With the official start of the season roughly a month away, there are a few subtle changes you should be making in regards to your athlete’s training regimen.
1. Increase conditioning Volume – now is the time to front load long runs, extended bike sessions and lots of work capacity type circuits. The more you can do now, the less they are playing catch up later, and showing up to day 1 of official practice already in shape will pay dividends for their season long development. Over the next few weeks start to add in some hill sprints in place of one of the shorter or interval runs.
2. Bulletproof the traditional “weak links” – Neck, Grip and Lower Back. Adding in a few sets at the end of each workout of Low Back Hyper Extensions, Wrist Curls, and Neck Planks to help sure up these areas.
3. Transition to Power – while absolute strength is still a focus, the days of grinding thru super heavy reps are best left in the summer. Get your athletes to move fast and with intent thru the range of motion, and add in these 3 variations to improve speed and build explosive power:
Weighted Jumps – using a set of DBs (light for young athletes or up to 50% combined BW for advanced athletes) or Trap Bar, have the athlete start in a counter jump position (not a deep squat) and explode up into the air. Land with soft knees, allow the hips to come back on impact then stand up and reset. Sets of 3-5 reps. All the triple extension benefits of olympic movements with a much lower threshold of skill required.
Band Snap Downs – attach a thick band (or a doubled up mini band) to an over head rack. Perform stance motion and snap the band down hard as you down block and move. Sets of 10 snaps in between compound movements or use as a conditioning Tabatta (20 seconds on/10 seconds off x 8)
Med Ball Suplex – another one of my favorite substitutes for an olympic lift, this is like a power clean with the added sport specific hip extension and back arch. Start with a shoulder width stance and in one swift movement, pull the ball from the floor as you extend your hips and arch, throwing the ball behind you. Que the athletes to come all the way on to their toes and briefly look at the wall behind them at the top of their arch. Sets of 5-10 reps.
Need help navigating the season and ensuring your athletes peak at the right time?
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My members receive the same programming each week as my elite wrestlers (along with form videos and chalkboard breakdowns), daily gutcheck conditioning workouts, and access to all of my past programming – over 20 full programs to choose from on day 1!
