Alberta Volleyball Coaching
Symposium 2009
Training Principles and Program
Design for the High Performance
Athlete
OVERVIEW
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Introduce important ideas and concepts.
Physical Systems – Performance Pyramid
Training Programs.
Principles of performance training.
Essential Program Components
– Movement Preparation, Prehabilitation, Pillar Training,
Power Training, Strength Training, Regeneration.
– Final Thoughts
– Pre-Practice & Pre-Game Mov’t Prep Plan
– Questions & Discussion
INTRODUCTION
Goals of a Performance Training Program:
– Injury Reduction (especially overuse)
– Performance enhancement (not attractiveness
enhancement)
– Maximize ability to manage stress through
correct planning and implementation of training
protocols
– Increase confidence on and off the court!
INTRODUCTION
• “As to methods there may be a million and
then some, but principles are few. The man
who grasps principles, can successfully
select his own methods. The man who tries
methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have
trouble.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
INTRODUCTION
• Training requires balance of body systems
– “The more educated an athlete becomes about
the workings of the body, the less intimidated
and insecure the athlete will be when making
decisions about training.”
- Gray Cook
– By adopting efficient and effective training
systems early, many injuries caused by an
unbalanced approach and poor problem solving
techniques can be prevented.
INTRODUCTION
• Many training programs are a mix of fact,
fiction, biased opinions, advertising, media
hype, and personal anecdotes.
– Many athletes try things because their friends,
teammates or favourite pros say they work.
• Where are you getting your information?
• Discuss media hype
– Assessment tools/evaluation?
INTRODUCTION
• Coaches and trainers should present
efficient and effective methods for
enhancing performance by addressing the
fundamentals of human movement.
– “Athletes knowing more about programs than
they do about their own bodies is the medical
equivalent of a patient knowing more about the
medication than the disease it is supposed to
treat.”
- Gray Cook
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Motor Programs
– If muscles, joints, ligaments etc are the body’s
hardware, then motor programs are the software
– Motor programs are ways the brain stores
information about movement.
– It is the body’s way to conserve energy and
storage space.
– The more a motor program is used, the more
efficient and refined it becomes.
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• The way an athlete moves, not the way an
athlete looks, defines the athlete.
– Are you bodybuilding or enhancing movement?
• An athlete must develop sound movement
patterns long before worrying about
performance enhancement.
– These movement patterns are not possible in
the presence of poor flexibility or poor body
control (mobility and stability)
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Joints
– 2 forms of support – ligaments and muscles
– Ligaments support joint in each direction it
naturally moves (tensile strength)
– Synovial fluid within the joint serves to
lubricate and nourish the cartilage
– Muscles surrounding joints fall into two
categories: Stabilizers and Prime movers
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Stabilizers:
- First (deepest) layer of muscle surrounding a
joint
- Squeeze it together giving it instantaneous
support when joint is moved or loaded
• Prime movers:
- Larger, force producing muscles that pull joint
in a certain direction as the muscles shorten
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Microtrauma
– Results from small amounts of stress imposed
on the body over time by poor biomechanics
and overtraining.
• Poor biomechanics refers to movement mistakes in
which the body compensates and uses suboptimal
joint alignment, muscle coordination, and posture.
• Top athletes spend more time working on weakness
than showing off strength
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Movement
- goal of a training program should be to create
efficient movement so the athlete can stay
relaxed, conserve energy, practice more, and
compete with less stress
- Movement is ultimately what defines great
athletes (examples?)
- Isolated muscle development does not play a
major role in motor pattern development
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Muscle size and symmetry are the goals of
bodybuilding, but sports are about
movement – speed, agility, quickness,
power, control, coordination, and stamina
• Training for sports is about functional
movement patterns
– Muscles will develop naturally as different
patterns are worked
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Performance Pyramid
Functional Skill
Functional Performance
Functional Movement
PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
• Functional Movement (1st tier/foundation)
– The ability to move through fundamental
patterns – mobility and stability.
• Functional Performance (2nd tier)
– The ability to produce or generate efficient and
powerful movements (gross athleticism)
• Functional Skill (3rd tier)
– The ability to do a given activity or sport
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• Training is simple game of stimulusresponse.
• Workout is stimulus. Response occurs after
workout.
• Response affected by quality of w/o and
quality of recovery.
• Work + Recovery = Success
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• Over-training: an accumulation of training
and/or non-training stress resulting in longterm decrease in performance.
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Incomplete/under-recovery
Monotonous/unprogressive training
Continuous failure in training/competition
Lifestyle factors (ie. stress, sleep, nutrition etc)
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• Types of Stress
– Environmental
• Temperature, altitude, humidity, gym
– Psychological/Social
• Personality conflicts, family problems, pressure to perform,
arousal levels, complacency, apathy
– Physiological/Biochemical
• Sleep, nutrition, prescription or recreational drugs
– Anatomical/Structural
• Injury, overuse, poor exercise technique, poor biomechanics,
surgery
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• “A bad program done well is better than a good
program done poorly”
• Athletes need coaching, not programs.
• Technique, technique, technique.
• Why do athletes cheat?
• Employ principle of technical failure
– Never count a rep that was completed after technique
broke down.
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• Why are the following exercises important?
– Bodyweight lower body exercises (ie. squats,
lunges, split-squats etc.)
– Front squats
– Pause or slow eccentric bench press
– Planking (a.k.a. bridging)
TRAINING PRINCIPLES
• Answer: good exercise selection is purposeful and
is designed to eliminate or correct critical flaws.
• Consider the following as a good place to start:
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Is it done standing?
Is it multi-joint?
Is it done with free-weights?
Is it characteristic of explosive sports?
PLAYFIT PRINCIPLES
• Movement Integrated Training
– Exercises designed to improve the
neuromuscular efficiency of the kinetic chain in
order to stabilize, reduce force, and produce
force in multiple planes of motion at various
speeds.
PLAYFIT PRINCIPLES
• Essential Components of a Sound Program
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Movement Preparation/Activation/Mobilization
Prehabilitation/Corrective Exercise
Pillar Training
Elasticity/Power/Reactive Training
Strength/Resistance Training
Energy System Development
Regeneration
PLAYFIT PRINCIPLES
• Ensure the body is properly ‘warmed-up.’
• Muscle activation, mobility, flexibility and stability are vital
components to performance.
• Begin every session with Movement Preparation.
• Address injuries or biomechanical flaws.
• Perform Corrective exercises or ‘re/pre-habilitation’ exercises
early in the workout (prior to strength).
• Always train the Pillar or Core.
• Every workout should include pillar and/or core training of
some kind (activation, stabilization, strength, power etc.).
PLAYFIT PRINCIPLES
• Explosive Movements before strength work.
• Exercises that stress the nervous system must be done when
both the muscular and nervous systems are fresh (ie. Olympic
lifts, plyometrics, medicine ball, speed work etc.).
• Multi-joint exercises over single-joint exercises.
• Single-joint exercises for hinge joints are a waste of time!
• Exception: only for joints with high degrees of freedom and
stability needs (“isolation for innervation” (ie. hip abduction)).
• Limit machine use.
• Only exception: adjustable cable column for rotary training.
• Every other exercise can be done better with a weight than
with a machine.
PLAYFIT PRINCIPLES
• Develop single leg stability and strength.
• “Most important quality in performance training.”
• Split squats, lunges, single-leg squats, slide board training,
unstable surface training, RNT etc).
• Balance knee-dominant and hip-dominant lower
body training (1:1 Ratio)
• Front squats vs. straight legged deadlifts (single leg?).
• Balance pushing and pulling upper body training
• Chest Press/Shoulder Press vs. Rows/Pull-ups.
• Recover from workouts.
• Rest, sleep, stretch, ice, muscle therapy, hot tub, nutrition etc.
MOVEMENT PREPARATION
• An active warm-up that replaces traditional preexercise cardio (usually linear) and stretching.
– Goals are to loosen tight muscles, increase core
temperature, activate, mobilize, and elongate your
muscles in order to optimally prepare the entire body
for the workout and also to make long-term flexibility
gains. This phase will improve your balance,
proprioception, mobility, flexibility, stability, and
strength.
MOVEMENT PREPARATION
• STEP 1: Foam Roll/Massage Ball
– Purpose is to decrease density of muscle tissue (ironing
for the muscles).
• Muscles respond to injury or overuse by increasing in density
(referred to as knots or trigger points).
• STEP 2: Static Stretch or AIS (Active Isolated
Stretch)
– Yes…before the workout.
• A “cold” muscle may undergo some plastic deformation and
increase in length.
– Focus only on particularly tight/shortened muscles.
• “It is more dangerous to be overly flexible in one muscle group
than to be tight in all of them.”
MOVEMENT PREPARATION
• STEP 3: Active/Dynamic Warm-up
– The athlete can now begin to increase core
temperature with more dynamic movements
such as various runs, mobility and strength
drills, activation exercises, and dynamic
flexibility exercises.
– Prehab exercises and pillar stability/strength
can be part of the movement prep phase also.
MOV’T PREP - Mobility
• Power is dependant on three things:
– Stability
– Mobility - how well a joint moves
– Strength
• Without mobility, we get dysfunction.
– With dysfunction, we get pain.
• Pain never precedes dysfunction!
– Problem occurs when mobility is lost in the right areas
and gained in the wrong areas.
– Pain usually occurs where there is hyper-mobility.
MOV’T PREP - Mobility
• Mobility vs Flexibility:
– Lack of mobility causes a development of relative
flexibility and increased stiffness.
• Mobility vs Stability:
– The body must be stable!
• When the body is not stable, we compensate with improper
movement patterns and hyper-mobility in areas that need to be
stable. Result is tightness and pain.
– You are a stacked pile of joints with alternating
functions and needs.
• Joint dysfunction will effect the joint above or below
(compensatory movement).
MOV’T PREP - Mobility &
Stability
JOINT
Ankle
Knee
Hip
L-Spine
T-Spine
Scapulo-T
Gleno-Hum
PRIMARY NEED
Mobility
Stability
Mobility
Stability
Mobility
Stability
Mobility
DYSFUNTION
Knee/back pain
Ligmts/tendons
Back/knee pain
Stiffness/Disc
C-Spine pain
Stiffness
Bursitis/RC
PREHABILITATION
• A Proactive approach to protecting yourself
from injury or correcting faulty
biomechanics through specific activation or
isolation exercises designed to innervate
weak or inactive muscles.
• Two syndromes you must know:
– Upper Crossed Syndrome (UCS)
– Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS)
PREHAB - UCS
• Identifying UCS:
– Anteriorly shifted shoulders
– Increased kyphotic curve.
– Anteriorly rotated arms.
– Palms face towards rear as apposed to sides.
• Characteristics of UCS:
– Hypertonic: pectoralis major and minor, internal
rotators (subscapularis, latissimus dorsi).
– Hypotonic: middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids,
thoracic spinal erectors, external rotators (infraspinatus,
terres minor),
PREHAB - UCS
• Consequences of UCS:
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Faulty glenohumeral joint alignment
Shoulder impingement
Subacromial bursitis
Weakness due to imbalance
Numbness and tingling
Upper back pain
Decreased performance (sore shoulder)
Headaches
Neck aches/pain
PREHAB - LCS
• Identifying LCS:
– Increased lumbar lordosis (hyperlordosis)
– Protruding abdomen
• Characteristics of LCS:
– Hypertonic: lumbar erectors, hip flexors
– Hypotonic: abdominals, gluteals.
PREHAB - LCS
• Consequences of LCS:
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Lower back pain
Hip pain
Knee pain
Numbness and tingling
Decreased performance
Grumpiness
PREHAB - UCS and LCS
• Treatment of UCS:
– Practice perfect posture (Brugger’s postural relief
position).
– Stretch pectorals, posterior and lateral neck, internal
rotators.
– Strengthen neck flexors, scapular retractors, middle and
lower trapezius, external rotators.
• Treatment of LCS:
– Stretch hip flexors and lower back.
– Strengthen abdominals and glutes.
– Avoid prolonged sitting (take breaks).
PILLAR TRAINING
• Core stability: “the ability to create extremity
movement without compensatory movement of
spine or pelvis.”
• Pillar strength: “the ability to produce and transmit
force from the ground without energy leaks at the
hips, spine or scapulo-thoracic joints.”
• An energy leak is a point at which energy is lost
during the transfer of force from the ground as a
result of the bodies’ inability to stabilize a joint.
PILLAR TRAINING
• Training the deep abdominal muscles
– “Drawing in” - the action of bringing the rectus
abdominus toward the spinal column by contracting the
transversus abdominus and internal oblique muscles.
– “Bracing” - the technique that involves the
simulanteous co-activation of the transversus
abdominus, internal and external obliques, and rectus
abdominus.
– Training the deep abdominal muscles play a key role in
the stability of the lumbar spine and is vital to strength
training and remaining healthy.
• rectus abdominus cannot produce or prevent rotation.
PILLAR TRAINING
• Stabilize
– Athletes must first learn to stabilize the pillar prior to
producing force via rotation, flexion or extension.
• Train stability prior to motion (‘anti-rotators’).
– ‘local’ muscles vs ‘global’ muscles
• ‘local stabilizers’ fire/activate at very low percentages of
maximal force and therefore must be trained with low loads.
Otherwise ‘global’ muscles take over and ‘local’ muscles
become weak and/or neurologically inactive.
– Inability to stabilize on one leg is hip dysfunction related to
improper firing of gluteas medius (not ‘turned on’ neurologically
or too weak). As a result, support structures of the knee are
forced to produce stability = pain.
PILLAR TRAINING
• Dissociate
– Athletes must learn to move through the appropriate
areas (ie. from the hips, not from the lumbar spine).
• Most athletes with lower back pain or hamstring strains have
poor hip and/or lumbo-pelvic mechanics and as a result must
flex or extend the lumbar spine to make up for the movement
unavailable through the hips.
• Integrate
– Athletes must then learn how to integrate these
different areas and joint-needs into functional
movement patterns.
• Movement Integrated Training!
PILLAR TRAINING
• What does this all mean for athletes?
– Early strength gains are more neural than
contractile.
• Therefore, learn to stabilize, activate and mobilize
the appropriate areas in the Movement Preparation,
Prehabilitation, and Pillar Training phases of the
workout, prior to more integrated and contractile
movements.
• Athletes must be able to set core and fire glutes!
PILLAR TRAINING
• Glute activation (or lack thereof) may be the root
of many evils:
• Low back pain relates strongly to poor glute max activation
(lumbar compensation).
• Hamstring strains also related to poor glute max activation
(synergistic dominance/excessive demands).
• Anterior hip pain associated with poor glute max activation
(hamstring hip extensor biomechanics).
• Anterior knee pain associated with poor glute medius strength
or activation. “Knees don’t usually go bad, hips fail to
properly control knees.”
– Glute activation should be performed in the Movement
Preparation phase of every workout.
PILLAR TRAINING
• Main components of Pillar Training:
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Glute activation exercises
Core stabilization exercises (planks & bridges)
Scapulo-Thoracic stabilization
Quadriped progressions (all-fours)
Supine progressions (lying face-up on back)
Core strength exercises (flexion, rotation, ext.)
• Athletes must be able to stabilize against rotary
forces before training for rotary power.
POWER TRAINING
• Training for power is a choice between 3 options:
– Body weight training (plyometrics, agility etc.).
– Medicine ball training.
– Resisted training (Olympic lifts).
• No one tool gets all the jobs done and no one tool
is perfect for every job.
• Remember the purpose: to develop explosive
concentric contractions and to facilitate/improve
eccentric to concentric switching (neurological).
POWER TRAINING
• Plyometric Training
– Plyos are exercises designed to improve the ability to
switch from eccentric to concentric muscle action.
– The purpose is to train the nervous system…eventually.
– The initial and more important purpose is the develop
the eccentric strength necessary to perform ‘true’ plyos.
– True plyometric exercise needs to be preceded by a
program of jump training for injury prevention.
POWER TRAINING
• Plyometric Training
– Good plyos are quiet plyos.
• Athletes should be seen and not heard.
– Perform stabilization and gravity reduced
eccentric strength initially.
• Jump, hop, and bound onto box in multiple planes.
– Progress to increased gravity eccentric strength.
– Introduce elastic component with multiple
jumps, bounds, and hops (ie. ‘true’ plyos).
POWER TRAINING
• Olympic lifting
– It’s not about the sport of Olympic lifting, it’s about
power for sport!
– If you can’t perform the lifts with excellent technique,
do not perform these lifts!
• You can get your high-velocity hip extension training from
plyos or medicine ball training.
– Olympic lifting is very effective when done correctly.
• Don’t worry about weight, worry about technique.
POWER TRAINING
• Olympic lifting
– Perform only ‘hang’ lifts (bar above knees).
• Eliminates great deal of lower back stress.
– It is easier to snatch than it is to clean.
• Use 1-arm DB hang snatch initially.
– Great unilateral shoulder stability and pillar stability.
• Progress to BB hang snatch but use narrow grip.
– Narrow grip lessens stress on shoulder joint.
– BB Jump Squats are a good alternative to Olympic lifts
while the athlete works on perfecting technique.
STRENGTH TRAINING
• Athletes must be able to BW Squats before
adding external load (ie. walk before run).
• Assessment
– Overhead reaching squat to parallel with toes
pointing forward.
– Inability = Deficient in ankle or hip mobility or
hamstring flexibility.
STRENGTH TRAINING
• Learning to Squat
• Recruit the glutes (use theraband around knees).
• Chest up, shoulders back, upper and lower back arched and
tight, feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider.
• Squat with fully inflated lungs to brace the upper and lower
back.
• Concentrate on sitting back with the body weight on the heels.
• Descend slowly until the tops of the thighs are parallel to the
floor (toes, knees, and shoulders will be lined up vertically).
• Push the knees laterally over the toes (against theraband).
• Ascend driving upward with the chest out bringing the hips up
and forward while squeezing the glutes!
• Exhale slowly with hissing sound as if puncturing a tire.
STRENGTH TRAINING
• Front squats are safer than back squats.
– Keeps torso upright, decreasing torque that causes
problems with the SI joint.
– Athletes use lighter (more appropriate) weight.
– Greater stress on knee extensors allowing athletes to
perform hip extension exercises the following day.
– Athletes have a tough time front squatting poorly.
– Develop shoulder flexibility using clean grip.
STRENGTH TRAINING
• Developing Single-leg Strength
– Single-leg strength is the most important
quality in performance training!
• The actions of the pelvic stabilizers are different in a
single-leg stance than in a double-leg stance.
• Single-leg exercises force the gluteus medius,
quadratus lumborum, and adductor muscles to act as
stabilizers and neutralizers which are critical in sport
skills.
REGENERATION
• Accelerating Training Adaptation
– Foundational Nutrition
– Optimize nutrient delivery and waste removal
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Pre/Post-workout nutrition/supplementation
Hydration and electrolyte balance
Active recovery methods
Foam roll massage
– Restore and maintain tissue quality
– Soft tissue massage (foam roll, lacrosse ball, manual etc)
– Stretching techniques
– Replenish Psychological Resources
– Rest/sleep/mindset strategies (naps, meditation, yoga, parties)
REGENERATION
• Active Recovery
– Post/Inter-session, non-training days, and active rest
phases.
• Light, low impact exercise
• Games not related to sport
• Pool
– Mobility, light movement
– Decreases joint compressive forces
– Pumping/flushing effect of hydrostatic pressure
REGENERATION
• Restoring and maintaining tissue structure
– Massage
– Increase blood and lymphatic flow
– Flush/general relaxation
– Release tight tissue/decrease tissue density
– Stretching
– Lengthen tight muscles
– Increase efficiency and aid alignment
– Types
» Dynamic/Mobility (Pre-Workout)
» Active/Isolated (Pre/Post-Workout)
» Contract/Relex (Pre/Post-Workout)
» Static (Post-Workout)
REGENERATION
• Hydro/Cryo-Therapy
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Cold Plunge (ice bath)
Ice
Hot Bath/Whirlpool
Hot/Cold Contrast
Sauna/Steam Room
Mineral Salt Bath
REGENERATION
• Regeneration Daily Plan
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Active Rest (aerobic activity, game, swimming)
Prehab Circuit
Self-massage (total body)
Self-stretch (total body)
Post-workout supplementation
Hydro/Cryo-Therapy
Scheduled Manual Massage/Physio/Chiro
REGENERATION
State Modulation
(High Intensity)
Focused
Intensity
ATTENTION
(Broad Focus)
(Narrow Focus)
Surrender/Restore
ENERGY
(Low Intensity)
FINAL THOUGHTS
• Top 5 Training Recommendations:
① Recover from training – massage, stretch, ice,
nutrition/supplementation, rest/sleep.
② Pillar Stability – core, hips, shoulder blades (“spare
the spine”).
③ Develop single-leg strength/stability – hip mobility
(squat variations, lunge variations, hip extension)
④ Address weak links (referral?)
⑤ Monitor Volume – jumps, swings, extra-curricular
FINAL THOUGHTS
• Top 5 Product Recommendations:
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Foam Roller – Travel Roller, Half foam roller etc.
Lacrosse ball
Thera-band/Resist-a-band or tubing
Skipping Rope
Proper footwear – new each season?
FINAL THOUGHTS
• Top 5 Supplement Recommendations
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Electrolyte drink (E-Load; V-8 Juice)
Whey Protein (Pre and Post-workout)
Multi-vitamin/mineral
Elevate Me! Nutritional Bars
Fish-oil and/or ground flax seed (Omega-3)
FINAL THOUGHTS
• Top 5 Resources for Coaches and athletes:
Coreperformance.com
Strengthcoach.com
The Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook
Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Dr. Stuart
McGill
⑤ Playfit.org (scott@playfit.org; 403-560-3851)
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②
③
④
FINAL THOUGHTS
• “Our chief want in life is for someone to make
us do what we can.”
» Ralph Waldo Emerson
– “Continuous improvement is better than
delayed perfection.”
» Mark Twain
– “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence
then, is not an act, but a habit.”
» Aristotle