How to Design a Resistance Training Program for Your Sport
Evaluation And Assessment
The first step is to evaluate the characteristics of the sport and to assess the athlete's physical profile. I've worked with many athletes in the past, and I have discovered the importance of WATCHING the sport, assessing each movement and component to apply it to the training program.
Evaluating The Sport Ultimately, a resistance training program should mirror the movement patterns of the sport as closely as is feasible.
The early stages of the program may focus on developing a general strength base. The base strength should then be developed upon by converting the conditioning exercises to be more specifically tailored to the sport.
The same applies to the physiological demands of the sport - a cross country runner for example, requires high levels of muscular endurance. A volleyball player would benefit from explosive power and a football lineman from exceptional muscle mass. A hockey player would benefit from basic strength, explosive power and strength endurance.
Exercise Selection
Once a movement analysis of the sport has been considered and the strength objective for the program set (i.e. hypertrophy, maximum strength, power, strength endurance or a combination of several), the most appropriate exercises can and should be selected.
The Core exercises should form the basis of a maximal strength or hypertrophy resistance training program. Examples include back squats, bench presses, dead lifts and should presses. Core exercises suitable for power development include power cleans, push jerks and snatches.
When explosive power and strength endurance are more a priority (perhaps for a late pre-season strength program) more assistance exercises can be incorporated into the routine.
Assistance exercises can be used for more explosive and strength endurance enhancement. These exercises recruit smaller muscle groups and are usually single joint exercises. They can be useful for maintaining a balance between agonists and antagonist muscle groups - especially if the sport places an uneven demand on the body. They can also closely match some of the movements in sport...
Kicking - leg extensions, hip abduction/adduction
Jumping - power cleans, calf presses, jump squats
Rowing - seated rows, hip sled, single arm rows
Swimming (front crawl) - lat pull downs, lateral raises, overhead pulls
Sprinting - lunges, step-ups, calf raises
Throwing - overhead pullovers, triceps extensions, internal/external shoulder rotations
Even though mirroring sport specific movements is an important design variable, it should not be to the neglect of other major muscle groups.
A resistance training program should aim to develop balance throughout the body even if the sport has an upper or lower body emphasis. This is an important step in injury prevention.
Frequency
Three workouts a week is a good balance. This often works well allowing sufficient recovery time and fits nicely into the 7-day week. More advanced lifters may benefit from a four, five or even six day a week program.
Guidelines from the National Strength and Conditioning Association suggest that there should be at least one rest day but not more than three between working each muscle group.
Alternatively, it may be more suitable to use the split routine design - training different muscle groups on different days.
It's also important to take the phases of season into consideration...
Off Season - 4-6 sessions per week
Pre Season - 3-4 sessions per week
In Season - 1-2 sessions per week
Transition - 0-3 sessions per week
Of course frequency design cannot be complete without taking other elements of training (such as speed and endurance sessions) into account. A resistance training program for a hockey player for example, might be coupled with plyometric training. In this scenario, only two resistance training sessions per week is feasible.
As you can see training for your sport depends largely on THE SPORT and on the SEASON. It is important to fine tune your training to optimise your performance and reduce risk of injury.