Training the Athlete

Here is an excerpt from the new book, The Elite Trainer: Strength Training for the Serious Professional, available online at www.TheEliteTrainer.com.

Note

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Needs Analysis

After a training goal is established, conduct a needs analysis of both the individual (i.e., current biomotor abilities, health status, past and present injuries, somatotype or body type, availability for training) and the sport/activity (i.e., optimal biomotor abilities, dominant energy system, prime movement patterns and muscles, primary sites of injury).

In his Advanced Program Design course, Chek (1999) proposes an interesting strategy to analyze the key biomotor abilities, which include strength, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, endurance, and flexibility. On a simple scale of 1 to10, rank an individual for each biomotor ability and compare it against an optimal score for their particular work or sport demand. Of course, the numbers are strictly arbitrary, but it gives you a good idea of which abilities require greater attention. You should then concentrate most of your effort in improving those areas.

For individuals concerned primarily with aesthetics rather than performance, rank the development of each major muscle group on a scale of 1 to 10 (Staley, 2002). Focus most of your training on the lagging muscles to improve overall body symmetry and appearance.

Specificity

Appearance generally improves when training for function, but the opposite is not always true! In athletics, train the movements. In bodybuilding, train the muscles (Thibaudeau, 2003).

When training athletes, focus on the quality of strength in the gym, not the actual sporting movement. That is best left for on the field (DeFranco, 2004; Siff, 1999, 2000b; Vermeil, 2004; Young, 1991). For example, it may be more appropriate for a golfer to perform the snatch grip deadlift or squat push press than to try to mimic the golf swing with cables or elastic resistance.

Specificity in training is important, but being too specific with additional loading can adversely affect athletic performance. The more you mimic a movement with significant resistance, the more you disrupt motor patterns (McGuff & Little, 2009). You will never completely simulate in the gym what you could do on the field (Young, 1991), and if you spend too much time on so-called “sport-specific” movements, you will increase the likelihood of overuse injuries (Siff, 2000a; Vermeil, 2004).

Furthermore, if you are an endurance athlete, it is rather redundant to train for endurance in the gym (Vermeil, 2004). Again, leave that for on the field or track. Use your time wisely in the weight room. Research shows that maximal and explosive strength training improves muscle power, work economy, and speed of movement (Hoff et al., 2002; Paavolainen et al., 1999; Schmidtbleicher, 1980, 1996). Be patient though. It may take up to three weeks to transfer newly acquired strength to sport.

Energy System Training

Concentrate your efforts on training the dominant energy system (anaerobic alactic, anaerobic lactic, or aerobic) for your sport or activity. Most sports require a greater emphasis from the anaerobic alactic energy system (see Table 1 below). In football for instance, the average play is around five seconds long and the average rest between plays is roughly 35 seconds. Although the number of plays (i.e., sets) will vary depending on the level and position of the player, energy system training in football should consist predominantly of 4- to 10-second work intervals and 20- to 40-second rest intervals for optimal results (DeFranco, 2010; Iosia & Bishop, 2008; Rhea et al., 2006). Just like training a skill, metabolic conditioning is very specific (McGuff & Little, 2009).

Table 1. Energy system chart (adapted from Fox et al., 1993 and Mackenzie, 1997)

References

• Chek P (1999) Advanced Program Design [Correspondence course]. Encinitas, CA: Paul Chek Seminars.
• DeFranco J (2004) 10 Training Myths Exposed! In Testosterone. Retrieved from: http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=04-081-training.
• DeFranco J (2010) Football Conditioning: The Right Way! In DeFranco’s Training. Retrieved from: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask-joe.html?start=16.
• Fox EL, Bowers RW, Foss ML (1993) The Physiological Basis for Exercise and Sport (5^th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown Communications.
• Hoff J, Gran A, Helgerud J (2002) Maximal strength training improves aerobic endurance performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports 12(5):288–95.
• Iosia MF, Bishop PA (2008) Analysis of Exercise-to-Rest Ratios During Division IA Televised Football Competition. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22(2):332–40.
• Mackenzie B (1997) Energy Pathways. In BrianMac Sports Coach. Retrieved from: http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/energy.htm.
• McGuff D, Little J (2009) Body by Science: A Research-Based Program for Strength Training, Bodybuilding, and Complete Fitness in 12 Minutes a Week. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
• Paavolainen L, Häkkinen K, Hämäläinen I, Nummela A, Rusko H (1999) Explosive-Strength Training Improves 5-km Running Time by Improving Running Economy and Muscle Power. Journal of Applied Physiology 86(5):1527–33.
• Rhea MR, Hunter RL, Hunter TJ (2006) Competition Modeling of American Football: Observational Data and Implications for High School, Collegiate and Professional Player Conditioning. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 20(1):58–61.
• Schmidtbleicher D (1980) Maximalkraft und bewegungsschnelligkeit [Maximum Strength and Speed of Movement]. Bad Homburg, Germany: Limpert Verlag.
• Schmidtbleicher D (1996) Some Neuromuscular Aspects of Human Movements and the Consequences for the Muscular Rehabilitation. In J. Abrantes (Ed.), Proceedings of the XIVth International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports (pp. 120-129). Lissabon: Edicoes FMH. Retrieved from: http://w4.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/article/viewFile/2675/2509.
• Siff MC (1999) Supertraining (4^th ed.). Denver, CO.
• Siff MC (2000a) Applied Science in Conditioning for Rehabilitation and Performance. Seminar presented in Mississauga, Ontario.
• Siff MC (2000b) Facts and Fallacies of Fitness (4^th ed). Denver, CO.
• Staley C (2002) 10 things Athletes Do to Shoot Themselves in the Foot. In Bodybuilding.com. Retrieved from: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/staley3.htm.
• Thibaudeau C (2003) The Black Book of Training Secrets. Quebec: n.p.
• Vermeil A (2004) High Performance Workshop. Seminar presented at the Athletic Conditioning Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.
• Young W (1991) The Planning of Resistance Training for Power Sports. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal 13(4):26–9.