The following ten training principles are concepts which will help you get the most out of your workouts and in turn maximize your sports performance.  These concepts have been adopted from successful high school and college programs including Nebraska, Kansas State, Michigan and Michigan State Universities, BFS and others.  You must realize that your athletic performance can be greatly improved through intense training over time.  Every day, every rep, set, exercise and workout can bring you closer to your goals, but time is your enemy.  Every day you also get closer to the end of your athletic career.  It is important that you enter the weight room each day prepared to work hard and leave exhausted, if you want to reach your maximum athletic potential before your career ends.

1.) Multiple Joint Exercises:  Using multiple joint actions / exercises which mimic sport activities improves performance in those sports.  Multi-joint exercises performed from a standing position are very effective for improving power, balance, timing and coordination.  Exercises like Power Cleans, Push Press, the Jammer, Hang Snatch and Squats are excellent for improving performance in any sport activity that involves hip, knee and ankle extension (“triple extension”).

2.) Free-weight Exercises:  Use of “free-weight” training (barbells, dumbbells, body weight) is generally superior in developing muscle strength and mass as compared to most weight “machines”.  Only free-weights require the lifter to control, balance and support the entire weight through the whole exercise movement.  Many machines actually do much of this work for us and limit the training effect received by the lifter.  Free weights allow easier transfer of strength and power to the development of individual sport skills.

3.) Training Repetitions:  We will use three types or speeds of lifting repetitions in our training.  “Regular”, “Explosive” and “High-tension” repetitions differ in the rate at which they are performed and their training effect on the muscles.  All three are effective for developing muscle strength, speed, power and mass.  However, each will be used with specific exercises and training phases in our workouts.  Regardless of the type of reps being used, we usually train to “failure” on the final set of an exercise and record your results.
Regular Reps:  These are exercise repetitions in which the lifter moves the bar / dumbbell through a full ROM at a comfortable speed.   The goal of this type of rep is simply to control the weight, successfully complete the set and to fatigue the involved muscles.  These reps can be used with most exercises.
Explosive Reps:  These exercise reps are performed as quickly and powerfully as possible with correct lifting technique.  The goal of this type of rep is to generate maximum force in the muscles, in the shortest possible time.  This type of training actually helps to train the nervous system, developing the “fast twitch” muscle fibers, which are responsible for forceful muscle contractions in the body.  Exercises like Cleans, Squats, Push Jerks, Jammer the Snatch and even Bench Press performed explosively, assist in the improvement of speed and power.
High-Tension Reps:  These reps are performed in a very slow and deliberate manner (raising 2 sec. and lowering 3-4 sec.) to develop and maintain maximum tension in the muscles during exercise.  The goal of this these types of reps is to create “quality contractions” so that each rep is performed as slowly as possible to create maximum muscle fatigue and tension.  These repetitions are extremely demanding and challenging to perform.  However, they may actually produce the greatest muscle size and strength gains in the shortest amount of time.  High-tension reps can be performed with many of our exercises except Cleans, Jammer, the Snatch and Push Press.

Keys to training with High-tension reps:
1.) Use slow deliberate motion (slow speed 2 sec Up, 3-4 sec. Down).
“You can always go too fast, but you can never go too slow”.
2.) Keep constant tension on the muscle during the set.  Never bounce, swing or throw the weight.  Remember to  “Squeeze” the muscles between reps.
3.) Training poundage may need to be adjusted somewhat lower than that used with “explosive” and “regular” reps. however, the training benefits are well worth the temporary reduction in load.
4.) Stop at your rep goal on all but the last set of each exercise.
5.) Always train to failure on the last set (“get every rep you can!”).
6.) Have the spotter assist you in performing 1-2 “forced reps” on the last set when you can no longer move the weight on your own.  Record only reps which you complete on your own on the workout sheets.
7.) Experienced lifters may even attempt several more “negative” (eccentric) contractions with the assistance of a qualified spotter.

4.) Progressive Overload:  Gains in muscle strength, endurance and size all center around this critical principle.  Muscle performance only improves when the tissue is consistently challenged at a greater intensity than it is currently used to.  By progressively increasing the intensity and also controlling the frequency and duration of exercise, we can achieve muscle “overload” or fatigue in our training.  Overloading a muscle forces it to adapt and change, growing stronger and larger if good nutrition and recovery factors are in place.  Fatigued muscles are in a “catabolic state” (tissue broken down) so diet and sleep are very important in shifting the muscles back into an “anabolic state” (tissue growth and repair).  Here are three ways we can achieve overload:

Keys to Overload training:
Intensity:  Using heavier weights increases training intensity.  Using heavier weights and lower reps increases strength, mass and power.
Volume:    Adding more reps and sets increases the intensity of workouts.  Using higher  reps and lighter weight increases muscle endurance and size.
Time: Increasing the amount of time needed to perform each rep and set of an exercise also increases intensity.  High-tension (slow) reps produce gains in muscle strength and size.  Also decreasing rest between sets.
We will use all three concepts in our training phases.

 Generally speaking, the greater the intensity, the more muscle soreness you will experience the next day.  Muscle soreness and stiffness (not pain) is a “good thing”.  It is a sign you have overloaded your muscles and that they are repairing and rebuilding.  You should actually be a little disappointed if no soreness is present after a hard (heavy) workout.  Soreness is the price of progress, but usually disappears after a day or two of lighter exercise and stretching.  If you feel pain in the form of an injury, tell the instructor immediately and seek medical advice.

5.) Periodization Principle:  (phase cycling)  We will progressively vary the volume, intensity and time factors to maintain overload in the muscles. This “changing of pace” helps to keep muscles adapting so they will continue to grow bigger and stronger over time.  Using several different set / rep schemes helps prevent “strength plateaus” (lack of gains) and mental staleness.

Mass Phase:  Goal: Increase muscle mass, endurance and practice technique.
10-8-6 = Volume 24 reps  Ave. intensity: 75% of 1 rep maximum
Strength Phase:  Goal:  Increase muscle strength.
3 x 5    = Volume 15 reps  Ave. intensity: 80% of 1 rep maximum
3 x 3    =               9 reps                         85%
5-3-1   =               9 reps                        85%
Power Phase:  Goal:  Maximize strength and power  in our Olympic lifts.
3 x 5   = Volume: 15 reps Ave. intensity:  70% of 1 rep maximum
3 x 3   =                9 reps                         75%
4, 4, 2=                 9 reps                         80%
Back Off Phase:  (Performance testing week) The goal is to greatly reduce our lifting volume and intensity to give the muscles a week to completely rebuild and recover from training.

6.) Split Routine:  We will divide our training into two different days.  One training day will be our “Upper Body day” and the other our “Lower Body day”.  By splitting our workouts in half we can train one half of our muscle groups on one day while the other half are recovering and rebuilding.  The next day of lifting trains the opposite muscles.

Lower Body Days:                     Upper Body Days:
Squats Back / Front or Box         Bench Variation / Speed Bench
Cleans  Hang / Power                  Lat Work / Abs
Hang Snatch / Hex DL / Abs       Incline Bench / Incline Variation
RDL / GHR / GM / Hip Flex       Shoulder Press / Jammer Press
Jump Station Drills.                     Tricep Work / Bicep Curls

Fridays are our “active rest” days which will include classroom instruction, stretching, general exercise and some lifting activities.

7.) Hard-Easy System:  You gain more strength over time if you do not workout with maximum loads every workout.  The Hard-Easy system reduces the chances of over-training and mental burnout which both slow down progress.  There will be only one “Hard” (heavy) day for each exercise per week.  The “Easy” (lighter) day workout will be overall shorter and less intense to aid in your recovery for the next “Hard” workout.  Generally, our hard days with be on Mondays and Tuesdays, and our “Easy” days on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

8.) Specificity of Training:  This program only uses exercises, reps, sets and rest
intervals designed to increase overall muscle strength, endurance, mass and explosive power for improving your athletic performance.  By training with this system you will begin to jump higher, run faster, and develop bigger and stronger muscles.  The training sessions will also have a positive effect on your endurance levels, confidence and body composition over the semester.

9,) Record Keeping & Motivation:  It is essential that you keep good records of your training progress.  You must always be aware of where you started and where you want to end up with your training.  Charting your progress, breaking personal records, setting and achieving goals will help keep you coming back to work hard in the weight room.  Weight training is a tool that can help everyone look, feel and play better.  The cost of success in athletics is effort, sweat, pain and tears paid for while lifting.   How good you are as a player and as a team is usually is reflected by the amount of sacrifice provided in the off-season.  Being the best you can be is hard work and must mean a lot to you.  We ask that you always encourage and support yourself, and each other to give a great effort every day.  Effort can maximize and even create ability.

10.) Recovery:  Muscles need about 48-72 hours of rest to fully repair and recover before being trained intensely again.  After a workout it is important that you doing everything you can to assist and speed up recovery.  We waste the opportunity to improve, and all the time and effort invested into our training if we do not recover from workouts properly.  First, it is important to replace fluids (water) lost through sweating and to consume vital nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, vitamins & minerals) to assist the body in the rebuilding process.  Muscles are made mostly of water and protein so be sure to consume these “building materials” within 30-45 minutes of training if possible.  Eat 4-5 good small but balanced meals a day and take a good multivitamin / mineral supplement to support the body’s health as a whole.  Finally, most muscle growth and repair actually occurs at night during sleep.  Get 8-9 hours of sleep every night to optimize recovery and avoid the damaging effects of tobacco, alcohol and all other recreational drugs.