TRAIN FAST TO BE FAST: Explosive Training for the Stockton University Athlete

TRAIN FAST TO BE FAST:Explosive Training for the Stockton University AthleteChristian Allen, M.S., CSCSHead Strength & Conditioning CoachStockton University

THANK YOUCoach Joe LopezNJ State Director. National Strength and Conditioning AssociationCoach Mike Wolf & Jay MerlinoFormer Strength and Conditioning Staff for the Philadelphia EaglesCoach Ron McKeeferyDirector of Strength and Conditioning at EMUCoach Justus GalacHead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the New York JetsCoach Craig FitzgeraldHead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Houston TexansCoach Joe KennHead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Carolina PanthersStockton University/ Stockton Student-Athletes/ Stockton Coaching Staff

Phase 1: If you want to be fast, you must train FAST!WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7WEEK 8DRILLREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITETIER 1POWER CLEAN59551055110510520551055115512051055125513551455105513531455155512551553165318051405 or more1753 or more1851 or more195TIER 2*LOWER BODY VARIATIONSBOX SQUATRACK PULLSRACK SQUATSTRAP BARSQUAT31531453160314531603150316531503165DEADLIFT3453175319031753190320032203200322032303255323032553255328032553280128513151285131512951325129513251 or more3101 or more3401 or more3101 or more340TIER 3*LOW BACK VARIATIONSGOOD MORNINGSGOOD MORNINGSBB RDLBB RDL6 to 106 to 108 to 108 to 106 to 106 to 108 to 108 to 106 to 106 to 108 to 108 to 106 to 106 to 108 to 108 to 10*CORE VARIATIONSDB SIDE BENDS (HEAVY)DB SIDE BENDS (HEAVY)WEIGHTED DECLINE SIT-UPSWEIGHTED DECLINE SIT-UPS20 each20 each151520 each20 each151520 each20 each151520 each20 each151520 each20 each1515TIER 4*HAMSTRING VARIATIONSBB HIP THRUSTERREVERSE HYPERSBB HIP THRUSTERREVERSE HYPERS6 to 10156 to 10156 to 10156 to 10156 to 10156 to 10156 to 10156 to 1015TIER 5*ANTI-ROTATION w/BANDBAND:BAND:BAND:BAND:4 X 12 EACH SIDE4 X 12 EACH SIDE4 X 12 EACH SIDE4 X 12 EACH SIDETIER 6*WSB LOWER BODYSLED PULLSSLED PUSHESSLED PULLSSLED PUSHESCHALLENGE1 setAFAP10 mins1 setAFAP10 mins1 setAFAP10 mins1 setAFAP10 mins

Makes sense, right? Explosive weight training and explosive conditioning lead to a more explosive athlete. This is fairly intuitive. At Stockton, my main goal is to make the most explosive athlete I can, in the shortest amount of time possible.

*Remember at college we have a limit on how long and how much we can train them.

Strength, Force & Rate of Force DevelopmentMaximal Strength or Limit Strength: is the amount of muscular force that can be produced during a singular all-out effort.Force:is a time-dependent expression of strength, and is the rate at which the mass of a body or object moves.

Rate of Force Development (RFD):is how quickly muscular force can be produced. Training for RFD hinges on the velocity of muscular contraction through the rapid recruitment, activation, and synchronization of motor units. To do this, you have to muster maximal force generation at the beginning of a movement without a preceding stretch or countermovement.

RFD Training PrerequisitesTo get the most out RFD, you should possess a respectable level of limit strength (Basic Strength)Max Bench Press = 1.25 x bodyweight

Max Squat = 1.5 x bodyweight

Max Deadlift = 1.75 x bodyweight

Building the BasicsSo as you saw with my prerequisites, if youre not quite there yet, the priority of the training will be to get stronger by sticking with the basics and building a solid foundation.

The good news is that you can improve max strength and RFD concurrently.

At Stockton, I see this all the time when incoming freshman walk thru the door.

Jared Lewis

In sports, high force outputs must occur in the shortest amount of time possible. In strength sports such as powerlifting where limit strength is the name of the game the time it takes to produce force is essential to success.

The quicker you move your limbs and exert force on the barbell, the less likely you are to hit a sticking point.

In fact, we tell our athletes merely lifting an object with the intention of moving it fast makes it feel lighter.

Train for Starting StrengthSpeed reigns supreme in virtually every sport. When looking at the force-velocity curve, it's the final destination. So the question becomes, how do you make someone who's already strong, faster? The inclusion of starting strength and explosive strength training protocols will bridge the gap between maximal strength and speed.

Starting StrengthStarting strength is the ability to recruit tons of muscle fibers as quickly as possible. It can be enhanced by incorporating movements that occur from a dead stop, also known as "dead movements."Dead movements are concentric-only movements that eliminate the contribution of the stretch shortening cycle, so there's no reversible muscle action or momentum to help out.You can improve RFD by improving starting strength. The more rapidly you can recruit muscle fibers to perform a task, the more force you can produce.

Top Dead Movements1) DeadliftThe most notable dead movement is the deadlift, it elicits the greatest amount of concentric rate of force development.

2) Step-upStep-ups, another concentrically dominant movement, notched the second greatest amount of concentric rate of force development.

3) SquatSimilarly, squats can also be performed from a dead stop off safety bars in a power rack.4) BenchBench press dead stop variation, simply use a pause on the chest or from the power rack's safeties.

TRAINING TO BECOME EXPLOSIVE!We are always looking to improve explosive strength. Speed and explosiveness kill in sports. Explosive strength is your bodys ability to maintain a high rate of force output throughout an entire movement.Examples of explosive strength are an offensive lineman drive-blocking his opponent into oblivion, a shot putter putting the shot as far as possible, or a volleyball player hitting a cut shot. Improving explosive strength involves all types of variants.

How to improve Explosive Strength in athletes:Olympic Lifts: Power Cleans, Hang Cleans, Clean & Press

Compensatory Acceleration Training (CAT): would mean that you start out slow at the bottom of the movement (where the leverage is not as good) and you speed up as you move up the movement. Bands and Chains would be used here.

Explosive Triple Extension: involves the simultaneous extension of the hips, knees, and ankles and can occur bilaterally or unilaterally in vertical, horizontal, and lateral movements. Traditionalists feel that triple extension should only be trained through Olympic lifts. However, any explosive ground-based movement such as plyometrics and trap-bar jumps, or strongman event exercises such as tire flips, log cleans, keg rolls, and stone lifts can serve as viable alternatives.

Plyometrics: enhance the body's ability to summate force and increase power output. Plyometrics dont have a steep learning and the athlete can grasp them while doing their strength program.

Training with Submaximal Loads In-SeasonRemember, when the goal is RFD enhancement, don't go too heavy. Think light-load, explosive training for RFD.

Compensatory Acceleration Training involves lifting weights with maximal force throughout the entire range of motion.

Bottom line, lift weights with the intention of moving them explosively!WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7WEEK 8DRILLREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITETIER 1BB BOX SQUAT22052225224522454052205222522452245Green Band or Chains220522252245224522052225224522452205222522452245220522252245224522052225224522452205222522452245220522252245224522052225224522452205222522052225TIER 2DEADLIFT3275232013551390455327523201355139032752320135513903275232013551390327523201355139032752320135513903275232013553275232013553275232032752320

WEEK 5WEEK 6WEEK 7WEEK 8DRILLREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITEREPLOADWRITETIER 1BENCH PRESS31303145316031753153130314531603175Purple Band or Chains3130314531603175313031453160317531303145316031753130314531603175313031453160317531303145316031753130314531603175

#MeatheadmetabolicsHeavy Bag Rounds15 sets X 1:00 min on / 1:00 off15 sets X :45 sec on / :45 sec off* This will be speed work with the hands

21 Gun Salute3 exercises X 7 rounds = 21 boutsProwler Pushes :30 secConcept 2 rower :30 secSledge Hammer :30 secSled Walks (After Squat Day)20:00 mins of consecutive sled walks. Forward and Backward full court or length of turf.

Basketball Med Ball ConditioningMed Ball ConditioningSide to Side Slide w/ Med Ball Chest Pass (Baseline to Half Court)Chest Pass to Catch/Pivot/Touch Back BoardChest Pass to Catch/Jump on Plyo-Box/Slam DownMed Ball OH Throw into WallMed Ball Chest Pass w/ Wall (Fast Pace)Med Lateral Toss w/ WallGut CheckMed Ball Suplex X 10Med Ball Slams X 10Med Ball Chest Pass X 10Med Ball Arch X 10Med Ball Kneeling Chop X 10Med Ball Sit-ups X 10Med Ball Good Mornings X 10* As man rounds as possible in 30 mins

Jump TrainingTesting1)Vertical Jump2)Counter Movement3)Broad JumpPhase I- 3x per week (2 weeks) 45 contacts per day Building Power/Explosiveness Box Jump Drills 10-15 minutes

Day 1: Linear MovementsStandard Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 repsSingle-Leg Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Linear Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsLinear Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 reps

Day 2: Lateral & Medial MovementLateral & Medial Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 reps each sideSingle-Leg Lateral & Medial Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Lateral & Medial Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsLateral & Medial Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 reps each side

Day 3: Rotational MovementsRotational Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 reps each sideSingle-Leg Rotational Box Jumps: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Rotational Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsRotational Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 reps each side

Jump Training ContinuedPhase II- 3x per week (2 weeks) 45-120 contacts per day Building Power/Explosiveness (High/Low) Hurdle Drills 10-15 minutes

Day 1: Linear MovementsStandard Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 repsSingle-Leg Banana Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Linear Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsLinear Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 repsBound Jumps and stick landing: 2 sets X 5 reps

Day 2: Lateral & Medial MovementLateral Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 reps each sideSingle-Leg Lateral & Medial Banana Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Lateral & Medial Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsLateral & Medial Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 reps each sideLateral Bound Jumps with a Med Ball overhead: 2 sets X 5 reps

Day 3: Rotational MovementsRotational Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 reps each sideSingle-Leg Rotational Hurdle Hops: 3 sets X 6 reps each legSpeed Ladder Rotational Hops w/ Landing: 3 setsRotational Line Hops: 2 sets X 10 reps each side

Bottom line: Simplify Your Approach

You get what you train for. Adaptations are specific to the imposed physiological, biomechanical, and neurological demands.If you continually punish yourself with metabolic death circuits, you'll eventually puncture a hole in your training goals and be left without a paddle.Likewise, if you train to be slow, you'll end up slow. You're an athlete. Train your body to produce force rapidly, you'll become more explosive and faster.

Big movements = Big results! Gunnar Peterson

Dont show me your fancy excel sheet, cause thats simply the PLAN.

Show me technique, effort, execution, and passion from your athletes, cause thats the PROGRAM!

Why do the athletes that you coach have FAITH in you?

CONTACT INFORMATIONCoach Christian Allen, CSCS, M.S.Phone: 609-652-4983Email: Allenc12@Stockton.eduTwitter: @IronOspreys