Strength and Conditioning - Five Point Blueprint

Last week I explained what Integrated Performance Conditioning meant to me. In this article I'm going to share with you another section of my new book, The Strength and Conditioning Bible - How To Train Like An Athlete that is released on Thursday November 5th on Amazon.

Five Point Blueprint for Success

Five key concepts provide the foundations on which to develop an effective IPC that will help you achieve your performance outcome.

Quality

Develop fundamental movement skills that focus on quality of movement before quantity. All clients will share common movement patterns that need to be developed. Work with your clients to develop the following primary movements: squat, hinge, pull (vertical and horizontal), push (vertical and horizontal), lunge and carry, reach, lift, stop and start. The body is a complex system and training must take into account how the musculoskeletal system actually functions. Your primary goal as a coach is to establish technical competency in these fundamental movement patters.

Functional

All movements have a level of functionality, the important concept to understand is that the level of functionality is related to the performance outcome that you want to achieve. Consider every exercise and training session in relation to the outcome. If training moves too far away from fundamental movements there will be less transfer of training effect (degree to which a training exercise as part of a programme affects the long-term performance improvement) (Gambetta, 2007). When selecting a training intervention consider the following factors and the impact they will have on the functional nature of the exercise.

Kinematics - what it looks like, the study of motion without taking into account forces that cause it. Planes of motion (sagittal - divides the body into right and left), (frontal - divides the body into front and back), (transverse - divides the body into top and bottom), number of joints, speed of movement, range and direction of the movement.

Kinetics - what causes movement, the forces involved, the accentuated region of force production, the rate and time of maximum force production, he regime of muscular work (Siff, 2003). Integral to exercise selection is an understanding of the force velocity curve and the impact that has on the training outcome.

Energetics - when muscles work, they require energy so that they can contract. Chemical energy is transformed into mechanical energy - movement. There are three different metabolic systems that we have at our disposal: ATP-PC > Anaerobic > Aerobic

Efficient

Develop programmes and training sessions that use the minimum 'dose' but deliver the maximum 'effect'. A 'results by volume' approach to training is inefficient. Exercise selection and programme design have a significant impact on the duration of a training session but clients can also impact on the duration. To ensure sessions are time efficient clients must train with 'intent'. Training is cumulative - once capacity and power have are developed it becomes increasingly difficult to improve fitness levels (diminishing returns). Focus needs to shift to efficiency, economy of movement (metabolic and mechanical). Develop the clients ability to work at greater percentage of maximum with less energy cost. Continuity Planned variations are essential to elicit adaptations but programmes must be developed with both short and long term aims in mind. Coaches must develop programmes - not workouts. Always consider the cornerstones of physical preparation when developing a programme. Always ask the question “why am I changing the programme? Is it because I'm bored coaching it, or has the client reached a point where they need a new stimulus.

Recovery

Recovery and regeneration is a fundamental component of an integrated performance training programme. A comprehensive recovery and regeneration strategy enables a client to optimise their training and reduce the risk of injury and illness. Consider your client as a '24 hour client' - programme 'Invisible training' that will allow them to recover and adapt.


If you are interested in learning more about my approach to training and would like to discover how to train like an athlete, pick up your copy of The Strength and Conditioning Bible today from Amazon.