain muscles (glutes and hamstrings). Although some experts claim that bent-leg hip extension isolates the glutes, I have not found this to be true for closed-chain movements. When the foot is in contact with a surface (stability ball, ground, slideboard top), both the glutes and hamstrings work to some degree. Depending on the starting length of the hamstring group, the hamstring will emerge as either the prime mover or the synergist. Both straight-leg hip extension and bent-leg hip extension target the glute and the hamstrings. The difference lies in the concept of length-tension relationships. Length-tension basically dictates that muscles will work best at normal length. If they are shortened or overstretched, they will not develop optimal tension. It is not possible to truly eliminate one muscle group’s contribution, only to lessen it. Straight-leg hip extension unquestionably targets the hamstrings to a greater degree due to the fact that the hamstring begins at normal length, but I have found that all of the bent-leg hip extension exercises also involve the hamstrings as a synergist. The difference with bent-leg hamstring exercise is that the hamstring is deliberately shortened to decrease its contribution and increase the contribution of the glute. With the knee bent, the length-tension relationship of the hamstring is now poor and the glute will be literally forced to do more work. Hamstring cramps with bent-leg hamstring exercises clearly demonstrate that the athlete or client has poor glute firing or activation. Why? Because in spite of the poor length-tension

145

145


relationship the hamstring is attemtpting to compensate for the weak glute. Due to the shortened state of the hamstring, the need to shorten an already deliberately shortened muscle causes that muscle to cramp. The key to any of the hip extension movements is to instruct the client or athlete to think glutes first. Improvement of glute firing must be a conscious effort. As I mentioned previously, many coaches feel that squatting is enough lower-body exercise. In reality, exercises such as squats and squat variations affect the glutes and hamstrings only as they relate to knee and hip extension involved in achieving a neutral standing position. In squatting the hip never moves into full extension. Quad-dominant athletes can become effective squatters with minimal glute involvement particularly if they are allowed to squat to positions above parallel. To properly work the glutes and the hamstrings, the movement must be centered on the hip and not on the knee. To understand this concept, envision a front squat. The hip moves through an approximately 90-degree range of motion in concert with the knee movement. Generally there is one degree of hip movement for each degree of knee movement. The focus of the exercise is shared equally by the knee extensors and the hip extensors. In an exercise such as the modified straight-leg deadlift, the hip moves through a 90degree range of motion, but the glutes are assisted by the hamstrings. A properly designed program must include both straight-leg, hip-dominant exercises and bent-leg hipdominant exercises to properly balance the lower-body muscles. Most of the exercises in this chapter will initially use

146

146


147

the 8-10-12 body-weight progression, meaning that body weight is used for the first three weeks but the number of repetitions increases each week, from 8 to 10 to 12 reps. External resistance may be used when appropriate or obstacles of greater difficulty can be substituted. Cook Hip LiftThe Cook Hip Lift was covered in the core chapter 4, but it is important to again remind coaches or trainers that it is important to begin by distinguishing between hip range and movement of the lumbar spine. Don't skip this step. What About Reverse Hypers? It is amazing how quickly we can buy into an exercise without fully evaluating the movement, its’ cost and its’ space requirements. Louie Simmons and his West Side Barbell philosophy have made many into reverse hyper believers. I will admit to jumping on the Louie bandwagon myself 8 years ago. I now have two reverse hyper machines taking up space and getting very little use. I have a number of issues with reverse hypers. • I dislike buying equipment that only allows the performance of one exercise. At the end of the day, the reverse hyper machine is still a single-station, single-joint machine. • Reverse hypers work a non-functional pattern. I want my foot on the ground or at least pushing against something when I perform hip extension exercises. • Reverse hypers will really feed synergistic dominance particularly if not taught and watched. Ideally the reverse hyper is performed by extending the hip with the glutes and hamstrings. In many cases, reverse hypers may in fact feed the dysfunction by allowing lumbar extension to substitute for hip extension.

147


•

148

Reverse hypers are not a particularly comfortable lift, particularly with heavy loads. The force on the stomach can be very uncomfortable.

Again, it is important to remind yourself that the objective of powerlifting is to lift as much weight as possible. The reverse hyper is seen as a primary assistance exercise for deadlifts, and deadlifts only require that the load moves from A to B. It doesn’t matter which muscle does the work. One reason I dislike conventional deadlifts is that when done heavy, they are rarely done well. It is simply a fact of competitive powerlifting. As a former competitive lifter, I have watched thousands of deadlifts and when the load gets heavy, it gets shifted to the spinal erectors. This makes the lumbar extension component of the reverse hyper very attractive as an assistance exercise for powerlifting, but not for athletes.

Foot-Elevated Hip Lift The foot-elevated hip lift is an excellent progression from the Cook hip lift and has become a staple of our program. In actuality the foot elevated hip lift is simply a single leg bridge. This is a great example of the blurry line between core stabilization and posterior chain strength. An exercise that began as a core movement becomes a strength exercise for the posterior chain. The foot can be elevated on an aerobic step, a balance board, a foam roller, or a medicine ball to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Aerobic steps in four-inch and sixinch heights allow a proper progression. For level 2 exercise, a four-inch step is used. For level 3, a six-inch step or balance board is used. For level 4, a foam roller can be used. A two-dimensionally unstable surface such as a foam roller causes the hamstrings

148


to be used in two separate but important functions. The hamstrings assist in hip extension while also working eccentrically to prevent knee extension. To progress to level 5, a medicine ball can be used. The medicine ball is the most difficult due to the three-dimensional instability it introduces at the hip. The hamstrings must work at two joints, while the hip stabilizers work to prevent hip adduction and abduction. The key is that the athlete or client must be instructed to think about raising the hips by squeezing the glute while keeping the abdominals drawn in. For all these hip-lift exercises, use the 8-10-12 body-weight progression.

Modified Straight-Leg Deadlift ( p78 Functional Training for Sports) The modified straight-leg deadlift (SLDL) is the predecessor of the popular Romanian Deadlift and ranks with the squat among frequently maligned, misunderstood, and poorly executed lifts. Squats and deadlifts and their variations are often called unsafe and dangerous. In truth, these lifts may be safe and beneficial when performed correctly with an appropriate load. However, the squat and the SLDL can be dangerous when performed improperly or with too heavy a weight. The unfortunate reality is that most athletes perform both of these exercises with too much weight and with questionable technique. I must admit to not being a fan of the double-leg versions of the SLDL or the Romanian Deadlift at this point as they are difficult to teach and difficult to learn. I honestly believe that

149

149


flexing from the hips with the spine stable (what PT’s like to call a waiters bow) is one of the most difficult exercises to teach in strength and conditioning. The good thing is that, unlike squatting, very few athletes seem to miss deadlifts if they are taken out of the program. As a result, I now use only single-leg versions of these exercises. I feel that the single-leg versions impact the back significantly less and, impact the glutes and hamstrings significantly more. In addition, the muscular systems that were discussed earlier are trained far more effectively in the single-leg versions. If I can obtain better muscular specificity and less lumbar load, I think that is an improvement. Again the old school purists will look and say “What, no deadlifts?” I will always go back to the same point. If we can improve performance and have less chance of injury, I like the idea. One-Leg Straight-Leg Deadlift The one-leg SLDL is a variation that develops the entire posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), enhances balance, and decreases both load and stress on the back. Beginning loads will be less than fifty percent of the comparable load in the two-legged version. This exercise is far safer version and is also more challenging. One of the obvious benefits is the tremendous proprioceptive work at the ankle. The deep longituidinal subsystem is engaged in this exercise so the peroneals and anterior tibialis both must work extremely hard to provide stability to the ankle and consequently to the hip. This exercise is preferred in our programs over the double-leg version. Single-leg hamstring work is obviously more functional than double-leg hamstring work, and single-leg hamstring work that challenges balance and proprioception is

150

150


151

the most beneficial. This is another exercise that can be used as a part of the warm-up or as a loaded strength exercise. Technique Points- the one-leg SLDL is covered on page 79 of Functional Training for Sports One-Leg, Two Arm Straight-Leg Deadlift The one -leg, two-arm SLDL is another excellent single leg alternative to the double leg versions of the Romanian or straightleg deadlift. Charles Poliquin has frequently used the phrase “varying the exercise without changing it”. The one-leg, two-arm SLDL is an excellent example of allowing some variability without having to teach entirely new movement patterns. As Poliquin has often recommended the essence of the exercise remains the same, but the exercise is different enough to allow different loads and slightly different neurological patterns. The one-leg, two-arm SLDL moves from a dumbbell exercise to a straight bar or two dumbbell exercise and alters the loads at both the scapulo-thoracic joint and the thoracolumbar fascia. It allows greater loads than the single arm version and will provide greater

Figure 8.2 One-leg, two-arm SLDL

151


152

stress to all of the trunk extensors and scapula retractors. This makes the exercise an excellent progression from the singledumbbell version. From a functional standpoint, however, the two dumbbells or straight bar may actually make the exercise less functional. I do not find this to be of great concern as the greater loads on the hip extensors offset the loss of the linkage from glute max to lat across the thoracolumbar fascia. The important point is that the athlete or client is able to move to a level 2 exercise with an increased load from the level 1 exercise. 1 Leg Good Morning The single-leg good (figure 7.3) is another example of a single leg version of an exercise that is better than its double leg counterpart. Although clearly not a beginner exercise, the one-leg good morning is another excellent progression from the previous two exercises. From a periodization standpoint, it fits in nicely. The one-arm, one-

Figure 7.3 One-leg good morning

152


153

leg SLDL is an excellent exercise for an accumulation or hypertrophy phase while the two-arm, one-leg SLDL lends itself to the slightly higher loads of an intensification or strength phase. The 1 Leg Good Morning is more suited to the lighter loads of accumulation phases. The conventional Good morning is a waiters’ bow with the bar across the shoulders in a back squat position. It is an exercise that I have never used or recommended. However, the single leg version draws on all of the skills developed through the previous two exercises and is another excellent variation of a straight-leg hip extension exercise. Athletes or clients can begin with a Bodybar or similar weighted bar but will rapidly progress to an Olympic bar. Repetitions should remain in the 8-10 range to keep the loads on the spine low.

Slideboard Leg Curl The slideboard leg curl is an exercise that stronger athletes can use as a level 1 exercise or an eccentric-only exercise for beginners. The slideboard leg curl has quickly become a favorite exercise even though it seems to violate the “no single-joint exercise” rule. In fact the slideboard leg curl is not a single-joint exercise even though there is only one joint moving. The slideboard leg curl works in a similar manner to the hip lift exercises. In the hip lift exercises, the glute is the prime mover while the hamstring assists in hip extension. In the slideboard leg curl, although only the knee joint is moving, the glute must act to keep the hip in extension while the hamstring works to both eccentrically resist leg extension ( a primary hamstring function) and concentrically produce knee flexion. The reality is that this is a complex and, in fact, functional exercise when performed correctly. There is one major problem with the slideboard leg curl. Previous

153


154

authors who have described this exercise with the stability ball have made the exercise a simultaneous hip flexion and knee flexion exercise where the hips are allowed to drop. This method of performance takes what could be a great exercise and reduces it to an average exercise. The key to the slideboard leg curl is that the exercise forces the glutes and hamstrings to maintain hip extension while also using the hamstrings as both eccentric resistors of leg extension and then finally concentric knee flexors.

Figure 7.4 Slideboard leg curl

Eccentric Only Version- many athletes or clients, particularly those that have glute firing issues will not be able to switch from the eccentric portion of the exercise to the concentric portion of the exercise while maintaining the glute contraction. In this case the hips will drop and flex during the concentric portion of the exercise. If this is the case perform eccentric-only reps to improve both strength and function. Start with the toes up and the heels on the board as in a double-leg bridge. Draw-in the abdominals and then place both hands on the

154


155

glutes to feel the contraction. With both hands on the glutes and the stomach drawn in, attempt to slide out taking five seconds to go from the hip flexed bridge position to a position with the legs straight. From that point, relax and return to the bridge position and repeat for 3-5 reps. Concentric Version- perform as above but, maintain the glute contraction and leg curl back to the start position. It is critical that there is no bend at the hips. Stability-Ball Leg Curl The stability-ball leg curl is a level 3 exercise because it requires using the glutes and spinal erectors to stabilize the torso and the hamstrings to per-form a closed-chain leg curl. This exercise develops torso stability while also strengthening the hamstrings. The stability-ball leg curl is the only leg curl movement I recommend. Technique Points • Heels are placed on the ball, and the body is held with the hips off the ground. • The ball is curled under the body with the heels while the body is kept straight. ( see pg. 82 Functional Training for Sports)

155


156

156


Chapter 8- Upper-Body Pulling and Pressing Exercises Upper-body pulling movements were covered in great detail in my previous book, Functional Training for Sports. The intention of this book is to provide new and updated information since the publication of my last book. In the case of upper-body pulling actions very little has changed. In most strength training programs, pulling movements such as chinups and rows are still given little, if any, emphasis. Instead most coaches and trainers have their athletes and clients perform lat pull-downs for the muscles of the upper back under the mistaken assumption that this is all that is necessary. In addition, many programs completely ignore rowing movements. This type of program design leads to overdevelopment of the pressing muscles, postural problems, and eventually to shoulder injury. A well designed upper-body program should include a proportional ratio of sets of horizontal pulling (rowing) and vertical pulling (chin-up) to overhead pressing, and supine pressing exercises. There should be a set of a pulling exercise for every set of pushing exercise. A poor ratio of pulling to pressing leads to overdevelopment of the pectorals and underdevelopment of the scapula retractors and predisposes athletes to overuse shoulder injuries, especially rotator cuff tendinitis. The incidence of rotator cuff tendinitis among athletes who perform a great deal of bench press and bench press variations is extremely high. In truth many Powerlifters seem to accept shoulder pain as a part of the sport in much the same way that swimmers or tennis players do. The reality is that with a balanced program very few athletes should experience anterior shoulder pain. In my opinion, the anterior shoulder pain is not due to the

157

157


158

bench press itself but rather to the lack an appropriate ratio of pulling movements. The real key is for athlete to possess an appropriate ratio of pulling strength to pushing strength. This is best estimated by comparing an athlete’s maximum number of pull-ups to his or her maximum bench press weight. Consideration must be given to body weight, but athletes capable of bench-pressing well over their body weight should also be capable of pulling their body weight, regardless of size. For example: a 200-pound male athlete who can bench-press 300 pounds should be able to perform 12 to 15 chin-ups. A 300-pound male athlete who can bench-press 400 pounds should be able to do 5 to 8 chin-ups. Females may actually perform better in the ratio of chin-up to bench press. We have found that female athletes capable of bench pressing their bodyweight can perform anywhere from 5-10 chin-ups. Vertical Pulling Movements A properly designed strength program should include at least three sets each of two chin-up variations per week as well as a minimum of three sets of two rowing movements per week. As cited previously, the Charles Poliquin concept of varying the exercise without changing it applies particularly to the upper back. Either the specific type of vertical and horizontal pull should change every three weeks, or the number of repetitions should change every three weeks; in some cases, both should change. The most important point is not to get caught in the trap of adding chin-ups to your program and then not training them as a strength exercise. Vertical pulling movements (chin-ups and variations) should be cycled in conjunction with horizontal pressing movements like the bench press. If you are performing sets of three in the bench press

158


159

then perform sets of three in your vertical pulling movements. If you are performing pyramids, do the same with vertical pulls. Our male athletes will very rapidly gain upper-back strength with this type of program. It is not unusual for our male athletes to perform five chin-ups with a 45- pound plate attached to a dip belt. Years ago I called a belt manufacturer to inquire about dip belts in size 24 for small waists. When asked the purpose, I replied that these were for our female athletes to perform weighted chin-ups and pull-ups. Our female athletes frequently complained that the dip belts slid down due to the fact that the smallest belt was made for a thirty inch waist. The supplier stated that in all the years of belt manufacturing, he had never been asked to make dip belts that size. Just think of the name. We don’t call them chin-up belts, we call them dip belts. The belts were designed to allow athletes to add weight for dips, not chin-ups. It is not unusual to walk into one of our facilities and see a female athlete or client performing sets of three chin-ups with anywhere from 5 to 25 pounds. In fact one of our female athletes, two-time ice hockey Olympian Tricia Dunn has performed three reps with a 45-pound plate on the dip belt. In addition, Tricia has done 15 chin-ups when tested. Treat vertical pulling as a strength exercise and you will see large increases in strength and decreases in shoulder pain.

Horizontal Pulling Movements Horizontal pulling movements, or rowing movements, are critical for two reasons: 1. The addition of rowing motions to the program will help prevent injury. 2. Rowing exercises are a true antagonistic movement to the bench press. Although chin-ups and their variations are important, rowing movements

159


specifically target both the muscles and the movement patterns that directly oppose those trained with the bench press. Despite their importance, rows are even more frequently omitted from strength programs than vertical pulling exercises like chin-ups. Rowing motions are an area of functional training that is undergoing great change. Recent advances in athletic training and physical therapy have shown that the body is linked both anteriorly and posteriorly in a diagonal pattern. The posterior was discussed in great detail in the chapter 7, but the information must be repeated in relation to rowing motions. As was previously stated force is transmitted from the ground through the leg to the hip via the biceps femoris and the glute max. The force is then transferred across the sacro-iliac joint into the opposite latissimus dorsi or lat as it is commonly referred. The keys in this system of cross-linkage lies not only in stabilizing the hip but in engaging the muscles used in the proper motor pattern. For this reason all rowing motions, except the inverted row and rotational row, are performed with one foot in contact with the ground. With one foot on the ground and the load in the hand opposite that foot the athlete or client must now engage the biceps femoris and glute, to transfer force from the ground, the pelvic stabilizers ( glute med, quadratus, and adductors) and the hip rotators. The hip rotator group and pelvic stabilizers are of particular importance because all force transferred from the ground must move through a stable hip to properly transfer to the upper body. Until very recently, the hip rotator group has been effectively ignored. The hip rotators are the “rotator cuff” of the lower body but do not get the respect and attention that the shoulder rotator cuff muscles of the upper body get. All force originating at the ground, whether a golf swing or a home run, must transfer through a strong, flexible, and stable hip rotator

160

160


161

group. The hip rotators must be given particular attention in program design. Rowing exercises are covered in detail on pages 130-138 of Functional Training for Sports. The exercises that follow are exercises that were not covered in Functional Training for Sports or, exercises that are being updated. One-Arm, One-Leg Dumbbell Row The dumbbell row done with two feet on the ground is the simplest of rowing movements and can help beginners learn proper back position. This would be a beginner, level 1 rowing exercise. For higher level athletes a one arm, one leg dumbbell row (figure 8.1) should be used. There is some debate over which foot should remain on the floor during a one arm one leg dumbbell row. I believe that both have a place in the program but, both have distinctly different thought processes. With the dumbbell in the right hand and, the left foot on the ground, the sub-systems are engaged from the ground up, but the neurological link between the lat and glute as hip extensor is not being facilitated. Although we are still getting glute activation, we are not activating the glute in conjunction with the opposite side lat. In this case the interaction with the ground is better due to the transfer from the ground on the left to the right side Lat. When the dumbbell is held in the right hand and the right foot is on the ground, the neurological line between the lat and glute is emphasized, but the relationship of the foot on the ground to the working lat is not. I believe that both exercises can be beneficial. Athletes with poor glute firing will do better with the dumbbell in the right hand and the left foot on the ground. This setup allows concentration on both rowing and glute activation. This variation is also better for athlktes that are tighter in the lateral hamstring. The version

161


with the dumbbell in the right hand and the right foot on the ground is a slightly more difficult version. In either version we have had success with having the athlete push the leg into a wall or object. This action of pushing will teach glute activation in away unlike any verbal cue.

Figure 9.1 One-arm, one leg dumbbell row

To perform the one-arm, one-leg dumbbell row lean forward and place one hand on a bench to stabilize your torso and take stress off the low back. The back is slightly arched, and the abdominals are drawn in. Lift the leg into position by firing the glute before attempting to row. It is important to teach

162

162


163

body position prior to pulling. This is a difficult position to hold. Concentrate first on moving the scapula and then the elbow to bring the dumbbell back to the hip. Do three sets of 5 to 10 reps, depending on the training phase.

Pressing Exercises: Much Can You Bench? The above title is a little deceptive. The truth is that it really doesn’t matter how much you can bench. However many athletes and, many coaches have been fooled into believing that the bench press is the measure of success and failure of an athlete’s off-season workouts. Frequently I see players who are making tremendous progress in conditioning and in lower-body strength but, are fixated on the bench press because “ Coach wants me up to 200 on the bench”. The logic that increases in bench press ability correlate with improvement of sport skill is flawed at best. The bench press is an indicator of one type of upper-body strength, a type that matters little in most sports. However, this is a book on designing strength programs and if we didn’t give the bench press some attention many coaches would not read the book. Just remember, there are many exercises and many movement patterns to develop strength in, don’t judge a player’s success or failure based on the bench press results. So, why do coaches place such emphasis on the bench press? • The bench press is an easy exercise to do and an easy exercise to test, much easier in both categories than the front squat or the hang clean. Bench press testing can be done rapidly, and with very little teaching. However, increases in the front squat or hang clean will have a far greater bearing on performance enhancement. • Most athletes like the bench press and are willing to work at it. However, athletes or clients generally like the bench press for

163


•

164

all the wrong reasons. Athletes like the bench press because they see rapid improvements in muscles that are really a leftover from our quadruped days. The pectoral muscles really are a muscle from when we walked on our hands. The reason we see such rapid change in the pecs from bench pressing is that we literally “wake up” muscles that don’t get used a whole lot. We go from atrophy to pecs in a few weeks. Coaches like this instant gratification. They like it when players look better. Most coaches have a limited knowledge of strength and conditioning and, like most people, assume that you measure strength by how much can you bench. Start a conversation with any layman about your workouts and the “how much” question will invariably come up.

Is there a better way? Yes. Unfortunately the truly beneficial exercises in strength training , like the previously mentioned front squat and hang clean, are not as easy to learn and take time, patience and coaching. Testing is difficult and, potentially dangerous but, not impossible. So, what is the solution? •

•

Coaches should at least test performance-related factors like 10 yd dash and vertical jump, which are readily improved by proper lower body training. Remember, athletes will train for tests. Make the bench press the big test and, you will have athletes with big upper bodies and, potentially no improvement in the ability to play their sport. One thing that I can state clearly: improvements in 10-yard dash and vertical jump will correlate strongly with improvements in performance. Coaches should start their teams on strength programs that emphasize lower body and abdominal strength and, forget the bench. Put your emphasis and your influence in the correct place.

164


165

In spite of the above points, clients and coaches will still want to know about upper body strength, and about bench pressing in particular. Horizontal pressing exercises like the bench press and variations present a few interesting dilemmas. Many young athletes initially experience a rapid strength gain initially from a bench press program that is often done three times a week. Due to the lack of relative use that the muscle gets, progress is rapid and some hypertrophy occurs quickly. This creates a fundamental problem. The athlete or client associates the success with the frequency and intensity of workouts, not with the concept of awakening a long dormant muscle. As a result, the trainee assumes a cause-effect relationship between training frequency and strength gain. This unfortunately leads to a long term plateau and frustration on the part of the trainee when they are unable to continue to produce the rapid results. As a former powerlifter, I must admit that I tried every program possible to improve my bench press. It was not until I realized that there was no relationship between training volume and strength gain that I began to make progress. In fact, the only relationship I found between volume and strength gain was negative. Most average trainees will gain better on a reduced volume program. My search for strength led me initially to the same sort of “written by guys on drugs, for other guys on drugs” type of programming. This is the standard muscle magazine junk. After realizing that this type of training wasn’t working for me I began to read the writings of guys like Dr. Ken Leistner and later Stuart McRobert. Both of these authors advocate a hybrid philosophy. Both espouse very abbreviated workouts along the line of the high-intensity/ 1 set to failure school of thought. However, both are also proponents of basic, multi-joint , free weight exercises. McRobert particularly has written extensively about strength and size development for what he refers to as hardgainers and even publishes a Hardgainer magazine. Reading the work of guys like McRobert and Leistner

165


166

and combining it with what we know about exercise physiology and human nature led me to the following: Keys to Bench Pressing • Bench press only once per week. Heresy you say? Not really. If you analyze the workout of most great bench pressers, most will perform the actual lift only once per week. • Perform only two upper-body pressing workouts per week. More heresy? Again, talk to most strength athletes. You will rarely see any that still perform three upper-body pressing workouts per week. • If you bench press less than 200 lbs buy a set of Olympic 1 ¼ plates. As you progress the five-pound jumps necessitated by 2 ½ pound plates will be too large. If you bench press over 200 pounds you can still get away with five-pound jumps but 2.5 will be better. • Work hard on your assistance exercises. Very often plateaus in the bench press can be broken by increasing the strength in the incline bench press or close grip bench press. Most often the reason athletes fail to improve their bench press after year one is that they don’t follow the above rules. It is very difficult to get an athlete or client to stop doing what has given them success but, in strength training less is clearly more as the trainee becomes more experienced. The following chart is provided to help you choose appropriate weight for your athletes or clients on the assistance exercises for the bench press. It has been my experience that most athletes do not push themselves in assistance exercises like they do in the bench press. We developed these charts so that we could accurately predict what our athletes should be capable of in major dumbbell exercises. If I have an athlete who can bench press 275

166


167

pounds I expect that that same athlete will be able to perform dumbbell bench presses with 85-pound dumbbells for 10 reps. Some readers might find this unusual but if you look at the ratios it is very feasible. 1 RM 10 RM DB Bench 10RM Bench Press 275 215 85 In order to determine dumbbell loads, we take 50 percent of the corresponding RM load. In the above case this would be 107.5 lbs. We then work off the assumption that an experienced athlete can handle 80 percent of a comparable barbell load with dumbbells so we multiply 107.5 x .8 and get 86.

167


168

Prediction Formula for Selected Horizontal Pressing Exercises Bench Bench Bench Bench DB Bench ALT DB Bench DB Incline ALT DB Inc 1 RM 3 RM 5 RM 10 RM 10 RM 10 RM 10 RM 10 RM 61 67 74 80 86 92 98 104 110 116 123 129 135 141 147 153 159 165 172 178 184 190 196 202 208 214 221 227 233 239 245 251 257 263 270 276 282 288 294 300 306 312 319 325 331 337 343 349 355 361 368 374 380 386 392

59 64 70 76 82 88 94 99 105 111 117 123 129 135 140 146 152 158 164 170 176 181 187 193 199 205 211 216 222 228 234 240 246 252 257 263 269 275 281 287 293 298 304 310 316 322 328 333 339 345 351 357 363 369 374

56 62 67 73 78 84 90 95 101 106 112 118 123 129 134 140 146 151 157 162 168 174 179 185 190 196 202 207 213 218 224 230 235 241 246 252 258 263 269 274 280 286 291 297 302 308 314 319 325 330 336 342 347 353 358

50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220 225 230 235 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 280 285 290 295 300 305 310 315 320

20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112 114 116 118 120 168 122 124 126 128

19 21 23 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 99 101 103 105 107 109 111 113 114 116 118 120

16 18 19 21 22 24 26 27 29 30 32 34 35 37 38 40 42 43 45 46 48 50 51 53 54 56 58 59 61 62 64 66 67 69 70 72 74 75 77 78 80 82 83 85 86 88 90 91 93 94 96 98 99 101 102

15 16 18 19 21 22 24 25 27 28 30 31 32 34 35 37 38 40 41 43 44 46 47 49 50 52 53 55 56 58 59 60 62 63 65 66 68 69 71 72 74 75 77 78 80 81 83 84 86 87 89 90 91 93 94


169

Generally we will only perform one horizontal pressing exercise per day. Most often some type of pure horizontal pressing exercise will be done on the first day, like a bench press or a dumbbell bench press. On the second day we will use an incline variation. One of my goals is to have balanced upper-body strength. I don’t want an athlete or client who is great at the press but, can’t incline bench press with a bar or handle heavy dumbbells. I think often we see athletes or clients who become extremely proficient at one exercise but do not have proportional multi-angle strength. One of my upper body goals is to have this balance between presses and between pressing and pulling. I have read nearly everything there is to read in the field of strength and conditioning and everyone from Doug Hepburn to Fred Hatfield make similar recommendations. The key to bench press success is not in doing more exercises. The key is well thought out progressions and volume control. Stuart McRobert likes to say, “If you are not getting stronger, your strength program isn’t working”. Simple but powerful logic. The next conclusion that McRobert and many authors like him have come to is that very few athletes or trainees who are serious are not doing enough. The reality is that some of the strongest guys in every gym seem to be the laziest. They come in, do one lift and leave. In reality, they understand how to get strong. Getting stronger is about progression. It has nothing to do with getting bigger or getting a pump. Alternating Dumbbell Bench Press and Alternating Dumbbell Incline Press From a functional training standpoint there are two somewhat unconventional exercises that I want to cover. I believe that alternating dumbbell bench press and alternating dumbbell incline press are significant improvements over the conventional variations due to the unilateral support and diagonal core load that these exercises provide. In both movements the dumbbells are supported

169


170

at the top and alternated from the top. By performing these exercises in this manner, you develop considerable shoulder stability. The arm that is not pressing is working isometrically to maintain position while the working arm performs the pressing action. In addition, the core is forced to create great diagonal stability to counter the diagonal force created by lowering one dumbbell. In symmetrical lifting there is very little core loading. These two exercises take a routine upper body pressing action and add two important dimensions. Pages 138-141 of Functional Training for Sports cover additional bodyweight horizontal pressing exercises. Again the intent of this book is to add to the concepts in Functional Training for Sports, not repeat information. The key in horizontal pressing exercises is not to focus solely on how much an athlete can bench press but, rather to develop well-rounded upper-body strength in the bench press, incline press and dumbbell variations. As strength and conditioning coaches we need to work to decrease the fascination with performing and evaluating one lift as if it is the only indicator of upper-body strength. You will be amazed how few athletes can do 25 strict pushups or even 10 good dips. Don’t lose site of the ability to handle bodyweight.

170


171

Chapter 9- Choosing a System of Training Most coaches do not choose a system of training; it seems to choose them. Coaches tend to either follow the crowd or, follow their own training preference. I am going to advocate that you do neither. Instead I will discuss the evolution of training systems and provide some insights into the pros and cons of each. The key is to take pieces where applicable to form a workable system. Set and Rep Schemes For beginners, much too much has been said about sets and reps. Programming is not nearly as important as execution. My experience is that many high school and college coaches have excellent sets and rep schemes that are then implemented with poor attention to technique. This is a mistake. KISS. Keep it simple S_ _ _ _ _. We should be strength and conditioning coaches, not computer geeks. I love Excel spreadsheets as much as anyone but, the continuing trend of good programming done poorly is disturbing. You are only as good as the technical proficiency of your athletes. The Simplest Method: Progressive Resistance Exercise (PRE)The simplest method of progression for beginners is to simply add five pounds per week to the bar as long as the athlete can perform the exercises with perfect technique. For more experienced lifters add 2 1/2 pounds per week to the heaviest set. This is a simple system advocated by the Hardgainer crowd. Stuart McRobert is the publisher of Hardgainer Magazine and has written an excellent book called Brawn that is wonderful in its simultaneously innovative yet, simple methods. I’m a huge fan. Many so-called big time strength coaches would reject this type of program as too simple but, I will confess that the PRE program formed the basis of almost all of the training for our college freshmen athletes. Periodization

171


172

was minimal and we employed PRE almost exclusively. The advantages of a simple progressive exercise program are evident: • the system works extremely well with beginners, and may be all many of you need • PRE can be combined with other methods for a simple periodized program Generally we would perform 2-3 sets per exercise after warm-up sets. The sequence is as follows - warm-up set first, heavy set second, heavy set plus or minus 5 to 10 pounds third. With the third set the coach would decide whether the athlete would go up, go down or stay at the same weight. By simply following a simple program of progressive resistance exercise you could improve 260 pounds per year with this method. I realize that no athlete will make five pound increases for an entire year but, most athletes would be happy with much smaller gains than 260 pounds in any lift. In theory an athlete who was able to Front Squat an unloaded 45-pound bar for 10 reps would be squatting 95 lbs for 10 reps by week 10. By week 20 they would be squatting 145 for ten reps. Some of our female athletes have become incredibly strong by using just this system this system. Obviously after the first training year this system must be replaced by a periodized system but, because of the rapid gains in strength in year one, we found that a percentage based system actually resulted in us holding back some of our athletes 20 Rep Tests One method we often use after the first three weeks of training to determine whether we are using appropriate loads is what we call a 20 rept. In week three of the program we would take the set two weight ( the heaviest set) and tell the athlete to do twenty reps in as few sets as possible. This weight should correspond to a 10 RM load but we want to know the actual numbers. Ideally the athlete should take this set to technical failure (the point at which they can

172


173

not complete reps with proper technique). Loads for the next week would then be recalculated based on the number of reps done. The following chart illustrates how this is done. .

173


174

Weight Adjustments for 20 Rep Scheme - Percentage Based Wt 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220 225 230 235 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 280 285 290 300

10 10 15 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 62 67 72 77 82 87 92 97 103 108 113 118 123 128 133 138 144 149 154 159 164 169 174 179 185 190 195 200 205 210 215 220 226 231 236 241 246 251 256 261 267 272 277 282 287 292 297 308

11 11 16 21 26 32 37 42 47 53 58 63 68 74 79 84 89 95 100 105 110 116 121 126 131 137 142 147 152 158 163 168 173 179 184 189 194 200 205 210 215 221 226 231 236 242 247 252 257 263 268 273 278 284 289 294 299 305 315

12 11 16 22 27 32 38 43 48 54 59 65 70 75 81 86 91 97 102 108 113 118 124 129 134 140 145 151 156 161 167 172 177 183 188 194 199 204 210 215 220 226 231 237 242 247 253 258 263 269 274 280 285 290 296 301 306 312 323

13 11 17 22 28 33 39 44 50 55 61 66 72 77 83 88 94 99 105 110 116 121 127 132 138 143 149 154 160 165 171 176 182 187 193 198 204 209 215 220 226 231 237 242 248 253 259 264 270 275 281 286 292 297 303 308 314 319 330

14 11 17 23 28 34 39 45 51 56 62 68 73 79 84 90 96 101 107 113 118 124 129 135 141 146 152 158 163 169 174 180 186 191 197 203 208 214 219 225 231 236 242 248 253 259 264 270 276 281 287 293 298 304 309 315 321 326 338

174

15 12 17 22 27 33 39 45 50 56 62 68 73 79 85 91 96 102 108 114 119 125 131 137 142 148 154 160 165 171 177 183 188 194 200 206 211 217 223 229 234 240 246 252 257 263 269 275 280 286 292 298 303 309 315 321 326 332 343

16 12 18 24 29 35 41 47 53 59 65 71 76 82 88 94 100 106 112 118 123 129 135 141 147 153 159 165 170 176 182 188 194 200 206 212 217 223 229 235 241 247 253 259 264 270 276 282 288 294 300 306 311 317 323 329 335 341 353

17 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 66 72 78 84 90 96 102 108 114 120 126 132 138 144 150 156 162 168 174 180 186 192 198 204 210 216 222 228 234 240 246 252 258 264 270 276 282 288 294 300 306 312 318 324 330 336 342 348 360

18 12 18 25 31 37 43 49 55 61 67 74 80 86 92 98 104 110 116 123 129 135 141 147 153 159 165 172 178 184 190 196 202 208 214 221 227 233 239 245 251 257 263 270 276 282 288 294 300 306 312 319 325 331 337 343 349 355 368


175

Use 200 pounds in the far left column as the example weight. If our athlete does 200 pounds for 14 reps instead of the expected 10, the weight for the next week would be adjusted to 225 for 10 reps instead of the expected 205 pounds. This system allows us to insure that no athlete is drastically underachieving in a situation where we are not prepared for actual max testing. This is in fact a repetition max test that is then used to adjust weight Linear Periodization Linear periodization takes our PRE scheme and simply adds linear repetition variation over a series of weeks. Periodization is a European concept that has been practiced in the US for most of the ‘80s and ‘90s. At the time it was introduced, it represented a significant improvement over methods used previously. What linear periodization does is build a system of gradually decreasing volume ( usually measured by total number of reps done on the major lifts) and gradually increasing intensity (measured by the weight on the bar) over the length of the training cycle. Linear periodization was made widely popular in the strength and conditioning community through Mike Stone’s NSCA Journal article “The Theoretical Model of Strength Training”. Mike Stone and John Garhammer were instrumental in the ‘80s in bringing advanced concepts to strength and conditioning through their work with the NSCA. This system was once considered advanced but, may in fact be too simple for the advanced athlete. Phases in linear periodization were generally four weeks long and consisted of three heavy weeks followed by an unload week. A basic periodization diagram appears on the next page.

175


176

Phase 1

Intensity

Volume

Phase 2

Intensity

Volume

Phase 3

Intensity

Volume

Reps

3x10

60-77%

30

3-5x5

80-87%

15-25

4-6x3

90-97%

12-18

Tempo

Not generally dictated in American systems

One of the drawbacks of any form of periodization with beginners was that the percentages used were basically guesswork. The athletes generally had not been tested yet and even if tested the athlete would generally progress so rapidly in the early weeks that percentage projections quickly became inaccurate. For this reason we simply use PRE for all of our beginner programs with a 20 rep test at the end of week three. This lets us see if the prescribed loads have been too light and to make adjustments. Bodybuilding Method Luckily for us the bodybuilding method has rapidly fallen out of favor over the last decade as education in the field of strength and conditioning has progressed. Generally coaches using a bodybuilding method to train their athletes were ex-bodybuilders who were simply using what they had learned in their own training to train athletes. This is an extremely inefficient method for athletes since bodybuilding, like powerlifting and Olympic lifting, is in fact a sport more than an actual training system. Bodybuilding is characterized by high volume workouts generally broken down by body part. (i.e chest and back, legs and shoulders etc.) Bodybuilding has very little athletic application and is often time consuming due to a multi-angular approach. Bodybuilding frequently results in misplaced emphasis as the aim of a competitive bodybuilder is improved appearance, not improved

176


177

performance. Bodybuilding can also be extremely counterproductive in those looking to lose weight as the high volume workouts will result in muscle hypertrophy. However, bodybuilding may be helpful to athletes who need to gain additional mass. Undulating Periodization Undulating periodization was popularized in the US by Canadian strength coach Charles Poliquin. Poliquin published two very similar articles in the early eighties describing Undulating Periodization. One article was titled, ”Five Steps to Improving Your Football Strength Program” and was published in the NSCA Journal. Poliquin also published a similar article under the name “Variety in Strength Training” in a newsletter. The article content was nearly identical and quickly established Poliquin as an expert in the area of periodization of training. The program described by Poliquin took the Stone model one step further. In the Stone model of linear periodization volume decreased in a linear fashion while intensity increased in a linear manner. In the method Poliquin advocated, volume and intensity undulates over the course of the training cycle. Poliquin simply described the phases as either an Accumulation Phase ( i.e an accumulation of volume or time under tension) or an Intensification Phase ( increase in load). The Intensification Phase generally consisted of more sets, less exercises and reps in the 1 to 3 range. The accumulation phase generally had more emphasis on variety and tempo. As a general rule of thumb, athletes would perform no more than six exercises per day done in three pairs. Workouts were designed to be done in one hour or less to limit cortisol build up. Undulating periodization was characterized by three week phases with no unload weeks.

177


178

Poliquin was also the first strength coach in the US to popularize the concept of exercise tempo. Poliquin brought this concept from Australia according to some observers and wrote extensively about the concepts of tempo and time under tension as they related particularly to the Accumulation phase. Put simply, Poliquin stated that a ten rep set could be done in 20 seconds using a one second eccentric contraction and a one second concentric contraction. This would mean that the set generated 20 seconds of time under tension for the muscle. Time under tension is simply a measure of how long the set lasts. This would be described as10 reps at a 1-01 tempo. One second down, one second up with no pause. Poliquin also correctly stated that any set could be made to generate hypertrophic responses simply by increasing the time under tension. In other words 5 reps done at a 2-0-2 tempo would produce the same result as 10 reps done at 1-0-1. These articles were the first time that concepts like Undulating Periodization , tempo, and time under tension were introduced to the American strength and conditioning coach. The work of Stone and Poliquin caused quantum leaps forward in the world of strength and conditioning. Four Phase Undulating Periodization

Reps

Phase 1

Intensity

Volume

Phase 2

Intensity

Volume

3x8

60-77%

24

4-6x3

90-97%

12-18

Tempo varied, Eccentric/ Pause/ Concentric Ex. 3/1/1

Reps

Phase 3

Intensity

Volume

Phase 4

Intensity

Volume

3-5x5

80-87%

15-25

4-6x3

90-97%

12-18

Tempo varied, Eccentric/ Pause / Concentric Ex 3/1/1

178


179

Poliquin’s work in the ‘90s caused me to rewrite all of my workouts. After contemplating the concept of paired exercises, the conclusion was obvious. Paired exercise sequences make better use of time. In the Poliquin Method, practicality becomes an issue due to equipment availability. Care must be taken to make sure that athletes are pairing the correct exercises. More on that later. The West Side System In the current strength and conditioning world the favored system of the masses seems to be a Louie Simmons, West Side Barbell, approach centered around powerlifting style training. Although Mr. Simmons has made some wonderful contributions to the field I cannot for a varied number of reasons advocate most of the methods. The reasons are simple: • Although Mr. Simmons presents his training as evidence based and results based it may in fact be neither. There is no independent research I have seen which validates the training concepts advocated by Mr. Simmons. • In fact most of the evidence that Mr. Simmons repeatedly points to is tainted by the use of performance enhancing drugs. • The WestSide system is designed to produce powerlifters, not athletes. Powerlifting is a sport consisting of three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift. The essence of the WestSide system revolves around improving these three lifts. The not-so-logical conclusion is that improvement in the three powerlifts leads to improved sports performance. Although in a simplistic sense the improvement of force production will lead to some changes, our knowledge of functional anatomy leads us to conclude that training for sport must be more specific and improve strength quantities unique to the single leg nature of most sports.

179


180

On the other hand Simmons, like Stone and Poliquin, must be recognized for pushing the envelope and redefining the sport of powerlifting. Simmons’ ideas about speed of movement and variable resistance were the first advances in training for strength in a long time. My objection to the variable resistance methods proposed by Simmons does not lie in my belief that the methods don’t work but in practical concerns. Simmons’ two most significant contributions are in the use of bands and chains for variable resistance. The chains are a great concept but are expensive and somewhat time-consuming. In simple terms, heavy chains are attached to the bar so that as the bar is lowered the chain gathers on the floor. In other words as the bar is lowered, the weight is being reduced by the amount of chain accumulating on the floor. As the bar is raised the weight increases as the chain comes off the floor. This is an ingenious concept of applying variable resistance to a free weight environment. This allows the load to more closely match the strength curve and allows the lifter to accelerate the bar. However, for groups this can be impractical and somewhat expensive. The other Simmons innovation is the use of heavy elastic bands to provide resistance that is again similar to the chain idea. Bands are anchored to the Power Rack and then placed around the bar ends. As the load is lowered, the band decreases in elastic energy and the load becomes lighter. As the lifter raises the bar the load again increases due to the tension placed on the band. Again a free weight is used in a variable resistance environment. This is also a stroke of genius but requires a coach to not only purchase bands but more importantly to monitor the condition of the bands. A broken band in this situation could be disastrous. Simmons’ methods are brilliant but besides being empirical in nature they can be costly, time consuming and in the case of bands potentially dangerous. This does not discount the brilliance of the man but does make these methods somewhat questionable from a practicality standpoint.

180


181

The idea of using one sport like powerlifting or Olympic Lifting to train for any other sport is a well intentioned idea but, probably not a totally sound concept. Coaches may take some concepts from the WestSide Barbell school of thought to help an athlete improve in the bench press and may utilize concepts from the training of Olympic lifters to help an athlete improve in the hang clean, but all of these concepts must eventually meet to help the athlete to better produce and reduce force on one leg. A program of Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting will not provide the proper musculoskeletal stresses necessary to truly improve sport performance. The critics will say that this is not true but I would rather say that it is half true. Athletes need to work in single leg environments unlike those contested in sports like Olympic lifting or powerlifting to most efficiently and effectively improve sport performance. Lifts like the squat, bench press and hang clean are part of the solution but, must be complemented with specific exercises to develop the single leg extension patterns of the hip and knee. Olympic Lifting Much like the West Side system, some coaches have adopted a philosophy based on the sport of Olympic weightlifting. Athletes are again taken and trained for another sport to hopefully improve their ability in their sport. This is no different than the West Side approach. Olympic lifting is a sport and attempting to train athletes like Olympic weightlifters is often like putting a square per in a round hole. As I have often said, what makes a good Olympic weightlifter from a lever system standpoint may not make a great lineman or power forward. High Intensity TrainingI’ve included some information about high intensity training because at other points in the book I have referred to it by name. High intensity training or HIT, as it has come to be called, is the

181


182

brainchild of Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones and is an extremely interesting phenomenon in the world of strength and conditioning. Although the system appears to have a limited basis in exercise physiology as I understand it, high intensity training has an extremely long history and a very loyal and dedicated following. There are a few varieties of high intensity. Proponents range from professional strength and conditioning coaches who believe strongly in the original Nautilus philosophy of one set to momentary muscular failure done on a circuit of 12 to 15 machines to guys like Ken Leistner and Stuart McRobert who advocate a similar philosophy based around basic free weight movements. What all of the proponents of HIT share is a belief that less is more. I probably have more in common with these folks and have been more heavily influenced by them, than I would like to admit. The proponents of HIT believe in very hard, very brief work. The problem with this type of system is that there is a zeal that borders on fanaticism. HIT is in my mind a small but interesting splinter group in the world of strength and conditioning that should be investigated before it is totally discounted. There is clearly a mental benefit to asking athletes to work to complete failure. I believe that the HIT system will work well in team sports settings where intrinsic motivation is an issue. My major point of disagreement with the proponents of HIT lies in their stance on power development. In HIT no power work is performed. Proponents believe that moving a load with speed is inherently dangerous. As a result neither plyometrics or Olympic lifts are used in HIT. My feeling is that the work of exercise physiologists in the area of stretch-shortening cycle and the force velocity curve make this stance difficult to defend. Proponents of HIT believe that you lift for strength and then simply practice sport skills and that there is no neurological midground. Some proponents of HIT, particularly in the college world, are beginning to utilize plyometrics to develop the stretch shortening cycle, although many of the early proponents saw no need for stretch-shortening exercises.

182


183

The reality is that no one system provides all the answers. I believe that a sound training program will take strength ideas from powerlifting, power ideas from Olympic lifting, speed ideas from track, and injury prevention concepts from physical therapy. The integration of all these disciplines may lead to the ultimate program. In any case the most important point in program design is to choose a system that you understand and choose exercises that you are comfortable teaching.

183


184

184


185

Chapter 10 Creating Efficient and Effective Workouts Having knowledge is one thing. Being able to take that knowledge and use it to design a program is another thing entirely. The key to being able to design great programs is being able to filter information. You can’t make a change every time a new idea comes across your desk. You need to look at information and filter out the hype. I firmly believe that the more time you can spend with your athletes, the better the results will be. For this reason I am a proponent of four day per week training programs. Some coaches may prefer three sessions per week, but I believe that program design is easiest and most efficient in a four day program. Four-Day Training ProgramsTraining four times a week is the gold standard in training programs and, in a perfect world. The following chart takes the components discussed in the chapter 3 and demonstrates how these quantities fit into a four day workout. This table is the key to the entire book. Once you understand the concept, the table is like a “fill in the blank” template for workouts. As you can see, torso or core work is done every day. Two days focus on the core strength and stability exercises described in the core strength chapter, and two days are power days with the Medicine Ball.

185


Day1

Day 2

Day 3

186

Day 4

Movement Skills and Conditioning 1 hr Warm-up Warm-up Warm-up Linear MultiDirectional Linear Linear Lateral Speed Linear Speed Speed Plyometric Plyometric Plyometric Linear Lateral Linear Conditioning Conditioning Conditioning TorsoTorsoTorso- Power Power Strength/ ( Med Ball) ( Med Ball) Stability Power and Strength Development – 1 hr Explosive/ Explosive/ Explosive/ Olympic Olympic Olympic Stretch- Quad/ Psoas Pair 1 Pair 1 Pair 1 Knee Horizontal Knee Dominant Press Dominant (2 leg) ( Supine) ( 2 leg) Stretch - Lat Stretch- Chest Stretch- Lat

Warm-up MultiDirectional Lateral Speed Plyometric

Vertical Pull

Lateral Conditioning TorsoStrength/ Stability Explosive/ Olympic Pair 1 Horizontal Press ( Incline) Stretch-Chest

Vertical Pull

Tri Set 1 Knee Dominant ( 1 leg) Horizontal Pull Stretch-Rot.

Hip Dominant Straight Leg Tri Set 1 Vertical Press or Rehab/ Specialty Hip Dominant Bent Leg Stretch-Hams.

Tri Set 1 Knee Dominant ( 1 leg) Horizontal Pull Stretch-Rot

Hip Dominant Straight Leg Tri Set 1 Vertical Press or Rehab/ Speciality Hip Dominant Bent Leg Stretch-Ham

Rotary or Rehab/Spec.

Rotary or Rehab/Spec



186


187

In the next portion of the workout, the focus is again on power development through Olympic lifting. On days one and three snatches and dumbbell snatches are used. This allows power development work with lighter loads. This will have less effect on the knee dominant exercises to follow. In simple terms, we snatch on days that we front squat. If we performed hang cleans prior to front squats the work in the hang clean might affect the quality of the front squat workout. On days two and four power development work is through the hang clean or variation. (Please note that this is the basic template for a healthy athlete but, not for every athlete. For athletes with injury problems who are unable to Olympic lift we may substitute jump squats, jumps on the Vertimax, or jumps on the MVP Shuttle. The important thing is to get some explosive resisted hip extension, not to force everyone to Olympic lift. ) It is also important to note that Olympic movements are not paired with other exercises. Exercises with a high neural and technical demand should not be paired with another exercise. The explosive, total body nature of these exercises is not conducive to paired exercise. An active-isolated stretch for the quadriceps/ hip flexor area is done during the rest period between sets. It is important to note that all stretches done during the workout are active-isolated stretches and are not static stretches. In active-isolated stretching the stretch is held for one to two seconds and there is a conscious effort to contract the antagonist muscle. This type of stretching can be done during the workout without compromising the neurological efficiency of the muscle. Aaron Mattes is the leader in the area of activeisolated stretching ( www.stretchingusa.com). Using active-isolated stretching has two significant benefits. 1) The rest period is utilized for something other than conversation. This allows us to increase the total training effect of the sessions as flexibility has now been addressed during the strength/ power session.

187


188

2) Stretching the muscles used seems to relate to a decrease in soreness from the workout. This is not a research based concept but, empirically our athletes have drawn this conclusion on their own. Some people might criticize the next section of the workout format as leg work is done every day. The emphasis switches from kneedominant exercises on days one and three to hip-dominant exercises on days two and four. Our observation has been that this is not a problem. The key is in alternating the dominant joint from day to day. Although the glutes and hamstrings are obviously used in squatting exercises on days one and three, there does not seem to be a detrimental effect in focusing on the glutes and hamstrings on day two and four. We have successfully used this system for close to ten years and have done so without difficulty. In our summer training programs we actually train on a Monday through Thursday schedule and still have not had issues with overtraining or injury even when training for four consecutive days. The second portion of the strength/power program consists of a pair of major multi-joint exercises again complimented by a stretch for one of the two muscles or muscle groups being worked. On day one and three front squats are paired with a vertical pulling movement. A stretch for the lat muscles is done between sets of front squats and whatever variety of chin-up movement is being done. On days two and four the bench press, incline bench press, or some variation is paired with a straight-leg hip extension exercise like a single-leg straight leg deadlift. A stretch for the chest muscles is done between sets in this sequence. The third portion of the strength/power workout is a tri set. Now three exercises are done again in conjunction with a stretch. This is a departure from my previous writings but, was necessitated by the inclusion of the rotary training category into our programs. Without using a tri-set, it is difficult to address all of the categories that must be addressed in the program. I believe that this is a compromise

188


189

but, keeps the workout to approximately one hour. Research indicates that strength workouts longer than 1 hour can result in significant cortisol build up. Adding a third pair of exercises would add ten to fifteen minutes to the workout whereas making the second pair into a tri-set results in very little additional time. The third portion of the program will vary depending on the specific phase of the program but generally will include an overhead or vertical press, a rotary exercise, and some type of rehabilitative or specialty work for the hips or shoulders. On days one and three some type of rotary stretch for the low back is included. On days two and four a stretch for the hamstrings is performed. Please keep in mind that the stretches are always active-isolated stretches.

I’ve provided worksheets for each variation of the program so that they can be photocopied and workouts can simply be written in. Hopefully this will facilitate the thought process.

189


190

Four Day Program Design WorksheetSimply Fill in the Blanks with exercises from the proper category (To design a 4 day program use 2 sheets.) Day 1 Exercise Day 2 Exercise Explosive/ Dumbell Olympic Snatch ex. Stretch- Quad/ Psoas

Explosive/ Olympic

Pair 1

Pair 1

Knee Dominant (2 leg) Stretch - Lat Vertical Pull Tri Set 1 Knee Dominant ( 1 leg) Horizontal Pull

____________

____________

____________ ____________

Horizontal Press ( Supine) Stretch- Chest Hip Dominant Straight Leg Tri Set 1 Vertical Press or Rehab/ Specialty Hip Dominant Bent Leg

Stretch-Rot.

Stretch-Hams.

Rotary or Rehab/Spec .


____________

190

___________

___________

___________

___________ ___________

___________


Three Day Workout Programs Day1

Day 2

Day3

Movement Skill and Conditioning – 1 hr For warm-up, speed development , plyometrics conditioning and core work. The days are alternated linear-lateral- linear in the first week and lateral- linear- lateral in the second week. This allows 3 linear workouts every 2 weeks and 3 multidirectional workouts every 2 weeks. Explosive/ Olympic Explosive/ Olympic Explosive/ Olympic Stretch Quad/ Psoas Pair1

Pair 1

Pair 1

Knee Dominant/ Double Leg Stretch- Lat

Horizontal Press (Supine) Stretch- Chest

Knee Dominant / Double Leg Stretch- Lat

Vertical Pull

Knee Dominant/ Single Leg Tri-set 2

Vertical Pull Tri-set 2

Knee Dominant / Single Leg Horizontal Press ( Incline) Stretch- Hams

Vertical Press

Horizontal Press

Horizontal Pull

Horizontal Pull

Stretch- Rotary

Stretch- Hams

Hip Dominant Straight Leg

Hip Dominant Bent Leg

Rotary or Rehab

Tri-set 2

191

191


192

Three Day Program Design WorksheetSimply Fill in the Blanks with exercises from the proper category Explosive/ Olympic Stretch Quad/ Psoas

Explosive/ Olympic

Explosive/ Olympic

Pair1

Pair 1

Pair 1

Knee Dominant/ Double Leg Stretch- Lat

Horizontal Press (Supine) StretchChest Knee Dominant/ Single Leg Tri-set 2

Knee Dominant / Double Leg Stretch- Lat

Vertical Press Horizontal Pull

Horizontal Press Horizontal Pull

StretchRotary Hip Dominant Bent Leg

StretchHams Rotary or Rehab

Vertical Pull Tri-set 2 Knee Dominant / Single Leg Horizontal Press ( Incline) Stretch- Hams Hip Dominant Straight Leg

Vertical Pull Tri-set 2

Three day workouts may follow a few different patterns depending on the situation. If the workout is a Mon-Wed-Fri pattern, then the workout is a total-body workout each day. This is the pattern that is illustrated above in the sample program and worksheet. In a school setting, three day programs can also be done M-T-Th or T-Th-F to increase time utilization in the weight room. The difference here is that you would have two consecutive days and one nonconsecutive day. The two consecutive days would be performed like the four day split ( use the four day worksheet)with the non-

192


193

consecutive day being a total body workout. In other words for a MT-Th program you would use day 1 and day 2 from the four day program and on Thursday a total-body workout would be done. Three-day programs include numerous compromises. It is no longer possible to work each specific area two times during the week. Vertical pressing and hip dominant exercises might only be done once per week while double leg knee dominant exercises and horizontal pressing may be done twice per week. If you fill in the blanks with the exercises of your choosing for a three-day program you have 25 percent less blanks to fill in than in a four-day program. As a result, compromises must be made and, I believe that the overall effectiveness of the workout is decreased potentially by the same 25 percent. Are three day workouts inherently bad? No, but you have to realize that it is more difficult to put the pieces together in a three day program

193


194

Two-Day Workout Programs Sample Two- Day Workout Breakdown Warm- up – combine linear and lateral concepts Linear Plyo Lateral Plyo Core – use a combination of conventional core and med ball Day1 Day 2 Explosive/ Olympic / Combo

Explosive/ Olympic/ Combo

Stretch Psoas

Stretch Psoas

Pair 1

Pair 1

Knee Dominant Double Leg

Knee Dominant Single Leg

Stretch Chest or Quad

Stretch Chest or Quad

Horizontal Supine Press

Incline Press

Tri Set 2

Pair 2

Vertical Pull

Horizontal Pull

Stretch Lat or Hamstring

Stretch Lat or Hamstring

Hip Dominant Bent Leg

Hip Dominant Straight Leg

Rotary/ Rehab

Rotary/ Rehab

-Two day workouts really force you to modify some of the initial recommendations. All of the necessary exercise categories are clearly more difficult to address in a two day program. In reality each category is addressed once per week. Each day will feature a knee-dominant exercise, a hip-dominant exercise, a pushing exercise and a pulling exercise. Another good solution for two-day workouts is to use combination explosive movements like clean,

194


195

front squat, push press or snatch, back squat, push press. Still another possibility is to use exercises like high incline press ( combination of vertical and horizontal press), dumbbell curl + press( vertical press plus elbow flexion) , dips, V -handle pull-ups w/ nose to bar ( combination of chinup and row functions) or chinups to the sternum ( combination of chinup and row). These exercises fall in the in-between category and as a result are more useful in two day programs. Two day programs should be reserved for in-season lifting or for endurance athletes who do not have the time to strength train three to four times per week.

195


196

196


197

Chapter 11- Conditioning It is significantly easier to get an explosive athlete “in shape” than it is to make an “in shape” athlete explosive. The first will take weeks, the second may take years. Think about this statement every time you design a conditioning program! My good friend Mark Verstegen of Athletes’ Performance (www.athletesperformance.com) likes to refer to conditioning as energy system development or ESD. Despite the long title, I think it is both applicable and descriptive. In energy system development we see the beginning of sport- specific training. As many of you already know, I hate the term “sport specific training” and try to use it as little as possible. However when it comes to conditioning, training truly should truly be as sport specific as possible. At a bare minimum, conditioning should at least be specific to groups of sports. When developing sport specific conditioning programs the key is to look at the field, the substitution patterns and, the energetics of the game. The key is not how far athletes run in a game, but at what pace and over what time period. Over the last two decade, the process of strength training and conditioning for many sports has progressed from a Stone Age approach of utilizing training camp to get in shape to a more modern approach based on the utilization of in-season and offseason training programs. While this chapter is not intended to provide a physiology lesson, it will hopefully prompt some coaches to consider the application of more specific concepts to their sport. Evaluating Fitness: Physiological Versus Performance Testing The presently accepted theory of conditioning is rooted in the physiologists’ notion that all athletes need to develop an aerobic base. I’m not exactly sure why we feel so compelled to develop an

197


198

aerobic base and, more importantly, why we feel compelled to develop this base through long, slow training. I don’t believe that we have ever really adequately explained this need for aerobic base. I think it is simply an assumption that things will work better if we have one. The unfortunate consensus in much of the sports world is that the overall fitness of an athlete is based on his maximum oxygen consumption (Max. V02.) MVO2 is a standard measure of aerobic capacity originally intended to evaluate the condition of athletes involved in endurance sports. In the areas of conditioning and fitness testing the influence of exercise physiologists is heavily felt, and this information tends to trickle down to all levels of sport. Unfortunately asking physiologists to evaluate fitness or conditioning may be a case of the old “when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail”. Exercise physiologists don’t necessarily have a ton of tools in the tool box, so they go to the tools they have. One problem is that we don’t have a standard test for each sport that can be mutually agreed upon by both exercise scientists and members of the coaching community. Thankfully, soccer has progressed from the old Cooper Test/ 12 min run, philosophy to the use of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test. Although I believe this to be an advance, I think it is at best a half step in the right direction. Based on my experience, I believe there is at least one fatal flaw in using physiological data to evaluate performance of athletes. Physiological data like MVO2 or lactate threshold are measures of physiological variables, not performance variables. I believe that physiological testing tells us something about the inner workings of the athlete but, not nearly enough. Energy systems authority Paul Robbins of Athletes’ Performance likes to refer to MVO2 as a measure of what someone “might do”. Why “might do”? Because in sports conditioning and, in the testing of conditioning success is as much mental as it is physical. Our most aerobically fit athletes, when measured by either Peak VO2 (slightly less accurate than MVO2) or by lactate threshold, don’t get the highest scores on performance tests. This means that whether we use the Yo-Yo test,

198


199

the 300 Yard Shuttle Run, or a 2 mile run we do not see any correlation to the physiological variables. I believe that all testing should be performance-based for athletes because we want to see what they are capable of in head to head competition. I don’t care if one athlete can use more oxygen or accumulate less lactate than another athlete. I want to see who will come in first when I line them up on a line and test them. Athletes find physiological testing both frustrating and confusing because it rewards physiology over performance. I believe that all evaluative testing should be performance-based. If you are going to evaluate athletes, then give them a chance to do what they do best, compete. In the physiological testing for our 2004 Boston University hockey players, the athlete who lasted the longest in the treadmill VO2 test only scored a 52. There were athletes who literally ran half as long and scored in the 60’s. How do I tell the first athlete that he is in poor shape when he watched the test and realizes that he ran twice as long as the guy who is “in better shape”. The athlete who scored 52 ran 6.5 MPH at 14 percent incline and might have finished a stage at 15. You may now think I believe physiological testing to be a complete waste of time. On the contrary, this year I hope to purchase my own oxygen analyzer to perform VO2 testing on all my athletes. If I don’t feel it has value, why would I do it? The reality is that I do feel that physiological testing has value, just not to evaluate fitness. I will leave that evaluation to competitive testing in which the success or failure is obvious. The person who comes in first is in the best shape. What I will use physiological test data for is to learn more about the physiology of my athletes. The following case study is an excellent illustration of my point.

199


200

Hockey Conditioning Case Study- June 2004 Player 1 27 years old 5 Year NHL Vet 5’10” 202 lbs. Peak VO2 51.5 Peak HR 172 AT VO2 48.4 AT HR 165 % Efficiency 93% 1 min recovery 50 BPM Player 2 28 years. Old 8 Year NHL vet 5’10’ 190 Lbs. Peak VO2 53.1 Peak HR 181 AT VO2 41.5 AT HR 163 % Efficiency 77% 1 min recovery 25 BPM This is a classic illustration of why VO2 stats can be misleading. Player 1 is obviously significantly more fit than player 2 even though Player 2 has a higher Peak VO2. If we simply looked at the peak VO2 number we would conclude that player 1 was less fit than player 2. However, player 1 is 93% efficient while player 2 is only 77% efficient. Player 1 recovered 50 beats per minute in the first minute following the conclusion of the test while player 2 recovered only 25 beats per minute.

200


201

This physiological data prompts a lot of questions. When questioned, player 2 admitted to performing a great deal of long steady state training to “raise his VO2 and lower his bodyfat”. Player 1 existed almost exclusively on interval training. The result in terms of lactate threshold and recovery speak for themselves. I believe that physiological testing, provided it is actual gas analysis, yields excellent data that can be used to help the athlete to understand the cause effect of training and to help design better training programs. It just should not be used as the measure of how fit or prepared the athlete is to play the sport. The test will yield excellent data about the type of training performed as above. In addition, physiological testing will provide heart rate ranges for training. Another physiological assumption that is flawed is the whole “target heart rate” concept. For my 18- 22 year old collegians the theoretical target heart rate would be a max of 198-202. Our range when tested in reality was 180-211. When we do heart rate oriented training, this assumption of 220 minus age would result in overtraining for some and undertraining for others. The reality is that 220 minus age is valid to within one standard deviation for 70 percent of the population. The other 30 percent of the population can be as much as two standard deviations from the theoretical norm. This could be a variance of up to 22 beats per minute. Are Most Sports Aerobic Sports? This is the million dollar question. And of course the answer is no. If most sports are not aerobic sports, why are so many teams emphasizing aerobic capacity? The reason most teams emphasize aerobic capacity for their players is because of the previously stated belief that an efficient aerobic system promotes faster recovery. Here obviously the goal is to create slower athletes that can rapidly recover to attempt to regain all the ground that they lost

201


202

to the faster athletes? Another reason many teams emphasize aerobic training is that it is easy to perform and implement, particularly when compared to training for speed and power. It is much easier to demand volume and effort than for coaches to learn the finer points of speed and power development. However, the questions really begin at this point. An efficient aerobic system will facilitate faster recovery. But, are we enhancing the recovery ability of an athlete we have made slower? At what cost are we developing the aerobic system and how are we going to do it? Physiological principles tell us that muscle fiber responds to training. Are we taking explosive anaerobic athletes and in our zeal to enhance their recovery ability making them in fact “slower”? In truth most team sports have a highly anaerobic component that puts a tremendous stress on the Adenosine TriPhosphate,, Phosphate Creatine (ATP-PC) and Lactic Acid (LA) systems. During most games, players are actually performing a series of three- to five-second sprints. Very rarely is a player actually running at a steady state pace for any length of time. It would appear that the aerobic demand of the previously described sequence would be fairly low. However, the demands on the athletes speed, speed endurance, and acceleration would be fairly high. My theory proposes that for many players, particularly young developing players, any emphasis on aerobic conditioning through steady state exercise is in fact counterproductive. Are Aerobic Adaptation Desirable? One of the major drawbacks of aerobic training is that aerobic training may compromise speed at the cellular level. The adaptation of the muscle to aerobic training is in direct opposition to the primary needs of most athletes. Charlie Francis, in his book Training for Speed (www.charliefrancis.com), makes a number of thought provoking points regarding the training of the sprinter. (Aren’t all team sport athletes really sprinters?) “Enough power-related work must be done during the early years (ages 13 to 17) to:

202


• •

203

Maintain genetically determined levels of white or power related muscle fiber. Promote the shift of transitional or intermediate fiber to white, power related muscle fiber.’

Francis (2000) further states “endurance work must be carefully limited to light - light/medium volumes to prevent the conversion of transitional or intermediate muscle fiber to red, endurance muscle fiber.’ This may be one of the most important statements about the training of an athlete that you will ever read. I can state with conviction that these concepts have formed the essence of my thought process for the last fifteen years and are key to the long term development of athletes both young and old. I always joke that I know the key to making your kid lousy at sports: early endurance training. If you want your child to be slow, start endurance training as soon as you finish reading this. In effect, some older players may be training themselves out of their league or sport by adhering to the aerobically oriented off-season programs of many teams. A highly skilled player may not be as adversely affected as a marginal one. Marginal players at most levels generally have lower vertical jumps and anaerobic power than their more highly skilled counterparts. This indicates that these players are already at a disadvantage that will only be magnified by an aerobically oriented training program. It is important to understand that muscles are made up basically of three types of fibers; fast twitch (anaerobic), slow twitch (aerobic) and intermediate. The ratio of fast twitch fibers to slow twitch fibers is one of the primary determinants of success in team sports. The best way to estimate fast twitch capability is through vertical jump testing (no step) and 10 yard dash testing. Francis (2000) notes that ‘”Young athletes who do not achieve high levels of oxygen uptake during a treadmill test but who perform well

203


204

over 10 to 40 meter sprints probably have inherited a high proportion of white power related muscle fiber.” Current theory leads coaches to assume that athletes with low MAX V02 values are out of shape. In fact, these athletes probably possess the exact quantity that coaches are looking for. At Boston University, many of our talented hockey players who went on to long NHL careers were the worst performers in tests used to evaluate aerobic capacity. An athlete with a high vertical jump and poor aerobic capacity will be a better prospect for team sports than one with great aerobic capacity and poor explosive power. Athletes with predominantly fast twitch fiber will excel in sprint-oriented sports such as soccer or hockey, but will struggle in aerobic activities. Those with predominantly slow twitch fiber will excel at endurance oriented sports. Most educated readers would not be amazed at this information. However, what happens to the intermediate fibers is a result of the training program followed. A program emphasizing long aerobic workouts will cause the intermediate fibers to adapt the characteristics of slow twitch. One emphasizing interval sprints from five to 60 seconds, with longer recovery, will promote the movement of intermediate fibers toward the anaerobic, fast twitch fiber. Anaerobics to Develop the Aerobic System? Conventional aerobic training (long slow distance) should be done only as frequently as is absolutely necessary. Instead, the aerobic system should be developed as a byproduct of anaerobic training. Interval training, (anaerobic intervals) will generally keep the recovery heart rate in the aerobic range (over 120 BPM) if the intervals are done intensely enough. This type of training will develop aerobic capacity but as a byproduct of the anaerobic work. This is obviously a more sport specific method of training the aerobic capabilities of an anaerobic

204


205

athlete. Sport-Specific Testing A player’s conditioning level should be determined by a battery of tests that relate to the sport, not by a MAX V02 test. MVO2 tells a coach that a player has an efficient aerobic system. So what? A player’s conditioning level should be based on a number of tests. Another trendy idea is to do blood lactate values. Again this is a physiological measurement and not a performance measurement. Athletes become frustrated when they perform well on performance testing and are then told they are “out of shape” based on a physiologist’s analysis of data. Specific conditioning tests need to be developed to test conditioning relative to the sport demand. Soccer- For soccer as mentioned, the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (commonly referred to as the Beep Test) has great value. This test is also applicable to sports like field hockey, lacrosse, and to a lesser degree basketball. It is a beautifully simple test of fitness and willpower. Athletes compete until failure. I have seen soccer coaches praise an athlete in one breath for a strong Beep Test performance and then a day later declare them unfit based on physiological data. This is foolish. Believe what you see, believe in performance. I cannot overstate the fact that physiological testing does not transfer into performance. Performance is as much about heart and will as physiology . Ice Hockey- Ice Hockey players will benefit more from a test like the 300 Yard Shuttle Run. The 300 Yard Shuttle Run consists to two 300 yard runs done on either a 25 yard course (12x25) or a 50 yard course ( 6x50) done with five minutes rest between runs. Due to the truly intermittent nature of ice hockey a test of repeated efforts with a recovery period in between will be a better indicator of actual fitness for hockey than any of the other available test.

205


206

Football- Football players will benefit more from a series of sevensecond sprints followed by a longer recovery. Eight years ago we modified the 16 110-yard sprint test first popularized by Miami Heat strength coach Bill Foran into a 24 x 55 yard test that is more specific to the energy demands of football. The original 16 110-yard sprint test was developed in the eighties and consisted of 110-yard sprints followed by an approximately 45 second recovery period. Players were required to make times based on position group. Linemen ran somewhere in the 18-second range while skill position players were required to run in 15- to 16-second range. In the modified version I developed eight years ago the original thought was to cut the distance in half and double the number repetitions. I found that that was ambitious and settled on 24 55-yard sprints, run at a slightly faster pace. Linemen were given 9 seconds; linebackers, tight ends and fullbacks were given 8 seconds; and skill position players were given 7.5 seconds. This is a difficult test due to all of the acceleration and deceleration. The key is to look at the demands of the sport and not to simply do what everyone else is doing. Try to envision what would be the best test for your athletes at your level. If you are working with young athletes be even more careful One problem with testing of any type. ATHLETES WILL TRAIN FOR THE TEST. If you want your athletes to train for speed and power but, test for aerobic capacity, you can rest assured that your athletes will be training for aerobic capacity. What Makes a Successful Player? If you doubt what I am saying, ask yourself what you feel makes a successful player in your sport. Success in most sports is highly dependent on skill. However, if the quality of skill is assumed, the next most valuable quality in team sports would have to be speed.

206


207

However, the training of a team sport athlete most frequently resembles the training of an endurance athlete. In reality the training program should probably resemble that of a sprinter. The emphasis should be on developing the power of the legs and hips through lower body weight training, plyometrics, and sprinting. I am consistently amazed at how coaches cannot see the cause and effect nature of training. For most sports the majority of conditioning should be interval training done on a field, a slideboard or, for athletes with injury problems, a bike. Conditioning program effectiveness is drastically increased if a heart rate monitor is used. Don’t bother with the expensive models. For our hockey players we have gone to a system of self paced interval training based on individual heartrate response. The athletes are told: 1. How many intervals to perform 2. Whether or not they are attempting to train above their anaerobic threshold ( as determined during their VO2 test) 3. How many beats of recovery heart rate they are to use For an athlete with a lactate threshold in the 160 to 170 beat per minute range we recommend a 40 beat per minute recovery. For athletes with lactate thresholds above 170, we recommend a 50 beat per minute recovery period. Simply put, each athlete recovers at his or her own ability based on the reaction of his heart to training. This means that some athletes may perform the majority of the workout at a 1-1 rest-to-work ratio, while others will be 2-1 or even 3-1. The reality is that each athlete performs a self-paced workout but, cannot cheat due to the presence of the heart rate monitor. This insures that we will not overtrain unfit athletes or undertrain fit athletes. I believe that with the price of heart rate monitors so low, this type of training will become much more common. A simple monitor like the new Polar Beat will do a great job. Think about an old fashion interval workout. Everyone would be told the distance to run, the time to run the distance, and the rest

207


208

time. This is incredibly arbitrary. The assumption is that the time of the work interval was all that matters. In reality, the more fit athletes may be having an easy day, while the less fit athlete is actually working too hard. Basing the workout on actual recovery versus an arbitrary ratio of rest to work is logical. Interval Training and Knee Pain Many athletes avoid running due to knee problems. However, most knee pain is caused by distance running, not interval training. Interval is usually tougher on the muscles and mind than the joints. I have not seen athletes who could not interval train due to knee pain. However, the repeated foot strikes of jogging were problematic. If for some reason the program called for a steady state run (which it rarely should), athletes with patella-femoral pain would be allowed to ride a stationary bike or use an elliptical trainer. Time Expectations for Change of Direction Conditioning Very few programs address changes of direction as a vital component of sport conditioning. The areas of conditioning that now need to be emphasized are muscular specificity and movement specificity. Most of the programs detailed in this chapter address change of direction as a key component of conditioning. The ability to tolerate the muscular forces generated by accelerating and decelerating and the ability to adapt to the additional metabolic stress caused by acceleration and deceleration are the real keys to conditioning. Deficiencies in these components are often why athletes describe them-selves as not being in “game shape.” Most athletes train by running, or worse, riding a set distance in a set amount of time with no thought to the additional stresses provided by having to speed up and slow down. These are old fashion conditioning programs that operate on the oversimplified assumption that 30 seconds of exercise is

208


209

always the same. Ask an athlete to perform linear interval like a 220-yard run and then ask them to run a 150-yard shuttle run on a 25-yard course. Then ask them to compare the feeling. Most athletes will describe the shuttle run as being much more difficult. Athletes frequently are injured in training camp settings in spite of following a prescribed conditioning program to the letter. This is usually due to following a conditioning program that ignores the three vital components of the conditioning process: 1) Acceleration 2) Deceleration 3) Change of direction Programs that force athletes to increase speed, decrease speed, and change direction drastically reduce the incidence of early-season groin and hamstring injuries and better prepare the athletes for the demands of an actual game or event. The following time expectations are provided for information and comparison purposes. Please note that these times are estimates for Division 1 college athletes, professionals or Olympians. Please use them only as guidelines. Shuttle Runs- 50 or 25 yd course • 300 Yard Shuttle Runs – 55 seconds for a 50 yard course and 5758 seconds for a 25 yard course (males) to 60 for a 50 yard course and 62 seconds for a 25 yard course (females) followed by a 2-3 minute rest or a 40-50 beat recovery • 150 Yard Shuttle Runs- at 25-26 seconds for males and 28-30 seconds for females followed by a 90 second rest; Conditioning Using Dual Action Bikes

209


210

Although I am generally opposed to training on a stationary bike in the off-season my opinion changes 180 degrees in the preseason period. This may seem like a bit of a flip-flop but in actuality the thought process is very logical. In preseason, particularly for basketball and ice hockey, the concern shifts to avoidance of muscle strains and overuse injury. At this point, additional work may best be done on a stationary bike if the athletes are also training on the ice or on the court. The rationale for not using a bike, or any incomplete hip extension apparatus, is that the hip extensors and flexors are not properly prepared for the rigors of running or skating. Very often athletes who train on a bike, stairmaster, or elliptical trainer will have the energy system ability to finish a session but, not the muscular ability. Athletes who do not run do not properly develop the hip flexors or the hip extensors. Most exercise apparatus does not require or even allow hip extension past neutral. On the opposite side most of the recovery of the swing leg is of a passive nature. The result of offseason training centered around a piece of exercise equipment instead of running is often groin or hamstring strain. The muscle is simply not properly prepared for the stresses placed on it. The same concept holds true with patella tendon issues in basketball. Most basketball players flirt with patella tendon or patella –femoral pain throughout the year. Additional running will also aggravate these conditions. The conclusion. When levels of stress are high for either muscles or joints, as in preseason, additional conditioning may be done best on an alternative piece of apparatus. When training in the offseason, the opposite is true. Training should center around running.For additional inseason conditioning work I like the dual action bikes from Schwinn or Ross for the following reasons: • Dual action bikes are excellent as they tend to mimic the combined arm and leg action of running or skating. • In addition the combination of arm and leg action produces a higher heart rate than by pedaling alone. This effect on the cardiovascular system is far more comparable to running or

210


•

•

211

skating. Dual action bikes provide directly accommodating resistance. This is another often overlooked aspect of the dual action bike. The fan system delivers an equal and opposite reaction to the effort of the rider. There is no need to tighten a screw or to adjust the workload of the bike. The bike simply responds to the effort of the rider with greater air resistance. Time and distance. The dual action bikes tell the rider not only how long they have ridden but, how far. This allows for lots of competitive opportunity.

Below is a chart illustrating some of the interval possibilities of the Schwinn AirDyne.

211


212

Bike Expectations by Age / Sex Male Elite

Female Elite

HS Male

HS Female

13-14

Bike level or time expectation :15/:45

15

12

12

9

7 to 9

:30/1:30

12

9

9

6

5 to 7

.5 mi

> 1:15

> 1:25

> 1:25

>1:30

> 1:35

1 mi

> 2:30

> 2:45

> 2:45

> 2:50

> 3:00

5 mi

> 13:00

> 14:00

> 14:00

> 15:00

NA

7 mi

> 18:45

> 19:45

> 19:45

> 22:00

NA

10 mi

> 27:00

> 29:00

> 29:00

> 31:30

NA

NOTE: Level 5 = 3 min mile

:15/45 is a 15 second sprint done with 45 secs rest. For elite males these would be done at Level 15. Level corresponds with RPM and can be found by pressing the top button on the bike computer. :30/1:30 is a 30 second sprint followed by a 1:30 sec rest. .5 mi is a ½ mile ride done at about level 9-10. These are done in a 1-1, 2-1 or heart rate recovery fashion. We have done as many as six half miles in an interval workout. 1 mi rides are done in the same fashion as the ½ miles. Our

212


213

athletes have performed three one mile intervals in a 1-1 work to rest pattern. The 5 mile, 7 mile and 10 mile times are provided for comparison. Although we do not do this frequently, we occasionally like to do longer rides at or above the lactate threshold. Competitive timed rides are excellent for this. It should be noted that these times and work levels are for the older model Schwinn with the larger fan. The newer Airdynes have a smaller fan and are slightly different. Times on the newer, small fan model, will be 2-3 seconds faster per mile. In addition the newer models spin at a higher RPM rate due to the smaller fan. Level 5 on the older model corresponds to level 4 on the newer model. Conventional aerobic training (long slow distance) may be done once or twice per week as an easy alternative to the more strenuous interval work. Time should not exceed 40 minutes on these days. This is an excellent time for athletes with joint problems to substitute the bike for a run. Remember, do not spend extensive time periods developing the aerobic base. Time is short in the offseason, and team sports are interval sports. . Coaches must look at the demands of the sport and the fitness of their players when implementing any conditioning programs. Don’t make blanket recommendations. Training should be adjusted to prepare the players for the demands of the game. One final thought when developing conditioning programs. Do not increase the total time or total distance run by more than 20 percent from week to week. A twenty percent increase will keep your athletes continuing to improve conditioning without an increased risk of injury. In order to monitor this it is important to calculate both total distance and total time.

213


214

Ex- 5 x150 yard Shuttle Run = 750 yards Total time is approximately 2:30 of actual work time based on an estimate of thirty seconds per 150-yard shuttle. In order to stay within the 20 percent rule, the distance cannot increase by more than 150 yards and the time by 30 seconds. This means that you could either add an additional 150-yard shuttle or perform 1x300 yard and 4x150. This would give you a total time of 3 minutes and a total distance of 900 yards. I believe that this is the key to injury prevention when designing conditioning programs.

214


215

Chapter 12 Computerizing Your Program Some readers may feel that I am being contradictory by including a section on using the computer to improve your program design. Earlier I advocated spending time coaching and not getting caught up with office work. However, as the strength and conditioning program grows, the computerization of programs will become a necessary evil. For this reason, a basic primer on spreadsheets seems appropriate for a book like this. Using Microsoft Excel or a comparable spreadsheet type program to develop training programs will in fact allow more time to coach. Athletes who have been max tested can simply be given a preprepared spreadsheet containing most of the sets and reps they will need for the entire workout. This will free you up to do what you do best, coach. In order to design spreadsheet programs, you simply need to learn how to enter formulas in cells. To create a formula simply take the cell reference (in this case B2 which is the athletes bench 1 RM) and multiply it by the percentage of 1 RM desired for that set ( in the example we used .6 or 60%). The spreadsheet will then calculate the weight for the set and will automatically adjust the sets if you change the max number.

215


A

B 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

C

Name Boyle

D

E

Bench

Squat

100

100

Tempo

Rest

Exp

4 min

F Clean

100

WK4

G

H

BW

Pullup

185

reps

216

10

WK5

Reps

WK6

Day 1 Warm-up and Day 1 Abs DB Snatch QHF Stretch

Front Box Squat and

Squat-Toe Touch Wtd Pullup

Lat Stretch 1 Arm/ 2 Leg Rotational Row

Set1 Set2 Set3 Set4 Set5 Set6 Set7

2/0/Exp

Set1 Set2 Set3 Set4 Set5 Set6 Set7

2/0/2

45 48 50 50

x3 x3 x3 x3

75 80 88 83 65

x5 x3 x3 x3 x3 x10

1:30 WU

1:30 BW

2/0/2

x5 20 x3 20 x3 20 x3

BW x 1:30

Y's T's W's Weighted 2.5 Day 2 Warm-Up and Tuesday Abs

x8 x8 x8x2

45 48 53 50

x3 x3 x3 x3

45 50 55 53

75 80 90 85 68

x5 x3 x3 x3 x3 x10

75 75 80 93 88 70

WU

BW

x5 20 x3 25 x3 23 x3 7 BW x x8 x8

BW 23 30 25 8 BW x

x10x2

In the example above the front squat max is cell E3. To determine the weight for set 1 of the front squat simply go to cell F14 and type the formula in cell F14 as follows: =.75*E3 All formulas in Excel must begin with an equals sign. This formula simply tells the spreadsheet that in cell F14 you would like to place a number that corresponds to 75 percent of the 1 RM placed in cell

216


217

E3. The asterisk is the symbol that Excel recognizes as a times sign. Do not use an x. If you can master this you can easily develop computerized programs. The key to using spreadsheets is to develop a relationship between exercises that will allow the prediction of loads for a large number of exercises by knowing a few maxes. A few tips. You can obtain dumbbell weights for upper body pressing exercises by using a conversion of 80 percent from a barbell exercise to a dumbbell exercise. Ex- If an athlete can bench press 300 pounds than he can do five reps at approximately 87.5 percent. This would work out to 265 lbs for 5 reps. If you wanted to calculate dumbbell bench press you would take 80 percent of 265 and divide it by two to get dumbbell weights This would be approximately 210 lbs which would work out to 105 lb dumbbells for five reps for a 300 lb bench presser. The formula would look like this =.7* D3/2 You probably wondering where .7 came from. 87.5 times 80 percent for our dumbbell conversion gives us 70 percent. D3 is obviously the cell reference for the bench press max. The chart below is contained in its entirety in the appendix of the book but, is provided to give some additional relationships between the various lifts.

217


218

Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning Exercise Menu For dumbbell exercises use 80% of comparable bar weight. To computerize simply divide by 2 Please remember that these are guidelines, not absolutes, athletes will obviously vary

Explosive Hang Clean( C) DB Snatch(DBS) Double DB Snatch High Hang Clean Squat Clean(SC) DB Clean –Inj High Pull Jump Squat

1 Rep Max

5 Rep Max

Use 1RM or est. Use 55% Clean /2

87.5 % Clean 48% Clean /2 (.55 X .875)

Use 70% Clean Use 80% Clean

56% Clean ( .7 x .8)

8 Rep Beginner

Use 70 % Clean ((Squat Max + BW) X .45)-BW

Explosive-UB 70% of lower of Bench or clean 44 % Bench/2

Push Jerk (PJ) DBPJ Combos

60-70% of lower of bench/cln 40% clean ( .5x.8)

C/FS/PJ S/BS/PJ Horizontal Press Bench Press Incline Bench DB Bench max Alt DB Bench Incline DB Close Grip Feet Elevated Push Up

Use 1 RM or est 75% Bench 80% Bench/2

87.5% Bench 66 % Bench ( .75 X .875) 64% Bench/2 8 rep start= .56

64% Bench/2 80% -90% Bench

48% Bench /2

8 rep start= .56

10-20 % Bench

218


219

Chapter 13- Designing Programs for Teams or Groups Until now we have discussed things in an “ideal model” scenario. However, in a team or group setting ideal is often not possible. Decisions are often made based on how many pieces of equipment are available and what the equipment will be used for on that particular day. For example if as a coach you decide that you will perform front squats on Mondays and you have groups scheduled on the half hour than your power rack can only be utilized for front squats on Monday. If you also placed bench presses in Monday’s workout, you don’t have a scientific problem, you have a logistical problem. Athletes would be competing for use of the same piece of equipment for two different exercises. The logical answer is to use the power rack for front squats and the adjustable benches for some type of upper body pressing like a dumbbell bench press or a dumbbell incline bench press. In this way maximum use of space and equipment is afforded. This would be an example of equipment utilization in a three day or two day workout program. In other words a total body workout might have: Group 1 ( 3:00 PM Start time )– Olympic lift from clean blocks Group 1 @ 3:20 – Front squat / chin-up in power rack Group 2 ( 3:20 PM Start )- Olympic lift from clean blocks Group 1 @ 3:40 – DB bench press / 1 leg SLDL Group 2 @ 3:40- Front squat/ chin-up in power rack Group 3 (3:40 start) – Olympic lift from clean blocks 4 PM – Group 1 concludes lifting Group 2 moves to DB bench/ 1 leg SLDL Group 3 moves to Front squat/ chin-up Group 4 – begins w/ Olympic lifts This process could continue with any start or finish time with groups moving from station to station in an orderly fashion. In this way all

219


220

equipment is utilized and athletes are not required to wait for equipment. This is a logistical plan that can work for two-, three- or four-day workout plans. It is interesting to note that strength and conditioning at the high school and college level is as much about logistics as it is about science. Very often the program is not dictated by what you want to do as much as by what you have the equipment to do. In the section on program design we discussed the merits of four-day or three-day workouts in the off season. As was mentioned the three-day program has twenty five percent less work in it than the four-day program. However in a high school or small college setting this might mean that two more teams can be on an organized strength and conditioning program if four-day programs are used. The issue is always how many athletes can we process a day based on the time and equipment available. Coaches must make a decision based not on what the ideal workout format is, but on what workout format will impact the greatest number of athletes. It is strange when the best workout system does not benefit the largest number of participants but, this is often the case. Even with three-day workouts versus four day workouts, there can still be logistical issues. My solution is as follows. Place some teams on conventional M-W-F programs. This leaves the weight room unutilized on T-Th. For most in-season teams Thursday is not a desirable lifting day as many teams compete on Friday. If that is the case, I would have some teams lift M-T-Th on a Day 1- Day 2 program followed by a total-body day on Thursday. Other teams would be placed on a T-Th-F program that would begin on Tuesday with a total body program, followed by a Day 1- Day 2 sequence from our four-day programs. This would result in overcrowding only on Tuesday, but would keep the room in use five days per week. In –season teams would be scheduled early or late while off-season teams would be scheduled during practice times for the in-season teams. This type of format allowed us to run an extremely efficient program at Boston University with nearly twenty teams as active

220


221

participants in the strength and conditioning program on a year round basis. Coaching Teams or Individuals We are strength and conditioning coaches. I don’t know if I really like some of the fancy terms like “performance enhancement specialist” or some of the other names that have been developed to describe our profession. I understand that the intent is to give us a more professional appearance. I say this only because the key is coaching. I like the term coach. My father was a coach. Jack Parker, the longtime Boston University hockey coach is always referred to as “coach” by our current and former players. Although I have known him for twenty years I have never called him Jack. It is in my mind one of the greatest signs of respect to be referred to as “coach”. There are many intelligent people in our profession who can write a good program or give a good presentation. However, there are only a few great coaches. The great coaches produce great results. They produce great technical lifters and great performers on the field or court. I have often been asked what I think has made me more successful than the average person in our field. I don’t think that I am smarter or work harder than some of my peers. My answer to the question is that I can get people to do what I want them to do. I make them understand the importance of being attentive to all the details. The information that follows is information we give to all of our coaches prior to the start of our sessions. I believe that anyone who coaches or personal trains will find it valuable. Key Points 1) Attention to Detail- OK is not OK. Good enough is not good enough. You should be striving to perfect the techniques and movement patterns of every athlete. If the athlete cannot perform a movement or exercise, you must consistently work with him or her until they can. Staff members must be

221


222

consistent in what they are saying and teaching. Athletes should never get the idea that the staff is not on the same page. Any gray areas should be brought up immediately so that they can be cleared up. 2) Remember the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This means treat your athletes or clients the way you would want to be treated. 3) Get to know your athletes or your clients. You must know injury history, training background, and a little bit about them personally. You will be amazed at what some true interpersonal interaction will do. 4) If you are talking about an athlete or fellow staff member, you should be talking to them. This means, no gossip, no complaining. You must have the nerve to talk directly to the person that you have a problem with. 5) Be verbal. Effective communication skills are key. Athletes will arrive with a diverse range of backgrounds. Some may have extensive experience in what you would consider proper technique. Some will have none. Provide a steady stream of verbal reinforcement. Be positive as well as negative. 6) Be hands on. Don’t be afraid to put athletes in the correct position. You won’t break any of your athletes. Manual coaching will ingrain motor patterns more rapidly. Often you must create the motor pattern by putting the athlete in the correct position. Both you and the athlete will get frustrated if you talk and they are unable to learn from your verbal cues. Remember, there are various types of learning styles. The best athletes seem to be visual learners. I love for our

222


223

coaches to be great technicians because many athletes will simply be able to duplicate what they see. If you are not a great technician you will see that all of your athletes will duplicate your mistakes. Perfect demos make perfect lifters. I can’t tell you how many college athletes I see that squat or clean exactly the way their coach does. This is why it is often helpful to take a USWF course. Even if you never plan on Olympic lifting from the floor, you will learn a great deal on the technical side. 7) Always remember, the easiest correction in the weight room is less weight. This applies particularly to the Olympic lifts and squats. If an athlete goes from being able to perform a lift well to struggling with technique, the problem is almost always too much weight. 8) Be careful with humor. What you say can have a strong effect on your athletes. Never make fun of an athlete. Some insecure athletes will not want to train if they are teased. Some aggressive athletes may take offense to your sense of humor and this may lead to altercations. If an athlete becomes verbally defensive as a result of your attempt at humor, that is the coach’s fault as much as the athlete’s. 9) Remember, you are in charge, both in the weight room and on the field. You must teach all aspects of the program. Don’t just tell them what to do, teach them what to do. You were not brought in to be a bystander. If an athlete is doing something incorrectly and you don’t correct it, that is no longer the athlete’s fault it is yours. 10) Report all injuries. Report all complaints. Even if you think it’s unimportant, that is not your decision. You will drastically improve your relationship with both your athletes and your

223


224

athletic trainer or physical therapist if you take an interest in the health of an athlete. If it is obvious that a particular exercise is uncomfortable or painful for the athlete encourage them to get the proper treatment and find an acceptable alternative exercise. 11) When in doubt, ask. You know what they say about assuming. If you don’t know the answer, find it out. Never BS an athlete, they will see through you like glass. 12) Don’t take any abuse or backtalk from an athlete. You don’t get paid enough to be verbally abused. Deal with problem athletes calmly and politely, but bring the behavior to the attention of the head coach immediately. Technique Points 1) Technique always comes first. When in doubt, reduce the weight, move a step back in your progression or select a simpler exercise. 2) Remember, if the back is flat nothing bad can happen. Too much arch can also be a problem! Remember you are in charge; you select weights, you terminate sets when exercises are done poorly. Charles Poliquin has a term he uses called technical failure. This is not the point at which another rep cannot be done but, rather the point at which another perfect rep cannot be done. Always stop at technical failure. 3) Be picky. Require perfect form. An athlete lifting the proper amount of weight should have perfect form. 4) If you are unfamiliar with an athlete, start with a weight they can do easily and with perfect form. It’s easy to get athletes

224


225

to go up, hard to get them to reduce weight. If you are going to make a mistake, make a conservative one. 5) For athletes that lack good postural muscles worry about technical development. Watch for failure of stabilizers. Stabilizers will frequently fail before prime movers. Common mistakes are loss of back position in squatting and inability to return a cleaned weight to the hang position. For athletes with long levers single-leg exercises may be better for strength gain than double-leg exercises. 6) There is a thin line between conservative coaching and holding athletes back. Some athletes, mostly males, will dislike being told to terminate a set at technical failure. Ingrain this concept early. Hold back in areas like squats and hang cleans that have large potential negative repercussion. 7) Understand the difference between acts of omission versus commission. An act of omission is something that you don’t do. An act of commission is something that you do. In exercises like squats and hang cleans we don’t want to commit errors. There is limited opportunity to correct a back injured by poor technique or poor weight selection. Coaching Points These are actual logistical points that will improve your ability to coach on the floor. 1) Always coach from behind the athlete when coaching Olympic lifts. If you are behind the athlete, you can reposition the athlete with your hands and not be in danger of getting hit by the bar. I like our coaches to be behind the lifter on the right hand side and to use their hands to draw the shoulders back, to reinforce

225


226

lower back arch or to push the athlete forward and get the shoulders over the bar. 2) Coach squats from the side. I like coaches to be at the side of the athlete. This will allow you to see depth and back position, the two major keys in squatting. 3) Correct small errors. Be attentive to the details. Watch how the athlete picks up the bar or returns the bar to the blocks or the rack. Often a good set is spoiled by the athlete loosing back position when returning the bar. 4) Reinforce constantly. 5) For explosive exercises, athletes should start and land in the same position. Inability to land in the start position indicates that the exercise is too difficult or that the athlete lacks eccentric strength or both. Administrative Concerns. 1) When you are busy, make sure your athletes know who is up next and at what weight. Don’t socialize with the athletes and, don’t let them socialize with each other. If you have a group of 3-4 they should all be working as spotters and loaders. 2) Make your athletes put weights back correctly. Interns are not here to compensate for your laziness or lack of attention to detail. 3) Interns are here for an educational experience. They did not sign on to be janitors or cooks. Respect should be earned by asking interns nicely to perform a less-than-desirable task and helping when possible. Never think that you are too good for any job. The lowest form of leadership is leadership by appointment. Lead by example not by appointment.

226


227

Parting Words- The Mirror and the Window The job of strength and conditioning coach is surprisingly easy. You can copy as much as you want. You have access to the same books and seminars that everyone else in the profession has. The bottom line is that some people just care more than other people. I am a big believer in the bell curve. Ten percent of the people are beyond help, ten percent don’t need help. Eighty percent will fall in the middle. The bottom ten percent will never read this book. Many in the top ten percent have probably already placed their order. Not because of the writing but, because they realize that the price you pay for any book almost always comes back to you. If it really matters to you, than your athletes or your clients will be the mirror that you view yourself in. You will consistently push and teach because you realize that their success is a direct reflection of your ability. In the same light your athletes and your clients are the window through which others view you. I often ask coaches or trainers to visualize a prospective athlete or client simply watching a workout through a window. No sound, just the visual. Are they impressed? This is the mirror and the window. Coach like people are always watching and like it’s a direct reflection of your skills. I have had the pleasure of coaching some of the worlds’ greatest athletes. One common denominator has been an inner drive. Great coaches must possess the same inner drive that pushes the great athlete.

227


228

Recommended Readings Kroll, William The Development of a Football Strength Complex NSCA Journal Vol. 9, Number 5, 1987 Kroll, William Structural and Functional Considerations in Designing the Facility, Part 1 NSCA Vol. 13, Number 1, 1991 Kroll, William Structural and Functional Considerations in Designing the Facility, Part 2 NSCA Vol. 13, Number 3, 1991 McRobert, Stuart, Brawn Verstegen, Mark, Core Performance

228


229

References

Cook, G 1997. Functional training for the torso. NSCA Journal(April): 14-19. Francis, C. 2000. Training for speed. Canberra, Australia: Faccioni Speed and Conditioning Consultant. Ireland,M et. al. 2003. Hip strength in females with and without patello-femoral pain. JOSPT (33,11, 671-675) McGill, S. 2002. Low back disorders. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Richardson, C., G. Jull, P. Hodges, and J. Hides. 1999. Therapeutic exercise for spinal segmental stabilization in low back pain. London: Churchill Livingston. Sahrmann, S. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, St Louis, MO, Mosby Inc. Thibedeau, C. Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods , [ Online] available www.testosterone.net Weiman, K Tidow, G 1995. Relative activity of hip and knee extensors in sprinting- implications for training. New Studies in Athletics ( 10,1, 29-49)

229


230

About the Author Michael Boyle has a talent for making complex topics simple. In Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities Boyle simplifies the job of strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer or facility owner. From equipment selection through program design Boyle breaks down complex topics in simple easy to understand and implement pieces. Boyle’s first book Functional Training for Sports has been called “the best book written on the topic” and Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities takes the concepts a step further. Boyle has over twenty years experience in the field of elite athlete preparation with both male and female athletes from every professional league. Boyle is a featured speaker at conferences across the country in the area of strength and conditioning, athlete rehabilitation and personal training. In addition he has produced fourteen instructional videos available through Perform Better at www.performbetter.com. Michael is available for a limited number of speaking engagements each year and can be contacted at [email protected].

230

Designing-Strength-Training-Programs-and-Facilities-Mike-Boyle.pdf

Recommend Documents