By Vern Gambetta
Vern Gambetta, MA, is the Director of Sports Performance at Nova Care and President of Gambetta Sports Training Systems in Sarasota, Fla. The former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox, he is a frequent contributor to our sister publication Training & Conditioning.
Coaching Management, 9.5, August 2001, http://www.momentummedia.com/articles/cm/cm0905/strong.htm
Few basketball coaches today question the need for strength training. Many coaches, however, do wonder about the best way to set up a strength-training program, especially when there is so much conflicting advice available. While big-time college programs often have staffs of strength coaches dedicated to making bigger, stronger, and faster basketball players, most high school and smaller college programs have to make do with whatever knowledge the coaching staff has picked up along the way.
The problem with this is that much of the information available on the topic is a confusing barrage of fads, myths, misconceptions, half truths, and lies. While simply copying a program you used in college 20 years ago may be the quickest solution, it’s far from the best. In this article, I hope to cut through some of this confusion by providing practical pointers that will lead you step-by-step through the development of an effective strength-training program.
The Principles
To get off on the right foot with your program, you need to understand and embrace those principles of strength training that are sound. They can be summed up in the following six points:
Develop sport-specific strength. This is the most important principle, and should actually be the goal of any strength-training program. Except for competitive weight-lifters, the goal is NOT to increase the athlete’s ability to lift heavier weights. The goal is to develop strength that the athlete can use in his sport; in this case, basketball.
Strength training is a spectrum of activities. Under my umbrella of strength training, I include body-weight exercise, core training, plyometric training, free-weight training, machine training, Olympic lifting, and power lifting.
Train movements, not muscles. The central nervous system (CNS) is the command station that controls and directs all movement. The CNS calls for preprogrammed patterns of movement that can be modified in countless ways to react appropriately to outside forces such as gravity, ground reaction, and momentum. Each activity is subjected to further refinements and adjustments by feedback from the body.
For this reason, it’s critical that we think of movement not as an isolated event, but rather as a complex event that involves multiple factors working together. Movement does not occur in a preset anatomical position, and choosing exercises that isolate specific muscles does not appropriately address multi-dimensional strength development. Movement occurs in reaction to gravity, ground reaction forces, and momentum, and must be trained as such.
Train core strength before extremity strength. A strong, stable core consisting of the hip, abdomen, and low back is the cornerstone of a good strength-training program. Without a strong, stable core, loading the extremities with weight will be very risky and limited by the lack of core strength. The core works as a transmitter, transferring force from the lower extremities to the upper extremities and vice versa.
Train body weight before external resistance. This entails being able to overcome gravity in traditional body-weight exercises like the push-up, pull-up, and body-weight squat before adding weights. This type of work will help to strengthen the tendons and ligaments as well as the muscles in preparation for external loading. It will also ensure good joint stability.
Train strength before strength endurance. Traditionally, strength-training programs have started with circuit training in order to build a foundation of strength endurance. But, in order to build strength endurance, it is first necessary to build strength. Only when a base of strength has been established can you work to add an endurance component.
Asking Questions
Using these principles as a guide, the next step in designing a program requires asking lots of questions of yourself, your assistant coaches, and your athletes. The first group of questions includes the following: What do you hope to achieve with a strength-training program? What are the team’s goals? What are the individual’s goals? How can strength training help realize these goals? The answers to these questions should be based on three factors: the position, the athlete, and the environment.
The Position. Most people recognize that a wrestler should not have the same strength-training program as a basketball player. But don’t overlook the fact that a center should have a different program than a point guard. To figure out how to make the strength-training program best match the position, consider these next questions:
• What are the strength requirements of the position?
• What muscle groups are used?
• What are the movement requirements?
• What is the direction of the application of force?
• What is the range of movement?
• What kind of resistance does the athlete have to overcome?
• Is added muscle mass needed for protection?
• What are the common injuries?
The Athlete. In looking at the individual athlete, carefully consider growth and development factors as well as previous injuries. Questions here include the following:
• Has the athlete gone through puberty? While there is no doubt that the pre-pubescent athlete can weight train (research and practical experience have shown no ill effects from weight training), I tend to modify programs for younger athletes. My rule is to avoid any heavy loading of the spine until after puberty. Thus, I limit the amount of overhead work that a young athlete does, and I put the emphasis on body-weight exercises. This will serve as excellent preparation to safely move forward on the strength continuum after puberty.
• Is the athlete an early or late developer? Biological and chronological age are often quite different, so it’s important to take into account an athlete’s maturity as well as his or her age. Cognitive and emotional development should also be considered, as they are quite important to the athlete’s ability to accept coaching and learn exercises and routines.
• What is the athlete’s medical history? Along with addressing any past injuries, carefully consider any postural defects. Problems with posture must be addressed before moving any further into a training program.
• What are the athlete’s unique, individual qualities? Does he or she need to develop in an area that is slowing him or her down? If the athlete cannot do a certain exercise, substitute a simpler, more remedial exercise.
The Environment. From a coaching and teaching perspective, it is important to take into consideration outside factors that will affect the strength-training program. Answering these questions will put you on the right track:
• Can you teach the exercises and supervise them properly to ensure safety as well as proper training? If your staffing does not allow you to implement a full-blown program, then don’t try to. It’s better to scale the program back to meet the resources available than to risk injury.
• Is lack of time a factor? If so, consider the “weight room without walls” concept, where strength training is integrated within the location and time frame of the actual practice session. This is accomplished using the natural environment, body-weight exercises, medicine balls, and stretch cords. This may seem like a compromise, but it’s better than nothing.
• What facilities and equipment are available? Do not let facilities or equipment be a limiting factor in beginning a program. A few quality exercises done consistently can yield terrific results. This is especially true when beginning a program.
Design Rules
Now that you understand the important principles and have answered the pertinent questions about the athletes, you can start designing a program. Here are some guidelines:
Time of year. The greatest emphasis on strength training should be during the off-season and the preseason. But it is important to also develop a manageable program that can be continued throughout the season.
Progression. Progress from body-weight exercises to external resistance exercises both within the workout and through the training year. Also, within each workout, perform balance/stability work and core work first. Start with simple, easy-to-perform exercises, then progress to more complex movements. The key to progression is mastery. If you allow the athlete to proceed further into the program before the exercises have been mastered, there is a higher risk of injury.
Frequency. There are basically two alternatives, both of which work quite well. The first option is to train the entire body on alternate days three days a week. The second option uses a split routine; for example, you might train the legs and total body on Monday and Thursday and train the upper body on Tuesday and Friday. Both follow the master rule, which is to allow muscles 48 hours to recover and adapt between training sessions.
Number of exercises. It is best to carefully choose and limit the number of exercises. I have found that too many exercises dilute the training effect. Determine a few essential “need to do” exercises so athletes can focus on the workout and not on learning new exercises.
Duration. Generally, it is best to keep the entire strength-training session in the range of 60 to 90 minutes. The closer to one hour, the better the results.
Evaluating Results. The traditional evaluation of a strength-training program has been the ability to lift more during weight-training exercises or perform more repetitions on body-weight exercises. In an absolute sense, that is still valid, but I think we need to go beyond that and carefully observe the carryover to the actual sport movement. While this is much more subjective, it is the ultimate goal of any strength-training program. Closely observe if the athlete’s ability to start and stop has improved or if there has been a reduction in injuries.
Selecting Exercises
The types of exercises you use are limited only by your imagination. However, it is important to consider the qualities of the exercises. Here are some tips:
Make them multi-joint. Use as many joints as possible to produce—and reduce—force.
Avoid isolation exercises. Skip exercises that put unusual stress on one joint. They cause confusion because the muscle is asked to do something different in strength training than it must do in movement. Consequently, exercises like leg extensions, leg curls, concentration curls, and pec deck flys have no place in a functional strength-training program.
Control speed. Incorporate speed of movement that is safe and that the athlete can control.
Work proprioceptive demand. Proprioception is the body’s sense of where it is in space—an innate knowledge of every joint, muscle, and limb, and where it is in relation to the rest of the body. It is similar to balance. But more than that, it is the body’s ability to automatically react to a changing environment—which is critical for sport activities. Therefore, the best drills and exercises to work proprioception are those that athletes perform under their own weight while being forced to react to external stimuli, like reaction drills. This ensures that the strength developed will transfer to sport performance.
Minimize machines. Considering the above criteria, machine training should play a minor role in strength-training programs. There is a mistaken notion that it is best to begin a strength-training program by using machines. Nothing could be further from the truth. Because machines provide so much stabilization, they give a false sense of security and stability that does not transfer to a free, gravitationally enriched environment. Various rowing and pulley machines are acceptable, but even those should only be a small part of the program.
As you can see, the variables are endless. The key is to take a proactive approach by paying attention to all the factors, both big and small. Know the goals, understand the principles, and pay attention to the individual athlete and sport. Then, choose your timing and exercises consciously and carefully.
A version of this article appeared in the November 2000 issue of Training & Conditioning.
For more articles on strength training, please visit our Web site www.AthleticSearch.com and type “Strength” in the search window.
Sidebar #1:
An Exercise Menu
Appropriate exercises can be selected from six
categories:
1. Balance & Stability
Single-leg squat: perform in three positions—straight, side, and rotation—and hold each position five counts.
Balance shift: Shift right, left, forward right, forward left, back right, and back left.
2. Core Exercises
Medicine-ball basic rotations: tight rotation, wide rotation, over the top, figure eight, chop to ankle (stride position), and woodchop with a twist.
Medicine-ball rotations and twists: standing full twist, standing half twist, half chop, and solo med-ball sit-up (both right and left).
Medicine-ball wall-throw series: overhead throw, soccer throw, chest pass, standing side to side (cross in front), standing face to the wall (throw right and left, down the side), and standing back to the wall (alternate throwing right and left).
Medicine-ball total-body throws: overback throw, forward through the legs, squat and throw.
3. Lower Body
Squat & touch
Single-leg squat: three positions: front, side, and rotation.
Body-weight exercises: squat, lunge, and step-up.
Jump squat
Leg circuit: squat, lunge, and step-up.
4. Upper Body
Pulls & pushes: front pulldown, dumbbell row, incline pull-up, incline chin-up, push-up progression, rotational bench press, dumbbell bench, rhomboid, combo I (curl & press), combo II (upper cut), and arm step-up.
Stretch-cord/mini-band menu: sidestep, walk forward and back, carioca, monster walk, dynamic protraction/retraction, dynamic scarecrow, back stroke, backhand.
5. Total Body
Dumbbell high pull
Dumbbell snatch
Squat to press
Lunge & press
6. Plyometric Exercises (Jumping)
Jump rope routine
Tuck jumps
Multidirectional jumps
Ice skater
Side to side
Hops
Zig zag bound
Sidebar #2:
Getting Them Started
This is an introductory program for newer athletes. The theme is to emphasize body weight for two weeks, then, starting with the third week, increase sets with each workout as the athletes progress.
Mon/Thurs:
Total Body & Legs Emphasis
Mini-band routine
Medicine-ball basic rotations
Balance routine
Single-leg squat: 2 sets x 5 on each leg
Dumbbell high pull: teach on Mon
Dumbbell snatch: teach on Thurs
Body-weight squat: 2 x 10
Body-weight lunge: 10 on each leg
Body-weight step-up: 10 on each leg
Jump squat: 10
Core work: medicine-ball rotations
& twists
Tues/Fri:
Upper-Body Emphasis
Mini-band routine
Medicine-ball basic rotations
Balance routine
Push-up progression: regular, incline,
stagger, butt up, oblique, rotation
Incline pull-up: 3 x 8
Pulldowns (front): 3 x 8
Arm step-up: 2 x 20
Punching: 2 x 30 (15 right & 15 left)
Stretch-cord routine
Medicine-ball wall throws