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Strength & Conditioning
Philosophy Training Philosophy
by Jason Riddell, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach The three primary goals of the strength and conditioning program at AU are to increase athleticism, reduce injury and increase mental/physical toughness. This is accomplished by primarily utilizing free-weight, ground based, multi-joint, explosive exercises. Athletes perform exercises of all types but focus is put on three main genres: Olympic lifting, Powerlifting and Plyometric. The goal is to try and replicate the velocities and forces that are experienced during competition. I.
Increase
Power Output The central nervous system fatigues faster than the musculature and due to this fact they are trained differently and each one is emphasized separately. After a minimum 15min dynamic warm-up working on flexibility, balance and speed/deceleration mechanics the first exercise performed is some form of the Olympic lifts to emphasize the CNS and increase (RFD) rate of force development. Power is defined as FxD/T and the athlete that can exert the maximum amount of force in the shortest amount of time tends be more successful on the field. It allows the athlete to run faster, change direction quicker and jump higher. II.
Ground Based
Movements Almost all sports skills are performed standing with the feet in contact with the ground. Force must be transferred through the kinetic chain into the ground to produce the desired reaction force. The more force an athlete can apply to the ground, with proper mechanics, the greater the potential to generate power and speed in athletic movements. Also by training with the feet in contact with the ground an athlete increases proprioception and engages stabilizer muscles that can help reduce the risk of injury. III.
Multiple
Joint Movements Exercises that involve more than
one joint are superior to single joint movements for athletes due to their
efficiency and similarity to actual competition. Specifically exercises that
focus on the hip joint where the strongest muscles of the human body are
located. Snatch, Clean, Jerk, Squat, Deadlift and all variants are the basis
for increasing hip extension forces. *Competitive
Olympic lifters on average have vertical jumps exceeding 36in are also among
the fastest athletes in 25m sprints. These exercises are performed with free weights where the athlete must be able to function in multiple planes and dimensions. In contrast the use of machines locks athletes into one plane of motion and doesn't allow stabilization recruitment. IV.
Posterior
Chain Strength The posterior chain can be described as every major muscle running from the calcaneus to the occipital area of the head on the posterior side of the human body. For the purpose of athletic enhancement primary focus is put on the Lower and Upper chains. Lower chain: hamstring group (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris) gluteus complex (maximus, medius and minimus), spinal erectors (iliocostalis, longissimus, spinalis) and quadratus lumborum Upper chain: trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and rhomboids. Simply put the lower chain allows the athlete to extend the hip and flex the knee. By making the lower chain stronger this leads to greater force output per foot strike during running/sprinting. The upper chain allows powerful arm drive and with greater strength/power in these muscles increased frequency of arm cycles can be achieved. The two of these combine to produce greater force per step and increased turn over rate which in turn increase overall running speed. And when it comes to athletics speed is of the utmost importance!!! V.
Movements
not Muscles = Athleticism Training individual muscles for growth is called bodybuilding and is not for athletes. Yes, bodybuilding type training has its place in an athlete's repertoire but it cannot be the primary focus. The qualities of a superior athlete are: power, speed, strength, agility, flexibility, coordination, kinesthetic awareness, sport-specific condition, rapid reorientation from disorientation, balance, skill expertise, mental toughness and being goal oriented. By training motor patterns and movements instead of individual muscles athletes learn to use their bodies as a whole and athleticism is achieved!! VI.
Organization There are many forms of periodization to train athletes but in a collegiate environment the cycles are planned in years. The athlete should typically peak physically around junior or senior year. There are typically 3 phases that athletes fall into depending on their prior training experience, physical maturity and mental ability. Phase 1- hypertrophy (structural resistance training), basic techniques, overall strength Phase 2- hypertrophy (structural resistance training), complex techniques (functional strength training), overall strength/power Phase 3- advanced techniques (functional strength training), increase (Rate Force Development), overall power Along with that there are 3 general methods employed to elicit athleticism. Repetitive
Effort Method: Phase 1 -Training to a point of
muscular fatigue using sub-max weights -Lactate tolerance
training -Work capacity training Maximal
Effort Method: Phase 2-3 - Heavy training, using
80-100% of a one rep max (1RM)
-Explosive training, using
sub-max weights at max speed -Plyometrics--stretch
shortening cycle (SSC) activities -Speed and agility
training Recommendations
for athlete exposure/frequency and duration of strength training not including
warm-up: In-Season:
2-4 exposures/week 30-45 min/session Post-Season:
3-4 exposures/week 45-60 min/session Pre-Season:
3-4 exposures/week 45 min/session VII.
Attitude & Mental
Toughness Teams
that lift together are provided an opportunity to develop chemistry, team work,
and leadership in a competitive environment. Training sessions are run like a
practice where there is an atmosphere of structure, competitiveness and common
purpose. Any patterns of weakness such as: negative verbal, facial, body
language must be eliminated from the weight room as it allows weakness to
permeate the team. Although
team training sessions are integral to team building, the success of an
individual athlete will have much to do with his/her commitment to excellence
and how that athlete deals with time between training sessions. Recovery is one
of the most important factors in training, how an athlete deals with habits
like sleep, diet, alcohol consumption, drugs, academics and social life play a
huge role in athletic development and success. The harder and more difficult the workouts are, the easier the game becomes. If an athlete can persevere through difficult, highly challenging situations in the weight room and in practice they are better prepared for stressful environments in actual competition. A mindset of "I have been through worse than this! I can do this no problem!" is what is trying to be established. Basic psychology and motor learning state that during stressful situations the human body reverts back to its most basic training. So, mental toughness is the ability of the athlete to perform the correct action or decision when they are pushed to his/her physical limits. |
