Square Pegs Don’t Fit in Round Holes: Program Design
Guest Post by Jackson Frey
Strength training is general physical preparation (GPP).
There is nothing done in a weight room that truly mimics the biomechanics and velocities of sport. Strength training is a way to apply a stimulus in an effort to develop physical qualities that improve an athlete’s ability to perform in their sport.
The ultimate key performance indicators (KPIs) for athletes are the ability to be on the field (durability) and perform at a high level (physical and tactical preparation). It is my firm belief that there is no one size fits all approach to training and a training program must adapt to the athlete, not the other way around.
A square peg does not fit into a round hole, no matter how many times you try.
Resistance training comes in many different forms. There are those with a powerlifting background, those with an Olympic lifting background and those with a bodybuilding background. So which type of training is best?
Like with most things in the field of strength and conditioning, the answer is.. it depends.
These different styles of training are simply vehicles (modalities) utilized in an effort to reach a destination (adaptation). Powerlifting is based on the bench, squat and deadlift. These exercises have been shown to be effective tools in the development of maximal strength, starting strength, accelerative strength, hypertrophy, explosive strength and reactive strength when properly implemented.
Olympic lifts include snatch, clean and jerk. These exercises and their variations have been shown to be effective tools in the development of explosive strength and reactive strength.
The bodybuilding approach targets specific muscle groups in an effort to maximize hypertrophy. These methods have been shown to be effective tools in the development of muscle growth in specific muscle groups that often go underdeveloped in many athletes (glutes, hamstrings, VMO, mid back, posterior shoulder).
Targeting these weaker muscle groups can help reduce the incidence of injury and achieve what Charles Poliquin referred to as structural balance. Each of these approaches have their merits as well as shortcomings. At the end of the day, they are simply tools in a toolbox.
I have had the pleasure of learning from some of the best minds in the field in my career.
This quote from Anthony Donskov “An amateur marries methods and experiments with principles. The expert marries principles and experiments with methods” perfectly lays out how sports performance coaches should approach program design for their athletes. Methods are ways to achieve desired adaptations based on scientifically backed principles.
““An amateur marries methods and experiments with principles. The expert marries principles and experiments with methods””
As performance coaches, we are constantly trying to identify the optimal way to prepare our athletes to be at their very best when it matters most. We educate ourselves and make mistakes in order to find the best evidence-based practice. But what does evidence-based practice mean? In a recent conversation with Kevin Neeld, he beautifully described evidence-based practice as
1. Backed by the literature
2. Supported by personal experience
3. Takes athlete ability and preference into account
Most programs by qualified sports performance coaches are backed by literature and supported by personal experience. Taking athlete ability and preference into account is what separates good from great programs in my opinion.
Are the exercises and methods you are using the best fit for your athletes at this point in time? This is a very important question to ask yourself. Here are some more extremely important questions to ask yourself when designing and implementing a strength and conditioning program for athletes:
1. What quality or qualities are you seeking to improve?
2. Are the exercises and methods you are choosing going to create the targeted adaptation?
3. Is the athlete physically able to effectively perform the exercises you have selected?
4. Is the athlete experienced enough to safely execute your selected training methods?
Let’s take a look at exercise selection. Overhead press is a very common exercise in many strength and conditioning programs. Overhead press requires the athlete to flex the shoulder while maintaining a stacked torso (ribs over pelvis).
Image from T-Nation
https://www.t-nation.com/training/a-strongmans-guide-to-shoulder-health
If your athlete is not able to achieve “proper shoulder flexion”, is the overhead press the best exercise for them or would an exercise like a landmine press or 50-70 degree incline press give you a similar adaptation without putting the athlete at risk for injury? Shoulder flexion also needs to be considered when implementing chin ups.
What about back squat? Does your athlete have the shoulder external rotation, ankle mobility and anterior core control to safely and efficiently perform a barbell back squat under load? Do your athletes experience any pinching pain in their anterior hip when attempting to squat low?
As a coach who trains many hockey players, their common lumbar extension bias has led me to implement a lot more safety bar, front squat and split squat variations for that specific population. What about catching a power clean? Do they have the wrist extension, shoulder external rotation and thoracic extension required to safely and effectively get in the position necessary to catch a clean under substantial load? If the answer is no, you can get a similar adaptation (explosive strength) with a clean pull or trap bar variation.
When it comes to training methods it is important to remember the goal of strength training for team sport athletes. Strength training is a form of GENERAL physical preparation. A hockey player is not a competitive powerlifter or Olympic weightlifter.
Elite athletes are not necessarily elite weightlifters, in fact, elite athletes are often novices in the weight room. While it is fun and exciting to implement fancy methods like French Contrast, supramaximal eccentrics and iso-dynamics we must always assess if they are necessary.
These methods are definitely effective when properly implemented but our job is to create the desired training outcome while using the minimum effective dose. Our job is not to give our athletes everything they can handle, we must provide the perfect amount of stress in order to create an adaptation that they are able to display in their sport.
The key takeaway here is that it is ESSENTIAL for you to design your strength and conditioning programs based on each specific athlete’s goals and abilities. Sports performance coaches must constantly assess and reassess their programming to ensure that they are giving their athletes are realizing their full athletic potential. Remember, performing their sport at the highest level is the ultimate KPI.
Everything we do as sports performance coaches must be done with that end goal in mind.
Please reach out to Jackson if you have any questions and give him a follow as he is putting out some great content.
Jackson Frey
Performance Coach- Chicago Sports Institute
Jackson.frey@chicagosportsinstitute.com
IG: CoachJ_Frey
Twitter: CoachJ_Frey
