Relationships between barbell speed characteristics and sprint performance

Access to more affordable technologies such as accelerometers and linear position transducers that sync with mobile phones and tablet devices  has lead to an increase in the monitoring of bar speed in the weight room. In turn, a substantial increase in research on how bar speed can be practically implemented for athletes has been developed. …

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Chain-loaded squat warm-ups enhance 1RM

The pre-training warm-up serves a variety of important purposes. For example, the increase in body temperature and purposeful movement through full ranges of motion prepare the body for intense activity that lower injury risk. With the appropriate warm-up protocol, we can even prime the nervous system to transiently increase performance. We’ve seen this numerous times …

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Eccentric squat strength predicts vertical jump performance

Some regard the counter-movement jump (i.e., vertical jump) as the greatest predictor of athletic performance in field and court sports such as soccer, football and basketball. The counter-movement jump is effected by both relative strength and explosive power, both of which are key components of athletic movements such as sprinting, and changing direction. The counter-movement …

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Will increasing lower body strength improve tackling ability?

Most coaches will agree that in-season strength and power training is critical for maintaining performance in team-sports such as soccer, football, basketball, rugby and so forth. Performance characteristics such as sprinting, rapidly changing direction and jumping are all impacted by lower body strength and power. Failing to address this during the season can therefore result …

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Effects of daily 1RM squat training on strength and body composition

Overtraining occurs when the training stimulus exceeds the individual’s ability to adapt and recover from it. The volume and intensity thresholds for overtraining will vary for each individual. Factors such as training age, work capacity, strength level, nutrition, sleep quality and so forth, will all affect how much training one can tolerate. Traditional training wisdom …

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Comparing programs for increasing speed and explosiveness

As the strength and conditioning coach for a high level field-sport team (i.e., soccer, rugby, etc.) the head coach has provided you with 15 minutes after the warm-up twice per week (Tues and Thurs) to give the athletes a workout. The coach specifically states that he wants the athletes to be able to run faster …

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Ballistic Squats Enhance Jump Height

In one of our recent posts, we provided a brief summary of new research that compared potentiating 10 m sprint performance with traditional back squats at 85% 1RM or with band resisted back squats at the same intensity. The novel finding was that squatting against bands enhanced 10 m sprint time more so than traditional …

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Squats versus Leg Press for performance improvement

When developing a strength and conditioning program for a group of athletes, coaches must consider a variety of factors including: sport demands; athlete needs; frequency and duration of sessions; access to equipment; dynamic correspondence of exercise; safety, etc. Generally speaking, exercise selection should involve movements that provide the best transfer to on-field performance. Determining which …

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Squatting with bands acutely improves short-sprint speed

Complex training is a popular method of developing explosive ability in athletes. Briefly, complex training involves pairing a heavy strength movement with an unloaded explosive movement using the same muscle groups. An example would be to pair heavy back squats with box jumps. The rationale behind this training methodology is to take advantage of post-activation …

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Increased squat strength improves sprint speed in pro soccer players

Soccer requires a variety of physical qualities that athletes must develop in order to be competitive and successful at the highest levels. These qualities include but are not limited to: strength, power, acceleration, reactive ability, agility, and endurance. Short sprints over 20 meters are often made to contend for a free ball, to intercept a …

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