For as long as I have been involved in sports and training, I have seen more cookie cutter training programs than you can shake a stick at (and that’s a lot). Most work for a period of time and some not at all, but for the most part, they all work because the body responds so well to change. New programs have different exercises, frequencies, and tempos but only a few have lasted through time.
Periodization in some form or fashion seems to be the best for strength athletes and other athletes. The ability to design a training program to produce the desired effect is a great gift, and the ability to recognize weaknesses and fix them may truly be divine. In this article, my goal is to help you do both. So let’s see what we can do about this.
The first part of the process is to sit down with pen in hand and decide. What are your goals? What are your weaknesses? What equipment do you have to work with? What do you need to help you with your goals? When can you train? Can you talk somebody in to doing this with you? Where can you go to get the help you need? Will people laugh at you in the gym for some of the crazy crap you’re going to do? Do you give a crap?
Seriously, write it down. Decide whether you need upper body training, more lower body strength, or more core strength. Do you need to increase your vertical leap, or do you need to be more agile? Do you need more endurance (no matter how you answered this one, you really do), or do you need to be more flexible? The answer is probably yes to all of the above. So what do you do about it?
Design a program based around periodization (also known as the conjugate method as taught by Louie Simmons) and start with a dynamic upper body day, a max effort upper body day, a dynamic lower body day, a max effort lower body day, and a conditioning day.
Set it up like so:
Day 1: Max effort lower body
Day 2: Dynamic upper body plus Olympic lifts
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Dynamic lower body plus jumping
Day 5: Conditioning (sled, Prowler, sandbags, wheelbarrow, agility work)
Day 6: Max effort upper body plus plyometrics
Day 7: Off
This would be a good split for a powerlifter, or a football player. But if you were a soccer player, a basketball player, a high jumper, a sprinter you could tweak your program to look something like this:
Day 1 Max effort Lower Body + olympic lifts + agility
Day 2 Dynamic Upper body + olympic lifts + plyos
Day 3 Sprints
Day 4 Dynamic Lower Body + olympic lifts + jumping
Day 5 Conditioning as above + agility
Day 6 Repeat day 2
Day 7 off
It really boils down to this. Think a lot about the skills needed to succeed at your sport or what strengths and attributes would help you be the best damn Olympic curler. Write them down, ponder them a spell, and then write down what you need to do to fix your inadequacies and bring up all of your abilities. Now, decide whether you need to be stronger, faster, more flexible, more explosive, or whatever. Divide this into groups and decide what to do for each one.
Here are some examples listed by the problem first and followed by possible fixes:
Shot putter:
Flexibility: Stretches, Olympic movements, kettlebells
Explosive leg drive: Heavy squats, speed squats, conventional deadlifts, Olympic lifts, jumping, step-ups with weight, glute ham raises, band leg curls, calf movements, Romanian deadlifts with chains, Prowler sled drills, bands and chains adding into your squatting regime
Explosive arms (throwing): Kettlebells, the right kind of triceps work such as rock and rolls, kazmier presses, band extensions, blast straps, push presses, bench presses, throwing with a mini band, throwing with a heavier “shot”
Overall conditioning: Prowler, sled, sandbags, sprints, sprints with resistance, sprints with the chute, Turkish get-ups, kettlebells, medicine ball work, weighted vests
Torso training: Tornado ball drills, medicine balls, kettlebells, Russian twists, sumo deadlifts, good mornings, pull-throughs, abs from every angle, Bosu ball training
Explosive chest: Regular and one-arm bench presses and incline presses, plyometric push-ups, blast straps, cambered bench bar, crazy bell benching, bands and chains added into your benching repertoire, medicine ball throws
Wrist and forearm strength: Wrist roller, armory, hammer curls, kettlebells
Coordination: Jumping, Olympic lifts, kettlebells, body weight drills
This can be done for any sport or event. Because we know how well periodization works, all we need to do is shape it and mold it to fit our needs. Break the sport or event down to the skills needed to perform and decide what you can do to train that aspect. Make a list of exercises that will train those areas and use a template like the ones I showed you earlier. Before you know it, you will have just created your own sports-specific workout. Be honest with yourself and constantly revaluate your training. Use video training sessions and review them for form issues and weaknesses. Remember to rotate your exercises regularly and make sure your form is right. Find emerging weaknesses and nip them in the bud early on.
No matter what level you are in your sport or sports of choice, there is probably someone better or someone who has an attribute that you lack and there always will be. This is the dividing point, the mystical line drawn in the sand. Will you lie down or will you fight, punt, or go for it on fourth down? Your fate rests solely in your hands. There is someone out there who is training while you are goofing off. Somewhere somebody isn’t saying, “Man, I just don’t feel it today.” Somewhere someone isn’t cutting their squats high or saying, “I’ll make up for it next time.” Somewhere someone out there is warming up with your max. What are you going to do about it? Put up or shut up. Now, start training yourself to win. See what it feels like to not just win but to absolutely crush your opponent.
What can we at EliteFTS.com do to help you?
Chris Clark is a single heavy weight powerlifter from North Carolina. He has recorded a 970-lb squat, a 675-lb bench press, and a 733-lb deadlift. He won the 2006 WPC SHW open class in New York. He currently trains at Granite City Barbell with Travis Mash and Chris “Ox” Mason.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit us at www.EliteFTS.com.