Fast, explosive movements such as jumps, sprints and rapid changes of direction require a combination of strength and power for optimal performance. These movements are largely powered by fast twitch muscle fibers. Fast twitch fibers have the ability to renew energy at a very quick rate but also fatigue quickly. A motor unit is a …
There are numerous variables that a coach can manipulate when it comes to resistance training. Some of these variables include: Sets Reps Frequency Intensity Tempo Rest Interval Exercise Selection Intensity is a key variable that will be the main topic of today’s post. Intensity refers to the percentage of 1 rep max on …
Time is limited in the weight room. We’re often limited to 1 – 3 sessions per week with our athletes at about one hour per session. It is vitally important that we are very economical with this time in terms of exercise selection and prescription. We want to utilize exercises that will have the biggest …
Several factors are considered when coaches or managers meet to devise training schedules. Some of the more important considerations pertain to issues like: Facility Availability: Sharing with other teams Athlete Availability: School/Class schedules Parent Availability: Youth athletes mode of transportation Coach Availability: Competing work schedules for non-full-time coaches Without a doubt, these issues must …
Strength and conditioning training for pre-pubescent children has always been a topic of controversy. For a long time it was thought that any form of resistance training would result in stunted growth. Many uninformed individuals continue to believe and perpetuate this myth. Another myth associated with training adolescents is that they will not derive significant …
Unfortunately, many youth sports organizations do not have structured strength and conditioning programs, nor do they typically have access to appropriate facilities for this type of training. Therefore, most strength and conditioning related training will often be incorporated into practices on the playing field. Though this comes at the expense of focused attention on technical …
It’s always fun to read and learn about different training techniques to take our performance to the next level. To improve our strength in the barbell lifts we often turn to advanced training methods that involve the need for additional equipment like bands, chains or weight releasers. Though accommodating resistance training can be quite beneficial, …
Established guidelines by both the Strength and Conditioning and Sports Medicine governing (i.e., NSCA, NASM, ACSM, etc.) body’s recommend specific set, repetition and intensity guidelines for differing training purposes. For example, it’s commonly accepted that hypertrophy training is best developed with moderate loads (e.g., 67-85% of 1RM) for moderate to high repetition ranges (e.g., 6-12 …
Traditional strength training guidelines recommend 2-6 sets of <6 reps with a weight of 85% of 1RM or greater with rest periods spanning between 3-5 minutes. The amount of reps an athlete can perform with a given percentage of his or her 1RM varies based on training age and experience. However, the following table provides …
The SAID (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) Principle dictates that the training response or effect will be specific to the nature of training performed. For example; training the squat will likely result in improvements in lower body performance in tasks like sprinting and jumping. However, it will likely not improve performance in tasks limited to …