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Medicine ball training is a timeless modality that athletes and coaches love to utilize. From the ancient Roman gladiators to the modern athlete, the classic loaded ball has served as both a training tool and a rehabilitation solution for centuries. Recently, Assess2Perform and other companies have made strides in improving the medicine ball with either better characteristics and features or the ability to extract data from the throwing motions. In this anthology, we cover the best medicine ball articles and posts on the SimpliFaster blog over the years.

Whether you are a coach wanting to know how to use the Ballistic Ball properly or how to use medicine balls in general, we review everything you ought to know about the subject area. In addition to medicine ball training guidelines, we also include a few interviews with coaches who understand the throws in general. Medicine ball training is versatile, fun, and very effective for teaching athletes how to explode their body in a coordinative fashion.

Medicine Ball Conditioning Workouts for Athletes of All Levels

Many coaches are familiar with the use of medicine ball training for power, but what about for conditioning? This article precisely investigates the idea that medicine ball circuits and workouts can enhance conditioning. In addition to the recommendations for training with medicine balls, the article expands on the research and digs into the exact metabolic pathways that the modality exploits. If you are looking for a way to improve athletic fitness without the use of running or practice, this article does a great job reviewing all you need to know about conditioning with medicine balls.

5 Troubleshooting Tips for Your Medicine Ball Training

All training has areas that may create roadblocks for coaches. If you are a young coach who wants to know more about the pros and cons of medicine ball training or a veteran coach who needs to polish their craft, this blog post is a great primer. It addresses, in full detail, five common mistakes in training and includes tips to reduce the pitfalls of medicine ball throws and catches. If you are a Ballistic Ball fan or a regular medicine ball user, this is a blueprint for better training outcomes and testing.

How to Test Athletic Power Using Medicine Balls

Shane Davenport from Exceed Sports and Fitness breaks down the use of the Ballistic Ball in detail, covering everything a new user would want to know. Davenport and his business partner, Sean Smith, do pioneering work with athletes utilizing the latest technology. What coaches need to understand is that in order to have a great evaluation of a quality, you need to have a near-perfect testing protocol. This article covers every type of throw for the Assess2Perform Ballistic Ball in detail. It also includes videos that show the precise technique of how to throw the medicine ball correctly for an accurate reading.

Achieving the Summation of Forces with Medicine Ball Training

A primary quality of medicine ball training is that it teaches the summation of forces to athletes. The summation of forces is basically the ability to generate power from the feet up through the body and finishing with the arms. Nick Garcia, a throws coach in track and field and a very good user of technology, explains why medicine ball training is a wonderful option for teaching the summation of forces. Included in this article are the details he believes are essential for fully capitalizing on this popular training method.

7 Key Strategies to Improve Medicine Ball Power Training for Athletes

In this popular piece on SimpliFaster’s blog, Carl Valle includes seven effective recommendations to improve athletic power with medicine ball training. Coaches in sports performance will love this article, as it includes exactly what coaches and therapists want to know with medicine ball training. If you are a high school coach, an athlete, a parent, or an elite performance coach in team sports or Olympic sports, this discusses the cream of medicine ball training. Also included are ways to fine-tune both testing and training, as well as measuring with a sound set of protocols.

The Art and Science of Medicine Ball Training

This is another article written by Carl Valle on medicine ball training that combines the research and practice seamlessly. His series on medicine ball training reviews all topics and components exhaustively. No stone remains unturned in this guide, and Valle covers some principles that would be very useful for teaching, testing, and training. “The Art and Science of Medicine Ball Training” is not just for strength coaches or track and field coaches, it’s for sports medicine professionals as well. The article is popular and a quick read, as it doesn’t go too deep into the science but does use evidence from research to keep it less opinionated and more informative.

A Deeper Look into Medicine Ball Training

The second article from SimpliFaster to be translated into another language, this is one of the most successful foundational blog posts for all coaches. With thousands of reads, it explains the heart and soul of medicine ball training. No other article is more exhaustive in teaching the core essentials of the modality. Videos, charts, exercise explanations—you name it, and this article has it. If you are serious about refining your expertise on medicine ball training, this article will do everything to get you started and mastering the method.

Integrating the Ballistic Ball into Performance Training

Another comprehensive article by Carl Valle, this covers all the details you need to get started with the Ballistic Ball. Valle is known for finding ways to make the complicated easier to understand and explaining how to apply technology to the real world, and here he outlines how to use the Assess2Perfom device in detail. This includes how to use the app, why athlete management system users can benefit from an API, and the nuances of using the hardware. If you are on the fence about purchasing a Ballistic Ball, this article can help guide you to the right decision.

Developing an S&C Program for Basketball Players with Matt Johnson

The Chicago Bulls got lucky with Matt Johnson, who is one of the best strength coaches in the NBA. In this Freelap Friday Five, Coach Johnson explains what it’s like to train the world’s best basketball players. In one of the questions, he brilliantly points out the value of using medicine ball throws. While jumping on force plates is the new standard for evaluating leg power and fatigue, coaches can use medicine ball throws as a proxy for athletes who may not be tolerant of the impact from playing games. Coach Johnson is a great teacher and knows his way around the barbell, but if you want to know more about athletic development, this is a quick read and perfect for those in strength and conditioning.

Finding Money for Your Strength and Conditioning Program

Doug Gle nails this blog piece on finding money for your weight room, as he nearly single-handedly transformed a school from one with barely any lifting area into a school with one of the best programs in Michigan. Included in this article is a showcase of the Ballistic Ball used by high school athletes, as well as other velocity-based training products. Every coach, even those with large budgets, has to plan for incorporating equipment and renovations into their weight room at some point in their career. If you want to improve your program or sustain excellence, this primer is awesome for anyone in the iron game.

Athlete Development Lessons from Shot Put Coach Jim Aikens

One of the most candid Friday Five interviews, this sit-down with Jim Aikens is off the charts for developing throwers. Known as a coach of coaches, Aikens is a wizard for athletes in the Illinois area. An expert on all areas of throwing, he specializes in the shotput and has helped athletes learn both the glide and the spin. Coach Aikens is currently retired, but he still coaches local athletes at the high school level, as well as in private practice. His videos are tremendous teaching examples of how to throw with better mechanics and movement quality.

Cultivating Talent with Strength Coach Bobby Stroupe

Medicine ball training is a vital part of programming for Bobby Stroupe, the founder and lead coach of APEC in Texas. Coach Stroupe is known for his tutelage of Patrick Mahomes, a standout quarterback on the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has fostered the success of many athletes in the area. If you are looking for more information on long-term athletic development, he is one of the best resources on taking athletes from youth to pro, as his list of athletes is extensive. Also included in this article is a video of great medicine ball throws with some very powerful football players.

How to Upgrade and Modernize Your Local Combine

While the NFL Combine doesn’t use medicine ball throws for their assessment of football players, nearly all the scholastic combines in high school do. Popularized by Nike with their SPARQ testing, the medicine ball throw is more than just an upper body power test, it’s a great way to see athleticism. Many coaches want the medicine ball throw included in testing because they believe, and rightfully so, that the movement and load is an excellent indicator of total body power. If you are interested in hosting a combine for profit or for talent identification, this is a comprehensive review on modern combine testing and sports technology.

7 Methods to Develop Rotational Power in Sport

Rotational sport coaches are often fans of medicine ball training, but there is more to do than simply tossing a load a few times a week. Rotation is a controversial subject because there are so many opinions on what is right and wrong with training today. Instead of sharing an opinion, this article covers the necessary science and practice with all forms of training, including isometric options. If you are involved in rotational sports or want to know more on how to prepare the body for anti-rotation, this article is a compelling read. It also includes information on medical perspectives with rotation, as training and rehabilitation sometimes go hand-in-hand.

Buyer’s Guide to Sport Velocity-Tracking Devices

One of the most popular Buyer’s Guides on SimpliFaster is this review of systems that measure ball or sport implement speed. While most of the products are radar systems for baseball and golf, a few of them are able to measure continuous speed of the body and medicine ball. Included in this guide is a review and explanation of the Ballistic Ball from Assess2Perform and other systems from new companies. Most coaches who are looking to measure ball speed in athletic training will want to read this list of options, as it enables smarter investing in sports technology.

6 Top Circuit Training Workouts for Sport

Circuit training is often poorly implemented and programmed in sports training, and this article reviews the principles that are essential to coaches. Specifically, it covers the use of medicine ball circuits, adding insight on how to create an effective training plan using the world’s oldest ballistic training implement. If you are interested in circuits or want a few ideas regarding medicine ball training, this article does a fantastic job of listing workouts that many athletes can use in detail and explaining the purpose behind in each session. Coaches love circuit training because it organizes groups of athletes and is simple to administer at all levels.

Updated April 12, 2020

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Who doesn’t love a nice round of golf on a beautiful Saturday? Drinking some beers, getting some sunshine, catching up with good friends—for years, this has been the image many people had in their mind when thinking of the game of golf. But when golf is your livelihood, the game looks a bit different. At the elite level, it is a sport requiring a true sense of athleticism, strength, and power.

In the world of training, the term “sports specialization” is thrown around a lot, and—granted—the only way to truly specialize in a sport is to play the sport. Golf is no different, and due to the intricacies of the swing, it becomes extremely important that the strength professional not only understands their golfers’ physical needs, but also the basic tenets of the golf swing, and how those physical improvements will correlate to a more efficient swing.

Improved club head speed—which then transfers to ball speed—can mean a huge difference in driving distance. And while many think that 10-20 yards of driving distance isn’t all that much, that difference can be worth millions; or, for some pros, the difference between having a year of status on the PGA or LPGA Tour or battling their way to the top on the Korn Ferry and Symetra Tour (or on the numerous other mini tours that exist).

Why Biomechanically Specific Strength and Power Are Vital to a Golfer’s Success

A golfer’s body must be able to move through the range of motion required of the swing, all while producing force and maintaining balance and stability—but not rotating through the spine; rather, through the torso. Oh, and there’s the whole upper body/lower body disconnect and keeping the kinematic sequence of the swing in proper order. If it sounds like a lot…it is. So, producing force and power along with maintaining and building strength play key roles in the success of a golfer.

Producing force and power along with maintaining and building strength play key roles in the success of a golfer, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

In a normal golf swing, a player will typically maximally recruit 30 lbs. of muscle to generate four horsepower throughout the swing. This equates to around 900 kgs of force being applied to the ball in half a millisecond at impact, an action that is repeated multiple times in a round of golf. On a par-72 course, if a pro ends up shooting even par, on average they will take 36 full swings. This number doesn’t take into account players going for the green in 2 on a par-5. Currently, the average driving distance on the PGA Tour is 297 yards, with Cameron Champ averaging a whopping 322 yards.

All of this poses a question—what does a training program entail for an elite-level golfer? Obviously, training is so individualized in the sport that it’s going to look different for every player, but for the sake of this article, let’s focus on young, up-and-coming PGA and LPGA Tour players who are currently looking to build power and gain more club head speed and discuss the needs of that particular athlete.

1. Movement

A movement assessment is important for any athlete, not just a golfer. One philosophy I have carried with me through my years as a coach is my movement pyramid. At the foundation of the pyramid is movement, followed by strength, with the top of the pyramid being power. In other words, if you can’t move properly, nothing else will follow. You can’t have strength without movement, and you can’t have power without strength. If you’re lacking in any of those areas, the pyramid’s foundation will ultimately become weak and unstable.

The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) talks about assessing each golfer before beginning a training program. “Assess, don’t guess” is the expression they use, and they have put together an entire certification based on assessing a golfer’s physical capabilities, covering the entire body. It is a screen that gives strength and conditioning professionals, as well as golf coaches and medical professionals, the chance to work together to come up with a plan to help improve a player’s swing. It allows the strength professional to see not only an imbalance in a player, but also where a player is moving well, and then build on that player’s strengths.

2. Strength

A very important aspect in developing club head speed is vertical jump power. There is a direct correlation between increased club head speed with a driver and vertical jump height. But, much like the pyramid shows, you can’t begin to think about developing power until you have the strength necessary to create the power. Remember how they say in order to create a bigger vertical jump, work on your squat? This is exactly the reason why it’s such a widespread belief—because improving your squat means you’re building strength, which will then translate into power.

Now, I’m not saying all golfers have to back squat to improve leg strength, but they do need to do heavier, compound movements during certain phases of their training. But strength is relative, and when you’re looking at all types of different people with different physical capabilities, exercise selection becomes that much more vital. It is our job as performance professionals to find what works best for our athletes.

I’m not saying all golfers have to back squat to improve leg strength, but they do need to do heavier, compound movements during certain phases of their training, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

We can always teach someone to back squat and get them into a perfect squat over time. In a perfect world, we all have time for that. But sports, especially golf, don’t reside in a perfect world, and we only have a limited amount of time to get a player ready for the grind of a long season. It is our job to do what is best for the person we are working with, and many times, the back squat may not be the best tool to utilize (but that’s a discussion for another day).

Even though everyone is different, and it’s important to be adaptable in your philosophy, it’s also important to stick to what you, as a performance coach, do best. For me, I believe in what I view as the five basic tenets of a good program: push, pull, squat, hinge, and carry.

Lower Body

When it comes to strength training, any type of squat variation is my go-to for heavy strength movements. A trap bar deadlift is another great option due to the fact that it is easy to teach, and the bang for the buck an athlete can get from it is so high.

RDLs and SL RDLs are two exercises that are a must in any training program for golfers. The need for a strong posterior chain in any sport cannot be understated, but in golf, where the glutes are one of the most—if not the most—important muscles in the body, it’s vital to make sure they are strong and activating properly.

In terms of unilateral lower body pushing movements, the DB split squat or rear-foot-elevated split squat are exercises widely used by golfers and ones that hit all the major muscle groups a golfer will utilize. A lateral lunge is another accessory exercise that is very beneficial to building strength in the lower body.

Activating—or getting the muscles firing—is widely discussed in the performance world. In other words, getting the muscles primed for performance. A series consisting of glute bridges with a mini-band around the athlete’s knees, clams, hip internal rotation, and bird dogs with the band on is a great way to begin their movement pattern work before lifting, and become a part of their pre-round warm-up.

Upper Body

As is the case in heavy rotational sports, the debate about whether to use the barbell bench press comes to the forefront of any discussion on training. Once again, this comes down to the athlete you’re training and what is best for them. Players need to understand their bodies and be able to communicate what will work well for them at the level they’re playing.

Brooks Koepka, the #2 ranked golfer in the world, benched 225 lbs. for reps before the third round of the Honda Classic last year. Other golfers wouldn’t touch a heavy, endurance-based bench press workout before starting their 36th hole of any tournament, let alone a Major. Once again, though, what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another, which is why the performance professional working with golfers needs to be adaptable in their philosophy.

So, About the Benching Myth…

If you choose not to include the barbell bench press in your program, there are many other ways to get the upper body pushing necessary to help achieve the results needed. Dumbbell training exercises, especially in upper body pushing motions, are a great way to gain strength while building stability and balance in the upper body. An alternating DB incline bench is an example of an exercise that is adaptable in many ways, while still providing the necessary resistance for an athlete to achieve the strength results that they are looking for.

What About the Posterior Chain?

There are so many options that, in my opinion, not one is wrong. Whether you’re talking about a vertical pull like a lat pulldown or pull-up, or a horizontal pull like a seated low row, anything will work. In terms of pulling, there is no bigger bang for your buck than pull-ups, but it is important to stick to the rule of thumb of 2:1 ratio of pulls to push.

3. Power

I’m not going to get into the debate over Olympic lifts in this article. There are so many ways to develop power without them, and many golfers entering the professional ranks, depending on what they’ve done while in college, may have limited experience with them. So, sticking to the basics and getting golf athletes in triple extension is the safest, most efficient way to build power.

Sticking to the basics and getting golf athletes in triple extension is the safest, most efficient way to build power, says @J_Golden85. Share on X

If you build them properly into the program, the benefits will carry over to the course.

• Trap Bar Jumps
• Box Jumps (landing focus)
• Skater Hops for distance
• Split-Squat Jumps
• MB Squat Jumps
• MB Slams and MB Rotational Wall Slams

These are just some of the exercises that you can utilize as power movements in the program.

Contrast Training

A fast way to build work capacity along with power is to implement contrast training. The athlete needs to have a foundation of strength, but contrast training—pairing a strength movement with a non-resisted or lightly resisted power movement—is a great way to create work capacity and get the body working and adapting to different physiological barriers.

Some very effective pairs in contrast training include DB split squats paired with skater hops and goblet squats paired with MB squat jumps or power step-ups without weight. These are just a few examples that show the benefits of what contrast training can do when programmed properly.

More Forceful Golfers

Lifting weights—once seen as dangerous to golfers—is quickly becoming a normal part of a golfer’s routine. Previously believed to make a golfer stiff and slow, weight training is now widely perceived as a necessary tool by many on Tour to improve their game.

Golf is a multi-faceted game with many different areas of need. With courses being lengthened and players hitting the ball further than ever, it has become very important for young golfers to be able to produce force off the tee. Strength and conditioning is a huge part of players being able to develop the necessary force while staying healthy through one of the most explosive, complex movements in any sport.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

I’ve shared my squat progression at clinics and on social media many times. Inevitably, there is always a coach in the crowd who wants to debate the validity of my exercise selection or correct my ignorance with a more efficient teaching method.

Awesome. Question everything and be as pragmatic as possible. But never forget that athletes are complex organisms in a complex environment; they are not math problems with definitive solutions. There is no such thing as a perfect exercise selection or an infallible training progression. As coaches, all we can do is use our previous experiences to guide our decision-making.

Never forget that athletes are complex organisms in a complex environment, not math problems with definitive solutions, says @CoachAlanBishop. Share on X

My squat progression is the result of years of shaving away the things that don’t work (for me), expanding upon the things that do work (for me), and taking great pride in technical proficiency.

The progression is simple, and every newcomer in my program goes through it.*

1. Hands-Free Cyclist Squat
2. Hands-Free Front Squat
3. Front Squat
4. Back Squat

*An athlete’s injury history or structural limitations may dictate a regression, but there is not enough ink on the planet to cover every hypothetical scenario in this article. For the sake of argument, this article assumes a healthy athlete actively trying to master the exercises. 

Essential Context on This Progression

To offer insights into this progression, consider three variables in my decision-making:

The first is that I work with team sport athletes. I do not work with strength specialists such as weightlifters or powerlifters. Team sport athletes can be classified as strength generalists, relying on resistance training as a means to saturate athletic attributes necessary for sport.

Because my athletes are strength generalists, many exercises are completely novel to them. In order to progress these exercises, we must address three components:

• Mobility to get into positions
• Skill to perform exercise
• Stability to add load

The second thing to consider is that, in my opinion, “full range” training is more ideal than partial rep training for long-term athletic development. A mistake I see with strength coaches is progressing beginner and intermediate lifters to partial rep training too soon. Newbie gains are rarely anything more than improvements in neuromuscular coordination. Intermediate gains are best achieved by applying progressive overload to proficient movement patterns. Many strength generalist athletes never advance beyond being classified as intermediate level.

So, yes, research absolutely supports restricting range of motion to increase joint angle specific strength adaptations, but research also suggests that crucial architectural and mechanical muscle adaptations are dependent on the range of motion used in training. For the strength generalist, I believe partial ROM training should be reserved for later stages in training. We should not deprive beginner and intermediate lifters of long-term progress by putting them on advanced training protocols too quickly.

We shouldn’t deprive beginner and intermediate lifters of long-term progress by putting them on advanced training protocols too quickly, says @CoachAlanBishop. Share on X

One final thing to consider in the partial-range versus full-range training debate:

Any athlete capable of full squatting 400 pounds will possess the capacity to quarter squat 500 pounds. Not every athlete capable of quarter squatting 500 pounds will possess the capacity to full squat 400 pounds.

Chase your rabbits wisely.

The third variable is that I utilize an Olympic-style squatting technique with my athletes. The full spectrum of reasons for this style of squatting would require a separate article, but the Cliff Notes version of why I prefer this style of squatting is that:

• Many athletes compensate for long limbs, or ankle immobility, by becoming low back dominant squatters. This puts the low back in a compromised position. Full squats can correct chronic compensations.
• Olympic-style squatting requires the knees to drive out over the toes in the bottom position with the hamstrings covering the calves and the torso in a vertically upright posture. The legs, not the low back, get the most work.
• This style of squatting engages all heads of the quadriceps to varying degrees through the entirety of the range of motion. This prevents the structural imbalance of overdevelopment of any head relative to the others.
• Because it is a “full range” exercise, it acts as a natural safeguard for the weight selected.
• I believe the proprioceptive qualities on display during this style of squatting are second to none.

Coach’s Notes:

The NCAA allows us eight weeks of training in the summer to work with our athletes. This is the first chance I get to work with my newcomers, and the progression I utilize takes this into account.

Hands-Free Cyclist Squat

The hands-free cyclist squat (HFCS) is a narrow-stance squat variation with the heels 4-6 inches off the ground, maintaining 4-5 inches of space between the insides of the shoes. It is initiated by driving the knees forward and hips straight down while maintaining a vertical torso position. The goal is to completely close off the knee joint until the hamstrings are covering the calves.

I start with the hands-free cyclist squat for two reasons. The first is that I believe it is the best exercise for learning the skill of deep knee bending with a leg-dominant (not low back-dominant) squat. The second is that a hands-free bar position provides immediate feedback with the bar dropping as soon as the torso begins to lean forward.

I’ve worked with many Division 1 players over the years, and a common issue I continually see is that the lack of mobility to get into the bottom position is due to a lack of skill at deep knee bending, not structural damages. Essentially, athletes don’t have the mobility to get into position because they’ve never been asked to display or develop it, not because of injuries that need to be worked around. This lack of mobility and skill inhibits the ability to develop the stability necessary to add load through a full range.

Nevertheless, many coaches still opt to work around these mobility limitations and find exercises to start loading immediately. However, in my experience taking a few weeks to teach the skill of squatting will elicit greater long-term results, especially as the athletes move into an intermediate-level training age.

I typically allot two weeks to achieve proficiency in the HFCS. During these two weeks we train the HFCS twice a week for 4-6 sets of 6-8 reps on a 4111 tempo. Neuromuscular coordination and exercise competency are the training effects I am chasing during these two weeks.

Very Important Side Note: It is critical to have the right equipment. You will need a squat wedge to properly do cyclist squats. There are many variations of squat wedges on the market, but I have had the best success with the 20 Degree Prime Fitness Squat Wedge. It is built to last with a lifetime warranty, but it is also versatile. If not using it for cyclist squats, athletes can move their heel to the bottom 1 inch of the wedge to mimic an Olympic weightlifting shoe during other squat variations.

Hands-Free Front Squat

The next exercise in the progression is the hands-free front squat (HFFS). This exercise again serves as a teaching tool where the desired adaptation is neuromuscular coordination and exercise competency.

If the HFCS did its job, the athlete should understand the vertical torso position and using the legs, not the low back, to load and drive out of the bottom of the squat. The HFFS further reinforces this technique, but with the feet flat on the floor. This is important because it sets us up to add load to the exercise in the front squat phase of the progression.

Spending a few more weeks teaching a hands-free position usually solves the problems of athletes trying to support the bar with their hands, and instead reinforces the technique of supporting the bar on the shoulders while maintaining the elbows above the bar.

An important note during this progression is that I am an advocate of squatting in Olympic weightlifting shoes. If these shoes are available to the athletes, we typically forego squat wedges after HFCS and begin using the Olympic shoes only at the HFFS point of the progression. If the shoes are not available to the athletes, I give the athletes the option of placing their heels 1 inch up the 20-degree squat wedge to mimic the effect of an Olympic weightlifting shoe. There is not a winner in the “wedge vs. shoe” debate for squatting—both work great. I’ve had athletes go entire collegiate careers using the heel on the wedge with great results.

Like the HFCS, I typically allot two weeks of twice-a-week squatting to the HFFS portion of the teaching progression. Sets, reps, and tempos remain unchanged, but I allow the athlete to add a little bit of weight during these two weeks if technique allows it. Rarely will we go above 40-50 kgs during this time.

Front Squats

This is the phase of the progression where we truly begin to load the squat. Four weeks of teaching movement efficiency and neuromuscular coordination of a novel squatting style will begin to pay off. However, with only four weeks of true “full range” squatting completed, there are still safeguards that you must take to protect the athlete. Nobody cares about setting PRs in week 5. The goal is to master the movement so we can continue progressive overload at weeks 35, 105, and 205.

Many consider the front squat to be safer than the back squat, myself included. A reason for this is that the bar can be dumped at any time when technical failure occurs. Another reason is that, due to the biomechanics of the lift, significantly more weight can be used during the back squat than the front squat. This acts as a natural regulator of load and allows us to apply enough stimulus to elicit results with lighter loads in the front squat than we can get in the back squat.

Anecdotally, another reason I prefer the front squat is that improvements in front squat numbers have corresponded really well with improvements in standing vertical jump numbers with my athletes over the years. As an athlete’s training age gets more advanced, other techniques may help peak jumping power, but front squats are a very efficient exercise you can implement for a long time and keep getting results.

Progressive overload methods will start becoming more important during this phase of training, but the goal is still to maintain rep integrity with range of motion and technical proficiency. When those two things are accounted for, increased load will always follow. When excessive load is emphasized too early, range of motion and technique become compromised. At this point, weight room injuries become inevitable.

The front squat is a great exercise to introduce progressive overload because cheating technique is really difficult to do, says @CoachAlanBishop. Share on X

I believe it was Christian Thibaudeau who said, “show me a man who constantly cheats technique, and I will show you a man with joint problems.” The front squat is a great exercise to introduce progressive overload because cheating technique is really difficult to do.

This part of the progression can last anywhere from 4-12 weeks or longer, depending on how the calendar looks for the teams you’re training. I’ve found that straight sets and ascending sets work really well here, and there isn’t really a need to get too zesty with set and rep protocols.

Back Squats

Properly progressed and strategically overloaded, back squats are a great tool for building robust athletes. More weight can be utilized in the back squat than the front squat, making it an excellent tool for manipulating stress to saturate attributes such as strength, speed, and power.

There are many styles of back squatting, but I teach a high bar Olympic-style squat. I want my athletes to maintain the same depth on a back squat as they do on a front squat. Remember, the goal is still covering the calves with the hamstrings, not getting three white lights in a powerlifting competition by getting to parallel. Parallel is an arbitrary standard, and a partial range of motion exercise, whereas closing off the knee joint maintains the same benefits written about earlier in the front squat.

Much like the front squat phase of the progression, rep integrity and range of motion remain critical, but progressive overload is the name of the game for back squatting. This is the phase of the progression where we can start getting a little zestier with our set and rep schemes.

A few of my favorite loading schemes are wave loading and clusters. In fact, I really like using three-week blocks of wave loading to establish the rep maxes I will be using during the next three-week block of clusters. While you can obviously do this with front squats, remember that we are working with strength generalists. Changing the modality of stress application serves as a good way to prevent plateau.

A final contextual piece of why I use back squats at this point in the progression is that there are still other squat modalities I will implement during the year, including the Hatfield squat. Back squats serve as a good segue into Hatfield squats, which can be loaded supramaximally relative to the back squat due to the hand placement helping guide the athlete through sticking points.

Closing Thoughts on Squat Progressions and the Craft

This progression is not an exact script for you to follow, but instead it provides insights into what another coach has used with success. The biggest key to my squat progression is an unwavering refusal to deviate from my standard. Many roads lead to Rome, and my Rome is a full-depth Olympic-style squat. If that isn’t your goal, this isn’t the right progression for you, and that’s okay.

The biggest key to my squat progression is an unwavering refusal to deviate from my standard. Many roads lead to Rome, and my Rome is a full-depth Olympic-style squat, says @CoachAlanBishop. Share on X

Like I said earlier, there isn’t a perfect way to select exercises or an infallible progression to use. Squatting isn’t a zero-sum game, but this progression has worked really well for me. Whether you choose to implement it or not, be the best in the world at what you choose to do, hold your athletes to a high standard, and coach your face off every rep.

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Work hard on the farm, stay focused in the classroom, participate in multiple sports year-round while trying to attain quality sleep each night. This was my life as an adolescent, and I learned early on the influential role diet played in my energy levels. I kept a food journal at 10 years old and began researching “healthy foods” to enhance my energy to gain a competitive edge. By tracking my calorie consumption, I was able to see a connection between peak energy and good training days versus the bad.

That experience led to my passion and dedication for supporting our youth in their endeavors as people first and athletes second. The majority of adolescent athletes these days are training longer, participating in more leagues, and specializing early on. Check out this great article on supporting your child athlete early on.

We currently live in a world of self-proclaimed experts touting poor nutritional information, sugary “recovery foods,” detox drinks, protein-infused cereals, and other “health foods” that have become a fountain of misinformation leading several athletes and parents down the road to suboptimal choices. Suboptimal choices that can derail their growth, development, and overall athletic performance.

If you don’t understand physiology and biochemistry, making sense of the nutrition information out there can be like trying to drink from a fire hose, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

As a registered dietitian who works with many adolescents and master athletes, I find they come to me confused, with a head full of information overload. If you don’t understand physiology and biochemistry, making sense of the nutrition information out there can be like trying to drink from a fire hose. It is overwhelming. I work vigilantly to navigate the science for my clients so they can make the most informed choice while shopping for whole foods and supplements and planning out pre- and post-event nutrition.

The goal of optimal performance can be reached by using nutrition as a tool to modify the stressors linked with the mechanisms of skeletal muscle, damage, and repair from intensive training, conditioning, and competition. Many athletes are starting to learn the critical role food and nutrition play in mitigating the risk of injury from high-intensity training and to support desired physiological adaptations to training. Post-training nutrition is vital for an athlete to replenish what was depleted during training.

Start with Hydration

Adequate hydration for the young athlete is important to support optimal sports performance and avoid health complications. Sweating is a normal and essential bodily function to cool the body via evaporation, but in turn it increases the risk of dehydration during exercise. Identifying optimal drink volume and composition for enough hydration would be nearly impossible without technology. So many factors influence sweat rate, such as genetics, biological maturation status, body composition, fitness level, training intensity, and environmental conditions. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, losing more than 2% of your body weight during exercise can result in dehydration. Therefore, young athletes who properly hydrate leading up to training—and rehydrate during, between, and following competition­—are more likely to secure optimal sports performance.

Young athletes who properly hydrate leading up to training—and rehydrate during, between, and following competition—are more likely to secure optimal sports performance, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

So, how does a young athlete ensure optimal sports performance? Optimal sports performance comes down to more than body fluid balance. Sports drinks and nutrition drinks are comprised of different ingredients. Ultimately, many coaches are quick to suggest using a sports drink, which, in my opinion as a sports dietitian, is vastly overrated and overhyped. Sports drinks can offer electrolyte replacement, sugar, and support fluid balance, but so can real food and nutrition drinks.

Furthermore, what about protein and quality carbohydrates? Protein is key for muscle repair and growth, so why not reach for something that offers fluid replacement and tissue repair? Let’s examine this topic closer. First and foremost, we should always be looking for the best strategy to fuel optimal performance. That means consuming enough nutrients and fluids to support training adaptations, overall sports performance, and health in young athletes. Each time you reach for a food or drink, it is an opportunity to fuel your body and to “get better.”

“Don’t miss opportunities that others are willing to capitalize on” is something I instruct my athletes. If you want to be your best and compete with the best, what are you going to do in your nutrition, training, sleep, and regimen to secure that? It’s not a colorful sports drink. Nutrition drinks offer carbohydrates, protein, and even some fat. Beverages like whole milk and low-fat chocolate milk are examples of quality drinks that contain protein, fat, minerals, and more nutrition than a sports drink. A sports drink will often be relatively concentrated and rich in sodium and sugar, but it doesn’t contain protein for tissue repair.

As shown in the Beverage Hydration Index, water and sports drinks are thought of as the ideal way to hydrate. But what about other drinks? How do they stack up? The volume and composition of ingested beverages have a significant influence on how quickly they will leave the stomach and be absorbed in the small intestine. The quicker a drink is emptied from the stomach and the faster it is absorbed, the more rapid the fluids will enter the body. Following are some of the top pre-, during, and/or post-workout optimal foods and drinks that will support fluid status, muscle growth, and overall recovery from exercise.

Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherries are loaded with antioxidant anthocyanins, which act to reduce inflammation and share similar properties to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. Research has found improvements in fatigue post exercise and attenuated muscle damage and soreness with just 8 ounces of tart cherry juice. Furthermore, tart cherries contain melatonin, a phytochemical that is key in sleep regulation. Research has supported consumption of tart cherry juice to increase melatonin levels, translating into improved sleep duration and quality. Sleep is paramount for adolescents and especially student-athletes looking to maximize their controllable factors.

Research has supported consumption of tart cherry juice to increase melatonin levels, translating into improved sleep duration and quality, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

Immune-boosting properties are another great feature of tart cherries. Training hard, competing, academic stress, and the overall environment all offer challenges that can depress immune function. Tart cherry juice can help reduce upper respiratory tract symptoms, keeping athletes in the game and away from illness, according to a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

Watermelon Juice

Watermelon juice can serve as a drink and food to reduce muscle pain and provide relief post-training that facilitates recovery. How can this be true? Watermelon is rich in the amino acid L-citrulline. It is also high in water content and offers quick sugar to restore glycogen reserves that have been depleted in exercise.

Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid. Besides watermelon, there are limited food sources of citrulline (walnuts, liver, garbanzo beans, garlic), and the rind of the watermelon contains the highest amount. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry investigated consumption of unpasteurized watermelon juice pre intense cycling and found participants had reduced muscle soreness within 24 hours.

Chocolate Milk

Chocolate milk is highly underrated among parents, coaches, and health practitioners who are concerned about “too much sugar.” However, chocolate milk offers electrolytes and 8 grams of high-quality protein per cup, and it replenishes glycogen stores and rehydrates just as well as Gatorade. Additionally, you’re getting nine essential nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D, which support bone health.

Chocolate milk offers electrolytes and 8 grams of high-quality protein per cup, and it replenishes glycogen stores and rehydrates just as well as Gatorade, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

How does chocolate milk stack up to the commercial sports drinks for both male and female high school athletes? A field-based study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition showed that in high school football players, chocolate milk has a greater impact on performance than regular sports beverages when high school athletes drink it for recovery. The athletes who drank chocolate milk bench-pressed an average of 3.5% more than they could before, whereas those who drank the commercial sports beverage decreased in bench-press strength by about 3.2%. This is a net difference of 6.7% for those who drank chocolate milk versus a commercial sports beverage.

Both groups showed improvement with squats, but chocolate milk drinkers showed more, lifting 15% more weight than before, while commercial sports beverage drinkers only lifted 8% more. That represents nearly double the increase in strength for chocolate milk drinkers. Chocolate milk is an accessible, affordable, and delicious recovery option for adolescent athletes—and it may give them a strength edge due to the 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio.

So, the argument for milk versus sports drink? Gatorade has fluids and electrolytes but, as you have learned, so does milk. Let’s further examine a study evaluating cyclists who rode until they were absolutely depleted of energy, rested for four hours, and then cycled until reaching exhaustion. During their rest period, the cyclists consumed low-fat chocolate milk, Gatorade, and a flavored protein drink that contained carbs called Endurox R4. In the second round of cycling, the cyclists who consumed chocolate milk were able to cycle roughly 50% longer than those who consumed the Endurox drink and/or Gatorade. Chocolate milk lengthened time to exhaustion and improved perceived exertion, heart rate, and overall levels of lactate in the blood.

Science continues to back up the notion that with greater nutrients you have a greater retention in fluids, which supports recovery from exercise performance, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

For further examination on the effects of sports drinks on metabolism and endurance performance, check out this article published in Nutrients. Another study evaluated restoration of body net fluid balance post exercise and thermal dehydration of milk versus a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution or water. Results indicated milk post-exercise restored whole-body net fluid balance better than a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution. It was a small study of seven active men around 26 years old, but the point is that fluid ingestion with greater nutrition enables you to better support recovery needs to be better equipped for the next training session or event. Science continues to back up the notion that with greater nutrients you have a greater retention in fluids, which supports recovery from exercise performance.

Food for Athletes: Nutrition Is a Tool to Optimize Performance

What about functional foods? According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, all foods are functional at some physiological level. That includes whole foods and fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods that have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed regularly. A functional food is characterized by its structure: conventional or whole, modified (i.e., fortified, enriched, enhanced), medical (enteral formulas), or in specialty use (gluten-free, soy-free, etc.). Functional foods are not the same as supplements. Functional foods have no such regulatory identity according to the Nutrition Board. Functional foods are often marketed to athletes, including those with and without supportive exercise performance-related research. Muscle-building, strength, endurance, and power supplements include beetroot juice, energy drinks, and fish oil/DHA/EPA.

Muscle soreness results from mechanical damage to the muscle and several biological changes within muscle tissue that are characterized by swelling, pain, inflammation, stiffness, and muscle injury markers such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as cited in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism’s article on implications for muscle performance and recovery. Many athletes are looking at any type of advantage to enhance metabolic capacity, delay fatigue, improve recovery, and support muscle hypertrophy while maintaining immune function. However, due to intense training and frequent competition, respiratory infections and high physiologic stress on the body can increase blood flow and oxygen supply to the working skeletal muscle.

At rest, muscle receives roughly 20% of total blood flow. However, during exercise this can increase to greater than 80%. This can support the notion for utilizing anti-inflammatory foods that can play a role in ameliorating the performance declines associated with heavy training.

Omega-3 fatty acids, along with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are highly sought after as functional ingredients. Increased Omega-3 levels in the blood are linked with decreased levels of proinflammatory markers like interleukin [IL]6, IL-1ra, tumor necrosis factor [TNF] alpha, and C-reactive protein [CRP]. Athletes training at a high level understand the importance of decreasing inflammation, maintaining energy levels, and expediting the recovery process as quickly as possible.

A goal of athletes is to increase oxygen-rich blood to tissues, and they can support that by keeping the lining of their arteries smooth and clear with a proper diet, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

Exercise-induced inflammation produces free radicals, which can damage your body’s cells. This is a normal and desired response, to a degree, due to supporting desired physiological training adaptations. However, omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce joint pain, tenderness, and inflammation and can support maintenance of arterial integrity to allow for a maximal amount of oxygen-rich blood to reach working muscles. A goal of athletes is to increase oxygen-rich blood to tissues, and they can support that by keeping the lining of their arteries smooth and clear with a proper diet.

Meeting needs:

• • Strive to consume at least 3 ounces of fish containing omega-3 two times per week following intensive training.

 

• • Mix two tablespoons of ground flaxseed or chia seed in oatmeal and/or a smoothie or sprinkle over whole grain toast.

 

• • Eat 1 ounce of walnuts in a salad, yogurt parfait, or smoothie.

 

• • Take a fish oil supplement containing 600-1,000 mg of EPA or DHA.

 

What’s the Scoop on Creatine Supplementation?

I get this question quite frequently as a sports dietitian. I myself (a female who strength trains regularly) take creatine because it is one of the most widely studied ergogenic aids available. The research supporting the benefits of creatine supplementation are robust, especially for females desiring to increase lean mass and maintain strength. Women should absolutely take creatine. More research has been carried out on men, but I am confident more research will examine the health, exercise performance, and body composition changes with creatine supplementation in women.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound compiled of arginine, glycine, and methionine, which are amino acids found primarily in the flesh of animals. The body naturally produces creatine in the liver, kidneys, and pancreas at a rate of roughly 1-2 grams per day. The uptake of creatine is an ongoing, active process in which roughly 95% of creatine is found in skeletal muscle. Creatine-rich foods include steak, salmon, chicken, wild game, pork, tuna, and cod.

The use of creatine as an ergogenic aid can be traced back to the 1990s, and since then, hundreds of publications have surfaced examining the impact of creatine supplementation on exercise performance. Creatine allows muscles to sustain energy by endorsing ATP replenishment (energy currency for muscle cells). In skeletal muscle, creatine combines with phosphate (Pi) molecules to create a compound called phosphocreatine (PCr). PCr in this form plays a key role in energy metabolism within the muscle cell, supporting high-intensity energy activities like sprinting and strength training. Creatine increases muscle growth, strength, endurance, overall performance, recovery, and tolerance to heavy training loads.

Furthermore, creatine helps prevent and decrease risk of injury and time to fatigue, and was recently found to have neuroprotective effects on the brain and spinal cord, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand on creatine supplementation. In fact, there is also strong support highlighting cognitive benefits and use in clinical practice.

Creatine is used with adolescent athletes, but lacks the research, which creates topics of discussion surrounding the safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in young athletes under the age of 18. Jagim et al. published a review examining the limited studies in the adolescent population as a means to identify the use of creatine in young athletes. The review suggests that adolescent athletes using creatine tolerated supplementation well and had no reported adverse events or incidents. Ethically, we do not have sufficient research to recommend creatine monohydrate to young athletes, but many are using it despite direction from professionals.

My advice as a sports dietitian is to provide the literature and suggestions to support the best interests of my athletes. I encourage whole foods first, which contain creatine. However, many parents still seek out the use of supplements. I strongly advise supplements that are Informed Choice Certified, meaning they are free of any banned substances and ensure the product has been tested for any unsafe substances. Here is a comprehensive list of certified products updated in March 2020.

Choosing Real Food to Drive Performance

Performance nutrition is important, but the meals leading up to the competition are more important. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between in the days leading up to the event are what win games. If your athlete isn’t consuming breakfast, lunch, or snacks on game day, their pre-game meal won’t matter because the window for opportunity has been missed.

Performance nutrition is important, but the meals leading up to the competition are more important, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

Again, we go back to the basics with quality nutrition. When thinking about optimal athletic performance and recovery, think the four R’s: refuel, rehydrate, repair, and replenish. The USOC has a recovery factsheet, along with other great resources. Recovery is an all-day process just like preparation for competition. Elite athletes need to view eating and fueling as opportunities to maximize health and performance.

In my practice I emphasize “eating” to support health, growth, and development, and “fueling” to support athletic performance. The point is that good nutrition is not just for athletic performance, but for proper growth, development, and maturation. Person first, athlete second, which I understood well upon reading the brilliant Brett Bartholomew’s famous book, Conscious Coaching.

Simply put, we need to get back to the basics with consistent habits of consuming breakfast, fluids, high-quality protein, and carbohydrates that contain fiber and vitamins. I would also argue that milk is a sports drink! The foods young and old athletes consume should support muscle growth and hormone regulation, strengthen bones, facilitate recovery, protect against illness and injury, and optimize overall athletic performance. A more comprehensive list of sports nutrition tips can be found here.

To truly support your young athlete, you must point out that proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep are not luxuries. They are paramount for success. Control your controllable factors. Nutrition is a controllable. It can make a good athlete great or a great athlete good.

To truly support your young athlete, you must point out that proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep are not luxuries. They are paramount for success, says @Wendi_Irlbeck. Share on X

My final statement to parents, coaches, and sports staff looking to support their young athletes is: “Nutrition is your secret weapon. At the next level, everyone is good. What are you able and willing to do to out-compete your competition? What are you willing to sacrifice and prioritize to stand out among the rest?”

Since you’re here…
…we have a small favor to ask. More people are reading SimpliFaster than ever, and each week we bring you compelling content from coaches, sport scientists, and physiotherapists who are devoted to building better athletes. Please take a moment to share the articles on social media, engage the authors with questions and comments below, and link to articles when appropriate if you have a blog or participate on forums of related topics. — SF

Bob Alejo called me up and said, “Hey B, what’s new? Or should I say, what’s new with VBT? I want another article on it.” There are a couple of things that I’ve been doing: the first with force-velocity profiling and the second with creating load-velocity profiles and assembling zones on exercises out of the norm.

Force-velocity profiling is nothing new. I assure you that in 1983, when the Kaneko study¹ that I will reference later came out, it wasn’t truly new either. But before we go any further, I think we need to take a minute and differentiate between some terms, as there seems to be some confusion.

Load, force, velocity, acceleration, and power. I have seen some people talking about acceleration when they really mean power (I know because their unit was watts) or velocity (because the unit was m/s and not m/s²). I have seen some people saying force when they are really talking about load (I know because the unit was kg and not N).

Load is simply the weight that is being lifted. It can be expressed as an absolute load (how much weight is being moved) or a relative (sometimes called normalized) load (percent of 1RM). For instance, let’s say that I have a 200kg squat max, and I’m supposed to lift 60% of that. My absolute load would be 120 kilograms and my relative load would be 60%.

Acceleration is the change in distance per unit of time squared, and velocity is distance per unit of time. If I were to run a 10-meter sprint with a time of 1.65, my velocity would be calculated as 10/1.65, equaling a velocity of 6.06 m/s. My acceleration would be calculated as 10/1.65² = 3.67 m/s². The point is that these are two different units, and even over the same distance with the same time they will yield two different scores. Thus, they are not interchangeable, as some people seem to believe.

Force is mass times acceleration (some try to calculate it as mass times velocity, and this is not correct), as Isaac Newton’s second law tells us. (F=ma is the common representation.) So, whatever the mass being lifted, if you multiply it by the acceleration, that derives Newtons.

Power is force times velocity. While force mathematically is more dominated by mass, power can be more dominated by velocity. Because of this, it is important to know how peak power was derived. Meaning, looking at not only what power was, but what was the mass and what was the velocity.

It is important to know how peak power was derived. Meaning, looking at not only what power was, but what was the mass and the velocity, says @jbryanmann. Share on X

Let’s say the power was 500W. Was it a 500N force and a 1m/s velocity? Was it a 1N force and a 500m/s velocity? Was it a 25N force and a 20m/s velocity? While we are looking at some extremes on this example, the point is that force and velocity are players. Someone could be more toward one end or the other, and if we examine where it occurs, we may need to alter training to move it. If power is occurring too late (i.e., post 200 or 250 ms), then we can see this and change training to use things that are lighter and faster in order to alter training to elicit power to occur sooner.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you want a new idea, read an old book. Sometimes it’s just an old study, but either way it gets the job done. I was sitting in on a class taught by Dr. Joseph Signorile, who is nearly infamous for his work on power training with aging and diseased populations. He happened to show that 1983 paper by Kaneko¹ that I mentioned before, and it hit me. If I just change up a small amount of what we do for a 1RM test, we can do force-velocity profiles and gain so much information on what the athlete can do and what the athlete needs to do to improve. 

Take Your 1RM to the Next Level

If you are using a GymAware or another device that accurately gives force, velocity, and power at every load, you can easily figure this out. Also, from personal experience, you can set up the GymAware to plot these things for you, so this is why I specifically mention this device. I’m unsure of the others. It will require some alterations to the typical testing of the 1RM.

With the 1RM, you are approaching true maximal force capabilities, so the force end of the spectrum is well controlled. However, most people start out at around 60% of 1RM after the warm-ups, and rightly so as this is mentioned in most protocols as a good starting point. However, this won’t give the maximal velocity component to see how the athlete is here.

I recommend starting with a ballistic version of the exercise for 3-6 repetitions with either a PVC pipe or a wooden dowel to get an unloaded condition to get a maximal velocity, and then a ballistic with 20% and possibly 40 % of 1RM as well to get a well-plotted curve as we move into the mid-range with the 60% of 1RM starting point. If I perform 1-3 sets that have minimal load and require minimal rest, I tack on probably 2-3 minutes of training time, but I gain a greater insight into the way the athlete performs.

During all of these sets, from the unloaded ballistics all the way to the 1RM, velocity, power, and force need to be recorded from the device and then plotted. You can use Excel (but it does get tricky), SigmaPlot (I prefer this one, but I only use it because we have it at Miami), and I have heard you can even do it in R and other software that is used for visualization like Tableau, but I cannot confirm this. When examining force and velocity, you will see that the relationship is curvilinear rather than linear. (Force rather than load is being utilized. Load-velocity is a straight(ish) line).

Once you see where the athlete excels, where they are deficient, and where power occurs, you can attempt to develop the appropriate force or velocity end of the spectrum, or a mix of both. If you examine the different loads as presented in Figure 2 of Kaneko’s paper, you’ll see how the interactions occurred.

The concave curvilinear lines are force-velocity plots, the convex lines are power-force plots, and both are overlaid onto the same graph. If we look at the training at 100% of 1RM (for squats, dead lifts, and bench presses, this would be absolute strength and circa 0.3 m/s), we see that there was a massive improvement in force and a minimal improvement in velocity. Power did increase significantly, albeit moving to the right slightly. This portion of the chart shows the basis behind Bompa’s statement² that all strengths relate back to absolute strength—it is obvious that they do. However, the increase in force with no increase in velocity will, over time, cease to show an improvement in power that can be illustrated in the playing arena, as peak power increases do move to the right (indicating that they take longer to achieve).

This adaptation reinforces the findings in the classic graph from Hakkinen and Kraemer’s GSSI 53, where they proposed that maximal strength continually increased force, but the ability to produce force in a short time did not improve.³ The 60% load caused moderate increases in both force and velocity, which led to a power increase going up and only slightly to the right. This sort of balanced training saw a similar increase in power, but it was a result of increasing both force and velocity equally.

This graph illustrates the focus of strength-speed and how both were enhanced through the moderate load, which would be around 0.80 m/s. The 30% load showed a significant increase in velocity and a minimal increase in force, but a great increase in power that went nearly straight up. Great increases in speed and minimal increases in strength show the apropos labeling of speed-strength; these results are achieved at a velocity of about 1.05 m/s on squats and deadlifts (in the speed-strength zone). The 0% load, of course, showed great increases in velocity and very small increases in force. With the imbalance in results, we see that the power increase is small, but it does rise directly above the previous number.

Breaking Down Load and Velocity Further with Profiling

By examining the individual’s load-velocity profile, we can assign them what they need to improve. Is it just force? Do some heavy lifting. If they’re good on force, we can start to improve their power very well by going to strength-speed and utilizing those velocities. If they’ve developed an increase in power by working here, they can move on to speed-strength and utilize those velocities. Only after they have gotten all that they can gain by using speed-strength is it a good idea to use starting strength. You can see here how the adaptations got their names based on what they develop and how.

Only after athletes have gotten all that they can gain by using speed-strength is it a good idea to use starting strength, says @jbryanmann. Share on X

Below are two tables showing data we have gotten from high-level Division 1 athletes using the GymAware. The unloaded condition was collected through the use of a PVC pipe and performed as ballistic (i.e., they jumped into the air from the depth of the lift). The first chart is a spaghetti plot illustrating power and where athletes achieve it in relation to their 1RM. This is normalized power to load and has led everyone on the entire team to allow us to make more wide-sweeping decisions. The fact that the plot is normalized means that the loads were based off their 1RM, and their power was based off their maximal power as well.

There is no load greater than 1.0 and no power greater than 1.0. With the information related back to absolute strength, force, and relative velocity, decisions can be made about how to train to enhance power in a more efficient manner. In most instances, weak individuals will improve their power capabilities by simply getting stronger. When someone is strong, they tend to need to utilize faster velocities to cause power to increase.

When examining the data below, we see that most of the athletes achieve peak power at around 60% of 1RM. Some athletes hit peak power at around 40%, and it appears that one athlete hit peak power at 100% of 1RM. The individual who hit peak power at 100% of 1RM actually had poor technique and was not allowed to progress with any greater load, which falsely made him appear to require maximal loads to achieve peak power. I did leave this athlete in for the illustration to demonstrate how this may occur.

The other new “old” thing is utilizing load-velocity profiles for those movements that aren’t the squat, bench, and deadlift. I admittedly had rose-colored glasses on when creating the zones. I looked at this only from my frame of reference with the constraints that were dealt to me by sport coaches and my personal background athletically in powerlifting. They liked certain movements and only wanted those progressed and/or tested. Thus, I never examined stuff outside of the clean, snatch, squat, deadlift, and bench press.

To me, those were the big rock exercises. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This, however, has led to some confusion when trying to apply other exercises, especially those that either have an instability factor or no ground-based component (not even feet touching ground). Of course, these are not going to fall into the same velocities as the squat, deadlift, and bench press—the purpose of the exercise is different.

Load-velocity profiling is basically what everyone does as a result of the Gonzalez-Badillo and Sanchez-Medina paper⁴. Within a several-week training block, the relative loads at the corresponding velocities are the same, regardless of the changes in the absolute loads. For instance, if someone is stronger for a session, they may be moving 15kg heavier for the same velocity of 0.8 m/s, which happened to equate to 60% of their 1RM. So, you can see how their 1RM is essentially up around 15kg that day, and the converse is true as well.

If the coach happens to collect all of the load-velocity profiles for their important lifts outside of squat and deadlift, they’ll be able to derive their own zones for their exact team by looking for the mean and standard deviations for the velocity at each given percentage. Using their individual load-velocity profile is obviously the most accurate way of training athletes, but if you are beyond a 1:5 ratio, I have found it difficult to maintain this sort of precision and revert back to group means.

Also, you have to continually monitor this. As a result of heavy strength training, you are able to achieve movement at slower and slower velocities as your body has adapted to be able to move these heavier loads. If you look back to that Gonzalez-Badillo study, you will notice that at not one single load were they moving faster—they were moving slower at every intensity. I’ve noticed that athletes seem to drop velocity by about 0.02 to 0.04 m/s per year.

As a result of heavy strength training, you are able to achieve movement at slower and slower velocities as your body has adapted to be able to move these heavier loads, says @jbryanmann. Share on X

This may also be important for athletes of lower qualification but higher strength levels (meaning high school kids who are already performing full squats with greater than two times their body weight with good technique). The zones were collected on a multitude of Division 1 athletes, and sometimes those speeds don’t work for the high school athlete. They don’t have the same nervous system, and you may need to adjust things.

Likewise, for very specific populations like strength-sports—they have gained neuromuscular efficiency to move more slowly to allow them to lift a heavier weight. For instance, my training partner (who is known as Doc Dave, if you have listened to some of the chatter about Westside vs. the World) would achieve a 1RM bench press at about 0.08 m/s, as opposed to the 0.15 m/s that I would see in most Division 1 athletes. Chris Duffin showed a video of him achieving a deadlift at 0.08 m/s, as opposed to the 0.32 m/s I typically saw in most Division 1 athletes.

Load-Velocity Relationships and Further Directions

Speaking of the individual load-velocity relationship, below is a load-velocity graph for our athletes, again collected with GymAware. The velocity end of the spectrum was taken with ballistic movements performed on a modified PVC pipe trap bar. The starting position for this was performed at the same height as the high handles with the bumper plates used in the program. We utilized 100% of 1RM as the force end of the spectrum.

By examining the slopes of these curves, we can see if individuals are more deficient in velocity or force. The data plotted are for those who achieved a true 1RM and did not include younger athletes who had difficulty when progressing to heavier loads and dealt with technical breakdowns. These athletes were stopped by the strength and conditioning coach, as their technique was no longer acceptable, and they were thus at a greater risk of injury when continuing with heavier loading.

I do not have normative data as far as what is optimal for load and velocity at this point in time, nor do I have an optimal slope or curve. We do see that there is a pretty significant disparity between those who achieved the highest unloaded velocities and those who achieved the lowest. There was a much smaller discrepancy in loads greater than 60%, and the line became nearly flat after having a slightly curvilinear design with the lighter intensities (less than 40%). It nearly appears as if there are two straight lines that intersect for the velocity and the load ends of the spectrum. With the plethora of data out there showing a curvilinear relationship, we need to collect further collegiate data to examine if this is an issue of the specific population or due to the unconventional nature of examining the entire spectrum of the load-velocity relationship.

I plotted the charts in this article in SigmaPlot due to the fact that I have access to this program and enjoy its capabilities. After a short learning period, the production of various curves was very easy. There are plenty of other programs that can produce data visualizations and will do an excellent job (maybe even better than SigmaPlot). Some people have made gorgeous visualizations even in Excel. Whatever you have access to is what you should use.

To wrap up, these are the two things that I have been looking at lately. While neither is new, if you haven’t heard about it—it’s new to you.

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References

1. Kaneko M, Fuchimoto T, Toji H, and Suei K. “Training effect of different loads on the force-velocity relationship and mechanical power output in human muscle.” Scandinavian Journal of Sports Sciences. 1983; 5:50–55.

2. Bompa, TO and Buzzichelli, Carlo. Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Human Kinetics, Inc., 2018.

3. Hakkinen K, Komi PV, and Alen M. “Effect of explosive type strength training on isometric force- and relaxation-time, electromyographic and muscle fibre characteristics of leg exensor muscles. Acta physiologica Scandinavica. 1985;125:587-600.

4. Gonzalez-Badillo JJ and Sanchez-Medina L. “Movement velocity as a measure of loading intensity in resistance training. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2010;31:347-352.