Strength - 2nd Phase
Once an athlete shows they can actively demonstrate running tempo runs, have improved core strength, good joint mobility, improved body composition, aerobic and anaerobic skills and are going through the warm-up series efficiently, they are now ready and able to go onto the next phase, the strength phase. This phase also continues to help body composition. Joint mobility is critical now as the athlete has to be able to perform movements with added weight. As discussed earlier, if an athlete has restricted movement without additional weights, problems will occur once weight training is added to the program. There are 3 sub-categories in the strength phase.
1) Maximum/Relative - Maximum is just what it says, the maximum amount of weight an athlete can press or squat. Relative is the amount of weight an athlete can lift relative to body weight. The ratio governs the amount of weight best tolerated by the athlete's height and weight. This ratio, along with the position a player plays, will determine the amount of weight used in strength training. It's important to make sure a player can power clean or snatch a certain percentage of their body weight and it helps to set up maximums without having to test the athlete. A 185 pound receiver certainly shouldn't lift the same as a 300 pound lineman or a 250 pound linebacker.
2) Eccentric Strength - Occurs often, especially when an athlete has to decelerate and perform quickly. This is done when an athlete has to stop quickly, change directions and load new muscles. Many athletes can fluidly move, but when asked to stop and load new muscles, many of their unseen problems become magnified, such as joint problems (i.e. hips, knees, feet, ankles). Using certain rythms in weight training is important. Ideally, an athlete should come down slowly with weights and go up with explosion.
3) Static Strength - Again, this can only occur after work capacity has been achieved. This is the strength needed to assume and maintain a position for some period of time. Examples would be a batter in a stance, a lineman holding a 3 point position, etc.
Strength Speed/Speed Strength - 3rd Phase
This is the phase an athlete will enter after completing the first two phases of the pyramid. Strength speed is basically your Olympic lifts, while speed strength is your plyometric movements, your bounding, your uphill work and similar exercises. Appropriate exercises are recommended to athletes based on their need for increased speed or increased strength. The important issue here is that a proper progression must be utilized to give the central nervous system adequate time to become educated.
1) Starting Strength - This is the amount of force you can generate from a stopped position, overcoming the inertia of the bar.
2) Explosive Strength - This addresses the rate of force development. With specific exercises, the speed of an athlete's explosiveness improves, which is a reflection of the speed and time needed for a muscle to attain maximum strength during a specific movement.
3) Reactive or Elastic Strength - Movement where there is a rapid decelerization followed by a small amortization period followed by a very strong concentric contraction. An example of this is the depth jump.
Speed - 4th Phase
Simply put, speed is the moving of the body through a range of motions, both arms and legs, in the fastest times. As stated earlier, the best athletes in all sports are typically those with the best speed.
Speed without strength will prevent an athlete from ever reaching full potential. The Olympic lift is mandatory for an athlete to gain complete strength. Other important factors consist of joint mobility, body composition and core strength, just to name a few. Ultimate speed is the culmination of all the ingredients which make up the pyramid. There are 3 sub-categories in the speed phase.
1) Acceleration - This is the most important ingredient in sports. This covers 0-about 45 yards.
2) Absolute Speed - This is the speed that takes over after the 45 yard mark.
3) Specific Speed - This refers to each particular sports pattern which has to be accomplished within a particular position. Every position needs different requirements. There may be similar movements, but no two positions have identical movements. Offensive guards pull and take angles, where defensive linemen don't. Wide receivers run a lot longer distances than an offensive lineman. A defensive back always starts out running backwards. A quarterback is going to run while looking over a shoulder. Linebackers can run either forward, lateral or backward. Running backs are like catching ricochet rabbit. And the tight ends are a combination of all the above. There is no one way to increase speed for all players, but there are common factors to impove speed for all positions.
Conclusion
Regardless of which protocol you refer to, whether it be a thorough consultation, examination, report of findings and corrective biomechanical program by a Chiropractor, or a thorough assessment and management of an athlete through the pyramid and throughout the season by a Strength Coach, the end result is only as good as the detail of the work done.
The benefit to the athlete improves greatly if both Chiropractor and Strength Coach go the extra mile to employ thorough management of the athlete. This benefit further improves if full and continued communication takes place.
Those Chiropractors interested in sports and working in the locker rooms throughout the country have to become more involved with the details of the athletes biomechanics and the objective improvements which can be made. They need to develop close working relationships with other members of organized sports teams, especially the strength coaches throughout the country.
And with every opportunity, continued biomechanical education needs to be provided to the athletes of all sports. Only with hard work and a committed effort by all will Chiropractic one day become that biomechanics authority in the pro locker room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Tim Maggs
Coach Al Miller, Head Strength Coach for the Atlanta Falcons
Once an athlete shows they can actively demonstrate running tempo runs, have improved core strength, good joint mobility, improved body composition, aerobic and anaerobic skills and are going through the warm-up series efficiently, they are now ready and able to go onto the next phase, the strength phase. This phase also continues to help body composition. Joint mobility is critical now as the athlete has to be able to perform movements with added weight. As discussed earlier, if an athlete has restricted movement without additional weights, problems will occur once weight training is added to the program. There are 3 sub-categories in the strength phase.
1) Maximum/Relative - Maximum is just what it says, the maximum amount of weight an athlete can press or squat. Relative is the amount of weight an athlete can lift relative to body weight. The ratio governs the amount of weight best tolerated by the athlete's height and weight. This ratio, along with the position a player plays, will determine the amount of weight used in strength training. It's important to make sure a player can power clean or snatch a certain percentage of their body weight and it helps to set up maximums without having to test the athlete. A 185 pound receiver certainly shouldn't lift the same as a 300 pound lineman or a 250 pound linebacker.
2) Eccentric Strength - Occurs often, especially when an athlete has to decelerate and perform quickly. This is done when an athlete has to stop quickly, change directions and load new muscles. Many athletes can fluidly move, but when asked to stop and load new muscles, many of their unseen problems become magnified, such as joint problems (i.e. hips, knees, feet, ankles). Using certain rythms in weight training is important. Ideally, an athlete should come down slowly with weights and go up with explosion.
3) Static Strength - Again, this can only occur after work capacity has been achieved. This is the strength needed to assume and maintain a position for some period of time. Examples would be a batter in a stance, a lineman holding a 3 point position, etc.
Strength Speed/Speed Strength - 3rd Phase
This is the phase an athlete will enter after completing the first two phases of the pyramid. Strength speed is basically your Olympic lifts, while speed strength is your plyometric movements, your bounding, your uphill work and similar exercises. Appropriate exercises are recommended to athletes based on their need for increased speed or increased strength. The important issue here is that a proper progression must be utilized to give the central nervous system adequate time to become educated.
1) Starting Strength - This is the amount of force you can generate from a stopped position, overcoming the inertia of the bar.
2) Explosive Strength - This addresses the rate of force development. With specific exercises, the speed of an athlete's explosiveness improves, which is a reflection of the speed and time needed for a muscle to attain maximum strength during a specific movement.
3) Reactive or Elastic Strength - Movement where there is a rapid decelerization followed by a small amortization period followed by a very strong concentric contraction. An example of this is the depth jump.
Speed - 4th Phase
Simply put, speed is the moving of the body through a range of motions, both arms and legs, in the fastest times. As stated earlier, the best athletes in all sports are typically those with the best speed.
Speed without strength will prevent an athlete from ever reaching full potential. The Olympic lift is mandatory for an athlete to gain complete strength. Other important factors consist of joint mobility, body composition and core strength, just to name a few. Ultimate speed is the culmination of all the ingredients which make up the pyramid. There are 3 sub-categories in the speed phase.
1) Acceleration - This is the most important ingredient in sports. This covers 0-about 45 yards.
2) Absolute Speed - This is the speed that takes over after the 45 yard mark.
3) Specific Speed - This refers to each particular sports pattern which has to be accomplished within a particular position. Every position needs different requirements. There may be similar movements, but no two positions have identical movements. Offensive guards pull and take angles, where defensive linemen don't. Wide receivers run a lot longer distances than an offensive lineman. A defensive back always starts out running backwards. A quarterback is going to run while looking over a shoulder. Linebackers can run either forward, lateral or backward. Running backs are like catching ricochet rabbit. And the tight ends are a combination of all the above. There is no one way to increase speed for all players, but there are common factors to impove speed for all positions.
Conclusion
Regardless of which protocol you refer to, whether it be a thorough consultation, examination, report of findings and corrective biomechanical program by a Chiropractor, or a thorough assessment and management of an athlete through the pyramid and throughout the season by a Strength Coach, the end result is only as good as the detail of the work done.
The benefit to the athlete improves greatly if both Chiropractor and Strength Coach go the extra mile to employ thorough management of the athlete. This benefit further improves if full and continued communication takes place.
Those Chiropractors interested in sports and working in the locker rooms throughout the country have to become more involved with the details of the athletes biomechanics and the objective improvements which can be made. They need to develop close working relationships with other members of organized sports teams, especially the strength coaches throughout the country.
And with every opportunity, continued biomechanical education needs to be provided to the athletes of all sports. Only with hard work and a committed effort by all will Chiropractic one day become that biomechanics authority in the pro locker room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Tim Maggs
Coach Al Miller, Head Strength Coach for the Atlanta Falcons
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