We started the first week of January and concluded on April 11. Our workouts consisted of three strength training sessions per week and 2-speed sessions, with the option of speed training on Saturday. We were hampered by weather several times so our sprint volume varied from week to week. This year I added timed fly 10 to the results. I purchased a laser timing gate system from TimingMate.com, this helped eliminate the inconsistency of hand time fly 20s that we ran at the beginning of the year.
An important thing to understand is that these athletes did very little or no strength training from August to November due to Football. Also, these are home-school athletes who don’t have a centralized location to train so their best option is usually at home or a local gym. During that time, due to my full-time work schedule and as a volunteer coach, I was unavailable to train them. I provided a workout template for home but that was rarely used, if at all. As a result, they were untrained upon returning after the New Year, and the pre-test results reflected that. Here is how the training calendar looked.
In December I provided a free Zoom Foundation Class that athletes could attend, the goal was to work on fundamental movement patterns, core strength, range of motions, and flexibility. We met online two times a week.
Strength training started in January with two weeks of GPP (General Preparatory Phase) conducting all major movements using dowels, dumbells, kettlebells, and body weight. In the next two weeks, we introduced the barbell back into the session to work on form with moderate weight, based on the last testing data. Week 5 we tested.
In the proceeding weeks, we progressed using a 3-day-a-week conjugated training structure. I chose that structure because we also sprinted twice weekly before weight training. We loaded heavy chests and back on the days we sprinted because I did not want them to damper the sprinting effects on their CNS (central nervous system), so we used lighter and more speedy movements for the lower body. On the non-sprint day, our main focus was heavy leg training while integrating bilateral and unilateral modalities with a safety squat bar and a traditional bar.
On sprint days we started with RPR (Reflexive Performance Reset®) and then performed a variation of Tony Holler’s Atomic workout and X-Factor work.
Below are the results of their hard work.
Vertical Jump, Broad Jump, and Flys, some of these athletes only sprinted and did not participate in weight training.
Vertical Jump: I was unhappy with the results this year because of the method. I tried a MyVert device and the numbers did not seem correct our readings had wide fluctuations from week to week and jump to jump. So I pulled their top vertical from the end of last summer as a comparison.
Mean: 21.48% Increase from last summer
Median: 21% Increase from last summer
Board Jump: I am pleased with these numbers considering that previously we struggled to get better.
Mean: 7.24% Increase
Median: 6.7% Increase
10-Yard Fly: When we started I was hand-timing fly 20s and switched to the Laser later in the training. The numbers below are just the laser times from 3/19-4/6.
Mean: 1.5 MPH increase
Median: 1.5 MPH increase
The numbers below will speak for themselves, but I’ll address them below. For some of these tests, we did not do a true 1RM to help mitigate injuries. In those cases, we used a 2-3 RM to calculate 1RM.
Dead Lift:
Mean: 14.6 % increase from January to April 11th
Mean: 9% increase from last summer’s numbers till April 11th
Hang Power Clean:
Mean: 41.3 % increase from January to April 11th
Mean: 14.6 increase from last summer’s numbers till April 11th
Back Squat:
Mean: 13% increase from January to April 11th
Mean: 1.66% increase from last summer’s numbers till April 11th
Bench:
Mean: 14.33% increase from January to April 11th
Mean: 6% increase from last summer’s numbers till April 11th
Three messages need emphasis as a result of this overview.
One is the importance of training in and out of season. The results above clearly show how much strength training is adversely affected when not done so. While training in-season is much different than off-season, something is better than nothing.
Two, athletes at this age need a total body solution that considers what the athlete needs, like strength and power. Strength and power are trained differently to generate the adaptation. Last, testing is critical for feedback for the coach, the athlete, and the parents. Testing helps the coach know where to make changes in programming. The athletes too build confidence and create buy-in. Parents want to know and see the progress their athlete is making and if their money is well spent.
I’m looking forward to our summer workout, that schedule will be released in a week or so.
Coach Robbins
We help frustrated individuals and aspiring athletes, confused about what to do and stuck, by identifying their needs and developing a hand-crafted plan for success.
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