strength

Strength, the ability of the body to produce force against resistance, is probably the most overused and misunderstood term in “strength and conditioning” today. Even in our sophisticated and sport-savvy environment, most athletes do not know what type or aspect of strength they are trying to build. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the wrestler who initially comes to us does not know that he must increase “relative strength,” the crew rower does not know that he/she must boost “strength endurance,” football linemen do not know to focus on “speed strength,” shot put and javelin throwers do not concentrate on “explosive strength,” track sprinters and football wide receivers are unaware of their “starting strength,” soccer players do not understand their need for “reactive strength,” and athletes in general do not know how to use their “maximal strength” as the basis of their strength and conditioning program. Since strength training is so complicated, our performance coaches take the guess work out of the process for their athletes. We evaluate the athlete, his or her sport and the position played. We then address how to maximize the correct type of strength, but more importantly, we look at strength needs at different times during the sport cycle. The goal is to be at peak performance when the performance matters most. Many people doing “strength training” do not understand how the use of different training variables can affect the adaptations made from their training program. Sometimes, their gains are lost at the time when they need them most. Better understanding of how certain factors affect adaptation is key to putting together a strength and conditioning program that's effective and worthwhile. Periodization is that program. It's the systematic phasing together of different training variables to create a desired effect at a specific point in time -- like during championship meets. When the coaches design an athlete's sport-specific program, we must break the training year into phases, referred to as “off-season,” “pre-season,” “in-season,” and “transition.” For peak performance, the goals of each of these phases must be very specific, and training must be totally in tune with those goals as well. Athletes should identify the time when they want to peak and work backwards from that point. The goals here can be wide-ranging, even for the same sport, as one athlete might want to peak during try-outs to be able to make or start on the team, and another athlete, who might be one of the star players, might want to be at his or her best during playoffs.