If you have followed my previous posts about the different Philosophies of Training that are out there, I think I was pretty clear in making the point that APA doesn’t subscribe to one particular method of training to the exclusion of others.  Rather we borrow from all of the different methods that are out there.  I don’t believe in cookie cutter programmes and since most of our work is with individuals or small groups I feel we can be more individualised with our approach.  Having said that I do feel that we can borrow a lot from the sports of Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting.  The key is choosing big bang for your buck exercises that will develop an Overload.  There are many ways to produce an Overload.  The first step is to determine the training methods or Exercise Selection.

 

So, begs the question, what do we do at APA and what would a typical session look like? Well, for me good quality training in the gym is about Mastering the Basics.  What separates an expert from an amateur? Experts are masters of the basics.  Focus your time on improving your lifting technique in the Olympic Lifts.  Focus your time on improving and perfecting your squat, deadlift, overhead press and chin up.  Over the course of a young athlete’s career they will get to a point where they are ready to get brutally strong and powerful at each movement and become a technician in regards to their execution.  

 

Dan Johns about the basic patterns of movement: Squat, Hinge, Push, Pull, Loaded Carry.   Paul Chek calls these Squat, Bend, Push, Pull, Lunge, Twist, Gait.

 

These are the movements that we did every day in the primal ages, before we got lazy and stopped being active!

 

By performing a range of movements using the whole body  you can mimic almost all of the positions you can expect to find yourself in during sport and daily living!  The squat, deadlift and overhead press take care of the squat, bend and push respectively.  The Olympic Lifts take care of the pull as well as a good dose of chin ups!  One criticism of following a strict power lifting or Olympic weightlifting programme is the lack of direct single leg work and core work.  So by working uni laterally and getting in a bit more direct core work we can tick off the Lunge and twist category.  Obviously we can also do a bit of energy system work at the end if appropriate to target the running gait.

 

At the bottom of this post is a table that was created by a coach from the USA called Jamie Smith .     I think it is a pretty good summary of how I would go about setting up an hour in the gym with a young athlete.   To be honest there is a lot of different exercises listed  and I might be more tempted to just focus on a few selected lifts in the first year (like my previous post on the Olympic weightlifter’s programme).  Pay attention to the Athlete Column.  Notice that there are different exercises to achieve different purposes.

 

I tend to use Plyometrics (jumps/throws) along with Olympic Lifts for Power development; the Power lifts for Strength Development; and a selection of movements in different planes (vertical push/pull; horizontal push/pull; and single leg exercises) to get some good ‘muscle conditioning’ into the small accessory muscles so that they can cope with increasingly larger volumes of work.

 

The muscle conditioning / energy system development is sometimes known as ‘work capacity’ training. By focusing on this initially you will allow your body to handle doing MORE WORK later at the HIGHER LEVEL without over stressing your system.

 

There’s nothing worse than an athlete who hasn’t build up any work capacity and can only do a few sprints before being totally gassed out!

 

Remember, less is more.  By focusing on a few exercises but adding volume (by adding more sets/reps per exercises at the same intensity) you take advantage of the fact that your Nervous System is primed to make that movement.  Additionally you are mentally more accustomed to making that movement and you can focus on improving your technique and lifter bigger weights instead of continually adjusting to a new exercise.

 

Exercise Selection	Average Joe / Jane	Athlete – Team Sport	Power Lifting	Olympic Lifting
Explosive Movement (Power)	Basic Jump and Throw Variations	Jump (Box, Hurdle, and Depth Jumps) and Throw (Overhead, Push, and Rotational) Variations Clean, Jerk, and Snatch	Dependant on Individual	Dependant on Individual
Primary Movement (Strength)	Foundational Exercises-             Squat, OH Press, and DL Variations	Foundational Exercises-             Squat, Bench Press, DL, and OH Press Variations	Competition Lift- Squat, Bench Press, and DL	Competition Lift- Clean, Jerk, and Snatch
Secondary Movement	Horizontal Pull- DB, BB, C/S Row Variations           Vertical Pull-        Chin-ups and Pull-ups Posterior Chain Dominant- GHR, Hip Lifts, 45-degree Hyperextension, and Pull-through	Horizontal Pull- DB, BB. C/S Row Variations           Vertical Pull–           Chin-ups and Pull-ups Hip Posterior Chain Dominant– GHR, Hip Lifts, 45-degree Hyperextension, Pull-through, and Swing Variations	Supplement Movements: Bench- Board Press, Floor Press, Reverse Band Press,           Squat- Dead-Squat, Good-Morning Variations DL- Block Pulls and Deficit Pulls	Supplemental Movements: Clean- Hang Clean, Clean from Blocks, High Pulls, Squat Jerk- Push Press Snatch- Hang Snatch, Snatch from Blocks, DL Variations
Assistive Movement	Horizontal/ Vertical Push:  Push-up, Dip, and DB Press Variations Horizontal/ Vertical Pull: Blast Strap Row and Pull-down Variations Single Leg Movement- Split-squat, Lunge, Step-up, and Single Leg DL	Horizontal/ Vertical Push: Push-up, Dip, and DB Press Variations Horizontal/ Vertical Pull: Blast Strap Row,        Face-pull and Pull-down Variations Single Leg Movement– Split-squat, Lunge, Step-up, and Single Leg DL	Horizontal Pull- DB, BB, C/S Row Variations Vertical Pull- Chin-ups, Pull-ups, and Lat Pull-down Variations Posterior Chain Dominant-                      GHR, 45-degree Hyperextension, Reverse Hyperextension, and Pull-through Elbow Extension- Band Push-down, DB Extension Variations, Dips	Horizontal Pull: DB, BB, and C/S Row Variations Vertical Pull: Chin-ups and Pull-ups Posterior Chain Dominant: GHR and 45-degree Hyperextensions Single Leg Movements: Split-squat, Lunge, and Step-up Variations
Auxiliary           Movement	Torso Movement: Anti-Extension  (Planks and Roll-outs) Anti-Rotation (Side Planks and Belly Press) Rotary (Chop and Lift Variations) Flexion (SLSU’s and Reverse Crunch) Corrective Exercises: Glute Activation Psoas Activation Lower Trap Activation RC Activation	Torso Movement: Anti-Extension  (Planks and Roll-outs) Anti-Rotation (Side Planks and Belly Press) Rotary (Chop and Lift Variations) Flexion (SLSU’s and Reverse Crunch) Corrective Exercises: Glute Activation Psoas Activation Lower Trap Activation RC Activation	Torso Movement: Anti-Extension  (Planks and Roll-outs) Anti-Rotation (Side Planks and Belly Press) Rotary (Chop and Lift Variations) Flexion (SLSU’s and Reverse Crunch) Corrective Exercises: Glute Activation Psoas Activation Lower Trap Activation RC Activation	Torso Movement: Anti-Extension (Planks and Roll-outs) Anti-Rotation (Side Planks and Belly Press) Rotary (Chop and Lift Variations) Flexion (SLSU’s and Reverse Crunch) Corrective Exercises: Glute Activation Psoas Activation Lower Trap Activation RC Activation
Energy System Movement	(Energy System will be dependant on the individual goal)              Sled                   (March, Sprint, or Drag) Sprints (Flat or Hill) BattleRopes Sledge Hammer	(Energy System will be dependant on the individual but will be more specific to the sport and position)     Sled                   (March, Sprint, or Drag) Sprints (Flat or Hill) BattleRopes Sledge Hammer Jumps and Throws Slide-board	Dependant on the Individual	Dependant on the Individual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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