Principles of Strength Training and Conditioning—At-A-Glance

Principles of Strength Training and Conditioning—At-A-Glance

Strength and conditioning training is designed to assist athletes in their overall development. There are two types of strength training programs: general and specific. The exercises used in each program reflect the athlete’s need for strength development. A general strength and conditioning training program gives athletes extra strength in the particular muscles that are needed to perform well in their sport-specific events. In addition, strength and conditioning training can help to prevent injury to athletes by building healthier, flexible and stronger muscles and bones.

Flexibility

·                    ·         Stretch slowly and with control ·                    ·         Do not bounce or feel pain ·                    ·         Breathe slowly and rhythmically; do not hold your breath ·                    ·         Easy stretch: slight tension to no tension—hold for 5-12 seconds ·                    ·         Developmental stretch: stretch further feeling slight tension again—hold for 15-30 seconds

Muscle Balance

·      ·       Train both the front and the back muscles when strength training ·      ·       Example: if training the biceps, also train the triceps ·      ·       Important in preventing injury

Selection of Exercises

·      ·       Emphasize total body condition

Order of Exercises

·      ·       Very important in getting the most out of each exercise ·      ·       Exercises and lifts that work many muscle groups and require more mental concentration—perform early in the workout ·      ·       Exercises and lifts that work small muscle groups and require little concentration—perform last in the workout

Frequency of Training

·      ·       Always include one day of rest between strength training workouts

Number of Sets

·      ·       One set of each exercise is recommended during the first and second week of training. Increase the number of sets as your training program progresses.

Rest between Sets

·      ·       Depends upon the desired results of the workout ·      ·       Muscular endurance: short rest period—full recovery not required ·      ·       Strength and power: longer rest period—full recovery required

Active Rest

·      ·       An active period, recreational level, after the completion of a season of sport ·      ·       May or may not include strength training ·      ·       Gives athletes a break and their bodies time to regenerate and rest

Sample Circuit Training Routines

When prescribing exercises you need to focus on the exercises that will help the specific needs of your athlete in a particular position. The table below is a basic guideline to help get you started. These exercises can be incorporated into a training circuit to provide a variety of exercises for all your athletes that will be fun to do. Change the exercises a little, if you notice that an athlete has mastered the exercise and is getting bored.

Example

All athletes		Agility & Conditioning Abdominal & Back
Forwards, Midfielders (power-oriented athletes)	can benefit from	Agility & Conditioning Plyometrics
Defense		Plyometrics
Goalies		Visual Reaction Drills

Using conditioning circuits takes the pressure off athletes by focusing on the time at each station, not the number of repetitions. The goal is to get the athletes to do as many reps as they can, as correctly as they can, in the specified time.

Exercise	Duration
Push-ups	30 seconds
Crunches	30 seconds
Leg raises	1 minute
Lunges	30 seconds
Triceps dip	30 seconds
Running	1 ½ minutes

General Conditioning Circuit – Sample

Number of circuits:	1-5
Time at each station:	30 seconds to 1½ minutes
Recovery between exercises:	15-45 seconds
Recovery between circuits:	2-5 minutes