Sport Specific Training for High School Athletes

First let me say that this issue should be dead. Almost every single high school athlete can still be classified as a relative beginner. Most will have less than 4 years of actual lifting experience and some may have even less because of a lack of effective program design. For that reason, almost all should be trained in the same manner.  I don't really understand why coaches believe there should be a separate program for each sport or that some sports shouldn't do this exercise or that exercise. Now that may have some merit as you get into the college and professional ranks, but every strength and conditioning program should have the emphasis on building explosiveness in the hips and legs and balanced strength in the upper body. The whole point of the program should be to build an athlete who is stronger, more muscular, and more explosive. What sport does not need those attributes? I tell all my athletes when we first start, that I am trying to make them better overall athletes. We want to run faster, jump higher, and be explosive. I'm not trying to make a football player out of a guy who plays baseball year round. If he goes through our program, he will be a better baseball player. Basketball players will be able to jump higher and handle the pounding of playing aggressive defense. Sprinters will have strong hamstrings and starts that enable them to get the most out of their bodies in track. Throwers will have the explosiveness required to propel the implements as far as their technique allows. Pitchers will have strong legs that enable the stress to be taken off of the shoulders and strong upper backs to help decelerate the arm and prevent injury. Football isn't the only sport where the bulk of the off-season (and in-season in my opinion) should be spent in the racks. Here is my basic outline for all sports and the one I use the most often with my athletes.
Monday
Clean
Bench
Single Leg Movement
Upper body superset for volume and muscle mass development
Wednesday
Snatch
Low Box Squat
Overhead Press
Clean Pull/Shrug Pull
Posterior Chain Exercise
Friday
Clean and Jerk
Front Squat
Chinups
Snatch Pull/High Pull
Posterior Chain Exercise

I don't think there are high school athletes that would not benefit from this type of program. We will have a variety of speakers at this year's GSCA clinic. You can learn more about it at http://www.gscaclinic.blogspot.com/.

Structural Balance

Structural balance is a concept that I have been intrigued by for over 10 years. Charles Poliquin, to my knowledge, was the first to popularize this concept. His view is that there is an optimal strength ratio for multiple lifts and muscle groups of the upper and lower body. Charles Poliquin, along with Bill Starr, where the first two guys I really studied when I first started lifting. I still use many of his concepts to this day. Much like movement screening, these tests should reveal where an athlete is weak and what area he needs to bring up in order to be able to perform at his highest level. If an area is severly lacking, it is what is holding the lifter or athlete back.  He based all of the upper body tests on the 14 inch close grip bench press. Here are the ratios...
100%-Close Grip Bench Press
83%-45 degree Incline Bench Press-Medium Grip
81%-Chinups-Bodyweight + added weight
64%-Behind the Neck Press
46%-Preacher Curl with a Straight Bar
30%-Reverse Barbell Curl
9%-External Rotations-Done for 8 reps instead of max single. Search his article for a description on how to do this exercise.

When I ran the numbers on myself, I found that I was weak on preacher curl and external rotations. This wasn't suprising as I have done maybe 10 sets ever of preacher curl and haven't worked my external rotators directly in quite some time.

I know he has one for the lower body but haven't been able to find much about it. The only thing I found is that your front squat should be 85% of your back squat. I am sure that this is a high bar olympic back squat along with a full front squat.

Test yourself and see where you stand.

Movement Screening

Movement Screening is becoming one of my main interests. I believe that Gray Cook leads in this area and most others have followed suit. The information you can get from some of these tests are invaluable for your athletes and for you. The best example I can think of is with my offensive lineman. If you watch the NFL Combine at all, you will hear Mike Mayock say knee-bender and waist-bender one bazillion times. Now I am no movement expert at all. If anything, I am only an expert on how to raise two sets of twins. However, if you look at the ability to bend at the waist, it all begins at the ankle. If athletes are able to properly dorsiflex their ankle joint, then they are more able to keep their upper bodies in a good power position because the center of mass will always seek to stay over the base of support. So if you have someone with tight ankles, they must bend at the waist in order to keep their weight over their base of support. For this reason it is imperative that coaches institute drills and exercises that emphasize dorsiflexion, particularly with the knee flexed. I have found that one of the best ways to do this is with a loaded full squat stretch. We will assume a squat stance with the bar on our back as if we are going to perform full squats. I then instruct our athletes to squat down as far as they are able to go. Most of our dorsiflexion challenged athletes will immediately feel a stretch behind their ankles. We will then sway (think baseball catcher receiving a ball on the black) from side to side to deepen the stretch. I have had one athlete in particular who has totally changed his ability to bend at the knees after about 6 weeks of doing this 3 times per week. He might have acquired the ability earlier, I just didn't notice it until then. He went from having to bend at the waist to keep the bar over the middle of the foot, to being able to sit completely upright with his knees past his toes and the bar over the base of support. This ability in invaluable for all types of athletes and especially my football offensive lineman and defensive lineman.

Other useful drills...
Loaded Duck Walks
Stretches on a Seated Calf Raise
Overhead squats
Overhead duck walks
Not allowing your kids to wear those stupid shoes with the air and bouncy mechanisms in the heal their whole life.

Breakfast of Champions

No I'm not talking about wheaties or Dbol. For me, my breakfast of choice has become coffee mixed with two scoops of whey protein and a pinch of instant chocolate pudding. I love coffee and for 5 years or so I have been getting about 30 grams of sugar in every morning coffee. But recently, I switched to protein powder and instant pudding. I replaced 30 grams of sugar with 52 grams of protein and the amount of carbs from the pudding ends up being less than 6 grams per day. This has been a great way for me to start my day and get some extra protein in my diet. Not to mention how much better it tastes. Since I am a chocoholic, mixing chocolate protein with chocolate pudding gives me a nice treat every morning that should make a difference in how I look and feel. Nothing ground breaking but something that should make a difference in the long run. Over the course of a year, my old coffee routine would have me consume 10,950 grams of extra sugar per year. I have now replaced that with 18,980 grams of protein and only 1800 grams of sugar, give or take.

How I Adapted 5/3/1 Periodization To Our Program

When we first started the 5/3/1 protocol, it took some tinkering to get it suited for our program. First off, to get the full take on the 5/3/1 program you have to get Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 book. It is invaluable. You can pick it up at http://www.elitefts.com/. For us, this set/rep scheme seemed perfect. First off, it fit into our 3 weeks of loading with a 1 week of deloading protocol. Second, it allowed us to set a percentage but still allow flexibility to go off the plan if your having a good day. Third it allowed for intra-workout competition between lifters of different abilities.
In a nutshell, the 5/3/1 program has you work up to near a 5 rep max the first week, a 3 rep max the second week, and a 1 rep max the last week. I say near because our percentages are set so on the last set, the lifter can complete more than the minimum required. On the last set, we encourage our lifters to get as many reps as possible without missing or losing technique. These last two points are imperative. We never sacrifice technique and I discourage missing weights almost all of the time. This even works for our in-season lifters or the guy who just stayed up to 4am doing a project. If its a bad day, only complete the reps that are required. If you feel good, get AMRAP. Many times we also do a back down set with a lesser percentage for 8-10 reps for more volume. This program also picks up where linear periodization leaves off. Many of our younger kids gain strength so fast that the percentages can't keep up with them. By having plus sets, we can get around them not doing enough work to continue to make fast progress.
The following is our protocol for squat and it has worked very well. We test a below parallel squat but we train a low box squat. Most of our lifters squat off of a 12 inch box. This puts them well below parallel. You can see my previous post on the box squat for more information. We also drop our percentages for the box squat to account for a pause and a somewhat deeper range of motion. We normally take off about 10% from the training percents. For example, of we were going to start the first week at 80% on squat, we would use 70% like the example below. Since bench press is tested and trained the same, we would use 80% the first week.
Week 1-up to 70% x 5+
Week 2-up to 76% x 3+
Week 3-up to 82% x 1+
Week 4-70% x 5 with no plus sets. Should be easy.
Week 5-up to 73% x 5+
Week 6-up to 79% x 3+
Week 7-up to 85% x 1+
Week 8-70% x 5 with no plus sets. Should be easy.
Week 9- TEST
Week 10-Start over.

This type program insures that most every body is able to complete their daily reps even if they feel bad and allows the lifter to push himself when he feels good. Here is one example of  a success story. Very good athlete squatted 365 as an incoming freshman. Squatted 505 at the end of his freshman year. Then squatted 565 at the end of football season. He never trained with more than 435 in the gym but because of our plus sets, he was always able to push himself when he felt good. Our average increase on squat is 56lbs. per semester. We use this protocol on the bench press and squat. We program our clean differently but still maintain a 3/1 load to deload.

An Interview with Tony Kunczewski, CSCS, Strength and Conditioning Coach LaGrange College

 

Jay Floyd: Coach Kunczewski thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Can you start out by telling us a little about your background in strength and conditioning?



Coach Kunczewski: I have been a strength coach since 2001 all at small colleges including Allegheny College (PA), Bowdoin College (ME) and now at LaGrange College (GA). I’ve been a head strength and conditioning coach for going on six years now. I also train all of the varsity sports here at LaGrange. I have a masters’ degree in exercise science and health promotion. I’ve also been a C.S.C.S. since 2005. I really got heavily interested in strength and conditioning back in college. I was extremely fortunate to have played and trained under Jon Kolb. Coach Kolb was my defensive coordinator and strength coach in college. He was a self-made man who has four super bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in the ‘70’s as their starting left tackle. He got me doing the lifts that most people don’t want to do. To quote him, everybody does the “lifts that make you look good for the coin toss.” He had me doing deadlifts, cleans and overhead squats, the fun stuff.



JF: That’s awesome! I remember watching Jon Kolb on the first World’s Strongest Man competitions. He won the sumo wrestling event if I am not mistaken. I love that quote too. That will have to go up on the wall. From what you have already told us, I can get a feel for what your training beliefs are. Can you go into some more detail?



CK: I’ll readily admit that I’ve stolen our basics from others. This quote is from Chris Carlisle from Southern Cal, “How To-How Fast- How Much. It pretty much sums up the basics for our program. We focus on the proper mechanics of the exercise first. For example, when we teach guys how to squat we talk about getting the top of the thigh parallel to the ground. This is the “How To.” Once we have the form down we’ll turn our attention to how fast the bar is traveling. If you want to be fast you must lift fast. We don’t want the bar to move slowly. Only until we get those two figured out will we focus on how much weight we are putting on the bar. We aren’t too fancy as far as our core lifts. We will utilize the clean, snatch and push jerk as our primary Olympic lifts. The bench press, incline and floor press make up our upper body core lifts. The squat, deadlift, front squat and box squat make up our variations of the lower body core lifts. We use a lot of “max effort” lifting where we are finding a weight we can do for a specified amount of reps on the core lifts. We don’t go off of percentages because we feel that they change too frequently to keep up with. Our guys have a weight and rep goal each week to achieve. You must compete each week to achieve your goal. This should be no different than being out on the football field.



JF: Coach, that sounds great. It seems as if we are right in line with our thinking. The weight room should be no different than the football field. This is more the case in college but in high school many coaches are more focused on the “How Much” instead of the “How To”. If the “How To” is taken care of, many times the rest will fall into place. Coach, do you have any unique aspects to your program? What may be different from other programs?



CK: That is a tough question. I try to focus on the methods that have stood the test of time. There are so many things available out there that carry the mystique of being “cutting edge.” The only problem is do they really improve game performance in the long run? We try to spend more time on our guys working hard and competing than being unique. One way we feel helps accomplish those goals is to have a strongman competition every Friday during spring. Our guys compete within different weight classes in everything from tire flips, keg tosses, farmer’s walks, etc. Those events help teach our guys how to compete and finish. Plus, they look forward to the events each week. Making it fun is important.



JF: We added Strongman into our training this year as a finisher after workouts. The level of competition definitely goes up. It has really taught some of our younger guys to really compete. I am sure this had a huge impact at LaGrange College. For those that do not know, LaGrange College didn’t win a game the first 2 years and then won the conference in the 3rd. That is a huge turn around and I know the Strength Program was at the heart of that change. What were some other things that were key to your success? What obstacles did you have to face.



CK: Guys need to see some progress to help motivate them to continue to work hard. We test three times per year, at the start of the spring semester, at the end of the spring semester and at the beginning of camp. There are many reasons as to why we do that, but I believe the biggest is for them to see the success they can have in their personal numbers when they work hard. When you see progress, it can be a great motivator. You’ll always have guys that are resistant for many reasons from the fact that they just hate being in the gym or that we may do things differently than they did in high school. More guys started to “buy in” when we saw those “tangible” results either by their testing numbers or playing numbers. We’ve also had great leadership by example. When you see others busting their butt it hopefully will start to become contagious. That is something you can’t measure.



JF: What are your thoughts on speed and agility training?



CK: We are always careful to train the movement in our specific sport and not to get carried away by doing drills we will never replicate out on the field of play. We love doing any type of cone drill where you’re teaching them to react and not to move in a specific pattern. In most situations in sports, you must be able to change direction on the fly and not in a set pattern. As for speed, the one thing that we try to do is to make sure we are getting full recovery in between sets. If you are tired and trying to train speed than you are no longer training for speed, you are conditioning. At least a 10-12:1 ratio of rest to work is what we use.



JF: Coach I couldn’t agree more. Too many times, coaches think they are training for speed when their guys are over on the side puking. Just working hard isn’t good enough. That leads me to my next question. What are your thoughts on conditioning for football?



CK: Training the correct energy system is vital. Like anything else we want to make it relevant for what they are going to be doing out in the field of play. We won’t run long distances. We won’t run really any further than 110 yards at a time. We will simply cut down on the rest to work ratios. Our conditioning test at the beginning of every camp is the 300 yard shuttle using 25 yard increments.



JF: You have already mentioned a couple of guys who have had an impact on your professionally. Who else as been a good source for you?



CK: As I already mentioned, Jon Kolb got me started in coaching and strength and conditioning specifically. I recently saw a video that he made and he’s doing exercises in his early 60’s that most college age kids couldn’t even imagine being able to perform. Mark Watts, who is the strength coach at Denison University (OH), has been my expert in the field since I started coaching. In small college athletics you have to wear many hats. My primary job is to be the Defensive Coordinator at LaGrange College. It is extremely difficult to attempt to be an expert in two fields. Mark is my “go to” guy in strength and conditioning. Over half of my year is spent working on football. Recruiting takes up a lot of the time as well. I miss some opportunities to expand my knowledge in the strength field. He is a great resource for me personally. I’ve also been fortunate to be located very close to Auburn University and Coach Kevin Yoxall is one of the best in the business. He’s been gracious enough to open up his doors to me on numerous occasions.



JF: What resources do you recommend for strength coaches who are looking to learn more about our profession?



CK: The best book I’ve read by far on the “How To” part of teaching the main lifts is Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore.



Three websites have been very helpful to me and I’d highly recommend them:



Elite Fitness Systems (www.elitefts.com)

DeFranco’s Training (www.defrancostraining.com)

Parisi Speed School (www.parisisquarespace.com)



JF: I am a huge Mark Rippetoe fan. I haven’t read Starting Strength but I have read Practical Programming. His information is top notch. Coach thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. I hope next season goes well for you.

Alleviating Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is something that many individuals have to deal with on a daily basis whether they train or not. There are many causes and I am of the opinion that the problem is rarely the lower back itself. Instead, the problem lies in the surrounding muscles which can get too tight or too weak. The usual suspects are the hamstrings, glutes, piriformis, and hip flexors. The first thing I always check on an athlete complaining of low back pain or stiffness is the piriformis. The piriformis is an external rotator of the hip and can easily become tight just from daily activities. The best stretch I have found for the piriformis is a stretch which I have no name for. Stand in front of a stable object like a squat rack pin or table that is about waist high. The height of the object will vary depending on flexibility. Take your leg to be stretched and flex the knee at 90 degrees, rotate the hip, and place the outside of the lower leg across your rack or table. The goal is to get the lower leg to lay completely flat. Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat with the other leg. It is natural for one leg to be tighter than the other so spend more time on the tight leg as that is usually what is causing the pain. The next most popular in my experience is the hamstrings. Almost everyone in America has tight hamstrings from sitting down all day. The best way to stretch the hamstrings is to bring the leg up and not to bend over. I prefer to find something to place the heal on  (like your aforementioned stable object) and stretch on there. Be sure to keep the hips square and the toe straight up. Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds. The last is the hip flexors. For me, the best hip flexor stretch is partner assisted. Lie on a table with your hips hanging off the end of the table. Flex one knee and pull it to your chest while your partner pushes the other knee down. Again hold for 20-30 seconds concentrating most on the tighter leg.

Tips for increasing flexibility...
1. Stretch often, as in, all day long. Every chance you get, stretch. You don't have to hold it forever. Stretching multiple times per day for short durations is much better and will yield far greater results than stretching for a concentrated block of time. I have experienced this with my flexibility and shorter, more often is better.
2. Use PNF techniques if you can. This can lessen the time it takes to stretch. Search for some PNF techniques if you have no idea what I am talking about.
3. Commit to it! I finally commited myself to stretching multiple times per day and it took about a week for my lower back stiffness that I have been dealing with for 10 years to go away. Kinda makes you wonder why I didn't do it sooner.
4. If you feel raditiating or shooting pain, or you have numbness and tingling, chances are that you do have some sort of disc issue and stretching might not be enough. It may help, but probably won't get rid of the pain completely.