For the modern athlete, resistance training is very important and should form crucial and integral part of any training plan. Note that there is a great difference between the suggested training plan you find in fitness magazines and the real-world professional athlete workout routines. The strength conditioning for specific sports is more involving and the developer must take into account various important design variable. Careful planning and execution are also very important.
The following are the steps that should be followed to ensure there is a success in the workouts for athletic players.
Evaluation and assessment:
This is a very important initial step in designing an athletic workout routine. The athlete’s physical profile and sports characteristics should be carefully evaluated and assessed. In evaluating the sport, any resistance training program proposed should mirror the actual movement patterns in that particular sport.
In this early stage, the focus should be on the development of general strength base but conditioning exercises can be administered in preparation for the competitive season. The physical demands of the sports should also be evaluated to help decode the muscles that the training should be focused on. The athlete should be evaluated in terms of the physique and fitness to the training and also for the sport.
Selection of exercises:
The exercises for athletes are the nerve of any workout program. The selection of exercises should be preceded by sports analysis and after the objectives of the training have been set. The goals may, for example, be strength endurance, power, maximum strength, or hypertrophy (the building of larger muscle mass) or may be a combination of several of these.
Core exercises or those which form the foundation of hypotrophy resistance training or maximal strength training program should be included. Examples of core exercises include shoulder presses, deadlifts, bench presses and back squats. Other core exercises which are ideal for the development of power include snatches, push jerks and power cleans.
Assistance exercises may be included in the workout routine in situations where strength endurance and explosive power are needed. Basically, the assistance exercises tend to recruit the smaller groups of body muscles are in most cases they are single joint exercises and they include hip abduction, leg extensions, jump squats, calf presses and power cleans. Single arm rows, seated rows, calf raises, and lunges are also good examples of assistance exercises.
The Frequency:
Frequency is very important in a train like an athlete workout. How often should you do it? In resistance training, most athletes lift the weights at least three days every week. Often, this works well since it allows time of recovery and fits well into the traditional 7 days weekly training program. Generally, the frequency should be increased as you progress through the training for the advanced lifters, the frequency may be as high as up to six days in a week.
