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Setting Weightroom Goals

June 9, 2018 by

This article was provided by Training-Conditioning

How to use historical lifting averages to establish weightroom goals and guide players’ offseason programming.

By Allen Hedrick

Allen Hedrick, MA, CSCS*D, is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He formerly held the same position at the NSCA’s national headquarters and the U.S. Air Force Academy. He can be reached at: allen.hedrick@yahoo.com

I often tell my athletes: You can get strong enough, but you can never get powerful enough. What I mean is that depending on their sport and position, athletes can reach a point where further strength gains won’t benefit performance. When that happens, it’s best to shift the training emphasis from increasing strength to increasing power.

At Colorado State University-Pueblo, we have developed a system that allows athletes to make this transition seamlessly. It’s centered on a set of historical lifting averages that we categorize by sport position, and we test athletes in these lifts every offseason. Those who test below the historical averages are placed in a strength-building group, while those who test above go into a power training group. When the strength-building athletes raise their scores sufficiently, they join the power group.

We’ve been using this model at CSU-Pueblo for years with several teams, including football. On the gridiron especially, we’ve experienced great results, including seven consecutive conference championships and a national title in 2014. These, and other similar outcomes, indicate that our system is having the desired effect of maximizing sport performance.

SUPPORTING THEORY

Although we’ve had great anecdotal success dividing our players’ workouts into strength- or power-based training, there is also evidence behind it. I’ve found support for this approach through years of research.

To start, as all performance coaches know, the need for strength varies by sport and position. For example, in football, interior linemen require higher strength levels than wide receivers.

The problem is that many traditional weightlifting programs focus too much on building these strength levels. As a result, athletes spend more time improving strength than developing power.

That may not seem like a bad thing in and of itself. However, as Vern Gambetta pointed out in his 1987 NSCA article “How Much Strength is Enough?” the primary objective of a strength and conditioning regimen should be to enhance an athlete’s ability to express strength for improved sport performance. And improved performance results more from increased power than increased strength.

So if power is the ultimate goal, why don’t we emphasize it from the start, instead of initially putting some of our athletes in a strength-building group? As explained in a 2011 Sports Medicine series of reviews, it’s because there’s a fundamental relationship between strength and power. Strength is a basic quality that influences maximum power production, so an athlete can’t have high power levels without first having a good strength base.

Then, once they reach a certain strength threshold, a shift in emphasis from strength to power is warranted and will be more effective at enhancing athletic performance. Therefore, the overall philosophy behind our historical average system is to get strong to get powerful and then get powerful to be more successful in competitions.

USING HISTORICAL AVERAGES

Two obvious questions then arise: How do you know when an athlete is strong enough? And what are the optimal strength levels necessary for high-level performance? We answer these questions by collecting the historical lifting averages of our players by position. I did this for seven years before I implemented the system, and I would recommend at least five years’ of data to others. Although I have used historical averages with multiple sports at CSU-Pueblo, I’ll focus on how we tailor them specifically for football in this section.

We test all of our football athletes twice a year—once in the spring and once in the summer. At both sessions, we measure their one-repetition maximums (1RM) in clean, squat, and bench.

Using our athletes’ final testing results from their senior years, we track what the average score is in each lift by position. Each year, the averages are updated to reflect the latest testing performances by our seniors. For example, our most recent averages for the squat were 550 pounds for a nose tackle, 352 pounds for a wide receiver, and 308 pounds for a quarterback.

When we test each football athlete at the beginning of the offseason, we compare their results to our historical averages. Those who test below the historical averages go into the “standard”—or strength—group. Most of our younger players fall into this category. Athletes who are at or above the historical averages are moved to the “advanced”—or power—group.

Although there is no “good” or “bad” group, we want the athletes to be pleased if they are testing at or above the averages. If they are testing below, we tell them not to be discouraged. This is simply an indication that they need to make further progress.

When athletes are placed in the standard group, they follow that program until the next testing time. Then, if they test at or above the averages in two out of the three lifts, they move to the advanced group.

DIFFERENT PLANS

The best way to understand how we manipulate our lifting regimens to either emphasize strength or power is to compare the football workouts for our standard group (below) and our advanced group (below). These two plans are for players in one of our “big skill” positions, which comprise offensive and defensive linemen, tight ends, and linebackers.

The first difference you may notice between the two programs is that there are more weightlifting movements for the advanced group. These athletes perform the more technical clean and power jerk right off the bat because they’ve already established the correct technique necessary to do the full movements. In contrast, the standard group performs two sets of a more basic lift first on Mondays and Fridays. This allows them to establish correct technique before moving on to more complex movements. So the standard athletes will do a push press on Fridays before advancing to power jerk.

Why the focus on the Olympic lifts for the advanced group? Because Olympic-style weightlifting can produce a much greater power output than traditional exercises, such as the squat or bench press. In addition, Olympic lifts significantly improve power output against a heavy load. And as explained in a 2011 Sports Medicine series of reviews, these movements are ideal for football athletes, who often have to generate high power against heavy loads.

A second difference between the two workouts is the advanced group’s use of contrast loads for barbell weightlifting movements. For example, on sets one, three, and five for the power jerk on Friday, the load is set at 65 percent of 1RM, while sets two, four, and six are performed at 80 percent. We do this because, according to the Sports Medicine article mentioned above, contrast loads target all areas of the force velocity curve to augment adaptations across a broad spectrum. The result is a superior increase in maximal power output. In contrast, the standard group uses a nearly constant training load for all sets.

A third variation between the two programs relates to their use of plyometrics. Both groups are exposed to plyometric training to develop maximal force as quickly as possible, but the standard group performs plyometrics as a stand-alone activity.

Meanwhile, the advanced group utilizes complex training, which pairs a weightlifting movement and a plyometric activity. Athletes then perform the two exercises consecutively with little to no rest between them. Completed first, the weightlifting movement trains the muscles’ ability to produce high levels of force. Then, the plyometric activity enhances the muscles’ ability to exert force through rapid eccentric-concentric transitional movements. As a result, this method trains the neurological and muscular systems at both ends of the force velocity curve at much higher levels than traditional modalities. The result is significant increases in peak power levels.

By using historical averages to assess our players’ strength and power levels every offseason, we can get a better idea of what areas they need to improve in. Then, by splitting them into standard and advanced lifting groups, we can ensure athletes follow the appropriate program to get strong, get powerful, and, ultimately, meet our goal of enhancing athletic performance.

Sidebar:

STANDARD GROUP

Below is a sample four-week offseason workout program for Colorado State University-Pueblo football players whose test scores have indicated they need to increase strength. All lifts are to be completed as explosively as possible, with controlled movement down. There should be a two-minute rest between all sets and exercises.

Note: “TB” stands for total body, which includes any of the weightlifting movements performed with a barbell or dumbbell. “CL” stands for core lift and comprises any exercise involving movement at more than one joint.

Week Sets and Reps

Week 1 TB=4×3, CL=4×4

Week 2 TB=4×5, CL=4×6

Week 3 TB=4×2, CL=4×2

Week 4 TB=4×3, CL=4×6

MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY

Speed Training Speed Training Total Body

Wall drills Lateral hop Push press, 2x TB

Form running Lateral hop and back Power jerk, 4x TB

Box jump, 3×4

Total Body Total Body Upper Body

Hang power clean, 2x TB Dumbbell power clean, TB Incline press, CL

Hang clean, 4x TB Med ball seated chest pass, 3×6

Drop jump, 3×4

Lower Body Upper Body Trunk

Dead lifts, CL Dumbbell front squats, CL Med ball twist throw, 3×8

Side lunge, CL Dumbbell straight-leg dead lift, CL

Dumbbell incline press, CL

Dumbbell row, CL

Trunk Trunk Neck

Two-hand bar twist, 3×12 Dumbbell press crunch, 3×20 Manual resistance flexion/extension, 2×8

Dumbbell back extensions,

3×10

Neck

Manual resistance flexion/extension, 2×8

Sidebar:

ADVANCED GROUP

Below is a sample four-week offseason workout program for Colorado State University-Pueblo football players who are aiming to increase power. All lifts are to be completed as explosively as possible, with controlled movement down. There should be a 90-second rest between total-body exercises and a two-minute rest between all others.

Note: “TB” and “CL” have the same meanings as in the standard group plan.

Week Set and Reps

Week 1 TB=6×3, CL=4×4

Week 2 TB=6×5, CL=4×6

Week 3 TB=6×3, CL=4×4

Week 4 TB=6×2, CL=4×3

MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY

Speed Training Speed Training Total Body

Wall drills Lateral hop Power jerk, TB

Form running Lateral hop and back Sets 1, 3, and 5 at 65 percent of 1RM

Sets 2, 4, and 6 at 80 percent of 1RM

Total Body Total Body Complex

Clean, TB Dumbbell clean, TB Depth jump, 3×4

Sets 1, 3, and 5 at 65 percent Med ball standing chest pass, 3×6
of one-repetition maximum
(1RM)
Sets 2, 4, and 6 at 80 percent

of 1RM

Complex Lower Body Upper Body

Keiser squat, 3×5 Dumbbell one-leg squat, CL Incline press, CL

Sled push, 3×10 yards Med ball back extension throws, 3×10

 

Lower Body Trunk Trunk

Dead lifts, CL Med ball overhead throw, 3×10 Med ball standing twist throw, 3×8

Side lunge, CL

Trunk Upper Body Neck

Two-hand bar twist, 3×12 Jammer, 2×6 Manual resistance flexion/extension, 2×8

Dumbbell back extensions, Dumbbell incline press, CL

3×10 Dumbbell row, CL

Neck

Manual resistance flexion/extension, 2×8

 

Filed Under: administration, strength training

Weight Room Safety

June 2, 2018 by

Adherence to the recently updated NSCA document can help limit liability in your weight room.

This article provided by Training-Conditioning

The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) released an updated version of the “Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines” in December 2017. This document is intended to help identify areas of risk exposure, increase safety, and decrease the likelihood of injuries that might lead to claims and suits. Its goal, overall, is to improve the standard of care being offered in strength and conditioning programs. It is a valuable resource for every person who oversees a weight room or strength and conditioning program.
“The document provides a digestible format of key legal concepts relative to strength and conditioning, and is a reference for quick determination of what has been established as a legal standard vs. what is a suggested guideline,” explains N. Travis Triplett, PhD, CSCS*D, FNSCA, lead author and President-Elect of the NSCA. “This is really the only document of its kind available for the field of strength and conditioning. It uses examples specific to strength and conditioning, and addresses situations most likely to be encountered in the strength and conditioning field.”
The strength and conditioning profession involves the combined competencies of sport/exercise science, administration, management, teaching, and coaching. Practitioners must also comply with various laws and regulations while responding to instances of potential injury and related claims and suits. This creates remarkable challenges and requires substantial experience, expertise, and other resources to effectively address them, especially in multisport (e.g., collegiate and scholastic) settings.
Ample resources are available in some of these settings but in many others, they are not. Budgets, equipment, facilities, and staff are often limited (or lacking altogether), with a resulting mismatch between the participants’ demand for safe and effective programs and services and the institution’s provision of them. It is important for strength and conditioning practitioners and their employers to understand that this standard of care is a shared duty. The institution and individual are thus jointly responsible for fulfilling it.
“This document is most appropriate for the strength and conditioning professional working in a college or high school,” explains Triplett. “While there are elements that can be used universally among all strength and conditioning professionals, it is not specific enough for personal trainers or tactical strength and conditioning facilitators.”
The standards and guidelines are based on published scientific studies, pertinent statements from other associations, analysis of claims, and a consensus of expert views. There are nine primary areas of importance, which encompass 11 standards and 14 guidelines.
“The primary updates involve the incorporation of the latest data and statistics related to the legal aspects of strength and conditioning, such as injury and participation data,” says Triplett. “There is also new information regarding safety in outside environments (e.g., lightning protocols).”
It is hoped that strength and conditioning practitioners and the institutions employing them will mutually benefit from applying this information, and in turn significantly enhance the quality of services and programs provided to their athletes.

You can download the Strength and Conditioning Professional
Standards and Guidelines
 at this link: bit.ly/2iKGRiY.

Filed Under: administration

The Ultimate Heat Illness Prevention Guide

May 29, 2018 by

With summer upon us, here are some Heat Illness Prevention Strategies

This article was provided by Training and Conditioning

By Rebecca Moore

In 2015, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) published a Position Statement on Exertional Heat Illnesses to present best-practice recommendations for the prevention, recognition and treatment of exertional heat illnesses and to describe the relevant physiology of thermoregulation. This document outlines years of research and data that give athletic trainers a solid foundation to understand and prevent heat illness. In terms of prevention, their tips can be broken down into three categories: acclimation, hydration and education.

 

Heat Illness Prevention Strategy #1: Acclimation

Just like you wouldn’t ask an athlete to enter a practice or game without warming up, you shouldn’t expect them to start practicing in warm temperatures without adjusting them to the heat first. The NATA suggests that developing a pre-season heat acclimation policy should be your first step in heat illness prevention.

“Individuals should be acclimatized to the heat gradually over 7 to 14 days…The first 2–3 weeks of preseason practice typically present the greatest risk of exertional heat illness, particularly in equipment-intensive sports. All possible preventive measures should be used during this time to address this high-risk period” (Casa et al. 2015).

Alongside this policy, a careful medical screening should be administered during pre-season to identify athletes with risk factors. Some of these risk factors include history of heat injuries and a prior muscle, tendon or ligament injury (Casa et al. 2015).

 

Heat Illness Prevention Strategy #2: Hydration

According to the NATA’s Position Statement covering Fluid Replacement for Athletes, establishing a pre-exercise hydration, hydration and rehydration protocol for athletes is another key staple in preventing heat illness. Here are the NATA’s recommended considerations while building an efficient hydration strategy:

  • Athlete’s sweat rate
  • Sport dynamics
  • Environmental factors
  • Acclimatization state
  • Exercise duration
  • Exercise intensity
  • Individual preferences (SOURCE 2).

 

Pre-Exercise Hydration

Getting ahead of hydration issues can prevent them from happening in the first place. “To ensure proper pre-exercise hydration, the athlete should consume approximately 17 to 20 fl oz of water, or a sports drink two to three hours before exercise, and 7 to 10 fl oz of water or a sports drink ten to twenty minutes before exercise” (Casa et al. 2000).

 

Hydration During Activity

It’s easy for both coaches and athletes to get carried away during practices and games; everyone wants to compete, keep up a strong pace and get the most out of every minute. However, not taking breaks to maintain proper hydration levels is extremely detrimental to the health of each athlete; no matter how much of the event they’ve participated in or the environment in which the event is taking place. Just how much should athletes be hydrating? According to the professionals at the NATA, it depends on the sport.

“A proper hydration protocol considers each sport’s unique features. If rehydration opportunities are frequent (e.g., baseball, football, track and field), the athlete can consume smaller volumes at a convenient pace based on sweat rate and environmental conditions. If rehydration must occur at specific times (e.g., soccer, lacrosse, distance running), the athlete must consume fluids to maximize hydration within the sport’s confines and rules” (Casa et al. 2000).

An appropriate hydration plan involves many factors, but most notable is having unlimited beverages available to athletes at all time. To check this off your hydration plan checklist, purchasing equipment like the Cramer PowerFlo Pro Hydration Unit gives everyone access to safe hydration on the field. Especially convenient when working in multiple locations and changing fields regularly, this unit has a rechargeable battery and zero-maintenance wheels that never go flat. Portability and stability that can’t be beat!

 

Rehydration

Post-exercise rehydration restores any fluid loss accumulated during a game or practice. Ideally completed within two hours, rehydration should contain water to restore hydration, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, and electrolytes to speed rehydration (Casa et al. 2000).

Many athletic trainers or team physicians measure hydration with urine color against a color scale. But, an easier (and less invasive) method of hydration measurement is monitoring body weight; athletes should see less than 2% body weight reduction post-activity.

“I think it all starts with educating our athletes,” said Mike Harrison ATC, LAT, Sports Medicine Coordinator and Head Athletic Trainer at Allen High School. “We weigh our athletes in and out every day in the hot months, and for every pound that they lose they have to make that up with 20-24 ounces of fluid.”

 

Heat Illness Prevention Strategy #3: Education

You can’t prevent what you don’t understand or aren’t anticipating. As healthcare  professionals, it’s essential that athletic trainers take control of their athletic environments and properly inform coaches, athletes, administrators, parents on the signs and dangers of heat illness.

Need help getting started? Here are some potential topics that you can cover:

  • Preventing heat illness
  • Recognizing heat illness
  • Treating heat illness
  • Best drinks for hydration
  • Sleep regulations
  • Proper diet
  • How to rest the body effectively

To find data to support these topics, expert advice on heat illness and return to play recommendations, read through the NATA’s Position Statement on Exertional Heat Illnesses. Together, we can all play a huge role in reducing or eliminating these conditions and keep the athletes where they belong; on the field.

Cramer® | 800-345-2231 | www.cramersportsmed.com

 


Sources:

Casa, Douglas J., et al. 2015. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses. Journal of Athletic Training 50.9: 986-1000.

Casa, Douglas J., et al. 2000. National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes. Journal of Athletic Training. 2000;35(2):212-224.

Filed Under: administration

Four Step Method to Success

January 11, 2018 by

This article was provided by  Coaches Network

By Patrick McHenry

One of the most challenging aspects of training high school athletes is balancing the needs of an entire team with individual players. Utilizing the Four Step Method provides a solution.

The Four Step Method covers these critical areas: testing, evaluating, setting goals, and developing a program. Below is a closer look at each one.

1. Testing refers to assessing the athletic levels of your team members. It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of student-athletes individually and as a team, and enables the coach to design a strength and conditioning program that is specific to the needs of each student-athlete.

The three recommended tests are the Vertical Jump, Pro-Agility Run, and 10-Yard Dash. Other tests that can be included are the Long Jump, the Medicine Ball Throw, and the Three Cone Drill. (You can find more detailed instructions on these tests in this previous article.) Note that these tests are for “power” sports, not endurance sports. They also fit into a combine style set up so I can perform multiple tests in a time efficient manner.

Testing should be performed at several different times:

• Before developing a training program

• To assess progress at regular intervals throughout training

• As a way to have your athletes compete against each other in the off season, which helps keep them motivated.

The great thing about performance testing is that you can see how well your athlete is progressing without undo stress and potential injury. Ask any professional strength coach how often they require their athletes to perform one rep maxes and they will say the same thing: NEVER. If a professional athlete gets hurt maxing, the coach will lose their job. The risk is too great.

There is no reason to risk an injury at the high school level by performing a one rep max. Many of our athletes have a training age of one to five years, which suggests their lifting technique may not be as high quality as a college or pro athlete. What about doing multi-rep maxes? A multi repetition maximum may be safer, but it will not give the same performance measure as we can get from a vertical jump, pro agility run, and 10-yard dash.

2. Evaluation entails analyzing the test results of each student-athlete and the team as a whole. This is a vital step so you know specifically what weaknesses each individual needs to work on and what weaknesses the team has. It will then help you design the most effective program.

After testing I have each athlete graph their results and then chart them so they can compare their scores to athletes who are the same age and gender from all over the county. I use the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA.com) Performance Assessment package (free to members)

3. Goal Setting requires athletes and their coaches to identify a reasonable time or score to achieve within a certain time period. Setting performance goals allows coaches and student-athletes to have a focus point to strive for every time they come into a workout. This helps each athlete stay motivated to improve, not only individually but also for the team.

I like to talk to each athlete about goal-setting so they understand its importance. I explain how their lifting and work effort will help achieve their goals if they use the program correctly. Then each athlete has an opportunity to write up their own goals.

Goals should never be set too high or too low. They should be challenging, yet realistic, and allow for the student-athlete to see improvements each time they test. They should also be specific. “I want to improve my vertical jump” does not tell me much. “I want to improve my vertical jump by two inches before the end of the second term” would be a good goal.

A vital step in goal setting is to not only write down goals, but the steps for achieving them. For the athlete who wants to improve their vertical jump, steps might be: working on their cleans, focusing on their squat technique, and putting all their effort into plyometric days.

4. Program Design refers to the training regimen that the coach designs to help the student-athlete achieve his or her goals. Ultimately, effective training programs will result in an improvement in athletic performance.

The program should be designed (or modified) depending on the athlete’s goal. If an athlete is trying to improve their vertical jump, we will focus on cleans, jumps and squats, for example.

Before we start the lifting program, we make sure the athlete is using good technique. We check over the athlete’s knees to make sure they are positioned properly. We look at arm mechanics and assess if they are using their core fully and going through full range of motion. One area that is often overlooked is the deceleration (or eccentric) phase of a lift. We will go down slowly in the eccentric phase of the lift and then explode up in the concentric phase.

One note of caution is that eccentric loading will break the athlete down. So only do this in the off season. If an athlete wants to work on speed, we will use the same lifts and work on technique.

 

Patrick McHenry, CSCS*D, is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Castle View (Colo.) High School. He has presented to sport coaches, strength coaches, and physical education teachers at state, national, and international conferences. He is the former Colorado state director for the NSCA, was the chairman for the NSCA High School Special Interest Group, and is currently on the NSCA Board of Directors and Coaching Performance Committee. 

Filed Under: administration

Phases of Off Season Training

December 19, 2017 by

Young athletes need to spend a portion of their year focusing on their body. The off season is critical to the overall success of the athlete. In this post you will see how to divide off season training into distinct phases.

In the video clip below  Angleo Gingerelli, Seton Hall Strength and Conditioning Coach, discusses the need for off season training as well as how he divides the off season into three phases. The clip is from a Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic.

Coach Gingerelli begins by stating how important training is for young athletes. He believes that athletes must continue to train through certain events/competitions. He also believes that it is important to declare an off season or a time of the year where their focus is on improving their bodies. He points out that not every “Body” is suited for year around competition and that while skill development is important, there is no substitute for bigger, faster stronger.

Here is a summary of Coach Gingerelli’s 3 Phases of Off Season Training and the emphasis in each phase:

Phase 1 – Basics

  • Flexibility and Range of motion
  • Body Weight Control (push-up, pull-ups, body weight squats etc..)
  • Balance, Posture and Biomechanics of basic body movements
  • Core Development
  • Work Capacity
  • Being comfortable being uncomfortable

Phase 2 Weight Room Basics

  • Squats
  • Bench
  • Deadlift (variations)
  • Shrugs
  • Overhead Press (limited and must be done properly)

Phase 3

  • Plyometrics
  • Olympic Lifts
  • Single Leg and Single Arm Movements
  • Maximum Effort Sets
  • Complexes, Supersets, Circuits

This clip is just a portion of Coach Gingerelli’s presentation. For information about how to gain access to the rest of his presentation as well as hundreds of other clinic presentation click the link Glazier Athletic Performance Clinic

The YouTube video below has audio, so please make sure that your volume is turned up and that you have access to the site. Note that some schools block access to YouTube.

Filed Under: administration, strength training

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