The Dynamic Athlete Pete McKnight Strength & Conditioning Coach
Workshops 1.The Healthy Athlete 2. The Robust Athlete 3.The Dynamic Athlete
The Healthy Athlete Warm-up Drills Mobility and flexibility Key areas of injury incidence & importance of addressing these weaknesses Foot and ankle conditioning Cool down Self management
The Robust Athlete Warm-up and drills Whole body conditioning -Hip and hamstring -Lower back -Foot and ankle -Foundation for weight training Trunk and core conditioning
The Dynamic Athlete Developing strength and power through weight training Olympic style weightlifting Partial lifts and their variations Plyometrics
Strength Characteristics Isometric force: time curve indicating maximal strength, maximal rate of force development, and force at 200 ms for untrained, heavy-resistance strength-trained, and explosive-strength-trained subjects (adapted from Häkkinen et al., 1985 a, b).
What is Strength? The ability to exert a force against a resistance. F=ma (Newton’s 2 nd Law of Motion) Dynamic strength is defined as the maximal ability (capacity) of a muscle to exert force or torque at a specified velocity (Knuttgen & Kraemer, 1987)
Strength is force generation
POWER = STRENGTH X SPEED
What is Power? Force-velocity curve showing how power can be related to these qualities
What is Conditioning? Capacity for training Building blocks for future work ‘Prevention’ of injury Physical preparation 3-D Training Lower level training – pre-strength Auxiliary training – parallel to strength
Priorities “Be careful over emphasising qualities that are not specific to the primary components or objectives of the training cycle, because you will have too many qualities competing for the draw on the nervous system.” Charlie Francis Neuromuscular demands Metabolic demands
Priorities Demands of the event? –What really matters –How strong is strong enough? Strengths vs. Weaknesses Biggest gains – best use of time Time of year/periodisation cycle Level of athlete/training age
Planning a programme Strength –Fundamentals e.g. Olympic lifts & variations –Squats –Dead lifts; RDL’s Supplementary exercises –Olympic variations –Conditioning Exercises
Strength Typical rep range 1-5; multiple sets Rest – full recovery Weight – % Bilateral leg; Unilateral leg Posterior chain Hips Upper body press Upper body pull
Power Typical rep range 1-6; multiple sets Rest – full recovery Speed – fast / explosive Weight – 30-60% 1RM Multi-joint
Power/Speed Olympic lifting exercises Squat based power exercises Medicine ball / Powerbag throws Power Jumps High level of force, less focus on velocity Reactive Jumps Small amplitude, high speed of contraction Resisted Running Rotational Power Upper body power
Other Considerations...
Choice of Exercise Must serve a purpose Must be executed correctly to maintain emphasis and function Phase dependant Speed dependant A assists B; B assists C; C impacts performance
Good Coaching/Good Training “Repetition is the mother of learning” Latin Proverb “Precise repetition is the mother of excellence” Quality is better than quantity, but a larger quantity of quality work is best Intent
Intent “Intension to move the bar quickly rather than the actual speed of the bar is the goal” (Young & Bilby, 1993) Better recruitment of motor units Synchronisation Muscles activated at higher frequency Transfer of force “You can’t push rope...” Focus
Testing 1RM Strength Tests Speed Acceleration Vertical Jump Key Competencies Goal setting Motivation, structure, planning Direct Training
The Clean Start Position First Pull Transition Second Pull The Catch Recovery
The Jerk Start Position Dip Drive The Catch Recovery
The Snatch Start Position First Pull Transition Second Pull The Catch Recovery
Variations – Hang Clean
Variations – Jerk Behind Neck
Assisting Exercises Good Mornings; Romanian Dead lifts Front Squat; Back Squat Overhead Squat Dead Lift High Pull Push Press; Behind Neck Push Press
Resources Explosive Lifting for Sports (book & DVD) By Harvey Newton
Resources